Before I left Cape Verde on September 8th, there was one more thing I needed to do... visit my last island. COSing on August 31st and then leaving for Dakar the following week gave me just enough time to explore Maio, a neighboring island that I could often see on a clear day and the only inhabited Cape Verdean island that I had yet to visit. I spent a my visit lounging in a rented one bedroom

Well, yesterday was it, two months of training and two years of Peace Corps service complete. This morning I woke up an RPCV, Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, with my time in Cape Verde now only a memory which will fade in the African sun. My projects all wrapped up successfully, everything is documented, turned-in, filed and official. The only thing left between now and heading back to Florida is

The 2011 "Nha Terra" campaign officially ended this past weekend in S. Francisco and although our last event was cancelled due to the weather, the campaign was wildly successful! With 8 Workshops and 11 Roadshows throughout the island of Santiago, we trained a total of 107 workshop participants and approximately 1520 roadshow attendees. Below are a few final snapshots of the campaign. Follow

I’m lying on my bed, well what most college students, or Peace Corps Volunteers, would consider a bed. A traditional bed which has taken less than two years to morph into a mattress and pile of torn sheets on the floor of my apartment, Amy Winehouse is on in the background and, next to me; Elyse has nested in a similar fashion. She looks up from her Lonely Planet “Guide to West Africa” and says

This past July fortune smiled down on me in the form of a last minute work trip to Brava – one of two remaining islands (inhabited) that I had yet to visit. A colleague from the DGA (Dept of the Environment) asked me to travel with her to co-facilitate a sea turtle conservation workshop and visit local nesting beaches – how could I say no? With less than a week to prepare, I immediately began

The following excerpts and photos are from a breathtaking art project conducted earlier this year and documented on the blog "Joel in Cape Verde" (http://joelincapeverde.blogspot.com/) The artist worked together with Alex Carvalho, a colleague of mine and founder of the "Do Lixo Ao Luxo" project (http://dolixoaoluxocaboverde.blogspot.com). Not only are these murals awe-inspiring, but they were

Heartbreak is the only word that I can use to describe the past few weeks. Not one devastating moment, but a series of small heartbreaks that have continued to build on one another, either filling me with love or leaving a pit of emptiness in my stomach. I’ve been procrastinating. I’ve wanted to write this post for the last month, just after my Close of Service Conference (COS), but each week has

The most recent "Nha Terra" campaign events took place in Tarrafal and my primary school in A.S. Filipe, Praia. The turnouts for both locations was fantastic, training just over 20 workshop participants and 400 roadshow attendees. These events continue to re-energize me to keep on keeping on... Tarrafal "Nha Terra" law enforcement workshop for officials, police and community leaders.

The “Nha Terra” or “My Land” sea turtle education and awareness campaign, also more commonly referred to as my turtle project, officially started on June 15th and will run until mid-August. My job is to coordinate the 7 different workshops and 10 different road show events that will take place throughout the island of Santiago. It is by far the largest project I have and will work on while

As some of you already know, the bond between Cape Verde and the United States runs deep. With over 1 million Cape Verdeans living in New England, due to close ties with the whaling industry, there are almost twice as many Cape Verdeans living in the U.S.A. than there are in Cape Verde. At the request of the U.S. Embassy; Lisa, Elyse and myself have been asking our students to draw pictures of

Two weekends ago, after my not-so-daring yet frantically exciting sea turtle rescue, I visited two volunteers who live in Pedra Badejo. As the third largest city on this island, I was always a little intimidated when I visited, but like everything else, the oddities that kept me on the edge of my seat only a few months ago now seem routine. Now, with two newer volunteers living in PB, the only

It’s just after 8am Friday morning and as I sit down at my desk my cell phone starts ringing. A little earlier than normal, but not completely out of the ordinary; as I groove to my techno ring tone, I glance at the screen. I usually don’t answer unfamiliar phone numbers, but there’s a whiff of adventure in the air and I’m feeling lucky. Here it goes. “Ola”, I say, using one of the few

As many of you already know, especially fellow PC volunteers, who have probably heard me facilitate one too many sessions at our various trainings—I love leading sessions! When I was younger, I could think of few things more intimidating than speaking in front of a group or giving a presentation in class (other than shark attacks and snakes). I would spend hours preparing for a short presentation

