Merry Christmas

Foz de Iguaçu

So we have not had much internet access for the past week but have had many adventures. After leaving rainy Belo Horizonte we landed in the scoarching sun of Foz de Iguaçu, the Brazilian town on the border with Argentina where the famous Iguazu falls reside. We stayed at a quaint hostel with lots of character and a whole bunch of friendly Europeans (Finns, Dutch, Israelis, etc). The falls (while expensive to enter the park) were absolutely stunning. I have hesitated to post this blog because I wont be able to include the much needed pictures since we are at an internet cafe. The falls dwarf Niagra (says our book), and I fully believe it. They are surrounded by lush Brazilian flora and fauna. There is a park on both the Argentina side and Brazilian side which give you a three hundred and sixty degree view of the power of the water. We even went on a boat ride right up to three of the 247 water falls to ´see´ them from below (but the spray/shower is so strong you can just sort of scream and close your eyes). We hiked around and saw thousands of butterflies (borboletas in Portuguese), giant lizards, and coati mundi (a racoon mixed with opossom looking creature that has no fear of humans).

Currently we are in Curitiba, the capital city of (the state) Parana (400 miles away from Foz). This was the city that mom was trying to convince Abba to stay at for sabbatical. (And she still thinks it would be very livable). The city has this great expansive car-free street with restaurants and street vendors and christmas decorations (including a christmas tree made of recycled two liter soda bottles). Picture to come for this as well. Today we went to Vila Velha--a ´stone city´ where these crazy geological sandstone pillars tower over you.

Wishing everyone Boas Festas (happy holidays). We will be flying on the 24th to Pernambuco to meet up with Moms cousin and spend time at her beach house

Rain

The rain continues to fall heavily so after lunch we took a little break at the hotel and I decided to update again. This morning we walked around the Municipal park in Belo Horizonte and then headed to a museum to get out of the rain. We had lunch at "Bem Natural" which had a wide/varied selection of great vegetarian food by the kilo. And I had an entire delicious meal without cheese (which seems to be the staple of all other meat-free diets in Brazil).

Last night we also went to a really nice dinner at Vila Arabe. There were two waiters doting on us and would even tuck you into your chair. We had no clue what was going on because they began bringing us food (falafels, pitas with cheese oregano and tomatoe, vegetarian kibes, etc) before we had even started ordering. It was a delicious meal. After dinner we walked around Praca da Liberdade which is absolutely adorned with Christmas lights. Every tree is intertwined with lights as is the gazebo. They made a huge archway down the center paths of lights as well. Unfortunately we didn't have a camera on us to capture the magic.

Monday Monday

...so (not) good to me. In Brazil the world SHUTS down on Mondays. EVERYTHING is closed. We left Ouro Preto this morning and took a two hour bus to Belo Horizonte. We wanted to go to this National Park nearby but it is also closed on Mondays. It was pouring rain all morning, finally the rain began to let up by afternoon. Belo is a bustley city. We are staying at a high-end hotel right on the main street. Prepared for rain we rode a bus to the outskirts of the city to a neighborhood called Pampulha. Not knowing where to begin we continued riding the bus to the end of the line and then started randomly walking. We walked around this HUGE man-made lake. We saw an entire herd of Capibarra (largest rodent on earth, see picture below), and a Crocodile.The lake was pretty dirty (brown water and FILLED with trash along the shores) from all the rain earlier today. There were also some vultures feasting on some carcasses but the pungent rotting smell kept us from approaching to see what they were feasting on. Our long walk culminated at this (closed) Church designed by the famous architect Niemeyer.

Here are some photos:



Oh and here are some good photos from yesterday's travels. We went into a gold mine that plunged deep into the earth. It was basically like Gringotts on this rickety cart (unfortunately vault 364 was empty).






