For the Spring 2007 semester, I went to both Mumbai, India and Salvador, Brazil through programs offered at Temple University. The programs were Destination India through the Fox School of Business and the other offered through the Department of Distance and Summer Learning.
I noticed after landing in India how hot and dry the weather was. It was odd to know that 24 hours ago I came from a place that was just snowing. I also noticed the massive amount of people in Mumbai. India’s population is over 1 billion people.
When I was in Brazil, I attended Carnaval and would have to say that the amount of people that were at Carnaval was comparable to everyday life in Mumbai. After participating in Destination India, I noted that in Mumbai, I never felt insecure at any time of the night, things in general were really cheap, I never felt insecure on identifying myself as American, and it makes you appreciate things you have that not everyone has, like running water.
When I returned from India 3 weeks later, I went to Salvador, Brazil, also known as “the capital of happiness.” I lived in an apartment in an area called Rio Vermelho, which was considered the Bohemian area of Salvador.
I attended school at the Universidade Federal da Bahia. Just like in India, I couldn’t throw toilet paper in the toilet because it would clog it. The food in Salvador is way different than in the United States. A typical plate is rice and beans, but Salvador has a lot of food unique to the region because of the Afro-Brazilian heritage in Bahia.
My favorite food in Salvador was Acaraje. Acaraje is a fried ball of bread, cut in half, stuffed with yellow mush called vatapa and topped with chopped tomatoes. Every Wednesday I would go to a beach called Porto da Barra to play volleyball with other students from UFBA. I enjoyed lying near the water and staring at the sky.
Vaugh Parker
2009 International Business / Accounting
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