Wednesday 6:40 pm: Boston Logan International Airport
Waiting for the flight to Cape Verde is different this time around; I know what I am going back to. When the group of 29 of us traveled the first time, there was so much excitement and adventure in the unknown. There is no unknown this time. I know where I am going and I know what I am doing there. Don’t get me wrong, I am excited to go back, but after visiting I now know I am ready to come home and start with the future. As my returned Peace Corps friend tells me, “it’s a trap”, and I am sure once I am back America will wear on my nerves again, but right now America is the unknown adventure and I am itching to see where I end up. Plus, I have a little anxiety about returning to Fogo because I know I will miss my little Katxupa. For those of you who don’t know, my dog, Katxupa, was hit by a car and killed while I was in the US. It was no ones fault, just the life of a Cape Verdean dog, but when I land and she is not there, the realization of not having my bed buddy and constant friend is going to hit me hard.
Anyways, I am in the home stretch of this two year stint and am just excited to live and get some work done in Chã. It is so hard for me to believe that it is already Christmas and New Years again. The time really does fly.
The past three weeks in the US have been a whirl wind of different cities and visiting with different friends. For those of you I didn’t get to see this time around, don’t worry I’ll be back soon! For those of you I did see, it was so so so so so great to hang out. Thanks for arranging your schedules to see me; I had a blast!!!
Thursday 6:20 pm;Fogo
I made it!!! Got in around noon this time, a little jet lagged and a lot happy to be off the plane! Hope to hear from you all soon!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Oh how I LOVE a good bloody mary!
So i am back in the good ol' USofA. My three week vacation is full of great things to do and visits with the people i love, but man, i cannot get behind the pace of the country!! I have finally gotten some rest and relaxation the past two days after a weekend of "installment 1" of Bethzaida's bachelorette party! It is not as strange as I would have thought to be back here, but there are some things that I am having a hard time adjusting to.
1. The amount of meat and strange spices i am eating is doing crazy things to my intestinal tract (sorry for being so forthcoming!). I am having more "problems" here than when i first went to africa! I think my body misses plain rice and beans!
2. Wow we use a lot of water and electricity! I had the hardest time taking my first shower here. The faucet made it impossible to turn the water off and on between shampooing and rinsing and I couldn't handle it.
I am so excited to be seeing everyone and have love, love, loved watching college football and basketball. Next on the agenda is my big bro's wedding on saturday (yay!!!) and then sacramento for Thanksgiving. I am so happy to be home for my favorite holiday!!
For now, i am just enjoying drinking some good beer and bloody marys and enjoying the company of mom and dad and good friends!!! I hope that i get to see all of you, but if not, know that i am in the home stretch... a little more than half a year and I'll be back in the country for good (well, we'll see about that, but at least for a little while!!).
Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving to all and you'll be hearing from me soon, back in africa and happy about my lack of water and electricity!!!
1. The amount of meat and strange spices i am eating is doing crazy things to my intestinal tract (sorry for being so forthcoming!). I am having more "problems" here than when i first went to africa! I think my body misses plain rice and beans!
2. Wow we use a lot of water and electricity! I had the hardest time taking my first shower here. The faucet made it impossible to turn the water off and on between shampooing and rinsing and I couldn't handle it.
I am so excited to be seeing everyone and have love, love, loved watching college football and basketball. Next on the agenda is my big bro's wedding on saturday (yay!!!) and then sacramento for Thanksgiving. I am so happy to be home for my favorite holiday!!
For now, i am just enjoying drinking some good beer and bloody marys and enjoying the company of mom and dad and good friends!!! I hope that i get to see all of you, but if not, know that i am in the home stretch... a little more than half a year and I'll be back in the country for good (well, we'll see about that, but at least for a little while!!).
Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving to all and you'll be hearing from me soon, back in africa and happy about my lack of water and electricity!!!