After the mine we went to town Mariana and checked it out

Ouro Preto

Ouro Preto:


We arrived this morning at 7:30 (by night bus from Rio) to Ouro Preto and walked around town for 8 hours. We had this tour-guide who approached us at 8am after we dropped our bags at a cute little pousada, and offered us a little explanation of the town sights. Little was an understatement. He could talk for days about the city and would even chastise Nina and I if we weren't paying close enough attention. He offered us a tour in Spanish so that we would all understand but actually spoke Portanol (Portuguese + Espanol). But even though this was easy for me to understand my head began to hurt after about hour 3. We went into numerous churches and adjoining museums, climbed up and down the steep cobble stone streets of the town and even got to tour a small gold mine. I learned cute love stories about a Portuguese judge and a Brazilian girl, I know the nuances and characteristics of the sculptor Aleijandinho who had a disease that crippled his hands and feet but could still carve wood and soap stone statues, and I can now compare Baroque gold-plating patterns with Rococo. Even at lunch we got no break, he showed us to a restaurant and sat down and ate with us! (He was shocked to find out that Mom, was related to me, he thought she was Nina and my school teacher).

Needless to say, the town is adorable. The red shingles and brick houses against the hilly lush green landscape remind me of Austria and Bavaria. Gold was found here back in the 1600's and the mines here produced something like the weight of 100,000 cars!

Here we are at the mouth of Jeje Mine

Rio Photos

Uploading photos is not fast at all with this internet connection, but I couldn't help but share with you some of our Rio trip.

Here amy and I are on top of the world with Jesus. The view from the top gives you a 360 of all of Rio's hilly and coastal terrain


We had a picnic lunch amongst the shady foliage of Parque Lage. On the menu was bread and a sun-dried tomatoe spread, mozzarella cheese, a cucumber, with mangos and cookies for dessert.



Despite the prediction of a rainy Wednesday the sun melted us to exhaustion today. Here we are at the Lapa Steps that are tiled and mosaic-ed by a Chilean man Salaron. He was working on them while we visiting and obliged us with a picture. These steps were the inspiration for the steps in San Francisco.

Rio

Greetings from Rio!

This is our third day here and the differences between and Salvador are absolutely drastic. Rio is a metropolitan city compared to Salvador, which now in retrospect is like a small town with three million people. So far the weather has been great, though they predict rain for the rest of the week. It is way less humid than the north and the breeze keeps the 31 degree sunshine not feel too hot.

We visited Christ the Redeemer, spent a quick afternoon on the sandy shores of Ipanema, introduced Nina to Acai (which she now is wants to eat for every meal), we explored by chance the Parque Lage and discovered the coolest set of rock caves, had a picnic in the park, and we hit up the Jardim Botanico. Today we are headed over to the famous Lapa stairs and to explore Centro a little more.

We are staying up at the top of this hill in a neighborhood called Gloria in this funky guest house with a bunch of other Europeans (mostly students or volunteers). There is the cutest kitty, dog, and turtle that live with us as well as an extremely friendly, a little eccentric owner who can speak every language imaginable.

I'll have to post pictures later.

Traveling

Dear Friends and Family,

I had some more posts I would have liked to put up (along with pictures), but, alas, my time has run short (and my suitcase too small). Instead of blogging I've been running around doing other things for my last hours in Salvador. Today I am headed to Rio to meet Nina, one of my best friends from home, who has been studying abroad in Buenos Aires. I am not sure how much internet time I will spend on my travels.

My mom arrives in Rio on December 12th and then we head to Minas Gerais. After a little less than a week we fly down to Iguazu falls and check out Curitiba. Then we will fly up North to Recife and spend the rest of our time at my mother's cousin's beach house there.

I send my beijos and amor.

Boa Viaje!

