We´ve been with our host families for over a week now and thought it might be time to update our ´familia y amigos na Merka´about our adventures.
Josh and I are both living in the small village of Mancholy, about 20 minutes from the booming metropolis of Asomada (note the sarcasm) and only a 10 minute walk from each other. We love it. There are only about 100 people in our village so you can imagine how 5 American´s stick out. Everyone is friendly and helpful, though no one speaks any English, which is the point anyway. All of the trainees are scattered throughout villages surrounding Asomada and on Wednesdays we head back to Asomada for training on things like diarhea (it only took us 2 days to start talking about this with each other, seriously. It´s a big thing over here lol).
After three days in Praia, all the volunteers piled into several Hiace (yass, a large van that is supposed to seat about 15 including three in the front seat, but which regularly holds over 20) and took the winding road to Asomada. There we were greated by our smiling, clapping and singing host moms and piles and piles of food. We had to introduce ourselves and try to find our moms, which was easier than expected. After that, we took off (5 moms, 5 volunteers, 1 LCF ie Language and Culture Facilitator and 22 pieces of luggage) in another hiace speading down the road towards Mancholy with Funana music blasting and our moms singing and clapping the whole way. It is something none of us will ever forget.
The island of Santiago is beautiful. It´s the beginning of the rainy season so things are getting green. When it rains, everything is covered by clouds and mist and it feels like you are walking through a big fat rain cloud. There are mountains everywhere, everything is uphill lol (not sure if I´m going to get fat from the food or skinny from the hiking), and we are loving every minute of it (not counting the flies and mosquitos; Dove even loves the roosters and donkeys that wake her up in the morning).
Right now the kids are all out of school in Mancholy so they spend a lot of time playing and helping out with housework and in the field. Dove´s mom works in Asomada and her dad tends to the animals and does other assorted jobs around the house, which is rare for CV but pretty cool.
Dove is living in a family of four, with her mom, dad and two amazing sisters (12 and 6). All are very patient and speak slowly and put up with the fact that she can´t really say much still and walks in the house with muddy feet all the time (I keep forgetting!). She also has the most amazing thing: a flush toilet and running (cold) water in the shower. HUGE luxury. Our family also has 1 pig, 2 roosters, many chickens and 5 goats. Dove is very happy about this and is looking forward to killing her first chicken. Woohoo! Her mom is an awesome cook and her sisters are adorable, plus her dad speaks a little french which is very helpful when learning the language.
Josh...isn´t sure how many people he lives with. A lot. We think it´s officially 5, but it´s a virtual hub of activity so people are constantly coming and going. It´s awesome. He also has a plethora of animals and next Wednesday they are killing a porku (pig) and we´re going to go and check it out. Quite the event! He is not so lucky with the running water, but they heat his water for his bucket bath every day, so that´s a plus. There is always too much food to eat but it´s so good it´s hard to say no.
There are a zillion things we want to say, a zillion pictures to post, but internet is expensive and slow and Dove isn´t feeling so hot today (not a good night sleep) so txow (chow) for now, and we´ll try to make this a weekly event!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
(Dove) First night in Praia
July 17, first night in Praia
The air is warm but the breeze is cool, blowing through our open windows as the sounds of voices singing and hands clapping float up to our fourth floor room, and though I have not slept in 37 hours, I’m too excited to sleep now. Tonight is our first night in Praia and, although they may not realize it, the residents are welcoming us with a beautiful serenade from a few blocks away.
