Sleep, enjoy your precious sleep. It’s a hard thing to come by here. Between the construction workers who begin at 6 am, traffic, the party that happens every night next to my house, and the roosters who never seem to know what time of day it is, sleep is a hard commodity to find. I am also finding myself busier everyday as well; I have added three more English classes to my schedule to accommodate for the more advanced speakers. There is a huge benefit to teaching; 1) you are helping people learn a language that is truly useful in the world 2) There is a sense of gratification when teaching and 3) the instant recognition throughout the city when I walk around. For example, I was walking to one of the local stores to but some potatoes and rice, when I see a guy in a wheelchair wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers jersey, me being the Steelers fan that I am, had to ask him if he knew what his shirt meant. I then explained to him that the Steelers were my favorite team of American Football or “bruteball”. I love this word in Creole. He then goes on to explain that he knows a little bruteball and has seen a few games that have been on the television, but I digress. The point of this story was what he said as I was leaving, he told me; “I have heard about you, you’re the one teaching English in the church. You have good heart boss”. I didn’t know what to say or do; I was a little chocked up. I had never been recognized for teaching before and I didn’t expect to be, so I was taken aback at what he had said to me. I like that guy, hope I see him around town more often.
In other news, progress is coming slowly on the World Map project, and our friend Shon at the Centro de Juventude is doing his best to get us the paint we need. I was also recently approached to do a Christmas project in which groups of people go door to door and collect a small amount of money to buy food and other things for the less fortunate here on the island. I have been truly touched by the generosity that this culture has shown me. This island is truly unique, a treasure that few in this world know about. When I first arrived on this island I cursed the fact that I was placed in a city; this is not the Peace Corps that I read about, this is not what I was told I was going to be doing. However, the more I allow myself to open up to the whole experience and not worry about the details, the more I find the experience entirely enjoyable. I have found a friend, who is not American, and he is very anxious to learn more English, he is an Air Traffic Controller and is the unofficial coach of the basketball team that I play on. His English is not bad, he just needs help with some verb tenses and conjugations and he will be fluent, sounds like a task for me.
With Thanksgiving around the corner one can’t help but think about family. This will be my second Thanksgiving away from my family; the first was due to school obligations in America. However, this time I will be surrounded by a different family, my Peace Corps family. Several volunteers from Santiago are coming here on the 26th with a turkey in tow. I plan to extend an open invitation to all of my neighbors to join in the festivities to share a little American culture. The neighbors will be happy to learn that I will not be cooking, and probably more likely to participate. My culinary skills don’t venture far beyond a grill. I have however mastered the art of baking chicken here! A friend of mine, who runs a local restaurant, gave me the secret which I will reveal….. never.
To: Roosterless Eight Hour Sleep Friends
From: Sleepless in Cape Verde
Friday, November 19, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Days on a Dune Island
So it’s been awhile since my last post, believe me I have my reasons. How am I supposed to top dolphin-saving, Giardia-fighting, turtle-protecting blogs? My life seems to have found some sort of groove here in Sal Rei, and it has nothing to do with my primary assignment (the National Park that may never commence). I am teaching 8 English classes now, 6 in my house and 2 at Nazarene church a little bit up the hill from my house. Mondays and Wednesdays I go to the church and teach for roughly an hour and half from 7 to 8:30pm. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays I teach two classes a night in my house, these are by far my favorites. The classes in my house are smaller and we are able to cover more material. These classes have some cool benefits as well. One of my students is the owner of a local restaurant, and she makes the best Cape Verdean cheese cake, which she is kind enough to make for me sometimes. Also, there is a stigma of bad customer service here in Cape Verde, no more sirs and mams, one of my classes is made up entirely of the waitresses of some restaurants in town.
In other local news, my favorite bread-lady has left Boa Vista for her home on Fogo, very sad. I saw her in the Plaza and she called me over. As, I walk a little closer she has a look of concern in her face. She tells me that she is going to Fogo and Brava, so naturally I ask her when she is coming back. Never! What do you mean never? She then proceeds to explain to me that she misses her family and she doesn’t like it here. She makes me promise to find her when I come visit Fogo, and so I do. So the once busy Padaria is no more. My impromptu Portuguese lessons are no more. I will miss my friend, but I am happy for her, she wants to be with her family. I find a bit of a paradox that as I get busier, I feel as though I have more time doing nothing.
