Carnaval (click on the photos to make them bigger)

It's been a while since Carnaval so I'll try my best to recount the details. I am posting lots of pictures, so that should help to convey the full effect of the week!

My friends began to arrive on the Thursday before Carnaval. My friend Steph, a volunteer from Maio, was the first to arrive. I hadn't seen her since training, so it was wonderful to get to be with her. The other volunteers began to roll in the following day and we went for the usual dinner of pizza and beer. We spent time touring the city and preparing our Carnaval costumes. You see, in Mindelo, everyone dresses up for this event. They dress up more like Halloween than anything else I can think of. I decided just to wear all black and buy a feathered mask. You'll see me in a group in one of the photos with my mask.

Carnaval begins on Friday evening and lasts until Tuesday night. During this time there are kids

parades during the day and adult things at night. On Monday night, Samba Tropical, the largest carnaval crew has its parade. This consists mainly of groups of women dancing in elaborate costumes. Elizabeth decided to participate, so you will see a photo of her in her costume. These parades wind through the city several times and then everyone heads to a party. We went to the party after Samba Tropical's parade, which was at a local hotel. It was packed. You'll see a photo of everyone at the party. It was insane. People were just packed in. We had a blast.

Finally, on Tuesday, there is a HUGE parade through the city with elaborate floats. There is no candy throwing like in America, but the costumes and dancing is amazing. There were also men dressed like African warriors and the mud men, which you will see in photos here too!

Carnaval was quite an experience. I'll never forget it and am so glad I moved to Mindelo for the best carnaval in Cape Verde!

Sorry.....

I know it has been forever since I wrote. My former roommate Jill told me that it wasn't clear whether I ever made it back to Cape Verde.

Well, I am back. I returned on a Wednesday, had my first guests for Carnaval arrive on Thursday night, of which there were about 10 total. They stayed until the following Wednesday. My friend Brian arrived at 7 am on Thursday and he just left this morning. I am exhausted but also sad that I am now officially out of company and back to life as usual. However, I only have a couple of months left, so I plan to enjoy them fully. I just found out a few days ago that I have to go to Praia both next weekend and two weeks after that. So, I'll be quite busy with traveling again very soon!

I will post the many pictures I have as soon as I get that organized. I will also fill you in on the craziness of carnaval and the wonderful time I spent with Brian. Bri, if you are reading this, I miss you already and it's only been 4 hours!

headed back

After two weeks at home, I am heading back to Cape Verde. I am currently sitting in the Boston airport waiting around for the plane to arrive. We have been told that the flight will be coming in about an hour and a half late, so we will be leaving about 2+ hours late. That just means that I have lots of time in the airport! It also means that I will miss my corning connection back to my island, but there are frequent planes, so I should be able to get back home eventually.

Being in the states again was great. Seeing my family and friends was amazing. At the same time, it is sstrange to be back. People are so different in the U.S. Everyone is so busy and so consumed by their own lives. I felt as if I were constantly on the go and constantly in a car headed to the next place. In Cape Verde, life is slow-paced and we walk to our next destination, making the traveling as peaceful as the getting there. The sense of frustration that everyone has over the War in Iraq is also overwhelming. Nearly everyday I heard about Iraq and our involvement in the war. The mixed emotions concerning our troops and our staying there are heartbreaking. I can't and haven't agreed with our presence in Iraq, so now I felt as if my feelings were even stronger on the subject. And the obesity issue in our country is worse than ever. I saw the attempts at teaching kids to be healthy and encouraging parents to do the right thing. I sure hope that this epidemic begins to turn around. When I look around me in the airport, I see overweight children and adults. Parents feeding their kids pringles and cookies. We have got to get a hold on our health and our ideas about what a healthy lifestyle includes. It's getting out of control!

I was also home to experience the media hype surrounding the death of Anna Nicole Smith. Wow, we are completely obsessed over famous people. Someone must let me know when they find out how she died and who her baby's daddy is! In other media news, I got to watch 2 episodes of Grey's Anatomy. But now I have no clue what will happen to Meredith now that she fell into the water! And that creepy little girl, what's the deal?? Fill me in! Finally, I saw Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. Seriously, could he be more boring? I am all about saving our planet from the damaging effects of global warming. A movie like this is simply confirming what I know and giving me statistics to prove it. BUT, Al Gore could be the most boring human on the planet, right after Ben Stein. And even Ben Stein proved more dynamic when he had his own game show! Oh, I was so glad to see a bit of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Political satire is worth its weight in gold. I just wish I were around for all of the campaigning that has just begun. There will be so much material for the comics to run with!

