Some Differences

Some Differences

So, they don’t have lines here. They pretty much don’t exist in any form. At the market, the post office, the bank or the bar…they just crowd. It’s totally acceptable, and totally maddening. You might be at the loja with bottled water and 100$00 CVE in your hand waiting patiently behind the person in front of you, and when they finish in front of you, you’ll step up to the counter and someone from out of nowhere will sidle up next to you with their eggs or whatever and hand over their money. The cutter won’t think its weird, the person behind the counter won’t think its weird, the people behind you won’t even think its weird. Only you will think it’s weird. In this way, in Cape Verde, business is transacted. In this way, in America, people are murdered on the highways or at post offices.

When you see a friend on the street and stop to chat with them, they will hold you hand for the length of the conversation. Men and men, men and women, women and women, children and adults…everyone. One minute chat, ten minute chat. Makes no difference; they’ll hold your hand all the while. It’s polite. Not in a handshake posture either, but holding hands like sweethearts. It takes some getting used to. In this way, in Cape Verde, people show friendship and respect. In this way, in America, rumors and germs are spread.

You can give anything to anyone to give to anyone else, anywhere. No problem. Coming or going over the mountain in the hiace, almost without fail, there will be an old lady or a kid standing on the side of the road somewhere along the way. They will have perhaps a bag or a sack or a jug or an envelope or even cash. The hiace will stop and they will say something to the effect of “this is for Joao who lives in the town of ______.” The driver will take whatever it is and say OK and off we go. It doesn’t matter where the town that Joao lives in is, or even what island it is on, and it doesn’t matter where we’re going, so long as we’re heading in that general direction. When we get where we’re going, the driver will hand it to someone else heading in that direction and say “this is for Joao who lives in the town of ______.” They’ll say OK and off they go. The process is repeated over and over again, and eventually, reliably, the parcel will arrive in the hands of the intended recipient. I’ve seen it happen a million times. Sacks of bananas, letters from Portugal, bottles of grog, suitcases of clothes and wads of cash…all passing through the hands of strangers before dutifully being handed over to the rightful owner. It is a process that never ceases to excite wonder. In this way, in Cape Verde, people who can’t afford to travel or mail something (or rightfully don’t trust the Cape Verdian Postal Service) are able to send things to friends and families. For obvious resons, this could never work in America.

In the same vein, people will go get you just about anything here. The verb they use is mandar (to send for). I haven’t quite worked out the intricacies, but I believe its roots lie in the fact that there is really nothing at all to do here, so if someone needs something done, why not do it for them. It is usually someone older having someone younger go get the something, but not always. Here is how it works. If you need something, and can’t for whatever reason go get it yourself, you send someone else. I can walk out to the roof and drop 50$00 to whoever happens to be standing or walking below and say “Bo ta mandam 2 ovos.” (Go get me two eggs.) They’ll get them, pick out the best 2 eggs of the bunch even, walk up the three flights of stairs and hand me my change. Similarly, I may be walking in the plaza and have someone holler at me to fetch them a bucket of water, or a broom, or their cousin who lives down the street. You can manda a hiace driver to panya (pick up) a ¼ kilo of cheese or a letter from the post office in the next town over if he’s going that way. There is no please and no thank you, and none is expected. It’s just a part of their life here. This could also never work in America.

People that are your friends will take things without asking. Over here, this is not weird. Over here, it’s polite. It takes some getting used to and I’ve had to learn to keep things that I don’t want to share out of site. Essentially, as near as I can tell, the thinking is “If you’re not using it right now, I will.” If they have it, whatever It is, when you want to use it, you go get it back. In this way, in America, friends and neighbors dissolve friendships. In this way, in Cape Verde, three or four families can farm a plot with only 1 achada (spade), clean moray or fish with only one good knife between them, etc.

The entire village raises the children. Anyone can (and probably should if they’re being polite) pick up your child here. Similarly, at any moment, someone may hand you a child that is not your own. You will be expected to shower this child with love and attention, and also discipline and supervision. It may be for five minutes, or two hours. If you’re busy, you can hand it to someone else. Over here, anyone can walk away with your baby…take them to the plaza to sit and play. Feed them. Change them. Spank them. Give them a toy. In this way, in Cape Verde, there is an overwhelming sense of community and trust and friendship and assistance. In this way, in America, Amber Alerts are issued and perverts are pleasured.

You can be a total stupid jackass and leave a wallet with IDs, Credit Card and 10000$00 CVE in it (the equivalent of 4 or 5 months wages from a good job) in the plaza, and go home to cook your dinner and about 15 minutes later, a 13 year old kid that you’ve never met before, or at least don’t remember meeting before, will knock on your door and hand it to you with a smile. He won’t ask for anything, won’t expect anything and won’t take anything…except Juicy Fruit. I know this because I was a total stupid jackass and did this exact thing. I’d like to say that in America this would never happen, but I’m often a total stupid jackass when it comes to losing things and on Christmas Eve a few years ago an Austin Cap Metro bus driver knocked on my door at 10PM and handed me a wallet that I’d left on his bus earlier that day. He drove 5 miles out of his way after work to give it to me. He also wouldn’t take anything, although I didn’t have any Juicy Fruit to offer him at the time.

Lastly. If you ask people over here (and I have), they’ll tell you that the best opportunity that anyone from Cape Verde might ever get (and it’s highly unlikely), is the opportunity to leave here and go to America. It’s sad, but it’s what they think. What’s sadder is that, at least for the time being, it may be true. Over 75% of the county’s income is sent here from charity organizations or family living in other countries. 90% of that money is then sent right back out to another foreign country to buy food, clothing and supplies. Over here there is virtually no infrastructure, no rain and no crops. There is no telling where the next meal is coming from. There is no guarantee you’ll get to go to school. There is no adequate justice system to protect you or punish criminals. There are virtually no services for the poor. There are no jobs here (and even if you could find one in one of the bigger towns, there isn’t a way to get there). There is no public transportation. There are no Universities. There are no special ramps for the handicapped. There aren’t a lot of dreams here. In this way, Cape Verde is sad and poor, and I am happy for the opportunity to try to make a contribution to its development, however insignificant that contribution may be. In this way, America, despite her faults, is still the best country in the world.

That being said, there is much to learn from the people here. Though they have virtually nothing, they are proud. You’d think that they wouldn’t have much to celebrate, but they love to laugh, and sing and dance. Families are impossibly huge, yet manage to be close and caring and loving. They take bad news and no rain with a shrug of the shoulders and a hopeful eye towards next year. They are trusting and trustworthy. They sleep with their doors and windows open. They help each other. In most respects, despite their disadvantages and all that they are lacking, they are something that many (most?) Americans are not…happy.