Friday, September 26, 2008
The long awaited update
Well, a lot has happened since the last update. The island is once again filled with volunteers…we are now 10. School has started so the education volunteers basically had a trial by fire, arriving Sunday and starting school on Monday. On Sunday, all of us “old ones” gathered at the airport to greet the new 5 with smiling faces…at least that was the plan. My face was more or less contorted in a look of pain from a massive hangover, which was not the best first impression I could have given, but hey, the night before was worth it so we’ll all just have to get over it!! By about three hours in (and a little of the hair of the dog that bit me) I was feeling much better and ready to be the responsible second year wealth of knowledge! We dropped everyone off at their new sites, including yours truly, as the move to Cha das Caldeiras is official!! I am now living in the crater of the volcano that formed the island. It is really such a trip to wake up every morning and come out to see the sun rising behind the volcano and all of the lava, I call it “camping in a cement house” because now I am without electricity or running water and live in a cement box. It is FREEZING right now, and I am a little under prepared coming from the heat that was in São Filipe, but I’ll get there! Katxupa loves it up there. She had her “big girl” operation last month, so now she is free to run around as she pleases. I leave her out and about when I go down to shop in Bila for the day and when the hiace shows up in Cha at 3 pm she is right there to greet me. I have actually heard that she jumps in any hiace that stops, looks around, doesn’t see me and gets out!! How great is that! When I am just walking around Cha, she always tags along and everyone knows her and lets her in their houses, restaurants or stores.
Right now I am getting ready to go a training in Praia, feeling a little bad as I basically just dumped Katxupa on the new volunteer in Cha. He had only been there two days when I said, oh by the way can you please take her for a week? Luckily he agreed, and as I talk to him more, it seems like they are getting along just fine…she really can be a good tool for integrating into the community.
On the work front, Andrea and I just completed a project where we brought youth from the fora into the city to the Employment Center and they got a basic orientation about how to go about using the resources they have to find a job or job training. Then they went to 5 actual places of work and got to ask questions, etc. It went over fairly well, nevermind that we were about 2 hours late and I got yelled at (ok maybe not yelled at, but strongly talked to) by the employment center man. Things are always late in Cape Verde, yes, we should not have been late, but when cars are late, and then the first presentation is late, there is nothing we can do. Anyways, next on the plate is an income generating project for the single women head of households in Cha. We are hoping to open a bakery since the residents of Cha have no access to bread. There are others as well, but I’ll let you know as they get going.
Right now I am getting ready to go a training in Praia, feeling a little bad as I basically just dumped Katxupa on the new volunteer in Cha. He had only been there two days when I said, oh by the way can you please take her for a week? Luckily he agreed, and as I talk to him more, it seems like they are getting along just fine…she really can be a good tool for integrating into the community.
On the work front, Andrea and I just completed a project where we brought youth from the fora into the city to the Employment Center and they got a basic orientation about how to go about using the resources they have to find a job or job training. Then they went to 5 actual places of work and got to ask questions, etc. It went over fairly well, nevermind that we were about 2 hours late and I got yelled at (ok maybe not yelled at, but strongly talked to) by the employment center man. Things are always late in Cape Verde, yes, we should not have been late, but when cars are late, and then the first presentation is late, there is nothing we can do. Anyways, next on the plate is an income generating project for the single women head of households in Cha. We are hoping to open a bakery since the residents of Cha have no access to bread. There are others as well, but I’ll let you know as they get going.
Monday, August 18, 2008
A COS Christmas
I have found a holiday i like better than christmas...well i don't like christmas too much so i guess it's not hard to do! I have properly named this new holiday "A COS christmas" (COS=close of service). Don't get me wrong, i really do miss the volunteers who left, but getting first crack at their stuff is awesome,especially since i am more or less the same size as two of the girls who left. My wardrobe has been replenished, i got new pots and pans and great leftover american food products. The one downfall to my new holiday is that with the influx of new clothes, i neglected washing my old ones; i mean why wash clothes when there are clean ones around. So now i am getting a little low and fear that it will now take more than 1 or 2 days to wash everything...is it wasteful just to throw all dirty clothes away and buy new ones???