The primary aim of this art project is to print a minimum of 100, full spread, color calendars. This is a calendar made by Volunteers for Volunteers.  In this light, we aim to have this Calendar be a fun, authentic and inspiring "little thing" that can make a big difference and to give volunteers a little laugh or smile as we navigate and work hard to adjust to a challenging new world and culture

I never seem to be at a computer when the urge to write hits me. It’s usually when I’m exploring a new part of the island or having a lively conversation with fellow volunteers over beer and shwarma. But as I sit here at my desk, finishing the last of some gummy worms that I found in the bottom of my backpack, I’m reminded of the last few days, and all the revelations that I had hoped to write

An incomplete response to the question, "Well, what exactly do you do?" Activity Day at a Senior Center (Centro Castelão), PraiaA Friday morning well spent playing games, exercising and making recycled crafts. Making recycled wallets with the help of local volunteers from Pedra Badejo. Daily aerobics lead by local fitness instructor. Recycled Crafts Workshop (Escola Júlia Costa) A. São Filipe

From the beginning to the end. Questions are now answered – “Is that a Cape Verdean island (pointing to Canada)?” “Is this the whole world?” Traveling the world without leaving Cape Verde… When we had no idea what we were getting into... Drawing one country at a time... Our daily live audience... Teamwork! It's a small world after all...

According to legend, when God was finished creating the Earth he brushed his hands together and the crumbs that fell from his fingers formed the islands of Cape Verde. Here's a look at how different each of these little crumbs are... Where I live, work, play, teach, dance and festa... Santiago. Where I've danced for Copa Cabana in the Carnaval parade two years in a row... São Nicolau. Where

7:30am Monday morning and as usual I wake up tired. I’ve always had a tendency to stay up too late and when I have electricity… it’s just too easy to listen to music and watch videos on my computer. Although I’m still yawning as I wait for the bus I feel re-energized and ready for whatever this week has to offer-up. A weekend in the fora (countryside) of any country seems to have this effect on

Growing-up, I was just like every other kid, I wanted everything. Just ask my Mom, her automatic response when we walked into any store was “no”, and then it was my job to convince her that the correct response had actually been “yes” before we hit the checkout. My little sister, on the other hand, was less… let’s say intense and so when she asked for something the request was considered. I’m

It's amazing what a touch of color can do... even clean up a dangerous Brazilian ghetto. http://www.favelapainting.com/

In Cape Verde, and I’m assuming many other countries in the less developed world, international days commemorating a variety of things including children, water, women, HIV/AIDS awareness… etc. take on a whole new meaning. By whole new meaning, I mean people actually pay attention to them and plan events in the hopes of raising awareness. I feel like I may have said this before… The month of

We wanted to help you celebrate your birthday by baking you a cake! Now the only problem is that you and the cake are on different islands!? We can only think of one solution…  Wishing you all the best, hope you’re birthday is as delicious as we thought your cake was. Love, Jon, Elyse, Krista and Erica

When you live in a developing country you learn to live without A LOT of things that you take for granted when you live in the United States. But luckily, living in the capital city has a few positives… one of them being large chain American “style” grocery stores. I’ll be sure to put an emphasis on “style” since you can fill a grocery store with plenty of things I (and many of my friends) would

At the start of each year you can taste the anticipation in the air. Carnival is only a few months off and the planning of one of the largest celebrations in our small island nation is already well underway. Life has sprung into the sleepy town of Ribeira Brava (S. Nicolau) where the men are busy welding, cementing, taping, stapling and painting floats; and the women watch their homes fill with

The Peace Corps released a commemorative print by prominent artist Shepard Fairey in commemoration of the agency’s 50th anniversary. The print is based on a 2009 photograph of a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal, and is symbolic of the work of more than 200,000 Peace Corps volunteers who have served in 139 countries since 1961. “Shepard Fairey’s print represents the sustainable solutions Peace

