The end of the project

We finally put all of the cranes together. They are now on 25 different lines, all connected together. The 1,000 cranes project is finished, but we have yet to put the cranes up on display. There is some debate about where to hang it. But more than that, the director of the center doesn't want us to place it where the boys can touch it. So, we need to put it up high. Anyway, now it is sitting in a box, waiting for direction! It's very frustrating. But, it's still pretty.

The farm

This past weekend, I was invited to meet a friend's dog. He mentioned that her name was Victoria and that she was "big." When I think of big dogs in Cape Verde, I usually think of pit bulls because a few people have them and think it is cool to have them because it makes them seem like a ganster or rap star! But, my friend is neither a ganster or a thug, so I figured he had a different kind of dog. We went out to "the farm" and met Victoria. He is a beautiful Great Dane (or some version of a Great Dane). Anyway, she is super sweet and affectionate. We had an amazing time with her. You will see a photo of her up top. I did it in black and white to really show off her beautiful gray colored coat. The other photos here are of the farm. Oh, and the big fake tree that has been designed inside a new restaurant here. It was a great Saturday, all in all.

Our weekend in Santo Antao

Here are the photos from our weekend away in Santo Antao! A great weekend and a great group!

Beach Clean Up Photos

These are some photos from the day we cleaned up the Beach! Good looking group, huh?

moving...

I had a nice, BIG barbeque at my house on Saturday. It was a going away party for my house. We certainly had a fun time and lots of food. I invited my friends and some students. We had about 60 people there and grilled fish and chicken. I was fortunate enough to have a student whose family owns a boat, so he donated all of the fish! I also had another student who took the fish to get cleaned and prepared. It was such a nice night. I'll be sure to post pictures from the party soon! I also have pictures of the boys and their cranes. The project is coming to a close, so the cranes are starting to go on the string and they look great!

And I moved.... I am not a fan of moving. I'm not a fan of packing and unpacking. And, my new house is smaller, so that means that all of the things I had in my house are now crammed into the new house. I don't have an outside space, so I am really missing that. Anyway, I'll survive in the new house! Jackson isn't so sure about it and keeps running back to the old house. Luckily, the old house is just a short walk away, so I can get him and carry him back! It's a new game we have.

Update on my life

Hi faithful readers! Things here in Cape Verde are moving right along. The school is going great. I am loving teaching and my schedule is now becoming second nature so that it doesn't feel like such a strain. The 1,000 cranes are flying along and I have decided to also teach an English course to the boys at Nho Djunga. Well, actually, they recruited me. So, I will now spend an extra hour a week there to focus on some basic English lessons with the boys who are really interested.

In other, non-teaching news, I am planning to move! I moved into my current apartment by assuming the year-long contract on the house. The contract is up next month and the landlord wants me to pay 2 months rent up front. OH, and he's raising my rent. So, I'm moving. I love my place, but more than that I love my neighborhood. And luckily, yesterday I talked with some neighbors and they said not to worry because there are two apartments open on my street. Then this afternoon, one woman gave me the telephone number of the landlord for one of them and is arranging a meeting to see the second one. They are both in my price range and both on my same street, which is the best part of it all! So, I am feeling pretty happy about that.

I went on a beach clean up this past weekend and will post pictures as soon as possible. I also have some photos of my students and the school, which I will also post when I have time to get them off of my camera and go through them. I hope all is well. I have gotten some emails from friends lately, so keep sending them! I miss you all.

Santa Luzia de Terra

Our most recent hike was to Santa Luzia de Terra. This is the green oasis in the middle of the desert valley outside of town. We took my mom there when she visited. It's a nice spot and it is also the place where there is a huge almond tree. Last year we spent hours up there collecting the fruits, but this time they weren't quite ripe, so we will return in a month or so.

Unfortunately when I was taking the pictures off of my camera, something happened and I lost most of them, especially the really good ones. But, Pedro passed his on to me, so you will see a few photos of me that he took. So, it's cool because he took lots of group shots and shots of me climbing around up there! Enjoy!

Oh, and while I'm writing, today is a national holiday. It's All Saints Day. In Cape Verde, they celebrate religious holidays at the national level, so we are off of work today. I've been invited to a barbeque out in Sao Pedro again, so I'm headed out there now! Then tonight our yoga group is meeting. Though Elizabeth has left, we have managed to still meet and we are continuing on with new leadership and new, exciting classes!

My boys and the 1000 cranes

Our 1,000 origami cranes for good luck is coming right along. Well, we have made about 150 of the 1,000. Each boy is really getting a hang of the folding, but we can only make a few each time we meet, so we are moving along slowly. In an effort to speed this process along, I have made about 200 at home in my spare time after work. I hope we will finish the project by Christmas. I know it will be really cool when we get finished with it! The boys are proud of their progress. We are keeping all of the cranes in a box and after every meeting we count them. This time it was Pele's turn, so you'll see a picture of him guarding the box and keeping track of the numbers. Of course, I wanted to get some candid shots of the boys at work, but when you break out the camera, they go nuts. So, as you can see they are showing off their work and posing for silly photos. Gosh, I love these guys. They are so adorable and so interested in whatever it is that I have for them. I hope we can get through the cranes so that we can start learning some of the new things we have in the books I brought back....

