The past week...more parties...heels, etc

My new dress...

My new dress….my new love…and mama’s shoes!! Yup…I love ‘Bear’ and I love to wear mama’s high heels….

School Christmas Party:

Magda and Palhaco I have seen this Palhaco at 3 diferent parties already! (too many parties…too few clowns!). At first I was not too into him…I kept on saying ‘sai, sai!’ (go away) but I guess I am getting used to him. Note the apple in my hand…mama is getting smart about taking me to parties so she packs a healthy snack because otherwise I am bombarded with sugary stuff (humm…I think if she keeps doing this I will have to go and complain at the ‘Capeverdean children’s Rights[-to-eat-as-much-sugar-as-possible] Organization’

So many Christmas tress, so many Santa Claus images…mama was ‘horrified’ at the amount of made in china plastic trees and other paraphernalia….she says she will start boycotting this type of Christmas celebrations next year (…I guess I will be making two trips to the Children’s Rights organization!)

My cousin Andre and I were sitting patiently waiting for the activities to begin….I never sit in one place for longer than 5 seconds at home….but in school…it is a different story

I swim ....

Drawing ....je suis une artiste!

Mama was soooo impressed by this drawing I did…it is a face with hair, eyes and a mouth….she just hopes that I don’t decide to become and architect….

Santiago Island

Cidade Velha :

Caminho fora...on the way to Assomada:

Assomada, Santa Catarina:

DADA's Visit!

Dada came all the way from New York to see me. He had to take 2 planes to get here (I love planes)...He surprised me at school one day...I so happy.... We went to the park, to the beach, to many parties, etc. Dada ate a lot of grilled barriga d'atun (tuna belly), I ate a lot of kuskus... Here are some photos of his visit

Veronica (my friend from Cruz di Papa park) and me

Me and Dada on the Up and Down

Kebra Kanela...it's winter here (too windy and cold...70 degrees : ) and so it is not great weather for the beach but I like to go to the beach.

The debate is over in the photo above I look exactly like my Dada...(sorry Mama!)

...eating barriga d'atun (tuna belly) with Sao and Nhelas:

Mama's BIG Birthday

Mama had a birthday but I did not get to eat any cake...hummmm how did that happen?!?!? I now know how to sing Happy Birthday in portuguese and make sure I sing it as often as I can so I do not forget the words.
Mama and her friends went out to dinner ...I think they had fun and drank too much grape juice!

Tia Vanda, tia Sandra, Tia Bela, tia Nelinha and Mama

Dada, Bela,Tony, Nelinha, Vanda, Jacob, Mama and Sandra

Cidade Velha-Por do Sol Hotel

We went on an outing to Cidade Velha to the Por Do Sol Hotel to use their pool and eat. Mama and her old friends were acting like when they were teenagers posing for photos in their bikinis...they were also drinking gin and tonics around the pool

Tia Bela, Tia Sandra and mama:Tia Mena, Tia Sandra, Tia Nelinha, mama and Tia Bela:

Mama, Tia Bela, Tia Sandra, Tia Nelinha,and Tia Mena:

bu ka straga nem bu ka panha bentu!

Abel Djassi BandMama, Tia Sandra and Tio Tony went to 5tal da Musica to see a reunion of Abel Djassi band (Abel Djassi was Amilcar Cabral’s guerilla name during the anti-colonial war). They had not performed together in about 26 years. This former teenage band was part of the Pioneiros youth organization and were very active in the post-independence period of great national pride. Mama and her friends used to hang out with them around 1975-early 80s. They all had crushes on the boys of the band. Yesterday everyone had fun remembering the good ol’ days.
Mama got a typical badío (Santiago island person/culture) compliment from Albertino (whom she had not seen in a while): "Patti, bu ka straga nem bu ka panha bentu" …literal translation = Patti, you did not spoil nor did you get hit by the wind!...= you still look good!
Mama and her friends burst out laughing! This was better than the other comment she got last time when someone she grew up and had not seen in a while asked her to dance. He said: Patti, you look the same…but…you no longer have that tiny little waist you used to!
This should give you a sense of some of capeverdean men’s sensibilities (or lack thereof : )

Yum yum kuskus and more kuskus

Mama is always craving kuskus…I also like it very much. We went to Tia Magda to eat some, there was also linguicinha (little tiny pork sausages), pastel and capevedean goat cheese and mel di cana (sugar cane syrup) both usually eaten with the kuskus

