Working Hard in Africa...

If someone had told me last August that in 1 year I would be sitting in the back of a pick up truck with 10 other people barreling down a mountainside, pitch-black, cobblestone road I would have never believed it. And yet, here I am! This weekend was like a vacation with 2 trips to the beach! On Saturday, Peace Corps organized a field trip for all the trainees and staff to go to the beach in Terrafal for a little R&R and it was the perfect way to relax. Terrafal is at the northernmost point of the island (about an hour drive) and while the vast majority of the people there were locals, there seemed to be some tourists hanging around too – definitely more tourists than I’ve seen anywhere else in CV so far. The water here is unbelievably blue and clear and warm and perfect. It was a day of good company, swimming, lounging, eating, card playing and kite flying. All in all, an awesome day. When I got home I found out that my sisters and Matt’s family were talking about going to Terrafal the next day. They heard how much we enjoyed it there; invited us along and since I am not one to turn down a trip to the beach I ended up at the same beach again today. Even though it was the same place, it was a totally different time. Since Matt’s dad owns a Hilux we had a free ride there and we crammed in ~12 people, granted the majority of them were small children, but it was still tight. There was probably double the amount of people at the beach on Sunday (this sounds like a lot, but it was only crowded comparatively – there was still plenty of room) and they all looked like locals. There were people selling plates of rice, drinks and chicken and fish fresh off the grill. It was delicious. I spent most of Sunday in the water snorkeling around (saw a lot of small fish), tossing my deflated vball around and playing with my little sisters. The snorkel was a hit. I think everyone that came in our Hilux had it on at some point…

Arrived home to find that my mom had killed and stewed and duck. It was delish. I was in the middle of enjoying it with a nice glass of wine and the power randomly went out. Whipped out my headlamp (which everyone really likes. They laugh when I put it on and they tell me that I look ridiculous, but then as soon as I put it down on the table everyone jumps to grab it and try it out.) finished my dinna and then talked with ma rents na merka. Its been a good weekend!