Parto no Brasil

This photo cracks me up. That's my belly--at 9 months pregnant! I am in my last month of pregnancy and ready to have my little Baiano-Americano any day now!!

Being pregnant in Brazil, and planning for birth, has been an interesting cultural experience unto itself. People love babies and children here, so you get lots of nice attention from strangers---though if you don't like random folks touching you (or your kid) then maybe not so charming. I've been just fine with that part.

The challenging part, for me,is the actual birth plan. In the private hospitals, where you generally go if you have a health plan, the cesarean birth rate hovers at 80-90%!!! Astronomical! As a point of comparison, the World Health Organization states that no region in the world is justified in having a cesarean rate greater than 10 to 15 percent. In the U.S., incidence of cesarean has increased though the numbers I've seen are still hovering around 30%. Here, the public hospitals (where you go if you have no health insurance) are more within the neighborhood of overall U.S. cesarean rates, perhaps slightly higher. I was boggled by the numbers! I could go into a long-winded discussion as to why, but I refrain. Though to explain the basic birth culture I've encountered in the private sector here in Salvador (and pertaining primarily to this generation of birthing women in their 20's and 30's)--Women generally opt for elective cesarean ("parto cesarea"). They make their appointment at the hospital in advance, get their hair/nails/wax done, check in, have their surgery/baby, and then the family throws a party at the hospital and gives out favors to everyone who visits the baby. It is very planned and festive, and for me, just a totally different approach/mentality about child birth. Within the "parto normal" community here, there are a handful of doctors that have a reputation for really supporting/encouraging natural childbirth, and no midwives to be found. My doctor is not among that handful, though has been very open and supportive of my desire to have a vaginal birth and has acquired her experience in the public hospitals. I am also having a doula present, who was the only doula I found in Salvador. While this is not exactly mainstream practice in the U.S., it is definitely not as rare as it is here. But, as I have learned, these cultural practices ebb and flow over time and so far for me has been a fascinating comparative cultural study!!

A few of my favorite things: Beiju

While we were in the interior, we also enjoyed a snack that both my husband and I love. Beiju. Think crepe--only different. And for my gluten-averted friends, your answer to the crepe because it is made with tapioca, not wheat flour. We had beiju at this little place right on the town square in Sao Sebastiao, and they were excellent!



Step-by-step making of the beiju---

1. Tapioca flour, called "goma de mandioca", is put in a metal form on a hot grill



2. Brush on some butter



3. Add filling--we had a "Romeo e Julieta" which is guava paste and cheese, my fave.



4. Time to eat!


Do I blog about food a lot???

O Interior

Sunday we spent the day visiting family in the "interior"--that is--the countryside of Salvador. It is green, green, green with rolling hills, lakes and rivers, and lots of small farms. With that comes fresh, delicious farm products, and one of my favorite things--"feiras", or farmers markets. We were in the town of Sao Sebastiao. There are many farms in that area that raise cows for meat and dairy products, so cheese and REAL milk (as opposed the the boxed, room temperature supermarket shelf variety we use in Salvador) is found there. For dessert we had homemade "ambrosia", which is not at all like the weird 50's throwback of marshmallow, whipped cream and canned fruit that still seems to show up at the random potluck or thanksgiving table in the U.S. Brazilian ambrosia is a type of doce de leite made from fresh milk and tastes like caramel with spices like clove and nutmeg. In the interior there is also an abundance of sugar cane and regional fruits. Liquors made of these fruits are popular--and definitely home brewed. These are liquors of two popular fruits---caju and jabuticaba:



This was a liquor de cacau (so tasted like chocolate) dressed up for the festival of Sao Joao, a popular countryside festival of Northeastern Brazil:


I hope to get back to the interior for some feiras one day soon....

Market day

Early (early...) this morning I went to the fish market--"Mercado do Peixe"--in the lower city with my mother-in-law. There you can find dozens of vendors selling a variety of fresh fish and seafood, often at great prices. As opposed to many parts of Brazil that have meat-intensive cuisine, Bahia is more well known for its seafood, and going to the fish market helps one to appreciate the amazing, fresh seafood available here. I took my camera along to snap some photos, if only it had a set of fresh batteries! So, plan foiled. BUT, I did snap some photos of my bounty once I arrived home. Honestly, it is a terrible representation of the variety of seafood available--fish, shrimp, lobster, crab, oysters, octopus, squid...but, just to add some visual interest here are a couple of pics:

Shrimp (with head and tail)


Red snapper--to tell it is fresh you look at the clarity of the eyeballs (cloudy eyeballs=not so fresh). My little friends look nice and bright-eyed!


