When I hear a crowing rooster the first thing that comes to mind is the sun has risen and it is time to get on my tractor. The funny thing about the roosters in Rio, however, is that they lie. Not only is it not time to get on my tractor, but there is no evident correlation to the pending sunrise (unless of course it is an hourly countdown to morning beginning loosely at midnight).
I was lucky enough to sit between the window and Patrick on the plane to Salvador. I slept until something roused me that was not a rooster’s crow. Then I realized it was the Flip Video camera a millimeter from my face pointed out the window. Patrick was already filming Salvador before we had even set foot on the ground: I am proud to say that he is on my team. Fortunately, Patrick had finagled me an airplane snack even though I was sleeping. I was very appreciative.
The city of Salvador is strikingly (vibrantly, if you will) different than Rio de Janeiro. There are 2.6 million people in Salvador: versus the 11 million of Rio. The state of Bahia hugs the coast and the constant waning and waxing of the waves can be felt in the very layout of the city. The streets are spread out and there is consistently more space between buildings. The geography of the city does not have hills like Rio does and thus the favela communities we encountered in Rio—slums climbing on top of each other onto the hills—will not be the same type of slum in Salvador. The large amount of land has created a different set of problems than the drugs and intense violence of Rio.
We will be visiting four very different CDI schools in the next week. One addresses environmental issues and one helps to educate the mentally handicapped. In Bahia, any company with over a hundred employees is required to have 5% of those people be mentally or physically handicapped. CDI’s work has been effective in equipping the mentally handicapped of Bahia to gain access to the available jobs. The Duke team is incredibly excited about the days ahead.
The convent (where we’re staying) has a strict 6 o’clock dinnertime and a very doable 7:30 AM breakfast. Dinner this evening made me think of my own household. The Beethoven CD playing is the same one (and only one) my mom has owned since I was six.
The team feels like we have been able to get a real grasp on the way that Brazil runs. We are excited to have the opportunity to document a second state. There is a rooster figurine on the bedside table of my room. Foreshadowing? I can only hope.
-Dani