I have neglected my blog for months now. This is partially due to the fact that my computer broke and I only used the computer at the university. This is also partially due to the fact that learning and living the Portuguese language has confused my English: my writing in English simply does not come out as clearly, sometimes only the Portuguese word comes to my head while I am writing, and I am out of English writing practice. But so much has happened, and I want you, dear reader, to know what I have been up to for the past few months!
September 19th-24th
Brasilia, Distrito Federal: Brazil's Capital
We had our Fulbright Enhancement Seminar in Brasilia in September. It was fantastic. We 30 ETAs got along great considering we had many common experiences in the last 7 months. The highlight was simply sitting around and shooting the shit with everyone in the evenings. I almost forgot what it was like to just sit around and talk with people in your native tongue. It was great to not have to put effort into understanding the conversation and cultural references. It was great to connect with people, and it was surprising that we got along so well. Before the seminar, I was not really looking forward to the event, but now I am very happy to have had the chance to reconnect with people, and to connect with other ETAs that I had not talked with extensively in the past. Thank you ETAs- I can't wait to run into you in the future!
Brasilia felt like George Orwell's1984: felt like being a pawn on a game-board made of cement. Brasilia is an ultra-modern city designed to be convenient. Everything has its place. Pharmacies are found in one part of the city, hotels in another, restaurants in another, and banks in another. If you want pharmaceuticals, you simply drive to the pharmacy area, and you will surely find what you are looking for. It's a nice concept, but, in reality, it means that you need to drive everywhere and things are far apart. Most people that live there are government workers. Everyone is dressed up and ready for business, very different from the way people dress and act here in Bahia. The people that I met there (though few) seemed nice and educated, and were less open and relaxed than people here in Bahia. We visited some key places in the city. I will post pictures…eventually…
We spent one day of the seminar at Chapada Imperial, a near-by national park. There, we did a hike and visited numerous waterfalls. Brasilia is located in the interior of the country and it is extremely dry. It has not rained there for over 100 days, and the humidity is close to 0%. It is also very hot, ~96 degrees or hotter. Brasilia only has two seasons: the rainy season and the dry season. We were there in the dry season. The sun is strong, and there is very little shade at this time of year as the trees are bare. Forest fires break out spontaneously and frequently, and there many trees that have been burnt or are charred black. The ground is a red-brown clay that is very shocking, coming from Bahia, where everything is a lush green.
Highlight of Brasilia: Dancing all night long at a Samba Club and only returning to the hotel as the sun was rising. Fellow ETAs, did I mention I would miss you?
Some time in June
Chapada Diamantina, National Park, Bahia
For the majority of the month of June (just before the strike ended), Amalia and I traveled to Chapada Diamantina, the largest national park in Bahia that is known for its incredible waterfalls. Chapada Diamantina received its names because of the diamonds that are prevalent in the area. The area used to be huge for diamond mining, and in fact, people still mine there. In fact, most of the park's trails are mining trails that were created by horses, mules, and miners. The place was truly amazing; so incredible that we got sucked into its beauty and ended up spending 3 weeks there.
Andarai
Our first stop was Andarai, a quaint town inside the national park. We stayed in Pousada Sincora, a bed & breakfast owned by a very intelligent woman from Sao Paulo (Paulista). The breakfast was unreal- she even had PANCAKES with syrup made from different fruits! We spent a few days in the town and met an ex-pat who had been living there for years and taught English. We also met up with a friend named Kiko who we had previously met in Ilheus. Kiko sells jewelry on the streets of Bahia, and knows more about living off the land than probably anyone I have ever met. After hanging out in Andarai for a day or two we decided to hike to Vale do Paty, a full-day hike into a valley. Normally tour guides will charge people around 100 reais ($60) per day to do this hike, and the trails are unmarked, so we were very lucky to have run into people that knew the trails because otherwise it is not very accessible.
Vale do Paty
We packed our bags with some food, a tent, and sleeping bags, and hit the trail. The hike into the valley takes a full day: straight up hill and straight down. The sun was strong and our bags were heavy, but the nature was amazing, the view of the valley from above was remarkable, and the view from down in the valley was breath-taking. It was definitely worth the hike. No words can describe the feeling of the valley: the vastness, the peace, the flora, the sounds, the earth, the vibrations. Neither the photos that I took on the trip nor photos of professional photographers could not capture the beauty of the valley.
