Final Thoughts

With a little more than 2 weeks to go in Cape Verde, I am trying to take advantage of the slow pace and fresh air of this incredible place – that most people would be hard-pressed to ever find on a map - before I go. I will miss this country, and the wonderful people I have met here (Maria, Zita - pictured with me below, Alan, Misty, Bea, Hank, Levindo, Debbie, Albino, Joao, etc).

The Ambassador sent me this nice parting note: "You did a GREAT job, Daniel, especially given the frustrations of having to break new ground with an inflexible UniCV bureaucracy. You should be very proud of that! All the best to you for the future!!"

- Marianne M. Myles, Ambassador of the United States to the Republic of Cape Verde

Needless to say, next year will be quite a change. Mexico here I come! But first, a much-anticipated summer in the States (re-connecting with friends & family in Colorado, camping in Aspen, rafting through the Grand Canyon, meetings in DC, etc) awaits!

STAY TUNED…New blog entries will be posted again, starting in September at:

http://danielinmexico.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading…Hasta Luego!

May Highlights

As my time in Cape Verde is slowly winding down, allow me to share some of what has been filling up my days…

• Panel Discussion at the Escola de Negocios e Gobernacao (ENG). I invited 3 agency heads (Peace Corps, Millennium Challenge Corporation, and the US Embassy’s Consular Office) to engage students and faculty in a lively conversation about “US-Cape Verdean Relations”.

• Field Trip to Serra Malagueta National Park and Tarrafal (on the North side of Santiago island) with the US Embassy’s Post Language Program.
  

• In-Service Training (IST) for secondary school teachers and Peace Corps volunteers on the volcanic island of Fogo with my boss from Dakar, Alice Murray. Visit to the crater and a local winery. Book donation at the “American Corner” in Mosteiros (see photo below). Luncheon in my honor at the Ambassador’s residence. Meetings at Ministry of Education.

Sao Vicente and Santo Antao Islands

SAO VICENTE

Workshop participants in Mindelo! (Sponsored by the Ministry of Education)

SANTO ANTAO

Pedracin Village (near Cocoli) on the island of Santo Antao...A rustic eco-lodge with comfortable rooms, good food and a beautiful view!

Happy Easter and Passover!

Who would have thought that one could pull off a traditional Passover Seder in Cape Verde? With homemade matzoh, potato kugel and macaroons no less? Followed by an Easter-egg hunt, put on for the enjoyment of the children of US Embassy staff, complete with clowns and face-painting? All in one week! Needless to say, fun was had by all…Pictured below, among others, are: The Peace Corps Country Director Hank Weiss, his wife and our Community Liaison Officer (Bea), Public Affairs Officer Mike Ralles (and his wife Rachel), Kriolu Language Instructor Manuel Tavares, Resident Director of the Millennium Challenge Corporation Stahis Panagides (and his wife Joy), and the EASTER BUNNY (who was no doubt sweating in that costume)! Shalom!

March 2010

After a two-week break in the US, I once again find myself back in Cape Verde. (The trip was wonderful, except for the fact that my bags never caught up with me until 3 days before I was due to return. Even without warm clothes, I thoroughly enjoyed my time visiting friends and family in the DC area, and attending an advocacy retreat for American Jewish World Service.) Despite being jet-lagged, I went to a St. Patrick’s Day happy hour sponsored by the US Embassy a few hours after landing.

Yesterday I participated in a field trip with our Post Language Program (PLP). We visited two Aldeias SOS orphanages in the villages of Sao Domingos and Assomada, both within 1 hour of Praia on the island of Santiago. It was truly inspiring to see how the children there are being cared for by this privately-funded institution. During one family visit, though, we learned that rural Cape Verdean children only receive on average 25% of the daily recommended nutrition, mostly due to the lack of fresh fruits and vegetables. (Since the island rarely gets rain, most produce is imported and therefore prohibitively expensive.) Pictured below with the family is Bea Weiss our Community Liaison Officer (CLO) and Stahis Panagides, the Country Director of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).

Throughout the day, we got to practice our Kriolu language skills, and were even treated to several demonstrations of “capoeira”, an Afro-Brazilian mixture of dance and martial arts.

With a little more than 3 months remaining of my Fellowship, I still have a lot on my plate. In April, I will be traveling to other islands (Sao Vicente, Santo Antao and Fogo) to conduct teacher-training workshops at secondary schools. I have also started collaborating with UNI-CV’s Business School to develop their English curriculum and programming.

As you can see, there is never a dull moment here in Cape Verde! Ciao for now!

HAPPY CARNIVAL!!

Visit to Senegal

This past week, I had the opportunity to visit "the mainland" by attending a West African Networking Conference in Dakar, Senegal. The US Embassy sponsored this event, which brought together education professionals from around the region (Cape Verde, Mali, Mauritania, Cameroon, Guinea, Togo, Burkina Faso and Niger) to brainstorm ways to create & build teacher associations. The Cape Verdean delegation was made up of myself, Levindo Nascimento and Zita Vieira (both pictured below). We were definitely the lightest-skinned ones there (and the only Portuguese speakers). The city of Dakar is much bigger/more crowded than Praia, and a bit overwhelming. The food was great, though. Our Senegalese hosts also took us for a tour of Goree Island, a former transit point for African slaves before they were shipped to America. Very interesting. Other highlights included: a reception at the US Ambassador's residence and strolling through the handicraft market.

Democracy Day

Today, January 13th, is a national holiday in Cape Verde. To celebrate the founding of democracy in the nation, residents walk 4kms through the streets of Praia. Below are a few photos of the scenes we passed along the way...(The entire US Embassy staff was in attendance. Peace Corps volunteer, Alan Tudor, is pictured with me here).

Professional Development Conference for Secondary School Teachers in Praia