new address

for all of you who really wanted to send me things when I lived in Praia, but just never got around to it..... you have a chance to remeed yourselves.

My new address is:

Casey Maugh
ISE - Departamento de Ingles
C.P. 299 - Mindelo
Sao Vicente
Republic of Cape Verde
(Air Mail - Por Avion - Route through Boston and Portugal)

I am expecting packages and letters now that I am in my second year!

still no bags

I got a phone call yesterday morning telling me that my 3 bags had been located and would be delivered that afternoon.

Well, it's Monday and still no bags. I stayed home all day yesterday patiently waiting for my baggage, and still nothing. I am hoping I can figure out what is going on today and get the bags. I refuse to go to the airport to get them. It would cost me about $15 to get there and back! I'll keep you posted on bag-watch 2006

The long, winding road

The long and winding road

It’s been a long road to get here to Mindelo, but I’ve made it. I am finally in my new city. But before I take you through the move, I need to update you on Max.

The day before I left my old island, it was pouring down rain! I absolutely had to get Max to Sao Domingos to live with a family there. As I mentioned in a previous post, Max was on to me last time, so he was a no-show when I went to pick him up. This time, I preempted being fooled by feeding Max and keeping him out of the rain for the morning. Then I got him all excited about going in a car. I rented a Taxi instead of trying to get him on a public Hiace with 20 other people. We had our own private ride up to the countryside, through the mud and the muck! We finally arrived near our destination and because of the torrential downpour, the taxi couldn’t get us exactly to where we were headed, naturally. So, we were dropped off on a road above the neighborhood and had to hike down the side of a hill to another road and then walk a ways, but we made it. I only lost my flip flop in the mud 2 times and managed to get there with only about half of my body splattered with mud. Max greeted his new owners, a bunch of kids were at the house and he showed his teeth a few times to tell them when they were getting “too friendly” with him. Other than that, he was a perfect gentleman. He seemed to be happy. I had to leave quickly to visit my own homestay family before the big move, so I tricked him into staying in the house and ran quickly back up the ravine to the road. I prayed the whole way that Max would not cleverly figure out the way back to Praia and show up at my doorstep! He certainly didn’t make his way to Mindelo, so I seem to be in the clear!

So, I am now in Mindelo and feeling both happy and uneasy. I have been very sick for the past week, which means that I have eaten nothing but a little bread at a time, which immediately makes me hit the head. I must have gotten a really, really nasty bug in my system because on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, I felt as if I had been hit by a Mac truck. I felt like I had the flu with the worse case of diarrhea a person could have (oh, sorry, that is a very generally acceptable thing to say among volunteers and Cape Verdeans because it is SOOO common here, but I know in the states we are a little grossed out when talking about bodily functions). I have yet to recover from the diarrhea and the nausea. It’s been pretty intense. So, the fever and chills and such are gone and I’m just generally weak and shaky. I’m taking it easy in my new town.

Oh, so I am waiting for the airline to deliver my bags today since they didn’t get them to me when the plane landed. I find it hard to understand how bags don’t make it on a 40 minute flight with no layovers or transfers or anything! It’s pretty amazing. But, it’s not entirely surprising either.

My new home is very nice. It’s not the 5 minute walk from ISE that I was assured it was, but the 15/20 minutes through a not so great part of town is exciting! The house has a really nice layout. We are enjoying the two terraces, the sunroom, the spacious roof, hot water, big bedrooms, a huge living room, nice size office, and great kitchen. We don’t really have any furniture, so I am typing on my computer while sitting on the floor with the computer on top of a empty box. It works, so no problem! We’ll manage to find something to make it feel a bit more homey!

Another interesting thing has occurred. From what I have heard from people who live here, the power never goes out. It is always on, though there are some problems with a shortage of water. Well, the first morning I was here the power went out and it is out again today. I am pretty sure that the Cape Verdean government knows that I moved and is trying to torture me! I wouldn’t put it past them at this point. Okay, that’s like a conspiracy theory, which may be the illness talking.

I will take some pictures of the house and try to get them posted so that you can see what it’s like. Unfortunately, living in Mindelo means less frequent access to internet. Our school has one computer we can use, but it’s slow and I can’t do such things as upload pictures. I’ll have to go pay to use an internet café, which is why I am typing this all at home and then will run over and just post it online for you to read!

No real adventures in Mindelo to report as of yet. My new roommate got here before me and has scoped out the scene, so she’s good for info on all sorts of things. I am looking forward to a good year here and a more relaxing year too. I am taking it easier and not taking it all so seriously.

How do you get rid of a dog?

I have tried to get rid of Max, but it doesn't seem to be working. As I type, he is sitting outside of the door to the Peace Corps office just waiting for me. Here's the story....

First, I arranged for Max to live with Rhett. Then Rhett's roommate didn't want a dog.
Second, I arranged for Max to live with Rhett's homestay family in Sao Domingos. I went yesterday to get Max and take him to Sao Domingos, but he was conveniently nowhere to be found.
Then, I returned from Sao Domingos and ran by my old house to get a few things. When I got there, Max was happily waiting for my return. So, since I am now staying in a hotel across the street from the Peace Corps office, I brought him here to eat and had him stay outside.
Next, I talked to a guard who said he would take Max (his dog had recently died). I thought I was home-free at this point! This morning, I walked out of the hotel, expecting Max to be around with the guy who lives here. But, the man told me that Ze (Max's former owner) picked him up in his car this morning and told the guy that Max had a home in Sao Domingos! I had told Ze this yesterday when I went to Sao Domingos and ran into him and his wife.
Finally, this afternoon, I have to run back to my old house and who is there waiting at the door, but MAX! He returned to my house, from Ze's house!

Honestly, I just can't win. Not at all! This dog is sticking to me. I have to call Ze and figure out what the heck is going on! Goodness gracious! This is getting ridiculous.

he bit me

Max took a serious bite out of me yesterday. I have a pretty nice size bruise with 4 distinct teeth mark places. Luckily he got me through my clothes, so he didn't break the skin. Rhett is no longer taking the dog. I can't say that I blame him. His roommate doesn't want Max. His owners returned from America. He growled and snapped at them. He isn't happy. I just don't know what to do. They don't want him back, so I am stuck with him. What to do???

I'm never getting out of here

My boss just told me that I now have to stay in Praia until next Wednesday for a review of this summer's training. On Saturday the new volutneers will be sworn in as official volunteers, which will formally make me a 2nd year volunteer. Also on Saturday the new folks will be moving into my home, which means that I will have to move into a hotel until the following week when I can get out of here. The hotel has AC and hot water so I am not complaining about this at all.

Oh, I do have a house in Mindelo. According to my new boss, Dora, the house is near her home, is furnished, is close to school, has hot water, and a good roof space. I hope she is right, at this point, I am not all that sure about what things will be like when I get there. I do know that Mindelo is having its cultural festival/ theater festival now, so that will be fun! Now that my moving date has been pushed back, I'll be in Praia a bit longer, which is not all that bad. I will get to see my students once more before going and I will get to get some more work done here before I leave!

hiking in Serra Malagueta

Today I went hiking in the prettiest spot on this island! Serra Malegueta is beautiful, just look at the pictures! We went up to the Principal valley at 8 and hiked for about 4 1/2 hours. There were 12 of us, some trainees and three volunteers. It was a really, really relaxing and nice hike, which is exactly what I needed after the horrendous week I have had. I have been completely and totally stressed out. My new dog has decided that he is crazy. He jumped at me and ripped my shirt, growled and snapped at three friends, and he has just been mean in general. I have talked to a new trainee, Rhett, who will be living in my house, and he wants Max. I am debating about this issue. I'm not sure if I should give up on him so easily, but he seems to have aggression issues that I'm not prepared to deal with. I am going to speak with his former owner about him and see what I should do. Rhett wants to train him out of his behavior, and at this point I am ready to just give Max to someone who is not scared of him! I'll keep you posted on this issue. I am moving on Friday, Sept. 8th, so I will have made a decision by then. Any advice from my friendly readers is welcome!

Pictures of Max and more

My batteries are finally charged, so I have taken some shots Max. He's a pretty cute dog!

In other news...

Still no house in Mindelo and I leave in less than a week. THEN, I just went to pay my electric bill and found out that I owe about $100 for power during the two months that I was without power. It's pretty insane that the power company can completely screw you over and there is nothing to be done. Everyone here just shrugs and pays their bills, including Peace Corps. This is basically 1/3 of my salary that will now go to paying my electric bill this month. I spoke with Peace Corps, but they can't change the power company. At any rate, I have spent the past several hour being frustrated and crying because I can't seem to get anything to go right for me! I just don't believe I should have to pay for power I didn't use. Unfortunately in this country there is only 1 company running everything, so they have a monopoly and the people living here have no choice and no way to change things. Being a foreigner living here is even more frustrating because I don't understand it and cannot just be complacent with this.

