Saturday 16 November 2013

Cape Verde, Calheta de São Miguel -The handing out of the presents -The 10th of November 2013 (morning)


I got up fairly early and went over to the breakfast room where I ended up having a very interesting conversation with a French couple who had been travelling across Santiago island looking for places where most tourists wouldn't venture because of there being nothing special to see. I found that perspective a  rather inspiring one.

Sooner than I had expected children started showing up and before ten I had already distributed presents to eleven children.

















Marquinho (left) with his presents. Kevin (right) with some new school material.




















Gerson (left) holding his new book. Wilson (right) with his new shorts.





Before another group of children arrived I took some photos from the pension veranda. I can't help feeling at times that Calheta is an ever unfinished city undergoing permanent construction works, and though it's understandable that the Cape Verdian emigrants invest a huge part of the money they make abroad to finish the houses they have had built back home, it is a slow process that is permanently reflected on the "incomplete"look of the village.


















I was astonished to see how some of the girls had grown, since they were my  workshop"students" some years ago, that being the case of little Eunice, who now looked like a young lady.


















Eunice holding some school material that was sent to her.





Eunice holding the little vest and earrings sent to her sister Elcy.






















Lucia (left) holding her "eau de cologne". Eduardo (right) holding his new book on basketball".





















Valter (left) holding his new presents. Jessica Patricia (right) holding her new clothes.







Marline surrounded by her abundant new presents (once she didn't get any last time).





As nobody came during the following twenty minutes I decided to head towards the Mayor's, so as to thank him and his wife for the transportation to Calheta de São Miguel, as well as to hand out some small presents to my friend Mafalda and my former student Josseane. Walking on those back streets reminded of the first time I "landed" here to carry out a workshop at the Velhinho Rodrigues school, which proudly stood overlooking the sea.


























(To be continued)








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