The rainy season has officially begun. I forgot how beautiful this island is when it turns green. It is hard for me to believe it is the same place and not some exotic hawaiian rain forest island. I took a drive around the island saturday (no i was not the one driving) and tried to remember what it looked like just two months before; brown and dry. The rain seems to be constant this year and everyone thinks this will be a good agricultural year. Good news in a world where the price of grains has skyrocketed and another hit to Cape Verdean corn could be disaster. The one downfall to rain (well this may just be me talking) is that now instead of just being hot, it is humid. I think everyone knows how i feel about heat...we are not friends.
In other news, I think festa season is finally over. After the two dispididas and last weekends municipal festival in Mosteiros, I haven't spent too much time in my own town and i think i am just about danced out. I look forward to spending the next few weekends relaxing.
By the way, they never shut down the airport...the new news is there is no exact date for closure so it might be just in time for the newbies, who swear in mid-September, to get to take the boat. but who knows, maybe it will never close!
The rainy season has officially begun. I forgot how beautiful this island is when it turns green. It is hard for me to believe it is the same place and not some exotic hawaiian rain forest island. I took a drive around the island saturday (no i was not the one driving) and tried to remember what it looked like just two months before; brown and dry. The rain seems to be constant this year and everyone thinks this will be a good agricultural year. Good news in a world where the price of grains has skyrocketed and another hit to Cape Verdean corn could be disaster. The one downfall to rain (well this may just be me talking) is that now instead of just being hot, it is humid. I think everyone knows how i feel about heat...we are not friends.
In other news, I think festa season is finally over. After the two dispididas and last weekends municipal festival in Mosteiros, I haven't spent too much time in my own town and i think i am just about danced out. I look forward to spending the next few weekends relaxing.
By the way, they never shut down the airport...the new news is there is no exact date for closure so it might be just in time for the newbies, who swear in mid-September, to get to take the boat. but who knows, maybe it will never close!
Monday, August 4, 2008
Pictures from the despidida.
So Mel and Sam have gone, but not before they had one awesome going away party! We got there at 8pm and went home at 3:30 a.m.! Things that made the party great:
1)Katxupa (the food, not my dog)
2)Katxupa de Texas (Mel made chili and this is the only way to explain what it is to cape verdeans)
3)Free wine!!!
4) The 7 times we heard the song "poi mao na txan".
5) Madonna
6) Tuka's poem for Mel and Sam
7) Cutting a rug
8) Watching Franki dance.
Here are some pics from the night of fun! They are a little out of order but you should be able to tell where in the night things belong...the later it is, the bigger my smile is (this might have something to do with the wine) and the redder Mel's eyes get (not from the wine, but instead from crying...)
1)Katxupa (the food, not my dog)
2)Katxupa de Texas (Mel made chili and this is the only way to explain what it is to cape verdeans)
3)Free wine!!!
4) The 7 times we heard the song "poi mao na txan".
5) Madonna
6) Tuka's poem for Mel and Sam
7) Cutting a rug
8) Watching Franki dance.
Here are some pics from the night of fun! They are a little out of order but you should be able to tell where in the night things belong...the later it is, the bigger my smile is (this might have something to do with the wine) and the redder Mel's eyes get (not from the wine, but instead from crying...)
I am pretty sure that Madona is playing right now!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Kids that make me smile.
These little girls were adorable. They came first to buy rice and this time they are passing to go take a bath!
Me and Endira in front of Mel's
Pics
These three pics are from the one and only shin-dig that ALL 9 of us Fogo-ians had.
Me and Dina
They're closing what?