In still other news, the Peace Corps transit house officially closed today. There was a house in Praia for volutneers who visit the capital or have to come in for official PC business. The transit house was a central meeting location for everyone and had a TV, videos, books, and stuff like that for volunteers. I recently started a clothing exchange program where I collect clothing from volunteers and PC staff to donate to a women's shelter. The transit house was a great location for this project because volunteers were constantly coming and going and could leave their old clothing there for my project. Unfortunately, the transit house is gone and now volutneers have no common space. We have no place to stay when we come into Praia on non-official business, which means that volutneers are expected to either pay for a hotel or ask a Praia volunteer if he/she can crash at their place, which is a burden on the Praia volunteers. It's been a pretty big debate, but ultimately Peace Corps won out and closed the house down. It's pretty sad. BUT, now when I come to Praia, I can stay in a hotel room with hot showers and air conditioner! There's always an upside to these sorts of things :)

Okay, well, enjoy the pictures and the randomness of this post!

oh, the saga continues

My Peace Corps boss came to me today with another "problem"! Apparently, my new apartment in Mindelo is no more. We are back to not having a house and I am moving in 1 week. I know that everything will work out, but seriously! My boss told me today that the contract on the house was signed and the furniture was being delivered to the house when the landlord told the guy coordinating the move, that he didn't want to rent the house any longer. GREAT. So, we're back to square one. I'll keep you posted on what is going to happen. Maybe I'll just live on the street! Who knows at this point. It's always something around here.

My last week at training

I've been participating in training the new volunteers for 8 weeks now. This will be my last week! I'm pretty excited to be finished and pretty sad to know that come this weekend, I'll not see these new friends for about 6 months. It's similar to my leaving last year, but this year, I have felt like a mentor with these kiddos! I'm older than all but 2 of them and have been here a year longer than all of them. That, in itself, means that I've spent the past eight weeks answering questions, telling stories, giving examples, setting examples, and generally enjoying my time getting to know everyone. I can honestly say that I'll really be sad to leave. BUT, as you all know, I'm moving, so I'm not TOO sad! I'm really excited for what is to come.

I'm working on a proposal for the Minister of Education this week that will, if approved, grant funding for my in-service training project. This project will have me travel to all of the high schools in the northern islands to give teaching workshops and do classroom observations. I'm really hopeful that it will go through!

Oh, one last thing. I heard today that my new house is beautiful. The guy who went to check out the house, told me that it is great. He said that a musician used to live there and it is very clean and very nice. I'm pretty excited to get there and get things set up! Okay, Max is begging me to get out of here. We just had a nice, long run and he's ready to get home for dinner (me too)!

cape verdean men are... prissy

I have been working toward this realization for quite some time now. The other night, I had to get my dog to come into the house after he got into a "tiff" with some other dogs. There were about 15 men at the bar near my house watching this all go down. When the dogs started figthing, the guard across the street jumped onto a nearby porch, another guy ran away quickly, leaving me standing there trying to get my dog to act right. Eventually, I got it straightened out, but all the men just stood by and tried to give me commentary on what I "should" do! It was ridiculous.

Then, to further my general impression that Cape Verdean men are prissy, I was in a car yesterday with all of the staff from Peace Corps who help with training, and one of the men began talking about how he grooms himself. All of the other guys got in on this and agreed that Cape Verdean men, even those who work in the farms like to be "pretty." Cape Verdean men have a reputation for being extremely machismo, which is absolutely true; however, they also at the same time are not like the overblown, testosterone driven males in America. It's just different. Cape Verdean men never fight with their hands, instead they are notorious for throwing rocks at each other!!!!!!! Crazy. I have seen one too many rock throwing fights in my year here.

This is just a general observation, of course, all men here are not like this, but MANY, MANY are!

Missing DOG!

Okay, so I know I just got Max, but I have already lost him. He's been doing well, except the other night he had a minor meltdown. I think he is starting to realize that he former owners are not going to return for him. I believe that he may have gone looking for him. Their house is not too far from mine, so I walked there today in hopes that he might be around. NO LUCK.

I really hope that I haven't lost the dog for good. He and I were getting to understand each other! I am off to try to do a more thorough search for him. I'll keep you posted on the dog search.

packing

I have only been in Cape Verde for one year! In that time, I have moved from Sao Domingos, to my first house, to the house I am currently living in. Each move, as all moves do, requires cleaning out and throwing out extraneous things. This time, I am moving to another island, so I am having to throw out just about everything. It's amazing how much stuff I have accumulated since the last move. Peace Corps paperwork and manuals alone take up a suitcase! I have just about gotten it down to a manageable amount of things for the move. I, of course, have Max, my clothes, some kitchen stuff, and my electronics. I will have to put the kitchen stuff on a boat and send it to Mindelo, and I am trying to figure out if Max can go on the plane or if he and I also must go on the 17 hour boat ride!!!! I have to work all of this out in the next 2 weeks.

Well, my dog is begging me to take pictures of him to show everyone, but unfortunately, my battery charger blew out and all my batteries are dead, so I have to buy some. It's quite a process, but I'm working on it.

On another note, the new folks found out where they are headed for the next two years. It was a pretty cool activity. We wrote their names and sites along with a proverbs on pieces of paper, then stuffed them into balloons. We threw all of the balloons at them, had them each take one and they popped a balloon, read the proverb and then announced the site to the person. It was great because they were the ones telling each other where they were going. They really liked it and we had a great time! There are some very cool people moving near me, so I'm happy. At the same time, two of the girls that I'm pretty close with will be far away, but they are both on islands that I have never visited, so it's a great excuse to visit them!

It's Sunday and I'm returning home to pack some more! I promise to get on top of the pictures!

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride! :)

My very good friend (from graduate school) Steph is marrying another one of my very good friends, Chris next fall. Yesterday, I got a package in the mail with my birthday gift from Steph. She wrote a lovely card and in the card asked me to be in her wedding! I am sooooo touched. I can't wait to share this special time with two wonderful people!

things are looking up

Yesterday my plumbing was fixed (at least temporarily)! I was soooo relieved when the guys showed up to tear up my washroom and bathroom, and after about 2 hours pumping out the "dirty" water and refinishing the flooring, things were back to normal. I am just happy that I don't have to mop up sewage from my floor any longer!

On to other things....

I just returned from training today. The trainees are settling into their normal routines, which mainly consist of attending training, complaining about everything, being bored, going to a bar after school and having a few drinks before returning home to their families. It really is similar to what was going on last year with our group. They are a good group of folks! This Saturday, they will find out where they are going to be for the next two years. I know they are all really, really anxious to find out where they will be headed. I remember just about a year ago when we found out. It is bittersweet to know that you will be headed to a different island than all of your friends. Some people will be headed to islands that are fairly isolated from the rest of the group. Some of these trainees will be sad to have to leave one another. But, I'm looking forward to moving and to finding out who will be living near me for the next year. I think that it'll be great to be living on a different island and to get to know a whole new group of people for my last year here.

I am beginning to think about packing for my move, which is quite a daunting task. I have dishes and kitchen stuff that I bought when I moved to Praia that I want to take with me; however, I'm not sure how much of it I will be able to take with me. With the dog, my things, and the house stuff, it's going to be a challenge. I'm planning on sending things on a boat and I might even go on the boat as well, but I'm not really looking forward to an 18 hour boat ride to my new home! We'll see what happens with that.

I must run to my house and make sure nothing else has gone wrong! I'll post pictures as soon as my camera decides to work properly. Without a pin drive and a crazy-acting camera, it's been quite a challenge to get things posted online! I guess a new digital camera will have to be my next big purchase!

Long time, no post!

Everyone! I am very sorry about the lengthy delay in posting. I will promise to be more on top of my writing. I have had a heck of a week, so I am now getting around to writing a bit. I'm sure that last thing you want to do is hear about it all, but that's what this blog is for, so here it is.

The lights are BACK! Finally, the power in Praia is on and consistently so. We have only lost power during the day a couple of times for several hours at a time, but that beats now power for 36-48 hours at a time. I'm extremely happy to be in the land of the lights again.

The lights are amazing, but the plumbing problem that has since developed is far from spectacular. And now that I have lights, I can actually watch as sewage rises from the drainage hole in the bathroom and floods the floor. It's extremely disgusting and I am in a constant state of cleaning it up. My former roommate made me aware of this, what was then a small problem, the day before she left. It had apparently been happening for several weeks, but I never witnessed the problem. The day before her leaving, she told me about it. Now, when you use the bathroom, any sinks in the house, or take a shower, the bathroom floor floods with the water! I called my landlord. He came to see me about it a week later. He is supposed to be coming tomorrow with a plumber to address the problem. I am just happy I will be moving from the house in 3 weeks. It's disgusting and I nearly throw up everytime I have to clean up the mess.

