A year after, JMJ Rio, trainings and sightseeing

17/07/2013: General training for all volunteers & visiting Pao Açucar

On the way to the metro station from my accommodation

Yes, that's right. We take our volunteering job so seriously. The 1st training day it was general for all volunteers to know more about the general important information like in case of emergency, the schedule of events.. There were different sessions for the different languages so me and my friends attended the English one. We were gathered in a big auditorium. We had the chance to see some of the volunteers that were communicating with us about the JMJ before travelling.

Australia, North America, Africa and Asia :)

After the session, we decided to go and have lunch. It was a new area so we were just walking till we find a small restaurant. We were just a small group, mainly most of the Arab countries (Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Egypt) as well as the only volunteer from Iran. Then other friends were also looking for a place so I tried to explain to them how to reach where we are on whatsapp and sending them our location. Actually, whatsapp was our most important way of communication since we were working with different teams and working in different areas so whenever we try to arrange for something, we just discussed over whatsapp.. of course by now most of us had a Brazilian number to ease the communication. 

After that some went off right after lunch and the rest we just went walking. We found a little church so we went inside to visit it. The priest when he knew we are voluntarios, invited us inside and asked to take a photo with us. He told us that this is the 1st church for Saint Rita outside Italy and it was very old (built in 1722). The style of the church was different than in Europe. I felt like it was bright and with much decorations. He was so kind and offered for us cold water to fill our bottles.

Group photo with the priest at Saint Rita Church

On our way up to Pao de Açucar

We had still all afternoon so we decided to go to Pao de Açucar or Sugar Loaf as called in English. It is a hill where we go up on a teleferic and you can see Rio de Janeiro and the famous Corcovado hill. We arrived just on time to watch the beautiful sunset over Rio. It was an unforgettable scene.

Panorama view of Rio de Janeiro at sunset from Pao de Açucar

18/07/2013: Communication team training & visiting Corcovado

View from the Media Center at Copacabana

This is the 1st day at the Media Center where we had the communication department training. Since all the girls with me in the accommodation are volunteers in communication, we headed up all together to the media center situated at the end of Copacabana beach. We didn't know that the metro ended 1 station earlier than the map so we had to walk a bigger distance to arrive. I didn't have much time to enjoy the walk on the beach as we were already late and we had to move fast to catch up but i managed to take few photos. 

Schedule of shifts

Arriving at the center, they gave us special tags so that we can move freely inside and outside. I was impressed by the media center. It was very crowded in the auditorium and we had to sit on the floor to attend the presentations. We had a quick tour after finishing the presentation and met the team of social media. We were divided by languages and for each language there were official accounts on facebook and twitter and our role was to manage them. for the Arabic language, we were 4, 2 from Syria and 2 from Egypt. We were luckier than others who were alone for their language so they had to work all the time.

Posing with my friends at Corcovado

After staying for a while in the media center and getting everything set for the work, i went to Corcovado. I had already reserved a ticket the day before to go by train as my friends advised me that it's very crowded and if i just show off i could wait for long time before finding an empty seat. 

It was very crowded and very difficult to take photos cos this is what everybody is doing. I tried to look for someone who seems to know about photography to take me a nice shot with the Redeemer. The place was full of volunteers, pilgrims and others with flags from all nations. Luckily, i found some of my friends up there and we took some photos together. The view from the top was amazing. I never imagined Rio to be that beautiful.

The view of Rio from Corcovado

Cristo Redentor, Corcovado

Cristo Redentor at night

I stayed there till the night. On my way back by train, i met a French freelance photographer who was there to cover the JMJ. It's so amazing how you can meet people everywhere and you can start any conversation. It's like a one big family and it doesn't matter from where you come from or what language you can speak.

A year after, JMJ Rio, Ready, Steady & Go

16/07/2013: The long awaited gathering

The first morning in my new accommodation at the nun's convent of Saint Joseph. We went early most of the volunteers staying there to the Cathedral for the 2nd time to get our volunteer kit. It was the 1st time to walk from the convent to the metro station, a descending road taking about 15 to 20 minutes. It was easy and the view was a nice as you can see from far away Corcovado and El Redentor (Redeemer). It was a lovely walk.

Meeting Chiara from Italy,
just before getting my badge

We arrived at the Cathedral and there were lot of volunteers as well but everything was going on smoothly.. at some point i was near the end but didn't reach it and they were calling for those in countries with few volunteers since it won't much time to find the badge and then go and collect all the stuff and of course Egypt was among those countries with small representation.

After i fetched my kit and was waiting on the outside, i met the 6th Egyptian volunteer which turned up a girl I've met the year before. It's a small small world! 
I also met the 3 musketeers, a.k.a the 3 Jordanians I already knew from facebook and whatsapp and 2 from Palestine.
For once we could speak in Arabic without the need to translate from one language to another.

4 Egyptians, 3 Jordanians, 2 Palestinians and others

After picking up the kits, i went to meet the rest of my friends. Long before we travel we have decided to gather all for lunch and our Brazilian friends have reserved in a restaurant not far away from the Cathedral. We ended up a bunch of 40 people walking in the streets going out for lunch. I was following my GPS, i gave my Egyptian flag which was now mounted on a big stick to a friend so the rest can see and follow us. We literally charged in the restaurant. Imagine like 40 people in a restaurant. This was the best restaurant ever, Kilograma. The food is served as open buffet, you pick up whatever you want but you pay according to the weight. I later on discovered that this concept was in many restaurants in Rio but it was totally new to me. I ended up paying a bill of around 36 Reals, i was fearing i would surpass the 40 Reals limit of the day with the food card.

