Boas Festas!

Happy Holidays everyone! It's been a busy time in Porto Novo, with lots of festas, food and friends. The festivities started on the 19th, with the "Festa de Viellu." My boss had told me about this festa a few weeks before, but I guess something was lost in translation. He kept talking about the "old festival" of Natal, and I kept thinking, well duh, yeah, Christmas is old...and then I thought Oh wait, they have a festival here in Port that they must have been doing for a long time, so it's an old festival. Nope, neither of these were right. Turns out it's a festival FOR old people. And yes, they call it the Festival of (the) Old. Nice. It was a lot of fun - it started out with a mass, complete with an Italian priest walking around with a little baby Jesus doll, food, wine and dancing. It might have been the best day I've had in Cape Verde so far; Josh agrees. Those old people know how to party!

(Don't eat me!!!)

On Monday there was a repeat performance in Das Patas, the next town after Lagedos up in the mountains. More mass, more food, more drinks, lots more dancing. We spent a lot of time taking pictures, cooking, serving food, cleaning up, arranging furniture and amusing the Cape Verdeans with our American dance skills. Another fantastic day.

(The most interesting Nativity Scene ever...)

Saturday (yes, we're skipping around in time) was the First Ever Porto Novo Christmas Fair. Similar to the fair in Lagedos, this was held in the praca right near our house, which was pretty cool. Lots of music and dancing again, plus some guy brought his sugar cane "juicer" and people could juice their own cane. We put the pictures on line here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/doveandjoshua/sets/72157611812565322/

(We'll have a video up soon, but we can't figure out how to edit it...hmm...)

On Christmas Eve we had a party at the Camara for all the employees. It was a nice break from all the running around and cooking and cleaning that happens around the holidays, plus they make pretty good pizza in Cape Verde (or maybe I'm just getting used to it) and they went all out for the office party. We stayed for a couple of hours then headed home to start cooking for our guests around 1 (we closed early that day).

(Josh and Vava, his counterpart)

Christmas Eve, our friend Cathryn from Mindelo, her sister, Megan from Port and Tiff from Ponta de Sol all came to stay at our place. I made pasta fagioli and pizza frita (from scratch, of course) and it was OMG delicious. Best fried dough ever. Seriously, don't ever used store bought dough to make fried dough again; just take the time and do it yourself, it's worth the effort. Everyone enjoyed the food, although we had enough left over to feed the rest of Port I think (which was good, we had it for lunch the next day). We watched some movies before bed and then turned in around midnight, at which point our friend Nany from up the road came to our window and started whistling for us to come walk around with him. Apparently stuff starts happening around midnight on Christmas Eve and everyone hangs out in the street. We were exhausted though and had to pass.

On Christmas morning I made muffins and we pigged out again, then opened gifts. We each got each other a small gift, under 200$ or about $2.20 USD. I got lipgloss, a bracelet, some hair clips and a juicer; Josh got a bracelet, a pen, a really nice wallet (NOT under 200$ and from the States, but that was Megans doing) and some foot stuff for his awful stinky feet. We ate more pasta fagioli then went for a walk on the beach (it was about 83 out) and came back for some homemade hummus and pita bread - yes, I made pita bread, and it rocked. We watched Love, Actually and had dinner around 8 (we were too stuffed from the hummus to eat earlier). I made blackened Amberjack (fish), baked BBQ chicken, garlic smashed potatoes, sauteed kale, squash pie, stuffing, corn bread and baked beans. Everything was delicious. We were all so stuffed we couldn't even eat all the cookies I'd made for dessert.

So here are the Christmas Day photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/doveandjoshua/sets/72157611753227727/

And here is the video I promised:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/doveandjoshua/3146255261/

Saturday we went hiking...but that's another blog!

Ti logu,

Dove (and Josh)

Tarafal - Where the streets have no...pavement

"So Vava is going to Tarafal to fix a satellite dish and said I could come with him. You wanna go?"

"Um, sure..."

I've wanted to visit Tarafal since before I came to Cape Verde. I had heard how peaceful, how beautiful it was, and how once you got there you never want to leave...

...and part of the reason you never want to leave is the road to Tarafal. Or rather, the path where a road should be. Thus explained my hesitance at going to Tarafal for the day. The last group of volunteers who went ended up taking a boat to Mindelo and another boat from Mindelo to Porto Novo instead of braving the road back, several days after they arrived. And we were going both ways in one day.

Starting at 5am.