On a much happier note, my new dog MAX is wonderful. Max came to live with me on Monday evening, just hours after Dianne, my former roommate, left the country. I was happy to see Dianne leave and happier to see Max enter my life. Max has made me sooo happy. He is the coolest dog (except for the Jakes in my life). He is a mutt. He is cute. I promise to post a picture of him very soon. He has two different color eyes and a coat of three different colors. I took him on the Hiace up to Sao Domingos yesterday to see some friends there. He loved sticking his head out the window and checking everything out. And though he weights about 50+ pounds, he really wanted to sit on my lap! He can sit and is very obedient. He loves to play outside and will run the streets without supervision. He's a big fan of following me anywhere and everywhere that I go. He is a sweetheart and seems to get along with everyone. He's playful at times and lazy at times, which to me, makes the perfect combination. The guard across the street from my house has taken to him and so now Max sleeps on the bench across the street at night to keep the guard company. Then he comes inside for sleep and food and hangs out inside when I'm around. He's sleeping here as I type, being a good boy!

Well, that's about it from me. I'm still working with the new trainees, which has proven to be very taxing. I say that not because of the trainees themselves, but because of the staff that I work with. I am now pledging to stay as far away from the inner-workings of Peace Corps as I possibly can. It's not worth it. On the other hand, the trainees are cool and they have repeatedly told me how much they appreciate my spending my summer with them! I think that's about it from here. I promise to write more on a regular basis, Josh!

and then the rain came

And boy did it rain. It's August 1st and we finally have REAL rain. As I type this, it's still raining. At about 4:30 this morning, I shot out of bed because of an unfamiliar sound. It was pounding rain. I quickly realized that my drying clothes, were now completely, hopelessly wet. I decided to get up and take care of moving them around, then looked outside to see the city flooded. Because there is rarely ever rain in Cape Verde, the streets are not prepared for the downpours that happen in August. Currently, the streets are completely full and the cars are trying to navigate the mess. It's quite a scene. But, at least we have the rain.

Another day in paradise...

No lights. No rain. No pin drive.

That about sums up what's been going on here on my island!

No lights.
But things are looking up from what I hear. The rumor in Praia is that the new generator for the power company is here and we will see the results of this very soon. This week I got my power bill from my time without electricity and it was DOUBLE what it normal is. Geez, no power and I'm getting to pay for the power that I'm not even using. What is that about???? This is driving me crazy. I really hope they get this all resolved soon. I can't afford to pay double what I usually pay. When you are making $300 a month, a $40 power bill hurts. I know it doesn't seem like much but it's a pretty good chunk of my salary.

No rain.
I reported our first rain just last week. That was apparently the first and last rain. We have had no great waterworks come our way since. A few sprinkles here and there, but not enough to make a dent in the constant water crisis.

No pin drive.
My amazing gift for destorying or losing electronic equipment is astonishing. Recently my old pin drive quit working, so I turned to the new one my Aunt and Uncle gave me before moving here. I had only been using it for a short time when it went missing. I have not used it much since school has been out, but I know I had it last Thursday in the Peace Corps office. It is pretty difficult to survive nowadays without a pin drive since I am constantly moving from computer to computer just to try to beat the failing power.

I am pretty ready to move. I have just a few more weeks until I pack up and head North. I defintely looking forward to my life in Mindelo. I am also looking forward to the new addition to my household, MAX - the wonder dog! I get him on August 8th! I'll post some photos of him when I get them.

ghetto

I realized last night that I live in a ghetto. Having grown up in a middle class life, I guess I never really thought about what it would be like to live in a ghetto. My youth was filled with quite neighborhoods and well-dressed children playing in their grassy backyards waiting for their mothers to call them in for dinner.

Last night I was putting together some dinner with my front windows open to the street. For whatever reason, I was aware of all of the sounds that have become so familiar to me over the past year. I suddenly heard a baby screaming in the adjoining apartment, then heard the kids yelling in the street and heard their barefeet stomp across my front stoop. I listened to men arguing over the latest theory on why the electricity still hasn't returned. I heard some loud noises in the distance that could have been gun shots or fireworks (I like to believe the latter). I watched as the sun set behind the crumbling cement blocks that make up my neighbors home. Life in Praia, as in all of Cape Verde, seems so normal, so middle-class. But what I was reminded of yesterday, was how impoverised my community is. I mean, I know I live in a third world country, but it is so easy to forget when you see it everyday.

Someone recently asked me if I thought the people of Cape Verde were generally happy? I immediately said yes. But after a lengthy conversation on the subject, I'm not sure. Poverty, lack of food, shoes, and a decent home, become "normal" when you live amongst it everyday. The people around me seem satisfied with where they are, but I'm not sure they are actually happy. I am constantly both happy and amazingly saddened by what is around me. It is a difficult realization. I can't imagine two years of my efforts being nearly enough for the wonderful people I live amongst. I wish everyone could see what I see, then maybe we would be more grateful for what we have, no matter how little.

Txuba

The rain came!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOORAH for Cape Verde. It started raining on Thursday night, which was exciting... Now, it's raining pretty consistently, so I can't get my laundry to dry, but I'm not complaining. Oh, 5 weeks, no power! YEAH.

The Kindness of Strangers

This morning I was returning from my morning exercising and decided to stop into my local market to grab some yogurt and oranges. I got to the counter and needed to pay. I only had a 2000$00 bill and the store did not yet have change in the register. The man in front of me was waiting for change from his purchase, so I decided to run over and try to get some smaller bills to pay for my food. When I returned from this errand, the man was gone and the cashier told me that he had paid for my food!

This man was sooo kind to me, a person he didn't know. I am white, which in this country, automatically translates as rich. Most people would not pay for something of mine simply because I don't look poor. I was amazed that this man just helped me out! I asked the cashier to thank him for me if he ever returned to the store. This random act of kindness is what makes life rich and full. This reminded me that though I am a volunteer helping this country, I am not above being helped myself.

Thesis Defenses

The most rewarding thing I have participated in this country have been the Thesis defenses. I have had all three of my students submit their work and all three have passed or will pass soon. I am extremely proud of my three guys who stuck with it and finished ON TIME. We had 27 students commit in September to writing a thesis this year, but only 7 actually finished. All of mine and all of Dianne's. The other students will have to wait until October to defend their work.

The process of advising students on their thesis is incredibly challenging and in the end, incredibly fulfilling. I get to watch my students grow and change and learn all of the time. I had three great students who committed themselves to their projects and they succeeded. I couldn't ask for more. One of my students even earned the highest mark thus far!

Teaching, in all its forms, is an amazing gift. I am really happy I came to Cape Verde to act in this capacity for my students!

New Baby in the family

My homestay sister, Claudia, just had her first baby. Her daughter's name is Claudini Elisia, but they will call her Elisia. She's a precious baby. Claudia had to have a C section, so she had to stay in the hospital for 8 days in Praia while recovering. She and the baby are home and they are happy! She was born on July 9th!

Trainees

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m working with the new Peace Corps volunteers. They have been “in country” for about 2 weeks now. They are all settling into their family homes in Sao Domingos just as I did a year ago. I see them struggling with the language and with their new families just as I did as well. This group is a bit different than we were. First of all, there are 33 trainees, as compared to our 26. Also, 26 of the 33 are under the age of 24! That’s right... they’re YOUNG! One of the trainees is only 20 years old. She’s living in my homestay house, and she is having a rough go of it now. I think she’ll adjust to the constant screaming and carrying on (I eventually did). Well, back to the group. The oldest is 64, the youngest 20. There are only 11 guys of this group, all of which are under the age of 25. This group seems bright and enthusiastic, which I'm sure all groups do. They also have lots of language background, so they are doing very well already.

I've been working with the TEFL trainees, as we prepare them for their first teaching experience next week. They will be in the schools teaching classes for the first time. I remember my "model" school experience well, and I'm sure these new folks won't soon forget theirs.

All-in-all it's fun to be around their energy. I love the idealism and optimism that are ever-present in the first couple of weeks. I recently had two volutneers stay with me. They were supposed to be "shadowing" me in my daily life. It was fun to have them get a sense of what I do on a daily basis. They got to see a thesis defense. They also got to see my house and meet my neighbors. It was a nice experience. It was a little early in their stay here to do it, but I hope it was beneficial just the same.

Well, that's them in a nutshell. I am still meeting them and getting to know them. I am distant form them because I am a trainer this year and don't spend time outside of school hanging out with them, but from what I've seen, they are very cool, indeed.

Week 4, No Electricity

That’s right, it’s the beginning of the fourth week without electricity most of the time. We’ve been buying candles in bulk and having to do everything by the minimal light that enters our dungeon-like apartment. Actually, our apartment isn’t too bad, it’s just surrounded by other taller buildings which effectively block most good light! I can’t complain, I guess. I mean, I live in a third world country with much more severe problems than this. However, this lack of electricity has changed the buying habits of people in Praia. We aren’t buying frozen goods or fresh goods that need refrigeration. Leftovers don’t last long without power, so it’s hard to cook much of anything. Also, we can’t actually use computers or things of that nature to get our work done unless we come to the Peace Corps office where they have a generator running at all times! At least, I have connections to an energy source! Well, wish me the best without power. We’ve been losing water access more and more, so that could be the next to go! Let’s hope not. Life without water is NOT fun.

Oh! Dianne, my roommate for the past year, will be moving to America on August 6th! I’m pretty excited to be roommate free soon and to have Max, my new dog coming on the same day. Life this past year with a “senior” roommate has been a challenge. I am now looking forward to a month break before I move in with my new, younger roommate. This one, Elizabeth, is only 64!

