Salvador Homecoming

My triumphant return to Salvador didn't exactly start out as I had hoped or expected. After waiting a couple of hours for my flight to board (note to the international traveler: you will be hardpressed to find a domestic flight in Brazil that leaves on time) I stepped onto a plane that looked like it had seen its best days a few decades ago. It was a small plane, commissioned by OceanAir (the fourth largest airline behind Gol, Tam, and Varig-which is now owned by Gol), which prior to purchasing my ticket, I had never heard of (well done, Chas). Just about every aspect of the plane looked well “broken in.” To make matters worse, as the plane accelerated to take off, several different parts of the plane's structure began to rattle. I'm usually not one to worry (especially while flying, my mentality is one of faith in God and his plan for me), but I could not help but think that this might not be my day. A little morbid I know. To make matters even worse, about halfway through the flight, I was awakened by one of the flight attendants yelling at the passenger seated behind me, a woman, about how the use of her electronic device was going to cause the plan to crash. I said a quick prayer and forced myself back to sleep.

Fortunately, and thanks to God, I arrived in Salvador safely.

The family that I am staying with is that of my good friend and teammate David “Silkk” Williams. He, as well as James Hairston, were two good friends of mine who made the journey to Brazil with me in the spring of 2006. I suppose now would be an appropriate time to reference, for anyone who is unfamiliar, my first blogging experience: bahiaboys.blogspot.com. This is a blog that I co-wrote with my two aforementioned friends, Silkk and James, and I must say, it was a pleasure sharing it with them (though it was they who did the lion's share of the blogging). But I digress...

The head of the household, and Silkk's Brazilian mother, is Tia Denize, one of the kindest and warmest people I have ever met in my life. She goes by Tia (Aunt), largely because she is like an aunt to so many who come by the family's apartment in Barra. The nuclear family is completed by her husband, Reginaldo, and their two children Reginaldo (simply known as Junior) and Jamile, though you would never know the family is so small because there are always more people in the apartment, whether its friend or family. It was a bit overwhelming the first time I came to visit Silkk during our semester abroad here in Salvador because there are rarely fewer than 8 people in the house. Along with the empregada (housekeeper), Sol (who might as well be a biological aunt) the house is always full.

A full house also means a LOT of food. There has never been a time, either when I was visiting Silkk, or since I have been here during this stretch, when there has not been food, either on the table, in the refrigerator or on the stove. It did not take me long to get used to this and I can only imagine the kind of withdrawal my body will go through once I leave Salvador.

The last couple of weeks (I arrived in Salvador on November 27) have involved a lot of reminiscing. Anyone who knows me knows that my preferred method of travel is by foot and the past two weeks have involved rediscovering some of my old paths. It's funny how the human mind works; a certain place will bring back a number of memories and it is incredible how vividly this occurs. I sometimes find myself wandering and happening upon a place and remembering exactly what I was thinking while at that place two years ago. Overall this rediscovery has been a wonderful and very rich experience (though I have yet to make it back to the Pelourinho where I got jumped. You'll have to check out the previous blog for that story in its entirety), though not without its drawbacks. My time out of Salvador has allowed me to forget exactly how hot it is out here during this time of the year (the beginning of the summer down here); on a normal day, I go through 2-3 shirts, a difficult task as I only packed 7 shirts. I've had to buy a few more shirts, but I've also had to find creative ways to dry shirts in order to “recycle.” I imagine that most of you reading this right now can hardly imagine sweltering heat at this moment.

Yes, I know you probably hate me right now. Prepare to hate me a bit more.

The most welcoming aspect of Salvador must be its beaches. Salvador is not famous for its beaches, but I have yet to visit a place where they are nicer. The combination of the weather, the geographic setting and some of the most beautiful women I have ever seen (I'm just being honest) it is too easy to pass the day on Salvador's beaches. I'll leave it at that before I start receiving death threats from those of you trying to prepare yourself for the winter to come.

For any of you who is interested in some great perspective on Salvador and Brazil in general, I would definitely recommend checking out the aforementioned blog: bahiaboys.blogspot.com. I say this because as it is my third time here, Salvador has become familiar to the point where I feel that some of my current posts will lack some of the explanation that you might be wanting. As much as I try see this place through new eyes when I write, it is difficult, especially as it is filled with so many memories already. In addition, I truly believe that the perspectives of my companeros, Silkk and James, will be enlightening and are certainly worth reading.