Today was our second designated free day in our study abroad trip to Brazil. I had an enjoyable and relaxing day with two main activities.

In the early afternoon, my lovely host mother (Alice) planned a wonderful family lunch. She invited her family as well as Triniece and her host mother (Marli). The incredible spread included a lot of really delicious home-cooked food, such as smoked chicken, sausage, potatoes, carrots, bananas, collard greens, and okra. It felt like we were at the Brazilian version of Thanksgiving. Everyone was so happy to be there and enjoy each other’s company. It was so nice to share such a special meal with my host mother’s family. 

In the late afternoon, most of our study abroad cohort went to the Esporte Clube Bahia soccer game.

The stadium was quite full, and the energy in the stadium was palpable. I’ve been fortunate enough to attend a lot of sporting events in my life, but there’s nothing quite like attending a soccer game in Latin America. Some of our cohort members also mentioned that this was either the first large sporting event that they had ever attended and/or the first time they had ever attended a soccer game. It was fun to share this experience with them.

We all had high hopes for a Bahia victory, but alas, it was not meant to be. Bahia ended up losing to Cuiabá Esporte Clube with a final score of 2 to 1.

Bahia trailed for most of the game. They scored a goal early in the second half to tie up the game, which was really exciting to see. However, Cuiabá Esporte Clube quickly scored a second goal. This ended up being the final goal of the game.

The end of the game was a bit heartbreaking—particularly for diehard Bahia fans. Bahia scored what appeared to be a tying second goal in injury time of the second half. However, the referees reviewed the play on video, determined that the Bahia player was offsides, and withdrew the goal. It was a disappointing way to lose the game. Of course, if Bahia had scored three goals like Clara (the Brazilian program director) had requested, it wouldn’t have had to come down to a final goal that was ultimately taken away. 🤣

I can’t believe that we will all be headed back to the United States in just a few days. I am really treasuring these special memories as our trip gets close to the end.

~Merissa