There’s no sea breeze in Recife, it’s hot and stuffy. The Atlantic Ocean is right there but look at the skyline—all these tall buildings block the wind and I’m sweating even though I rarely sweat.

In fact, somehow, Recife reminds me of Beijing in the summer. Same hot and humid weather, same strange mix of super modern buildings and unexpected maze of narrow alleys and courtyards in between. They’re called “hútòng” in Beijing—is there a word in Portuguese to describe these old-style streets progress forgot? It’s like two parallel worlds. Take the mall, for instance. There’s a giant 91.200 square meters “Shopping Recife” complex where the entire city seems to hang out at night—four food courts, hundreds of shops, a supermarket and more, it’s one of the biggest malls in Brazil. And right at the entrance of the mall, between Avenida Visconte de Jequitinhonha and Rua Dom João VI, you’ll find several blocks of one-storey houses and eateries—this is the kind of neighbourhood where “opening a restaurant” means setting up a portable grill on the sidewalk and selling skewers.

I spent my first two days in Recife freaking out about the latest travel restrictions. Since freaking out isn’t a full-time activity, I also walked back and forth along Boa Viagem beach. I didn’t go swimming—I don’t think standard face masks offer much shark attack protection.

For the first time since Mark and Feng came back to Canada, I felt kind of lonely and lost.

This world is not a new and improved version of the world we had before. I was freaking out about how difficult it was going to be to come back to Canada but not just that—I’m scared of the way many people are reacting to the crisis, I’m scared of the way the rest of us is getting hopeless and depressed, I’m scared everything is changing for the worse. My French family is reaching their wit’s end—no work, projects that have been on hold for a year and a baby on the way for my sister who is getting more and more depressed every day because of the restrictions. For the first time in twenty years in Canada, I don’t understand my country. It’s been a year of constant blaming—“People are getting pandemic money and they’re not eligible for it!” “Neighbours are having people over!” “Close the schools!” “Ban public transit!” “People are cheating!”

“We’re gonna be okay,” I kept on telling myself. But are we, really? Vaccination campaigns are just starting and I’m already reading that “well, we don’t know how effective vaccines are, don’t expect a normal life anytime soon…”

Phew. Oh, the end of the beach. Let me turn around and worry some more.

Okay, I’m kind of stuck in Brazil. I’m not rushing back to Canada—what’s the point, new, new, new restrictions could be introduced any time soon. I’m staying put. I’m fine.

Eventually, I calmed down a bit and took the bus to Recife Antigo, the old part of town. I timed the trip perfectly because rush hour in Recife is brutal—I was stuck in buses for hours last year. I got lucky this time, both buses weren’t crowded and traffic was okay.

We’re gonna be okay.

I hope so, anyway.

Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem, Recife
Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife
Carmem Padaria, Av. Conselheiro Aguiar, 2878 - Boa Viagem, Recife
Carmem Padaria, Av. Conselheiro Aguiar, 2878 – Boa Viagem, Recife
Diplomata Delicatessen, Av. Conselheiro Aguiar, 2154 - Boa Viagem, Recife
Diplomata Delicatessen, Av. Conselheiro Aguiar, 2154 – Boa Viagem, Recife
Parraxaxá, Av. Fernando Simões Barbosa, 1200 - Boa Viagem, Recife
Parraxaxá, Av. Fernando Simões Barbosa, 1200 – Boa Viagem, Recife
Parraxaxá, Av. Fernando Simões Barbosa, 1200 - Boa Viagem, Recife
Parraxaxá, Av. Fernando Simões Barbosa, 1200 – Boa Viagem, Recife
Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem, Recife
Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem, Recife
Praça de Boa Viagmen, Recife
Praça de Boa Viagmen, Recife
Pte. Maurício de Nassau, Recife
Pte. Maurício de Nassau, Recife
Pte. Maurício de Nassau, Recife
Pte. Maurício de Nassau, Recife
Pte. Maurício de Nassau, Recife
Pte. Maurício de Nassau, Recife
R. Alfândega, 35 - Recife
R. Alfândega, 35 – Recife
Av. Alfredo Lisboa, Recife
Av. Alfredo Lisboa, Recife
Av. Alfredo Lisboa, Recife
Av. Alfredo Lisboa, Recife
Praça do Marco Zero, Av. Alfredo Lisboa, Recife
Praça do Marco Zero, Av. Alfredo Lisboa, Recife
Praça do Marco Zero, Av. Alfredo Lisboa, Recife
Praça do Marco Zero, Av. Alfredo Lisboa, Recife
R. do Bom Jesus, Recife
R. do Bom Jesus, Recife
R. da Guia, Recife
R. da Guia, Recife
Rua Barão Rodrigues Mendes, Recife,
Rua Barão Rodrigues Mendes, Recife,
Praça da República Santo Antônio Recife
Praça da República Santo Antônio Recife
Taken from R. Visc. de Jequitinhonha, Boa Viagem, Recife
Taken from R. Visc. de Jequitinhonha, Boa Viagem, Recife
Taken from R. Visc. de Jequitinhonha, Boa Viagem, Recife
Taken from R. Visc. de Jequitinhonha, Boa Viagem, Recife
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