Youth group event...look at all the Peace Corps support!
What's left of the youth group...at least we got one event organized!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
More Pics
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!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
I bet Hawaii isn't as cool as Fogo!
Our new friends from Dakar
The Fogo girls
The Fogo girls
Imagine playing on a field of lava
Last Wednesday, April 2nd, was an important date to the Mel and Sam's town of Cha das Caldeiras. It was the anniversary of the eruption in 1995!! Of course you know what that means in this culture...PARTY! All the volunteers, minus Sean, were able to make it up for the celebration. We also had some additions to our group of 8 peace corps; Brittany's mom was here from america visiting, Sarah and Alex from Santiago were here as well as 4 american students studying abroad in Dakar that they met on the boat coming over. 
In all we were a dinner and party group of 16! The 4 kids from Dakar made an excellent addition to our party group but i think they may have gotten a little more than they bargained for in the way of tour guides...they were always with one of us volunteers! But they definately returned the favor of free tour guides by sharing their Duty Free store bottle of Bombay Saphire with us!
In all we were a dinner and party group of 16! The 4 kids from Dakar made an excellent addition to our party group but i think they may have gotten a little more than they bargained for in the way of tour guides...they were always with one of us volunteers! But they definately returned the favor of free tour guides by sharing their Duty Free store bottle of Bombay Saphire with us!The festival included dances, bicycle races, donkey races, soccer games, really good BBQ meat because of course they kill lots of animals for festas and there were supposed to be goat and chicken fighting but only one of each species showed up for the match! I guess the others got a bit scared and backed out. Everyone went their seperate ways on Thursday, which for me included going home to pack for my vacation in Brava!!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
The satisfaction of a completed project
Sorry, wrote this a couple days ago and never got it up so it's a bit dated:
Well, it’s the end of March, the end of month 9. It’s crazy that April 1 will be the beginning of my 10th month here. You know, I went back and visited my host family for the first time since leaving them after training. I had left this place, my first family in Cape Verde, 7 months ago and going back was like worlds colliding. My town of Ribeira da Barca looked the exact same. All the people were still there, but something had changed. When I left there in September, I don’t think I fully appreciated, or even realized, everything that my first family gave to me. I was frustrated that I still had no idea what Mama Julia was saying AT me and I was ready to be living on my own again. When I left, I still couldn’t communicate. But going back was unbelievably uplifting. I was greeted by a group of kids running at me screaming “Laura, Laura, Laura!” and the beautiful smiles of my family and neighbors, who have taught me about accepting a stranger, no questions asked, and making them part of your family forever. I could see how far my language had progressed first hand as I sat with the women who had looked after me for those two months and I told them what I was doing and they told me all that I had missed and we all understood each other!
My worlds collided again 2 days after seeing my host family, when I picked up my biological parents at the Praia airport!! God, what a head trip that was, to see part of my American life here as part of my Cape Verde life. It was great to see them, of course, but again, it just seems crazy to me, that I have been in this country long enough to warrant visitors. Alan and Ellie had a great time here (or so they tell me!) but I think it took them some time to get used to some of my everyday things like walking all over (and always walking uphill), no electricity in Cha, my stove that has no temperature control (it is just always on high, simmer isn’t an option!), the fact that the noise that comes from my upstairs neighbors sounds like they are in the next room with a megaphone and how to bucket flush a toilet! At the same time, they can finally picture where I am, they can picture my wonderful neighbors who protect little single and alone me; they can picture the woman in the market where I buy my vegetables and they can picture my wonderful friends on this island (who thank God helped me play tour guide cause I was getting a little tired and stressed towards the end of the week). Next up on my visitor list….my bestest friend, Miss Emily Marie Dodds, in May/June!
(sorry i know that was a bit melodramatic, but true non-the-less!)
The end of March also signifies the end of my (and Sarah’s) stressful Cape Verde Women’s Day project. Since I have been lazy and not blogged about this project before, I will tell you quickly what we planned. The 27th was Cape Verdean Women’s day. Sarah got it in her head (and I helped to push it along) to make this giant exchange of women on the island to talk about issues concerning all women on Fogo, domestic violence, education for girls and micro-credit. We took our idea to the local women’s organization for advice and from there, it just took off . We had thought of only using women from zones where Peace Corps was represented, but we ended up inviting 2 women from every zone on the island…in all about 180 women invited with a budget planned for attendance of 150. Well after a few stressful weeks leading up to the event, Thursday the 27th finally comes and Sarah and I are just hoping that some women actually show up. I won’t have an exact count till tomorrow, but it’s in the range of 130-140 women of Fogo!!! In all a great success even though we started 2 hours late and changed the entire program for the day the morning of the event. You see the night before there was an extremely tragic murder; a 20 yr old, mother of two, was killed in an act of domestic violence. She was the cousin of one of our speakers and so in light of that event, we put a little more emphasis on domestic violence. The day lasted until 4:30 and in all the women gave us incredibly positive feedback. Hopefully this can be an annual event as the women really felt empowered and like someone was listening to what they were saying.
Next up…youth group in Bila, camping trip to Brava (another island) and the anniversary of the ’95 eruption in Cha!
