So,
In case you guys are new, I'm in Salvador, which is basically the Afro-Brazilian capital of Brazil. It's in the state of Bahia, and it's pretty BAMF.
My fam is actually upper-middle class, so much for learning through experience in my home-stay, lol. The first two days I was with them we had a holiday in Bahia on Monday, so they took me with them to their BEACH HOUSE an hour north of Salvador. WHO HAS BEACH HOUSES! Craziness. We have a big balcony that we eat on that overlooks this gorgeous lake called Dique de Tororo, and it's the epitomy of looking down at the proletariat while I literally eat breakfast. Hot shower, fan, room to myself; it's kind of like Brown, haha.
As for the program itself, the academics are really lacking. I'm basically gonna do my ISP (Independent Study Project and basis of all SIT programs, like the one I'm on here in Salvador) religiously, finish it somewhat early-ish, and then hang in Bahia. I like it a lot here, and my Portuguese has really picked up already from the beginning. It gets more cultural to the North and more mainstream to the South. Not like I'm saying Rio wouldn't be fun or anything. Just something to be aware of when I spit love for Salvador, because it's literally reife with cultural influence from Angola and other lovely African slaves that made the Portuguese adopt any culture whatsoever. Like, people practice Capoiera here on beaches for fun. And people drum here like fucking bad-asses, compared to in the US. And there's literally a church for EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR (365). It's pretty Christian. And pretty intense.
I have 3 little kids in my house (from about 7-9 years-old), and the one boy, loves to kill things. Like, when we went to the beach, every big crab we found, he smashed to pieces. And he likes to kick things and scream a lot. He's kind of a psychopath. No, really, I hope he's not a psychopath.
And the other girls think I'm just kinda slow. I've learned a lot from smiling when I don't understand, and trying to have fun with the little Portuguese that I have. It's kind of intense, but really thrilling every time I learn a new word, or a new place. It sounds nerdy, but getting ice cream at this big touristy beach named Porto de Barra last Saturday was the biggest feat I've had in awhile.
I'm gonna learn a lot of Portuguese, if anything to my program's credit. The reading in our classes in general just doesn't match up with much of anything that we're doing, and we (ONLY 7 STUDENTS IN TOTAL, INCLUDING ME) basically make the classes run and interesting. I've made some happy acquaintances here that are Brazilian, but in general, it's hard to make friends outside of the program knowing as little Portuguese as I do. It'll get easier, but it makes me realize how insecure I can be when I'm not speaking a language I know well, like French, or even any language outside of English. It's a good thing that I'm learning that about myself now, so that I can make that the main thing for me to work through while here. And, the beach, of course, and the weather, is amazing. It'll get even hotter than it is here now by the time my dad comes to visit me in mid-December, since it'll become summer (seasons are flipped around because I'm south of the eqautor), and I already only sleep with a sheet, like everyone else, at night. It's hot.
I'm gonna start exploring more this weekend, as opposed to just reading and drinking and feeling a little awkward with my home-stay family.
...Just saying, I've had some sketch sketch SKETCHY experiences here already. Ask for sketchy stories from me personally, haha.
Anyways, more to update later. Just trying to start writing my ISP now, on Teenage Pregnancy and Supporting Systems and its Intersection with HIV AIDS prevalence in Salvador. IT'll be intense. And I get along with most of the people in my program, which I adore. It's gonna be a crazy next 13 weeks.
Spectacularly,
Akinyi
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