Author: Shayna

5 ways NYC beats Salvador 1. The public transportation system. The subway can take you practically anywhere, AND we have buses and taxis as well. It’s unusual to wait …

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your …

…but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Deut. 8:3 The hardest part about fasting is not hunger, but habit. For me, the easiest way …

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a …

A dobrão is the thick coin used to play the berimbau, and mine had gone missing after our July 26 street roda. I had others at home… but for …

Being back is both easy and hard. Easy because it’s a return to the routine, the familiar, the established. The normal. Returning is too easy. Hard because Bahia seems …

I love going home. For some reason I still call it “home” even though I’m living completely on my own. I can’t quite bring myself to say “my parents’ …

The saudade hits at unexpected times and in unforeseen situations: tasting a bit of cheiro verde in a salad, hearing a smattering of Portuguese on the streets, seeing a …

Lately I find my heart flooded with gratitude. The first thought in my head upon waking up is thankfulness for another day of life. When I draw up a …

What I like about New York The incredible diversity of the city. There are so many ethnicities and subcultures! My neighborhood has a Brazilian, Greek, Arab, and Italian population. …