I Got 5 On It

This week the magic number is five. Unfortunately, there is no way I will be able to visit all ten islands of Cape Verde before I leave, which was part of my original master plan. I’m more than a little jealous because my friend, Rob, just came north from Praia and took a day trip to the uninhabited island of Santa Luzia to complete the cycle. My only consolation is that it took him almost four years to pull it off, while I’ve only been here for nine months and change.The good news is that after a great vacation last week, I can say that I’ve visited half of them. Islands number four and five for me were Fogo and Brava, and like each island in this country, they both brought their own flavor and fun to the party.

After a three-day conference in Praia, I headed to the airport early Thursday morning for the start of a loooooong weekend with a few friends who would eventually be renamed “Drew’s Angels.” They were great company the whole way through, but some of them aren’t exactly morning people.* (see picture below)

In typical Peace Corps fashion, we approached our vacation with the same flexibility that has kept us narrowly sane over the past few months. The last minute planning got off to a great start when my phone rang just before take-off. It was my friend, Ronise, calling to tell me that she was actually going to be on my flight to Fogo. I was little confused because, like I said, I was already buckled in with my tray-table stowed. But she was for real, and I few minutes later, I saw her climb on board, bags in hand, to settle into the last remaining seat. Only in Cape Verde... if I remember correctly, the flight attendants were actually standing up and walking around during take off on the way here from Boston.

Our fluid plans stayed fluid, even after we landed. Taking it one step at a time, we asked the taxi driver to take us to a place with cachupa for a start. I was set on heading straight to Brava that night, after finding out that a family friend has a pensão on the northwest coast of the island.** I did some lightweight lobbying of the other folks to come along with me, and after a few short hours at the travel agency, we had four roundtrip ferry tickets in hand.***

It’s tempting to try to share every step of my vacation, but that would probably be more interesting to write than it would be to read. By now I hope you appreciate that I try not to let this blog devolve into a list of “and then I did this, and then I did that.” So, as a compromise, I will to share one highlight from each day of the trip. Here goes:

Thursday, May 24 - Praia / Fogo / Brava

The best part about our first day of vacation was killing time in São Filipe until our boat left for Brava later that night. This involved a long breakfast, lugging our bags down to the black-sand beach to bake and chill, then settling in at a nearby restaurant for a few more hours of serra, drinks, and zouk lessons (thank you, Ronise).

Friday, May 25 - Faja d’Agua & Nova Sintra, Brava

After spending our first night at Pensão Sol na Baia, we woke up refreshed and ready to explore Faja d'Agua. No contest, the highlight of Friday was our visit to the piscina, or natural pools that are formed by the tides on the coast of Faja. A picture is worth a thousand words, so here goes a thousand pictures...

Saturday, May 26th - Nova Sintra, Brava, São Filipe & Cha das Caldeiras, Fogo

On Saturday morning we braved the waters back to Fogo, then piled in a hiace to head for the center of the island. Cha das Caldeiras is known for two things: the volcano, and the wine that is made from the vineyards at the volcano's base. We decided the tackle the latter challenge on the first day, which brings us to our highlight of Saturday: manecon and music at Casa Ramiro’s. When we left at 10pm, after hours of dancing and “wine-tasting,” it felt more like 1am. Luckily, it wasn’t, because tomorrow would not be easy.

Sunday, May 27th - Chas das Caldeiras & São Filipe, Fogo

Bright and early, we headed for the volcano to find out what we were made of. I had been told that the summit is the quietest place on earth, and I was not disappointed. I took the animal-style approach on the way up, then took advantage of the spare time to take a nap on top of the world. The way up was the kind of fun that hurts... the way down was just plain fun.

Monday, May 28th - São Filipe, Fogo

Our visit to Fogo coincided with the annual “Festa São Filipe” music festival. The music was cool, but it ranked a distant second place to the good old fashioned company that we shared with friends on our last night in town. Four other volunteers from other parts of the island joined us, along with folks from Fogo and the Philippines. Thank you, Emma, for putting us up, and for putting up with us for one more night! Good times...

Pura Vida,

Drew

* Fortunately, I was prepared for Averie’s morning side-eye. During our nine-week training, we lived in the same village and had language classes everyday at 8am. So you could say that I knew not to trifle with her before her first cup of coffee. For more on the side-eye, click here.

** Sol Na Baia is owned by Jose Andrade, a Cape Verdean painter. The entire place was decked out with his completed works, as well as a few in progress.