Happy 4th of July, Happy 5th of July, and Happy 28th Birthday to me!

It is our nation's 230th birthday on the 4th. It is Cape Verde's 36th birthday on the 5th. And it is Casey Malone Maugh's 28th birthday on the 8th.

July sure is a great month. So many birthday's of significance fall in this great month. I can't believe I will be 28 years old. When you're a little kid, it's hard to imagine being in your 20's. And in your teenage years, it's hard to imagine being older than about 21 or 22. Now that I'm nearing 30, it's hard to imagine what the next 27 years will hold for me. I've had a fantastic 27 years, so I expect the next to be great too. I do know that this past year in Cape Verde has truly been one of the most rewarding and challenging experiences of my life. I also can guarantee that this next year will be equally as rewarding and challenging. I only hope that in my next year here in Cape Verde that I can make even more strides to improve this country and improve my own life. I think it's going to be good!

For all of you readers who have been dying to send me things, now is your chance. If you haven't sent anything yet, don't worry, I'll accept belated gifts TOO! Just kidding. I know that my birthday here will be very low key, but I think that's a good thing. I'll have time to reflect on what it means to be a year older.

Electricity Problems

We have been without electricity for 5 days now.

Well, not fully without power, but for at least 12 hours a day, we've not had power. The unfortunately part is that we have been granted power during the sleeping hours of the night! Those folks at the electric company are pretty smart because they know that noone is using power late at night because they are ASLEEP! Interestingly enough, the power company leaves the power on while the World Cup games are on. For example, yesterday the power was out until about 10 mintues after the Portugal v. England game. Just when Portugal won and EVERYONE was going NUTS, they shut the whole entire city down. The lights remained off until about 11pm, and then came on until noon today. It's totally crazy and people are starting to freak out. The argument being that if Cape Verde is trying to become an internationally recognized country, then they need to get the power situation straightened out. Commerce cannot go on if people cannot run their businesses, keep their products cold, and safety is a concern when the lights are down. On the other islands, power is not an issue. Because Santiago is the biggest island and has far more people than the others, power is a problem in the summertime.

AHHH! Well, I think my roommate is about to have a breakdown because she can't use her computer and all of our food is going bad. I decided to come to Peace Corps because they have a generator and I can use the internet! GOOD DEAL! Oh, also it's hotter than Hades here and my house is a sweatbox. The fans don't work without power, so it pretty much sucks to live on the bottom floor with no venhilation. ANYWAY, I live in a 3rd world country in Africa, things could be worse! I'm keeping it postive! :)

One YEAR!!!

This past week has been quite interesting. From 9 until 5 everyday, I have been sitting in a room with 40 other people setting up the schedule for the 33 new volunteers coming to Cape Verde on July 6th and 7th. This planning session at times seemed endless, but in the end, we came together to produce a pretty good 9-week training program for these new folks. I am happy to be a part of the staff this summer that will help the volunteers get an idea of what service here is like.

One of the interesting parts of this training week was that much of it was presented in Creole. This truly tested the speaking abilities of the volunteers as we struggled to keep up and participate in the conversation. I am happy to realize that my listening and speaking skills are pretty good and that my colleagues have also improved incredibly since last year. It will be interesting to see these new faces, trying to figure it all out just like we did! I can't believe it's been a YEAR this week since I made my way to this beautiful place! I can't wait to see what the next year holds for me in Mindelo. I get to start anew and continue to learn and grow here. What a great life I'm having!

pictures of me!

My mom always says that I should post more photos of me! So, here are a few. Well, they're not great, but they're of me! These were from last weekend at my friend Alli's house. The first is of Alli and me and the second of David and me.

We're losing volunteers right and left

I think that volunteers must have a summer itch. In the past two weeks we have lost 4 volunteers, two who wanted to leave and two who did not. (two volunteer were medically separated from the PC over the past two weeks). This puts us at 16 of the 26 we began with in July. We have lost many good volunteers for many different reasons. I just wanted to write about this phenomenon as I struggle to figure out why people leave, how people handle being in another country, and as I approach the 1 year mark of my life here in Cape Verde. It's crazy to think that 10 volunteers have left this beautiful country. Beauty fades quickly and volunteers must be happy with their lives and work to remain so far from what is familiar.

I often have a hard time understanding why people leave because I have been happy with my experiences here. I can't imagine having to make the decision to leave after investing yourself in this country. I have a feeling that another volunteer will be leaving soon, and again, I am sad. I hope they find what they are looking for after this experience.

We have a group of 32 volutneers coming in just over two weeks! I know they are both scared and excited imaging what will be. I only hope they find a country as interesting and welcoming as I have.

Pictures from Santo Antao

Here are two more pictures from my trip to Santo Antao. It's just beautiful and when YOU come visit, you can see it in person.

Also, I mentioned in the previous post that my friend David's videocamera was recovered. A few days after I left, the police found his computer and speakers as well. They recovered all of his possessions that were stolen from his home 2 months ago. Come to find out, they had been stolen by his 12 year old neighbor, who had a key to David's apartment. He had a key because one night he was locked out of his home and David let him spend the night in his spare bedroom. During the night, the boy found a spare key and kept it for several months until the house was empty for the weekend!!!!

Oh, also, July 8th will mark my 28th birthday! I can't believe it either. But, I will be alone here in Cape Verde so anyone who would like to email me on that day would be a SAINT. At least the new volunteers will be here, so I can sucker them into being nice to me!!!!!

my vacation

I just returned from a wonderful 10 day trip to Sao Vicente. It was a great time to get away and just relax. My friend David took me up to the top of Monte Verde, where it was both cold and cloudy. We couldn't see much, but we met an older couple who fed us and hung out with us for a while before giving us a ride back down to the bottom of the mountain. They were really generous and very sweet. Come to find out they live very near David's house, so I ended up seeing them just about every day after that. When I move to Sao Vicente, I'll already know a couple of people!

We looked a some apartments while I was there. It was hard to find places, and we spent a lot of time just walking around chasing leads. Finally, I got to visit a place that David had already checked out before my arrival. It is beautiful. The apartment is on the 3rd floor, has built in closets, 3 bedroom, and 2 bathrooms. The roof has a view of the entire city. It's an amazing place, but might be in a questionable location. I am passing on the details to PC and they will make the decision about safety. In the meantime, David is checking out some more places for me.

On Thursday, after being in Mindelo nearly a week, we headed to the neighboring island of Santo Antao to visit the city of Paul. Paul is a 45 minute boat ride followed by a 2 hour car ride from Mindelo, but boy is it worth it. I have posted a picture here for you to see... A fellow volutneer was nice enough to take us in for the weekend and give us a great tour of the place. We went to school with Alli for her last day of classes, then we rode up to the mouth of the ribera. This is one of the most beautiful places I've been. And as most of you know, I've been a lot of places... This is an amazing island, and it is nothing like the other islands. It's crazy how different each site is. It's what makes traveling here so interesting. When ANYONE decides to come visit me, you'll get to see this place too, I promise!

Well, on an interesting note, when David and I were returning on the boat from Santo Antao, we were talking about when his house was robbed. He lost everything, including a video camera. We were saying it would be likely that the camera would show up at an upcoming music festival on Sao Vicente this summer. Just as we were finished with this conversation, David saw a guy with a camera bag that looked oddly familiar. He asked the guy if he could check out his camera because his was stolen some months ago and he was curious. SURE ENOUGH, it was his camera. David took the guy to the police station where they are holding the camera. The guy with the camera on the boat turned out to have "borrowed" it from a friend. Now they friend has to come talk to the cops, but David will get his camera back. Also, the guy on the boat turned out to be the "famous" Cape Verdean rap star, Mo Green. Weird world.

Alright, I'll try to write and post more from my adventures soon.

I'm moving again

No, I'm not changing houses again. I have been asked to move to the island of Sao Vicente, one of the northern islands in September. There is a branch campus of ISE in the city of Mindelo that has requested 2 volutneers. These two volutneers would be teaching and working on helping the English department become stronger. My coordinator at ISE recently visited the Mindelo campus and upon return asked me to move there. I am SOOOOO excited. This is a great opportunity for me to really work on getting our sister department working as well as we do here in Praia. I am also excited about living in a new town, speaking a different Creole, and meeting new people. This is a rare treat to get to change sites in the middle of service, so I feel very blessed. I will be helping with training this summer, and then afterward, I will be moving to Mindelo for my last year of service. I just hope I can do a great job there. I've been told that I probably won't be teaching, rather I will be coordinating workshops for inservice training and assessing the needs of the department and working with the teachers there to make a difference. I am absolutely, completely, totally thrilled. Oh, and I'm headed to Mindelo this week, on Friday, for vacation to check out the school and find a place to live!!!!!!!!!