Africa. After 20 months, we are here. And it feels like a dream. Unlike the events of the past months, our flight was uneventful, if a bit crowded. After our lunch in Boston with RPVC’s from Cape Verde, which was quite a treat, we ended staging with a closing “artistic” ceremony including an interpretive dance from Josh’s group and a stunning cover of “Blowin’ in the Wind” by the group I was in (The answer my friend is in-te-gration…), loaded our luggage on and off the bus to the airport, waited in line with Cape Verdeans returning home from vacation (and some juggling of luggage – though our bags were underweight, our carry-ons were not, though we were not charged any extra fees, even for checking my guitar), we toasted our goodbyes to America (and to the birthday boy!) and boarded the plane. Imagine my delight when I asked the flight attendant serving our late night dinner how much a glass of wine was, and she said free, all flight! The trainees in our section enjoyed a glass but were all too exhausted to spend much time enjoying more. We talked excitedly about expectations, what preparations we’d done, joked about our favorite Portuguese words (which we all agree is xicara, pronounced shee-cah-rah) and pirates. I don’t know about anyone else, but the 7 hour flight provided only broken and fitful sleep and although I was glad to have rested my eyes on and off, I felt anything but rested upon landing in Praia.
No matter…the second the plane dipped beyond the clouds and we caught our first glimpse of the island of Santiago, I was wide awake and in love. It is the largest of the islands, with a variety of landscapes, but it was still surprising to see it finally, in person. As we circled in to land, we snapped a few photos of the coast and of the tiny fishing boats below, nearly swallowed up by the vastness of the Atlantic.
I have never had such an easy time entering another country. Customs was fairly quick, no complex instructions to follow, and our country director was waiting for us when we got to baggage claim. Although collecting 29 peoples luggage took some time, nothing was lost and we were all welcomed warmly and loudly by current PCV’s as we left the baggage claim and finally stepped foot in Praia. The ride to the training center, where we will be until Sunday, was also organized and easy, though it was difficult to know who was who at first and I felt like I was in a daze, from both exhaustion and reality finally sinking in. That made moving swiftly sort of difficult…staying awake in sessions was a challenge as well but I think we all made a valiant effort in sitting through all the logistical and technical stuff like safety and health (which were pretty thorough). We were also given the opportunity to store valuables, had our pictures taken, shots given (yes, to all who are wondering, we are getting lots of shots. And have to take anti malaria meds while we’re on Santiago for PST) and walking around money for the next couple of weeks. Not too bad.
By far the best part of the experience today was our first language lesson (oh, and Josh and I having to dance in front of the group because we were late coming back from our break – oy). Our Language and Cultural Facilitator (LCF) who will be helping us integrate while we are here, took us into the city for gelato. We had to order in Kriolu and learned a bunch of words, most of which I can’t remember but I did write them all down. Although it was difficult, it was fun to start speaking to Cape Verdeans in their tongue.
So much more happened today, but my head is still spinning from it all, and the people outside are still singing and clapping and drumming and I’m sure dancing and it is all I can do to keep my eyes open to hear one more song…
The air is warm but the breeze is cool, blowing through our open windows as the sounds of voices singing and hands clapping float up to our fourth floor room, and though I have not slept in 37 hours, I’m too excited to sleep now. Tonight is our first night in Praia and, although they may not realize it, the residents are welcoming us with a beautiful serenade from a few blocks away.
Africa. After 20 months, we are here. And it feels like a dream. Unlike the events of the past months, our flight was uneventful, if a bit crowded. After our lunch in Boston with RPVC’s from Cape Verde, which was quite a treat, we ended staging with a closing “artistic” ceremony including an interpretive dance from Josh’s group and a stunning cover of “Blowin’ in the Wind” by the group I was in (The answer my friend is in-te-gration…), loaded our luggage on and off the bus to the airport, waited in line with Cape Verdeans returning home from vacation (and some juggling of luggage – though our bags were underweight, our carry-ons were not, though we were not charged any extra fees, even for checking my guitar), we toasted our goodbyes to America (and to the birthday boy!) and boarded the plane. Imagine my delight when I asked the flight attendant serving our late night dinner how much a glass of wine was, and she said free, all flight! The trainees in our section enjoyed a glass but were all too exhausted to spend much time enjoying more. We talked excitedly about expectations, what preparations we’d done, joked about our favorite Portuguese words (which we all agree is xicara, pronounced shee-cah-rah) and pirates. I don’t know about anyone else, but the 7 hour flight provided only broken and fitful sleep and although I was glad to have rested my eyes on and off, I felt anything but rested upon landing in Praia.