I had a meeting with a few people from the Boa Vista government and my friend, the director of the library, in which we discussed a project from Christmas. The plan is to make a Christmas tree entirely out of recycled 1.5 liter coke and sprite bottles. There will also be a contribution from the churches whom I believe, if I heard it correctly, are making a nativity scene out of old juice containers. Not exactly how I pictured myself inducing environmental change, but I’ll take what I can get.
In other news, I am now in possession of flippers for snorkeling. A friend of mine who lives in the same complex as me has loaned them to me indefinitely. My snorkeling adventures have become more frequent and have become a fairly good integration tool. Every time I go there is always someone watching and eventually they wander close enough for me to talk to. We’ll talk about any and everything, eventually using my snorkeling mask and flippers to go on their own little adventures. And supposedly, there are better spots to snorkel that some of them have promised to take me to, but they tell me that I have found a good spot because there are so many fish there. Way to go mom and dad on the snorkeling stuff! Everyone tells me they are “profissional”, no translation necessary.
On another note, I think I have decided to allow myself 1 shower every two days instead of three. That third day makes a big difference in the amount of water we consume, but it also makes a big difference in the way one smells.
Sorry for the lame blog, cooler things to come!
To: My Mothers; Biological Mother (love you mom), "Hood" Mothers, and Cape Verdean Mother
From: Needing a Shower
In other local news, my favorite bread-lady has left Boa Vista for her home on Fogo, very sad. I saw her in the Plaza and she called me over. As, I walk a little closer she has a look of concern in her face. She tells me that she is going to Fogo and Brava, so naturally I ask her when she is coming back. Never! What do you mean never? She then proceeds to explain to me that she misses her family and she doesn’t like it here. She makes me promise to find her when I come visit Fogo, and so I do. So the once busy Padaria is no more. My impromptu Portuguese lessons are no more. I will miss my friend, but I am happy for her, she wants to be with her family. I find a bit of a paradox that as I get busier, I feel as though I have more time doing nothing.
I had a meeting with a few people from the Boa Vista government and my friend, the director of the library, in which we discussed a project from Christmas. The plan is to make a Christmas tree entirely out of recycled 1.5 liter coke and sprite bottles. There will also be a contribution from the churches whom I believe, if I heard it correctly, are making a nativity scene out of old juice containers. Not exactly how I pictured myself inducing environmental change, but I’ll take what I can get.
In other news, I am now in possession of flippers for snorkeling. A friend of mine who lives in the same complex as me has loaned them to me indefinitely. My snorkeling adventures have become more frequent and have become a fairly good integration tool. Every time I go there is always someone watching and eventually they wander close enough for me to talk to. We’ll talk about any and everything, eventually using my snorkeling mask and flippers to go on their own little adventures. And supposedly, there are better spots to snorkel that some of them have promised to take me to, but they tell me that I have found a good spot because there are so many fish there. Way to go mom and dad on the snorkeling stuff! Everyone tells me they are “profissional”, no translation necessary.
On another note, I think I have decided to allow myself 1 shower every two days instead of three. That third day makes a big difference in the amount of water we consume, but it also makes a big difference in the way one smells.
Sorry for the lame blog, cooler things to come!
To: My Mothers; Biological Mother (love you mom), "Hood" Mothers, and Cape Verdean Mother
From: Needing a Shower
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Africa Needs You
Sometimes I wonder to myself, what the hell I am doing here. It seems as though I don’t do anything, I spend the majority of time just hanging out it seems, but these seemingly mundane days have their effect. Simply being out in the community can have an impact on those who see you. I walk the streets of Sal Rei, and my name is yelled from across the street; “Matios, how are you, are you passing well”, and sometimes I am mistaken for Danny, but hell, were both “white” Americans, what’s the difference.
