Salvador 101 - tips for the foreigner !

Here are today's 5 tips for being a foreigner in Salvador


1. Bring bug spray... I'm serious ! I have 36 bug bites, all from an unknown critter, all from one night

2. Bring Raid, unless you like 80 million ants setting up camp in your room for that one glass of juice you had 20 minutes ago. I caution you about these ants, they are like the armed forces... I dream about these ants carrying me away in my sleep, thank god they don't bite on top it all

3. If you love Ketchup, bring your own.

4. Don't bring clothes that wrinkle easy after being washed because you won't find a dryer with a wrinkle free setting, actually you won't find a dryer so wash clothes that you don't plan to wear for at least week so they can dry

5. And finally, bring an umbrella if your coming in May. The locals say this much rain is rare but since I have been here it has rained at least 15 out of the 17 days. So bring an umbrella !!!!! And when it rains, it pours !

I hope these tips help you when you decided to travel to Salvador. Don't get me wrong though, I love it here just these are some unexpected things I am dealing with. Talk about culture shock ! Now I understand what they mean. Salvador is amazing and the food is possibly the best food I have ever had throughout my travels (sorry France I think you're tied with Brazil). I am sure in a few weeks I will have some more tips so stay tuned ;)

OH ! I almost forgot, my sister is officially coming to visit my June 17th !!!! I am so excited I know she will love it here and we are booking a trip to Rio de Janeiro for 3 days. AHHHH SO EXCITED !  Plus I think this will help with any potential home sickness I could face, its a nice little visit from home !

Tchau for now ! Bom dia !

Beijos !

Forro !!

Yes that's right, Forro. I learnt how to Forro this weekend (a brazilian two step dance). I finally made it to the club scene here in Salvador and some how made it back to my casa too ! Friday night was full of Forro and late night, or should I say early morning McDonald's. It seems Brazilians can party way longer into the night than I can. We left Madre (the club) at 4:30 a.m. and it was still packed with people ! Then saturday night me and Keaton (my coworker) went to Porto Brasil, this beautiful bar that over looks the ocean where I tried a Kiwi drink that was absolutely amazing ! It had freshly chopped kiwis and vodka but surprisingly the kiwi's took away from the potent vodka. After a few hours at that bar with some friend we went to a local hangout to get drinks, a gas station... go figure ! We stood around and had a few beers, it seemed like the place to be ! Then sunday I got to watch football !!!! (soccer to us north americans). It was the championship cup between Bahia and Vitoria, Bahia won... sadly this means nothing to me because I don't follow either teams but Priscilla (our friend who took us) was a Vitoria fan so that's who we cheered for. Monday was successful, me and my colleagues had a meeting at a local NGO (non-government organization) called Ilê Ayê. It is an incredible organization based on Afro (black) culture and history, founded in 1974 and it focuses on abolishing racism and rising above the slavery that took place here in Salvador for much too long. I am very excited to work with this organization and help them restructure their organizational structure and hopefully maximize funding and sponsors. I think this will be our main focus for the next 3 months while we are here. As of right though, I am super sick :( I'm hoping it goes away soon but stayed tuned for some more updates !

Ps. it was sunny and no rain for the first time all week yesterday !!! Sadly the 14 day forecast predicts rain everyday. I think us Canadians brought Salvador bad weather because according to locals this crazy rain is not normal... shame... the poor Canadian weather follows me everywhere. 

I Have Arrived !!

Oi ! I have finally sat down long enough to post a blog, I know it took a while but finally here it is ! I flew into Sao Paulo Saturday around 11 after a bit of a delayed flight leaving Toronto. I sat alone on the plane while my friends got to sit together, but fortunately I sat beside a Brazilian who taught me a thing or two about Brazil. Again, another delay (things move slower in Brazil it seems) for our flight to Salvador from Sao Paulo, only a small delay thankfully. When I arrived in Salvador my first impression was, wow... this is beautiful and nothing like Canada !! I guess you could say my culture shock set in when I got to my room to find a small single bed with a thin sheet, no air conditioning and an electrically heated shower head. I cried. No just kidding this room is awesome and the building is great just a big adjustment from home. I think what upset me the most was not being able to use my curling iron or flat iron, sad I know. However, now I am on my third day here and I love it, the food, the people, the culture, the beach, all so amazing. Just be careful on the buses you may break something or be hassled by a drunk, not to worry the rough ride will put them in their seat.

That's all for now, boa noite !