Monte Verde

Last Monday, Alexis, Nelida, and I walked to the top of Monte Verde which is the tallest mountain on this island. We started our walk from the city. It took us about an hour to get to the base of the mountain and then it took us who knows how long to get to the top. Maybe two hours more. Here´s the downer: it was super cloudy that day. When you get to the top you are supposed to have this spectacular view of the island, but all we could see was mist because we were legit standing in a cloud. Well all was not lost...at least we got to hang out with the army for a half hour to watch part of the World Cup. Yeah, who knew. Some soldiers are stationed up at the top to guard the satellites, etc. Anyway, we then walked back to the city which took another two hours.

We hiked to the tip top of the mountain covered with clouds. Which you cant even see.

But don´t worry I took a picture of the peak on a more clear day! See the highest point in the background? I was there!



Hobson and I went on an unofficial tour of Mindelo Thursday and Friday and got to see the whole island. It was incredible. I am living in one of the most beautiful and unique places on earth. We saw the most breath taking beach I have ever seen: Praia Grande. No beach will ever compare to this one.






Oh Thursday it was São João, some holiday here that celebrates a saint john. Apparently it´s tradition to jump over a fire the night before São João. No one here knows why its tradition. it just is. So Wednesday night there were tons of fires with kids jumping over them, then in the center of the city everyone gathers together and there are three BIG fires with adults jumping over them. Except the fire is too high for them to actually jump over them so it´s more like people jumping through the fire. It was crazy. On Thursday there were parades of people banging on drums, and whistling whistles, and dancing. It was really neat to see. So different!



Got some braids done and a new dress:)


new favorite place to eat :) they have the most american pizza and spaghetti you can find here

Ps

Some guy asked me if I was Brazilian today and was completely surprised when I told him I that I am American.

Wooo hooo!

Uh oh

Ivania told me straight up that I am getting fat. HA. She said ´when you first got here you were very thin, but now you are gaining a lot.´

Oooops! Who would have thought that I come to an African island and I get fat! I can´t help it though. The food is just too good :-)

Ivania

I don´t know why this picture came out so big, but oh well. This is me and Ivania. Ivania is from Santo Antão. She lives in the house with me and I absolutely adore her. Every night, Ivania comes home from school (she goes to night school so she doesn´t get back until 1030 or later) and we talk and laugh for hours. She is such a riot! The other night we discussed how to say `I farted´ in portuguese and english. We literally laughed for an hour straight. She kept saying ´I fark-ed´ and I kept using the wrong portuguese phrase. They have like three different ways to say it.

Ivania is engaged and talks to her fiance, Rony, every night. Rony lives on another island. I often fall asleep while she is playing with my hair and talking to Rony at the same time. Ivania and I also started going to the beach to swim together. She always says, we need to swim for exercise so that we can be thin and beautiful!

Ivania has a daughter who is three years old, and she wants nothing more than to marry Rony and then be sealed to her family in the temple. Unfortunately, the father of the child is doing everything in his power to prevent this from happening. It´s really sad to see, but Ivania has strong faith that things will work out. She is such a strong woman. I love talking to her every night and I love hearing about her life and I love that she speaks clear PORTUGUESE to me and that I can understand what she says to me :-)

Anyway, that´s Ivania! I always get lucky with room mates, don´t I?

In the clouds

On Friday, President Hobson and I took the ferry over to Santo Antão. It was
I N C R E D I B L E

We took the afternoon ferry, so we got there at about 5 pm and walked around to explore. Then we found the hotel and checked in. Hobson stayed in a room below me and I was on the level above. This hotel was a little different then other hotels I have stayed in. My room had to twin beds (I think they may have been smaller than twins), and there were no blankets, just sheets. There was no bathroom in my room. I had to go out and into the hallway to use the bathroom and each floor only had about three hotel rooms. Then we went out and found a place to eat. We ate at a restaurant named Felicidade and it was phenomenal. We had baked chicken, I think, and french fries, and apple fanta. It was the best meal I have had here yet. I don´t remember what happened next, but we went back to the hotel, read scriptures and went to bed to get a good nights sleep for hiking the next day :)

Okay, Saturday, we woke up, read scriptures and then enjoyed an AMAZING FREE breakfast provided by the hotel. Hotels in America seriously need to pick it up, because NO hotel breakfast compared to this. Fresh bread, Fresh goat cheese, Fresh jam, Fresh milk, Yogurt, CAKE, Juice, etc. All brought and layed (laid?) out in front of us. Mmmmm

Manuel Eduarte, one of Hobson´s old missionaries, met us and showed us around and took us to the beginning of hike. You guys, Santo Antâo is sooo beautiful and unique. I feel like I travelled through four different worlds. One side of the Island is so dry and and then all of the sudden you are standing on top of the clouds and then all of the sudden there is this huge switch and everything is green and there are trees and plants and flowers everywhere and then you get to the coast and you feel like you are in Hawaii and it was just soooo cool. Anyway, I will stop talking and put up some pictures :)

PS sorry, some of the pictures aren´t turning right side up!
PPS the last picture is of my absolute favorite bread here in Mindelo, that I get on the daily. It´s some type of coconut bread and it is so soft and fluffy and yummy

Finishers Wanted

This morning, president hobson had me read a talk given by Thomas S. Monson back in 1989. It hit me hard and I hope some of you will take a few minutes to read it as well.

