A Visit From Friends

A little backstory... I have never been very good at making friends. I really need people to approach me and initiate the friendship because I am pretty introverted. I also thrive with one or two really close friends rather than a big group of semi friends. It seems like special friends have always been placed in my life at times when I need them the most, and Andie Knapp is one of those friends. She was my visiting teacher when we first moved into the Summerfield Ward and was one of my biggest cheerleaders and supports. Our kids went to school together (Ryan and Christian both went to Mountain View, and Andrew and Jonah went to American Leadership Academy), so we spent a lot of time carpooling. We were also pregnant at the same time in 2013, so we could commiserate with each other during the hot summer months. Hyrum is just two weeks older than Treven. Andie was also a huge blessing when I had a miscarriage and then was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She always brought me donuts to cheer me up, helped take the kids where they needed to be, sat and talked with me, and volunteered to do so much more. I will always love her for the amazing service and compassion she showed during those difficult times. When we moved away from Layton, I was so sad to leave Andie. 

Fast forward... Last fall, Jonathon ran into Andie and Gary at a BYU football game. We haven't seen them in several years, so they spent some time catching up. Jonathon told them that we were going to Brazil and casually invited them to come visit if they wanted to. Gary served his mission in São Paulo, Brazil, so it was something that they had actually wanted to do. The idea was left there, but eight months later we got a text asking if the offer to come visit was still good. Of course, we said yes! 

Their visit finally arrived, and we were thrilled to see them! We hadn't seen them in such a long time that we were all wondering how everything was going to work out, but I shouldn't have been worried. Spending time with them reminded me how much I love their family and how much Andie and I have in common (social anxiety being a big part of it. Haha!) 

They arrived late Tuesday night and made it from the airport to our apartment without problems. Gary actually spoke very well for not having used it much in 20 years. I was impressed! On Wednesday morning, we made them our favorite Brazilian breakfast of french rolls, requeijao, goiabada, and drinkable yogurt. 

That morning we headed to the Salvador Zoo. We love the beautiful plants that grow there, as well as the cute little monkeys that visit the zoo. The monkeys were out in full measure. They were running and playing everywhere. The alligator was also pretty awesome when it caught a fish while we were watching. It was a nice, low-key morning. 

After lunch, we went to Porto da Barra Beach. There were a million people there that particular day, but there was still enough room that we didn't feel too crowded. The men and boys did a little bit of snorkeling, while Andie and I floated in the waves and talked. The water temperature was perfect and cooled us down from the warm day. We spent over an hour in the ocean, and had a great time. 

We got dried off and left just in time to go catch the sunset at the farol. Since it was a Wednesday, I didn't think that there would be as many people, but it was a big group. I actually like when there are a lot of people watching because the atmosphere is so fun. As the sun set, the whole group started clapping, which is my favorite part!

From there, we walked down the orla to Tapiocas do Farol, our favorite tapioca restaurant. We got dinner (pastels and batata gourmet) and then dessert tapiocas. They were delicious as always. I got a new one that may be my favorite yet (mussarella, banana, coconut, and leite condensado). Yum! It was a nice evening, but the wind coming off the ocean made it a bit chilly.... one of the only times I have ever been chilly in Brazil. 

Thursday was supposed to be rainy all day, so we scheduled mostly indoor activities. We started at the Cidade da Musica da Bahia. We had never been to the museum before, but Orlando and Tania (an American couple we met here) recommended it. The first two floors of the museum were completely in Portuguese, so we were having a hard time understanding. I was worried the whole trip would be a bust, but then we decided to go to a percussion program. It was amazing! The man who was performing was incredible at all the percussion instruments and did a great job of involving the audience. It was really beautiful to see how organically the whole show came together. One of the little boys in our group was name Pietro. He was probably 8 or 9 years old, and you could tell he had grown up with percussion and dancing his whole life. He was very outgoing and volunteered to play all of the instruments, and he was good! His sense of rhythm was impeccable, and the presenter got on other instruments and added background beats or sounds to make the music really awesome. Several other members of the group also participated, including Gary. I had no idea he was a percussionist, but when he stepped up to the drum, we were all so impressed. Everyone started clapping to the beat, and it sounded incredible! We really loved the show, and it made the whole museum well worth it.

After the museum, we headed across the street to the Mercado Modelo to buy some souvenirs. I have been waiting to do my shopping until it was closer to our time to go home, but now we are less than two weeks away, so it was time to get it done. I really wanted to buy a painting of the Farol da Barra because it was one of the most important parts of our trip. I wandered through the various booths until I found one I liked. It was a bit expensive ($50), but it will be a great keepsake. I also bought a canvas bag for church, a Brazil soccer shirt, and a magnet for our magnet board. Now let's just hope I can get it all home! I may need to pay for a second bag. Ugh!