Ahhhhh, the joys of long hot years without airconditioning....there are less than two weeks to go in July. The new group of trainees is here and I assume learning the great lessons of being in the Peace Corps from their new homestay families...these lessons include, but are not limited to 1) learning how to take a cold bucket bath and wash your clothes by hand, 2) "older" people who are missing a few teeth are REALLY hard to understand (no matter how advanced your language skills are) but they will just keep talking at you till you nod even though you still don't understand and 3) Cape Verdean families will make you eat till you pop! Thinking about all those newbies brings back so many of my own homestay memories (and the fact that my host mom might kill me because i have not visited since february, yes i am ingrato). That the new group is here doesn't just mean that I have now arrived as a coveted "2nd year" volunteer, but it means that the volunteers that came the group before me are finishing up and leaving....well maybe.
Have I ever told y'all that it is oh so much fun being a volunteer in an island nation. My good friends Sam and Mel are leaving Fogo next Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, to COS (close of service) in Praia and then fly home. However all this excitement for them comes wrapped in rumors of the airport here in Fogo closing so they can make the runway longer. We have already been downgraded to only being able to fly inter-island on 19 seat jumpers. Now, the airline has been putting it out there that the airport will be closed during the month of August. They don't have an exact time frame, ie. the whole month, the beginning of the month, the end of the month...but they keep telling everyone making reservations to stand-bye for more information. It looks like Mel and Sam will get out of here, but there are two more volunteers COS-ing mid-august and Sarah (who is extending for a 3rd year) and Sean and Dave (from my group) are supposed to be traveling between islands this month. We'll see if eveyone makes it or not! On top of all this, even if the small planes are flying when eveyone goes they can only take 15 kilos of luggage. So the COS-ing volunteers have to ship their stuff to Praia by boat and then collect it when they get there...and y'all read that blog about the quality of boat service here! I'll keep you all posted!
As for me personally, nothing much is new. I am finishing up an English class and trying to get some HIV/AIDS projects funded and running. You know, same ol' same ol'. This weekend, Katxupa and I will be traveling up to Cha to attend the dispidida (going away party) for Sam and Mel. Katuxupa loves it up there cause she can run around all day and night and I don't have to worry about her too much; only that one day she might actually get one of those chickens she likes to chase. We were up there two weeks ago and the day we got home, Katxupa slept for the ENTIRE day.
Have I ever told y'all that it is oh so much fun being a volunteer in an island nation. My good friends Sam and Mel are leaving Fogo next Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, to COS (close of service) in Praia and then fly home. However all this excitement for them comes wrapped in rumors of the airport here in Fogo closing so they can make the runway longer. We have already been downgraded to only being able to fly inter-island on 19 seat jumpers. Now, the airline has been putting it out there that the airport will be closed during the month of August. They don't have an exact time frame, ie. the whole month, the beginning of the month, the end of the month...but they keep telling everyone making reservations to stand-bye for more information. It looks like Mel and Sam will get out of here, but there are two more volunteers COS-ing mid-august and Sarah (who is extending for a 3rd year) and Sean and Dave (from my group) are supposed to be traveling between islands this month. We'll see if eveyone makes it or not! On top of all this, even if the small planes are flying when eveyone goes they can only take 15 kilos of luggage. So the COS-ing volunteers have to ship their stuff to Praia by boat and then collect it when they get there...and y'all read that blog about the quality of boat service here! I'll keep you all posted!
As for me personally, nothing much is new. I am finishing up an English class and trying to get some HIV/AIDS projects funded and running. You know, same ol' same ol'. This weekend, Katxupa and I will be traveling up to Cha to attend the dispidida (going away party) for Sam and Mel. Katuxupa loves it up there cause she can run around all day and night and I don't have to worry about her too much; only that one day she might actually get one of those chickens she likes to chase. We were up there two weeks ago and the day we got home, Katxupa slept for the ENTIRE day.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
It's all in the family
Sorry for the long delay everyone!
