Typical little Saturday. Up early with the dog, sadly with Strela there is no more sleeping in for us. Short little walk around the block to get Strela to “do her business,” thanks for the line, Paul and Bekah. A quick stop at the new grocery store in the neighborhood that is located just steps away from our house, a fantastic and life changing addition, still not one-stop shopping but MUCH more convenient. Walk out of there with $10 worth of LOX, lox you say? I know! Smoked salmon is a new arrival on the shelf this week. Mike cleans the pool for a possible Saturday swim, our empregada only works 5 days a week, people. And I start up the Ralles Family Diner for breakfast, no breakfast joints here as we would think of them and the main dish is Cachupa, typical Cape Verdean bean and meat stew that is refried and served with a fried egg and sausage, a delicious option but this lack of variety has us cooking up a storm on Saturday and Sunday mornings. After attempting to poach eggs, with total and utter failure, we dine on a delicious alternative to Eggs Benedict, fresh rolls layered with cream cheese, the smoked salmon, and scrambled eggs. When I found out how to make Hollandaise sauce, I decided against using even more eggs and butter, thus reinforcing why I would much rather dine out for breakfast in oblivion.
Now Mike has headed off to get some work done on the Jeep, Strela is napping on the cold tile floor, and two cups of coffee later, I am feeling even more chatty than normal.
A milestone event did occur this week. We got a generator! Power in Cape Verde is generated using diesel fuel: inefficient, über expensive, environmentally unfriendly...and completely unreliable. In fact, I think Mike's only phrase in Kriolu is, “Ka tem luz,” meaning “don't have lights” or as we would say, the power is out. Living in our temporary apartment, we did not have an alternative power source and it was not unusual for the power to go out about two to three times a week for as little an hour or up to 6-8 hours at a time. One of the most enticing parts of moving to our “permanent” home was that the Embassy provides all residences with a generator. After two months of living here without one, and continued power outages, this week the promise was fulfilled and the generator was installed. It must be a man thing, but Mike is drooling over this generator and its engine. As a woman, I find the new blue and white generator to be...cute? See Flickr photos of the new addition to our family!
I have to say, the concept of electricity being generated somewhere far away and traveling to my home still eludes me. I guess the American in me may always take this somewhat for granted. However, living here has definitely provided a fresh perspective and appreciation, especially when you drive through the “fora” or interior and come the realization that electricity has not even made its way there yet.
Bottom line: Mom and Dad, we certainly do not “have shares in public service” so thank you for all of your lessons on conserving electricity.
Want to visit a developing country, but live with the amenities of the United States? Visit us and our cute generator in Cape Verde!
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