But the real reason I am writing this blog is to inform you all that I am in the middle of a big project known worldwide, called World Map, see this link if interested: http://multimedia.peacecorps.gov/multimedia/pdf/media/PCTimes2010_01.pdf
I have been in contact with a pastor from the church in front of the primary school, where we plan on doing this project, and he is very excited about the project. He actually dropped by my English class this morning to observe, and has asked me to teach an English class in one of the classrooms at the church to adults in the community! A real board on which to teach, righteous! But back to the project, December 5th is International Volunteers Day (IVD), and in conjunction with this, Danny and are inviting some of his 7th grade class to paint the countries which Danny and I will have completed by the time IVD arrives. I would like to ask my American friends for some help, if you could send any of the following items for this project as soon as possible, it would be greatly appreciated:
Erasers
Masking tape
Small paint brushes
Erasers
Protractor
Black Sharpies (wide-tipped, medium, and small)
Pencils
Sharpener
Thank you for any assistance that you can provide, and remember mail takes a little over two weeks to get here. No rush or anything, but seriously, sorry for the late notice. Address:
Matthew Acre
Correio de Boa Vista
Boa Vista, Cape Verde
Via Portugal
Par Avion
To: International Volunteers (that's you if you're reading this)
From: Lacking Materials
But the real reason I am writing this blog is to inform you all that I am in the middle of a big project known worldwide, called World Map, see this link if interested: http://multimedia.peacecorps.gov/multimedia/pdf/media/PCTimes2010_01.pdf
I have been in contact with a pastor from the church in front of the primary school, where we plan on doing this project, and he is very excited about the project. He actually dropped by my English class this morning to observe, and has asked me to teach an English class in one of the classrooms at the church to adults in the community! A real board on which to teach, righteous! But back to the project, December 5th is International Volunteers Day (IVD), and in conjunction with this, Danny and are inviting some of his 7th grade class to paint the countries which Danny and I will have completed by the time IVD arrives. I would like to ask my American friends for some help, if you could send any of the following items for this project as soon as possible, it would be greatly appreciated:
Erasers
Masking tape
Small paint brushes
Erasers
Protractor
Black Sharpies (wide-tipped, medium, and small)
Pencils
Sharpener
Thank you for any assistance that you can provide, and remember mail takes a little over two weeks to get here. No rush or anything, but seriously, sorry for the late notice. Address:
Matthew Acre
Correio de Boa Vista
Boa Vista, Cape Verde
Via Portugal
Par Avion
To: International Volunteers (that's you if you're reading this)
From: Lacking Materials
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Emmerson The Marine Biologist
The phone rings loudly, interrupting what was one of the best nights of sleep for me in Cabo Verde. I look at the clock, its 5:45. What could be so important to warrant a phone call? I sleepily ask “oi, tudu bien pomodi bu tchoma-m ke-li hora” (hey, how’s it going, why are you calling me this early)? The voice answers in English; it’s a friend of mine who speaks very well. She informs me of about 50 Dolphins that have washed upon a shore that is perhaps a 15 minute walk from my house. I am so excited; I can hardly contain myself, excited for several reasons. One, I am no longer deathly ill and feel up to the task of saving dolphin lives. Two, I am getting phone calls from locals informing me of events occurring within Sal Rei! The latter is quite possibly one of the most important things that could happen to me; this means I am, as Peace Corps loves to say, “integrating”.
As I arrive to the ghastly scene of approximately 60 dolphins washed upon the only rocks within 20 kilometers, I notice that most of the locals are just watching as one Italian woman tries to pull the dolphins back into the ocean. I immediately begin helping, waiting for each wave to come in, thus making the dolphins easier to pull. A Capeverdean woman walks up to me and says, “You know that the dolphins will just come back”, but this does not detour me from trying, and I tell her that I must try. I don’t know what sparked the people standing around watching, but the first help comes in the form of a 10 year-old boy named Emmerson. How fitting, this is the name of my favorite brother during my home-stay on Santiago. He helps me drag the dolphins one-by-one, into the ocean where I take over and swim them out as far as I can (roughly 300 yards).
One problem, what the woman has told me about the dolphins coming back was holding true. So the boy looks at me, and says “let’s find the biggest dolphin that still has a little life and put her in the ocean, she will call to the others”, brilliant! We find the biggest one and begin moving all the rocks in front of her, as to cause as little bodily damage as possible. We get her in the ocean and I swim her out far, by the time we get the next one in the ocean, a boat has shown up with two marine biologists who live here on Boa Vista. They help me and the others corral the dolphins that are in the ocean and prevent them from swimming back to shore.
After roughly three hours, we have 13 dolphins in open-ocean, thanks to the help of a boat and 6 other Capeverdeans. One of whom, turns out to be Emmerson’s father. We talk for a few minutes about his boy, and I tell him that he has a good kid who seems to care about the environment and understands the importance of conservation. He tells me that his boy wants to be a biologist! Which would explain the boys fondness to me, I had told him that I am an ecologist/biologist, and that I am here working with the Ministry of Environment. After all the work has been done, a few people show up from the Ministry, and ask me if I have done a count on the dolphins that were beyond saving. I tell them no but, I would do it now; 46 dead. This number puts a shadow over the minuscule number that are currently swimming, but I still feel accomplished, just slightly less so.
