Month #1

Hard to believe that I have been in this country for more than a month already…

Now that I have stocked my refrigerator (mostly with items from Portugal or Brazil since Cape Verde is forced to import most of its food), met my neighbors (a family from Italy lives across the hall), and familiarized myself with the city (I tend to walk everywhere, despite the scorching heat), it is time to get to work…

Classes at the university start tomorrow. I will be teaching two sections of a course entitled “Cultural Literacy” to undergraduate students in the English Department. They have a choice between Teaching, Tourism or Translation – and it my job to help them bridge the cultural gap in whichever of these professions they decide to pursue.

The University of Cape Verde (UNI-CV) was founded only 3 years ago. Being a very young institution (much like the country itself which gained its independence in 1978), it is still in the process of developing its fundamental mission and curriculum. As an advisor “on loan” from the US Embassy, I hope to become an integral part of their efforts during the next 9 months. Being the first long-term US State Department Educational Consultant in Cape Verde, I expect it will take some time to clarify expectations and find my niche. My role is constantly evolving. In general, though, I am very impressed with the enthusiasm and youthful energy of the people in charge (most of the Vice-Rectors at the university are in their late twenties or early thirties). Their dedication is quite commendable. It remains to be seen, though, what it will take to fulfill their vision.

Besides UNI-CV, I will be collaborating with the Ministry of Education and Peace Corps on several in-service training projects for Secondary School teachers and volunteers. This will require me to conduct workshops on a few of the other islands, where the differences are supposedly quite stark, both geographically and culturally. (Santiago is considered the most “African” of the islands, and its capital, Praia, is very cosmopolitan. It is also the driest. Fogo and Brava are volcanic. Sal is a completely flat windsurfers paradise, attracting the majority of international tourists. Santo Antao offers hikers a landscape of rugged peaks. Boavista has idyllic beaches and scuba diving. Sao Vicente, and its largest city, Mindelo, is said to be a combination of Mediterranean and Caribbean flavors, with its popular “morna” music and a world-famous Carnival celebration in March.)

Weekends tend to be very mellow. Shopping at the market; Portuguese and Kriolu language classes; swimming at the US Embassy pool; walking along the one clean beach in the city; free concerts of Senegalese musicians at the French Cultural Center or flamenco dancers at the Spanish Embassy; or an occasional dinner at one of Praia’s wonderful seafood restaurants. Every other week, the tight knit ex-pat community holds a wine & cheese reception where I have met many interesting people from around the world, all of whom are here for a variety of random reasons (diplomatic missions, non-profit organizations, business ventures – including an organic farmer from Germany and a British coffee shop owner). Once the weather cools, I might join a local hiking group which offers daytrips to explore the surrounding countryside. And I have decided to spend Christmas in Las Palmas, Canary Islands (with a layover in Lisbon) – where I can speak/understand the language again and get a small dose of Spanish hospitality.

That’s all for now. I hope I have given you some idea of my reality here in Cape Verde. Even though I am thousands of miles away, living on a remote island chain in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, life is pretty normal. I have my daily routine, cook and clean for myself (many of you will be pleased – maybe surprised? - to know that I gave up the daily maid service!), and watch CNN to find out what’s going on in the US (I’ve been following the Colorado “balloon boy” saga – try explaining that one to Cape Verdean students!). The pace here is definitely slower than what I’m used to, but that’s one of the main reasons I decided to come. Considering how fast the last month has flown by, I know that July will be here before I know it, so I might as well take advantage of every moment, no?

May things in your corner of the world be going just as well.

All my best,

Daniel