No matter…the second the plane dipped beyond the clouds and we caught our first glimpse of the island of Santiago, I was wide awake and in love. It is the largest of the islands, with a variety of landscapes, but it was still surprising to see it finally, in person. As we circled in to land, we snapped a few photos of the coast and of the tiny fishing boats below, nearly swallowed up by the vastness of the Atlantic.
I have never had such an easy time entering another country. Customs was fairly quick, no complex instructions to follow, and our country director was waiting for us when we got to baggage claim. Although collecting 29 peoples luggage took some time, nothing was lost and we were all welcomed warmly and loudly by current PCV’s as we left the baggage claim and finally stepped foot in Praia. The ride to the training center, where we will be until Sunday, was also organized and easy, though it was difficult to know who was who at first and I felt like I was in a daze, from both exhaustion and reality finally sinking in. That made moving swiftly sort of difficult…staying awake in sessions was a challenge as well but I think we all made a valiant effort in sitting through all the logistical and technical stuff like safety and health (which were pretty thorough). We were also given the opportunity to store valuables, had our pictures taken, shots given (yes, to all who are wondering, we are getting lots of shots. And have to take anti malaria meds while we’re on Santiago for PST) and walking around money for the next couple of weeks. Not too bad.
By far the best part of the experience today was our first language lesson (oh, and Josh and I having to dance in front of the group because we were late coming back from our break – oy). Our Language and Cultural Facilitator (LCF) who will be helping us integrate while we are here, took us into the city for gelato. We had to order in Kriolu and learned a bunch of words, most of which I can’t remember but I did write them all down. Although it was difficult, it was fun to start speaking to Cape Verdeans in their tongue.
So much more happened today, but my head is still spinning from it all, and the people outside are still singing and clapping and drumming and I’m sure dancing and it is all I can do to keep my eyes open to hear one more song…
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
(Dove) Here we go!
Hello Boston! Yesterday Josh and I arrived at staging...but not without a few "bumps" in the road (it wouldn't be our adventure with out it!). We got to the airport around 1:20 for a 2:50 flight, which turned out to be a very good thing. When we got to the kiosk and looked up our ticket, they couldn't find us in the system. So we checked with the ticketing agent, who informed us our tickets had been cancelled and refunded. Yay. Apparently another "miscommnication" about us going to Cape Verde. They reserved two seats for us quickly and then we got on the phone with SATO Travel, the agency that handles our travel arrangements, with the understanding that "if you get us your payment information within 10 minutes we can get you a ticket, otherwise we'll have to move you to another flight, and those are all booked too." Fortunately the ticketing agent was patient and understanding, and SATO was able to figure out the mess up quickly, and we got on our flight.
Last night was great. We met up with Dani and Evan and headed to the Publik House for some Belgium brews and mac and cheese. Yummmm. Then we basically crashed.
Today was filled with paperwork, malaria medication, safety information, ice breakers, and meeting a lot of very, very cool Peace Corps Trainees (PCT's, which we are now called). There is one other married couple, two people fluent in Portuguese and a host of folks from all over the country, of all ages from fresh out of college to fresh into retirement - 29 of us total. Everyone seems enthusiastic and open, and I think we both feel like we're part of a great group of people. There is a maturity with this group of people that I didn't really get with everyone at my Pre Service Orientation with VISTA, probably because this decision is much, much bigger and takes a lot of contemplation to make. I've been really happy at the closeness that we've all had so far and that we are all sharing the same fears and excitements; it makes the process a lot easier when expeirencing it with 28 other people.
