By nfiszer
As I write this, I have just completed my first week of classes and activities with my program here in Salvador, Brazil. It has been a week of new experiences and of getting used to a completely new lifestyle, from living with a host family, to dealing with life in the constant heat, to figuring out the public transportation system. The city is like nothing I have ever seen, and each day I am surprised by its size and its diversity. Among my first impressions, the rich culture and religious influence in the city are apparent walking through the streets observing daily life, and in everyday conversation. African traditions thrive alongside colonial Portuguese buildings and establishments. The streets are filled with music, vendors of food and every kind of merchandise, and of course terrible traffic.
The people of Salvador are some of the most friendly, relaxed, and open people I have met. The streets are at the heart of daily life, where people spend their time shopping, working, and interacting with their friends. The streets are filled with tables and chairs set up by small restaurants, street vendors and food carts, and all day long you encounter people sitting with friends and family; eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves. The people of Salvador are eager to talk about their lives, traditions, and what they think about their government and development in Brazil. It has been amazing to already get insight into everything I hope to study from the people that know the subject best.
Another striking impression of Salvador has been the obvious poverty and massive inequality evident throughout the city. In Brazil, a favela is the name for the urban shantytowns that arise amidst the massive poverty. Here in Salvador, these housing developments are spread out on hills throughout the city, with poorly constructed and unstable homes built one on top of the other. They arise from average looking businesses and restaurants at street level, and seem to be endless. They create their own skyline visible from most parts of the city, and at night the lights from homes dotting the hill are visible. Away from the favelas, poverty is visible on city streets in the form of a large informal economy, high rates of homelessness, and newly arising problems with drug trafficking moving through the city. All of this exists among a booming city with high-rise apartments, mega shopping malls, and beachfront hotels and tourist activities.
As I begin to get closer to my period of research, the access to health care of these impoverished citizens will definitely be an aspect of my research. While I am still in the process of putting together my final topic statement, I know that I will be focusing on one aspect of the Brazilian public health care system, referred to collectively as SUS. Since first learning about SUS, I was amazed by the progressive ideas and programs that it includes, some of which are mass vaccination programs, reduced price pharmacies, and expansive sexual and reproductive health campaigns. The Brazilian constitution names good health as a universal right of all people. However, from already speaking with Brazilians, I have found that people see many flaws in the system. While the structures exist, and are visible on the street in the form of public clinics and public pharmacies, implementation and access seem to be larger problems. I look forward to speaking with various socio-economic groups, along with medical professionals, and community health workers, and asking them what could be done to ensure access for everyone. I hope to frame my topic in a way that the information I find through my research can be used to provide insight into a disadvantaged population, and that it will be able to offer some solutions. I think that there is much to be learned from the people, many things which could be taken back to inform ideas in the United States as well. I am really looking forward to beginning my research, and most of all to learning from as many Brazilians as I can!