After spending 8 nights in our host cities–Serra, Espiritu Santo for Adrian and I–we closed the TGC experience in the very beautiful city of Salvador, in the state of Bahia. Like the rest of Brazil, Salvador is a city of contrasts. The joy and color and festivities in the street exist side by side with the despair of poverty. Despite the high levels of poverty and crime, Salvador is a magical city–full of life, beautiful people, and a distinct Afro-Brazilian culture that is absent in many other regions of this large South American nation.
Our first day in Salvador was a travel day, and Adrian, Yvette and I were lucky enough to arrive at 10am. Many of the others did not arrive to Salvador till after 10pm–as the 16 TGC partcipants were coming flying into Salvador from disparate regions of this enormous country.
The three of us took advantage of this free day to explore Salvador. After a delicious lunch at a beachfront restaurant, we made our way to the Pelourinho, or the Centro Historico [old historical city center]. The Pelourinho dates back to the colonial period–as Salvador was one of the first colonies in Brazil for the ever expanding Brazilian Empire. We immediately felt the energetic buzz and life of both Salvador and the Festa Junina. It turns out our five day stay in Salvador coincided perfectly with this annual fiesta that exudes joyous life, color…and partying.
We ended our afternoon in the Pelourinho at a delightful cafe overlooking the calm bay.
The following two days of our Salvador experience included a two day TGC-ILEP Conference. At this conference, the 16 TGC participants met up with 25+ Brazilian teachers that had gone through the ILEP program. ILEP is a ‘sister’ program to TGC. Brazilian English teachers are able to live and study at an American university for several months–to improve both their English and their pedagogical practices. During this conference, we shared experiences, further explored our research questions, and developed prelimary plans for bi-national collaborative projects.
Our last night in Salvador was spent in the Pelourinho once again. It was the climax of the Festa Junina, and the neighborhood was filled to the brim with people out to enjoy one last night of festive music and positive energy.
Traveling Fern 