Tia Magda making the kuskus:
me and mama:

l to r: Nadira, Vóvó, Magda, Brian, me, Tia Sandra Malika and Tio Tony:

eating kuskus:

News

I went to yet another birthday party (Roberto turned 4 Nov 21st)…

sugar is always the theme (sub-themes are the usual princess, Mickey, Tarzan etc…) mama is always running after me to make sure I don’t consume sugary things. I managed to grab one and tried to get through the wrapping (see photo) …as soon as I ripped through the wrapping with my sharp teeth mama snatched it from my hand : (
Mama said she will not take me to any more parties…she can’t handle the noise and chasing me around to avoid the sugar…

Heels and hats

Yes I know how to walk and even run in mama's high heels...

Below, with tia Rosel. We went to have lunch with her yesterday. I destryoed a few things in her house but she is very tolerant.

My ending love affair with Ouuhh Ouhhh Aahh Ahh

I no longer want to sleep with Ouuhh Ouuhh Aahh Aahh (my gorilla pillow)! He is no longer allowed in my crib.

colors

It's been a while...a lot of activities, a seti, a kuskus lunch, a birthday party, another katchupa lunch, etc. Mama has been a bit lazy with taking photos.

...the other day while i was sitting on the potty I decided to expand my knowledge of colors and kept pointing to things and asking mama their color. I am already quite good at identifying pink, azul (blue), yellow, orange and sometimes red. I was pointing to things such as the wall...mama would say 'white', then to various objects with ambiguous shades and mama would struggle to name them...this went on for a little while and then I pointed to mama's belly (she was half naked) and I asked "white?" ...mama is traumatized! She claims she needs to go lay on the beach to get a tan!

Party'n weekend (mama that is)

Mama had a busy social calendar this weekend. A lot of parties and dinners. I tagged along to the one's that happened before the sunset.
Charlie's Angels....Tia Soraya, Tia Nelinha, Mama and Tia Sandra at Tia Vanda's 40th (mama said that is like centuries in baby years!) birthday party... Tia Vanda is very dramatic as you can probably see form her boa wearing.

Lunch at Tia Nelinha's house

Mama's "Yes We Can Get In Shape" team

Mama and her friends Tia Sandra and Tia Nelinha (sitting) at the Gym. They are inspired with the yes we can motto and hope that all the food they are eating will be balanced out by their dedicated gym attendance.

YES WE (I) CAN....(throw tantrums and more)

Mama went to bed at dawn (a new dawn) after hearing Gomama’s amazing speech…she heard me say ‘yes...yes...’ in my sleep… and was certain that a special energy was reaching all the sleeping (and awake) children around the world with a special message of hope that our future will be better, all our dreams possible because we can…we all can!

Mama is grateful for the future that will be mine because of this amazing man…this most enlightened, brilliant (she also said something like...sexy) man!

despite all of this…I still woke up and had the biggest trantrum mama has ever experienced that early in the morning!

GOBAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...(I say GOMAMA!)

GOMAMA>>>GOBAMA>>>GOMAMAGOBAMAGOBAMAGOMAMAGOBAMAGOMAMAGOBAMAGOBAMAGOMAMAGOBAMAGOMAMAGOBAMAGOBAMAGOMAMAGOBAMAGOMAMAGOBAMAGOBAMAGOMAMAGOBAMAGOMAMAGOBAMAGOBAMAGOMAMAGOBAMAGOMAMAGOBAMAGOBAMAGOMAMAGOBAMA
GOMAMAGOBAMAGOBAMAGOMAMAGOBAMAGOMAMAGOBAMAGOBAMAGOMAMAGOBAMAGOMAMAGOBAMAGOBAMAGOMAMAGOBAMAGOMAMAGOBAMAGOBAMAGOMAMAGOBAMAGOMAMAGOBAMAGOBAMAGOMAMAGOBAMAGOMAMAGOBAMAGOBAMAGOMAMAGOBAMAGOMAMAGOBAMAGOBAMAGOMAMAGOBAMAGOMAMAGOBAMAGOBAMAGOMAMAGOBAMA

NY folks...and my first word in kriolu

I always ask mama to draw on the etch-a-sketch (thanks tia Landa!) all the people back in NY...see if you can guess which one is you...

my first word in kriolu: di meu!! (= mine!!!)...