com saudades

This morning the marine layer lingered. Precipitation settled in puddles outside the apartment in Goleta. I relished the overcast day. The birds seemed to sing and chirp more. The leaves of the coral trees took on a more brilliant shade of green. The slight increase in humidity reminded me of living in the magical, historic city of Salvador. It felt too cold for weather in northeast Brasil. Still, as I walked to get hot water for tea, I recalled walking on the Canela campus lugging my classical guitar to play at the Federal University of Bahia. That week, I had tried to learn the song "O Barquinho," a classic bossa nova tune played by João Gilberto. The most difficult part proved to learn how to read music in six days. That didn't happen. Then my teacher told me to forget "O Barquinho", and had me learn "Love Me Tender" by Elvis. I tried not to feel insulted. I focused on playing the bass strings with my thumb while using my more agile digits to play the melody, and singing. All the while I attempted to read sheet music. The most valuable lesson I took away from this experience: I learn music by ear, and I prefer to play spontaneously without abiding to sheet music.
Back to present day. With my mind stuck in Bahia, I played capoeira this afternoon at the dance studio on Hollister Ave. I noticed someone who had the mannerisms of a Baiana. Bundled up in a winter jacket, she watched our class. After we introduced ourselves, I learned she arrived from Salvador seven months ago. She left her people at their finest, craziest moment: Carnaval. In our conversation, we switched between English and Portuguese. She threw in some Spanish, since she's learning this language too, thanks to her Mexican classmates in English class. We talked about what we loved, disliked, and missed about Salvador. Loves: the beaches, the Atlantic, warm climate, feijoada (black bean dish), farinha (flour made from cassava), acerola, and street foods-corn on the cob, boiled peanuts, and acarajé. Dislikes: worrying about personal safety when going out, seeing children smoke crack in the street, constantly getting asked for money by people, and dealing with the consequences of a steep unemployment rate (~35%). We both agreed we missed the warmth of the people. People who smile sincerely. People who greet each other. People who get all excited when talking to each other, and touch each other when talking. People who hug and squeeze each other.