So, one year in country has come and past! I only have 13 months of service left! Wow, how the time has flown by. Really, it seems like 3 months ago that i left, not 12. I am still extremely happy that i chose to join the peace corps and am learning so much about myself and the world by being here. Sometimes, however, I do wish that i could just push the pause button on the rest of the world so i don't miss all the important things happening in your lives. This blog might be a little boring for those of you not in the Blas family, but maybe it will inspire you to go out and hug your family!
To the Blas Family-
You know, growing up, I don't think it dawned on the cousins of my generation just why it was so important we continue to get together. The first generation cousins had basically grown up together, but for us who only saw each other once a year, it was my thought that the Blas family was just the sea of people I had to sift through every christmas to get my presents from "santa". But through our reunions, especially the last one, all of that changed. I realized why we do it; i realized why we all gather every Christams Eve and every 5 years at the reunions... we do it because although our family is large, loud and even a little crazy, it is such a special thing that we are able reconnect with everyone; to be there to meet new husbands/wives and new babies and to be there for each other through the losses and the hard times. I hope we all realize how unique our family is. Being here in Cape Verde has shown me that. Most Americans think of their family as Grandma, Grandpa, aunts and uncles, but i am blessed to know my great aunts and uncles, first, second and third cousins and how the rest of us are related i can't even say correctly! I know that when it is time for the Blas family to get together, there are over 100 people that I can't wait to see! So, to wrap up my sappy homage to you all, my wonderful family, who will be together without me in less than one week, i have only one more thing to say...be crazy, be loud, be family. I love you and will be thinking of you all!
To my second family-
Keeping on the family note, I have to say welcome to the world to Chance Michael Chishom who was born July 10th, 2008! Katie and Matt, i am so happy that you two have a beautiful healthy baby boy! I wish I could be there to give you all a big hug and kiss. I can't believe I won't meet him for another year. Tell Chance to expect a lot of love from his auntie dottie when she gets home!
So, one year in country has come and past! I only have 13 months of service left! Wow, how the time has flown by. Really, it seems like 3 months ago that i left, not 12. I am still extremely happy that i chose to join the peace corps and am learning so much about myself and the world by being here. Sometimes, however, I do wish that i could just push the pause button on the rest of the world so i don't miss all the important things happening in your lives. This blog might be a little boring for those of you not in the Blas family, but maybe it will inspire you to go out and hug your family!
To the Blas Family-
You know, growing up, I don't think it dawned on the cousins of my generation just why it was so important we continue to get together. The first generation cousins had basically grown up together, but for us who only saw each other once a year, it was my thought that the Blas family was just the sea of people I had to sift through every christmas to get my presents from "santa". But through our reunions, especially the last one, all of that changed. I realized why we do it; i realized why we all gather every Christams Eve and every 5 years at the reunions... we do it because although our family is large, loud and even a little crazy, it is such a special thing that we are able reconnect with everyone; to be there to meet new husbands/wives and new babies and to be there for each other through the losses and the hard times. I hope we all realize how unique our family is. Being here in Cape Verde has shown me that. Most Americans think of their family as Grandma, Grandpa, aunts and uncles, but i am blessed to know my great aunts and uncles, first, second and third cousins and how the rest of us are related i can't even say correctly! I know that when it is time for the Blas family to get together, there are over 100 people that I can't wait to see! So, to wrap up my sappy homage to you all, my wonderful family, who will be together without me in less than one week, i have only one more thing to say...be crazy, be loud, be family. I love you and will be thinking of you all!
To my second family-
Keeping on the family note, I have to say welcome to the world to Chance Michael Chishom who was born July 10th, 2008! Katie and Matt, i am so happy that you two have a beautiful healthy baby boy! I wish I could be there to give you all a big hug and kiss. I can't believe I won't meet him for another year. Tell Chance to expect a lot of love from his auntie dottie when she gets home!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Emily is here!!!!!!
