My first time writing a blog, and to be honest I don't really read blogs, so I'm not quite sure where to go with this. From what I can tell, blogs are 'Dear Diary' posts that people intentionally publish, and those two concepts, 'public', and 'diary', seem mutually exclusive to me. Maybe that's just my idea of a diary as a very emotional, private affair, which isn't necessarily true...
Anyways. I leave for Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, in less than a month. Salvador is in Northern Brazil, on the coast, and is referred to as 'da Bahia' because it is in the state of Bahia, Brazil. It's full name is ' Salvador da Bahia de Todos os Santos', which means 'City of the Holy Savior of the Bay of all the Saints', which is a headache to English-speakers considering all the prepositions, and a headache to all Portuguese-speakers listening to that botched pronunciation. So Salvador it is.
Salvador is the capital of the state of Bahia, home to about 3.5 million people, and the third largest city in Brazil after São Paulo and Rio. It was discovered in 1500, and still has beautiful, colorful Portuguese colonial style buildings from then, especially in the Pelourinho district. I'll add pictures of those when I see them... I'm fully planning on being a camera-trigger-happy tourist.
I will be there for just short of six full months courtesy of a CIEE study abroad program through Notre Dame, enroll in UCSAL (Universidade Católica do Salvador), and I will live with a host family, within a few miles of some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, in an environment known for its happiness and lackadaisical tempo.
When I get home for break, I plan to create a list of my goals for this semester abroad, including festivals I want to celebrate and places I'd like to go.
In the mean time... I still have one final and one paper left to write. For the same class: Portuguese. Did I mention that while I'm in Brazil, I will take classes entirely in Portuguese, and for the most part, my friends and companions will only speak Portuguese? My host family, my classmates... Portuguese.
Salvador is also home to the the Guinness Book of Record's largest party in the world, Carnaval, in which over 4 million people participate in a week-long festival of parades, dancing, music and insane outfits.
I am more than a little excited at the prospect.
Anyways. I leave for Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, in less than a month. Salvador is in Northern Brazil, on the coast, and is referred to as 'da Bahia' because it is in the state of Bahia, Brazil. It's full name is ' Salvador da Bahia de Todos os Santos', which means 'City of the Holy Savior of the Bay of all the Saints', which is a headache to English-speakers considering all the prepositions, and a headache to all Portuguese-speakers listening to that botched pronunciation. So Salvador it is.
Salvador is the capital of the state of Bahia, home to about 3.5 million people, and the third largest city in Brazil after São Paulo and Rio. It was discovered in 1500, and still has beautiful, colorful Portuguese colonial style buildings from then, especially in the Pelourinho district. I'll add pictures of those when I see them... I'm fully planning on being a camera-trigger-happy tourist.
I will be there for just short of six full months courtesy of a CIEE study abroad program through Notre Dame, enroll in UCSAL (Universidade Católica do Salvador), and I will live with a host family, within a few miles of some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, in an environment known for its happiness and lackadaisical tempo.
In the mean time... I still have one final and one paper left to write. For the same class: Portuguese. Did I mention that while I'm in Brazil, I will take classes entirely in Portuguese, and for the most part, my friends and companions will only speak Portuguese? My host family, my classmates... Portuguese.
Salvador is also home to the the Guinness Book of Record's largest party in the world, Carnaval, in which over 4 million people participate in a week-long festival of parades, dancing, music and insane outfits.
I am more than a little excited at the prospect.
Guess which language I am insufferably awful at? Portuguese. So I should probably start writing and studying.
Purposes of this blog:
- To track my progression in Portuguese... maybe even write it in Portuguese!
- Record my thoughts and experiences, since I'm sure I'll always want to look back on my time in Brazil.
- Update any of my friends/family who may be curious about my activities.
- Share the world with the world ?
Até logo meus amigos!
Hey Claire, Very interesting! I look forward to keeping up with your adventures via your blog. Keep that promise to take a ton of pictures and post them; however, no matter how fluent you may become in Portuguese, please continue to write in English! I am trying to get your mom to go to Ecuador and Peru with me - so put in a good word. Mari
ReplyDeleteThanks for checking in! Hope everything is well with you. I will work on convincing her, she'll have to come to Brazil then too!
ReplyDeleteI'll read your blog if you read mine.
ReplyDeleteTit for tat, I'd love to hear about your international experiences!
DeleteShut up you know it's not a study abroad blog.
Delete