The Long Journey to My Internship in Palmeiras, BA Brazil

8/5/13—19:32 (On a Bus Called Federal Rapido on the way to Palmeiras)

I am on a bus parked in Lençois, meaning the next stop is mine! By the time I arrive it will have been about 7-8 hours since I first boarded at 13:00. It was a really easy drive though, the bus is very nice and comfortable and we made a few stops to stretch and eat. It is dark now and I am overwhelmed by the starry night. I have never seen the heavens with such clarity…

Yesterday was pretty crazy. I woke up at 05:00 on 8/4 and was driven to the wrong airport. So I missed my flight unfortunately. At this point I became a tad nervous. Luckily I was able to buy another ticket for about $250 and I would still arrive in Salvador the same day. My original flight was for 08:00 and my new one was for 10:00 so I was still on time for my 13:00 pickup time with my internship. However, after an easy two hour flight I arrived to find no one waiting for me. This sucked. But I never get too worried when traveling because in the end everything works out, unpleasant disturbances, like missing a flight, can lead to extremely pleasant circumstances…

So I found a free(for 30 minutes) wifi hotspot and was able to reach my contact via Skype. She was very responsive and apologetic about the situation. She mixed up the days of my arrival by accident and had scheduled my pickup and bus trip for the following day. She then instructed me to take a taxi, which she later refunded, to the Proworld Headquarters in Salvador. One hour later the taxi pulled up to a tiny street that merged into a single person walkway. As I walked, houses were on my left, and on my right was an endless view of the South Atlantic Ocean. Once I entered my destination, I did not want to leave. Despite the critters and creepy crawlers the atmosphere and the people I met were quite amazing. I wound up spending the day with two other interns/volunteers, Joe(from Wisconsin) and Carolina(from France). We walked on the beach, went swimming in the warm ocean waters, drank a few beers and watched the sunset behind Salvador’s historic lighthouse. It was the most perfect day and the most fun I had so far in Brazil. Out on the green in front of the lighthouse and on the beach people were playing futebol and guitar, eating, drinking and conversing: simply enjoying life. I not only love social public areas like that, but I deeply understand their vital importance in sustaining healthy communities.

I woke up at 07:00 on 8/5 ate breakfast and participated in the morning’s Portuguese class. We took a short walk on the beach then I departed for my eight hour journey to Palmeiras and Chapada Diamantina. 

This is the view from the porch of Proworld Headquarters in Salvador

The Sunset Behind the Light House

- Alec