Today was our second full day in Salvador. Our schedule wasn’t as packed, and we had a few hours of free time in between our activities. In the morning, we went to the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), and had a lecture with a few graduate students and one undergraduate student. All of the students were enrolled in the program at the Institute of Collective Health (ISCi). The Collective Health program at UFBA is a combined degree, and students do not declare a concentration. Instead, they study everything within public health and the social sciences.
All of the graduate students shared their research interest and current research projects. Mateus, a current graduate student, had just started the program and shared his interest in the psychosocial care of crack cocaine users in Brazil. He is also a trained psychiatrist and works with community organizations to aid in closing down mental institutions, or asylums. Clarice is a psychologist, and a current PhD student, her research focused on using anthropological methods to study mental health related to Candomblé, a popular religion in Brazil. Yadira is a nutritionist, and she is studying the relationship between asthma and obesity. Marcio’s research project is focused on tuberculosis in Brazil. Finally, Rayan gave us a presentation about the bachelor’s program in health, and his experience thus far. I enjoyed this lecture because every student spoke with so much passion about their work and the institute.
We then headed to eat lunch at our homes, and went to our survival Portuguese class. Our Portuguese class goes by very quickly, at least for me, but even though it is only considered a survival course, I have been able to better communicate with my host family. After class a few of us decided to take a trip to Porto da Barra Beach. I’ve never seen a beach so packed before, and the atmosphere was very different compared to a beach in the U.S.
In the evening, we had a capoeira workshop with Mestre Sapoti and his students. Can I just say that I LOVE CAPOEIRA. The energy feels great, and even though I’m not the most flexible the class was still enjoyable. Capoeira is a form of martial arts and dance. Mestre Sapoti described the history of capoeira, and said that the slaves of Brazil created it as a way to defend themselves with their bodies. However, fighting wasn’t allowed so they disguised it as a form of dancing when people were watching.
We were able to learn certain moves, and the instruments used to play music.
I hope I get to see more of capoeira while in Salvador because I just think it’s quite amazing. The history behind it and the act of it is very appealing.
– Iman Bogoreh