We have had running water for the past 36 hours. I think that sets some kind of a record. I was thrilled to find that even after I had filled our rather large barrels that we have come to store water in for the week, that we still had running water. Lately, it's been coming on for about an hour a week, just enough time for us to fill up, and then it goes off. Not that I'm complaining too much, the water is sufficient and I've learned how to take a shower (conditioning and all!) with under 5 litres of water. It's amazing really.

Well, if I'm blogging about my showering habits, you all must know that life is clearly not that interesting. I didn't make it to the festival this past weekend, although I heard there were NO piãtas-chicken-in-the-ground style, so for those of you animal lovers, and really just normal human beings, you can rest easy knowing that I did not swing at a half buried live chicken. Like I would have anyway.

Leland is gone this week, he's in Praia for training so he can help out until PST for the newbies at the end of June. So I'm by myself in the house again, which has its pluses and minuses of course. I have heard rumors that our island may get another PC volunteer, although it would be in community development and not education, because the school doesn't really need another English teacher. So that could be exciting. This is our last week to review for the students' final exams, so things are pretty busy at school. It's definitely winding down, which makes me happy cause I'm tired of school, but at the same time, I won't really have anything to do when it's all over for the summer. Because of my traveling I won't really have the time to start any major projects, but what am I going to do for a few weeks at a time in between the school years? I dunno, anyway I'll figure it out.

Well, I'm sorry that was a disappointing update, but again, nothing really that interesting is going on here. I go to England in 59 days and I'm almost peeing in my pants with excitement. That's about the gist of it. I hope all is well with all of you.

Yesterday I was in a really good mood. I woke up happy and smiling, which is unusual for a Tuesday and I used to think they were my hard days. But since the Children's class, I have come to look forward to Tuesdays as they are the only day of the week where I don't have my children's class. Those classes are so exhausting and this time of year is so stressful anyway, that I look forward to the day where I don't have play Operator or slap hands in a Down By the Banks game with my six year olds. Also, I finally turned in my final exams, and other tests that I've had to make up, so my workload is considerably lighter for the time being. Anyway, I went to my first class at 8:30am yesterday morning, and they are my good eighth grade class and they did fairly well on the test, so I decided that before we got into some heavy review sessions I would let them play a game in class. It was a really fun game with music, and everyone was laughing and having a grand old time. So my good day continued. Well. At 11:40am I have, what I'm sure you're familiar with, my class from Hell, the other 8th grade class who last Thursday received a falta collectiva from me. Most of their class failed the last test, and only one person in the whole class passed the make up quiz that I gave on Saturday so I didn't feel that playing a game was the best strategy to help them learn. Plus, they are extremely hard to control and I know if I let them play a game, I would never regain control of the class. So, I commenced the class with attempting to explain what will be on the final exam (here on out called the PGI). Notice how I used the word "attempt." There are six sections of the test, I explained. Enter uproarious protestations here. "Six sections is a LOT teacher!" Let me just explain something. My PGI was checked by the Coordinator of the English department, the Sub-director of Pedagogy, and the Director of the School. It is in no way unreasonable in length or difficulty. Anyway, when the class finally quieted down (I had simply written 'PGI: six parts' on the board) there were still two boys who would not be quiet. So they got kicked out of class. Meanwhile, my loudest protester, a girl named Monica, had quited down, but she was hiding her head in her arms on the desk because for some reason she had found herself in a fit of giggles for no reason. She occasionally finds it amusing when I get angry. So, the two boys out of class, and Monica with a warning that she needs to face the front and listen respectfully, I attempt to continue. 'First part: reading comprehension' I write on the board. This time Monica has erupted into more laughter, and when I look at her, her back is to me, she is facing the back of the class, and when she turns around her face is red from laughter. So I then attempt to kick her out of class, as her laughing made others laugh as well. I tell her a few times to get out. This was her reply (first in Creole, then I'll translate):
"NO! A mi n ka fazi nada! Bu ka podi mandam pa rua, n ka fazi nada! A mi n ka ta bai, NO a mi n ka ta bai, a mi n ka fazi nada, a mi n ta fika li!! Bu ka podi mandam pa rua, n ka ta bai. No."
Translated: NO! I didn't do anything, you can send me out I didn't do anything. I'm not going to go, I'm not going to go, I didn't do anything. I'm staying right here, you can't make me go out, I'm not going."
Well, the whole class chimed in as well, putting their two sense where it didn't belong. I told Monica she gets a falta disciplina (she is now suspended for two days) and the rest of the class could just get out. I didn't give another falta collectiva, as it's not that fair to the ONE poor girl who wasn't talking, but I refused to teach the class anymore that day. Needless to say, I'm no longer in the good mood I was yesterday. But I've finished making up the tests, and my bad students were suspended, so things could be worse I guess. Oh and my Children's class ends today. So yay. But I just can't wait for the weekend.

Well, here I am in all my glory, a Peace Corps volunteer with so little to say. Although, I did, for the first time, give a falta collectiva in my Spawn of Satan of class. Today was climax of a very frustrating week. Only about half of the students actually showed up for class, and those that did for some reason would just not be quiet. Here, the discipline system works with 'faltas.' For example, if you don't show up for class, you get a falta. If you get kicked out of class, you get a falta. If you don't bring your notebook to school, or don't wear the proper uniform you get a falta, etc. These faltas build up and if you have so many in one class, they notify your parents. If you have so many in one trimester, you get kicked out of school. There are also falta disciplinas for if the students are fighting in class, or talk back to the teacher, or just do something extra bad. So, the students who didn't show up for class obviously got a falta, and those that did I basically kicked them all out, so they all got faltas as well. I gave two falta disciplinas to two students who wouldn't stop arguing and kicking each other. Well I got protests from the students of course, but I don't really care, cause I've had enough of their crap basically.