*** It took longer to buy the tickets than it did to actually travel from Fogo to Brava.

Notes

When I last checked in I had just found out that I will be moving to Baranquilla, Colombia this summer to serve as a Peace Corps Response Volunteer for one year. At the time I was short on details because I didn’t have them all. To that end, I just finished participating in a three-day Transfer Conference in Praia with eight other volunteers who will be moving on to different countries this summer. The point of the conference was to prepare us for our new assignments and to help us transition smoothly out of our lives and work here in Cape Verde. It’s a little more complicated than it sounds, because between the nine of us, we are headed to four different countries (Benin, Colombia, Namibia, and Togo). On top that, there are thirteen other volunteers that are transferring to Moçambique and one that will be staying in Cape Verde to work.  Despite some unanswered questions, the conference was helpful, and at least I now have a confirmed date for when I will start work in Colombia: June 19th. I still don’t know exactly when I’ll be leaving Cape Verde, but it is soon enough to have me thinking hard about how I want to spend my last days here. 

As I mentioned before, I was slow to locate a piano in-country, but I finally did last month. Since then I’ve been studying with Professor Cachimbo at the Escola Municipal de Musica.* When I first knocked on the door I didn’t have any concrete plans, other than to make sure I sat down at the piano and played for at least an hour once a week. Well, Cachimbo has more than obliged. He asked me to sit down and play something, then he invited me to come in twice a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays, for one hour. After my first Friday session he said, “see you on Monday.” When I pointed out that Mondays would make it three times a week, his response was something along the lines of, “I know.” So I showed up the following Monday for my second lesson in Cape Verdean music. Halfway through the session, Cachimbo suggested that form a group and have a performance... O.K., sounds good to me! At the end of the next session he asked me to come at 4pm next time, instead of 5pm, so that we could have more time to play. Then, at the following session he announced that we would be recording soon... OK, also sounds good to me! So, just to recap, my one-hour lessons have grown into six hours a week with a concert and a recording around the corner. Luckily, I’m on the all-you-can-eat plan, so I’m still paying the original monthly fee of 2,000 CVE ($25.00 US).

Now I can finally say that playing music is a priority in my life (once again). For so many reasons I let that part of me slip away, or get buried in the chaos that comes with integrating into a new country, and into a new group of colleagues and friends. Two years ago I wrote an entry called “Why I’m Not On Tour” in the wake of the Tiger Woods scandal. In it, I tried to explain how and why I came to the point in my life where I no longer wanted to present myself as a musician, despite the fact that music is such a personal, and important aspect of who I am. I still feel the same way for the most part, but I do feel like I’ve taken it too far to the extreme since I’ve been in Cape Verde. After seven months here, I can count on my fingers the number of people here who have heard me play or perform, or have listened to anything I’ve recorded. True, I still want people to know me before they know my music... but at the end of the day, I do want them to listen.

Playing piano every week has given me the swift kick in the ass that I needed, and recently I’ve been more open and excited about sharing that side of me with my friends. I even found myself free-styling at the dinner table earlier this week... that felt good. With that feeling in mind, I want to share a video from my last concert in California. A while back I posted a low-fi bootleg audio recording of the performance, but now I have the concert DVD with visuals and the good quality sound. So, PLEASE click on the following link to... 

WATCH THE SHORT VIDEO

If all goes as planned I will have some new music to share with you before I leave Cape Verde. Until then, thank you for reading, and thank you for listening.**

Pura Vida,

Drew

* Municipal Music School

** If you enjoyed this post, or the video, or if you just feel sorry for me, the please click here to "like" my music page on Facebook.

Plan Colombia

I was tempted to title this post, “Luckiest Man Alive, Part. 3,” or, “Muah Hah Hah,” because that is how I am feeling right now. Yesterday, I was offered the opportunity to transfer Baranquilla to serve as a Peace Corps Response Volunteer. Cool, right? Oh, you haven’t even heard the good part yet. I would be working as a Youth Outreach Specialist with a soccer program called Fútbol Con Corazón. Here is the job description...

---------------------------------------------

Title: Youth Outreach Specialist- Soccer (Colombia)
Country: Colombia
Language Qualifications: Spanish
Program Area: Youth Development
Partner: Fútbol Con Corazón


Description
Multiple Peace Corps Response Volunteers are needed to serve as Youth Outreach Volunteers for Fútbol Con Corazón. Fútbol Con Corazón is a grass-roots social change model that uses soccer to provide new opportunities for over 2,000 children living below the poverty line in Colombia. Fútbol Con Corazón fills the gap in before-school and after-school programs for Colombia’s poverty-stricken youth. Due to budget cuts and overpopulation, children in Colombia go to school for only half a day. In their free time, many become involved in gang activity, prostitution, the drug trade, or are recruited by illegal armed groups. With six current sites in operation, Fútbol Con Corazón works alongside various organizations to focus on youth empowerment, conflict resolution, decreasing dropout rates, and increasing gender equality. 