On the way back, I gave my camera one last try and alas, it was able to muster the energy for one fuzzy snapshot of the coconut trucks! We stopped here and picked up a few fresh coconuts for 50 centavos each. They are now chilling in my refrigerator....can't wait to crack those puppies open (I am addicted to coconut water, it's true).



Now...back to bed. *Yaaaaaaaawn*

I've been listening to....

Maria Gadu. This is actually something we picked up around Christmas time. This song was featured in a popular telenovela which seemed to rocket it to popularity in Brazil, though is quite beautiful and probably would've done so on its own. The whole album featuring this song is solid:

Jambu

One of the ideas I've had for this blog is a recurring post on the different fruits of Brazil. Because I love them. So much. The fruit--and juice--were among the things I truly missed when we were back stateside. In fact, the first time I walked down the produce aisle of the market I had an overwhelming sense that I might, well, cry. I missed the fruit here so much! When we visited Itacare this past summer (more on that later) the jambu fruit was abundant. On one of our day trips, some little girls were selling plates of jambu on the side of the road. Pictured is said plate--and that would be my hungry little hand creeping over to snag a jambu fruit asap:
I can't say that jambu is my favorite fruit, but i do think it is a beautiful color and cool shape. To me it doesn't have a ton of flavor, it is just kind of crispy and pear-like, without that pear flavor. I think the coolest thing about Jambu is the tree is shaped just like the fruit, so it's easy to spot a jambu tree, which is also very pretty. So, in my book jambu doesn't score high in flavor but does get big presentation points.

Iemanja

Looking back at my blog and the Lavagem do Bonfim, I was reminded of another summer festival unique to Salvador. In early February--before Carnival--my friend Daryl and I ventured out to see the festival of Iemanja (Yay-mahn-JAH). This festival commemorates the Candomble goddess Iemanja , who is the "mother" goddess of the Candomble orixas (AW-ree-shaws), or saints, and therefore the most revered. She is also the goddess of the sea and is identified by her blue and white dress. She is often pictured holding mirrors to indicate her vanity. During the festival, people offer objects of vanity to the sea to ask for blessings. Mirrors, flowers, perfume, combs, and soaps are among these offerings that are either tossed into the waves--usually the flowers--or taken in baskets to the temple of Iemanja where they are later sent out to sea. Some people hire local fisherman to take them out so they can make their own offerings, or they construct small boats to float out to sea. (One must suspend all judgement of environmental pollution to appreciate the celebration, though the local paper did have a humorous comic the next day of the goddess wading out of the water and coughing up loads of crap onto the beach...) On the beach in Rio Vermelho, near the temple of Iemanja, a variety of Candomble ceremonies are held on both the eve and the day of her commemoration. We arrived at around 8:30a.m. to find offerings, drumming, ceremonies, and celebrations in full swing--surely lasting late into the day and night.

'Splainin to do

How does one explain months of blogging absence? Allow me to contruct a picture story for you, it goes something like this:


February:


(yep, that would be a positive pregnancy test)

and Carnival! (unfortunately carnival + pregnant lady=lame party for me)

March-April-May










That would be a coast-coast-coast trip to the U.S., and some traveling and working in between. Whirlwind!

June-July

Back in Salvador, pregnant baby bump and baby items in tow, finding a (nother) place to live, getting settled....happy to say that's all taken care of now and life is calming down, for now. Baby is due is just a few weeks! More tales and details to follow...

Lavagem do Bonfim

I cannot explain all of the history, but I can describe the 8k pilgrimage to the Bonfim Church in Salvador. More than 500 Baiana women, adorned in their traditional white dresses and beads, carried large vases of flowers to the church. They were accompanied by festive bands and trailed by crowds of people drinking and dancing in the streets. Along the way, I received a "blessing" from one of the Baiana women, who poured a few drops of water from her vase on my head. Once the women arrived at the church, they worked their way through crowds of people to arrive at the front steps and ceremonially wash them with the water from their vases. These are some photos of the Baiana women and procession:




This was followed by a brief address from the father of the church, the release of a white dove and balloons and everyone joining in song and prayer.


Throughout the day people tied Bonfim ribbons on the gates and doors of the church to signify a prayer. This church has long been the site of pilgrimages and prayers, specifically for healing.



This one was for you, Ry!


The pilgrimage was followed up by parties and music late into the night. I lasted until about 9pm and gratefully arrived home to a nice shower and comfy bed. My feet were sore but my heart was happy.

Reveillon

Parties and concerts, people adorned in white clothing, fireworks, music, dancing, eating, drinking, drinking, drinking (I couldnt help it, there was a fresh fruit caipiroska bar and i was obliged to try various fruits) sunrise swim in the ocean....that summarizes my first new year's in Salvador. It was really, really lovely. Feliz Ano Novo--Happy New Year! Much love, health and happiness in 2010.