Tomorrow we're in for a special treat: Peace Corps has arranged a lunchon with local Cape Verdeans so we can meet them and they can wish us well as we start on our new adventure in our new home. There are more Cape Verdeans (and their families) living in New England than there are living in Cape Verde currently, hence the direct flight and all. This is a pretty rare experience and I think we are all very fortunate that someoen thought to set this up for us. Thanks Peace Corps!
For the benefit of my fellow trainees, I'm uploading the photos we currently have of staging and will add more tomorrow, so that their parents can see us acting like goofballs too :o) There are a few, so again I'm posting them on Flickr; I'll add more tomorrow if I can before we get to the plane, but for now, enjoy! (oh yeah, a note to all the parents and families who are new to the blog: I'm not great about editing photos, I don't really have a lot of time to go through and pick the best ones at the moment, so I'm just posting all of them. Sorry for any bad/upside down/crooked etc shots in advance!)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/doveandjoshua/sets/72157606194740637/
Last night was great. We met up with Dani and Evan and headed to the Publik House for some Belgium brews and mac and cheese. Yummmm. Then we basically crashed.
Today was filled with paperwork, malaria medication, safety information, ice breakers, and meeting a lot of very, very cool Peace Corps Trainees (PCT's, which we are now called). There is one other married couple, two people fluent in Portuguese and a host of folks from all over the country, of all ages from fresh out of college to fresh into retirement - 29 of us total. Everyone seems enthusiastic and open, and I think we both feel like we're part of a great group of people. There is a maturity with this group of people that I didn't really get with everyone at my Pre Service Orientation with VISTA, probably because this decision is much, much bigger and takes a lot of contemplation to make. I've been really happy at the closeness that we've all had so far and that we are all sharing the same fears and excitements; it makes the process a lot easier when expeirencing it with 28 other people.
Tomorrow we're in for a special treat: Peace Corps has arranged a lunchon with local Cape Verdeans so we can meet them and they can wish us well as we start on our new adventure in our new home. There are more Cape Verdeans (and their families) living in New England than there are living in Cape Verde currently, hence the direct flight and all. This is a pretty rare experience and I think we are all very fortunate that someoen thought to set this up for us. Thanks Peace Corps!
For the benefit of my fellow trainees, I'm uploading the photos we currently have of staging and will add more tomorrow, so that their parents can see us acting like goofballs too :o) There are a few, so again I'm posting them on Flickr; I'll add more tomorrow if I can before we get to the plane, but for now, enjoy! (oh yeah, a note to all the parents and families who are new to the blog: I'm not great about editing photos, I don't really have a lot of time to go through and pick the best ones at the moment, so I'm just posting all of them. Sorry for any bad/upside down/crooked etc shots in advance!)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/doveandjoshua/sets/72157606194740637/
Monday, July 14, 2008
(Dove) Last minute stuff
Today is the day! This morning has been crazy already, so why not blog, right? Here is some requested (and not requested) info for everyone. First, if you'd like to mail us while we're in training for the next 9-10 weeks, you can send mail to:
Dove and Josh Russo, PCT
A/C Corpo da Paz
C.P. 375 - Praia
Republic of Cape Verde
If you go to the post office, ask them if they can route all mail through Boston - it's more likely to arrive that way.
Also, here are a couple links to recent pics from going away parties and such:
Josh's going away lunch at SophiTec
http://www.flickr.com/photos/doveandjoshua/sets/72157606158039010/
Our "family" going away party:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/doveandjoshua/sets/72157606161851547/
Our "friends" going away party:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/doveandjoshua/sets/72157606162164951/
Sorry they're not edited at all, I just got them onto the computer this morning and didn't have time to go through anything.
I also wanted to take a second to thank a ton of people for everything they have done for us in prep for this trip. I know, it's lame to not send thank you notes, but we've just been too crazy:
Aunt Shirley, Uncle Pete, Patty, Carol and Phyllis - thank you so much for your generous gifts, it was much appreciated!
