Pure and simple Narcissism

Folks, I was thinking the other day, "But I'm about to see a more narcissistic bunch than those people from Bahia." 


"But why," you ask, "Why do you think Baianos are too narcissistic for their own good?" 

Oxente*! Very simple, dear friend, have you seen anywhere else in the world a place in which virtually all native singers/musicians praise their city or state? Virtually everyone who makes music in Bahia has at least one song that exalts Salvador or Bahia! 


My king*, I do not find this kind of behavior anywhere else in this world. It may exist somewhere, but I do not know of it. True, there are some kiddos over in California that sing a couple of songs about California. There was Frank Sinatra who sang New York New York. And John Denver sings Country Roads about West Virginia. But nothing is as intense as Bahia. In Bahia it is a widespread thing. It is something endemic. Bahia has musicians up and down the road singing praises to Salvador. 


I say this full of narcissism and pretty shamelessly. I'm narcissistic all right, thank God who made me be born Baiana! Yes, Baiana with capital B indeed! And not because I forget adjectives in Portuguese are not capitalized. But because I speak of it as in the sentence, "I'm going to Bahia" said by a person from the countryside who heads towards the state capital - Salvador. 


I am Baiana! I am Soteropolitana! All capitalized! 


Soteropolitana, by the way, is actually a phenomenal word! Our adjective is so chic that has Greek and Latin etymology! Sotero - "savior" in Latin. And Polis - "city" in Greek. So Soteropolitana means "native of the City of the Holy Savior" (which is the official name of our city - Cidade do São Salvador) in both Greek and Latin. Nothing is more appropriate for a country of Latin origin language with many words of Greek etymology.


Do I live in the U.S.? Yup. Life brought me here. But life has paths that take us far away. It doesn't matter where the paths take us. What matters is where you came from. What matters is what your heart says. And my heart says: All I am today was created in Bahia! In the City of the Holy Savior! And, boy, do I like what I am! Wouldn't trade one of I for ten of another. Mom would agree to that!! 


PS. This post should be read with a Baiano accent. Oxente! 


*These are Baiana words I just couldn't bring myself to replace with standard English.
Oxente - some sort of interjection only Baianos know when to use.
My king- Man, Bro.