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.