Here is an excerpt from my journal that I wrote while in the valley of Paty:
The rocks are breathing. I feel blessed to be a part of this setting right now; this place where everything co-exists in harmony: every rock, the running water, the roots, earth, plants. I am stepping into a place that has existed for millions of years, changing, changing all the time, and I am only a small part of its long life. I will be long gone, and the rocks will remain. I will be long gone and my footprint existent but small. This is the best moment of my life- this is the present.
Igatu
We (Amalia, Christina, and I) spent Sao Joao, a festival that takes place from June 22-24 in the interior of the Northeast, in the tiny town of Igatu in Chapada Diamantina. Sao Joao is a festival that is celebrated with food, drink, dancing, and forro. Forro ("for all") is a type of folk music that has a fast beat and uses an accordion, triangle, drums, and voice. People get dressed up like country people/farmers. (For the normal female dress, imagine Pippi Long-Stockings with freckles and braids, but wearing a pouffy knee-length dress. For the normal male dress, imagine the scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz). The dance is kind of like square dancing or contra dancing, except that sometimes everyone joins in a big circle. Some dances are done with a caller, as in contra dancing, while others have no need for a caller because everyone already has the dance memorized. There are also these things called quadrilhas (little squares) in which a group of people (usually 4 males and 4 females) will choreograph a dance, and everyone else will watch. During Sao Joao, people dance as if they are drunk. Well, most people are indeed drunk, but the important thing is to dance in a goofy-fashion.
Back to Andarai
After Sao Joao, we decided to head to Lencois (the tourist gateway to Chapada Diamantina) before returning home. We hitchhiked back to Andarai and waited for the bus there. However, while we were waiting, we met a guy about our age who offered to buy us breakfast. We said sure and got to talking. He asked us why we were leaving in such a rush, so we explained that we had already spent over a week there and knew the place well, but he convinced us that there was still more nature to see there. He offered us his house, and we ended up crashing there for a few more nights. (People in the interior of Bahia are VERY hospitable.)He lived with his brother and friend, and they ended up being cool guys too. That day we went on a hike to a waterfall and returned in the dark with the stars and moon as our guide because we didn't have flashlights. Another day we went psycho-blocking (a type of rock climbing, bouldering, in which, if you fall, you land in the water).
Lencois
Finally, we made our way to Lencois, the town where the bulk of the tourists wanting to do the trails come in order to contract guides. Tourism is the biggest industry in Lencois, and the restaurants and pousadas are evidence of this fact. One day in Lencois, we paid for a guide to take us to a waterfall that was 7 km away. It was the only time we had paid for a guide to whole trip, and we got a decent price so we figured we might as well do it. Guides are almost necessary in the park (at least to get to the "most beautiful" places without getting lost) because there are no marked trails. Without a guide, we probably wouldn't have made it to the waterfall, but we definitely would have seen beautiful nature and had a great time.
Lencois makes one wonder: whatever happened to journeying without a destination? Every moment of the journey is beautiful- why do you need a guide to direct you to the end destination. I'd rather get lost and miss out on the main "main attraction" in exchange for the pure rush of journeying without a destination. Unfortunately, the tour books all say that Lencois is incredible, so most people go there and get a guide. But, if you are reading this as a traveler who prefers to take "the road less traveled", take the time to see the other towns in Chapada, or take the risk of going in a group without a guide. Talk to the "townies", surely you will find someone who is eager to go adventuring with you.
July 14-28
My Parents Visit Brazil
When we got back from Chapada, it turned out the strike ended! Finally! After over 3 months, the strike ENDED! So…it was back to work. My normal classes started up again in the beginning of July, but as our original vacation was meant to be for the entire month of July, my parents had already planned their visit to Brazil.