Lasts

Come Sunday I leave Salvador...so this week has been full of lasts. Last days of class, last finals. A couple of hours ago I just turned in my last paper to officially signify the end of the term. Tonight we have our Despedida Dinner where us students and our host mothers will come together and share one last meal. Last night I went to my last Capoeira class. It was super sweet. In honor of the occasion the mestre had me play everyone in the Roda. Usually, everyone takes a turn and rotates, but they made all the people I was playing rotate while I got to be in the spotlight. Another farewell tradition they have is at the end of class have a "Samba de Roda." This is a uniquely Bahian style of Samba that involves 3 quick and small steps and a lot of booty shaking. Everyone stands in a circle clapping as a few men play the drum, tambourine, and berimbau. One girl and one boy dance in the middle and people rotate through as they wish. The boys get creative with how to kick out the man and do everything from pulling on his corda (capoeira belt) to forcibly remove him or hand him a cellphone as if someone was calling. At the end of it all everyone hugged me and I was very touched by how much everyone was sad to see me go.

I feel a little like I am about to head into limbo. There is still about a month until I return to the US, but only 2 days until I leave the home I have made here in Brazil. I am excited to travel around, especially to meet up with Nina in Rio and my mom on the 12th. But I am not looking forward to the exhaustion of unfamiliar cities and being a lost tourist.

Thanksgiving

The weather has been capricious this past week, uncharacteristic of Brasilian summer. We have had quite a bit of rain. No bay area drizzle, its more like torrential downpour with big juicy water droplets and big puddles in the sidewalk. But when its not raining, or threatening to rain, it is hot and sunny. Yesterday I went to the beach because it was a warm sunny Saturday. But as I sat on the sand and looked up at the sky I saw in the distance a HUGE dark grey rain cloud. Sure enough, within a half hour the cloud was upon us and it started to rain. We huddled under an umbrella because it was too heavy to even try to walk home in. The people who work at the beach, however, were not at all beat by the rain. They frolicked in it, sprinting and diving into the water. Rain is the only time they get a little break from their jobs. Soon, we joined them running and splashing in the water. Even in a wet bathing suit, I was never cold. Sure enough, the rain stopped and the sun meekly poked its head back out.

One morning I woke up to this ridiculous downpour. 13 floors below my window is a parking lot with a corrugated tin roof. The sound of the rain is great amplified by the roof

(By the end of the rain, that white wall had broken due to the mudslide that crashed into it)

Anyways, on Thursday night we celebrated Thanksgiving by dressing up and going out to a nice restaurant. There was no Alison-pie, or roasted veggies, or fire in the fireplace, or photo-albums from bike trips but it was still a very nice meal. I was supposed to skype my family at the dinner table, but unfortunately the two times I tried (5pm California time and again at 8pm), I didn't get through.


Me, Gloria (UCSC), and Tami (UCSB)


Me, Daryn (UCLA)


Alex, Me, Daryn, and Chris, all from UCLA


My Crepe...Delicious

Last night I went to a hip hop concert. Hip Hop, prounounced 'hippy-hoppy' in Portuguese, is very uncommon in Brazil. But this concert was a sweet change from all the samba, forro (pronounced foho), pagode (pronounced pago-gee), and reggae (pronounced heg-ee) I have been listening to for the past 3 months. One of the singers was absolutely phenomenal. She was like a combination of Goapele and Lauryn Hill, only in Portuguese. And of course, concerts are very participatory event in Brazil. Dancing and singing along are absolutely mandatory. We didn't get back until 4:45 in the morning. The sky was already lightening.

Zoo

Today I walked to the zoo to clear my mind. It is a great hour walk along the coast and there was a nice breeze so it wasn't too hot. I ran into Edison my favorite jewelery vendor along the way. He immediately cheered my mood. The Zoo also picked up my spirits. I was prepared for very dreary conditions for the animals but the park was very lush and green and not depressing. Though, I'll admit many of the animals were living in some very small spaces. Especially the bigger non-Brazilian animals. The jaguar, for example, was in a cage the size of half of my dorm room. But the jacare (small brazilian alligator) was in this huge swampy space that had a lot of vegetation. There were tons of types of monkeys and some great parrots. There was a hippo and some small bears. All the animals were SUPER active. The monkeys play fought and ate, the jaguar paced, the birds preened and flew,the bears climbed around,the baby warthogs nursed while others rolled in mud, even the tortoises were walking around hither thither. It seemed as though the animals hold the same sort of Brazilian life mentality...Even though life is extremely hard, only God can improve it, so they take time to find pleasure in life and are always good-spirited and enjoying it. (This is completely contrasted to the American mentality which is, you has the power to improve your life so you are constantly analyzing life critically and fighting for change, and you have this negative energy about life's shortcomings and can never relax and enjoy).