According to an oral history passed from volunteer to volunteer, this year was the first year that Peace Corps Cape Verde sent a team to participate in what has become a glorious tradition in Peace Corps West Africa, W.A.I.S.T. Every February PC Senegal hosts a softball tournament at the American Club in Dakar and volunteers travel hours (sometimes even days) using all sorts of ground

In 2008, the government of Cape Verde issued postal stamps commemorating the 20th anniversary of Peace Corps in Cape Verde. The following is an excerpt from the bulletin that was released announcing the sale of the stamp. United State Peace Corps Cape Verde "Peace Cape Verde is one of the smallest and youngest Peace Corps program in Africa.  Since 1988 Peace Corps has been assisting the

Well, it’s finally happened – all the friends and family that had (seriously) promised to visit me while I was serving in the Peace Corps have come, experienced life in Cape Verde and safely returned home. It’s a great feeling but it’s also shadowed by memories of the last year and a half – filled with days that seemed endless and those you never wanted to end. I can already feel the pressure

Now that we have our lucky monkey paw, world mappin' can begin.  As we were happily painting the world map today, we hear screams, lots of screams. And then we see it -- one of our students is slapping his classmates with a monkey paw. Utter chaos. 56 vertical lines and 28 horizontal lines = 1,568 perfect squares. And that's a day's work (or two).

Growing up in the United States I was taught to value and appreciate the importance of having a democratic government - where voting was my responsibility as an American - and as good as it feels to participate, I've rarely been excited over an election (Obama was a wonderful out-lier...). This past Sunday was Election Day (for Prime Minister and National Representatives) in Cape Verde and in

Today we started mappin’, world mapping that is.  Since day one of teaching at São Filipe’s elementary school, a fellow PC Volunteer (Krista Pool) and I have discussed, debated and envisioned a world map mural on the outside of our classroom.  And today, with paintbrushes, meter sticks, pencils and chalk in hand, our vision came true, line-by-line and stroke-by-stroke.  We started the morning off

UF ranks second in number of Peace Corps volunteers Posted: Thursday, February 3, 2011 12:02 am | Updated: 11:05 pm, Wed Feb 2, 2011. Morgan Watkins, Alligator Writer The Gator Nation really is everywhere — according to the U.S. Peace Corps at least. In a report released Tuesday, UF was listed as having the second-highest number of Peace Corps volunteers for a university, jumping three spots

It's the Circle of Life

And it moves us all

Through despair and hope

Through faith and love

Till we find our place

On the path unwinding

In the Circle

The Circle of Life

Finally, a work trip that didn't get cancelled! and an amazing one at that - friendly colleagues, fancy hotel rooms, one of the more spectacular islands, other PCVs and meaningful work... does it get any better?View of São Vicente, Santa Luzia and São Nicolau from Santo Antão

Trained Forest Guards - Planalto Leste - Santo Antão

View from Pico, the highest peak on the east side of the island.

Grog and Cheese Guy!

Taking the ferry back to Mindelo, São Vicente from Santo Antão.

Possible future site of a luxury resort - that is if the government ignores the report we wrote citing current international and national laws protecting sea turtles and their habitat :)

São Vicente

A quote from over a year ago during our Counterpart Conference. Dedicated to Lisa, who has successfully lived and worked in Porto Madeira for over a year. :)

"All I want is my tanki full, you know?"

"She doesn't like the flavor of fish katxupa, I asked her."

So, in the hope of sharing American traditions with the students of my English classes, yesterdays lessons focused on Thanksgiving! We read a short paragraph about the holiday and then talked about how it is celebrated in the United States.

Objectives achieved:

1. No one can seem to believe that Americans don't eat rice on a holiday.

2. Putting butter on your corn sounds wholesomely unappealing in the mind of a child.

3. A cake made out of pumpkin and cinnamon- even more unimaginable!

P.S. We also made hand turkeys ;)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY! :) Love, Jon

