May 23 2009

Hello world, today I woke up to the shining sun. 10 minutes later pouring rain. I was hoping to have a chance to walk around and explore my area, however the unpredicted storm has prevented that. Speaking of showers, I took the coldest shower ever!!!! In Brazil they have what you call electric showers (sounds pretty dangerous, right?) The water is supposed to be heated by a coil in the showerhead, so in order to take a warmer shower you must turn the water on low pressure to allow it to heat up. Long story short, I couldn’t figure it out. Soooooo… I took a cold shower. After which, I had breakfast with my host-mom she introduced me to her other nephew who is a member of the federal police (Given their reputation, I don’t really know how to feel about that) after I made him feel awkward with my elementary Portuguese skills I returned to my room where I got dressed.
In Brazil, for men the objective of fashion is to walk the fine line of practicality, which is, looking nice without attracting too much attention. It’s really hard to explain, but basically the more you can blend in, the better. Jeans and a plain t-shirt usually do the trick.
For lunch my host mother made delicious shrimp and cheese lasagna served on a bed of rice with cucumbers and tomatoes. Yumm!!! They are going to think I’m a fat ass, as every meal offered is consumed and there is little evidence on the plate. Over lunch I sat with the police officer and Gustavo (her other nephew) and we worked on some basic Portuguese I told them my major and what I want to do… they shared with me their aspirations (I don’t know how much of it I actually understood) but form the first impression the older guy (I cant remember his name) wants to become a lawyer and the younger one (age 18) is sort of into girls (cant say I blame him for that one).
Next I met the group of ACBEU students for our excursion, I didn’t know what to expect or how long it might be. We boarded a bus and it took us to several sites around the city to make us more familiar with the area. Casa De Yamanja was among the first. In Brazil the major religion is Catholic however some worship deities other than Christ. Yamanja is the spirit of the sea, and in her honor this house was built, and the only one who lives there is Yamanjas spirit.
After that, we visited the 17th century light house at Porto da Barra it was built by slaves and the view was amazing.
We drove to the ‘old’ city where we walked around the upper and lower parts to several market districts, where I ended up buying this painting that a native Brazilian did right in front of me in less than 3 minutes. It was amazing; however the paint did not dry as fast as promised.
We visited the first Catholic church built by the Portuguese over 400 years ago, that is still being preserved it is called Cruzeiro de Sao Francisco. The inside looks like freaking gold mine… I said to myself “oh fatjah gold everywhere!” I wasn’t supposed to take pictures, but I did any way.
After that I was saddened by an example of the extreme poverty facing Brazil, and the extent of inequality under which it functions amazes me. There were several little kids doing whatever they could to beg for money, some juggled, some made flowers out of tall grass, some just politely asked. I was thinking that these kids should be in school, but because of the situation here, they are forced to make a living.
Following these lines of inequality was even more blatant as we went to this famous buffet in Brazil and ate like Kings… I’m not joking… People literally came around to serve us hand and foot, any food our minds or hearts could desire.
In closing, I guess I really do have a lot to be thankful for. Family , Friends, and Food.
Imp getting ready to go dancing tonight with the group until you visit again…..
Grande Brasso
-Davidgi