The other exciting news is that I am getting a dog, Max. My friend and co-worker, Deanna, just left for the states today for 3 months. She will be having her first child there with her family. Her husband will be headed to the states in August and they would like me to take their dog. They feel that having the dog and the baby will be difficult. Deanna chose me to take the dog because she knows I'm an animal lover! I just can't stand to see such a cool dog without a home. Max is an awesome dog. He's fun and playful and he's loyal and sweet. I think it'll be just perfect. I will be getting him August 6th, so I have a little time to prepare for this adventure. A new dog, a new island, a new job.... so many changes and they're all WONDERFUL.

Good morning

This morning was a VERY good morning. After a restless night's sleep and an early beginning, I was walking to the Peace Corps office. In my foggy state, I walked my normal trek through my neighborhood. Two little girls were just in front of me, dressed in their blue smocks (all children in primary school wear cute little smocks to school). One of the little girls turned around and waved at me. I immediately looked behind me because I thought she was waving at someone else, but no one was there. Her friend headed off in the direction of another school and she and I crossed the street and met up. She said hello to me and asked me in portuguese if I was a teacher. I told her, in Creole, that I was a teacher at ISE. We chatted a bit longer, then she crossed the road and said "txau." I crossed the road a little farther up and we met again. This time, we chatted about how old she was. I told her I was an American. I also told her that her Portuguese was very good. She said she learned it in school. Then just before she turned off to go to her school, she looked up and said I was "Linda." I thanked her because "linda" is Portuguese for pretty. I was very flattered. I told her she was pretty too. She smiled and thanked me. I told her as she veered toward the schoolyard, to have a great day and to study hard. She was one of those children who acted very mature with me. She tried to speak her best Portuguese thinking that I too spoke the language. It was a great wake up call. It absolutely made my whole day. So, this is bound to be a great week! Happy Monday!

My weekend

It was quite an eventful weekend. If you are one of my parents, grandparents, or just people who don’t want to know what a dangerous world I live in, please do not read any further…

So, again, it was quite an eventful weekend. On Saturday I went to visit some friends in Sao Domingos. My friend Adi made a bet with a couple of other volunteers that she could drink 1 gallon of milk within 1 hour without throwing it back up. According to lore, this is an impossible feat. Apparently no one has been able to do this, it is physically impossible for the body to do such a thing. Well, Adi, being the adventurous spirit that she is and unwilling to turn down a good bet, took on the challenge. As she was consuming her first liter of milk, people began running down the streets and screaming. Some friends were already outside and witnessed a crazy accident. In Sao Domingos, there is a pretty sharp turn near one end of town. Many cars drive very quickly on this part of the road because it is newly paved. Unfortunately, on Saturday, a pick up truck didn’t slow down enough and bounced from one side of the retaining wall to the next, then flipped over. As this happened, the young child in the back of the truck flew out. The father who was driving jumped from the car shortly after it flipped, then the other child in the passenger seat was pulled from the vehicle. Amazingly, no one was hurt. The truck was flipped over and was drivable even with a completely crushed roof. Even more dramatic than there being no injuries were the people of Sao Domingos. You see, in Cape Verde when something bad happens, everyone runs to see it. Women immediately being “wailing.” This is a very traditional, loud, crying that people do when someone dies. The women of Cape Verde will wail in this sort of instance too, even before they know what has happened. They just see an accident and the wailing begins. We knew no one was dead in this particular accident because the wailing stopped after about 5 minutes. Along with the wailing were all the people present for this accident. Children were running up to the over-turned truck trying to get a look. People didn’t seem to mind that the truck could have exploded or could have turned over further. No one worried about neck or spine injuries. They just dragged the people out of the car. Things are certainly different here. But I am happy to report that the police heard the wailing and made it to the scene of the accident in record time (for Cape Verde).

Speaking of police officers….. On Sunday I was on the bus in a busy part of town and all of the traffic stopped. Then I heard a girl on the street yell “sta guera” (it’s a war). Just as she said that and began running toward a crowd of people who had gathered in the street, a gun shot rang out. I looked up and saw a guy running away from the crowd followed by a police officer running with a gun in hand pointed at the other guy. Just as I saw the cop, he shot again at the man. Also, he was shooting at this man on the street with lots of people around. It was crazy, and done with complete disregard of those other pedestrians. The two men turned a corner, so I have no idea what happened next, but I was completely shocked. This is the very first time in my life that I’ve seen another human being fire a gun at someone else. I certainly don’t ever want to be that close again. Being that I was on a bus, I should have felt safe, except that a few weeks ago, some men in a car threw rocks at a moving bus and stopped the bus, a man got off the bus and the men shot him. Praia is getting more and more dangerous all the time. I’m not sure what’s going on in this town, but I am staying inside for a while……

A final faculty meeting

Monday night was our final faculty meeting. We had it at my house and I cooked some good ole' red beans and rice for my fellow colleagues. The food was good, the conversation was good, and the plans for the future are looking bright.

We discussed some of our frustrations and successes over the past year. Looking back, the frustrations were few and the successes tremendous. Deanna, our department coordinator commented on the difference in our department over the last 3 years. When Deanna first arrived at ISE, there had been no graduates of our department, there had not been a successful student teaching program in years, and the teaching staff was not stable. Today, we have a wonderful teaching staff, a fully functioning program, and nearly 25 students scheduled to graduate this summer. It's amazing to think that so much progress has happened in a short amount of time.

I believe that ISE, in particular, our department, have a great future ahead of them. I am happy that I don't feel needed here. I am glad to see that committed people are working with me and that those with a commitment are sticking around to see what happens next. It's an exciting time here at ISE, and just as the summer kicks off, I am thankful to have made it nearly one year in this country doing something so important.

Training of the new volunteers will begin at the beginning of July, making me an official 2nd year volunteer. It will be my turn to help with training the new volunteers. I'll get to see what I must have been like last year at this time! I'm looking forward to all that is to come. I can't believe I've been living in Africa for a year, it's gone by so quickly.....

a moment of bliss

This memorial day weekend I will be house-sitting! A woman who works at the US embassy has asked me if I'd like to stay in her home while she takes a vacation to Sal.

This morning I went over to her house for a quick tour and do's and don'ts of the place. She has a pantry the size of my bed room that is filled with American foods! She has a washing machine and a dryer, which I will be using to wash every piece of clothing I own. My clothes are always handwashed very poorly by me, so this will be a chance to get them clean and the dryer will hopefully shrink some of the stretched out clothes too! Other than that, she has about 46 verdandas that overlook the ocean. She has an entire third floor devoted to "entertainment" including DVD player, big TV, and the works. Finally, and most important to yours truly, she has hot water.... and AC!

This woman is a saint. Knowing that Peace Corps volunteers are poor and need some comfort every now and again, she asked me to stay in her house! God bless her. Really.

For anyone who has considered working in the foreign service.... DO IT! The foreign diplomats from the states get hooked up! They all have awesome homes, they have generators, hot water, AC, secruity guards, and cars. AND, they get to live in foreign countries and see the world. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me. If you are unsure what to next with your life, consider taking the foreign service exam and traveling abroad!

Lunch at ISE

The lunch at ISE is great. For 150 escudos, the school serves rice, a vegetable or salad, and some kind of meat or beans. There are a couple of meals that I just can't seem to get into: iska, mao de vaca, and tripe. I'm just not that big a fan of organ meat, as I may have mentioned previously on my blog.

On Thursday, I was at ISE all day long, so I decided to eat. I always ask what they are serving before committing to anything just in case it's one of the above three things. Well, on Thursday, I asked the man who works there what it was (surprisingly at that moment, no one was eating in the cantina, so I couldn't check out people's plates). He said it was "perna de vaca ku arroz e grao." So I thought, "yes, I'd love some leg of the cow with rice and chickpeas." As it turns out, perna de vaca is actually mao de vaca, cow hoof!!! YUCK! So, I get my plate with lots of rice, potatoes, chickpeas, and a cow hoof. I looked down only to regret not having a better grasp of the portuguese language. You see, what happened I was thinking in Creole, while the man was speaking in Portuguese! Nice mistake! Next time, I'll be more inquisitive!

Well, I didn't end up eating the hoof, although, many, many Cape Verdeans think it's just wonderful. They fry the hoof, they boil it, and they grill it. The little meat that is on it is supposed to be really great, but I haven't gotten up the courage to try it. The peas, potatoes, and rice were top notch, however! Just another day in paradise folks!

Education

I was at a faculty meeting the other day. We’ve been having our faculty meetings at people’s houses, which means that we get to visit with each other, eat good food, and get some business done in a less formal setting. It’s been really, really nice.

This particular faculty meeting was at a woman’s condo right on the ocean. It was really nice. It was new and had all the amenities, including a swimming pool and underground parking garage. Pretty swanky. This woman is pretty amazing. She is Cape Verdean; she got her Master’s degree in England; she was the president of ISE for 4 years; and she is the owner of the English Language Institute here. She is a wealth of information, so the meeting at her house was really inspiring.