Anyway here are some pictures from the afternoon
Salvador's Jesus Statue

Speaking of cultural differences--check out this cannon of beauty as compared to the USA


The pacing Jaguar

Macacos!

Its tito!

Cachoiera

Last weekend the program took a trip to Cachoiera. Cachoiera is a town on the Paraguacu River a few hours drive inland of Salvador. The town was once a booming center whose wealth came from the fruitful sugarcane plantations. However, since the decline of sugarcane, the town, too has slowly begun to deteriorate. The town is a has a nice mix of colonial-front buildings next to modern day farmacies next to colonial ruins. There are very few cars which makes the city seem so much more tranquil.





We took a 6 hour boat ride through the bay and up the Paraguacu river to get there. It was raining when we pulled away from the dock, but once the clouds cleared it was blazing hot. The best part of the boat was the cornucopia of fruit that we were served.



Half way up the river we stopped to look at the Sao Francisco Monastary. This (I believe) was the first Monastery built in South America. It is no longer in use and is begining to turn back to nature. We found someone in the town who unlocked it so we could see the inside. Bats live in the roof and lizards on the walls. One room didn't have a roof and the ground was turning to grass. But a lot was still preserved including the notable blue-tile bible motifs on the walls.



We stayed in a convent in Cachoiera that has been turned into a hotel.



On Saturday we crossed is the oldest bridge in South America (still the original construction) and walked along the town that lies on the opposite of the river to go take a dip in the river. Here is a picture taken from the bridge of the HUGE dam. According to our guide if this dam broke, in 12 minutes Salvador's lower city would be underwater. I'm not sure if that is possible, but none the less, it holds an enormous amount of water. (Paraguacu means "big" "arm" in tupi-guarani language)


On Sunday there was the Lavagem da Nossa Senhora da Ajuda. A procession of women (and a handful of transvestites) wearing the traditional white Bahian attire and carrying white flowers in vases on their heads paraded around the city and culminated in washing the steps of one of the churches.



There were also some boys wearing this ridiculous outfits. The explanation of their significance was not exactly clear. Back in the Day slaves were not allowed to participate in any of the Catholic ceremonies, so they would make their own. These costumes represents spirits and they are mocking the Portuguese because they have big heads with nothing in them. They were absolutely hilarious to watch as they danced around or played around with people. (Since you can't see their faces it reminded me of mascoting).



It was super hot, and staying hydrated was a must. Here Daddy is giving this girl some ice cold water

Concienca Negra

November 20th is the Day of Black Consciousness here in Brazil. The date falls on the death day of Zumbi--the last leader of the famous Quilombo Palmares. Quilombos were self-sufficient communities made up of run away slaves,hidden in the forests of Brazil. They are a very important symbol of resistance to slavery in Brazil. Palmares was the largest and most famous Quilombo that lasted for 100 years and was home to hundreds of afro-Brazilians.

So of course, today, in order to celebrate there was a huge parade and music. There were actually two parades one starting in Campo Grande (right near my house) and the other starting in Liberdade (a neighborhood with the largest population of blacks). Those two parades both headed over to convene in Pelourinho (the old city).

