home pics blog Cape Verde

Day 86 - 27 September 2005 progress at the center more & more...is what i understand when people talk to me...is how i interact with people around me...is how much i've caught up with K.I.T'n with y'all...is how much is getting done around here. the week of progress has begun! i now have an office at the center. i can now talk to the other folks who work there and practice my Kriolu with them. i now have a phone. i now have a friend in the post office. and i’m startin to feel like people are realizing that i live here. talk about progress! so my office is...well, workable...hahaha...it's great actually. i have a desk that i can put too much pressure on cuz the top is really loose and tilts right out of the wooden peg construction while any miniscule side to side motion will cause screws to pop right out of the legs. and i have 3 chairs. one is in pretty good shape while another reclines a bit too much and the last one has been reduced to a stool with no back. and then i have a "shwanky" li’l wooden drawer vertical file. and it’s full of junk, pieces from various board games, broken parts of chairs, screw, nails, tissue paper, documents for printers, and lots of paint chips. after cleanin it out and organizing it a bit, it’s as good as new! i feel important with this new space and my director said i could use it to make my lesson plans, etc. and that maybe one day i’ll get the key to it. i’ll need to bring a screwdriver and some wood glue to fix my desk and i’ll be all set! i also have a bunch of posters about old palestras (workshops) the center had to divulge information about HIV/SIDA (HIV/AIDS), safe sex, alcohol & drugs, etc. hangin in the office. they make me feel like i have a position of expertise & importance and i’m sure i’ll be helping facilitate some life skills workshops during my time here. so my director came with me to talk to the phone company technician today since i haven't had any luck tryin to find out why my phone still ceases to exist. it’s amazing how a CVean can say the same thing i’ve been sayin for 2 weeks, then point at me, & get the job done. 2 hours after he talked to the guy, the tech came to install my phone. that’s enough progress for now. and morow. i'm done for the week...sheeeeesh. my director also asked me what i know about computers- hardware, software, etc. and if i could take a look at some error messages on the computers. so when he started the computer up, of course the error message decided to disappear for the first time. poor guy...he was all dumbfounded tryin to do something to make the computer do something bad. it’s good to know i still have that power around technology. i miss that about my last job. it sure made fixing equipment around the office a bit easier. what’s really exciting is when the ladies i buy food from on a regular basis begin to open up and smile and say hi to me when i come to their store. the women who work at 2 out of 3 of the stores are super nice to me now and treat me like any other customer. i love it. there are no lines in Cape Verde. if you have 2 items and you got there after the person with 40 items, she’ll take your two in the middle of theirs and send you on your way, then continue with their big order. people will tell you they have better quality stuff when you’re buyin the bad rice, or will help you find things. it’s amazing how community is the number one thing here, not customer service. the real vs. the fake. i like it...no need to butter folks up, just a desire to help ‘em out. and i’m sure it’ll only get better with time, like a fiiinnne wiiinnne... <--- a real experience                long day of... --->