There is also a dichotomy between Cariocas (people born in Rio), and foreign volunteers. If a foreign volunteer asks a random Carioca to join him in the favela, 97 percent of Cariocas will say “no.” Sternly.  And in under two seconds.

Cariocas have been conditioned to fear the favelas. Statistically, they are undesirable and very dangerous locations. Favelas are the center of drug trafficking activities, where lives are consumed and destroyed through high homicide rates resulting from incidents of stray bullets, random police invasions, and drug trafficker wars.

So, the Carioca must ask himself, why would I want to go the epicenter of danger in my city? And without an overwhelmingly positive answer, they often, very level-headedly, decline the volunteer’s invitation.

And sometimes for good reason. A friend of mine was once driving through Rio. He was trying to enter a highway called Linha Vermelha. He saw a ramp that looked like it would certainly connect. But, it didn’t. The ramp went up, paralleled the highway, and then made a sharp turn back down into a favela. Immediately, my Carioca friend knew he had made a mistake. At his earliest convenience, he decided to make a three-point-turn, and leave. Unfortunately, not quickly enough. Five men with guns surrounded the car, and asked him to get out. They took his wallet, looking for identification, and repeatedly asked whether or not he was a cop. Luckily, he was not, and they eventually let him get back into his car, and leave. They told him never to come back, and he has never returned.

Months later, I remembered this story while seeing one such ramp. I discovered that I too had been to this favela, but clearly, under different circumstances. I frequented this favela weekly, without fear or problems. And it struck me that there are places completely inaccessible for Cariocas, yet perfectly safe for a volunteer like me.

In the end, I am not sure if anything is ever just safe or unsafe, rich or poor, booming or developing. But one thing is for sure, dichotomies certainly exist.