The article that was written up for “ASemana”, the Cape Verde newspaper, fails to mention any dolphins saved, but those of us that were there know that we were successful in saving the lives of a few dolphins. Thanks to by new buddy Emmerson, whom I plan to meet with again soon. Who knows, one day he may be an influential scientists, one can dream.
To: The Future Scientists
From: Aspiring Scientist
As I arrive to the ghastly scene of approximately 60 dolphins washed upon the only rocks within 20 kilometers, I notice that most of the locals are just watching as one Italian woman tries to pull the dolphins back into the ocean. I immediately begin helping, waiting for each wave to come in, thus making the dolphins easier to pull. A Capeverdean woman walks up to me and says, “You know that the dolphins will just come back”, but this does not detour me from trying, and I tell her that I must try. I don’t know what sparked the people standing around watching, but the first help comes in the form of a 10 year-old boy named Emmerson. How fitting, this is the name of my favorite brother during my home-stay on Santiago. He helps me drag the dolphins one-by-one, into the ocean where I take over and swim them out as far as I can (roughly 300 yards).
One problem, what the woman has told me about the dolphins coming back was holding true. So the boy looks at me, and says “let’s find the biggest dolphin that still has a little life and put her in the ocean, she will call to the others”, brilliant! We find the biggest one and begin moving all the rocks in front of her, as to cause as little bodily damage as possible. We get her in the ocean and I swim her out far, by the time we get the next one in the ocean, a boat has shown up with two marine biologists who live here on Boa Vista. They help me and the others corral the dolphins that are in the ocean and prevent them from swimming back to shore.
After roughly three hours, we have 13 dolphins in open-ocean, thanks to the help of a boat and 6 other Capeverdeans. One of whom, turns out to be Emmerson’s father. We talk for a few minutes about his boy, and I tell him that he has a good kid who seems to care about the environment and understands the importance of conservation. He tells me that his boy wants to be a biologist! Which would explain the boys fondness to me, I had told him that I am an ecologist/biologist, and that I am here working with the Ministry of Environment. After all the work has been done, a few people show up from the Ministry, and ask me if I have done a count on the dolphins that were beyond saving. I tell them no but, I would do it now; 46 dead. This number puts a shadow over the minuscule number that are currently swimming, but I still feel accomplished, just slightly less so.
The article that was written up for “ASemana”, the Cape Verde newspaper, fails to mention any dolphins saved, but those of us that were there know that we were successful in saving the lives of a few dolphins. Thanks to by new buddy Emmerson, whom I plan to meet with again soon. Who knows, one day he may be an influential scientists, one can dream.
To: The Future Scientists
From: Aspiring Scientist
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
I Have What?
Rewind… roughly six weeks. I’m standing in my host-mother’s kitchen watching her make some food. She is drinking some substance slightly resembling milk, and she offers me some. I am unsure; I waft a little in the direction of my nose to get a better sense of what is before me. She says that the milky substance is in fact milk from a goat, but the smell is wrong, but what the hell, this is Africa right? Let’s get a little cultural. I take a swig, and am immediately disgusted with myself, that is no milk that I have ever had. Unpasteurized mixed with vinegar and sugar. My stomach churns as I begin to digest this odd concoction of liquids. Little did I know that I was contracting a little parasite called Giardia.
The last few weeks of pre-service training consist of spontaneous vomiting and bowel movements of the most wicked kind. On one occasion I actually awoke to a rather unfortunate accident, this incident occurred early enough in the morning to awake and use the washboard to clean my sheets before any member of my family knew what was occurring. When my mother awakes, she asks me why my sheets are drying on the roof. I tell her that they were dirty and that I needed to clean them, she says “why so early”? I pretend that I don’t understand and just go on about my morning routine. As I arrive to the center where we have technical session, four other trainees are already sitting in the center. They greet me; “Bon dia Matt, how are you”? Reply; “I pooped the bed this morning”. Now, I realize that you reading this back in the states may think that this is ridiculous but realize that bowel movements are like pillow talk here. My fellow trainees cannot contain themselves, they begin laughing hysterically at me, and to be fair, this is rather humorous.