I learned while we were there her perspective on education in Cape Verde. We were discussing the student teachers who had just finished their student teaching. We were talking about which students did well and which needed more work. This teacher began reflecting on the teaching history in this country. She pointed out that having education in a country is different than instruction. She said this in reference to the school popping up throughout the countries without qualified teachers. The teachers in this country are not required to have a college education to teach, so often times, the teachers are under qualified, especially in remote areas where teachers are hard to find. The point is that while Cape Verde is finding money to build schools, they simply have teachers who are instructing students, rather than actually educating them. Until we have more teachers graduate from ISE, we won’t have qualified teachers in the remote areas teaching students.
This whole concept of hiring teachers without proper educations seems foreign, but at the same time, I am reminded constantly of why I’m here. I have 3 students finishing their senior thesis projects. They each will graduate this year, adding to the pool of qualified, educated, dedicated teachers in this country! It’s pretty exciting when you think about the fact that I am training teachers….I mean, I know that’s what I’ve been doing the whole time, but for some reason, the other day, I was struck with this notion and understand more than ever why I’m here.

Bafatada

Bafatada in Creole means to slap.

A couple of evenings ago I was leaving the PC office on my usual walk home. Just outside the office three little kids were standing there. Two of the boys, who were about 9 years old were in a fight. But this was the kind of fight were neither boy really wants to hit the other and they are just dancing around taking fake swings at each other. It was pretty funny to watch. I noticed that the kids also had a big pile of clothing that they had clearly stolen from people at the beach. As I was walking I saw one of the house guards come out and pretend to walk past the boys. Just as he approached the boys, he turned and slapped on of them upside the back of his head. At this point I was laughing because the whole situation was hilarious. The guard then smacked the other kid as he was trying to run away. The third kid was long gone by this point. The guard quickly picked up the pile of clothes as the boys were rubbing the back of their heads in disbelief. With the stolen clothes in hand and boys shoes and shirts, the guard went back inside the gate from which he came and locked the boys out. They realized what happened and were yelling at the guard to give their clothes back. He didn't respond and just stood behind the gate laughing at the boys.

It was one of the funniest things I've seen in a while. Those little boys totally desrved to be reprimanded for what they did and for acting stupid in the middle of the street. I really appreciate the way that adults teach children lessons here. In the states, you couldn't really get away with smacking someone else's kid around, but here, it's done for the common good. I hope those little boys got a lesson that day that they won't forget. I know I won't forget what happened!

Holidays!

I know that in the U.S. we so infrequently get days off that they are treasured days of relaxation. In Cape Verde, I've come to dislike their love for holidays. They totally screw up my class schedule. This semester I am only teaching on Mondays and Fridays, which are exactly when the holidays fall. We began school in March, we just had a week off for Easter, then just last Monday was Labor Day, then next Friday will be some other holiday, which is a big festival in Praia (which I won't go to because foreigners are prime crime targets at these kind of things). This means that I'll miss another day with my students! Great. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to have days off, but so many days off gets annoying when you only teach 2 days a week and the days you teach are inevitably holiday days!

Please, everyone feel very sorry for me because I hardly ever have to actually work! I know, I know, my life is sooooo hard. Really, it's tragic!

student teaching

Much like in the US, students in Cape Verde must participate in student teaching in order to get their Bachelor's degree in a teaching field. In our English department at ISE, the students have been student teaching for a couple of months. The strange thing about student teaching in CV is that nearly all of the 20 something students are already teachers in high schools on the island. So basically we are working with them on teaching and how to do it well, but most of them are as good as we are. I have several students who have been teaching in high schools for 5 or 6 years. This means that we are giving them a grade on a skill they have been steadily improving upon for quite some time.

Being an advisor for this process is great and really inspiring because I know Cape Verde English teachers are good. They are meant to be in the classroom and they all want to be in the classroom teaching English. The best part is that teaching is not a last option here; it's a first option. Teaching is prestigious and valued. It's been a great experience, but I am happy that this semester is winding down! June 9th will be my last day of classes, and I'm not complaining one bit about it!

A gathering of English teachers

Saturday was a great day for English teachers in Cape Verde. It was the first gathering of English teachers to discuss the formation of a national english teacher's association. My roommate, Dianne coordinated the conference along with 11 other Cape Verdean colleagues. They were able to get money to fly in the English coordinator from each high school in the country. They also flew in a guest speaker, Mr. Abadou Abese Sow from Dakar. Abese is the president and one of the founders of the national english teacher's organization in Senegal. He spoke to us about the importance of an association and motivated the high school English teachers to really move on getting a recognized group formed. We had lots of speakers, including the president of ISE, the American ambassador, and the Secretary of State of education for the country. People seemed genuinely inspired and interested in holding another conference soon.

It was so nice to see so many teachers come together to help themselves. I was inspired by their commitment to change and their forward thinking. It was a great day. We had a great conference, great food, and we even sang a song together - "the more we get together, the happier we'll be"!!!!!!

It was amazing. This country is great. I am so appreciative that I could do things to help the confrence run smoothly. I feel like I was able to participate in something that will really change the lives of teachers in this country!

wedding photos

Sorry it's taken so long to post this. I have been trying to get pictures to upload for weeks! Here they are now!

Morgan and Holly are finally married. We worked hard and played hard over the wedding weekend in Destin, Florida! Everything was absolutely beautiful. I am posting there now and will put more up when I get them. I am soooo proud to have a new sister. I know Morgan is happy and that makes me happy. The two honeymooned in Jamaica. Now they are back to the real world. Morgan has a new job with Pfizer and will be spending time between Mississippi and Pennsylvania while he is in training.

The pictures turned out wonderfully. It was definitely a magazine wedding. The boys were straight out of J.Crew and the bridesmaids dresses were just perfect for the outdoor wedding. I'm just posting a bunch of pictures, so enjoy! They all turned out beautifully. The colors were just perfect. The day was just perfect in every way!

Sal at Easter

The pictures are: David and me, Nick and me, and Nick and David

Ever year on Good Friday, I head up to Purvis, MS, to spend the weekend with my family and friends. This year, I missed my favorite celebration, which I was pretty sad about. Well, I was sad until Thursday night when my friends Nick and David convinced me to fly to Sal (another island) for Easter. Even though it was last minute, I said "what the heck" and hopped on a plane Good Friday to enjoy a weekend with two of my favorite people.

David and Nick are the kind of guys who make you laugh even when you don't want to. They are the kind of friends who let you know they care about you all the time. They're just great guys. I got to spend my weekend relaxing. On Friday, we had some beers and dinner then got to hang out at Nick's just goofing off. Saturday we made our way to Santa Maria. The beaches there were amazingly beautiful. The water was perfect too. It was a little too cold to get in for me, but Nick decided to try it out! I wish I had some pictures of the beach, but I was afraid that my camera would get stolen, so I left it at home. I have some other pictures of the boys that I'll put up soon.

On Saturday night, I cooked my famous enchiladas. This was quite a process because I had to hand make the tortillas first, which takes some time. But, David and Nick helped with everything, so it wasn't so bad. HOWEVER, a couple of hurdles occurred as we were cooking. First, I was cooking some brownies. This isn't a problem, except the glass window in the front of the oven fell out of place, letting out all of the heat. So, I decide to try to cover it with cardboard. Then, I decide that this would work fine, except the brownie wasn't cooking at all. As I'm trying to figure out what to do, the gas stops. GREAT! Gas tank is empty. Nick and David have to carry the tank to get a new one. Then they have to bring the newer, heavier one back. Okay, mission accomplished and while they were gone, the oven cools down enough to repair the fallen glass. When David returns, he and I use pliers, knives, and teamwork to pull the glass back into place. After about 30 minutes, we were back on track. At any rate, we finally got to eat dinner at about 9:30. I'm pretty sure that my enchiladas were a hit. The boys ate several at dinner, more after we returned from our night out clubbing, and then the rest for lunch the following day! I'd call that a satisfying meal.

So, by Sunday, we were pretty worn out from the events of the previous day. This led to a rather uneventful Sunday, which was nice. We finally made it out of the house for a spaghetti dinner at about 8 at night on Easter. Monday morning came too fast. David had to leave before 8, which was super sad. I had a few more hours with my boy Nick, and then I too headed to the airport with a few other volunteers who were visiting the island and Robert (Nick's roommate).

It was a perfect weekend with two great people. I'll try to post a few photos from the weekend soon. Txau, ti logo.

Poverty

Sometimes in my daily life here in Cape Verde, I'm able to forget that I live in a very poor country. I mean, people go to school. Some people have cars and nice houses. People dress nicely even if they don't have money. In my daily walking to and from places, I tend to see the beauty of the people and the land. However, today, I was caught off guard. I saw something that made me uncomfortable and reminded me of where I am. I saw a little boy standing next to a dumpster. As I approached him, another younger boy was inside the dumpster. This little boy was handing his friend a half full bottle of water that he had found in the dumpster. And it wasn't enough that the children were resorting to this kind of scavenging, but they were doing it right in front of one of the ambassador's homes. This sharp contrast between wealthy and poor saddened me as I walked along the road. I watched the children as they continued to retrieve things from the filthiness of the dumpster, and I wanted to cry. These children need help. The kind of help that other countries should be giving. Unfortunately, the only help these children were getting today was the trash from an ambassador. I am reminded, just as I forget, that there is a reason I am in this country.

