So last night’s Carnival was a much different experience than the first night’s. Evidently, the first night had most of the action in the lower Barra area and then last night it was in Pelourinno ( I have no idea how to spell that…). Anyways there was a sea of people in the streets and I am talking about thousands. We went out as a group of thirteen boys and girls and somehow we miraculously were able to return home that way. It was a crazy night. There were blocos, which are the big sound trucks that have the bands standing on top of them, upon blocos and the dancing parade never ceased. It was such an interesting spectacle. We made friends with a kid named Danilio who was from Salvador and although he only spoke Portuguese somehow everyone was able to converse with him and helped us out with everything. I think he just enjoyed our company. He said he was 19 but he appeared to be more like 16. It is hard to say if he is a street kid or if he has a family and a home. It is sad to think about when as we leave for the night we head back to a giant cruise ship while he may be living in a small favela on the side of the mountains. At least he showed us a good time and really enjoyed being with us. It is funny to think that there are universal signs that can be made by hand and without words you can still communicate. Brazil is the first place that I have traveled where I don’t understand what people say to me. At least when I was in Italy I could make out words to pick up on what they are saying, but here Portuguese is more like Japanese.
The air last night like nothing I have ever breathed in my life. I have never been somewhere where I yearn to enter a store or go back on board the ship for some fresh air. Normally you wish to go outside for that but here in Brazil it is so humid that the urine that consumes each corner cooks in the heat and creates a disgusting odor that when combined with the sweat and the BO is like no other smell in the world. After a while it becomes difficult to breathe. My lungs felt as though they were filled with dirt and I wanted to vomit each time I took a breath.
One thing that I really had trouble with last night was the idea of the Ugly American. Some of the people we went out with and others from the program appeared to be those annoying tourists that see the world only through rose colored glasses. After drinking their beers they become oblivious. They see this experience only as an ongoing party and miss out on seeing and trying to understand the people that they come in contact with. Vanity is such a strong issue as these girls melt at the slightest bit of attention. Basically they show their younger age through their mannerisms and lack of common sense. I am not just saying this to be critical, but we are in a country that is not the safest place in the world and we are in Salvador in its most dangerous time of the year. Eh. Evidently last night a couple of students got mugged and two boys actually witnessed a man being knifed…they say they saw the blade cut open a man’s chest. Whether or not it is true they definitely looked terrified and were searching for a way home so I am going to believe that they were not lying. It just goes to say that anything can happen and it is best to remain as inconspicuous as possible instead of calling attention to drunk white kid behavior.
On another note, today Molly and I went to the Mercado Modelo, which is an art market. There are booths selling jewelry, fake futbol jerseys, t-shirts, art and other various souveniers. While searching for a Kaka jersey for Molly I had an interesting conversation with the sales woman. I could make out certain words in Portugese that were similar to Spanish and since she saw that I could translate to Molly she continued on thinking that I could understand her. One of the men that worked in the stand had the woman ask me if I was either a singer named Ivana something or other or if I was married to a singer name Ivan something or other. I couldn’t tell. But she kept making a box around her face and saying singer then pointing at me. Maybe I was mistaken for a pop superstar. Ha.
It has been a beautiful day today. So hot though. For the past two days it had been overcast with the occasional downpour, but today was the way I pictured it to be in Brazil. By the way I know I mentioned it before but think about it again…Brazil has the second largest population of Africans in the world after Nigeria. Brazil has more Africans than Africa itself. Crazy.
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