Attitude Adjustment

I can´t believe it´s already week two!! Time is definitely flying down here. I feel like I´m just now starting to feel comfortable and well-adjusted. Maybe too comfortable; you can blame it on the heat, the intensive language courses, the laundry list of things to buy, do and see but, the truth is that I haven´t gotten any work done yet. It´s driving me crazy! I have been trying...honestly, I have. I tried emailing a few professors/grad students here in Salvador that do the same kind of research but, they either pass me off to other people or simply don´t reply to my emails. I´m not exactly sure what to do about this. Be persistent and kick down the door (figuratively speaking, of course)? Leave well enough alone and forget about talking with anyone local? Social mores are rather different here and I know that but, I don´t know what the alternative is. Clearly, I need an attitude adjustment of some kind.

So, what have I been doing instead of work? Lots of stuff. I´ve visited the Mercado Modelo (local artisan fair in the historic city center), which is where everyone´s gifts are going to come from. I love this place. The area around it is a bit dodgy but, the stuff they sell is awesome. Anything you can imagine made from wood, leather or stone is there (musical instruments, jewelry, clothing, shoes, artwork, etc.). Way too much fun.

Yesterday, a few of us went uptown to the Museu de Arte da Bahia (Bahia Museum of Art). I wasn´t allowed to take any pictures (at least from the inside) but, let me tell you, it was fantastic! To be totally honest, most museums in Latin America (at least in my personal experience) are not all that great. However, this one made up for all the rest. It is a beautifully restored colonial house converted into a museum of all varieties of art relating to the history of Salvador, Bahia. Royal furniture, portraits, dishware, sketches, maps, etc. It was wonderful-- worth way more than the R$2.50 (roughly USD $1.20) that I paid to get in. There is also a Museum of Modern Art here that I hope to get to some time soon.

There´s more but I´m running out of blog space and time (gotta pay to get on the internet here). So, I´ll have to wait until next time to give more info....Bye for now!

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