面对反差，里约让我们学会欣赏共存

On my last full day in Rio de Janeiro, I wanted to see how the rest of the city lives, so I decided to visit a section of the favelas, areas known for poverty, gang violence, and the setting of Fast and Furious 5. Wouldn’t it be funny if I got shot right before I left? No it wouldn’t be, but just don’t tell my mom I’m going. After a heart-stopping drive up the steep hills, we finally arrive at one of the best restaurants in Rio, nestled in the colorful favela buildings.

在这里的最后一天，我想去看看其余的里约热内卢人是如何生活，所以我决定去游览一块贫民区。这片地区以贫穷、帮派暴力和《速度与激情5》取景地而闻名。我万一在启程前中枪是不是就不好玩了?确实一点都不好玩，所以千万别告诉我老妈我会去。怀着惴惴不安，我们沿着陡峭的山坡一路开车前进，终于抵达了依偎在五光十色的贫民区建筑群之间里约最好的餐馆之一。

The rooftop bar of the restaurant might have the best view of Rio, maybe even better than the tourism sites. In front of the mountains are short stubby houses painted in street art and put together like intricate puzzle pieces to form the favela community. Off beyond the mountains are high-rise buildings seemingly planted on the edge of the coast, where some of the Rio Olympic events are held.

餐厅的屋顶酒吧也许拥有观看里约城风景的最佳视角，甚至可能比旅游景点的还要好。山的前面是涂满街头艺术画矮矮粗粗的房屋，像一片片复杂拼图碎片纵横交错在一起，构成巴西贫民区的全貌。山的远处是一座座如同种植在海岸边上的高层建筑，一些里约奥运会的比赛和活动在那里举行。

Not only is the view gorgeous, it also more accurately represents Rio than the main tourist sites. This is a city made up of contrasts. Standing on this roof, I see the contradiction of poverty and development all in one snapshot. If I zoomed in, I would see the Brazilians that form one of the most diverse cities in the world. I would see the different shades of humanity mingled together and coexisting.

不仅仅是风景迷人，这里比主要的旅游景点更能准确地代表里约。这是一个两极分化的城市。站在这屋顶上，我能在一个快照里把穷人区与开发区的反差尽收眼底。如果我把相机的镜头拉近些，我会看到构成世界上最多元化的城市之一的巴西人。我会看到肤色深浅不一的人群混在一起共存。

But this observation isn’t just about Rio; it also applies to the Rio Olympics. This past week has taught me much more than just journalism and sports.

但这种景象不只存在于里约，它也适用于里约奥运会。过去一周的经历已经教会我太多超越资讯学和体育的东西。

I rewind my memory tape back to visiting the athlete village and cheering with strangers in stadiums. Where else am I going to be around so many people with such contrasting backgrounds? Maybe it’s just the chatterbox habits of a young journalist at play, but I’m really going to miss being able to talk to strangers around me without being weird. At the Olympics, people are often pretty eager to learn more about others around them, wherever they may come from.

我把记忆回放到漫步运动员村的时刻以及和陌生人在体育场一起欢呼的场景。还有其他地方会让我身边同时围绕着这么多背景相差巨大的人群吗?或许是年轻小记者爱聊天的习惯在起作用，但我以后真的会怀念能够丝毫不尴尬和身边陌生人交流的时刻。在奥运会上，人们往往非常渴望更多地了解他们身边的人，无论他们来自何方。

I’ve enjoyed doing what my mom always advised me not to do: talk to strangers. I experienced sitting beside and cheering with people from Brazil, France, Russia, Hungary, America and China. I’ve been speaking English to different people with various accents that I might even be catching on a mix of them.

我享受做我老妈一直劝我不要做的事︰和陌生人讲话。我经历过坐在来自巴西、法国、俄罗斯、匈牙利、美国和中国的人们的旁边，和他们一起欢呼。我一直在和拥有各种口音的人说英语，甚至也许可以在混杂的口音中辨别出每种口音的来源。

Like many other young people I know, this is the kind of diversity I dream of. Everyone has a life story so much different from yours, so there’s always something new you can learn.

像许多其他我知晓的年轻人一样，这就是我梦想的民族多元化。每个人都有一个和你截然不同的人生故事，所以总有一些新的东西你可以学。

“Omg, how’s the Rio Olympics?” a lot of my friends asked me through text.

“噢麦尬，里约奥运会怎么样?"很多我的朋友在短信上问我。

How do I respond to that? In short, I usually say it’s been crazy/interesting/tiring. I really can’t capture the essence of my experience here in a text message, but here’s a key aspect. At Rio Olympics, I’ve learned to appreciate coexistence in the face of contrast.

我该如何回答呢?简单的讲，我一般会说这里很疯狂/很有趣/很累人。虽然我实在不能在小小短信里体现出我在里约经历的精华，但可以总结一个关注点。在里约奥运会期间，我学会了面对巨大反差时欣赏两者的共存!

The opening ceremony and my first article really provided some foreshadowing for the rest of my time here. I remember the recreated favela buildings at the ceremony on the first day and I remember the meaning I discovered when I visited them in person today. I guess the peace and tolerance messages did last beyond the show.

开幕式和我的第一篇文章确实为我在这里接下来的时间提供了一些伏笔。我想起了第一天，在开幕式看到重建后的贫民区建筑。今天，当我亲临其境时，我又想起了当初自己发觉的意义。我猜，和平与包容的主题，的确延续得比表演更长久!