Viva La Salvador

Ok,so it totally does not feel as though there are only three weeks left of the program. However, I have  come to terms with our soon approaching departure. I finally feel as though I have progressed from this experience. I have already made lifelong friends, stretched my mind past my preconceived dimensions, and survived alone across the world. And for that I will be forever grateful.

This week I was able to travel to Salvador, Brazil. For those of you that don't know about Salvador it is one of the oldest cities in the Americas, the capital of the state of Bahia and one of the best places I have ever visited in the world. I read many things before coming to this extravagant city, but I did not want to set my standards to high,but I must say I was blown away by the natural beauty.Salvador is the Afro-brazilian gem of the country( the description came from wiki) and I'm loving every second of being immersed in a culture that I identify with so closely.

 I have to say one of the few negatives occurrences of my experience while abroad was frequently receiving news of yet another blatant act of racism occurring back home. The most highly discussed events just so happened to have been caught on camera, however although these incidences were recorded does not make it a new fad instead it just verifies something I have known forever, lives of people of color in America are not valued. There is no better feeling than walking around as a proud black woman in a place that constantly reminds you that Black Lives Matter, Black is Beautiful, and Black is Powerful. It is exactly the rejuvenating essence I needed before going back home and returning to the everyday battle of fighting for equality which is the life of a person of color in America. And for that I will forever be thankful to Salvador.

I am looking forward to returning to Floripa for the duration of my Brazil trip. I hope I am able to yield concurrent positive results from my experiment, try new activities and food I normally would not( maybe surfing?) and hang out with my roommates who I miss dearly.

Remember to always hold your head up high, and hold yourself in the highest regard. See y'all soon!