Wahoo!!

View of Tarrafal (my village) from the black sand beach off the village of Ribeira das Pratas. My village is located below the mountain Monte Graciosa and is a seaside village and fishing port on the northwestern coast of the island.








Rooftop view of the layout of Tarrafal. Houses are spaced quite close to one another leaving small alley ways to maneuver through neighborhoods. Set in the center of the village is a small town square and houses continue until the coast.





Coming down the mountain from the national park, Serra Malagueta. Once again you can see Tarrafal located below the small mountain on the coast. This is one of my favorite views on the island. Driving down the mountain after a trip to the capital and seeing my village off in the distance feels like coming home...and my home, it is.

Sometimes the waves are so enormous you can see them forming and breaking from the mountainside, cool!!


My beach! This is the only white sand beach located on the island. In this picture the sand is wet due to high tide and huge waves that sometimes splash into this cabana located at the end of the beach...unbelievable, I know.

The mountain behind is Monte Graciosa, Tarrafal is located directly behind this photo.








This is the other end of the beach (opposite the cabana) where the fishing boats are docked, or pulled up on the sand rather. Took this picture at 7 am when the fishermen were unloading and ladies were preparing to sell fish at the market. The fish seen here in the bucket are flying fish.


View from the beach looking into the bay. There are also a few fishing boats and maybe a couple of boats passing through on their way to Brazil, Canaries or Northern islands.

During December and January we are blessed with big waves like this one. Lots of fun trying not to be clobbered by one!








Myself and Nico, another Peace Corps volunteer in Tarrafal. We are at a friends dance club helping out before the night starts.

Fogo

The inside of the volcano. When you are at the top it is like looking into a large bowl.

Myself, Né & Nico climbing the volcano. You can see the small town of Chã das Caldeiras located at the base of the volcano.
View climbing up!

At the base of the volcano in Chã das Caldeiras. The vegetation behind me is grapes used for making wine here. The last eruption occured on the side of the volcano barely missingthe town, although some homes were destroyed.

Areia Branca

Wow, what is it now…the end of May?!? Only 2 months left before I have been in West Africa for a year? Challenging, exhausting (both mentally and physically), down right fun and still the best decision in my life thus far are only a few ways to describe what/how I am feeling at this point.

Everyday is different, which I love. Expectations are completely thrown out the window here, but as Steven Covey says in his book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, you need to remember the aspect of expectation vs. reality. The reality is that this is a different culture and “normal” activity (for however one can define it) is different than what I am used to. I can find myself loading into the back of a truck with 15 others in order to get to the next town. Every so often I am loading into a 15 passenger van that has 25 people squished in for a 2 hour trip across the island to the capital. Sometimes instead of biking to work I decide to make the trek by foot, enjoying greeting others in the road, looking off at the distant mountains or Fogo in the background. I am given a “blessing” at least once a day by an older person wishing me good health, life, etc. Frequently people call me Portuguese, Brazilian then French, until I tell them I am from America. I have been to visitations/funerals of which close friends have lost a family member and I cannot say more than I have never had such a cultural/emotional experience prior. Tradition holds many cultural values here. I take a bath out outside out of a bucket at the back of my house where I also do laundry the old fashioned way with a washing board. My diet consists of rice, beans and fish. I have learned to eat an entire fish, from head to tail and find myself craving rice and beans. Of course, I am enjoying every experience. Unemployment rate is sky rocket high, which leaves many men wondering the streets, sober or drunk (mostly the latter). For the most part they are harmless and if I am approached it is proceeded by a marriage proposal to be taken to America. No worries parents, I haven’t accepted any. Boys can be found playing in the streets daily with no chores to be done or male role models to learn from. This, no doubt, contributes to an increase in unemployment. Men in Tarrafal who work do so mainly by fishing or farming. There is an equal amount of men and women teaching in schools, however many of the teachers here come from the Northern islands where education is profoundly better. Women and girls do laundry, house chores and gather wood for cooking over a fire. The poorer families who live more on the outskirts of Tarrafal rarely use stoves because of gas costs. So, time is spent gathering wood from the mountain side. Many women also collect fish daily at the beach from the fishermen and walk around town or sit at the market to sell. In Colonato, you can find families working together growing crops. For a Cape Verdean, the day is centered on preparing meals, cleaning and visiting. You can sit for hours on a street side curb, a nearby rock, a front porch, a roof or under a tree and pass the time in simple fashion.