We wanted to go to the Liberdade parade (which is larger and more renown) so we tried to hop on a bus, but the bus got stuck behind the Campo Grande Parade. After moving a half block in a half hour we go off the bus and began walking with the parade. They were playing this crazy Brazilian funk music that if you stood too near the float would beat your heart for you. Different black organizations were holding banners, but overall the parade was pretty small. On its other side we got on another bus to Liberdade, but at the suggestion of a Brazilian got off the bus super early to avoid the bottlenecking. It was still early but already dark (5 or 6pm) and we walked up and down hills through many neighborhoods in the city. Finally as we peaked our last hill we looked down to see a mass of people. There were thousands squeezed in the street. We waited for the parade to swallow us up and soon we were sardined next to strangers all stepping to the same beat the was blaring from the big rig driving along side us. There were a few moments where the crowd swelled and the street narrowed and the bodies squished me so tight that I couldn't control my own movement, but other than that it was a pretty festive atmosphere. Everyone was singing along to the music with their hands raised or clapping.

I got my necklace yanked off me from behind. It was a little unnerving because it felt like I was being strangled for a second...(you can imagine the force required to break a chain off someone's neck). But I held on to it so I still have the pieces. A friend of mine got her money stolen (50 reais...less than 25 dollars), and another got her phone taken. But even though this reflects badly on Brazil, and it does suck, its really not anything malicious...there is just a lot of poverty (and racism) that forces people to be thieves. The Brazilians we were with felt so guilty, like it was their fault.

Tired of the crowds, after about an hour or two we got in front of the parade and walked to Pelourinho.

Batizado

Today I had my Capoeira Batizado. Literally 'batizado' means baptism, but in Capoeira terms it is the day that you get your Capoeira belt. Everyone has a belt to signify their level/skill.A few
weeks prior I was given a Capoeira name as well. Mine is Sereia which means Mermaid in Portuguese. After you get presented with your belt everyone must play with a mestre or other highly skilled capoerista.

I was really nervous because you play until they beat you by either pushing you out of the roda (circle), or by knocking your standing foot out from underneath you, and some people the pick them all the way up off the ground. Anyway, it was really much more fun than nerve wracking, and I performed well. The Batizado lasted all day for there were tons of people receiving belts. It started with the little kids. They were so adorable. Some of them were probably no more than 5 years old and already they were doing head spins and cartwheels. It was a gorgeous and hot summer Sunday. And the nervous but excited energy in the room fondly reminded me of Skating Competitions.

This is my favorite little kid. He trains with us in the evening (most of the kids go to daytime classes) and is SUPER good:



The whole celebration ended with a Samba de Roda and a meal (Fejoada com farofa and arroz). Of course as soon as we were sitting around and socializing the boys began playing the drums and everyone joins in with their own beat (whether playing a real instrument or just tapping the table). I swear, Bahians come out of the womb playing the drums. The music is everywhere and enjoying music means participating.

Capoeira has really been a defining part of my trip here in Brazil Not only playing Capoeira in its birthplace (Salvador), but also we have made pretty good friends with the other capoeristas. We hang out with them outside of class and they provide me with an opportunity to use my Portuguese.



P.S. Yes, I got my hair braided yesterday for fun. It took over two hours!!

Obama!!!!

Election fever here was quite strong. We stayed up until 2 am in the lobby of a hotel that showed CNN in order to watch the votes get counted and Obama win! It was quite exciting and tears of joy were shed during Obama's speech. I don't think people in America realize how monumental this moment is for the world. In the few days prior to the election, I had countless conversations with taxi drivers, porteiros, or random salesmen on the street about the elections. These people who never in their lives will travel to America and many of whom have had a scrappy education cared deeply about the outcome of this election. They absolutely hate Bush and were ecstatic that I voted for Obama. In their minds, most Americans like Bush...otherwise how could he have been elected twice? Good question, but one I do not want to go into now.

In class on Wednesday we discussed the global impact of electing Obama. While throughout his campaign Obama did not pull the race card, his race sends a HUGE message to the world. A black man, president of the biggest superpower in the world...most people thought it impossible.