One of my specialties in Cape Verde is iced coffee. That's right, iced coffee... and a thing called a Lil' Iced Coffee Jon (courtesy of Elyse). I have yet to buy a coffee pot and probably won't while I am living in here, so when I make coffee it usually involves a giant stew pot, a few liters of water and an entire bag of coffee, a recipe that yields enough coffee for at least a week. A perfect fit since I never wake up early enough to make coffee before I go to work. Why make it all at once? Simple, it's usually hot... so I would prefer my coffee cold ;). After letting the grounds settle to the bottom of the pot, I carefully prepare a row of empty peanut butter jars with milk and sugar and after spilling a good portion of the coffee each of the jars is filled, ready for a shake and then popped in the fridge. Always a crowd pleaser, I like to have a few Lil' Iced Coffee Jons available when I have guests. Last night I decided to add a bit of holiday cheer to my traditional recipe, adding vanilla extract to half and cinnamon to the other half. How's that for small enterprise development?If you're wondering how I came up with such a clever name... I have to give the credit to my friend Elyse. When I first made them I offered her a Lil' Iced Coffee Jar... but she heard Jon and it just kinda stuck. (Oh, yes... that is an old salsa jar, I ran out of peanut butter jars).

Ana and Ata are some of the friendliest people I've met in Cape Verde. They own a beach bar in Santiago and Ata is a fisherman... we we can't visit them without eating at least 3 fish each. The beach grill-out they invited us to this weekend was no exception... we ate fish soup, grilled fish and shark, all prepared on a small fire right there in a rocky cove. A photo story of our day...Carrying things to the beach...Well, trying to carry things...

Preparing lunch in our little alcove...

Elyse and her site are renowned for having “festas” and “actividades” almost every weekend. Located towards the interior of the island, during the rainy season, her site is luscious and filled with corn, beans, papaya… so I figured I would visit her the last weekend in October. In the U.S.A. the last weekend of October is usually celebrated with Halloween parties and mouthfuls of candy… in Cape Verde, not so much. Earlier in the week I tried a little culture sharing experiment in my classroom that was definitely limited by my Creole vocabulary. After explaining Halloween a few of my students looked terrified. I decided it was time to end the lesson after one of my students told me that he liked America, but now he never wanted to go there... you know, because of the ghosts and witches. But the Monday following Halloween (All Saint’s Day) is an island-wide celebration where everyone eats a gagging amount of corn grilled on an open fire, surprisingly few people attend mass. I always need a good dose of fora hospitality (and corn), something I miss and wouldn’t get if I stayed in the city. Elyse’s town also used this weekend to have a community presentation about breast cancer… which also involved eating.

So, this is probably my new favorite thing. Creating wallets out of used juice containers, duct tape, a few staples and some Velcro. Now it's time for me to drink a ton of juice so I can make these with my students...And... I started teaching two English classes at the local elementary school (mostly 5th and 6th graders, although a few youngsters wander in and out). At times it can be the most stressful part of my week... but it's also the most rewarding. "Good Afternoon Mr. Jon" and "See you later, alligator!" are the two phrases that all my students have memorized so far. Also, one of my students was wearing a Florida Gators football jersey in class on Monday.... GO GATORS!

Well, here it is... and it a only took me 2 months to post it on my blog. An entry dedicate to the second and third core expectations of PC, which are to help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of people served and to help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans. Two weeks with my family and friends traveling throughout 4 islands in Cape Verde... check and check. I'm not sure they realized how much I wanted them to see within the two short weeks they were visiting... but we got A LOT done and I think my guests enjoyed it when they weren't exhausted and/or sick.

