Although I spent the majority of my time in beautiful Brazil living in Salvador with a mother and her son and daughter, the father of my host family lived north of there in Jequié. For São João Festival we traveled by car to see him and partake in the local celebration, which we were told was notoriously rowdy. In response to that claim I now say, “Affirmative Ghost Rider.”
My partner in crime was this cool grad student dude from San Angelo, TX, who’s going to kick my ass when he sees I couldn’t remember his name while writing this blurb five years later. Don’t worry, though, buddy, I still have the posters we saved so we could throw another São João back home. At one point we went to an outdoor concert party where the shirt you bought and wore as a ticket scored you all-you-can-drink beer and all-you-can-eat food from each concession stand on the fairgrounds. I couldn’t imagine anything closer to Heaven if I tried.
Juci (1st girl on the right in the first picture), if you are reading this, I am so sorry I lost your number. Call me…Please?