The Cape Verde Chronicles Part 3

Today I continue on with more fun memoirs from my time in West Africa on the beautiful islands of Cape Verde. Dated from August 7th, 2000. "The weather here is warm and hot with high amounts of humidity.  Parts of me are sweating that I didn't know could sweat!!!  My rear end for example!!  Sorry, but it is really gross sometimes.  No amount of cold showering can help me!  I feel moist like a brownie.  I have several more funny incidents to share.  We crammed into a yatz(a small mini van).  A woman with a bowl of dead fish sat next to me.  Of course it would be me!!  For two hours, we drove across the island to the sea village known as Tarrafal.  I plugged my nose and tried to focus my attention elsewere.  We reached the interesting town known as Assomada and saw a huge market in the cobblestone streets.    I'm stuck next to the fish lady while my friends are in the back chatting it up.  In typical Kreesh fashion, I wanted to share with everyone in the van what I was seeing outside my window.  A little girl carried a dead fleshy goat on top of her head.....blood and flies all over the place....in a moment of pure joy, I shouted to my friends, "Look!!"  They all turned their heads and several almost became sick.  I sat back and smiled next to my fish lady friend.  It was worth it. To combat the smells(my family has super sensitive noses), I had to create a fantasy world from going crazy. (This is where I fine tuned my skills in sarcasm:).  I came up with several plug in scents for my house.  There was Praia Morning(dust, dirty diapers, human feces), Praia Rain (fresh rain mixed with urine) and Ass-omada.." Sadly my inventions never made it and the line was discontinued.  If you've never experienced this stuff, it can all be a little overwhelming:)

My English class in Sao Domingos, Santiago

Dated August 8th, 2000.  "Okay...you have been hearing about this place called Cape Verde and you probably get this impression that it's maybe a little like hell......I mean my clothes are sticking to my body right now....however what you don't know is that this place is very exciting also....I went to Tarrafal the other day and witnessed some things you don't see everyday like sea turtles on the beach....tidepools, in my flip flops of course, where I saw octopus, sea urchins, crabs, and even the occasional shark off in the distance.  Of course that moment was shattered the minute I saw a kid grab an octopus out of the water and bite straight into its head.  I'm not making this stuff up people."

"Head, shoulder, knees, and toes.  Knees and toes."

Written August 24th, 2000.  "Things here are okay....and I will tell you that things are meant to happen for reasons.....above and beyond my control.....But as a very dear friend puts it.....you are where you are.  Yesterday I received that letter which told me about what site I'll be serving for the next two years of my life.  I will be leaving for the island of Sal.....this was the island I least wanted because it looks like Mars.  Just dunes, sand, and more dunes!  Peace Corps is sending me because they need a strong teacher to deal with the students there. When I found out, I locked myself in my room and cried. No plants. No gardening. No water! Just sand.... Perhaps life is just about what is thrown at you.  For the first time, I wish I didn't have the qualifications to be placed on this island.  But I remember why I joined and understand that I need to give it a chance.  It does have the best beaches and tourism is at an all time high here.  Everything I am as a person is now challenged.  How will I do it all?  I've got to go.  My training is complete. They're kicking me off this island."

The Cape Verde Chronicles Part 2

My journey continues in the beautiful country of Cape Verde. Here is another letter dated July 31st, 2000. "As I type to you now, a cockroach has left my keyboard....um....this is actually quite gross.....no I haven't changed.....things are quite nasty here at times.....but they are also just as fascinating.....sometimes I want to scream and other times I just smile.  The other day I was walking in Tira Chapeo(a place to throw the hat)....a very poor neighborhood in Praia.....it was like watching those shows with the skinny kids and seeing flies all over the place....and on their faces....people living in VERY poor conditions....I went through my first culture shock.  We walked these streets that were very narrow and dusty....I found the bone of a human mandible with teeth still intact on the ground.....there was a smell that overpowered me at times......and there are moments when I almost lose my lunch.  Streets are lined with trash and there are areas where humans just used the bathroom right on the sidewalk.....which includes number 2 if you know what I mean....and I walked with my sandals through it all.....To make it worse, I see pigs eating the diapers off the road. Here garbage is thrown everywhere! I suppose this is good for me to see, but it challenges me more than I want to admit to others.....because I need to be the strong one. Yet we pass a home where a dead man lies on his bed with his loved ones surrounding him before they put him into the simple wooden casket and carry his body to sea.  A man without legs scoots out from his home on only his arms.  It shocks me.  In Cape Verde, the disease is chopped off instead of treated.  The treatment is too expensive. Eventually we end up at a home where women gather.....and it reminds me of why I am here.  The stories.  The adventures.  The knowledge of existing in a world so foreign to me outside of my comfort zone.

Making cachupa

I love this place....weird as it sounds...there is something here that is very alluring.....and it happens with a simple random act of song.  Boy can they sing here!  We're sitting around the table.....the women started to clap....then pound on the table....then both.....there was laughing and happiness....and then they broke into an incredible dance of song with rhythm so unique to the area.  I witnessed an authentic West African dance! and one of the most amazing things I had ever seen......it was a great way to end that trip to the neighborhood.  Well the best was in the shower afterwards as I washed the dirt and smells off my body. 