If you didn't look at the title, I will say it one more time; Emily is here!!!!! She got in last wednesday on the direct flight from Praia and we have been nonstop vacationing ever since! She is here for three weeks so i took some time off so we could travel to different islands. The day after she got here we met Mel at the airport and flew out to Boa Vista. Boa Vista is gorgeous and hasn't gotten too bruised and battered from the tourist industry. We stayed with Leland, the volunteer there, and got to watch him do a little windsurfing while we girls hung out in hammocks and drank beer at the wind club. We were supposed to only be there for three nights, but good 'ol TACV moved our flight up an hour and a half so we missed it. The next day, on time and checked in, we took off for Sal. If you have done any research for Cape Verde, Sal is probably what comes up most for building and tourism. Beuatiful white sand beaches are being overtaken by foreign compainies building hotels, condos, restaurants and golf courses. There is no doubt it is beautiful here but I hope the industry can keep the integrity of this island as they expand to build more. Some cool things we have done though include: visiting the salt mines here in Sal (Sal=Salt) and we floated around in the water!! It was so neat...you completely float but word to the wise, cuts hurt in ultra-salty water as well as eye balls if your head gets wet!
We leave for Praia tomorrow before making the final jump to Fogo. Sal and Boa Vista have been a great time but i keep trying to warn Em that Praia and Fogo are a different world. Here we they have Indian restaurants, Tapas Bars and Italian Pizzarias... that lifestyle all comes to an end when we get one the plane tonight!! More later!
We leave for Praia tomorrow before making the final jump to Fogo. Sal and Boa Vista have been a great time but i keep trying to warn Em that Praia and Fogo are a different world. Here we they have Indian restaurants, Tapas Bars and Italian Pizzarias... that lifestyle all comes to an end when we get one the plane tonight!! More later!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
More Pics
Youth group event...look at all the Peace Corps support!
What's left of the youth group...at least we got one event organized!
Pics from the festa!
Pre- festa
Another one bites the dust...
Yesterday the boat connecting Fogo, Brava and Praia sank. It was the second such incident in about as many months. That’s right, a different boat sank a little more than a month ago when it ran up on some rocks leaving Fogo. This most recent sinking was of the boat named “Mosteiros”. It was the boat that Mel, Sarah and I just took to and from Brava. And what is really scary is there was a Peace Corps volunteer on board on her way here to visit. Her account of the incident goes as follows: The boat left Praia around midnight on its way to pick up and drop off people in Brava (this includes Sam, who is currently vacationing on Brava), before coming here to Fogo. Well she says that about 3 a.m. the boat is leaning to one side and they turn around and head back to Praia. They don’t quite make it…at about 6 am the reach a little fishing cove close to Praia and by this time the boat is leaning so far to the side that people are starting to jump off the boat into the water. Luckily, the fishermen had been alerted and were out in their row boats rescuing the passengers. By 10 am the boat was completely underwater. I guess that is why Peace Corps gives us life vests (and I guess that is why I really will start taking mine with me when I travel by boat). Anyways, all the passengers were rescued but everything else is at the bottom of the ocean; ncluding 3 large trucks full of the food and supplies to be delivered to Brava and Fogo and all the passengers’ belongings. We’ll see how this affects our food shortages here on the island. So to sum up the experience, the PCV is not coming to visit, Sam is stuck in Brava until further notice (there is no airport there and after the sinking(s) there is only one other boat that services these islands and there schedule is shifty) and Emily and I are now officially flying between islands when she comes to visit!!