Oh, speaking of books, the U.S. Embassy in Cape Verde called yesterday. They received a huge shipment of about 30,000 books. I had requested some of them if they would permit it. They agreed and are sending 15 boxes my way to be divided between my school and ISE! It's a wonderful thing! I am so glad to have been a Peace Corps volunteer because the connections that I now have from that experience are paying off!!!!! The books should arrive in the next month. They are currently sitting in Praia and waiting for a boat company to agree to take them. Keep your fingers crossed that they get here!!!

Update

Busy is not the word to describe what is happening with my life right now. I apologize for not posting with more frequency, but I must admit that when I get off of work, I head to bed and then start all over again the next day. Saturdays and Sundays are good for relaxing, except that if I don't do my lesson plans on Saturday or Sunday, I find that my week is even more hectic. I start teaching at 7:30 every morning and have my last class until 8:00pm. And the hour in between are anything but free. Currently, I am teaching 7 classes. Two of the private lessons will end this week, but I will begin another private class and a regular class on Monday. So, for a couple of days, it looks like I'll have 10 classes, but then after Wednesday, things should die down and I'll have 7, I think. I'm not even sure anymore...

The school is bustling. We are overflowing with students and opening a new course this week. David will teach that one. We have so many beginner level students that we decided to dissolve the advanced course we had (which only had 3 or 4 students) and replace it with a beginner course. This makes more sense for us. David is happy too because he likes teaching the beginners. I started a new course last week at the Maritime Institute of Mindelo. They are the organization who control the waterfront. So, now I am teaching at ENAPOR, the organization who control the commercial ports and the folks who control the smaller ships and the beaches. I am surrounded by water people. I will begin two courses this week, one for Enacol and the other for Shell. They are the two oil companies here. So, I've got oil and water.... Make of that what you will.

Other than school, I must admit to not having a life. My best friend here is Elizabeth, my former roommate and yoga guru. She has decided to leave Cape Verde after a nasty run-in with ISE. They were not respectful of her and she decided to not deal with it. Then, she wanted to change projects to begin work with an agricultural group and PC said NO. They told her ISE or America. So, she's leaving tomorrow. I am super bummed out. She is my best friend here and she is a great listener and wonderful yogi. Our yoga class is really not sure what's going to happen. We are going to try to pull together and teach it as a group. We'll see. I hope it continues to be a great class.

I am so overwhelmed right now that I haven't had time to step back from it all and see the bigger picture. I'd like a week off to just access what is going on in my life, but I don't have the time. I am trying to meditate and do yoga, but I have sorely fallen flat on that. I am recommitting myself to the charge this week in hopes that it will help me to balance my life and my feelings of stress.

Well, we are officially a SUCCESS. I am proud of us and of our school. My project at Nho Djunga also continues. We are folding 1,000 cranes for good luck. I'll try to get some shots of the boys and the cranes. We have a long way to go, but they are getting good at doing them. So, with teaching, volunteering at the orphanage, and trying to find personal time, I'm pretty FULL! Keep me in your thoughts. I have made my reservation home for Christmas, so at least I'll have two weeks of a break from here.

My HOUSE

Finally, some photos of my house and Jackson. The house is looking better and better. I hung pictures and my garden is all set up. I got lots of house warming gifts from my friend Steph! She is wonderful! Steph sent me a box full of plates, cups, silverware, tupperware, and a bar set with cute wine glasses. It's just adorable. I was so thrilled to get it. They say that after your first year in Peace Corps, people don't remember you and stop sending packages! Well, I was so happy to know that this isn't true. Now that I'm over two years abroad, I am still getting great stuff from friends and family. I'll take this time to solicit BOOKS. I need reading material. I am dying for a good book to read...

Sao Pedro

I believe I mentioned that I was invited to Sao Pedro, the beach near the airport, for a party. The party was for one of our students, Gorilla. Gorilla is a retired military man. Every year he celebrates the anniversary of his retirement with a big party out at his beach house. We had a nice barbecue and were able to walk down to the beach. It's a little too rough to swim, but it is a nice beach all the same. The town of Sao Pedro is absolutely beautiful. You'll see pictures of the water and the plaza. You'll also see some photos of the sand. The designs in the sand that day were cool.

Hiking Pics

Here are the hiking pictures from the hike on October 6th. I didn't go last Sunday. I was in desperate need of a day off from everything. So, I gardened and such. The pictures you will see here are of a hike down to Joao D'Evora, where I went when Brian came for a visit. This time we wore our swimsuits and ran through a sand river down to a hidden beach. We had our breakfast and then swam for a while. The waves were wonderful and the water was perfect. It was such a nice diversion. On our hike back to the city, my friend Toi decided that he and I should run the rest of the way, so we did. We tightened the straps on our backpacks and headed back up the valley and jogged up the side of the mountain. We got tired about half way up, so we decided to stop and enjoy the view. We ended up trying out our yoga postures on some rocks that stuck out. Everyone below said we looked graceful up there on the rocks on our eagle postures! It was a great day.