Thursday, June 07, 2007

Happy Environment week in Cape Verde. Well Tuesday was the actual Dia de Ambiente but my activities revolving around the environment have continued through the week. I just got out of a friend´s class (he teaches 5th grade) where I led an art project making butterflies out of plastic water bottles. I got the idea from an awesome person at TOT (training of trainers) who is one of the LCFs (language and culture facilitator) for this year.

Tuesday we had a parade with a 6th grade and 7th grade class and then a few speakers including a nurse who talked about sanitation and washing your hands, etc and the guy from the water place who talked about water and apparently bored some of the kids because they ended up getting antsy and talkative at the end of his speech.

Tomorrow I am going to a lunch for the environment cabinet of the Camara and the guards for the turtles during their information session on guarding turtles. That´s right, its turtle season which means time to protect the turtles and make sure their babies hatch and get to the sea without fisherman taking the turtles or their eggs for their own benefit (ie to eat and sell). I´m really excited to finally see the turtles and a friend of mine promised to take me to see the baby turtles which hatch about 10-15 days after they are laid.

The big project\ day that I am working on (since it seems like I´m involved in planning most of the International Day of "fill in the blank") is for the day against drugs. I´m planning on showing a Brazilian film called "Bicho de Sete Cabeças" or Bicho of seven heads and having a discussion and then in the afternoon taking students to see the new Tenda which is Cape Verde´s version of a treatment facility based on healing from God which if you couldn´t figure it out, is a lot of prayer and spiritual healing. I don´t know how effective it is but its at least an effort.

Any ways, thats about it for now. Less than 3 weeks and I´ll be on vacation in the states!