Colista - thanks for the penicillin and cd, both will come in handy ;o)
Hope - thank you for the shopping basket, soon it will smell like fish!
Meredith - I love the drawings and can't wait to hang them on my wall
Spydah - the crunchies are already gone. Surprise!
World Hoop Day - thanks for the scholarship for the hoops, we had enough to purchase materials for about 25 hoops and are having it shipped to us!
Kim - thanks for running around looking for luggage locks, and to you and Michael for our upcoming packages!
Fred - thanks for the van, keep the bees
Serge - thank you for lunch, and for teaching Josh so much about computers, business, and not settling for a crappy workplace
Gordon, Bridget, Claudette and Ollie - for offering your homes during our "crisis" times...we have some amazing friends (who live in awesome places too!)
Thank you everyone for your well wishes, your prayers, energy...and just putting up with this whole saga for so long!
And of course to our parents, for having us (yay!), raising us to be pretty cool people, and for supporting us all our lives and especially now. We love you!
So before I start to tear up...
-Dove
See ya in a couple years!
Dove and Josh Russo, PCT
A/C Corpo da Paz
C.P. 375 - Praia
Republic of Cape Verde
If you go to the post office, ask them if they can route all mail through Boston - it's more likely to arrive that way.
Also, here are a couple links to recent pics from going away parties and such:
Josh's going away lunch at SophiTec
http://www.flickr.com/photos/doveandjoshua/sets/72157606158039010/
Our "family" going away party:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/doveandjoshua/sets/72157606161851547/
Our "friends" going away party:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/doveandjoshua/sets/72157606162164951/
Sorry they're not edited at all, I just got them onto the computer this morning and didn't have time to go through anything.
I also wanted to take a second to thank a ton of people for everything they have done for us in prep for this trip. I know, it's lame to not send thank you notes, but we've just been too crazy:
Aunt Shirley, Uncle Pete, Patty, Carol and Phyllis - thank you so much for your generous gifts, it was much appreciated!
Colista - thanks for the penicillin and cd, both will come in handy ;o)
Hope - thank you for the shopping basket, soon it will smell like fish!
Meredith - I love the drawings and can't wait to hang them on my wall
Spydah - the crunchies are already gone. Surprise!
World Hoop Day - thanks for the scholarship for the hoops, we had enough to purchase materials for about 25 hoops and are having it shipped to us!
Kim - thanks for running around looking for luggage locks, and to you and Michael for our upcoming packages!
Fred - thanks for the van, keep the bees
Serge - thank you for lunch, and for teaching Josh so much about computers, business, and not settling for a crappy workplace
Gordon, Bridget, Claudette and Ollie - for offering your homes during our "crisis" times...we have some amazing friends (who live in awesome places too!)
Thank you everyone for your well wishes, your prayers, energy...and just putting up with this whole saga for so long!
And of course to our parents, for having us (yay!), raising us to be pretty cool people, and for supporting us all our lives and especially now. We love you!
So before I start to tear up...
-Dove
See ya in a couple years!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
(Dove) WE'RE GOING!!!!
WOAH what a week! I got up this morning at 6 to call PC-Washington to talk with Toni. She called me back around 6:15am. It went something like this:
Toni - Dove, I just want to let you know that I spend the whole day yesterday, and I mean the entire day, trying to get you guys to go to Cape Verde (small pause in which time I think my heart stopped beating), and you guys are going.
Me - (Lots of squeeling and jumping up and down...ok not really, but that's what I was doing on the inside. On the outside it was more like...) Oh my god Toni! Really?! Thank you so much, you are so amazing, I can't believe you made this happen!
And there you have it. Apparently they haden't even cancelled our plane tickets etc, so Toni even called all of THOSE folks to ensure we were still on the same flights and had our hotel still booked etc. I know a lot of folks report having major issues with the nurses at PCOMS but I was extremely lucky to have Toni on my side; after originally getting medically declined, she helped me through the appeal process and really helped me keep going.
