Table for one??

We got our site placements yesterday!!! I am going to the island of Fogo which I am so excited about...however, I will be in one of the bigger towns there and I will be living by myself. I had wanted a more rural site but of course I am going to take this and run with it! There are 4 other volunteers from my group going to the island as well, 2 boys and 2 other girls. The 2 boys will be on the other side of the island from me and the two girls should be just around the island a little, but transportation is a bit sparadic so we´ll see how often I get to see everyone!!! I´m a little nervous about the being on my own thing and I´ll have to learn how to cook for just one!! Ok, that´s all I have for now...I´ll let you know my mental state before I leave for site in two weeks!!

Pictures...finally

This is Suili...she lives in my house and this was on her birthday!! She turned 4.

This is my youth developement group...Samira is our language facilitator (her son Dinari is on her back), Sarah is the blonde with the crazy hair, Whitney in the middle, and Leah but she is one of the girls who have already gone home, so it´s really just the 4 of us!
This is mama Julia!! We are sitting infront of my homestay house which is where i spend a lot of my time.
A group of us at the concentration camp that was here in Cape Verde...Emily, Daron, Dannielle, Marieka, Scott and Me!
There was a big festival in one of the homestay villages and this is some of us eating at one of the trainees house...Me, Sean, Brian and Sarah (making a really pretty face!)
This is Ribeira Di Barka!! I walk out my door every evening and see this beautiful sunset!!

Me in front of my house with all the little ones!!

When the lights go down in the city

Ok so I had to throw a little Journey in...
Since last sunday we have been without electricity in my village. Normally we have lights from about mid day to mid night but something happened and the whole week has been dark. Personally, I love it and am now even more convinced that I hope I get a sight with limited or no electricity. Instead of watching Brazilian novelas after dinner, everyone goes and sits in the street and talks under a gorgeously stary sky. And it is also a great excuse to get to go to bed at 9 and not look like a complete loser!!! The lights going out was especially neat this week because Sarah (see below to see who she is) lives with a family who´s son is a super famous musician here in cape verde and he is here visiting...so we sat in the dark under the stars and he played the guitar and sang...it was a little surreal and you all have to go check out the singer Tcheka.

Last weekend, this girl sarah, who is in my youth developement group and so lives in my same village, arranged for a BBQ at her house for the peace corps peeps. We all went up hiking to this little waterfall first and on the way back to town, the first hard rain of the season started!! We hiked for an hour and a half in the heavy rain and it was so amazing to see all the local villages we passed through because eveyone was so excited and yelling and celebrating the start of the rainy seaon. In this drought plagued country, rain means food and that is definately a reason to be happy. ~
Once we got back from the hike, sarah had make us lunch (chicken not fish!) and we all ate and then a group of about 8 spent the night and for a split second we could all imagine that we were back in america partying with our own group of friends...it was great to have that one little bit of´ámerican´time and it was really nice to get to relax and have a beer with the group because we don´t all get to hang out a lot with the schedule we have.

In other news, we find out our permenant sites NEXT friday so hopefully the next time i post something it will be where i am living for the next two years!!

So the last few weeks have been super busy. We have lost two members of our group which makes it hit home that, although sometimes it feels like it, we are not on vaction. I have made it to the half-way point of training and still can´t believe that I am really here. We have a completely different experience than any other post...cape verde is not like any other country in the world and sometimes it may seem like we volunteers have it easy here because we have so many more amenities than those say on the continent, but the mind games that Cape Verde plays on you can be tough. Our post here has one of the highest eary termination rates and I think I know why. On the continent it´s supposed to be hard...you´re in the Peace Corps in a village in the middle of nowhere and you know why it´s hard. Here, with more cities and internet cafe´s and discotecs, you think `why am i having such a hard time, I have light and an indoor bathroom´. But enough about random thoughts, here is what I´ve been up too.
Last weekend we went to a concentration camp here in Cape Verde. We looked around a bit and then went to the beach...then sunday I washed all my clothes, which once I leave my homestay i will never be able to wear my jeans again because I am not stong enough to ring them out!! Sunday night we went to the discotec in our village (yes we have a disco) and I was taught how to dance!! Man...like i said before Cape Verdeans have so much invested in their music and dance that it is something i am privliged to learn...but the upbeat dance called Funana takes a lot of energy!!! We find out our permenant site placement on august 10 and i have asked for a more rural spot but of course I have absolutely no imput in the final decision. Also, we took a mid training language exam and I am already at the level required for me to swear in as a volunteer (but I could definately not go out into the world yet!) And I have learned some other thing about my self and here is what they are.
I don´t mind cockroaches as much as I despise ants.
I can take a bucket bath using only 4 cups of water and do a pretty damn good job!
I get a little motion sick swimming in the ocean.
I CAN eat fish and drink tea every night even though i hate them both!!
I love my host sister Su...she rocks and has biceps the size of potatoes cause she works her ass off all day doing house work.
I love hiace rides...they are like rollercoaster rides.