Barra is the southernmost neighborhood of Salvador. Salvador is a city on a peninsula, which means the city is surrounded by water on three sides. Barra is located at the very tip of Salvador. Barra is considered a wealthy neighborhood and it is a popular place for tourists to visit. One of the most visited attractions is Porto da Barra Beach. I live on an avenue called Princesa Isabel which leads directly to the beach. However, I live close to the top of the hill, so most days I'm melting away in the heat as I walk uphill to my apartment. My host family lives on the top floor of an apartment called Santa Marta. The room that I am staying in is a nice size. The bed, which is quite large, takes up most of the space.
Adjusting to living in this new home took awhile. I spend most of my time in my room, which isn’t very different from what I do in New York. The language barrier makes it difficult to communicate with my host mom. It takes a lot of energy and courage for me to have a conversation in Portuguese. She knows very little English. Sometimes I feel lonely and homesick. I knew that connecting with my host mom would make me feel more at home, but I couldn’t find it in me to talk with her unless she started the conversation. After her son came to visit her from Rio the situation improved. He spoke English so I was more comfortable talking to him. Even when the conversations were in Portuguese I felt comfortable knowing I could ask him to translate or explain something to me in English.
The height of my homesickness came on my birthday. I turned 20 on September 12th.