Everyone's so high stress at the moment, planning tests, then I have to plan makeup tests, then more tests, then final tests. I'm sick of planning/grading/re planning tests. But, on a more personal note, life is actually pretty ok. I think I'm the happiest I've been since I got here, and this is probably due to a variety of factors, but I can't imagine leaving at this point in time. There was a time in the beginning of my service where I contemplated leaving at the end of this school year; only I completely understand why they hold out service for two years. It's probably the perfect amount of time. My friendships are stronger, people have a sense of who I am, my students are comfortable around me except of course when they don't give a crap and half and won't stop talking. But I've noticed that just having been to the Norte and hanging out with the students who live there make them easier to deal with. Like they understand that I'm human, and not some foreigner they know nothing about.

But picture for a moment a college campus with about 4,000 students. All the students live on campus, and most of them are related. So everything you do, everywhere you go, everyone you talk to, it's all observed by someone who either knows you, or who's cousin is in your class. There is no privacy. Everyone is in everyone else's business because the campus is so small and secluded that people don't have anything else to do but gossip about everyone else. And because you're the "linda" Americana, your actions are monitored just that much more closely. That's like my life here. If I go out with someone other than Leland, people think I'm cheating on my husband. For the record, Leland is NOT my husband and even though we tell people this repeatedly, they don't seem to believe us. But I'm on a secluded island with 4,000 other people who are all someone else's cousin, so my actions are watched like a hawk by everyone around me. When I go to the Norte everyone knows and wonders why, and who invited me (the people in the Norte are fiercely defensive against keeping their little towns pure of outsiders/tourists. You basically have to be invited by someone who lives there in order to go. And in the car ride there, people will ask you why you are going to the Norte and who invited you).

Well this weekend, a friend of ours from Sal will come down and visit, which is nice. We like having visitors. Leland and I are throwing a little "American" party and invited some of our friends here. We'll make hot wings and pizza and just let loose. That's only if the back-again "bruma secca" allows our friend to fly here. Yes, the dust storms that interrupted our first Volunteer conference back in January are back and making everything gross and dusty again. Anyway, that's the small update on my life. I hope everyone has a good weekend :)

Last Tuesday was International Laborer's day. I decided to go to the Norte, specifically the town of João Galego. I've talked about that town before, Leland and I have been once. But several of the teachers that work at the high school live there, so a couple of them invited me to spend the Tuesday holiday with them. The town is almost on the other side of the island and there are beaches on that side. When Cape Verdians have the day off, they tend to have grelhas on the beach. A good friend of mine and some friends invited me along to theirs. Let me just explain something: when I think of grilling on the beach, I think of taking as few items as possible, the less to carry, the less to hassle with. Cape Verdians are the complete opposite for some reason. We left for the beach at around 9am and they brought everything, and I mean everything. Pots, and pans for cooking, dishsoap and sponges for cleaning, a plastic table to set up their "kitchen" and all the ingredients to all the food unprepared. It was remarkable, I couldn't believe how difficult it all seemed to me. I'm sure they have their perfectly logical reasons for doing this, I just didn't feel comfortable asking. For example: little tuna croquettes are made with canned tuna, mayonnaise, and spices. It is something that could have been mixed earlier at home and then brought all ready to cook. But instead, cans of tuna, jars of mayonnaise, and the spices were all brought separately and prepared there.

Anyway, it wasn't my picnic, so I just followed along and helped where I could. The first thing they did when they got there was set up their "kitchen" and prepared breakfast. We had two fires and a portable gas tank to cook meals for 10 or so people. It was some intense cooking. But the Norte "é sab" as they say here, meaning it's good. And it is good. The towns are small and so friendly. It's calm and quiet and everyone knows everyone. You go out for a walk and you end up staying outside for hours cause you find someone to talk to and you just sit there and talk. You remain on the stoop of a house, or in the main square on a bench or in a bar, it's just so cool.

This past weekend I decided to go up there again. Sunday was May Day, so Saturday night they held a party at the discoteca in João Galego. During the day, everyone just relaxes outside and talks and laughs. We would get a car and go to the other two towns that are in the same zone. Tarrafas has "world famous" ponche de mel a type of thick drink that's made from local grogue and honey. So Saturday, me and a few friends bar hopped around the towns, it was a good time. Saturday night was the big festa where there was of course more food than anyone could eat and fun music. Sunday was spent sleeping in. In the afternoon me and three other girl teachers around my age decided to go a little crazy and let go of some steam. We, four intelligent, composed professors were headbanging to Metallica and jammin to Snoop Dogg for two hours. It was great. I don't really even like Snoop Dogg. But these weeks are becoming stressful for us, we have so many tests to make up and grade. I gave my eighth graders their test last week and 40 out of my 60 students failed. So now, I have to make a make-up test of sorts so that all my students don't fail miserably at school. I'm exhausted and ready for the school year to be over. I have about a week left of my children's class which is just wonderful because as much as I love the little ones, it's a strain on my time and energy. The class ends next Wednesday and believe me I'm counting down the days.

In other news, my student Patricia was chosen to do the program in Praia. She's the only one on Boa Vista, and I'm so happy for her. I think she's a little nervous, and the people in charge of the program haven't been too forthcoming with the information about when it's going to be held and where specifically, so we're both a little frustrated at that. But it's the Cape Verdian way to leave everything to the last minute, so I'm sure it'll all work out in the end.

Well, I'm tired so I hope I didn't ramble too much. I hope everyone is well.