Later that day Estavon, the Peace Corps driver, takes the 3 environmental trainees along with one other trainee to Praia, for a meeting with the Director of environmental affairs for Cape Verde. The trainees are asking me questions about my incident and I recap my story, and maybe I embellish a little. Estavon hears some of it, but misses the story punch-line, so I tell the story again in Kriolu. Now, the story is sufficiently funny in English, but outrageous in Kriolu. At the end of my story Estavon and all the other trainees are laughing uncontrollably, and Estavon tells me, “oh, that’s normal”. This statement throws the already hysterical, into almost violent laughter. If only I could continue to laugh.
During our short stint in Praia I began a rapid decline to what eventually led to a sleepless night and medicine that only alleviated some of my symptoms. The last few days on Santiago were painful and long. Upon my arrival to Boa Vista, I was sure that with me now in complete control of my diet and drinking water that I would recover. Boy was I wrong. Three more weeks of hell and I just couldn’t take the pain, drowsiness, and dehydration anymore. I called our Peace Corps Medical Officer and she says immediately, let’s get you tested. I turn in two samples, one on a Thursday and one on Friday. The weekend is rather rough, the waiting is the worst. On Monday sometime in the afternoon I receive a phone call from Doc, and she says, “Matthew, your results came back positive for Giardia”, what the hell is Giardia? Anywhow, she continues to tell me that the pharmacies here are currently out of the remedy that will get these little monsters out of me, but what’s the difference? I’ve been waiting for 6 weeks, what’s another day or two. So I receive the medicine and now it’s only a matter of time. Who knew that a harmless drink could bring so much pain? Stay tuned… next week I’ll tell you about the dolphin lives I saved!
To: Healthy
From: Recovering
The last few weeks of pre-service training consist of spontaneous vomiting and bowel movements of the most wicked kind. On one occasion I actually awoke to a rather unfortunate accident, this incident occurred early enough in the morning to awake and use the washboard to clean my sheets before any member of my family knew what was occurring. When my mother awakes, she asks me why my sheets are drying on the roof. I tell her that they were dirty and that I needed to clean them, she says “why so early”? I pretend that I don’t understand and just go on about my morning routine. As I arrive to the center where we have technical session, four other trainees are already sitting in the center. They greet me; “Bon dia Matt, how are you”? Reply; “I pooped the bed this morning”. Now, I realize that you reading this back in the states may think that this is ridiculous but realize that bowel movements are like pillow talk here. My fellow trainees cannot contain themselves, they begin laughing hysterically at me, and to be fair, this is rather humorous.
Later that day Estavon, the Peace Corps driver, takes the 3 environmental trainees along with one other trainee to Praia, for a meeting with the Director of environmental affairs for Cape Verde. The trainees are asking me questions about my incident and I recap my story, and maybe I embellish a little. Estavon hears some of it, but misses the story punch-line, so I tell the story again in Kriolu. Now, the story is sufficiently funny in English, but outrageous in Kriolu. At the end of my story Estavon and all the other trainees are laughing uncontrollably, and Estavon tells me, “oh, that’s normal”. This statement throws the already hysterical, into almost violent laughter. If only I could continue to laugh.
During our short stint in Praia I began a rapid decline to what eventually led to a sleepless night and medicine that only alleviated some of my symptoms. The last few days on Santiago were painful and long. Upon my arrival to Boa Vista, I was sure that with me now in complete control of my diet and drinking water that I would recover. Boy was I wrong. Three more weeks of hell and I just couldn’t take the pain, drowsiness, and dehydration anymore. I called our Peace Corps Medical Officer and she says immediately, let’s get you tested. I turn in two samples, one on a Thursday and one on Friday. The weekend is rather rough, the waiting is the worst. On Monday sometime in the afternoon I receive a phone call from Doc, and she says, “Matthew, your results came back positive for Giardia”, what the hell is Giardia? Anywhow, she continues to tell me that the pharmacies here are currently out of the remedy that will get these little monsters out of me, but what’s the difference? I’ve been waiting for 6 weeks, what’s another day or two. So I receive the medicine and now it’s only a matter of time. Who knew that a harmless drink could bring so much pain? Stay tuned… next week I’ll tell you about the dolphin lives I saved!
To: Healthy
From: Recovering
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