Hurricane Danielle heads west, Hurricane Dog remains here

Strela and Filippa in a rare moment of calm
Originally uploaded by mralles

“According to AccuWeather.com Tropical Expert Dan Kottlowski, Danielle is a fairly classic Cape Verde storm, which is one that originates near the Cape Verde Islands. Typically, Cape Verde storms have a good chance of developing into major hurricanes due to their long paths over warm waters and minimal interaction with land.”

While we did experience quite a bit of heavy rain this past Saturday morning (complete with thunder and lightening rousing even me out of bed around 4:30 am), you would never know this information living here in Cape Verde. Cape Verdean Hurricane Danielle could be the biggest hurricane of the season in the Caribbean and Florida (right now a Category 2). Though it really has very little to do with Cape Verde, it is the most news-worthy information out of the islands this week. Ah, island living.

In other news, we are dog-sitting which has created quite the hurricane in the Ralles household. Our friends Paola and Ivan found themselves in a pinch this weekend, with plans to head out on a long weekend vacay and no one to take care of Filippa, their own Cape Verdean mutt a few months older than Strela. With good Karma as motivation, we took in Filippa Friday afternoon and it has been non-stop action for the two pups ever since. At first it was fantastic having Filippa around for Strela as they kept themselves busy playing and running around our garden out front. But hours upon hours of play, the two puppies were clearly exhausted but unwilling to rest. Forced separation has helped encourage relaxation, but now it is Tuesday and Strela is showing signs she is ready to go back to being an only child. Up until now, she has played a happy host, allowing Filippa to take her toys, eat and drink out of her bowls, and even sit with Mike and me. But just as I was writing this, Filippa took Strela's prized rawhide. Teeth were bared, growling began and the claws came out...literally. Luckily they decided to fight right beneath my desk chair so the confrontation was quickly split up, and the dogs were sent to their corners. We will welcome back Paola and Ivan with open arms this evening when they come to get Filippa, but are happy we were able to help out.

As the rain keeps falling on Praia, we will monitor Hurricane Danielle while cleaning up after Hurricane Dog.  See below satellite footage of Danielle's beginnings out here.  Much love from a few rocks in the middle of the Atlantic!

The Rains Hath Come!

When it rains, it pours...
Originally uploaded by mralles

August marks the beginning of the rainy season in Cape Verde. Our friend Kelly, who is from the notoriously rainy Seattle/Tacoma area questions the phrase “rainy season” in so far as in two weeks, this has including one day of downpours and one cloudy day of showers. To put this in perspective, let's look at some statistics:

• Cape Verde receives 261 mm (10.3 inches) of annual rainfall classifying the country as a “semi-desert."
• A desert is defined by receiving less than 250 mm (9.8 inches) of rain annually, SO CLOSE!
• Seattle receives 940 mm (37.1 inches) of rain each year
• This surprisingly pales in comparison to NYC receiving 1,140 mm (45 inches- 28 of which is due to snow) and Miami at 1,420 mm (55.9 inches)

What we would refer to in America as a few rain days, constitutes a rainy season in Cape Verde, as between August and October there is a possibility of rain, which ceases to exist any other time of year.

The whole concept of rain in Cape Verde (or lack there of) is met with a great deal of emotion. Water, a most important natural resource, is so sorely lacking that rain is met with celebration not only in the streets but particularly on the farms. This time of year produce is getting scarcer and more expensive at the markets. The less rain that comes only heightens the community's anxiety for another year without crops. Cape Verde is always worried about the onset of drought that historically can last up to 5 years. In the 20th century alone some 200,000 islanders perished amid drought, causing a diaspora of nearly 500,000 (same as the nation's current population) to flee to Europe and North America.

On the flip side, rain brings with it mosquitoes and disease. Last year there was a Dengue Fever outbreak for the first time in many years (note: South Florida is tracking cases of Dengue as well. So Moms, don't worry too much!). The Cape Verdean government and medical resources met this challenge with great success according to international disease control experts. After last year's experience, the country is trying to be even more proactive in disease prevention and mosquito control. For example, in June there was a day off of work for “Dengue Clean-Up” to ensure areas around the house prevent standing water from accumulating for mosquito breeding. Never mind that this day was also the day that Portugal played Brazil in the World Cup. Coincidence? I don't think so.

No matter what season, the weather in Cape Verde can not be beat. Mild humidity makes the strong sun much more tolerable than summer in Washington, DC. Though Mike is constantly sweating, when is he not, it is really easy to be happy when you wake everyday to a blue and an ocean view to match!

