About the Tour Guide Aurélio

I was born in Maranhão State in 1975. When I was 8 years old, my father brought me to Rio so I could study. I never meet my mom. My father re-married and I had two other brothers. I lived in Rio at the Rocinha Slum, at that time, it was very dangerous and I feelt it’s dangers during the frequent wars.

In May 1988, the newspaper Jornal do Brasil went up the slum to collect material for a piece on the good side of Rocinha. Four interviews were made, mine was one of them. I told the newspaper, amongst other things, that the subjects I enjoyed most in school were French and Math. After reading this paper, the director of a French School in Rio (Aliança Francesa), Mr. Patrick, offered me a full scholarship. I started then to dedicate myself seriously to French.

This was a very important period of my life. It was then that I started to see a different world, completely different from Rocinha, my school and the market I worked at. I started to relate to different people, even with some members of the Brazilian Royal Family.

And I went on with my life.

When I turned 14, my father decided to move back to the interior of Brazil to Paraíba. I did not want to move. My life was all structured in Rio de Janeiro and I did not want to lose my French scholarship. So I stayed in Rio living with my aunt until I tuned 17. At that time, a great friend and French teacher lent me the money so I could buy my own house at Rocinha. I worked during some time delivering newspaper and then I worked at a importation office for 5 years.

In 1998, after I made enough money to buy a motorcycle, I gave up that plan and decided to use this money to fulfill my dream of going to France. After all I needed to practice the language I was learning for many years now! Arriving in Paris, in the subway a French woman asked me when I was going back to my Country, this made me upset, but made me realize the importance of being a good host to tourists. And today I try to do this in my job. From Paris I caught a train to London. For me this was a great dream come true! It was so exciting...

Back to Brazil, I was introduced to a French guy called Guy Darmet, director of the Maison de la Danse, in Lyon, he was interested in buying an apartment in Rio. I managed to find him an apartment he liked and I was also in charge of taking care of it while he was away.

Other foreigners started to come. At this time I had bought a car and I started doing tours around Rio de Janeiro, Sugar Loaf, Christ Redeemer, Maracanã Stadium... It was then that I did a course to become a registered Tour Guide, after all I speak French and English.

Today I’m responsible for more than 20 apartments, that I rent out mainly for foreigners. I work as a tour guide and continue to live at Rocinha, were I take tourists to a tour that ends in my house with a delicious barbecue. There they can interact with the locals and meet my wife and daughter. Today I live in Copacabana and try to help the slum community to have a prospective for the citizens of Rocinha.

It is very important for me that everyone knows how much this scholarship changed my life. During the years I studied there I read allot and it made me love to read and think that I could be different. There are many people like me in the slums of Rio. They also deserve an opportunity to change there life and create a new story.