Peace Corps Response Volunteers fluent in Spanish and experienced in youth outreach are needed to assist Fútbol Con Corazón in extending their program and providing increased one-on-one attention to participants. The Volunteers will conduct soccer workshops and training and conduct life-skills workshops, serving as a role model for the children. The PCRVs will be responsible for attending monthly planning meetings, assisting with monitoring and evaluation activities, and participating in an orientation program to better understand Fútbol Con Corazón. Additionally, the Volunteers will provide feedback and suggestions for Fútbol Con Corazón’s current youth development curriculum, and assist the organization with their outreach efforts to the participants’ parents. The goal of this project is for the Volunteers to support site leaders in the areas of soccer training, life skills workshops, and health and nutritional activities.

Academic Qualifications
- Bachelor's Degree

Mandatory Qualifications
- Spanish Fluency
- Two years of experience with youth outreach/teaching life skills, particularly with urban youth
- High tolerance for sun/heat

Desired Qualifications
- Degree in the field of social development
- Background in sports, social work, or psychology

---------------------------------------------

Hmmmmmm... let me think. Yes.

Pura Vida,

Drew

 

As You Wish

After my last post on Sunday evening, I fell asleep with two wishes in mind. Here I am two days later, and both wishes have come true. I made my first wish public when I wrote, “I would give almost anything to know where I will be in two months, and what I will be doing." Well, las night I got the call from Peace Corps, so now it is official. I am not going to Mali.* Believe it or not, I have more than one psychic godmother, and here is a haiku message that I received from one of them, just a few hours before I found out.

spirit says not now

other doors will open soon

this is not your fight

- diane

 Currently, the powers that be in Washington, DC are working to arrange my transfer to a different country, but it is safe to say that two months from today, I will still be here at home in Cape Verde, teaching classes at the Centro da Juventude, coaching soccer with GD Amarante, and studying at the Escola Municipal de Musica. It’s not that I didn’t want to go to Mali—although I have dozens of aunties scattered around the world who will breathe a collective sigh of relief, knowing that I am not being sent into a battle zone. I just needed to know one way or the either, and now I do.

As for where they will try to send me next, I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. Honestly, I’m game for almost anything, but apparently at least one of my friends has a strong preference concerning where I might get reassigned.

Got my fingers crossed

That somewhere in our islands

Peace Corps will bring you

- vicky

How can you resist

The beauty of the warm sea

Peace Corps bring Drew here

- vicky

My second wish was exponentially more important. On Monday my dad underwent hip replacement surgery, so I am one of many who have had him in mind. Apparently all of our psychic love transmissions are working because he came through strong, and is now recuperating and experimenting with drugs for the first time in his life.**

Pura Vida,

Drew

* The 165 Volunteers that are currently serving in Mali are being evacuated. The Peace Corps program in Mali has not been officially closed, but they are not sending in a new training class this year.

**When the sixties happened, I’m pretty sure that my dad was studying and playing basketball. Enjoy the painkillers Pai, just not too much. 

Avo

Unfortunately, things are not looking good in Mali, no matter how you try to spin it, or how much you want to find a silver lining. While I still have no idea whether or not I will be moving there in June, I certainly find it hard to "plan on it." So, here I am again... back to the holding pattern. Actually, this feels a lot like the process of applying to the Peace Corps in the first place, so in some ways I am used to it. That being said, it is not where I want to be, and I would give almost anything to know where I will be in two months, and what I will be doing.

Right now, that just isn't in the cards, so in the meantime, I try to put my energy into living today. For example, I (finally) started studying Cape Verdean music as the Escola Municipal de Musica. I can't explain how crucial and therapeutic just a few hours with a real upright piano can be for me. They're not exactly piano lessons since Professor Cachimbo actually plays guitar, but its still a chance to learn something new, and shake the rust of my fingers.