Jeep not for sale...yet

The Jeep enjoying the terrain
Originally uploaded by mralles

It has come to our attention, over and over in fact, that our 2000 Jeep Wrangler is quite popular in Cape Verde. We have received multiple offers to buy the Jeep already and we still need to drive it for at least 17 more months (who's counting?).

One Sunday in May we arrived to our parked, forest-green Wrangler sporting its tan hard top (soft top to come after the rainy season) and there was a note on the windshield. It said and I quote:

Dear Lady, Dear Sir,
Would you mind giving us a call, in regard to the price of your nice Wrangler...
Yours cordially. I'd be thankful.

We would have jumped on this opportunity in the States but we already have an interested buyer (or three) from the Embassy community. In Cape Verde cars do not depreciate in value. Furthermore people list cars as NEW when they are 15 years old! The US government has a rule that we can only sell our car for what we paid for it, effectively to avoid ripping off the local consumer in the developing world. Good call, US, because it seems that we could sell this car for a fortune to the highest bidder!

A few weeks ago I was driving along, enjoying teeny-bopper music from my i-Pod (Mike installed a new stereo with i-Pod hook-up). Up ahead I noticed a group of handsome men (all the men in Cape Verde are pretty much handsome) in the back of a pick-up truck (all the men in Cape Verde pretty much ride in the back of pick-up trucks). They were smiling, chatting, and looking over my way, when I realized, that they were flirting with the JEEP! It became obvious as they started pointing at things, maybe the fog lights and the wheels, I don't know! I would have thought I was crazy if it didn't happen again TODAY!

I am not letting these incidents get my self-esteem down, because the Jeep is the coolest and most perfect car for the cobblestone streets and dirt roads of Cape Verde. Plus I have FINALLY learned to drive stick shift, and can honestly say it has finally taken. I can even get up the hill to our our house, no problem.

But all in all, the best part about the Jeep is that it was my idea! Half 4-wheel drive, half convertible...perfect for a tropical paradise.

So head on over for your tour of the island of Santiago because the Jeep will get you anywhere you need to go!

Basketball without Borders

Willie, Rachel, Mike and Nykesha
Originally uploaded by mralles

Watching kids play basketball with NBA and WNBA players... barefoot. Donating basketballs to a local center for at-risk children. Eating lunch with the Cape Verdean National Basketball Team (they took THIRD in the African Championship in '07, believe it or not). Meeting and discussing the USA and sports with the President of Cape Verde. These were the situations I found myself in the past few days and I loved it.

This week my faith in professional athletes was restored. The NBA, and their Basketball without Borders program, sent a small delegation to Cape Verde as a Sports Envoy to run clinics with kids from three different areas of Santiago, the island where we live. Mike has been working on this program of sports diplomacy for months now and dedicated time and resources to make sure that it went off without a hitch. Congratulations to Mike because not only was the visit a huge success but it was a BLAST!

The visiting delegation was comprised of Brooks Meek, VP of International Operations for the NBA, Willie James Green, Jr.- currently playing for the Philadelphia 76ers- and his brand spanking new wife Terrah (they got married July 4th), Nykesha Sales- former WNBA player from the Connecticut Suns and the franchise's all time leading scorer- and her good friend Keia Howell.

The first day Mike spent with the athletes, he came home and asked me, “Do you know why I am NOT a professional athlete?” I had to bite my tongue to not say the many things that came to mind (just kidding, Mike). He then told me that after 11 hours of travel around the island, running these clinics for hours in the hot sun, the players were getting back to their hotels to fit in a workout before dinner. Obviously staying in shape is their full time job, but it is inspirational to be around people who are so dedicated and so passionate about their work. This passion also came through in their work in Cape Verde. No matter how hot the courts were, how bumpy the cobblestone road was, how long the tour of an unfinished stadium went on, this group touted smiles, regaled us with hilarious stories and had a sincere appreciation of this wild ride on our rock in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Arriving well in the wee hours of Saturday night and staying on until early Wednesday morning, we packed so much into the short visit that this blog post would be way too long to be enjoyable. I am having a really hard time putting into words how awesome this experience was, but posted photos on Flickr for you to see for yourself.

Thanks to Brooks, Nykesha, Keia, Willie, Terrah...AND MIKE for making this one of my best weeks in Cape Verde yet!

For local press coverage (to see Mike on TV!) click on the links below:

http://rtc.cv/tcv/index.php?paginas=13&id_cod=4694
http://rtc.cv/tcv/index.php?paginas=13&id_cod=4740