But I love an adventure and so 5am Monday morning, we were off. Well, 5:15. And then the gas station wouldn't give us gas for some reason, so we had to drive around to someoneelses house to get something or other and then go back to get gas. So 5:30 and we were off.

The road starts off rather well, like a road should be (or like a road in Cape Verde is...like a brick road, sort of smooth and only a little bumpy), heading towards Lagedos. After the turnoff for Tarafal, you've got about 13 more minutes of peace until the road ends. Literally. It just stops, and in it's place is a sort of carved out dirt path littered with fallen rocks, some of which are now embedded in the dirt path, many of which you have to maneuver around, frequently on cliff edges. At 5:50am, which is still dark. I think we averaged about 15km an hour, which is about 9mph.

Around 6:45 we made our first stop for photos (see the flickr link) of the highest point on Santo Antao. And a shot of grogue. The moon was still up and we got a great shot of the changing sky. It was chilly out, which only added to the ambiance.

**So a side note about grogue and drinking in Cape Verde. People here drink. Many people drink a lot. A lot. Frequently. As in starting at 6am and continuing through the day. In America, we might consider half the population of Cape Verde to be alcoholics - if binge drinking = alcoholism, and binge drinking also = 5 or more drinks in a day/night...well...But this isn't America, and while I won't downplay the affect of drinking on the population (mostly men - drinking is much less acceptable among women. Not to say women don't drink, just usually less frequently and not so much grogue), there is a cultural element that vies alcohol and alcoholism differently. People recognize there are alcoholics, but that's typically reserved for those people that walk around visibly drunk all day, slurring their words and stumbling, or just blurry eyed and not too coherent. So all this to say that a grogue stop or two on the way to here or there isn't that uncommon, and in fact I have yet to make a trip of longer than an hour with a Cape Verdean that has not involved at least one grogue stop.

And if I haven't mentioned it, grogue is alcohol made from sugar cane. Many people brew it themselves; some is really good, most is pretty harsh, all of it is really really strong. Moonshine anyone?**

Most of the drive was done in the dark or dusk, and it was beautiful to be traveling in the mountains watching the sun come up and the sky changing. It was almost enough to make you forget the road. Almost. Oh and the other thing...Vava is always warm. So even though it was chilly out (very chilly, as many mornings are, especially at higher elevations) the windows were open and when it got too dusty, the windows were closed and the A/C went on. We froze in the back seat.

About 45 minutes outside of Tarafal you can look over the cliffs and see the town. It's beautiful, a dot of green in the stark brownness of the dry mountains. You see the small plots of farm land and the black sand beach, the fishing boats that take most of their catches straight to Mindelo because there is a better market there. It's one of the most isolated places on the island, possibly only eclipsed by the town next to it (Montrigo I think) which is only accessible via a three hour hike or hour boat ride from Tarafal. Amazing. For all its development, this is Cape Verde too.

We arrived finally, driving past the stretch of black beach and the shaded tree lined paths, up the cobblestone roads to the local Camara building. At the hotel next door there was a huge breakfast waiting for us, complete with fried fish, eggs and catchupa; it was our first taste of catchupa since leaving Santiago, and it was delicious.

Tarafal doesn't have electricity until 11am, so we walked around, down to the beach, talked to the fisherman preparing tuna - because the electricity is sporadic, there isn't a whole lot of ability to refrigerate things. Thus, the fish they do get is frequently salted to preserve it. (see photos!) The fisherman made fun of us in Kriolu, not realizing we spoke it, but it was fine. I'm sure they're used to tourists coming and taking their pictures and think it's amusing. Yes, despite the access issues, Tarafal is a tourist destination, and if you're willing to brave the ride, it's a lovely place to spend a few days relaxing, hiking and snorkeling. We drove up to the higher reaches of the village and saw their irrigation supply; the system they use for irrigation here is really cool - sort of like narrow cement pathways that double as footpaths to carry water to it's destination. The water comes from giant tanks that are typically filled with rain water; I'm not sure what happens in the dry season. These also sometimes double as local swimming pools. Did I mention Peace Corps requires us to filter and bleach our water?

Around 11 we drove up to the towns satellite, where I did some sun bathing and reading (and napping). We were there about an hour when it was discovered something needed to be replaced...and we were done. 3 hours here, 3 hours back for 1 hour of work that couldn't be completed. And two meals - lunch was waiting when we got back to the hotel. Two kinds of potatoes, two kinds of fish (tuna and something else that was pretty yummy) and rice. Cape Verdeans are big on starch.