So, my trip home was good and made me think a lot about America and what it means to be an American. I have another several months in Cape Verde, and I plan to enjoy every moment. I am excited to get back to my life there!

it's over

Okay, after two days of interviewing... it's over! It was great. I have no idea if I'll get the job, but at least the interview part is through. I must say that I was NOT once nervous or intimidated by the process. I have never felt more comfortable in what is supposed to be an uncomfortable situation. Everyone went out of their way to be kind and thoughtful. They all were just wonderful. I'd be so lucky to work at USM. I realized while I was there that this would be just an incredible opportunity if offered.

I found out that the senior faculty have all been on staff for about 26-17 years. Then they didn't hire for 17 years because no one left. Then they hired Eura, a colleague from Penn State 2 years ago, then another new guy last year, so they are just getting new blood in the department. Every single person I interviewed with, the faculty and the deans, said they came to USM 20+ years ago and didn't intend to stay. They are all still around, and they all assured me that it was a great place to work!

We'll see. They have one more candidate after me on Tuesday and Wed. then they'll make a decision. I know I have the support of Dr. Erickson, the rhetoric professor, but other than that, I have no clue. He just told me that he was all for me! So, I'll keep you posted.

A great project that needs your support

Hi all! YOu know that my friend Brian is visiting at the end of February. He has decided to create a project to help out students in Cape Verde. I am posting his letter here. PLEASE, PLEASE help out with this project. It would mean the world to me and to the students here. I am so proud of Bri for getting this together and being so thoughtful about his trip to Cape Verde.


Family, Friends & Colleagues!

Many of you know, and some of you may not, but I am traveling to Cape Verde, Africa in less than a month. I am visiting a friend who has served through the Peace Corps over there for a year and a half. Her mission has been teaching local teachers the English language. The schools in Cape Verde are under-funded and often lack even the basic supplies of paper, pencils and pens. This is the reason for the mass email to all my family, friends and colleagues. I am collecting money to buy school/office supplies to donate to the schools and classrooms my friend’s students will be teaching in.

My original plan was to collect office supplies, and/or buy them through cash/gift card donations. I was going to take what I bought and carry them along in an extra piece of luggage. Well because of airline restrictions, and other logistical nightmares, this plan has been scrapped. So I’m moving on to Plan B! Plan B is collecting cash or checks, which I can wire to my friend in Cape Verde before I travel over there. Then once I’m over there, she and I will go shopping for as much supplies as your donations will buy. This actually has the added benefit of putting money into the local economy. So not only would your donations be helping the schools and classrooms of Cape Verde, but the shop owners and their families too!

So I’m asking your help with Plan B. If everyone I know just donated $5, then I could really provide the students there with a wonderful gift. I have no idea how much money I can raise, but I’m shooting for around $500. If you are around town, I’m asking you give me a shout and donate just a little bit. (I’ll come to you if need be!) If you are farther away, maybe you can mail me cash, or a check made out to me that I can cash. You can mail donations to:

Brian Nelson
582 Central Ave.
Dover, NH 03820

I leave February 21, so I actually have very little time to collect donations. I’m actually hoping to have all the donations in by February 15 so I have time to wire the money to my friend (I don’t want to travel with lots of cash).

Please do this and thank you a head of time.

Brian

be jealous of me

You should all be very jealous of me. I spent my weekend at the beach. The sun was shining more than usual. The water was perfect and everyone was out at the beach. I got to get a little tan and do some swimming. It was a great weekend. Don't you all wish you were here??? Well, you can fly out to visit... anytime. Except for the next two weeks, I'll be in the states. Oh, about that, I ended up getting the flight moved back a week, so now I get to enjoy my time at home for 2 weeks! YEAH ME! Well, please call me when I am in the states... 228 - 875-8586. I'd be thrilled to hear from anyone and everyone! I leave in the morning, so wish me happy travels.

thoughts and prayers

Today I received an email about a fellow volunteer whose brother passed away. Holly, a teacher at ISE in Praia, who lives in my old house, just found out that her brother, who was 36 died of unknown causes. I just spoke with her and she said that he was in perfect health and expecting his first child on March 7th! She is in complete shock. My heart goes out to her and her family. I cannot imagine losing a brother. Please keep Holly in your heart as she makes the long trip home to be with her family.

Flights!

I have had my ticket to the U.S. for quite some time now. Yesterday I received an email from a friend in the states who is on the same return flight as me. He said that TACV (the airline) had contacted him to let him know that the flight back to Cape Verde had been moved up a day. WAIT, WHAT? No one called me to let me know! I mean seriously, who moves a once a week flight up one day? And, I have never known a Cape Verdean to do anything ahead of time. This is unbelievable. So, now I have one less day with my family and friends. I was only visiting for 9 days including 2 days of travel, now I'm down to 8! How ridiculous! You know, it's always something.

