Cape Verde

The anticipation I had on the plane was unbearable; I could not even sleep with all of my excitement but the trip was absolutely worth it. When I exited the plan, at first, my body went into absolute panic because the air is so dry - while my homes in Boston and the Virginia/DC area is incredibly humid. Eventually, your body gets used to it, however.  I was met with a very warm hug from Paulo despite it being way too early in the morning. And, though I'm sure he needed sleep, he wanted to drive through the city and towns on the hour-long drive to Assomada so I could see some of Santiago Island.  The land is just as beautiful at night as it is during the day: with many, outstretching and rocky mountain ranges and gorgeous vegetation, how could anyone not fall in love?

I settled in with my host family, organized my phone service and explored my new hometown, Assomada. For the first two days, my times was enjoyable as I tried foods for the first time, like papaya, mangos, "cachupa" and more. I explored my internship sites at INIDA and ECCA, meeting lovely and equally excited people, and met Paulo's colleagues at UNI-CV in Praia.

I was met with warmth everywhere I went, as people wanted to stop and practice their English with me, and Cape-Verdean hospitality as I was flourished with food. (And you cannot refuse food or it is taken as an offense! So queue the overeating and weight gain.) It is a level of unmatched kindness that mimic the stereotypes I've heard about small towns and island-state. With all this beauty and energy, however, I do have to remember I came here to work. But "work hard, play hard" right? We will soon see.

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