It is common for the people of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to say "Deus e Carioca," which when translated means "God is a Rio-dweller." After spending several days in Rio, I can see how this may be true.

Rio is a city with a soul and a strong identity. Its culture winds through every street corner and ascends each of its lush mountains.

The locale in Rio is stunning: sandy, white beaches and blossoming green peaks reaching for the sky near every beach.

The people are equally as striking. Early morning joggers move swiftly along the shoreline alongside a backdrop of crashing waves and palm trees. Ipanema Beach draws crowds thousands deep every day with each person sporting a golden tan and a tiny Brazilian swimsuit.

But like many other cities, Rio has its nice areas and its run-down slums.

The slums of Rio, called "favelas" by the natives, weave up the mountainside overlooking the gorgeous Rio beaches. While learning about the favelas through a book would've been interesting, I decided to take a tour with a local resident to see for myself just what life was like for the people who live there.

The favelas are thousands of tiny shacks practically on top of each other, many of which do not have roofs or running water. The roofs that are in place throughout the city consist primarily of tin roofs covered with Oriental rugs. The sides of the houses are painted, with most of the paint peeling.

The incontestable presence of the favelas is devastating. There are miles upon miles of favelas in all of Rio. Whereas many American cities have specific sections for poor and low-income housing, Rio's favelas are everywhere.

The classes are divided into the rich and the poor with no middle class, and the residential areas in Rio are also divided accordingly. Generally, there is little interaction between the haves and the have-nots because of the misconceptions each group has. Tourists also have a lot of the same misconceptions about how the poor live.

The tour guide assigned to our group, Carlos Antonio, grew up in Rocihna, Brazil's largest favela, which was home to over 127,000 inhabitants. Antonio said there are 78 different favelas each with its own unique atmosphere. About 80 percent of the favelas are located north of Rio and are considered very dangerous. Antonio said tourists and even locals are advised to stay away from the area because of the prevalence of crime, specifically assaults and robberies. While he maintained that this was the case, for the most part I felt safe throughout the city.

The other 20 percent of the favelas in Rio are located west and south of the city. I spent the afternoon in Rocinha and simply fell in love with the community and the way of life. While safety concerns were in the back of my mind, everyone I encountered was friendly.

Many of the people on the streets stopped and talked to us, and everyone I passed smiled and said hello. This certainly was interesting for me as an American tourist, as most people in the U.S. do not talk to random passersby.

With each sharp turn of the narrow passages, we saw more and more people interacting with each other.

"We need each other, we take care of each other," Antonio said. "Favela is a big family. Just because we're poor doesn't mean we're not happy," he said.

Antonio continued to explain that residents of the favelas have the second-lowest average salary in the world, at about only 150 American dollars per month.

"Our own government doesn't invest in the favelas. Ninety-nine percent of the investors are from Europe," he said. "The rich communities next door won't come in because they are afraid. It's a shame, they should really get to know us."

While interaction between the rich and the poor is not common, there are a few of the wealthier people who travel into Rocihna because the closeness of the community is attractive to them. Some stay just for the day, and others live there for a period of time to help the residents, which is something I would like to do.

We started the tour at the top of the mountain, where the poorest people live. Upon entering a stereotypical favela home, I was surprised because there really wasn't much in this home and just like many others, there wasn't a roof.

We ventured down the favela through passageways winding through the houses. As we got further down, the homes were getting nicer. As if the sight of the nicer homes weren't enough to indicate the change in wealth among the residents, the putrid rotten-egg smell at the top of the favela faded into the welcoming scent of an evening dinner being cooked as we continued down the mountain.

The differences between the lives of the rich and poor are glaring across the area, but both groups equally enjoy celebrating the day. People celebrate the sunset and the end of the day everyday at Iparnema Beach. I was fortunate enough to go, and I saw thousands of people watching the sunset. Once the sun had completely set, there was a roar of applause and people talking, each of whom was thanking God for the sun that day and for the many days to come.

I have never experienced a place where people celebrate the day and rejoice life as much as the people in Rio de Janeiro. Rio is one of the most intriguing and unique places in the world, and the atmosphere makes each visitor feel so alive when he or she is there.

Visiting Rio was a life-changing experience. It is a place where the crime rates are high and homeless people are numerous. But one needs to look no further than the amazing scenery, the interaction between the locals and the daily celebrations of life to see the real beauty of the city.