Salvadoramor

Here I am. Stationary. In Brazil. And it feels so good...

I have been in Salvador da Bahia for a little over a week now, and it is just now hitting me that I live here. Yes, I reside in Brazil, thank you. I am staying with a genuine Brazilian familia, complete with a mae (mama), irma (sister, she is nine and adorable), and irmão (brother, he is 20 and thank god he speaks a tiny bit of English...). All the students in my classes are from the UC campuses all over California and they are all lovely...we are having too much fun...

The praias are white sand, the wind is always warm, the air smells like flowers and acaraje (typical Bahian cuisine), the cobblestone streets have 500 years of history, and it's evident when walking through the Pelorinho district, full of hills and curvy paths. The people are brown and beautiful, all of them so friendly, some too friendly, especially when they want you to buy some souviners. Portuguese is probably one of the most difficult languages ever. But every day I am forced to communicate I improve. Kind of...

We have already done so much here. The first day we all went out to dinner at Brazilian buffet. Can I just say caipirinhas, wine, all kinds of delicious carne, and heavenly desserts??? We ended up getting our professor drunk--I have a great video of him taking a shot. Needless to say, we are all getting As...ha!

We took a tour of the city that day, and were shown all of its amazing history. Salvador was a major port city back in the day, and it used to be the capital before Brasilia and before Rio. The city is 80% Afro-Brazilian--white people are the minority here. Salvador has a culture all its own...from the heavy African influenced food, to its distinct style of capoeira, to the incessent drumbeats heard from all corners of the city. You don't just dance samba here, you live it. It is in your blood, as they say here.

Already, many a day has been spent on the sparkling Salvador beaches...the water is so clear, it is unbelievable. And any day is a good day for the beach. It is never cold here. It might rain, but still the air is still so sweet and warm. So every night is hot...perfect for enjoying a cocktail poolside, or having a bottle of wine on a balconey, overlooking the twinkling city lights. This is the life here, and it's only the beginning...

Muito amar para minha gente em casa!
Beijos e abrasos