My day to day is constantly changing but for the time being I have somewhat of a “routine” work schedule. Since I last posted I have picked up various side projects and not really sure if I am doing anything that I last talked about...locals have expressed needs and I am doing my best to provide what I can offer. For about a month and a half I have been teaching English Monday and Wednesday mornings in an elementary school located in the next town. I am currently teaching four 6th grade classes. English is officially taught beginning in 7th grade (secondary school) but Cape Verde would eventually like to start teaching in the primary schools and is using Peace Corps Volunteers as a pilot program. In addition, I am giving a three month English course in Colonato for agriculturists. We meet twice a week and I have a dedicated 6 students attending. This has been challenging because most agriculturists don’t have an education, can hardly read or write in their own language and the concept of studying and exercising the brain is foreign. However, recently my students have been able to answer questions correctly and form audible sentences in English…obviously the product of studying and dedication. When I left class one day you could see a tear drop run down my cheek because I was proud of how much effort they are putting forth to learn. In a society that lacks motivation to complete anything, this touched my heart and reminded myself of why I am here. Although this is a tiny step, at least it is a step in the right direction when most opt to go the other way.

I am also putting together a statistical report on water usage and price for the farmers association I am affiliated with. This report includes data for all agriculturists during 2008 and 2009. Once this report is complete (nearly done!) I will be designing an excel spreadsheet for entering data more efficiently and drawing statistics. Then, I will hold a training session for colleagues within the association on how to use Microsoft Excel for inputting data and forming statistics. This data can be later used when comparing water usage and price before and after the association’s completion of their water distribution project with the African Development Fund. Another volunteer, a professor in Tarrafal and I are still gathering data and drawing up proposal ideas for building a school garden. We are now collaborating with the United Nations in implementing an environmental education /growing and harvesting vegetables program directly correlated with the students.

When not teaching or working on projects I stroll around town talking to those I know and those I don’t. People often tell me to go home or that I live in the streets (all in good humor) because I am constantly here and there. Nearly every weekend I spend time with my friend’s family who live on the outskirts of Tarrafal. To be quite honest, my favorite past time is sitting and visiting with her family and watching Tom & Jerry episodes with her 6 year old son, or taking him to the beach for swimming lessons. Other times I sit and watch the ocean, sunset, fishermen or clouds roll by. In July I will be heading to the volcanic island, Fogo! It is located just west of Santiago and last erupted in 1995. I am going with the other volunteer from Tarrafal, Nico, and a Cape Verdean friend who is from Tarrafal. We will be spending a week hiking various routes on the island as well as taking a hike to the top of the volcano! Once at the top I plan on inconspicuously placing a volcanic rock in my pack to give to my cousin when I return to the states. Another volunteer is located in an area where they grow grapes to produce wine. Fogo wine is delectable. No comparison. So, we will be spending a day or so touring his site and learning about production.

Coming from a world where you don’t need to worry about kids stealing candy from the store, but rather stealing mangos from the mango trees. Until next time…

Tarrafal & Colonato

My good friend, Nichy and I.

View of the volcanic island, Fogo from Tarrafal. Although this picture doesn´t do justice to what I can actually see of Fogo. On a clear day you can make out the grooves of the mountainside...simply majestic.

Plant nursery in Colonato where I spend most of my mornings watering, planting and mixing soils. Here we are growing tomatoes, onions, lettuce and bell peppers.

Another part of the plant nursery. We are growing papaya trees and passion fruit here. Agriculturists who don´t have plant nurseries on their plots come here to purchase crops once they are ready to be transplanted.

Achada Lem

Valley behind my host family house. Went trekking here one day and found a ton of tadpoles and frogs! It is said there are monkeys in this valley as well (although the only monkeys I have seen here have been in town as peoples pets). There is also an abandoned area where locals used to make grogue, rum made from sugar cane.

Rooftop view!

Houses in Achada Lem.

View from my bedroom window...I got to look at this every morning for 2 months during pre-service training.

View from bedroom window before the rainy season.

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Wow, another month. The days seem to fly by and once in a while they seem to be stagnant. I am now able to walk, run, skip, ride the waves and yes…dance. Being the holiday season this past month, I was naturally feeling a bit sad, missing family, friends, hot apple cider and Gran’s fruitcake. Honestly, that didn’t last for too long (except Gran’s fruitcake). Whenever I get the least bit bored or think nothing exciting is going happen it always does. There is never a dull moment in my life right now and I am absolutely loving it. Lately the sky has been clear enough to see the volcanic island in the distance. It is so clear as to even make out the grooves in the mountainside. Most evenings my friend and I will watch the sunset behind the volcano from the beachside…beautiful.

