Most of the time I truly enjoy Salvador. The life and energy of the city help justify my decision to defer college for a year. The almost scary hospitality has already guaranteed my return. That said, there are a lot of things that make me yearn for the culture that I grew up in and seems just flat out easier.
Sometimes it appears to be nothing more than a obnoxiously loud and dirty metropolis where nothing gets accomplished besides serious beach relaxation and beer consumption. If I happen to get picked up out of these little ruts, which I find that I always do, it’s usually by my host father Joselito. Whether it be a tale of his many escapades with kids from Bagunçaço, a priceless lesson that he has chosen to pass on, or just a calm, leisurely car ride through the city (just kidding those don’t exist here) he can almost reassure me that I’m doing just fine. In front of the cultural community center that my host father created and currently oversees, I got to capture just a small amount of his seemingly endless charisma.
