O Fim

Back to where it all began: my kitchen table

Since my last post, I have completed all of my research, edited and finished my research paper, presented on said research, passed a Portuguese proficiency exam, visited two more beautiful beaches, and made it back to the USA all in one piece. 

Although my last ten days can be summed up in one run-on sentence, they were surely a wild (and very busy) ride. My last week in Ilhéus was spent translating interviews, finishing my research paper and catching as many balcony/hammock sunsets as possible. Although editing 45 pages of qualitative writing isn't exactly my favorite activity, printing the final copy was unbelievably rewarding. 

back balcony sunset 

a little front balcony action too 

And there is no better way to celebrate the end of the research project than to go to the beach! So, for our last weekend in Ilhéus, I went to Itacaré with my housemates to soak up some more sun and relax before our presentations and proficiency exams. This beautiful beach town is famous for its surfing and relaxed vibe which was an absolutely perfect way to de-stress. Many travelers that we met over the weekend had planned a weekend trip similar to ours, and months later had yet to leave. 

Our favorite beach in Itacaré

After our weekend getaway and printing our final copies (explaining how to print double-sided in a spiral bound notebook in portuguese turned out to be the ultimate test in language ability), we headed back to the nunnery in Salvador for the last week of the program. Since first staying at the nunnery in September, there was a significant increase in nativity scenes, Christmas lights, and Jesus action. Safe to say I got the full Christmas-in-Brazil experience in one lap around the garden. 

Our last week was jam-packed with presentations, re-entry discussions, and trips to the beach during every ounce of free time. 

Four months ago, I sat in this same seat, trying to learn elementary portuguese and convincing myself that Brazil would become like a second home to me. Today, I am not only a bronzed goddess, but I am also almost conversational (almost being the key word) in portuguese, and eagerly awaiting my next trip to Bahía. 

Holidays with a Side of Rain

This week, Ilhéus received over 10% of the rain it usually receives in one year AND IT IS NOT EVEN RAINY SEASON YET. From Tuesday night until Friday afternoon, we had non-stop water falling from the sky. Most of the time, it was torrential down pour with crazy gusts of wind, but sometimes, we would be lucky enough to catch a break and the rain would slow to the usual amount that might require the middle setting of wind shield wipers in a car. 

Apparently, when our house was built, such rain was not a concern as the only draining pipe on our front balcony is conveniently placed right next to the doors that lead into our house. So, while half of the water was draining onto our steps/neighbor's lawn, the other half was trickling into our living room. After making some creative blockades out of towels (not the most effective blocking device), we finally found a squeegee and spent the next hour perfecting the art of aiming water down the drain instead of into the house. 

the storm in action 

Since the rain leakage issue wasn't enough, we decided to add to our list of water problems, and broke one of the main pipes in our house. This meant that we couldn't wash dishes for a while (a break from dishes sounds nice but got ugly VERY quickly, especially with our open air/lots of bugs house). In order to get the pipe fixed, we had to learn some new plumbing themed vocabulary, and as soon as the pipe was working again, all of the water in our house shut off. After a solid five days of water games, everything is pretty much back to normal, accept when the sink fell off into my hand today. 

Amidst all of the water madness, we also celebrated Thanksgiving! We had an incredible feast that included coconut and cilantro barbora (brazilian squash/pumpkin), green beans, potato latkes, lamb, pumpkin pie, and apple crisp. This was not exactly the typical Thanksgiving meal, but I insisted on the latkes, and finding turkey in this country is not exactly easy. 

Along with Thanksgiving, I have been attempting Hanukkah. The latkes were a good start, but it is very hard to have hanukkah without a menorah. In order to fix this issue, I tried making one out of an empty milk carton and painters tape, but it isn't really doing the trick. 

In other news...

I have finished all of my field work, and have started writing my final research project. I am still in the translating-all-of-my-interviews phase, and hope to start my results section soon. We have one more week left here in Ilhéus before we head back to Salvador for the last week of the program and all of our presentations. I should probably stop procrastinating with this blog post and get back to my paper now.