Though the population of Salvador is 85% black, they have NEVER had a black mayor (and this city was the first city founded in Brazil in the early 1500's). In the country of Brazil, which is home to the largest black population out of Africa has NEVER had a black president either. There are only 2 black people who hold even remotely powerful political positions and they are both in the ministry of culture. Obama is now serving as a role model to the world to show that a black person can be President. It is really impressive the potential impact Obama can have on the black movement here in Brazil. This unit in our culture class is about the Black movement here which was basically inspired and influenced 100% by Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, James Brown, and the Jackson 5 and would not have existed without the US black power movement. The ripples made in the states crash as waves all over the world.

So thank you America for electing Obama!!!!

(P.S. but what happened California?...how could Prop 8 have passed?!?!?!)

Building Castles

I had intended to include a description of this guy in the entry about Avenida Sete de Setembro, but I decided he warranted his very own post.


Behind those eyes there is a story to tell. He looks off into the distance and his mind wanders over the ruins of the castles of his dreams. He looks with sorrow, but with this self-aware acknowledgment that makes me curious. His eyes are big and round, with the innocence of a joyful child. But the wrinkles upon his brow know his trials. I want to make eye contact, to bore deep into those dark holes and connect to his trapped spirit. But I look down and away, because society has taught me that he could be dangerous or unpredictable, and definitely not someone to initiate conversation with.
He never shouts out or mumbles to himself. He never begs or reaches out to grab your hand. He never smiles. He just looks with those wide eyes. Do I smile? Do I say good morning? Do I sit down next to him and look off into that distance? Can I offer my hand for all those stones? They scatter the ground-- some cracked, some pulverized. They lay there defeated.
He has dignity. For most of the day he sits on a piece of cardboard against a tree, because it is cleaner than the ground. He has Nike shoes and a nice bike with 21 gears that leans against the green fence in front of administration of agriculture. His hair is trimmed short and his beard well kept. His red and blue shirt stays clean. He has a backpack that is zipped up and rests on the back of his bike. And he sits there all day, knees up, and arms resting on them. People pass, cars drive by but no one acknowledges him. His mind is off, back to those castles. He is picking up the cracked stones—dusting them off, lining them up. He is here and he is there, and he is aware.
Sometimes he is laying down with his girlfriend. He spreads out a plaid red sheet on top of a few pieces of cardboard. It is a king size bed from the Venetian hotel, right there on the cobblestones. He has one arm around her, and lays there, looking up at the sky through the leaves of the oak trees. His shoes off and tucked up against the wall. She sleeps with a pained look on her face. Her dreams provide no escape from her suffering. She stays on her side, curled up. Her torn T-shirt doesn't cover her protruding belly. Her feet are bare, callused and dirty. The curls on her head are matted. She is always asleep; trapped in that tormented dream. And he lays there looking up. Out of his soul he pours the walls of protection for this girl. He waits for her, but I don't think she will ever make it there. But he has patience, with one hand beneath the back of his head and one hand under hers. He mixes the mortar to lay the bricks one by one. He has faith. Her bedroom will have a big window with lace curtains and a thick white carpet.
She disappears for weeks at a time. And when she comes back its the same; she is always asleep. But, her belly is a little bit rounder, her shirt a little bit dirty, and the bars of the hell she is trapped in, no closer to being unlocked. He says not a word, but he welcomes her with open arms. He looks at her with those wide eyes as she sleeps. He sees her with a summer dress on and shoes and freshly washed hair. But she can't see it, she doesn't open her eyes or want to see her own reflection. She is gone. She has no strength to climb up to his castle. But he knows. When he's finished painting the trim and planting the garden in the front, he will lift her up and carry her inside.

Praia do Forte

Praia do Forte is a small fishing village 2 hours north of Salvador. This fishing village has now become more of an artisan town and a Turtle Reserve. A group of us spent this past Friday and Saturday there. Here are some of the highlights of things we saw:

We arrived mid afternoon on Friday, and the sun began to set soon after we ate our late lunch/early dinner. Here is the town square, and the sunset on the coast with the silhouetted fishing boats.




