March 11, 2002

It has been a long time since I last wrote. Many things have happened in the last 2 months, including Dawn leaving, her host father hitting on me (me distancing myself from them), and breaking up with my boyfriend of the past 5 years. Many of you were probably not very aware that I was in a long-term relationship because I tend to keep my private life private. In any case, it has been a very hard blow, especially because it was so unexpected. He is Indian and wanted to get married when I saw him over Christmas. He also turned 30 last week and was more ready for marriage then I am at this time in my life and career.

Because I was not ready to give up Peace Corps and run home to him, he decided to give into his parents’ wishes for him to have an arranged marriage in India. Lately, my dreams have been filled with nightmares of him with some random woman who he doesn't love. I dread sleeping and seeing them so happy when life here has been anything but that. Just kills me to think that one day you can have something so special and the next it is gone. To say the least, I have been very depressed for this reason and others. I do not know that I made the right decision to stay here and not go back and try to work something out with him, especially when things have been so hard. With low job prospects back in the States, I can only stick it out and hope that I can help a few people and myself, career wise, by staying here.

In the coming months, I have my Girls Exchange, which starts Easter weekend. Peace Corps misled me, as usual, and said there was funding when there wasn't, so I have had to wait a month for the money to arrive from USAID. I have also recently contacted Coca-Cola, UNDP, Shell, and the local town hall to donate t-shirts, soda, gloves, trash bags, and other stuff for 500 people to do Earth Day projects at the end of April. In May, I hope to find a dental reason to go to Senegal and have Peace Corps cover the bill. They have beautiful fabrics over there, and I could have clothes made, as well as see my Peace Corps friend at his rural site (more remote than mine). My best friend is coming in June for 3 weeks, so I am looking forward to that. In July, I am hoping for a scholarship to attend the 2002 AIDS Conference in Barcelona, Spain. August, I will be back in Maryland possibly taking the GMAT, enjoying the annual Maryland Artscape Festival (live music, food, and dance downtown), and interviewing for fellowships.

This past weekend, I went to Fogo Island, the only active volcanic island in the archipelago. Pat, a middle-aged volunteer who is from Texas, and I went. We stayed in this beautiful house that two other volunteers are living in right on the main plaza in this town. The architecture was so European, with floor to ceiling windows, balconies overlooking the streets. Brendan, Pat, and I went to trek up the volcano on Saturday, which is over an hour taxi ride from his house in Săo Felipe, Fogo. Pat ended up getting a touch of heat stroke and ditched out after an hour up the volcano. Brendan and I continued on, which took another 4 hours to get up to the peak.

I would never do it again because it was so dangerous, sliding volcanic rock and endless cliffs. There were times when I thought I would fall off the mountain. I took a lot of photos, so I may try to scan a few and put them on my website, which would be in a few months. The way down was amazing because there is this fine volcanic rock (technically called ‘skree’) that feels like rice krispies that you run down. It's about 2 feet deep, and you are running on a slope of 60 degrees or more. You feel like you could roll down it and never stop, but you run full speed ahead and dig your heels into it. The dust mixed with the fine pebbles blow up in your face, and anyone in the nearby town can see you running down it due to the dust.

The town at its base is very odd because a French man passed through there about 100 years ago, sleeping with different women. The people look very French, fine blond hair, tanned skin. But they only speak Kriolu, and they are very poor, the children walking around barefoot and filthy. I thought I was in that Star Trek episode where they land on a planet and there is an abandoned colony of children who are European looking, but very dirty. Moreso than the Atacama Desert's Valley of the Moon, this town looked like the moon. This particular volcano had an eruption just back in 1995, although the inner crater at the peak is sealed off with rock.

Don't worry about me, but know that Peace Corps definitely is the toughest job one could ever love. You combine being away from your support network, living in a village, having close friends leave, your life back in the USA changes while you are gone, and development work that is extremely slow.

P.S. I had a meeting with the Praia Rotary Club last week. I am trying to act as the middle-woman to get them to start a relationship with the Brockton Rotary Club where the USA's largest Cape Verdean population is located. With this partnership, we will be able to get 240 wheelchairs from the USA in the coming months and, hopefully, start a small youth exchange. I won't believe it until I see it, although I have high hopes.