I don't know if the ride back was better or worse, if it seemed faster or slower, but it was definitely painful. No wonder they stopped for grogue; it numbs the pain. We had refilled the 16oz bottle they brought on the way there with some of the local brew in Tarafal (Grogue de Jaim, which I was told was the best on the island, and which I concur was quite delicious - smooth with a sweet aftertaste). We stopped too to pick up some fresh goat cheese on the way back, and by 6pm, we were safe and sound back in Port.

After 6 hours on those "roads," both of our backs felt horrible. Josh felt like he'd pinched something, I felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to my lower back. Two days later I'm still taking Tylenol for the pain though it is subsiding. I can see why the other volunteers took a boat back. But after all that, we're planning on celebrating Easter in Tarafal - that's their big celebration, and for 1500$pp a night (which is about $18usd) you can get a clean room and three meals a day. Good food, good parties, good snorkeling? We're in.

We took a lot of photos, so here is the link on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/doveandjoshua/sets/72157611280315413/

Next time: Christmas video!

Piggie Love

Is that a Doodle in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?



The girls napping on mom - this was the cutest ever. Muffin was eating grass on my stomach and then out of my hand. All of a sudden, she ran up my chest and started looking at me. It freaked me out at first, but then she started making her cute noises and cuddling up under my chin, like I was a guinea pig. Doodle followed suit and decided to put her head down on me and snuggle and nap a little.



Josh's girls

Lagedos Fair - Life in the Fora

Some quick updates before my "regularly scheduled blog:"
The little baby piggy we adoped has been dubbed "Snickerdoodle" though we usually call her Doodlebug. So we have Muffin and Snickerdoodle, and they are the cutest things ever and are growing up to be big little piggies!

Moregal is Greater Amberjack and if you ever have a chance to try it, it's delicious. The pink fish has been confirmed to be Red Snapper.

Operation Lose My Belly is under way with a plethroa of lentil and bean dishes and finger crossing. Goodbye Mars bars, I miss you already.

Packages are delayed due to holiday mail rush. Have no fear, they should arrive...eventually!
-------------------------------------
The first Saturday of each month brings us to the Lagedos Fair. Lagedos is a small area in Das Patas in the fora, where you begin your climb into the mountains, about 20 minutes outside of the City of Porto Novo. The Fair is equally small but very enjoyable. There is one main building run by the women who make some of the best jam I've ever had, as well as purses, teas, coffee, grogue, ponche, liquors, woven small baskets and this strange beet candy. Outside the main building (which is about the size of a bedroom in America) are stands where vendors can sell their wares, mostly baked good, produce and grogue. On any given day there are usually 8 to 10 vendors. In addition, there is a small restaraunt selling the plate of the day and an outside bar where you can sample the liquors sold inside the main building, plus get a glass of bissop juice and the freshest, most delicious apple juice ever. We missed the fair the first month we arrived, but don't ever plan on missing another.

It's not that there is that much to do in Lagedos. It doesn't take a whole lot of time to visit 10 vendors and have a glass of juice. But there is something about the atmosphere there, something in visiting your neighbors, praticing your language, meeting people you know and supporting local economy that can't help but make for a good time. Both times we've gone we've seen people we know, and now we are getting to know new faces and hopefully securing our place in Cape Verde as "the white non-tourists." Plus, for me, I have an alternative motive - the small businesses in the fora may provide me with project opportunites, either in the realm of micro credit or in helping with business training. I personally would love to help with advertising the fair, especially to tourists coming off the boat who would have no reason to know about or visit the fair under normal circumstances.

So if you plan on coming to Santa Antao any time in the future (which you all should be), be sure to schedule your time around the first Saturday of the month and hit up the fair. You won't be disappointed.



The Lagedos Fair


The lunch spot

Enjoying our juice

Here fishy fish!

We took some photos of the fish we've been eating that we can't idenfity - we forgot to take one of the "bika" we had yesterday, but we'll add more as we eat them. So if you know what we're eating, we'd like to know too!

We think this little guy is red snapper. They called it "falwe" (falh - way). They cleaned it for us, including descaling, so originally our little fish friend was more pink and red. Tonights dinner, yum!

This is the one they call "moregal" (more eh gal), except that another time we were going to buy fish, it also was called moregal but din't look anything like this. Hm. We think maybe they cut the tail and it didn't really look like that originally. We can't find any fish online with a tail like this. The meat was soft but pinkish when we cut it, and it was really good with cajun spices.