In other news, last week was the festival of São Filipe. Man-o-man my body was not ready for 5 nights of partying. Basically, Monday thru Friday there were festivities starting in the afternoon after work and going through the night into the next morning. Every night, starting at around 11pm, there were big name Cape Verdean groups. Music ended around 3 or 4 in the morning with the party then moving to whichever bar was less crowded. I don’t know how people here do it. They party hard all night then are up bright and early for work the next day. I was dragging by the second night, but continued to muster up the strength to party until Wendnesday because that was the big night. Calypso came and played in Cape Verde!!!!!!!!!!! Ricardo, I really hope that as a Brazilian you know who Calypso is, if not you are letting me down. For those of you who are not into popular Brazilian music, Calypso is the famous equivalent to someone like Madonna or Michael Jackson in the states. People go crazy for them and that has rubbed off on the Cape Verdeans. Everyone here was soooooooooooo excited, dressed to the nines (including ourselves) and ready watch the lead singer dance her booty off and flip her hair around like a champion (that is literally all she does). Anyways, we had a blast all 4 nights that we were there and it was the first time we have all the volunteers on the island in the same place at the same time. All I know for sure though, is that I will have to practice ahead of time because my body just can’t take it. I was sick by the end and slept for the entire weekend!!
In other news, last week was the festival of São Filipe. Man-o-man my body was not ready for 5 nights of partying. Basically, Monday thru Friday there were festivities starting in the afternoon after work and going through the night into the next morning. Every night, starting at around 11pm, there were big name Cape Verdean groups. Music ended around 3 or 4 in the morning with the party then moving to whichever bar was less crowded. I don’t know how people here do it. They party hard all night then are up bright and early for work the next day. I was dragging by the second night, but continued to muster up the strength to party until Wendnesday because that was the big night. Calypso came and played in Cape Verde!!!!!!!!!!! Ricardo, I really hope that as a Brazilian you know who Calypso is, if not you are letting me down. For those of you who are not into popular Brazilian music, Calypso is the famous equivalent to someone like Madonna or Michael Jackson in the states. People go crazy for them and that has rubbed off on the Cape Verdeans. Everyone here was soooooooooooo excited, dressed to the nines (including ourselves) and ready watch the lead singer dance her booty off and flip her hair around like a champion (that is literally all she does). Anyways, we had a blast all 4 nights that we were there and it was the first time we have all the volunteers on the island in the same place at the same time. All I know for sure though, is that I will have to practice ahead of time because my body just can’t take it. I was sick by the end and slept for the entire weekend!!
Monday, April 14, 2008
Three islands down...five to go!
First of all, just wanted to say sorry…I went back through and read all my old blogs and realized I don’t proofread. Ooops. There are lots of mistakes but one other sorry, I’m not really going to start proofreading now, I just wanted to acknowledge that I am a bad writer!
Mel, Sarah and I took a vacation to the island of Brava last week. It is called the island of flowers and it definitely deserves its name. In contrast to the stark brown of Fogo this time of year, Brava is full of color. There were hibiscus and gorgeous Bougainvilea everywhere. The island of Brava is tiny and only accessible by boat from Fogo but if you are looking for tranquility and like hiking, it is definitely the place to be. We were there for 5 days (there is really no way to stay for less time because of the boat situation) and getting back to Fogo I was rested and ready to go again.
I met with the girls who are helping me organize a youth group here in Bila. We made an invitation to our first meeting of the Centro de Juventude’s “Grupo de Apoio”. The meeting was planned for Saturday and in my mind was a success. On that Saturday, with the great youth who showed up, we brainstormed ideas for the group and discussed the reasons we were all there and wanting this group to become a reality. We already have some events in mind (there is a huge festival in Bila in two weeks so we are planning an event for then) and our next meeting is Thursday to firm up the plans. I really hope the group survives, since this is a project I have had in my mind since my arrival on Fogo. This is where I think the youth of Fogo can show their strength and ability to make an impact in their communities.
While I sit and ponder the development of this new project, I am also at the stage of realizing, as I said last blog, that it is really April. One year ago, at the end of this month, I received a package in the mail telling me I was going to be spending two years of my life in some little country I had never heard of called Cape Verde. Wow, what a difference a year makes. Now we here are in the process of filling out applications to help with the training of the new group coming in, and I realize that maybe right now in some state in the US there is someone opening that same package that came to me and set me on this course. Head-trip.
