The narrator recounts his difficult childhood growing up in a favela in Rio de Janeiro, where his family struggled with poverty and violence. His father worked multiple jobs, including at a psychiatric hospital, and was strict but loving. However, their home was eventually taken over by drug traffickers, who used it as a hideout for guns and cocaine. The narrator's father was kidnapped and threatened, but managed to negotiate his release by appealing to the traffickers' leader, who knew him. After this incident, the family was forced to flee their home and live in a small studio apartment. Despite these challenges, the narrator's father worked hard to provide for his family and eventually was able to rent a house and send his children to private school. The narrator credits his father's strength and resilience for helping him to overcome these difficulties and achieve his goals.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The speaker's father is a civil servant who works at Pinel Hospital in Botafogo.
2. The speaker grew up in the favela of Bastos in Rio de Janeiro.
3. The favela was taken over by drug traffickers, and the speaker's family was affected by it.
4. The speaker's father was almost killed by the drug traffickers.
5. The speaker's family had to leave their home in the favela and move to a different neighborhood.
6. The speaker's father worked multiple jobs, including as a photographer.
7. The speaker's first job paid R$ 100, which they used to pay for their school fees.
8. The speaker's family had to live in a small studio apartment in Catete for a while.
9. The speaker's father eventually found a new job and was able to rent a house in Tijuca.
10. The speaker was able to attend a private school in Tijuca thanks to their father's new job.
11. The speaker befriended a person named Diego from Bonde da Stronda when they moved to the city.
12. Diego had also moved to the city to escape violence.
13. The speaker was a skateboarder and created a reputation for themselves in Tijuca.