Salvador
I met my parents in Salvador, the capital of Bahia (about a 4-5 hour bus ride and a 1-hour ferryboat ride from Ilheus). It was wonderful to see them! We stayed in the Pelourinho, the historic part of Salvador that is now a World Heritage Site. Besides for staying in an incredible hotel that was once an historic convent and had the most delicious continental breakfast I have ever had, staying in Pelorinho was stressful. Salvador is an interesting city that has a rich culture and history, as it was the first capital of Brazil. The culture there feels quite alive-- a highlight of our visit was going to the main capoeria fort in the city, where 5 or 6 capoeira schools have their classes and rodas. We went to a capoeira angola roda and enjoyed it very much. Although I am glad that my parents saw Salvador, I was eager to take them to my house and to a calmer place where they would have the chance to interact with more people.
Ilheus
We rented a car in Salvador and drove the 4 hours to Ilheus in the dark and pouring rain. (I had to show them the real Brazil! Bahians perform most tasks at the speed of molasses, but put them behind the wheel of any gas-motored vehicle and they sure can boogie). My dad was white-knuckled the whole time, and I was the speed-bump caller. The road between Salvador and Ilheus is a curvy, hilly, poorly-lit road along the coast that passes through about 6 small towns on the way. It is beautiful during the day, but at night it is another story. Before and after every town there are a series of speed bumps, and the roads in the towns are mostly brick. If nothing else, I know that my dad will always remember three Portugese words: elevacao de velocidade.
They stayed in Ilheus for about 5 days. Here were the highlights:
- Running on the beach with my dad.
- Cooking as a family at my apartment. Oh how I miss my mom's home cooking. We made shrimp linguini, had a bottle of wine, and was just like home. Although I know how to make shrimp linguini, it never tastes like my mom's cooking.
- Going to a nearby beach. We hiked there on a very wet trail, chilled, played frisbee, and swam. My father was almost swept away by the waves. They loved agua de coco.
- Going to a cacao research area nearby, trying cacao, and seeing sloths.
- Taking them to meet my students. - My students loved talking to them!
Rio de Janeiro
Although we briefly regretted planning our trip to Rio because we all loved our time in Bahia, we got on the plane anyways and ending up having an incredible time.
Highlights:
- Running around the 4km lake (Lagoa) with my father.
- Christ Statue: The Christ statue is HUGE- way bigger than you can imagine. Out of this world.
- Sugar Loaf: We hiked half way up the sugar loaf instead of taking the tram, and it was worth it because, well, of course hiking is awesome, there were less people, and we still got a great view.
- Botanic Gardens
- Eating good food
- Casa de Pedro: A store that sells bulk goods- when I walked in my face lit up like that of a kid in a candy shop. They had bulk dried fruit, grains, AND spices! Who knew one could be so happy seeing these products. I finally bought curry and whole black pepper (two things that are almost non-existent in Bahia) and a bunch of dried fruit.
Classes
After my parents left, my work life finally became more regular. The month of August was my first full month of normal classes. I taught 2 intermediate classes a week, 1 beginner class, and 1 advanced. The intermediate and advanced classes are based on a theme of teaching through music. We started with folk music: Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, "Old Brother Where Art Thou?", and Old Crow Medicine Show. One day, I even brought my friend's guitar to school and taught my students "You are My Sunshine" and "Wagon Wheel". They loved singing. At the end of the month, I gave them an oral test in which they each had to give an oral presentation on a song of their choice.
The beginner classes are based on a travel theme. On the first day of the unit, I explained to the students that we would be taking a "trip" around the U.S. beginning in New York City. One of my students was so excited his face lit up and asked, "Teacher, when are we leaving?!" The other students raised their eyebrows and explained that the trip was only imaginary. His face fell, he was actually hurt. "How could you play such a cruel joke on us? I thought we were going to New York!" Maybe if he had been paying attention, and actually looking at the teacher as she was speaking, he would have seen that I made virtual quotation marks with my fingers.
The first week, students received a map of the U.S. and they had to mark the cities we were going to visit on our "trip". Then we made learned clothing vocabulary, made a "packing list", learned airport and transportation vocabulary. Hopefully, we will be "visiting" Chicago and the Woods of Wisconsin.
I returned to teaching this week- I have two months left of my Fulbright and then it is off to the next step...
Bahian Foods- Here is a description of traditional Bahian foods- pictures to come!
