SANTA MARIA, Cape Verde - Winding up an 11-day African tour, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday she's optimistic about its future and voiced no regrets about "tough love" messages she gave to government leaders there.

"I love coming to Africa," Clinton said at a joint news conference in Cape Verde with Prime Minister Jose Maria Pereira Neves as she prepared to head back to Washington.

"I have been overwhelmed," the secretary said of her visits to Kenya, South Africa, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria and Liberia, as well as Cape Verde. "I have been filled with hope and I have seen despair. But I come away with an even greater level of commitment than I had before," Clinton said.

She used the tour to reinforce a message that President Barack Obama brought to Africa earlier this year, a call for leaders to fight corruption, promote democracy, and combat civil strife, disease, violence and squalor wherever it exists.

Responding to Clinton, Neves said that "we represent a new and emerging Africa" with progress in the areas of free press, free speech and the rule of law.

U.S. officials have said that Cape Verde, a former Portuguese colony off the coast of West Africa, could serve as a model for other African nations as it has held numerous free and fair elections and has taken measures to ensure accountability and transparency in government.

Clinton, particularly, praised the government as "a model of democracy and economic progress in Africa." She noted that women account for more than half the members of Cape Verde's Cabinet. "I think the United States can learn a lot from your example," she told Neves.

Said Clinton: "I always feel a sense of awe that we are in the place where human beings began so many, many years ago."

"I leave Africa even more committed about what lies ahead," she told reporters. "The Obama administration has delivered ... a message of tough love. We are not sugarcoating the problems. We're not shying away from them."

Haven't had a picture of Leo up in a while.

So I've resorted to using Cape Verde's extreme sexual undercurrent to sell T-shirts...and hopefully protect the environment and save some sea turtles.

So here is an example of the roaming, portable, tent-store-villages operated by the Senagalese. They follow the festas from town to town, selling their wares out of mobile tent cities.

So below are some pics of something Cape Verdians doing something, for fun, that most of us would find torturous. They are running full-speed, down a VERY tall, VERY steep, VERY rocky mountainside. These people are nuts.

So yesterday was World Children's Day in Cape Verde. (In case you haven't noticed, Cape Verde is prop doid (totally crazy) about "World" and "International" Fill-in-the-Blank Days...including World AIDS Day, World Democracy Day, World Malaria Day, and my personal favorite World Disaster Mitigation Day...yes, it's a real holiday here.)

Anyway, yesterday it was all about the kids and we had a pretty fun little project in Txangreja. With a little help from a friend that works in the kamera in Mindelo, a nice donation from a couple of tourists who fell in love with our town during their 24 hour stay, and an accord I arranged with several families in which they agreed to kill one of their chickens in exchange for my carpentry skills (who knew I even had any?)...we managed to provide a Thanksgiving-like dinner (each student got 1 chicken part, french fries, rice, juice or milk, cranberry sauce and a SALAD!) for all 79 kids in our school, a trip to the beach and a hell of a party (complete with dancing, balloons, a poetry recital and a game of charades) to boot. Perhaps best of all, we managed to buy three trophies...none of which were awarded for sporting events, all of which were awarded for "Academic Achievement." This was a COMPLETELY novel concept for everyone involved...academic achievement in this country being regarded about as highly as one's ability to juggle. In any event, a trophy is a trophy, and kids were salivating for weeks at the thought of winning one.

Over the past few weeks the teachers and I had the kids busy memorizing poems, learning dances and doing various arts and crafts in anticipation for the big day. In addition to the various performances, everyone's handiwork (cut-out paper flowers, houses made of matchsticks, spinning tops carved from wood and toy fans made from sugar-cane bark) was displayed on tables in the classrooms, and pretty much the whole town came out to peruse and admire. At the end of the day, a select panel of esteemed judges (Me and one of the drivers) awarded the trophies..one each for poetry, drawing and short story.

Basically it was a terrific day, and one the kids won't soon forget. It was great to see them laughing and smiling all day long, and the big meal was a REAL treat. Although I LOVED the part of the day when the kids' read their stories and poems and showed off their drawing, it wasn't my favorite part. That has to go to the part of the day where we asked for volunteers to come up to the mic to answer the question..."Why Are We Celebrating Kids Today?" The answers were as varied and surprising as anything I've seen in Cape Verde since being here, and even had me a little choked up at one point...although that's not saying much as I've been known to cry during dog-food commercials. Anyway...it was a great day, and I got some great pics of the kids all dressed up for their special day. Have a look below!

This is by far the most popular selling item on Santo Antao right now. He's a rock star even here!

Almost at the top of the highest point in Santo Antao.

So it turns out that it's bad to be born a boy if you're a goat in Cape Verde. Since you can't produce milk, and you can't produce more goats, you're basically screwed from the get go. Accordingly, this cute little guy...

...became this little guy. We grilled him up later that evening and he was DELICIOUS!!!

So its just about summer time again, which means the little rowboat fishing vessels can start going out again, after being beached for most of the past 4 or 5 months.

So here is a picture of the ancient abandoned leper colony at Serranegra..."Blacksaw."

Still one family living here...even though it's a two hour hike to the nearest village with running water or electricity.

This is the halfway point along the almost-5-hour hike from Ponto do sol to my village.

And you thought YOU had a hard day at work...