Distorted

My friend Darrell has this cute little Mac that has a tiny little camera in it. So, you can take picutres of yourself or make videos of yourself while at the computer. One other feature is called picturebooth or something like that and you can take pictures and distort them like a funhouse mirror! Here are some shots of my friend Caryn and me.

Christmas Party pictures

These are pictures of my students, friends, and fellow faculty at my Christmas party!

new phone number

Hello all!

I just got a cell phone, so the new number is: 011 238 986 7996

Our old number still works, so you can call there too.

Milton

My maid has the most adorable son in the world. Milton comes with her some days and he and I always play and draw and hang out. When I have to leave for work he always gets super sad and tells me that he will miss me! He is such a doll. He is nearly impossible to understand because he sounds exactly like a telletubby. I am learning his language, so I am able to communicate with him a bit better! I printed this photo out and framed it for his mom! She just loved it.

Thanksgiving picture

I got this great photo from my mom recently. I thought you all would like to see my family!

Pictures of my city

Here are some photos of Mindelo.

Waiting...

I mentioned in a previous blog that all of the volutneers planned to go to Praia for a meeting, but that we were instead stuck in Mindelo. And when 12 PC volutneers are gathered together in the same house waiting for word from PC about what we are to do, there is only one thing that we CAN do... have a three day party! Here are some photos to show you the series of events.

1.) we showed up at the house to find 3 of our friends waiting on the doorstep eating, playing guitar, and drinking.

2.) we cook dinner and the dancing begins.

3.) later in the night Steve gets the lifejacket out. We were supposed to go on the boat, so we all had our lifejackets ready. Without a boat trip, Steve needed to get at least some use out of his jacket.

4.)Night one ended with a friend getting a little sick in my bed. As you can see, Steve and Tiffany decided to cheer her on. I think that puke and rally is meant for the same person rather than having your friends rally while you puke!

On the stoop

One day I was hanging out with Darrell outside of his apartment complex. He and David have an incredibly great neighborhood community who hang out together on Friday afternoons and play soccer and just talk and play music. I definitely do not have such a community in my area, so it's nice to feel a part of theirs.

AIDS contest

Here are some photos from the World AIDS day project that we did here in Mindelo! You can see the ceremony, the contestants, the winners, and then David, Darrell, and myself with two of our friends from the area, Christina and Katerine. Christina is a former PC volunteer who is now living in Mindelo working on her dissertation. Katerine is from Austria. She just moved back there but she was volunteering here for a while.

Sunday hike to the volcano

Last Sunday we went hiking to an old volcano and then on to a beach. The crater of the volcano was really cool. You could go down into it and there was just sand in the bottom. All of the volcanic rock was really neat and made it look like we were on the moon. The area was barren with no greenery anywhere. You can see in the pictures the volcano from a distance. Then the inside of the volcano, the crater.

After the volcano, we hiked out toward the water where we found some really amazing shells, which you can see in one of the pictures. The waves were crashing on the rocks and it was dawn when we got there. The light was just coming through the clouds and higlighted some rock formations, which you can also see. We encountered this really cool rock formation too! It's the orangish rock that you can see here. The five of us rested in a cave-like area for a while. Then we found some tide pools with different corals. We also came across a lot of beds of sea salt! I gathered some up and am drying it out. Cape Verde's islands produce a ton of salt, so you can buy sea salt in any store. They usually have a bucket of it that you can get some from for your cooking.

After our hiking was over, we went to two different restaurants. The first was Serenata, and we just had a beer and relaxed. We will definitely be going back there for dinner and to listen to some live music. I told my friends that when Brian comes, we will go back. The second place we visited was this cute little place with moray eel! We had some fried eel and another drink and just enjoyed the day. The moray was amazing. I've had it in Cape Verde many times and it is always wonderful.

Some of my friends

These are just a couple of pictures of me and my friends. One is with a work colleague Aldina! She's great; her family invited me to have Christmas dinner with them, which was wonderful. The other is of me and Olivia, the daughter of my Cape Verdean aunt here in Sao Vicente. Olivia does not have use of her lower limbs, so she is a very special child. She is amazing and we always play Barbies together! The other picture is of my friend Carlos (Caio). He is a great person who I have grown very close to since moving here. He is from the island of Brava and promises to take me to visit his island this summer! I can't wait. Brava is the smallest island and has tons of beautiful flowers! I think the photos are in reverse order, but you'll figure it out!