Acaraje: A corn fritter fried in dende (palm) oil and stuffed with shrimp cooked in dende oil and a salsa made of chopped tomato, onion and vinegar. It is commonly sold on the street where the cook fries it right in front of you. $R2-4.
Feijoada: Black bean stew traditionally cooked with the leftover parts of the cow (like cow hooves and other stuff that people don't want to buy, I mean, other "delicacies". Feijoada can also be cooked just with beef and sausage, and various vegetables (tomato, onion, okra, potato). $R10-20.
Churrasco: Brazilian barbecue: various grilled meats, chicken, cheese, and even chicken hearts (I ate them once and will not eat it again!). On the street corners, you can find people grilling up skewers of various meats and cheese, and you can buy a skewer for $R2-4. Or, you can go to a churrasco (a barbecue): an all-day event in which people sit around eating grilled meat, drinking beer, and conversing. This is a common way to spend a Saturday or Sunday here.
Moqueca: Moqueca is a seafood stew made with palm oil and coconut milk and vegetables. People eat it with rice, pirao (a mix of manioc flour and palm oil), farofa (manioc flour) and chopped tomatoes and onions. R$25 for a plate that serves two.
Fruit: papaya, pineapple, mango, watermelon, acerola, cashew fruit, guava, graviola, cupuacu, jackfruit, lime, apple, maracuja, melon, grape. Fruit is sold at indoor and outdoor fruit markets. I usually go to the market a few days a week. If I spend $R10 on produce, my hands are full and I eat deliciously fresh fruit for a few days. Fresh fruit juices are also very common here and most people have a blender in order to whip up juice.
Acai: Acai, a berry from the Amazon, is eaten in a bowl and has a texture similar to frozen sorbet. Guarana (straight up energy) is blended in with honey, and it is served with banana and granola or other types of fruit on top. R$5-7.
Agua de coco (coconut water): Commonly consumed on the beach out of the coconut itself. It is best when it is "bem gelada"- very cold and when it is a hot day (almost everyday). It is loaded with electrolytes, makes you feel like a million bucks, but only costs R$1 - R$2.50.
Chocolate: Bahia used to be a huge cacao producer, but the trees have been suffering from a disease called Witch's Broom. Cacao is still sold here, but it is expensive, and the majority of it is exported. R$5-10 for a 500 gram bag of powdered cacao. R$6 for a bar of chocolate flavored sugar.
Cachaca: I know that alcohol is not food, but "to drink alcohol" in Portuguese is "comer agua", literally translated as "to eat water", so I figure I can include it in the list. Cachaca is sugar-cane alcohol. The cheapest kind is called 51, which is sold for R$5 (~$3) for one liter. The typical drink is called caipirinha, which is simply lime, sugar, ice, and cachaca. There are also infused cachacas that are made with just about any kind of fruit you can imagine: ginger, raisin, pineapple, cinnamon, clove, grape, etc.
My Daily Life
Things I still miss from home:
Family and friends
Broccoli
Fall: the sound and smell of fallen leaves crunching beneath my feet
Having a washing machine
Taking hot showers
Dark imported chocolate (Bahia is known for its cacao but most of it is exported and the stuff sold in stores is basically chocolate flavored sugar)
Things I am grateful for:
The sound of the waves crashing into the shore
Living close to the beach
The sun
Fresh fruit, primarily mamao
Agua de coco
Having pleasant conversations with strangers
Seeing green
Being financially comfortable until November 30th!
New friends and old friends
Wow if you made it to the end of this entry I am extremely impressed. You are a dedicated reader. Please leave comments (or write me)- I want to hear from you!
Until next time.
Beijos,
Carolyn
Taking hot showers
Dark imported chocolate (Bahia is known for its cacao but most of it is exported and the stuff sold in stores is basically chocolate flavored sugar)
Things I am grateful for:
The sound of the waves crashing into the shore
Living close to the beach
The sun
Fresh fruit, primarily mamao
Agua de coco
Having pleasant conversations with strangers
Seeing green
Being financially comfortable until November 30th!
New friends and old friends
Wow if you made it to the end of this entry I am extremely impressed. You are a dedicated reader. Please leave comments (or write me)- I want to hear from you!
Until next time.
Beijos,
Carolyn
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