Pedro Badeixo

My host father, from Senegal(and very French) pulls out this beautiful lobster for a snack.....and I look at it as it looks at me.....you all know how difficult this is for me.  I am not a fish person. I might be able to eat this lobster, but it's looking at me and I want to run into the other room.....I just don't want to be rude.  So I stay.  He breaks the lobster open and all this stuff gushes out....right there.....I want to throw up....but I stay and begin eating it with him.  I have traveled all over the hispanic world without incident, but nothing prepares me for this experience.   At first, it is actually good....the tail part and the claws....but then he doesn't stop.  He goes for the lobster brains and I start getting sick.....and I forced myself to eat this chilled delicacy and dip it in the sauce.  I gagged and almost lost it at the table so I politely excuse myself to the bathroom where I brush my teeth.

In my house, there is a mouse......he is my good luck charm and there is a huge millipede walking around at night by my bed and I scream as I almost step on it.......This is going to take some getting to used to....

Last night I had a magical moment.....it was in the city of Cidadi Velha(the Old City)....it was a small town along the ocean....old cobblestone streets.....and sugar cane.....coconut trees.....bananas.....and coffee!  A tiny area surround by a lush landscape!!!  I was in heaven.  And there is a wonderful breeze to move the air.....live music on the street.  Two canoes on the ocean with candles lighting the way with the sparkling night sky above us......it was indeed a moment and one that makes me smile. 

Well enough of this chatter.....I hope you are all well....all my love.  Kreesh"

Lol!!  What a wimp I was!!  That's why getting older is great!  It's hard to reprint some of this stuff, but it helps me understand why I have a higher tolerance for things.  This past summer in Panama, my friend went through these same feelings during our stay at the turtle conservation program. I now understand why I was patient about it all:)  When we leave our comfort zones, we are tested by facing those unknown challenges.  We can either learn from them or run back to our security. Either way, it's a learning experience.  More adventures to come.....

The Cape Verde Chronicles Part 1

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, a young man changed forever. He had a lot of growing up to do. There would be no going back after that change. And if it hadn't been for those experiences, he may not be where he is today or treasure the little things in life that we all take for granted. Here are the lost letters I found while digging through several boxes. My mother kept all of my emails and printed them off. This week I kick off a series called the Cape Verde Chronicles. Eleven years later, I share with you some of my younger thoughts about West Africa and the tiny island nation of Cape Verde.....

My host family in Praia

Letter written on July 24th, 2000
"Hi there!!!

Well the world amazes me sometimes.....I am here fine....and I will have a phone down the road.....I will let you know.....we have to rent the internet by the hour....it's like 2 dollars here to do it....and everyone and their mother wants to use it.

I love it here and it is very pretty in some areas....but it's definitely 3rd world....and very much polluted....it's weird....I'm not having culture shock because it reminds me of Mexico.....however the language is a struggle from time to time but my Spanish has been very very helpful....the little Portuguese I know has been made stronger by the people conversing with me....it's very very hot here and the islands are little more than bare rocks in the middle of nowhere....after 9 weeks here I will know which island I will be going to and hopefully speaking the languages almost fluently......

I have met wonderful people here and I have also met several crack pots....and I wondered how they got into the Peace Corps....they have been slowly phased out during our training due to stress.....and there is stress.....but I live for this stuff.....I am very happy and very content to be here......when we landed I became excited by this new chapter in my life. 

The school I would teach at

Well it's not exactly the Hilton here and the food is something to be desired....you know how much I hate fish.....well, I haven't eaten any of it so my dietary choices are very limited....n ka gosta peix!....yuck!  I have eaten ants in my rice.....I didn't think they saw those little guys there while they were boiling the rice.....um....it's just very different.....I don't really look forward to dinner time here, but I do love this stuff called cachupa.

We went to the beach yesterday and it was weird to see naked people swimming.....people would just jump off the cliff butt naked.....I wish I could be that free with my own body.

We have school almost everyday and everyday I am with 29 other people which is a little overwhelming at times......because I am used to the quiet and privacy of my own world.....but there are some very special people in this group that I can see turning into lifetime friends.....

There are 2 islands that everyone wants to live on....Sao Antao....the greenest and prettiest island of them all and Sao Vicente.....it has a very beautiful city known as Mindelo which holds the best carnaval and it is said to be the "least African" of all the islands with a lot of European and Portuguese traditions left behind....My wish is Sao Antao because the island has plants and I miss them here. I am going through a withdrawal of gardening.

Well I'll be back and emailing again at this internet cafe in Praia.....all my love to everyone.......Kreesh, my new adopted name on the islands. "

Looking back on all of this, I smile.   I did a lot of growing up in that space of time.  I didn't end up on the greenest of islands but instead....the driest!  More tales this week....

