new friend

i finally got to meet up with this friend of a friend of a friend who is staying here in salvador. S just left her cushy job as a litigator (corporate law) in D.C. to live in salvador, run her non-profit, and be with her man. it feels so good to know that i am not the only crazy sister in this world!!!!

from the dollhouse, S and i went around the corner and then walked up a very, very, very, tall, humongous hill. on the way up we exchanged stats. did i mention the hill was tall? she was as impressed and excited about my life alteration as i with hers. from the top we took a quick break to catch our breath. S pointed out all the little neighborhoods and where her man lives. she also told me that i should buy a condo here. $25,000!!! good investment. finally we walked down the hill into a different part of Barra (the neighborhood we live in). so much prettier. we strolled along the avenue chatting, looking at people, and enjoying the warm sun.

we stopped at this outdoor restaurant near the "christ statue" to have lunch. lol. lunch was interesting. we each had caipirinhas- limon for me, some delicious fruity one for S. we shared three crab-like animals. looks mostly like crab. taste mostly like crab. but a less meaty and a bit sweet. we also had some crab etoufee like stuff. very delish. i tried to use my manners while eating but it was quite difficult. those shells were sooooo hard to break. this lady sitting next to me, a dead ringer for lisa bonet (dreads and all), came to my rescue after witnessing my non-savvy attack of the crab. i was so embarrassed that i couldn´t understand what she was saying. so, she grabbed my crab and my crab club (a plastic stick) and began wacking away. obrigada. thank you. that´s all i could say.

on the way back to our part of the neighborhood, S and i talked about the international ho factor. that is this reality of non-brazilians coming to brazil to get their freak on. i knew this existed here and all over the world. what´s more difficult is how obvious and open it is. that´s just a hard thing to accept.

i also got to meet her boyfriend. hmm...he seems nice. he was working on his boat on the beach. S and i pulled up some chairs and lounged for a while. the sun was setting. 4 o´clock! i just enjoyed watching the people enjoy the water. they love the sea here!!!! you don´t just swim in the water you get all wrapped up in it. it´s so beautiful. S has several friends who sell peanuts, fried balls stuffed with chicken, cheese on a stick. needless to say we ate some more and chatted with a variety of people. one guy was excited to share his black eyed peas cd with us. (excuse me while i gag!!!) if you ever wonder why some entertainers, food (i.e. spam), and other products (i.e. fashion fair make-up) are still around, remember there´s another world out there. they eat this shit up!!! they don´t know nuffin´bout mos def (my boyfriend)!!!

then she has this 9 year old friend who looks like a mini-pharrel williams. soooo freaking cute. when other guys would try to talk to us, he told them that we were with him. too cute.

S´s man finally put the boat in the water and invited us out for a ride. i declined. S jumped right in. now that is brave. the tide was coming in and those waves seemed very strong. but S & her man looked so cute, so romantic riding off into the sunset. totally a kodak moment.

i plan to go to the beach everyday now. well, not that particular beach but any other beach will do. S basically told me that i looked like a nun. damn it! all i had on was a t-shirt and a long white skirt. hmmm. well, i guess i will have to pull out the lurvely sarongs chandi made for me.

i have started back to work. on-line mediation. this is a good thing. keeps me productive for 3 hours a day. how many people can say they live comfortably at the beach and work 3 hours a day! it sucks using the internet cafe because i am so particular. i don´t like disturbances such as people who cough all the time or people who peck the keys instead of typing. as if hitting the letter key all that harder will add emphasis to their writing. oh well.

i am on my way to shopping barra. i have no intentions of stalking. i am actually on a mission to purchase some grammer books. i decided i cant afford to take a class. so, i have to learn on my own and just talk to a whole bunch of people for practice.