Well, it’s the end of March, the end of month 9. It’s crazy that April 1 will be the beginning of my 10th month here. You know, I went back and visited my host family for the first time since leaving them after training. I had left this place, my first family in Cape Verde, 7 months ago and going back was like worlds colliding. My town of Ribeira da Barca looked the exact same. All the people were still there, but something had changed. When I left there in September, I don’t think I fully appreciated, or even realized, everything that my first family gave to me. I was frustrated that I still had no idea what Mama Julia was saying AT me and I was ready to be living on my own again. When I left, I still couldn’t communicate. But going back was unbelievably uplifting. I was greeted by a group of kids running at me screaming “Laura, Laura, Laura!” and the beautiful smiles of my family and neighbors, who have taught me about accepting a stranger, no questions asked, and making them part of your family forever. I could see how far my language had progressed first hand as I sat with the women who had looked after me for those two months and I told them what I was doing and they told me all that I had missed and we all understood each other!
My worlds collided again 2 days after seeing my host family, when I picked up my biological parents at the Praia airport!! God, what a head trip that was, to see part of my American life here as part of my Cape Verde life. It was great to see them, of course, but again, it just seems crazy to me, that I have been in this country long enough to warrant visitors. Alan and Ellie had a great time here (or so they tell me!) but I think it took them some time to get used to some of my everyday things like walking all over (and always walking uphill), no electricity in Cha, my stove that has no temperature control (it is just always on high, simmer isn’t an option!), the fact that the noise that comes from my upstairs neighbors sounds like they are in the next room with a megaphone and how to bucket flush a toilet! At the same time, they can finally picture where I am, they can picture my wonderful neighbors who protect little single and alone me; they can picture the woman in the market where I buy my vegetables and they can picture my wonderful friends on this island (who thank God helped me play tour guide cause I was getting a little tired and stressed towards the end of the week). Next up on my visitor list….my bestest friend, Miss Emily Marie Dodds, in May/June!
(sorry i know that was a bit melodramatic, but true non-the-less!)
The end of March also signifies the end of my (and Sarah’s) stressful Cape Verde Women’s Day project. Since I have been lazy and not blogged about this project before, I will tell you quickly what we planned. The 27th was Cape Verdean Women’s day. Sarah got it in her head (and I helped to push it along) to make this giant exchange of women on the island to talk about issues concerning all women on Fogo, domestic violence, education for girls and micro-credit. We took our idea to the local women’s organization for advice and from there, it just took off . We had thought of only using women from zones where Peace Corps was represented, but we ended up inviting 2 women from every zone on the island…in all about 180 women invited with a budget planned for attendance of 150. Well after a few stressful weeks leading up to the event, Thursday the 27th finally comes and Sarah and I are just hoping that some women actually show up. I won’t have an exact count till tomorrow, but it’s in the range of 130-140 women of Fogo!!! In all a great success even though we started 2 hours late and changed the entire program for the day the morning of the event. You see the night before there was an extremely tragic murder; a 20 yr old, mother of two, was killed in an act of domestic violence. She was the cousin of one of our speakers and so in light of that event, we put a little more emphasis on domestic violence. The day lasted until 4:30 and in all the women gave us incredibly positive feedback. Hopefully this can be an annual event as the women really felt empowered and like someone was listening to what they were saying.
Next up…youth group in Bila, camping trip to Brava (another island) and the anniversary of the ’95 eruption in Cha!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Random photos
Here are some pictures taken when the jump drive was out of commission. They finally make it on!
Cha and the Volcano:
This is what we do to pass the time...YATSY
These pictures are not of me, but they show perfectly how you really get down the volcano!
Simara lives across the street, she is such a tomboy and that is why i love her!
Is someone trying to be a big shot? I think i see a smile almost breaking through!!
Katinka and Me...I miss my german friend; Katinka come back!
Aren´t we cute, this was the last picture in a series, which i spared you all, where we took 5 pictures like this and this was the only one that had both of our faces!! Apparently we need to practice the self-picture taking.
Oh Minga...unfortunately Minga the cat is no longer with us, but she sure did bring entertainment to our night!
Cha and the Volcano:
This is what we do to pass the time...YATSY
These pictures are not of me, but they show perfectly how you really get down the volcano!
Katxupa and the neighbors:
This is Alia...she is the cutest most spoiled kid i know, and when katxupa was little she would not put her down!
Simara lives across the street, she is such a tomboy and that is why i love her!
Thanksgiving:
Mel really likes Sean´s pouring ability!
Mel and Sam being silly...i guess with no electricity in Cha, they spend time perfecting their weirdo faces.
Dave makes some really good sweet potatoe soup, as you can tell by Sean´s perfectly natural reaction!
Is someone trying to be a big shot? I think i see a smile almost breaking through!!
This is how we eat in Peace Corps..you only get 4 chairs! But oh that Turkey pot pie is delicious no matter where you are sitting!
Katinka and Me...I miss my german friend; Katinka come back!
Mel always finds time for arts-n-crafts, even if it´s in the middle of a party!
Aren´t we cute, this was the last picture in a series, which i spared you all, where we took 5 pictures like this and this was the only one that had both of our faces!! Apparently we need to practice the self-picture taking.
Oh Minga...unfortunately Minga the cat is no longer with us, but she sure did bring entertainment to our night!
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