In other news, Katxupa is huge and happy and will be 6 months old at the end of this month. We in the process of trying to figure out where to go for her “I’m a big girl and my owner doesn’t want me popping out pups” operation. She comes with me to work most of the time and when I don’t bring her everyone asks where she is. Today, I was sitting in a different zone than my own without her, and this man I did not know started asking me about where I was from and where I lived. I told him my zone and his reply went as follows: Oh, you’re Katxupa’s owner! She is definitely better known then me! She had a great time staying with Uncle Sam in Cha while I was in Brava. She really loves it up there because we let her wander like a true Cape Verdean street dog. She goes off to play and comes back when she wants something or is tired of chasing the chickens and the goats.
p.s. Just so the world knows what those of us living amongst wild animals or on farms already knows. I was watching a movie the other day and there was this picture perfect scene where a rooster is crowing at the crack of dawn to awaken the peacefully sleeping family. Well you should all know that in the real world this is not what happens. Those damn animals crow at all hours of the day and night. Ok, that’s all, just wanted to set the record straight.
Ok, not in Brava, but another perk from the festival in Cha...pictures on the donkey.Mel, Sarah and I took a vacation to the island of Brava last week. It is called the island of flowers and it definitely deserves its name. In contrast to the stark brown of Fogo this time of year, Brava is full of color. There were hibiscus and gorgeous Bougainvilea everywhere. The island of Brava is tiny and only accessible by boat from Fogo but if you are looking for tranquility and like hiking, it is definitely the place to be. We were there for 5 days (there is really no way to stay for less time because of the boat situation) and getting back to Fogo I was rested and ready to go again.
I met with the girls who are helping me organize a youth group here in Bila. We made an invitation to our first meeting of the Centro de Juventude’s “Grupo de Apoio”. The meeting was planned for Saturday and in my mind was a success. On that Saturday, with the great youth who showed up, we brainstormed ideas for the group and discussed the reasons we were all there and wanting this group to become a reality. We already have some events in mind (there is a huge festival in Bila in two weeks so we are planning an event for then) and our next meeting is Thursday to firm up the plans. I really hope the group survives, since this is a project I have had in my mind since my arrival on Fogo. This is where I think the youth of Fogo can show their strength and ability to make an impact in their communities.
While I sit and ponder the development of this new project, I am also at the stage of realizing, as I said last blog, that it is really April. One year ago, at the end of this month, I received a package in the mail telling me I was going to be spending two years of my life in some little country I had never heard of called Cape Verde. Wow, what a difference a year makes. Now we here are in the process of filling out applications to help with the training of the new group coming in, and I realize that maybe right now in some state in the US there is someone opening that same package that came to me and set me on this course. Head-trip.
In other news, Katxupa is huge and happy and will be 6 months old at the end of this month. We in the process of trying to figure out where to go for her “I’m a big girl and my owner doesn’t want me popping out pups” operation. She comes with me to work most of the time and when I don’t bring her everyone asks where she is. Today, I was sitting in a different zone than my own without her, and this man I did not know started asking me about where I was from and where I lived. I told him my zone and his reply went as follows: Oh, you’re Katxupa’s owner! She is definitely better known then me! She had a great time staying with Uncle Sam in Cha while I was in Brava. She really loves it up there because we let her wander like a true Cape Verdean street dog. She goes off to play and comes back when she wants something or is tired of chasing the chickens and the goats.
p.s. Just so the world knows what those of us living amongst wild animals or on farms already knows. I was watching a movie the other day and there was this picture perfect scene where a rooster is crowing at the crack of dawn to awaken the peacefully sleeping family. Well you should all know that in the real world this is not what happens. Those damn animals crow at all hours of the day and night. Ok, that’s all, just wanted to set the record straight.
We got a little lost with me as the trail navigator..
Our "camp" at the "beach" in Brava. I got to use my new tent!
How many people does it take to start a fire??
A Cape Verdean's first s'more.
Ok, not on Brava, but there is a new puppy on the block. Look at what a beast Katxupa is!
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