Hello there faithful readers! I’ll be starting each blog post with a creative and attention grabbing title that makes you scratch your head and laugh.
Don’t worry…the blog post will tie in all aspects of the title and be understandable by the end of the post or series of posts– HAPPY READING.
Once upon a time…just kidding! So yesterday (July 17), I had the pleasure of meeting my host mother’s mother or avó (grandmother and Portuguese word of the day!) She was delightful and older and knows about 4 English words…needless to say communication was strained since her Portuguese was much faster than my ears. After a bom almoço (good lunch), we headed out to the shopping center. Once to the shopping center, I was moved to the point of tears/heart attack because I couldn’t afford a single item I saw. I’m not quite sure when a non-name brand pair of jeans costing $60 USD was considered a “Sale.” The prices were outrageous…I thought I had died and went to an expensive store in the UK.
That of course was the beginning of our shopping experience. The Shopping Center of Barra, was quite impressive to me and apparently one of the smaller ones here in Salvador. I just want to say that the mall in Salvador would eat the mall in my hometown of Dyersburg, TN as a small pre-dinner snack and make the mall in Monterey, CA scared of the competition. It was a proper mall with 3 levels, tons of stores, and a few little supermarket style stores!
Once we were done shopping, we conveniently ran into Sandra’s (my host mother’s) brother who gave us a ride home! By conveniently, I mean he called and happened to be in the mall with his son at the same time. Apparently, night time = do not be a womanwalking alone in the streets time…Brasilera or not!
Later on that evening, I was invited to a family gathering/birthday party for Sandra’s nephew. The family was not surprised to see me, gave me abraços e beijos (hugs and kisses) and conducted themselves as if I were a fluent portuguese speaking member of the family. Hence my current mantra that I tell anyone who steps ten yards in my direction and starts speaking “Eu não falo português/I do not speak Portuguese.” You see here in Bahia, where the African influence is very heavy, I look “baiana” or as Brazilian as anyone else. Therefore people assume I can speak the language. Upon meeting me, grandma asked where in Brasil I was from and if I was from Bahia! It’s good to be able to blend in and when I master this language like the first peoples mastered wild horses, I’ll be good to go! =)
In conclusion, the party was a great experience and more of a get-together than anything else. I got to eat a cake made from cassava, which I’ve never had before. I grew up eating cassava because it’s a Ghanaian staple, but as a cake…me oh my DELICIOUS! I’m going to be leaving Bahia with that recipe in my bag! And I got to just immerse myself in Portuguese language and Brazilian culture. Watching the family interact– cousins, aunts, moms, and children, I felt extremely at home. Sandra’s sister made some jokes in my direction, called me nice and said I had a kind/pretty face (who here doesn’t LOVE a compliment…I know I do!). The Brazilians I’ve met are living up to their stereotype of being warm and welcoming people– it’s like coming home to a place you never knew you’d missed.
Now on to the more intellectually stimulating stuff.
So my host family and I have not let my Falsaguese (False portuguese) get in the way of our communication. Where there is a will, there’s a Grace and I’m not afraid to butcher anyone’s language.
Today (July 18th) we got to talk about the economic issues facing Brazil, how the world sees Brazil, how it really is, and what the solutions are…stay tuned that post will be up in a day or two.
By the way, the first part of the title has been explained! I hope you’ve been paying attention!
Boa noite e muito mais amanhã (good night and much more tomorrow)