Alei li ta bai

The last few weeks have been such a whirlwind, and in just over a week we will be sworn in as volunteers! I can’t believe how quickly time has flown. Seems like just yesterday I got here, and yet I feel as though I’ve been here for much longer than 7 weeks. I’m really going to miss my mai and how helpful she has been. And I will so miss my neighbors and my beautiful green mountainside! At the same time, I am very ready to live on my own (well, with a roommate) and get integrated into my new community in São Nicolau.

I’ve had some really fun and moving adventures lately, so I thought I’d share a couple of highlights…

On Saturday, I actually experienced “monda” for the first time. I figured out that “monda” means hoeing, and is a very labor-intensive process that can last for days depending on the size of the land. While I didn’t actually help, I did help my prima to bring food for the monda-ers. It was fun to bring them some joy and rest in the middle of the day, but the path to get there was quite a challenge. I’ve learned that Cape Verdean definitions of “not far” and “not too long” are very different than my own definitions so I’ll have to keep that in mind next time I offer to help carry food to an indefinite location and for an indefinite amount of time (and next time I’ll bring sunscreen). The intensity of “monda” is a bit hard to describe, but I guess just imagine hoeing an entire cornfield by hand, and then imagine that cornfield being tilted at a 45 degree slant with only an 8-inch wide dirt/rock path down a mountain leading to it. Boy I wish I’d brought my camera.

Sunday, we went to visit my great-grandmother. She is 103! Even more amazingly, she lives essentially by herself. Her neighbors and grandkids help her make food and clean, but other than that, she’s pretty much on her own. On the one hand, it was hard to see such a sickly elderly person by themself, and on the other hand I was just blown away by her strength. And to think she’s still kicking while probably receiving NO health care whatsoever!

Recently, we’ve had a lot of current Volunteer’s around, which has been really fun for us. It makes me feel more like part of a community and excited about my post and what I’m about to do! On Monday after Model School, we went with a couple of them to a waterfall that had swelled up due to all the rains we’ve been getting. It was absolutely magical! So beautiful and refreshing and relaxing. While the hike down was pretty tricky, it’s the cleanest I’ve felt since I’ve been here. We literally just climbed beneath the spray and hung out for about an hour. Very fun and very Peace Corps/Cape Verde.

Other than that, not much to report. Funny cultural moments included peeing on the side of the road with my mai just standing behind me, waiting for an hour for my mai and cousin to go get mangis and then having them expect me to carry them back (and having my cousin’s carrying strategy fail twice while I baked in the sunshine with my pasty white skin), and fitting 16 people in the back of a pickup (hiace).

Language is still going well, and I’m very comfortable in both Kriolu and Portuguese. Of course the dialect of Kriolu up north is different, so I’ll have to make some adjustments once I get to site. I’ve started running in the mornings, which has felt wonderful. Between the time the sun comes up and the time I have to get ready for school I only have about 30 minutes, so I don’t normally get very far. Fortunately it is SO hilly that I still feel like I’m getting a pretty good workout. While I’ve gotten some unwanted attention, it’s less of a problem in the morning and nothing I can’t handle. Plus, the view of the valleys from the mountains first thing in the morning is totally worth it.

That’s it for now. Shout-out to Whispers who’ve been in the middle of auditions and callbacks. I miss you and wish sooo much that I could be there right now! Take good newbies :)