When we got home, the adults went out to lunch at the mall. We went to a fancy seafood restaurant, and the boys were not interested in going. We had to try, moqueca, one of the most famous dishes in Bahia. Moqueca is a seafood stew that is served with rice and farofa. Jonathon and I got the shrimp moqueca. I don't love most seafood, but I was game to try it. I am happy to report that it was delicious! We ate and ate and still didn't finish it all. Aside from the yummy food, we had a great time chatting and enjoying each other's company. 

That night just after sunset, we walked down to Morro do Cristo and enjoyed the beautiful sky from the Christ statue. Just as we were getting ready to leave, it started to rain. Luckily, they were smart enough to bring umbrellas, so they kindly shared with me and we got home just as Jonathon finished up his special dinner of feijão and galinhada (basically fancy beans and rice). For the rest of that evening, we played games, watched our Amazon video, and talked.

Friday was our historical day. We started it off in the Pelourinho, one of our favorite places to take guests. We did all of the usual things, including: elevador lacerda, acarajé, the bonfim fountain, the main square, and igreja São Franciso. We also stopped for lunch at a little side street. We got a family order of steak, beans, rice, etc. While we were eating it rained pretty heavily, but by the time we were done, the skies had cleared... perfect timing! At the end, we stopped by the ticket booth to grab tickets for the balé folclorico performance that night. It was all sold out, but they put us on a waiting list and were pretty confident we would get in, and we did! 

We were some of the last ones to enter, so we had to sit in the front row, but we were just happy to be able to watch it. I didn't really know what to expect from the performance, but it turned out awesome! It was high energy from start to finish and really helped us get a wider perspective on the Afro-Brazilian culture. There were 5 different dances. Behind each dance performance were drums, other percussion instruments, and two singers. The first dance contained choreography based on the creation of the world and different gods called Pantheon of Orixás, according to African mythology. 

Next was the fisherman's dance that portrayed the goddess Iemanjá greeted by fisherman and their wives who were asking for protection and good fishing. It was the most beautiful dance because of the soft colors of the sea.

Maculelê was a dramatic danced performed by the slaves in the colonial period, celebrating the end of the sugar-cane harvest. There was a lot of "fighting" in the dance that helped the slaves learn defense skills needed in case of a rebellion against their owners. The costumes were pretty skimpy in that one, and I was a bit nervous about them slipping, but everything was fine. Haha!

By far, our favorite part of the show was the capoeira. Capoeira is a martial art of African origin that was brought to Brazil (from the Angola region) and developed by slaves. The men that performed were so athletic and were doing spins and flips all across the stage. 

Lastly, they did a Samba de Roda, which is one of the most authentic forms of Brazilian samba. It was danced by slaves in rare moments of leisure, and was a very joyful, happy way to end the show. After the show, we went to dinner at the mall and then got gelato for dessert. The gelato was so good. Every single flavor I have tried has been amazing. It was such a fun night!

Saturday was the Knapp's last day in Salvador. For breakfast we taught them how to make Romeo and Juliet tapiocas. Then we went to the orla and rented bikes to ride along the beach. I hadn't been able to do that yet, so it was checking off one of my bucket list items too. We rode for about an hour, stopping every few minutes to show them interesting things or admire the beauty of the ocean. The breeze on our faces was amazing, and it was a nice morning. 

After lunch, we left to go see the Salvador temple. It isn't finished yet, but we got in contact with the senior mission couple that was overseeing the construction, and they were able to do a little presentation for us about the temple. They showed us pictures of all the rooms that were finished and rendering of what everything would look like when it was done. Sister Trillo bore a sweet testimony of how many blessings she had personally received from the construction of the temple in this area. I was filled with the Spirit and so grateful that the amazing Brazilian saints would have a temple close by for them to attend and be blessed. After the presentation, we were able to take pictures with the golden shovels that were used at the groundbreaking of the temple. We couldn't get very close to the actual temple because it was an active construction site, but we are thankful for the opportunity to be able to learn more about the Salvador temple. It is going to be so beautiful and so very appreciated and loved.

The Knapps left straight for the airport from the temple, and we got two Ubers and returned to our apartment. It was such a fun few days. I am grateful that they came to see us. Not only was it wonderful to catch up, but it helped pass some of our remaining time. Over the last few days, I had been feeling a bit homesick, so this visit came at the perfect time. We have ten days remaining in Brazil and want to make the most of every last second.