Salvador starts

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Bom dia gente!

Well I am here. 5 days, no blog… sorry about that. There is just so much to do!! I can say have zero regrets about choosing Salvador over São Paulo, as much I as I enjoyed my time there. This place is so culturally rich, so happy, so sunny, and so downright beautiful! Nothing really compares.

Upon arrival this past Monday, (at 7 a.m.,) I waited around the airport until 10 for the Federal Police office to open, as foreigners are required to register, give their fingerprints, background check, et cetera. I was so anxious to leave and get to the beach, but with 5 months of time for that awaiting me, I decided it was no big deal. Afterwards I took a taxi from the airport to our hotel with a couple girls from my program. We nearly the first to arrive, and took advantage of the giant (paid) lunch buffet before taking off for the water and the sun.

That afternoon once everyone arrived we went through a basic Salvador orientation with the CIEE staff, and had the evening free to explore and enjoy as we wished. At some point around 3:30 a.m. a group of us decided to go for a walk. We walked down to Barra (Bah-ha) and spent a while talking and enjoying the sheer beauty of the water and the sky at night, dodging ROUS’s that were bounding from trash can to trash can taking advantage of the (mostly) human-free night. I know people say NYC has the biggest rats, and I can’t speak to whether or not that is true; all I can say is these babies must be on steroids.

The next day after a small group activity that included an exploration of the Cidade Baixa (Lower City,) and the Mercado Modelo in the form of a scavenger hunt, I returned to the hotel and met my hosts! My mother, Ana Rita, greeted me at the hotel and brought me home to her apartment in Garcia. Apart from Ana, who is a wonderful and joyful person, I have two brothers, Felipe (20) and Matheus (16). It is really nice to have brothers around the house. It is a new and awesome experience. The apartment is full of life, and I am enjoying this home stay as much as my last, but in different ways.

Throughout the week I have been participating in various CIEE activities, including walking tours through the Pelourinho, (historic colonial center of the city,) picking classes, and seeing the university campuses. I have still had time to spend a good portion of most days, and some nights, at the beach with my friends.

Classes start next week, sort of. It’s interesting here… for the first week to two weeks of classes, attendance is considered extremely optional, as much for the professors as for the students. You either don’t go, or you do and the teacher doesn’t. I am told this is completely normal, and that after two or three class periods at the most, it all starts normalizing and everyone attends. Also, the official registration process doesn’t take place until a few weeks in, so you have several weeks to take a taste of certain classes and decide whether you like them before you have to sign up. I am tentatively looking at a schedule as follows:

- Brazilian Literature III at UCSAL on Tuesday from 9:50-12:30
- Race and Class in Brazil at CIEE on Wednesday from 9:00-12:00
- Portuguese Language at UFBA on T and R from 4:00-6:00
- Futebol II (soccer) at UFBA on Wednesday from 3:00-7:00 < rather looking forward to this one
- Guitar at UCSAL Música at who knows when 

I think this is a pretty even mix of serious and fun and would make for a great semester!

Yesterday afternoon we toured the Pelourinho in groups, including the Church of São Francisco, which may have been the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life, and the Afro-Brazilian museum. São Francisco is the most well preserved Baroque church of it’s kind, and considered the most beautiful ever to be constructed. Personally, I was blown away and in awe of its splendor. There was SO MUCH GOLD EVERYWHERE. After this tour we had a CIEE Cocktail Party at top of the Santeria Hostel, with a wonderful view looking out over the bay.

This brings me to now, where I unfortunately must leave to go meet Rachael and others and split for the beach, it’s Saturday morning baby!

Saturday Morning – the Eels

Saturday morning
And who's gonna play with me
Six in the morning baby
I got a long long day ahead of me

The parents are sleeping soundly
The neighbors are dead as wood
I'm getting up and coming over
We gotta rock the neighborhood

Nothing's ever gonna happen 'round here
If we don't make it happen
Sleep away the day if you want to
But i got something that i gotta do

It's saturday morning
And this ain't the place for me
I'm giving you warning baby
We got a whole big fat world to see

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