Music of Carnaval – Bahia, Brazil 2009

Always wondered what Carnaval looked like? Here and see music and images from Carnaval in Salvador, Brazil 2009.

You Are Home Again

 

I signed up to host a basketball clinic in Ghana, in the Eastern Volta Region for 3 weeks.  I picked Ghana because I have known of so many people traveling to Ghana and they have all had such good things to say about their journey. Also because they speak English and there is a rich history of the slave trade and colonialism.

 

My volunteer site was an orphanage/school/church community.  The people were extremely nice and helpful.  I had a room, and 3 meals delivered to me daily.  Stuff like fufu, pounded corn, coco yam leaves, tilapia or tuna soup, fried plantains, and yams. Since it was their raining season, it took a bit longer than I anticipated to build the basketball court.  So, I spent the first two weeks working with the school to improve their teaching techniques, lesson plans, and assessment.  In the rural areas, there are not professionally trained teachers, most are mere high school graduates.  So, they were very receptive to my input.  I also taught the orphans games to play.  They LOVE dodgeball. Once the basketball court was built (cement, rocks, water, tree trunks, wood, and paint), I taught the orphans how to play the game.  I ran various drills on dribbling, catching, passing, shooting, and defense.  For many, not using their feet to make a basket presented a huge challenge, but overall they were excited to learn the game and adopted the techniques well.  It was imperative to get the girls involved, as gender inequalities are still prevalent in this area. 

 

Aside from my volunteer experiences, I had a chance to explore the rich culture of Ghanians.  I visited Cape Coast.  I went to Cape Coast castle and Elmina castle.  To walk on the floors where my ancestors were held captive, beaten, and sold was an experience. Humbling. Grounding. Solidifying.  Horrific.  Informative.  Course Changing.  I saw male and female dungeons, the door of no return, the water they were taken to and everything in the castle. A must do and see in Ghana.  I also went to a place called Kankun National Park. It has tons of plants and animals in the rainforest.  I walked across the longest canopy walk in the world, some places, over 100 feet high, through the trees. It was amazing.  I also went to a local soccer game in Cape Coast.  Another memorable experience was going to the monkey sanctuary to feed the monkeys.  The monkeys ate the bananas right off my hands.  So cool!  Wili falls was another spectacular attraction – the longest waterfall in West Africa.

 

In summary, my trip to Ghana was very memorable and life changing.  The motherland is so beautiful.  My words will not compliment my experiences.  You have to go for yourself! 

 

Check out my website at: www.togethereachachievesmore.org for more information on sports in rural areas.

 

Blessings,

Davi Afi (traditional name given to woman born on Friday)

Sometimes, Key West IS Best ! – A Week on The High Seas With Las Tres Reinas (part I)

I have many circles of friends, kindred spirits that have gathered along the way and I am lucky enough to call sisters or brothers. Las Tres Reinas is a special triangle within one of these circles, comprised of my nearest and dearest friends; Queen Melila, who I met in college, and one of hers, Queen Oneca. It’s a beautiful thing when worlds come together seamlessly and we get along famously! Together, we planned our 2nd Carnival cruise for the end of August, 2008 to celebrate Melila’s 30th birthday in September.

Day1

We set sail on a hazy Sunday afternoon from Tampa’s port, originally headed for Grand Cayman. However, due to Hurricane Gustav’s activity in the Western Caribbean and Hannah’s antics in the east, they decided to redirect us to…Key West. Can’t say I was thrilled, since I’ve already passed through there once and more importantly, it is still on American soil, something we all were trying to escape. Nevertheless, a hurricane is not to be messed with and we were all glad the trip hadn’t been canceled.

Sunday afternoon and early evening was spent getting accustomed to the rocking motion, making last minute phone calls, changing our clothes, and dining at the late seating (8.15pm). We had a few drinks and checked out the jazz club (Satchmo’s) featuring a live funk band of mixed Asian ethnic descent. They were pretty good, especially their sassy and confident female lead singer.  They ended up holding us down most of the week, although I honestly don’t know how they can sing “We Are Family” as many times as they did without starting to pull out their hair or at least moon the audience. True professionalism… Read more

Beautiful and Budget Friendly Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina is a gorgeous city, but it is also perfect for folks on a budget. An unfortunate economic climate has put in the country in what seems like an endless cycle of recessions. This is bad for Argentina, but great for tourists. When I visited Buenos Aires, 1 U.S. dollar was equivalent to 3.40 Argentine Pesos, now 1USD=3.70ARS.
If your budget is preventing you from hopping the pond to Europe, I would suggest coming to Buenos Aires. It has a very European feel to it, but without the high price tag. The lifestyle and architecture are markedly more European than any other city in South America. Most Porteños, or residents of Buenos Aires, are of European descent. Argentina actually has the largest number of Italian descendents outside of Italy. To this point, it seems that there is a Pizzeria and or gelato shop on every corner. Also, Argentine men seem to have inherited the art of flirting and flattery from their Italian forefathers. Don’t believe the hype about the general preference for blondes. Argentine men LOVE the ladies. Trust me!

As part of your trip to Buenos Aires, I would recommend spending a day or afternoon in the historical neighborhood of Recoleta. This is a beautiful neighborhood filled with breathtaking parks and dotted with Parisian-style architecture. Most sights in the neighborhood are free or very low cost. This also happens to be the domain of the ladies who lunch. Most restaurants we came across in this trendy and upscale neighborhood offer great lunch and dinner specials. We had a lovely prix-fixed lunch at a great cafe including an appetizer, entree, dessert, and glass of wine for 70 pesos or roughly $20. Argentina’s claim to culinary fame is their mouthwatering steak, and at these prices you would be foolish not to try it.

Walking down the fashionable streets of the Palermo neighborhood, I saw more boutiques in one place than I have ever seen before in my life…and they all had sale signs in the windows! Buenos Aires is really putting out great designers and you can get fantastic deals at their shops. I highly recommend visiting the Carla Danelli boutique. She is a designer focused on shoes, handbags, and other leather accessories. Her designs are unique, modern, and only use the softest leather. I was able to purchase a beautiful fuchsia colored leather handbag for 50% off the original price. It was a great deal!

www.carladanelli.com
Buenos Aires is relatively spread out, but it easy to get around on the subway or subte. Taxis are everywhere and cheap. Most taxi rides cost us between $3 to $5.
If you are looking to travel internationally, but do not think you can afford it in this economy, Buenos Aires is one of the places I would highly recommend to visit. Not only is it a beautiful and friendly city, but you can experience all it has to offer on a small budget.

From Markets, Cigars and Samba – a taste of Bahia

Cachoeira is the area of the state of Bahia in Brazil where the majority of the slaves entered the country. It has been said that Bahia boasts one of the largest concentrations of people of African descent in the world, second only to Nigeria. A tour of the Cachoeira area is not to be missed when visiting Bahia and is a little more than an hour by car from Salvador. It will provide you with a different side of Bahia than the urban pace and beautiful beaches of Salvador. Start in the market – Feira Popular in the small town Santo Amaro da Purificacao. Filled with beautiful chapels and buildings, it is a great place to see culture and learn a little of Bahia history. Here you will find everything from clothes and fresh food products to handmade cigars. Cachoeira is central to Afro-Brazillian history and the city has a museum that helps to highlight and tell the story of the slave trade in Brazil. You can also visit the sisterhood of the Boa Morte or visit a cigar factory and see the women hand roll cigars in front of you dressed in historical Bahian clothes.

We have done it all during a trip to Bahia and we share some of our views here.