Nha bariga grande!

In a valiant effort to stem the growth of my every increasing bariga (that's stomach for those that don't speak Kriolu), I have been attempting to cook healthier, better foods for us. Let me back up for a second and say that I've been cooking since we arrived, even during our homestay, and in general, I've done fairly well. However, during holiday time, times of stress, times of loneliness, a girl has been known to turn to a Mars chocolate bar for comfort. And the turns have been increasing.

It's not like it's easy to eat well here. There are no "boneless skinless chicken breasts" waiting for me in neat packaging at Wegmans. No "clean food movement" to provide me with organic free-range omega-3 fatty acid packed lamb. No jumbo sized vegetables overflowing the produce isle; hell, there aren't even any decent frozen vegetables to come by on this past shipment (I personally do not consider peas, corn or even really carrots real vegetables - the amount of sugar and starches outweigh the nutritional value). There are no low fat or low sugar products. We frequently can't find skim milk.

Here is what we have plenty of: fish (although most times we're not sure what type it is and therefore aren't sure how to cook it - my mom hated fish so I never learned to cook it anyway), chicken legs, rice (white), flour (also white), sugar, salt, white bread, lentils/beans (thankfully, though I'm still not used to eating so many carbs in a protein source), full fat yogurt, and lots of stuff in cans - corn, peas, tomatoes, hotdogs, other random processed meats. We also have processed cheese slices, white potatoes, ramen and other salt laden soup products, as well as a variety of cereals.

Usually, you can find some assortment of lettuce, onions, kale, cilantro, green peppers (here, they are the size of a plum), carrots, garlic, squash (though we don't really know what kind it is or how to cook it)...um...oh usually we have apples and oranges too. Sometimes tomatoes, though they are usually green. The biggest problem with all of these delights is that they are very, very expensive. The second biggest problem is that they are sporadic. One week we will be swimming in kale; the next entire month we're dry. Right now you can buy cilantro for about a buck a pound; give it a few weeks and we'll never see it again.

Being used to a high protein American diet (even lower protein diets in America are high protein for most of the rest of the world), my stomach and metabolism aren't used to sharing the calorie load with so much fat and carbs. I feel like I'm ALWAYS hungry and you can't whip up a healthy snack around here like you can at home. No 100 calorie snack packs, thank you very much. This accounts for my growing rear end (no need to mention the chocolate, I'm on it). This is apparently the norm for female Peace Corps Volunteers, especially in Africa; usually they gain a lot of weight their first year, and hopefully lose it their second.

So, as I said in the beginning, to prevent this downward spiral into stretch pants and men's clothing, I've been trying to cook better. This week we've made a vinegar based coleslaw sans oil, a Mexican bean salad and a warm lentil salad. My mom sent me a spice packet for White Chicken Chili, and to make it both last longer and be healthier, we added lentils, onions and canned tomatoes to the mix. It was fabulous. We're trying to eat fish twice a week, Josh has learned to take the skin off the chicken (and debone it, AND debone fish - go Josh!), we actually found light margarine, with the arrival of the spices from Josh's dad and the tea from my mom we're enjoying a little flavor and luxury. Our friend Tiffany FINALLY found soy sauce and is sending some our way next time a volunteer swings by. I'm trying (so far, successfully) to halt the brownie production. And although it is missed, the popcorn has had to go.

The most frustrating part of all this is that I KNOW how to eat well, how to prepare food that is healthy, with good fat, complex carbs, all that good stuff...but I don't have the resources to do it (including money). But with that frustration comes the learning of how difficult it is for Cape Verdeans to cook and eat healthy too, and why they rely on things like corn, rice, potatoes and beans for staples (cheap, filling, and some nutritional value).

So...if anyone has any "favorite" bean dishes, or lentil dishes, or 100 simple ways to prepare fish, send them our way! 'Cause while the "Mexican flavored EVERYTHING" right now is mighty tasty (given our current abundant supply of cilantro, which btw Josh now LOVES, and our recent procurement of a buttload of cumin), it's sure to get old sooner or later. Oh and KIM, if you can send us the recipe for the infamous Carrot-Ginger Cole Slaw we'd love you even more than we do now (if that's possible). Maybe someday we'll come across some ginger and raisins and it'll be close enough :o)

Ti logu,
Dove