Cape Verde

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Me and my Peace Corps buddy

Tarrafal

Teaching in Sao DomingosCidade VelhaThe foraPedro Badejo

During the beginning of the millenium, I left the US and joined the Peace Corps in Cape Verde to teach English and help train others in the teaching profession.  A lot of things happened there that  made me grow up and become the person I am today.  There was a day that just clicked for me and everything became clear and challenged everything I had done in my life.  It was one of  those singular moments of clarity that lead me to where I am today. I remember it....painting my bedroom walls and listening to Melanie C on my boombox:)  We don't have many of those in life, but when they happen, we must act on them or sacrifice the person we are meant to become.  My first was in Mexico, my second was in Prescott, AZ, and my third was in Cape Verde....and I think it was my last:) They all relate to profession, family, and place.  Cape Verde was about place and hobbies. It was here that my love for gardening started to grow. So on this hot, steamy, cloudy, monsoon day....I thought I would talk a bit about the beautiful islands known as Cape Verde off the coast of West Africa.

In my previous blogs, I wrote about gardening with my family in Wisconsin, growing potted plants at school, and now this is the account of how I started a garden at my home in Cape Verde on the island of Sal. One of the things that I discovered moving to the islands was the need for having great vegetables.  The islands had avocado, some eggplant, green beans, and that was about it. Cape Verde is a network of about 9 main islands.  They were occupied by Portugal and released in 1975 to declare their independance. These islands suffered from severe deforestation and soil run off into the ocean resulting in starvation and desert conditions on mostly all the islands. The people  had used  up their finite resources which is a familiar tale across the world...just look at Haiti as the leader of that particular issue. Cape Verde had become almost inhospitable to live and many thousands of people fled the country  to the main continent of Africa, Europe,  and the East Coast of the United States.  Today you will see neighborhoods of Cape Verdeans around the Boston and Baltimore areas.

My first day arriving to the island of Sal, I discovered how different this island was from the rest.  It was like moving to Mars or what I would imagine to be Mars:)  It was nothing but dunes and beautiful blue beaches. Coming from the Bay area, it was quite a shock to my system.  How can people live on an island without trees or gardens? I realized that without plants, life was somehow less and that I craved the presence of them in my life.  Apparently, I wasn't the only one who valued plant life on the island.  At that time, plants were expensive to purchase and good soil was hard to come by....but it was possible:)  The ground was hard and inhospitable so plants would have to be in pots.  I became real familiar with the "ice plant".  On the islands of Boa Vista, Maio, and Sal you will find a lot of dunes and very few palm oasis. There are plants, but not many...and the ones you see are cherished by the locals and migratory birds on their stop to the African continent.

We left Sal and took a hopper flight over to Santiago, the main island where agriculture happened.  It was also there that we discovered that the University of Arizona was helping the country repopulate their forests with mainly mesquite trees.  It was like walking back into Tucson again as xeroscape and sun friendly plants were grown.  We spent a whole day in the center of the island listening to the goals.  I sometimes question the dangers of introducing non native trees, plants, and animals into an area, but there was logic in the plan.  Precious soil used on the island was getting washed out into the ocean because there weren't trees there to stop the soil erosion.  Today you can see the success of the program on the islands and how is has helped increase their production of crops.  If you travel to the main island of Santiago, which is a real treat, you should visit the "fora" or countryside village of Sao Domingos.   During this time, most of the farming took place in the washes where the rain would collect....and they grew everything from bananas, avocados, mangos....but they did it in a different way than most.....everything was just tossed into the tight ravine wash area and to me, it was a very bizarre and unorganized way to farm...but it was the only space they had to use.  In several of the pictures above, you will see me standing on top of a cliff and in the background below , you will see the "strip" of green in the washes where the farmers worked. 

When I needed to get my "green" on, I went to the city of Cidade Velha (the old city).  It seemed that on the island of Santiago, there was one sacred place that trees and other plants were not affected by the devastation or plant massacre.  Here you will see some lovely spaces where you can relax by the beach and drink a cold bottle of Sagres(a Portuguese beer).

It's not to say that Cape Verde was completely void of plant life, but it was noticable in many areas.  While progress has been slow on the islands, it is happening and the Cape Verde I knew then is probably a whole new creature today offering its' yearly thousands of European visitors beautiful beaches and an escape from mainland.

I was eventually moved to the desert island of Sal where my hunger for good vegetables began.  There was a limited supply of fresh produce and so the only way of having a variety was to grow them myself.  I saved my Peace Corps stipend and bought blocks of cement to line our courtyard with homemade planters.  There weren't any garden seeds around so my mother and grandmother sent me a package of them from the States.  I purchased my soil, planted my seeds and began my adventures in my own little peace of heaven.  I battled catepillars and slugs everyday, but it was rewarding.  It also made me realize how important plants were and fueled a passion I didn't know I had and so began my gardening adventures.  Sometimes you don't realize how important things are until they are absent from your life.  Happy gardening!!