07/08/2010 - Arrive in Praia, Santiago, Senagalese lunch at Sucupira and shwarma dinner with Zita08/08/2010 - Visit Assomada and Host Family in Riberão Manuel09/08/2010 - Visit DGASP office, school, Bus lunch at Sucupira, PC office, Prainha beach, dinner with Dana at Dragoeira10/08/2010 - Fly to São Filipe, Fogo, Katxupa breakfast, Hiace to Chã das Caldeiras, Chã Winery tour11/08/2010 - Hike to the peak of the volacano or hike in Monte Velha protected forest12/08/2010 - Return to São Filipe, "volta ilha" Hiace ride around island, lunch in Mosteiros, beach in Salinas13/08/2010 - Return to Praia, Santiago, laundry lesson, street dinner at "fish lady", ice cream at Artica14/08/2010 - Visit Serra Malaguetta, hike and visitor center, Hiace to Tarrafal, beach, return through Assomada15/08/2010 - Fly to Mindelo, S. Vicente, walk around downtown, lunch at beach cafe, pizza dinner, evening plaza stroll16/08/2010 - Boat to Porto Novo, S. Antão, Hiace to Ribeira Grande, afternoon walk around city17/08/2010 - Hike along coast from Ribeira Grande to Paul, hike to statue of Santo Antonio, lunch at grog and cheese guy18/08/2010 - Hiace to Cova, hike to Chã João Vaz, lunch at grog and cheese guy, Hiace back to Riberia Grande19/08/2010 - Boat to Mindela, S. Vicente, dinner and stroll around plaza20/08/2010 - Beach day in Mindelo, Baía das Gatas Music Festival21/08/2010 - Day in Mindelo, walk around downtown, dinner at Hotel Mindelo22/08/2010 - Return to Praia, Santiago, visit fort and downtown Cidade Velha23/08/2010 - Shopping and lunch in Sucupira, Alexia and Katie return to Boston, USA24/08/2010 - Shopping in downtown Praia, dinner at chinese food25/08/2010 - Lunch with Lisa and Elyse at Ponto D'Encontro, Mom and Dawn return to Boston, USA

Yup, we did it all and at times I felt like we still had down time. Some of the highlights include:

Visiting my host family for a dose of the fora...Donkey lovin'...Volta Ilha-ing...Fish lady...Grog and cheese guy...Barraca Obama at Baia das Gatas...

Excerpt from The Te of Piglet by Benjamin Hoff

Eeyores are Realists, they say. But reality is what one makes it. And the more negative reality one nurtures and creates, the more of it one has. Eeyores see only what they want to... For example, never before in history has the individual had so much power, and so many opportunities to effect change. That assertion can be easily verified by taking a good look around. But the Eeyore Effect makes a great many people believe that they are powerless. And because they believe they're powerless, they are.

Without difficulties, life would be like a stream without rocks and curves-aboutas interesting as concrete. Without problems, there can be no personal growth, no group achievement, no progress for humanity. But what matters about problems is what one does with them. Eeyores don't overcome problems. No, it's the other way around.

Dear Fellow American Citizens present in Cape Verde,

Per the Internet link below, the National Hurricane Center in Miami, FL has issued a tropical storm warning effective today, September 13, 2010, for the Southern Cape Verde islands of Santiago, Maio, Fogo and Brava:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCPAT2+shtml/130245.shtml

We have activated our Warden System on all these islands. Please tune into all available TV, radio, and Internet news sources for up-to-date information on storm conditions. Please alert all local American citizens you know of this information and urge caution as weather conditions deteriorate, with possible heavy winds, flooding, electrical power outages, and dangerous road and other transportation conditions.

Please contact the Embassy for any questions or to provide your own accounts of local weather conditions.

With best wishes for your safety,

Consular Section Chief, U.S. Embassy

Rua Abilio Macedo 6

Praia, Cape Verde

Here is a photo that I recently submitted to the UF Today alumni magazine. It was taken in Chã das Caldeiras with Mt. Fogo (an active volcano) in the background.

*Now that my family vacation is over and I'm getting back into a daily routine I plan on writing and posting more on my blog. The first post to follow will detail the adventures I had introducing my friends and family to Cabo Verde.*

Tagging and measuring a nesting Loggerhead sea turtle on the island on Sal.

Just got this message from another PCV, Andrew, who lives on São Vicente.

"On another note, I saw you the other day on Jornal de Noite (nightly news). They were talking about sea turtles on Sal. You were pretty easy to pick out, just look for the tall white guy in a pack of Cape Verdeans."

I will post another update soon (with photos) about the sea turtle conservation workshop I participated in on Sal for the past week. In addition to participating, I was also asked to translate a majority of the sessions for individuals who didn't speak English. It was an amazing and exhausting experience... and can't wait to work on more seat turtle projects while I am in Cape Verde.

A few links...

The group that I worked with while on Sal:

http://www.sostartarugas.org

A blog entry specifically about the workshop:

http://turtlesoscaboverde.blogspot.com/2010/07/conservation-workshopatelier-de.html