I was fortunate to be invited to spend Christmas with my host family. We spent Christmas Eve sitting on the rooftop watching the sunset in the distance behind the volcano then watched the stars against the dark blackness of the sky. Christmas day was full of cooking, and visiting numerous relatives that were visiting from around the island and a few from Portugal. New Years Eve was incredible! I went to an organized party my friends were throwing on top of their roof, which overlooks all of Tarrafal, the mountains and the ocean. At midnight our group walked around the town plaza and streets drumming and dancing, then we continued to dance on their rooftop till five in the morning. New Years day consisted of more celebration (after a nap or two) and we grilled out and danced until the morning once again.

Some of you may be wondering if I have actually been doing any work…believe it or not I have. I am working on a few projects right now and am having just as much fun! Here is a brief look into my ongoing projects: ´

-- My primary project in Colonato is with the African Development Foundation of which we received a 3 year grant for supporting agricultural sustainability in Colonato. The project purpose is to increase availability of water to farmers as indicated by an increase in cultivated land in the community. As a volunteer I am helping oversee various tasks, improve management capacity and writing quarterly reports.
Other projects include:

-- Designing a youth group program to discuss HIV/AIDS, of which I can hopefully begin sessions once I am finally moved into my house.

-- I am on the language committee for Peace Corps and am compiling a dictionary of environmental terms in both Cape Verdean Kriolu and Portuguese.

-- Designing a training program to teach other volunteers how to create gardens in their communities. We are having this training at the end of January, using a current volunteer’s site where we will implement the training into actually building a garden for that community.

-- Writing a proposal to build a school garden here in Tarrafal. The idea here is to have the students participate in creating and maintaining the garden while using the profits to buy school supplies. In the process we can also teach food security and the importance of post and pre harvest management.

Until next time, my beloved family and friends!

Zonino!

The weeks seem to fly by rather fast, one day its Monday and the next thing I know its Friday and my weekend of hanging out has already passed as well. December is here and when I look back I can hardly remember the day I arrived at the airport here in Santiago, that day I was jet lagged, sleep deprived and unsure what I had gotten myself into. The ground I walked onto was intimidating, different and unknown. Now, I call Cape Verde my home and couldn’t feel more like a part of the community here.

I fully believe I have the best of both worlds, if that makes any sense at all. I work in a remote little village just outside of Tarrafal that portrays the stereotypical Peace Corps experience one can imagine. When I am not at work however, I am a beach bum living it up with my Cape Verdean friends (pre and post broken foot, however). For example, to get to work I bike through the fields down this little one way stone paved road for approximately 5 kilometers saying good morning to every farmer I pass as well as the group of women in the field cheering for me. I can see the mountains in the backdrop, the fields all around me and the ocean in front of me. Some days I stop off to join the women under the shade and batuka. Batuka is traditional drumming and is accompanied with singing songs of Africa. Other days I am sitting under the shade at the opposite end of the fields enjoying lunch with the farmers of the field. When I am not relaxing under the shade of a good tree I am conversing with the agriculturalists and learning how they implement farming techniques here. When I go home for the day it is the opposite story. My friends and I can be found on the beach laying out, swimming, cliff jumping, snorkeling and boogie boarding! At night we watch the stars from a rooftop, listen to a good band at an outside café or simply enjoy each others company on someone’s front stoop.

Now I am enrolled in a Portuguese class at a high school here. It is a fun experience and my first day I felt like the new goofy looking kid in school that everyone stares at. As the weeks have passed though I have made a lot of friends in my class and everyone is quite helpful. The weather is pleasant, during the day it is still warm enough in the sun to enjoy the water and it is just the right temperature in the shade to enjoy the breeze. Some nights I might need a light jacket to keep warm. Right now, we are getting the winds from the Sahara Desert along with a bit of dust. Sometimes there is so much dust you can’t even see the mountains behind Tarrafal! Well, I still have not moved into my house yet. Maybe I will be moved in before the end of the New Year, ha. I wish everyone happy holidays! Until 2010!

P.S. Mom, Dad if y’all were worried about me bringing a boy home or getting married here, dont…I got voted as one of the top two girls in Peace Corps most likely to date and/or marry a Cape Verdean. :)