So we're back on track and leaving in SIX days! It's almost like the little "break" from going made the time fly by that much faster; I can't believe it's finally happening. I'm almost afraid to put too much stock into it, just in case something ELSE happens. *sigh*
Toni - Dove, I just want to let you know that I spend the whole day yesterday, and I mean the entire day, trying to get you guys to go to Cape Verde (small pause in which time I think my heart stopped beating), and you guys are going.
Me - (Lots of squeeling and jumping up and down...ok not really, but that's what I was doing on the inside. On the outside it was more like...) Oh my god Toni! Really?! Thank you so much, you are so amazing, I can't believe you made this happen!
And there you have it. Apparently they haden't even cancelled our plane tickets etc, so Toni even called all of THOSE folks to ensure we were still on the same flights and had our hotel still booked etc. I know a lot of folks report having major issues with the nurses at PCOMS but I was extremely lucky to have Toni on my side; after originally getting medically declined, she helped me through the appeal process and really helped me keep going.
So we're back on track and leaving in SIX days! It's almost like the little "break" from going made the time fly by that much faster; I can't believe it's finally happening. I'm almost afraid to put too much stock into it, just in case something ELSE happens. *sigh*
Monday, July 7, 2008
(Dove) Keeping our fingers crossed...
This weekend was hard. I went to Canada anyway to visit with Mary-Leah, which was fun though obviously overshadowed by all the confusion and sadness and frusteration I was feeling. While there, I posted to lists that I'm on asking for help and advice regarding what to do next. Lots of folks were supportive, a few with similar stories; of those, some chose to make a fuss and ended up getting their invite reinstated, others waited patiently and were sent elsewhere, all said not to give up.
So I weighed the options and tried to figure out a solution. I was being told by PCOMS (Peace Corps Office of Medical Services) that the issue was that they didn't have my medication on Cape Verde. As soon-to-be volunteers, we're constantly told to be flexible, patient and creative. I thought, if the issue is that the medication isn't there, why not have it sent to me? I happened upon the phone number for the Cape Verde Peace Corps Office in Praia and gave it a ring on Saturday. Surprisingly someone answered and informed me that part of the issue was inter-island transportation, that it was just too difficult to get people from island to island, and that if I insisted on talking to the medical officer (who was in the field and very busy and I really didn't want to talk to her), to call back during regular business hours on Monday. Which would be 4am our time.
My plan was this: Ask the medical officer if we could order one years worth of medication from the States when I arrive and have it sent in a diplomatic pouch to ensure delivery. Send me to my island with that medication in a water proof container just in case (two ferry's recently sunk, which is why transportation has been even more sketchy), then when I come back to Praia for my one year checkup/in service training, get the second year of medication. Seemed simple enough. I had the dialogue in my head over and over about how much time and effort and money has gone into this process, and how flexible I have been so why couldn't they be, how easy this solution would really be, etc.
I started calling Cape Verde around 4:30am EST, which is 9:30 over there. No answer. 4:45, no answer. 5:15...someone answered. I asked for extension 21 or 23, the medical officer, and was asked who I was and from where I was calling. I was connected with a woman who I can only assume is the medical officer who was very direct but polite. I started out trying to ask her about getting medication in country, and she replied that they didn't not have my medicine there. Before I could even start in on my speech and suggestions, she said "But that's not really the issue, we can get it. However, we don't have the facilities to monitor you because the islands are so spread apart." Monitor? Huh? She said that coming in for blood work etc wouldn't be possible. I informed her that my medication didn't need to be monitored via blood work and that in the States I only saw my doctor every 6 months or so in order to refill my prescription because that was State law. She if there was any sort of issue that they couldn't guarantee that they could get me to Praia every 6 months. I tried to explain that my doctor had said I didn't need monitoring...she said if the Peace Corps could tell her this, then they may be able to change their decision, but that she was told that I needed to be monitored and that was why I couldn't come.