After the restaurant, some went for a walk before going to the Cathedral for the mass for volunteers, me and others went straight to the Cathedral. On our way, i tried my first açai. It is a sort of fruit like berries with dark purple color but crushed and iced and you just eat it like ice cream or use a straw and drink the melting liquid.

At the Volunteer mass

At the cathedral we attended the 1st mass of the JMJ. It was for all volunteers. It was so crowded, full of volunteers from all around the world. Although most of the mass was in Portuguese, i enjoyed it, specially the hymns that were sung.

After the mass, when i was outside, a reporter saw me with the Egyptian flag, taking a photo with other people. He asked me if i can make an interview. It was much fun, he was a Brazilian reporter and speaking little Spanish and I tried to answer his questions in Spanish although it has been ages since i spoke Spanish and I had to work hard to find the right vocabulary. Of course, his questions were about Egypt, how it is to live there, if there are any problems for Christians and so on... later on in other interviews it was the same subject, same questions because Egypt was on the news.

On my way back to the accommodation, i lost my way because it was dark, i didn't remember the exact street and I was on my own. I found out that the area is all residential, no shops, no one to ask about the way. Even when i found a doorman in a building, he didn't know about the convent then a passing guy, came with me and we walked till we found it. Many Brazilians speak only Portuguese, especially the elder. Thank God I arrived safely but it was already late and raining and the nun in charge was kind of worried because i was late. I make a mental note to save the location on GPS, to know the name of the street and to return earlier.

A year after, JMJ Rio, the beginning

14/07/2013: Meeting with the group

I arrived in Rio on the 14th of July 2013. It was a long trip, Cairo to Amsterdam then Amsterdam to Rio. I started to feel the mood and the ambiance just before going on board of the 2nd flight as there was a group of pilgrims having fun and waiting to board. I couldn't tell from which country they were but it was obvious they were going for the JMJ.
I had a nice trip sitting next to a person from Madagascar working in the Netherlands and a lady who is half French half Brazilian. we had long discussions about many things, and of course about what was happening in Egypt as it was right after the famous June 30th.

Finally I arrived to Rio at night and went straight to the Che Lagarto hostel where i was supposed to meet some of my friends for the 1st time. We knew each other from whatsapp months before the JMJ. This is one of the great things about JMJ, is that you get to know people from all around the world and with the new technologies like whatsapp and facebook, and distances and time zones are no longer a barrier.

Caipirinha com Maracuja

We decided to go out for the night.  We ended up a bigger group as others from the hostel joined us. We went to a club we heard there was a party there to join but it was already raining heavily and when we arrived there we found it closed. So we headed to another place where we can have a drink and eat something and i tried my 1st caipirinha, but it was with maracuja!!



15/07/2013: Volunteer kit retrieval, 1st trial

Our group (9) moving from Che Lagarto to the Cathedral

We moved early morning to go to the Cathedral where we were supposed to get our volunteer kits, with the cards for food and transportation then to go to our respective accommodation. No one of my friends was assigned with me in the same accommodation as no one was with me in the team of communication department except one Egyptian guy but he was assigned to another place.

Inside Catedral Metropolitana
de Sao Sebastiao

It seems we were not early enough as there were already long queues of volunteers inside the church, all with their luggage. We met the rest of our friends who arrived earlier in the morning to Rio so more or less, all the gang was complete. In order to pass the time, people started to talk together, taking photos with flags, singing... I couldn't find my big stick inside the bag to put my flag but it didn't really matter cos we met the most craziest and loudest Egyptian in the whole Brazil :). I knew before travelling that we were 6 Egyptian volunteers, 2 of them were already my friends and i was wondering if i would meet the rest. I met 2 that day and the 3rd one the day after and it turned out to be someone i know also.
So our dear friend, who can considered as the most famous volunteer after Antonio Mateo (the manager of international volunteers) in no time made people singing Egito Egito... we can say that Egypt's name was even louder with the echo of many others from around the world.



The queues were moving slowly and slowly.. people started to help each other, like someone going
It was kind of a problem because we didn't receive our cards for food and transportation and we had to manage. Volunteers arranged with each other, so some would go out to get anything to eat for the rest of the group while others wait to save the turn... till maybe at the afternoon where we heard that there are no more kits and we have to leave and return the next day.

Photos with volunteers from Nicaragua & my friends from
Egypt and Singapore

Meeting with Paula who turned to be my colleague in
social media team and Jamil, 1 of the 3 Jordanians volunteers

They tried to organize people by accommodation so the group goes to the place together but i couldn't find anyone staying in the same place as me.. so i went on my own. I didn't have the exact address as i was supposed to first to report to a church and they would show us later on the place we should go to. I arrived finally to the church, it was only few stops by metro from the cathedral. It was a little bit an adventure moving around with my luggage but i made it. At the church, we were a small group and we stayed for a while before taking us to a nearby place. While waiting, we had small talks, getting to know each other. I was happy cos they were from many countries and they were all assigned to the social media team.
They took us in cars to a convent of nuns. We tried to settle, we were more than the number of available beds so we got mattresses to sleep on...

A year after, JMJ Rio 2013 still in the heart

The countdown for the one year celebration of JMJ Rio 2013 has already started. I can't believe that a year has already passed. I feel it was just like yesterday. I still remember these days and the great time I had.

In order to remember and share the experiences i had, I decided to write about these days, day by day, to relive the events and keep the memory alive.

So stay tuned for the adventures ;)