Saturday morning we visited the turtle reserve which serves to save, rehabilitate, repopulate and educate about sea turtles (or tartarugas in Portuguese). They had all types and sizes of turtles including ones that were smaller than the palm of your hand (sooo cute):

Avenida Sete de Setembro

The uneven cobble stones have become familiar to my feet. Their rough edges and protruding faces no longer catch my toes or cause me to trip. I know when to hold my breath as I pass the tree of deification. This tree would take at least four people to hug its trunk sits smack in the middle of the sidewalk so you must dodge into the street to get buy. It guards the front of the haunted house whose cracked walls are stained with moss. The windows are ajar and the door shut and the house remains empty except occasionally when a few burly men spend all day carting out broken wood furniture from inside onto a flat bed truck. This tree, that once awed me, now disgusts me, for it reeks of acrid urine and occasionally is graced with human feces. It would take twenty of me to circumvent its trunk for I refuse to get too close. But as I hold my breath, and plug my nose and put my head down to try to walk I bit faster, I understand. It is prime property for the homeless, because ghosts can't protest pissing on million dollar property.

I always wave to the Porteiro at Edificio Lisboa. He always has an a black fez hat and a twinkle in his eye, and despite the fact or only interaction is waving 4 times a day, it never ceases to brighten his day. Just past his building is a huge construction site. This is the unpredictable part of the path. Its capricious state keeps you on your toes. Sometimes the sidewalk there is all together impassable and you have to brave your way into the street, suck in your stomach and hope not to get hit. But usually you can leap your way across the broken side walk on the metal electrical manholes like a frog across lily pads. The construction workers are also unpredictable. Sometimes they make no notice of passersby. But other times they call out in a cacophony of pick up lines. And this, mind you, is not correlated to how you look. One day, in a baggy tie-dye t-shirt, one man must have said “linda” a hundred times in the time it took me to pass. Whilst his friend told the other that he would fight him for me, and yet another called out for me to stop and come talk to him. But everyday I keep my head down, leap over the sand, and try to keep from laughing out loud at the ridiculousness of their attempts.

Next comes the high school which is like grand central station with kids coming and going in every direction in their blue t shirts and jeans. Right in front of the bars that make up the schools facade a man sells all sorts of fried snacks. To be honest, I am not even sure what he sells for the crowd of kids around him is always two or three heads deep. Whatever it is, it must be the tastiest thing on the block. Here, I always must slow my pace and squeeze my way past the congestion with “Com licensa” on my lips. Right next to this food stand there is another with an extensive menu of cheeseburgers and sandwiches. This too always has a few people crowded round, but no one is eating. They all are watching the 9inch screen tv that sits on a plastic stool and that perpetually plays Woody Woodpecker cartoons.

Past that, its the home stretch to school. I pass a couple more journeleiros, skip over the puddle that always gathers in front of Edificio Jose Costa, and “Ladies & Co” Boutique. I finally reach the blue and yellow gate of ACBEU. The guard at the front always says 'bom dia' or 'boa tarde' and stares at you with these piercing eyes. I return the salutation, but do not hold the gaze, duck in through the gate and join the gringos gathered in the courtyard.

Vitoria--minha vida, meu orgulho, meu amor

So this past week was midterms, papers, headaches, tired eyes, and the realization that time has flown by. I have been having such a great time here in Brazil, I am already dreading leaving! There is so much I feel that I have left to do. I am trying to dig my heels into the ground, or turn my watch back a few hours, or some how put on the brakes of this high speed train called life. I am not nearly tan enough, my Portuguese is getting better but I haven't forgotten English yet, I haven't won a Capoeira battle, I have not danced pagode all night...the list goes on. I did, however, manage to do some memorable things this weekend:

1. Bale Folcorico--We went to this performance on Thursday night that exhibited traditional Bahian performance. We saw makulele (a high energy dance/staged fight with swords and sticks), a long dance of Orishas, and some acrobatic Capoeira that was absolutely breath taking. My favorite act was the fire-dancer. This man with a cauldron of fire balanced on his head and two small bowls of fire in his hand danced and twirled across the floor. Once he put the bowls down he held the flames with his hands and stood on the fire with his bare feet. Needless to say it was very impressive.

