May 26, 2007




Subject of this email: vacation. I went on an awesome vacation to a place called Cape Verde, which is a series of islands off the coast of West Africa. They call themselves "Euro-African," which is pretty apt, because they are not fully one or the other. The people are all descendants of Portugeuse colonizers and the slaves they brought when they founded the uninhabited islands.

There are a lot of factors that make you question calling Cap Verdians Africans. Most people are lighter skinned that continental Africans. The cuisine doesn't have Maggi msg spice cubes and is kind of bland, which is decidedly not West African. The dress is different too, girls wear mini skirts and lycra tank tops from China, and boys attire is kind of between Euro trash and American. They speak a Creole of Portugeuse, and they have a lot of ties with Brazil and Portugal, where many go to university. Most of the household income comes from remittances.
\u003c/span\>Many houses have hot water showers and tiled floors. \

The place has a character unlike any other I've ever felt in a country. The people are so relaxed, and anything goes. This is especially true for sexual conduct. The reason I know about this is because we stayed with a Cap Verdian Peace Corps Volunteer who was dating a Cap Verdian guy. We hung out with her and her friends and learned that pretty much no one is faithful. Fathers often have children with many women, and that marriage is rare because "divorce is expensive." It is common for Cap Verdians to ask to date you for a week, but explicitly limit it to a week. I guess just to give it a try?! You might have one person you date for a long time, but you can date other people on the side all the while. I think Senegalese share this attitude, but have the discipline of the polygamy doctrine holding them back.. For Senegalese, if you want another woman, you must marry her, and not have more than four wives in the end. The difference also is that Cap Verdian women are also free to date whomever they want, whenever (this could never be possible in Senegal. Girls are looked down on if they date in my village, hence why I don't date villagers). It's an interesting perspective, so different from the average American's.

Cap Verdian volunteers got it made. Not only do they live on an island, but they have spectacular and difficult hikes that stretch on up and over the mountain peaks.
It is so goregeous, where it is dry, the crags are breathtaking and where it is wet, the sugar canes and ornamentals make the valleys very pretty. We hiked for four days in the valleys, drank the local brew and tried our best to speak with the locals in gestures and bad bad spanish, making all the "s" sounds like "sh". I call portuguese the "dishwasher" language. listen to it sometime and you'll know what I'm talking about.

It was kind of a bummer to come back and see polluted streets, beggars and everyone haggling right and left. But we will manage to readjust to Senegal.