Residents of Rio de Janeiro demonstrate against political upheaval, corruption and the cost of the Rio 2016 Olympics Games, in front of the Copacabana Palace Hotel on August 5, 2016. AFP PHOTO | TASSO
At the end of the opening day of the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro on August 5, I felt as if I had completely assimilated myself into Brazilian life. I felt a part of both its dimensions, the happy and the sad.
Like many foreigners who have not been here before, my view of Brazil was always romantic — the happiest football, even if undergoing traumatic times in recent years, the most pulsating samba music and the best barbeques.