Next call: Toni at the PCOMS, 5:30am. I left her a long, fairly excited message about how there had been a misunderstanding and that we could still fix this and basically repeated my conversation with the woman in CV. To my surprise, she returned my call in 15 min. She was confused and said that they had told her the issue was not being able to get the meds, and she told them via email that I didn't need monitoring. I don't know where or how this breakdown in communication happened, but it did and this is why we got bumped. Toni said she had to wait til the medical officer came in around 8 or 9 but she would see if he could call CV and talk with them directly and, while the decision may still stand, to keep my fingers crossed.
So. Keep your fingers crossed.
So I weighed the options and tried to figure out a solution. I was being told by PCOMS (Peace Corps Office of Medical Services) that the issue was that they didn't have my medication on Cape Verde. As soon-to-be volunteers, we're constantly told to be flexible, patient and creative. I thought, if the issue is that the medication isn't there, why not have it sent to me? I happened upon the phone number for the Cape Verde Peace Corps Office in Praia and gave it a ring on Saturday. Surprisingly someone answered and informed me that part of the issue was inter-island transportation, that it was just too difficult to get people from island to island, and that if I insisted on talking to the medical officer (who was in the field and very busy and I really didn't want to talk to her), to call back during regular business hours on Monday. Which would be 4am our time.
My plan was this: Ask the medical officer if we could order one years worth of medication from the States when I arrive and have it sent in a diplomatic pouch to ensure delivery. Send me to my island with that medication in a water proof container just in case (two ferry's recently sunk, which is why transportation has been even more sketchy), then when I come back to Praia for my one year checkup/in service training, get the second year of medication. Seemed simple enough. I had the dialogue in my head over and over about how much time and effort and money has gone into this process, and how flexible I have been so why couldn't they be, how easy this solution would really be, etc.
I started calling Cape Verde around 4:30am EST, which is 9:30 over there. No answer. 4:45, no answer. 5:15...someone answered. I asked for extension 21 or 23, the medical officer, and was asked who I was and from where I was calling. I was connected with a woman who I can only assume is the medical officer who was very direct but polite. I started out trying to ask her about getting medication in country, and she replied that they didn't not have my medicine there. Before I could even start in on my speech and suggestions, she said "But that's not really the issue, we can get it. However, we don't have the facilities to monitor you because the islands are so spread apart." Monitor? Huh? She said that coming in for blood work etc wouldn't be possible. I informed her that my medication didn't need to be monitored via blood work and that in the States I only saw my doctor every 6 months or so in order to refill my prescription because that was State law. She if there was any sort of issue that they couldn't guarantee that they could get me to Praia every 6 months. I tried to explain that my doctor had said I didn't need monitoring...she said if the Peace Corps could tell her this, then they may be able to change their decision, but that she was told that I needed to be monitored and that was why I couldn't come.
Next call: Toni at the PCOMS, 5:30am. I left her a long, fairly excited message about how there had been a misunderstanding and that we could still fix this and basically repeated my conversation with the woman in CV. To my surprise, she returned my call in 15 min. She was confused and said that they had told her the issue was not being able to get the meds, and she told them via email that I didn't need monitoring. I don't know where or how this breakdown in communication happened, but it did and this is why we got bumped. Toni said she had to wait til the medical officer came in around 8 or 9 but she would see if he could call CV and talk with them directly and, while the decision may still stand, to keep my fingers crossed.
So. Keep your fingers crossed.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
No Longer Going to Cape Verde
So this will be short, because I'm still very upset. Josh and I are not going to Cape Verde. The medical office called today and said that one of the medications I am taking is not available in Cape Verde. Remember, of course, that they knew this and that originally it was one of the "accomodations" they were making, and thus we thought that is why we were going to Cape Verde in the first place. But someone must have dropped the ball and now, 11 days before we leave, we are no longer going.