Enjoy!

http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=543227cd3f37b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Awesome.

Today was awesome.

First, I went to the prison with the Goffs. The Goffs go to the prison every Tuesday to teach sewing to the ladies. A prison van picked us up at about 845 to take us there. Now this van was a LEGIT prison van, meaning a van to carry prisoners. So sister goff and I are sitting in the back encaged. There were bars everywhere. Tooooo funny.

The ladies were so incredibly sweet, kind, and funny. You can tell that they really love the time they get to sew and the whole time we were there they were always hard at work making things. I loved talking to them, and it was really hard to believe that we were in a prison--because they were all so dang sweet!

We left the same way we came, in a prison van. But this time there was a prisoner in handcuffs with us! HA. I wish I had a picture of this. Just picture it in your mind: Me, Sister Goff, a prisoner, and guard sitting in the back of a prison van surrounded by bars. I can´t wait to go again next week, seriously. It was a blast.

After that, I walked down to the office and James and I went to the post office and.........I GOT MY PACKAGE. Woooo hooo! My mom sent me a package for my birthday which was a month ago, and it got here today! So great, so great, so great.
Me excited beyond belief

My presents :-)

Obv the first thing I did was devoure the chocolate candy.

And then I went out teaching with the sister missionaries. Every time I teach with them, I can speak more and more portuguese. I love it.

And to finish the day, I have my english class in one hour.

Great day, huh? The only thing that could have made it better would be the beach--but do not fret. I am going tomorrow :)

Oh PS, two more cool things.
A lady in my ward made these guys for me! HOW COOL are they? so cool.

And I bought the most beautiful wallet I have ever seen. Coin purses included

Primary Activity

Last Saturday I was supposed to help with the health fair, but it ended up being cancelled and rescheduled for later, so I got to attend the Primary activity at the other chapel which ended up being really, really cool. I´m so glad I got to go!
Pictures below




^Check out this girls braids. Hair here is like an art!

On Sunday, Sister Goff started to attempt to teach me how to do geneology. It was quite an experience. I felt a special reverence and a desire to learn more about my ancestors that I have never felt before. Unfortunately the website was really, really complicated, but hopefully I will get the hang of it soon :-)
The Goffs and Me



Have I mentioned that the wind is INSANE here? So last night, I fell asleep around eleven, and was woken by the wind around 230 am. The wind can be incredibly loud--so loud that I couldn´t fall asleep until about 730 am. Annoying. So in the mean time I read ten conference talks and some of the BOM--Can you tell that I ran out of novels to read? Haha, but really, it was kinda cool to devote all of that time to reading conference talks. I learned a ton last night.

Tomorrow should be a good day. I head out early in the morning to the Goffs and we are going to the prison to sew with the women and then I go to out with the sister missionaries and teach my class at night. Maybe I will try and slip in some beach time as well...it´s been a while :-)

PS got to talk to my sister today. Nothing beats that.

Wow

I LOVE IT HERE.

The more time I spend here and the more I get to know the city, the more I love it! I love that I am now capable of finding my way around on my own and I love being so indpendent in a foreign country. It is exhilarating :-)

Well let´s see. I feel like there is a lot to update.

Let´s start with my english class. My english class is so cool. I have about twenty students and they are such a riot. It is hard to keep them quiet sometimes, but class is always a blast. We have class every night from 8-9. Last Friday I made them some chocolate chip cookies and they were AMAZED. Everyone was like ´What ARE these? YOU made them? They are SO good!´ hahahaha! Last week I had them get into groups and each group was supposed to design their own hotel and then tell the whole class about it, in English (obviously). I meant for this to be a short activity that would only take one class, but they were SO serious about it. Everyone wanted the english to be exactly correct and to make detailed drawings of the hotel and everyone was SO nervous to present in front of everybody (which is why I made the chocolate chip cookies as a treat for after they presented). They are great :-)

Yesterday was Dias das Crianças, or, Day of the Children. And it is a legit HOLIDAY. Everyone gets of school and work. How crazy? Why don´t we have a childrens day in the states?! We have mothers day, fathers day, and no childrens day! Anyway, so in the morning we went to Laginha (the city beach) and played alllll morning long. A few people from class met us there as well. It was nice to spend the morning with some new friends. They taught me some beginning capoeira (a type of martial arts) and then we swam in the ocean for a long time. Then I went out teaching with the sister missionaries. They are so great and I really love teaching with them. I am going again on Friday!
(this is Laginha in the evening)


Making someone into a mermaid is MANDATORY for every beach trip. Hehe

Today I went SCUBA DIVING. For the first time in my life. Roney (also member in the church) took me down to São Pedro where he teaches and he taught me everything I needed to know in the pool and then we ventured out to the ocean for about an hour or so. It was amazing. I love the ocean, it is such a different world. So peaceful and relaxing. I could spend all day under the water. I can´t wait to go again!

Also, I have a new friend here. President Hobson. He was the first mission president to live here in Cape Verde. He is here for the next month working voluntarily with the Ashby Foundation. He is such a sweet man and I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to spend time with him. We just started meeting in the mornings for an hour or so to study the scriptures and starting this week I am going to help him with some of his Ashby work. He is great company.
This is James, President Hobson, and me