Ulisses

A student, a wonderful, sweet, smart, kind, interested student lost his father yesterday. Ulisses' father died of a sudden heart attack yesterday morning. I am overwhelmed by this information. Ulisses came to class today and told me what happened. I asked him if he would like to go home, but he said he'd rather be at school today. He was in shock and barely able to hold it together. It is so hard to comfort and console someone when such a major loss has occurred for them. Capeverdeans want to be with people when someone dies. They like to have large crowds of people around them, making them feel comforted. This society cares about community and togetherness. Ulisses is so special to me that I hate to see him in pain. I hate to think of him as he suffers. I plan to visit his home today with the other second year students. Although I have reservations about showing up at his home, it is the Capeverdean thing to do. And as I learn how to live as a Capeverdean, I do things that remove me from my comfort zone in order to make others feel more comfortable.

Theater

When you think about 3rd world countries, you probably don't think about great theater. That's fair enough, I don't really equate Cape Verde with excellent theater either. However, this past weekend I went to an excellent play at the national auditorium. It was about the history of Creole in Cape Verde.

First, the play began during the times of Slavery. The "Master" spoke in Portuguese and the slaves in Creole. It was pretty cool. As history progressed, Creole advanced. There was a part of the play where a local performance group danced and sang on stage. It was amazing. To watch the history of the country on stage was incredible. I was so impressed by the creativity of people who have so little. They are able to do an unbelievable amount with what they have.

Oh! I was sitting just behind the President of the country, Pedro Pires. He just walked in and sat right in front of me and talked to everyone. This is just slightly different than G.W. walking into a place! People were just saying hello and little kids were playing around him. It is soooo different here than in the states!!!!!!!!!!!!!! txau.

Cape Verde, again for the first time

Being back in Cape Verde after 6 weeks away has been different than I ever could have imagined. I got off the plane after 24 hours of traveling only to smell the ocean breeze, again for the first time. I returned to my home only to find dust everywhere, as usual. I walked through my neighborhood and all of the old feelings of familiarity were different. When I left, after 7 months here, I felt as if I blended in with my surroundings (even if others still noticed me). Now, I feel like people are again staring at the American girl. I feel conspicuous in a way that I forgot about. Also, Cape Verdeans have no problem telling you that you have gained a little weight. I was sitting on a couch for a month, so I gained maybe 5 pounds and everyone is pointing it out! Thanks folks. But here, it's a compliment, not a critique. When you are heavier, you are healthier. I understand that in theory, but hearing it stinks. I also have lost my swiftness with the language. I mean, I still understand and can communicate, but I forget words that I know I knew before I left! It's a little frustrating, but I'll be back in tip top shape before you know it.

The best part of being back so far was going to class this morning at 7:30. My wonderful students threw me a surprise party today. They made cake, pastels, and quiche. It was excellent. They made me big signs that said "We missed you, casey" and "We love you, Casey." It was soooo wonderful. They gave me presents and lots of hugs. I have a student, Alice, who made me 3 peices of "renda." Renda is very intricate knitting. The Cape Verdean women sell these for quite a bit of money because they are elaborate. These renda are similar to lace and they are to be placed on coffee tables and dining tables, as lace is in the states. A long time ago, Alice wrote in an essay that she makes renda. I told her that I wanted to buy some of her renda to remember CV. Today, she gave me it as a gift. I was so moved. The three peices she made are georgeous. They are elaborately made with flower shapes and they are yellow! I love them!

This has been a special return made wonderful by my friends, colleagues, and students. I am so blessed.

Going back

I want to post quickly to let everyone know that I will be returning to CV on Monday morning at 11:30. I'm out of here a little sooner than I had anticipated, but I'm happy to be returning to my friends and work in CV! Sorry, I don't have a lot of time. I'm off to Morgan's wedding this weekend!

Cape Verde... I'm headed home

I have just been cleared to return to my wonderful life in Cape Verde. I met with the surgeon yesterday, and he has given me the thumbs up to go back. I cannot express just how happy I am to know for certain that I will be returning. I am also with a heavy heart to again have to leave my home in Mississippi. I love the South, my family, and friends, and after seeing what remains after Katrina, it is that much harder to leave. I only hope that the hurricanes steer clear of this area in the upcoming season so that everyone has time to rebuild and recover in peace.

For Garber!

This is a short post for my good friend Josh Garber! He will be married soon... in the Virgin Islands. I'm not sure how Sheila, his fiance, is able to put up with him, but it seems to be working out well for them! Josh, I hope you're happy that I gave you a shout out on my blog! Stay in touch.... buddy.

This is the only picture of Josh I have on my computer! He only dresses like this when he goes to his Sig Ep fraternity meetings!

Recovery

Two weeks post surgery, I'm getting around really well. Last Tuesday I had an appointment with my surgeon. He told me that I had a cyst in front of the broken bone. The cyst was benign and the bone was "dying." But, that's all been removed, so I guess this means that I'll be up and running in no time! Now that I'm getting up and moving around, things are looking up. I'll get my stitches out tomorrow, which will help with my walking.

On a different note, the day before yesterday, I took a ride down the beach, past my old house. The house is going to be knocked down this week. It was surreal to go there. I saw my old home completely destroyed. The windows were all broken, the house had big holes in it where the water crashed through. Most of the other houses on the beach are gone, which is impossibly difficult to see. Our bridge is tattered and unusable. I have yet to make it to Biloxi to see the beach there, which I hear is even worse. But really only worse because all of the historic buildings are gone. Visiting friends and family who are living after the storm has been strange. People who used to live in wonderful homes are now living in FEMA trailers. People are living in their old homes without kitchens, alongside racoons and birds who have taken over the house. People are so amazingly resilient. They have survived the actual storm and are now dealing with the storm that remains. It's just so insane being here now. In so many ways, I wish I could have been here when this all happened. Though I've loved my life in Cape Verde, I feel as if I could have helped more here than there.

hand dryers versus paper towels

Based on a recent comment on my blog, I did a little research. It seems that there are varying opinions on which is more environmentally friendly, paper towels or electric hand dryers. While paper towels kill trees, the electric hand dryer uses energy. It seems to me that killing trees is a bigger problem than using energy. First, electricity if it currently is not, will eventually be from renewable resources. A paper towel's source (a tree) is non-renewable. Secondly, people generally use more than the needed amount of paper towels to dry their hands. Thirdly, someone must ensure that the paper towels are constantly available.

So, in my opinion, paper towels are wasteful. There is no clear consensus on this issue, so it is not true that paper towels are more "friendly" than hand dryers. I would just like to make this clear for the record that I choose to use the hand dryers because I believe that technology is both more effective now and will be even more so in the future when our energy sources are renewable. ALSO, people should get used to using hand dryers and limit their use of paper products. :)

someone is a jerk

someone is consistantly posting mean/rude/unnecessary things on my blog. The following are comments that I consider such:

Tuesday, February 14th 2006 - FYI: hand dryers use more energy/ resources than paper towels.

Monday, January 23rd 2006 - life is hard sometimes - you'll deal.

Tuesday, September 27th 2005 - fortunately, your person wasn't *devastated.*

I sure wish that whoever is posting these comments would at least sign his/her name. It would be nice to know who would write such things to me. I was telling a friend of mine about these and he said I was being overly sensitive. That may be so, but I still wish the person would leave a signature!

AMERICA

Geez! I'm in America. Let me tell you that I am in culture shock. First, I got onto my flight in Cape Verde at 4 a.m. I was the only person to board the plane that had come from South Africa. After they got my one peice of luggage on the plane and I was seated, we headed for Atlanta. I rarely see television, so when I got on the plane and had my own TV, I was interested in watching new movies. So, I started a movie and fell asleep in about 1.2 seconds. I slept until we were about 2 hours away from Atlanta. I woke up, started to watch another movie, then the plane landed with about 2 minutes left in the film, so I missed the final scene! GREAT!

Real culture shock set in when I got to the Atlanta airport. First, everyone was speaking English. Second, everyone is FAT in America. Third, there are more restaraunts than necessary in the A terminal of the Atlanta airport, thus the overabundance of overweight people. Fourth, I could flush the toilet paper down the toilet. Fifth, there were actually paper towels in the bath rooms to dry your hands and more than that, there was actually running water. I, of course, used the hand dryers because I don't believe in wasting paper, but I digress. Let's see, next I sat in the DC airport and listened to the news about the winter storm on CNN and about Cheney shooting his hunting partner in the face! What an idiot.

Sidenote about Dick Cheney: You mean to tell me that this man is responsible for running our country? Now I know I want to get back to Cape Verde - and fast! I mean, I even took hunter's saftey in junior high and know enough to always know where your hunting partner is at all times. Sounds like a conspiracy to me. I can hear it now, "Hey Bill, let's go hunting together." "Sounds good Dick, see you in the morning." "Oh, Bill why don't you head over there and stir up some quail for me to shoot." "If you say so Dick, you're the Vice President after all, so I trust you." Next thing you know, Dick shot the poor guy in the face and he didn't even die, which I'm sure wasn't calculated into the plan.