Things are also in full swing on the football front. I've been working with Gremio Desportivo Amarante as the coach of their U-17 team. Our first game of the Campeonato was today, and honestly, heading into battle I was a little nervous. Let's just say that the struggle to instill discipline on and off the field is a marathon, not a sprint. I survived a near-mutiny in the locker room before the game, but eventually convinced the boys that we all had a role to play, and the sooner we got focused on that, the better for everyone. Translation: "I promise not to run on the field and kick the ball in the middle of the game if you promise to leave the coaching decisions to me." Fortunately, it looks like my tough love has not be in vain. They came out strong and organized today, and they dominated the game. If I do transfer to Mali at the beginning of June, I will miss the last game of the Campeonato... a bummer, but all the more reason to squeeze the juice out of every Sunday untill then.

Since my days here are numbered, I am constantly on the lookout for an opportunity to experience a new slice of Cape Verde. Earlier this week, we took a hike out to the lighthouse in Sao Pedro.

At the end of this month I will get a chance to visit the island of Fogo, which will be a homecoming of sorts. The creole in Cape Verde is amazingly diverse, with each island sporting its own accent and slang. In some cases, as in the north/south (badiu/sanpadjudo) divide, they are legitimately distinct dialects. I, on the other hand, speak a weird, unidentifiable-but-understandable version of the language that I have recently taken to calling Drewese. You start with a few semester studying Brazilian Portuguese in college, add on nine weeks of training in Southern Cape Verdean Creole, then relocate to the North for six months. The end result? Everyone thinks I'm Cape Verdean, they just think/know that I am from some other island. So, almost everyday a Cape Verdean finds an opportunity to ask/tell me, "Abo é de Fogo?"** I'm really looking forward to visiting Fogo, if only to find out what island they think I'm from.

Until then, I am living today, here in Mindelo. Until further notice, my apartment is still my home. Oh yeah, about that... my roommate, with a little encouragement, decided to adopt a kitten off the street this week, so now Mia's got a little sister/arch-nemesis. She survived here first bath, and she should live a long and happy life, as long as she stays out of Mia's food bowl.

Living today means something different everyday, and that's how I've always liked it. When it's not teaching English, playing music, or coaching soccer, its just being here... with my friends, with my colleagues, and with my neighbors. My friend, Sandro, just lost his Grandfather, so I spent a lot a time with him this week. On São Vicente, it is customary for friends and family to visit on the seventh day after someone dies, so we joined him again on Friday evening. In his honor, I wanted to share this haiku that popped into my head when I got home later that night.

Grandma and Grandpa,

we eat, laugh, and drink tonight.

You are gone, but here.

I also wanted to share a piece from a friend back home. The love from you all is what prevents my otherwise-immenent nervous breakdown.

Though it may be hard
   You are very much needed

Wherever you are

- nina

Pura Vida,

Drew

* Avo = Grandma / Grandpa
** "You're from Fogo, right?"

Serenity Prayer

God,
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to changes the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.



I wanted to share this short prayer this week for three reasons. First, I just finished reading Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Talents. Actually, I didn’t really like the book, but it did get me thinking a little bit about religion, spirituality, and the difference between the two. Second, this passage has been my favorite prayer ever since I first heard Cee-Lo read it on the Soul Food album. Lastly, there are (always) things going on around me, and events unfolding that could affect my life in the present and the near future. It’s too early to know how this will all play out, and there’s not much I can do in the meantime, other than stay focused on keeping my mind right for whatever comes next...
Pura Vida,
Drew


Random feel-good pictures...

A birthday party at the Centro de Juventude



Falafel night at Jesse's apartment

St. Patrick's Day

English Class at the Centro de Juventude 



Big Fifty

Last week I had a small personal crisis when my external hard drive decided to stop working. I’ve spilled enough tea to have learned my lesson, so now I am in the habit of backing up my computer every month. Unfortunately, I realized that all my pictures from the South Pacific, my first trip to Africa, and the time in between were only on that hard drive. Luckily, the hard drive decided that it was not dead, only in a coma. The near-death experience has given me a good excuse to dig into my entire digital photo library, organize it, and back up the back up.

As I culled through photos from the last hundred years (literally), it was easy to get sentimental about the recent and distant past. Meanwhile, I realized that my next blog post (this one) would be number 50 since I launched Live From Tomorrow in December 2009. Since then I’ve been outside of the USA more than I’ve been home, and this blog has become my journal, my microphone, my hobby, and my therapy. I’m not the most prolific blogger, but I like it that way—after all, this isn’t Twitter. I’ve actually managed to stick to my original game plan of never blogging more than once in a given week. I never want the sharing of my experiences to become more important than the experience of actually living them. Also, taking at least a few days to let my thoughts marinate always makes the story and the perspective a little juicier.