2. Ile Aiye--This is the most renown Afro-Brazilian drum group in Brazil that was founded here in Salvador. They were an important element of the Black Movement in the 1970s and continue today to be leaders in the maintaining black pride and culture. They are the oldest and most famous black group to perform in Carnival. Anyway, every month they play music all night in this big empty gym-esque building over in Liberdade (a neighborhood about 30 minutes away). Their drumming just fills your soul and your heart beats one with the drums and your feet begin to dance to the rhythm. We danced all night and I could not wipe the smile off my face even though my checks began to hurt.

You can't really capture the feeling or music in a picture but here are the drummers:


3. Futebol! I finally went to a Brazilian soccer game! Vitoria (thats my team, from Salvador) vs. Flumenese (a Rio team that traditionally is strong but having a weak year). I had bought a jersey a few days ago in preparation for the game. The bus ride there was AMAZING. We were sardined into a bus crowded with Vitoria fans. Everyone was drumming on the windows and the ceiling and singing Vitoria chants and songs, after a few refrains to catch the words we were singing too. I couldn't partake in the drumming because the bus sped through the city so fast that I had to cling on for dear life (picture how fast the Knight bus from HP3 would take the turns...it was basically like that). It was on the bus I decided that Brazilians need to teach Americans a lesson or two about delectation. The energy was just great. It felt like the Quidditch world cup outside the stadium with different vendors selling their paraphernalia and everyone excited and cheering. At the start of the game the mascot even came on the field (I was so juiced!). Vitoria is red and has a lion mascot (which is KINDA like Gryffindor, which of course got me excited as well) The game was good, but we ended in a tie 2-2. I definitely miss going to UCLA football games (and dancing to Ow!).

Here I am with my friend Alex decked out in our gear (unfortunately I don't have face paint)


I really like this picture I took of all the jerseys for sale
and no, its not upside down, they are all just hanging that way.
Oh and if you are wondering, Fiat is the sponsor not a player

Lencois

Nestled 6 hours inland from Salvador is a small town called Lencois. The nature surrounding Lencois is absolutely breath taking (Abba, you would have loved it). There are very impressive rock formations, plateaus, and caves. Also there are amazing waterholes and waterfalls. The area is extremely unpopulated and tranquil (We were basically the only people there, and from the top of the highest plateau there was not one village/town/or city in sight). We spent Friday through Sunday there. Here are some pictures to describe my weekend:

1. Ｗe climbed to the top of this Chapada (plateau). The view from the top was amazing. The land expanded around me green and flat except the outcroppings of rock chapadas. Literally there was not a town or inhabitance as far as the eye could see. This land was once underwater.

2. Here I am doing a cartwheel at the top

3. The wind was very strong. We were on top of the world!

４．　Friday afternoon, after hiking up the chapada, we went to "O Posso do Pato" to swim. Unfortunately it was cloudy and evening so our ganas to get in the water was not so strong. However, once we arrived it was so beautiful we jumped into the cold water--you just had to be a part of it. 　


５．On Saturday morning we hiked through some underground caves. They were made by subterranean rivers. The orange color in the rocks is due to iron deposits

６．Inside the cave there was some stalactites and stalagmites forming. This one is called the Angel...I thought it looked like nature's version of the Winged Nike！

7. Here we are climbing out. (We had to walk through the cave with a lantern, but once we saw light coming from the exit I immediately thought of the red 'puter saying "the light that you see at the end of the tunnel, is the head light of a fast approaching train")

8.．After that hike we went down to "Posso de Diablo." This was another amazing water hole. To get there you have to traipse over large rocks and boulders. We ziplined down from the top into the water.


９．On Sunday, we only had a half day. We took another hour hike to this natural waterslide. The slide was sooo much fun! It was like tobagoning but in water.　Click on the picture to enlarge it and see a person on their way down.
10. Another picture of me and Nadia at the slide.