What a great weekend. On Saturday we went with our team to the Pelourinho area of town. (If you have ever seen our pictures of Salvador this is the old part of the city where all of the colored buildings are.) This was our first time to return to the historical part since we were here on our survey trip. It was a little different this time.
When you walk into this part of the city you are quickly sized up and either seen as a tourist (aka target) or as a local. With our hair and skin color we will probably always be naturally placed in the tourist category meaning that every person selling something in the area will eventually make their way over to us in hopes of unloading a few more necklaces, candies, or some other prices memory of Salvador. On our survey trip with our weak language skills and our clothes and backpacks we fit the bill. Add to that our desire to find some of these priceless Bahian trinkets and you have just what the doctor order. We saw little difference this past weekend with the exception of our attitude. No longer do I feel like someone just here for the weekend or a quick get away, I am starting to feel like this is my city.
There is sort of an awkwardness that comes anytime you first move to a new city. Nothing feels like home and things are just a little out of place. Try doing it in a different culture when you don’t speak the same language as everyone around you. It was nice this weekend to notice that some of those feelings are starting to subside. With each passing day Salvador feels more like our home, a different and new home, but home. It is nice to be moving from the visitor status into the local status (at least inside.).
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