Journalled on Friday, 23rd of January 2026 | Santo Cristo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 22 degrees, warm to cool, overcast and with heavy rain.
It’s Friday, and it’s pissing down. It’s been raining all week, with more forecast over the weekend and right through next week.
We’re in the middle of the carioca summer, when it should be in the late 30s to mid-40s and boiling. It isn’t. Every grey day stuck in the low 20s is one less day of Rio’s infernal summer heat.
Yesterday I spoke to a pupil whose family just sold their flat in Recreio and bought a bigger one in Barra da Tijuca, the next neighbourhood over, inside a condominium with the works: swimming pool, gym, supermarket, tennis courts, the lot.
The move from a normal residential building to an enclosed condominium is really about their 2-year-old son, who gets to use the facilities and play with other kids somewhere safe.
This is the first time I’ve lived in a condominium in my 30-plus years in Brazil, and so far, it’s good.
It has its advantages and its disadvantages, but for a young family, the conveniences and infrastructure make it very good. I live on the 4th floor, looking inwards onto the condominium’s courtyard, where everything happens, rather than outwards to the street.
Being on the 4th floor, with the flat positioned almost exactly in the middle of the building, I can see everything that happens: the courtyard, the pool, who’s heading to the gym, who’s coming and going, the mini market, the five aside football court right below me, who’s playing volleyball or foot volley on the beach, and the sand volleyball court on the other side of the courtyard. Not much gets past me.
But this is not the real point.
Back to Victor, who bought that new apartment with his wife, Marcela. Because of the nature of my work, and maybe just who I am, I’ve come to know a lot of people over the years, so friends, pupils and others often ask if I know someone, or somewhere, whether it’s a place to eat or somebody who can do a particular job.
Victor and Marcela need the floor of their new apartment retiled, and probably plenty of other work done, before they move in rather than while it’s being refurbished.
Victor asked if I knew a tiler, a tradesman. In England, I do. Here, no. I’d already put him onto a painter I knew from when I was dating Katia in Copacabana.
I know Elizier from the condominium where I live. I always thought he was just a carpenter, but I ran into him today by chance at the local per kilo restaurant, and he told me he and his team can handle everything to do with refurbishing a house or flat, tiling included.
I quickly arranged to send Elizier’s number to Victor, and Victor’s to Elizier, straight after lunch.
So what is the point of all this?
As many times before, I get a real buzz from helping people or putting people together, connecting someone who needs something with someone who can give it, basically resolving problems just by knowing the right person.
I really like doing this. In the past, I’ve thought about opening an agency, maybe even a digital one, to bring together people with a problem and the people who can solve it.
Maybe I should actually do it, or maybe it belongs inside ‘Teahogui’, since ‘Teahogui’ is already a digital agency for teachers, professors, guides and hosts. Why not other professionals too?
Food for thought!
All I know is that I enjoyed helping them both: Victor, who needed work done on his new flat, and Elizier, who can do it with his team. If the two of them end up working together, even better. Either way, it’s all good.
I just felt good doing this!
Be kind and be happy. If you cannot be happy, still be kind, but never be naïve.
In bed by 10 p.m.
Thanks for reading. Do you get a kick out of connecting people who need each other, too? Tell me in the comments, and while you’re here, explore my other posts.
Richard