Returning to my story of culture shock. I got into a cab after landing safely in DC an hour late. I got to my hotel room! I got to watch some television last night. Thank goodness there were great programs like the Bachelor: Paris on! I went to the grocery store and just stared at everything. I had an almost impossible time deciding what to buy. I finally got a pre-made ceasar's salad and some grapes and called it quits. In Cape Verde, if you want bread, you just get the one loaf that's there. If you want cheese, there's only one kind (if they have it at all). In America, they have 500 of each thing. It's ridiculous. So, after my mildly successful trip to the grocery store and after spending an hour just walking around and looking at everything, I got back to my room.

I finally got to shower. A nice warm shower was wonderful. Even better than that were the washers and dryers in our hotel. Even though I had to pay about a million dollars to use them, my clothes are SUPER CLEAN. Hand washing sucks and it doesn't get your clothes all that clean (espcially the way I do it, I am too lazy to scrub). The dryer was heavenly! My clothes all shrank back to their proper sizes! It was awesome. My jeans actually fit again, mostly! It was excellent!

Now I'm at the Peace Corps office where I can make free phone calls to anyone in the US. SO, send me an email with your number if you want me to call you. You can also call me at the Virginian Suites hotel. The number there is (703)522-9600. Just ask for me at the front desk. I meet with the specialist today at 1:00 to decide my Peace Corps fate! Once I know more about that, I'll post again! Txau!

A poem from a student

I have a student, Jose Luis, who turned in a writing assignment the other day. This assignment was meant to be a reflection of a Maya Angelou poem. Instead of writing about the poem, Jose Luis wrote a poem about me. I decided to post it here so that you could see what great, amazing students I have.

Everyday in my life I wonder
Who you are,
Who passed next to my door
And instead of knocking on it,
Just broke in.
You came slowly and mighty;
You talked, you sang, you taught;
You went and your words,
Remained, untouchable and unfinishable
But things you did, songs you sangs and sounds
you produced were soft, careless, and pleasant
I enjoyed finding out things through you;
I entrinsically motivated myself;
I found out wyself,
How important I am;
Receiving your patience and your dedication.
Everything you did was creating
Conditions and a sense of tolerance.
I want to take your blessing
And if it is possible
Give it to me while it is in time
Because your example is a good way
to be followed and also it si one of your treasures.
Takind serious the admiration you cause
Gives me the courage to say that
Someone created you and have lost the shape forever.
You are one of a kind!

Jose Luis followed this kind poem with these words:

Instead of writing a short essay about the poem you gave us, I made you a poem. For your dedication, the admiration I have for you as a teacher, as a woman, as a friend, as a human being.

Thoughts on going home after 7 months away

Before I type my "actual" post, let me note that as I type this email in our library at school, a cow is outside of my window staring at me. This cow has somehow found its way into the school yard and is just checking out what is happening inside!

Okay, now the real post...

I mentioned in an earlier post that I am both excited and nervous about going home after 7 months. This anxiety about going home is compounded by my feelings about what is left of my hometown and the surrounding areas. Yesterday my father, who for those of you who do not know him or know of him, is a Methodist minister in Vancleave, Mississippi, sent out a short piece that he wrote for a journal. His reflections on what happened days after the storm were amazing. Not having been there when Katrina hit or in the aftermath of the storm, I don't quite have a sense of how much has changed. Reading my father's words made me cry. It made me reflect on the reality of his world. It also prepared me for what is to come as I return after 7 months in Africa. It won't be the differences between Cape Verde and the US that will be shocking, it will be the "new" Mississippi that will be the hardest to see.

Here is a copy of my father's reflections for you to read:

In the days after Katrina I found myself wandering around the church property assessing what needed to be done to protect the buildings and to make life as livable as possible. The vent turbines had blown off the parsonage and I immediately used some shingles that had been stored in the shed to patch the holes. I was aware that many of the shingles were missing over the Sunday school classrooms and began to ponder the best plan to protect the classrooms. As I began formulating a plan, I passed my time raking the yard around the parsonage, pulling large limbs away from the house in an effort to reclaim part of the yard.
In the first days of the storm the phones did not work, even the cell phones were of no use in communicating with the outside world. I felt isolated and afraid. I say ‘afraid’ but it was more of an uneasy feeling that I needed to do something. I could not voice what needed to be done it was just a haunting feeling that persisted as I tried to do what I could to make a difference in my life. While working I would take a break occasionally and return to the house. Each time I was always aware that my sister-in-law, who was staying with us, would be glued to her battery powered portable television. I’d glance over her shoulder and hear snippets of the reporters saying that New Orleans was flooded and Pass Christian, Bay Saint Louis and other towns of the Gulf Coast no longer existed. My mind would not let me comprehend what I was hearing. I would feel the tears welling inside of me. I quickly went back to work thinking that I could do nothing to change the pain and suffering of friends and family that lived in the towns apparently now destroyed. I thought if I stayed busy everything would work out.
It rained on the Wednesday after the storm and the roof over the Sunday school classrooms had not been attended to and there was leaking. Thursday morning I was determined to “dry in” the roof. I needed to protect the space that we use to teach our children about Jesus. I had called one of my sons to help me. I intended to cover the roof with visqueen and son, Nathan, agreed to come and help. As I climbed on the roof I realized the damage to the roof was so widespread that the visqueen would not be an effective way to repair the roof. I knew from past experience that the plastic would leak, the wind would tear it and we would continually fight to keep the roof from leaking. It was at that moment that I decided to patch the roof with shingles. It would be harder and take longer, but would last. I went to town with Nathan, we purchased the materials, and over the next couple of days we patched the church roof. My brother-in-law spent a day helping us and after a few days we had finished.
The whole time I worked on the roof, I thought about the storm and the people affected. My wife, Celeste, continued to ask, “Larry, what can we do to help the people?” Celeste was sure we needed to do something and soon! On the last day of the roof repair, as I climbed down the ladder, it came to me. I knew what I had to do to help the people of the Coast. I met Celeste on the sidewalk that connects our house with the church and said to her, “We are going to house mission teams!” How did I discern the direction of my help? God’s Spirit gave me a vision, one that I could not deny, nor ignore. I was called to house those who would come to help. Making it possible for them to help restore the broken lives of our neighbors. I have never had a clearer vision or call than the one I received that day. If I had looked at all the things I did not have and needed to house people I would have given up on that day. We did not have what we needed to be successful. There were no showers, beds, linens, or pillows. We didn’t have the food we would need to feed them or the staff to run such an operation. We began anyway, with a handful of church members who responded with positive affirmations when we shared the vision with them. Each time a need was lifted to God in prayer, God answered.
We have been in ministry for five months now and as I watch the mission teams come I see that God’s will is to be in relationship with all of God’s people helping neighbors and sharing God’s love. This ministry of housing and caring for volunteer work teams has been a challenge, but a challenge that God has met time and again. We have learned much from the over 1,000 people we have housed here in Vancleave. Each of them came as a response to God’s call. Each came offering his or her self as a living sacrifice to God. The ministry has not been about rebuilding houses, but one of offering hope to people who hurt, people who need to know that God still exists in the hearts of others. The people of Vancleave, Mississippi are doing just that as we partner with the world. Thanks be to God.

My new house...again

I've moved...again. House #2 is great, except for the lack of hot water. The showering with cold water leaves much to be desired. I have to heat a bucket of water just like I used to do when I lived in Sao Domingos! I can't wait to get to DC to take a long hot shower (but I probably won't enjoy it because I'll feel guilty for leaving on the water and using up all the energy).

Other perks in house #2... It is much, much, much quieter than the former house. We have much better lighting than in the former house. My room is WAY bigger than in the former house. I have a new desk. We don't have ants invading our kitchen at the new house. Our friends that lived in the house before us left all of their kitchen supplies, so we have great utensils, bowls, pots and pans! This new house seems to be much safer than house #1, which is the whole reason we moved in the first place.

Things seem to be working out for the best. I've already found a great market near our house and we have several really good restaraunts in our neighborhood. I can't complain, except about the mosquitos, which kept me up last night as they were feasting on my arms while I slept.... Oh well. I can deal with a few pesky bugs. Things are working out well....even if I am leaving for a while.

Vistors

Over the New Year break, two volunteers from Senegal came to Cape Verde. Jenn and Dave flew into Praia and got to visit our little island. This past week, two other Senegalese Volunteers, Courtney and Karly, visited us as well. These visits were a great opportunity for me to hang out with people from an entirely different Peace Corps experience than my own. They live in mud huts in the hottest parts of Africa and work on farms. It's pretty different than living in an apartment in a capital city. The best part about their visit was that it made me realize how much I absolutely love what I am doing. Telling others about your life and introducing visitors to my world here was wonderful. I was able to have each pair of visitors have Sunday lunch with me at my homestay family's home. It was great for them to see how Cape Verdeans live and eat the food that is indigineous to this part of Africa.

Having visitors come see where you live makes you realize how much you love (or hate in some cases) where you are stationed. As you all know from previous blog entries, I love where I live. I love my life here and am so happy to be in Cape Verde. I will be flying out of here on February 12th, and I will miss this place terribly while I am away.