Junior Stephanie Robichaux, a double major in journalism and anthropology, is spending the spring semester studying with the Semester at Sea program. A few times this semester she, along with other students spread out across the globe, will share her experiences and observations abroad as one of The Hatchet's "GW expats."
After a week at sea, 700 other Semester at Sea participants and I were dying to see land. The excitement of being on the ship eventually wore off somewhere between Puerto Rico and Salvador, Brazil. Despite all the horror stories I heard about crime in Brazil, I was dying just to feel the solid earth underneath my feet again.
Semester at Sea's itinerary afforded us four days of Carnival in Bahia, Brazil's northern state. After three days in the city, I was ready to leave the craze of Carnival behind and head to Cachoeira, a peaceful town on the Paraguacu River. I was looking forward to walking through the historic town snapping pictures without the threat of having my camera stolen at knifepoint. We American students had not been met with open arms in Salvador. I walked down the streets, constantly looking over my shoulder in fear of being mugged as others had been.
On the way to Cachoeira the tour bus stopped at an open-air farmer's market. As we strolled by the stands of produce, little kids ran up to us, eager to have their pictures taken. The people were happy, peaceful. It was Fat Tuesday and almost everything was closed, but families sat under umbrellas as local music blasted from someone's car speakers. They smiled as we passed by, quietly observing the busload of white people who had invaded their tiny community.
After a brief walk through the center of town, we continued to Cachoeira. The picturesque 16th-century town was colorful and cheerful, just like the Brazilians who waved at us as we entered. As the large yellow bus rolled down the narrow cobblestone streets, I couldn't help but feel as though we were out of place.
After a week at sea, 700 other Semester at Sea participants and I were dying to see land. The excitement of being on the ship eventually wore off somewhere between Puerto Rico and Salvador, Brazil. Despite all the horror stories I heard about crime in Brazil, I was dying just to feel the solid earth underneath my feet again.
Semester at Sea's itinerary afforded us four days of Carnival in Bahia, Brazil's northern state. After three days in the city, I was ready to leave the craze of Carnival behind and head to Cachoeira, a peaceful town on the Paraguacu River. I was looking forward to walking through the historic town snapping pictures without the threat of having my camera stolen at knifepoint. We American students had not been met with open arms in Salvador. I walked down the streets, constantly looking over my shoulder in fear of being mugged as others had been.
On the way to Cachoeira the tour bus stopped at an open-air farmer's market. As we strolled by the stands of produce, little kids ran up to us, eager to have their pictures taken. The people were happy, peaceful. It was Fat Tuesday and almost everything was closed, but families sat under umbrellas as local music blasted from someone's car speakers. They smiled as we passed by, quietly observing the busload of white people who had invaded their tiny community.
After a brief walk through the center of town, we continued to Cachoeira. The picturesque 16th-century town was colorful and cheerful, just like the Brazilians who waved at us as we entered. As the large yellow bus rolled down the narrow cobblestone streets, I couldn't help but feel as though we were out of place.
