This next story tells the tale of a young boy growing up in Ceará – an enormous state in the North East of Brazil from where thousands of Rocinha’s inhabitants came in search of a better life. Part one of Ariel’s story paints a picture of the change in culture that these many migrants face. For more stories like this one, see the blog.

Looking out of my window over the thousands of houses that pile up the sides of this vast valley, you would think I’d find it hard to remember the quiet countryside from where I came. The rugged mountains on either side of me seem to rise right out of the ocean, as if their steep sloped forests drank directly from the Atlantic’s salty water. Far down below I can see the hundreds of cars snaking along the highway. From way up here they could be…