Its a Kriolu Christmas

So it’s Christmas Day in Chan di Igreja and Vida e Sabi (Life is Good). Although it was about 90 degrees here today, the town is all decked out with blinking lights and colored banners, and Boas Festas music is playing in the plaza, and it feels like Christmas. Sorta. Last night I went to misa (mass) in the igreja (church) with Beni and her family (I got to ring the church bell!!!!), and when that was over we all (Me, Beni, Gisela, Lalino, Nelinda, Suzi) went to her house to eat dinner of delicious chicken and rice and beans and salad. Later we opened prendas (presents), drank some paunche de coco (sorta like egg-nog), and sat around and talked until about 1am, when the town festa (party and dance) started.

The festa was 1700$00 to get in (that’s a hell of a lot) but included all the food and drink you could handle. There were pastels and paunche and little coconut morsels and a million other little treats. Benvinda was looking spektakulo (spectacular) in her very tiny black dress and her hair all pentiad (sort of like Jamaican corn-rows, except the braids are made into designs…REALLY pretty). She was very definitely the Bell of the Ball, and all of the guys in town were coming up and telling me bo tava t’ranga muit dret (in this context it means “you picked a good one”) and I was feeling like the King of Chan di Igreja. Anyway, we danced together a few times but ainda mi n’e nada’d dret (I’m not very good yet) so I turned her loose on the dance floor and went to sit with the rest of the old folks, where we talked the night away. We were all drinking caiperinhas (the Cape Verdian version of a mojito) so everyone was prop fuska (real drunk) pretty quick. Thank goodness the party didn’t start until 1am (it is the custom in Cape Verde to start everything REAL late) or I’da been in real trouble. Anyway, at some point Beni tava’t panya’m (came and got me) and said it was time to go home.

Christmas morning it was back to misa (me in the exact same clothes since I have exactly one “nice outfit” here), then someone killed a pig and roasted it for lunch. Everyone was walking around town visiting and chatting for most of the day, and Beni and Gisela came over to take some Christmas pictures. Later I was informed that we would make a pizza for Christmas dinner. They started making the crust and mandad (sent) me to Cruzinha to panya polvo (catch an octopus) which, to my horror, was to be cooked and used as a pizza topping. I protested until Benvinda pointed out that one day years from now (or today, for that matter), when I’m back in the States, I’d be able to brag to my friends that one Christmas day I jumped in the ocean half a world away, caught and killed an octopus, and put it on a pizza. Me Tarzan, You Benvinda! Unfortunately, I won’t be able to tell that story, as mar foi brop (the sea was wild). The waves were huge and crashing (I could hear them long before I arrived at the water’s edge) and I felt certain that this would be the death of me. I sat staring at the crazy waves for about 20 minutes, trying to talk myself into jumping in and going octopus hunting (If Tarzan were here, he’d do it! Don’t be such a wuss!) but remained unconvinced. Not wanting to disappoint, I did what any clear thinking American would do…I bought some from a fisherman in Cruzinha. In the end, I am unable to assure you all that pineapple and sautéed octopus does in fact make for a delicious pizza, as Beni and Gisela got tired of waiting for me and made a sausage and pineapple pizza instead. Superb. After dinner we drank a bottle of wine, took some pictures and watched Shrek (Shrek keeps his Scottish accent even when he speaks in Portuguese by the way) for the 12th time this month. Nice day. Tomorrow I’ll sit in traffic, fight the crowds at the mall and look for good deals on unsold Christmas lights and neck ties. (ha!)

So, I hope everyone back in the States had a great holiday and was able to spend time with their friends and family. My thanks to everyone that called…despite my makeshift family here in Cape Verde, m tava’k sodade (I was missing you all) and you made a great day even better. Boas Festas, Feliz Natal.

LUV

Caley