The "good" news is that we are still medically cleared and they have put us as a priority to find us new placement asap, most likely in Eastern Europe or the Pacific Islands.
We are devestated. We have sold everthing or given it away, we have no apartment or car, I quit my job already. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts. We will keep you posted.
-Dove
The "good" news is that we are still medically cleared and they have put us as a priority to find us new placement asap, most likely in Eastern Europe or the Pacific Islands.
We are devestated. We have sold everthing or given it away, we have no apartment or car, I quit my job already. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts. We will keep you posted.
-Dove
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
(Dove) Last day of work!
Today is my first official day of unemployment. The woman they hired to replace me is doing fantastic, and although I had told my boss I would stay through this week and come in next week if necessary, I figured since the new person had a handle on it, I would be forgiven for leaving. Today has been great, it's the first time I've actually relaxed in forever. I know I have a ton of stuff to do but...I think relaxing is on the top of the list, at least for one day.
I'm leaving tomorrow to see my cousin, Mary-Leah, in Toronto before I go. And for those of you who are counting, we're leaving in 12 days. Yup, 12. I didn't really get to spend any time with her at the going away party last weekend, so this should be a good opportunity to get some quality "cos" time in. Now to convince her that she must come to visit me in Cape Verde...
On a technical note, one of the shortcomings (or what I see as a shortcoming) of Blogger (the site that is hosting this here blog you are reading) is that there is no place for you, the reader, to sign up to receive emails when we update our blog. There is the option to subscribe to a "feed," but honestly, for all my time on line I still don't "get" feeds, and given that a lot of people who are reading the blog may be more technically challanged than I am, I've set up a "work around" for the problem. All you have to do is email me or leave a comment here with your email address, and I will subscribe you to a Google group that I set up - basically when we post a blog entry or photos, a notice will be sent to members of the Google group stating that we've updated the blog.
And in the AWESOME news department...I got a scholarship from World Hoop Day to take a bunch of hoops (hula hoops) to Africa with me! I don't know how much it will be yet, I should know hopefully tomorrow, but I'm so excited! I had planned on taking the four that I have with me and then see if I could have folks help me with a fundraiser to get more $ to send hoops over, but this it awesome, I will hopefully be able to just bring a bunch with me! So I'll put the plug out there as well: if you'd like to donate material/supplies or money to help me bring/send hoops to Africa, let me know!
I'm leaving tomorrow to see my cousin, Mary-Leah, in Toronto before I go. And for those of you who are counting, we're leaving in 12 days. Yup, 12. I didn't really get to spend any time with her at the going away party last weekend, so this should be a good opportunity to get some quality "cos" time in. Now to convince her that she must come to visit me in Cape Verde...
On a technical note, one of the shortcomings (or what I see as a shortcoming) of Blogger (the site that is hosting this here blog you are reading) is that there is no place for you, the reader, to sign up to receive emails when we update our blog. There is the option to subscribe to a "feed," but honestly, for all my time on line I still don't "get" feeds, and given that a lot of people who are reading the blog may be more technically challanged than I am, I've set up a "work around" for the problem. All you have to do is email me or leave a comment here with your email address, and I will subscribe you to a Google group that I set up - basically when we post a blog entry or photos, a notice will be sent to members of the Google group stating that we've updated the blog.
And in the AWESOME news department...I got a scholarship from World Hoop Day to take a bunch of hoops (hula hoops) to Africa with me! I don't know how much it will be yet, I should know hopefully tomorrow, but I'm so excited! I had planned on taking the four that I have with me and then see if I could have folks help me with a fundraiser to get more $ to send hoops over, but this it awesome, I will hopefully be able to just bring a bunch with me! So I'll put the plug out there as well: if you'd like to donate material/supplies or money to help me bring/send hoops to Africa, let me know!
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