Like I said, flipping back through pictures and past entries can easily induce nostalgia. But, even more powerful is the feeling that I am truly blessed and/or lucky, whatever you choose to call it. With that in mind, I decided to reflect back on the past 49 posts to present to you:

50 Lucky & Memorable Experiences from Live From Tomorrow:
(from oldest to most recent)

1. Observing Akiko Fujita interview Vicky about the pending military buildup on Guam

2. Visiting Pagat for a day of cliff diving, cave swimming, and Chamorro history

3. Working with We Are Guahan

4. Spending a week in Fiji

5. Visiting the black iron sand beaches of Waitakere, New Zealand

6. Sitting in with Storehouse for their gig at Wine Cellar in Auckland

7. Spending a weekend in Wellington during the IRSWS

8. Experiencing an epic Palais Du Chat loft party in Auckland

9. Doing absolutely nothing productive at Rotidian Beach

10. Running my first Hash with Toby as my guide

11. Visiting Robben Island with Sparks as my guide

12. Deejaying with Miss H at the Waiting Room in Cape Town

13. Finding inner peace at Kirstenbosch National Gardens

14. Meeting the Japanese referee crew in Cape Town Airport

15. Sitting next to Captain America at the USA’s opening match against England

16. Touring the Westbury Township with Sophia Williams-de Bruyn and family

17. Attending the USA v Slovenia WC match at Ellis Park in Johannesburg

18. Observing a Dutch National Soccer Team training session

19. Hanging out at Sakhumzi in Soweto, watching South Africa beat France

20. Attending the USA v Algeria WC match in Pretoria

21. Running a free soccer clinic for Black Diamonds F.C. in the Alexandra Township

22. Enjoying VVIP status at the USA v Ghana match, courtesy of Kgosi Leruo

23. Running into my old college roommate at a random cafe in Melville

24. Getting a tour of the African Romance Diamonds headquarters

25. Attending the WC Championship Match between Spain and some other team from Europe

26. Forming a human heart while Adrian flew over in an airplane with his girlfriend on Valentine's Day

27. Helping to organize the Mandela Day Project with the UJ OCE

28. Spending a week in Moçambique with Grupo Desportivo de Manica

29. Experiencing my first Christmas in July party, courtesy of Niamh

30. Spending a weekend in Dullstroom, courtesy of Craig and Nana

31. Spending a week as a guest of the Royal Bafokeng Nation and staying with Sue and Charles

32. Attending the UJ Women’s Day Conference and hearing Graça Machel speak

33. Braving a trip to Santini’s, an Afrikaaner stronghold, for a Sokkie lesson

34. Getting a farewell serenade from the Lebone ladies singing group

35. Being welcomed into the family at Wits University F.C. and the University of Johannesburg

36. Getting my Invitation Letter to Serve in Cape Verde

38. Attending the NSCAA Advanced National Diploma Course

37. Living jazz at JazzCamp 2011 and the Decompression

39. Enjoying Father´s Day, Jaime's birthday, and a 4th of July / Going Away party in the Bay

40. Taking a field trip to the Tarrafal Concetration Camp on Santiago

41. Co-facilitating a community meeting in my host village, Fonte Lima

42. Walking and running through Serra Malagueta Natural Park

43. Attending my (first) Swearing In Ceremony

44. Finding Mia and smuggling her onto the plane to São Vicente in a purse

45. Hosting a beautiful Thanksgiving Dinner, my first ever without any family members

46. Attending and surviving W.A.I.S.T. in Senegal

48. Getting showered with Haikus from around the world

47. Experiencing Carnaval in Mindelo, and hosting great people from all over

49. Hosting my Dad and Lita for a week on Santiago, São Vicente, and Santo Antão

50. Leitão

Last weekend we celebrated our friend’s birthday with cake and drinks on Saturday, followed by brunch and the beach on Sunday. Cathryn is technically a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV)*, except after completing her service and going back to the states, she un-returned back to Cape Verde. Now she lives here with her boyfriend, and the two of them have had my back since I arrived. We called ahead the day before to Santo André Bistro & Bar and told them to have enough pig ready for seven people. The leitão** was juicy, the caipirinhas were legit, and the beach was an ideal spot to enjoy the food coma. Until the next feast...

Pura Vida,

Drew



*We don't use the term "former Peace Corps Volunteer." We're kinda like a gang... you know? Blood in, blood out. Once you complete your service you become a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, and that's what you are for the rest of your life.

**Suckling Pig... that one's for you, Sr. Vallar.