Boa Vista's festival season is upon us. This last weekend was São João, which was (appropriately) in João Galego. Needless to say, the location made it a pain in the ass to get to, but it was still worth it. I went down around 8-ish with Walter and his girlfriend (Walter was a student of mine, but his English was probably too good to be in my class). When we got there, there were a couple hundred people in the Praça, which already pretty much doubles the population of the town. A musician named Tiolino came on around 9 or 10 and was actually really good. I bumped into my friend Shon and we pretty much stuck together all night, drinking beers and wandering around talking to people. At midnight, another live band came on, and by midnight, I mean one-ish (we run on Cape Verde Time). They're called Cabo Verde Show, and have apparently been around since the late 70s. At first I thought they were downright awful, because they sounded pretty much like live zouk. And if you ever want an earful, just ask me how I feel about zouk, a.k.a. the form of music with no actual musical substance whatsoever. Maybe it was the extra beers, maybe I just got used to it, or maybe I was just having too much fun, but after a few songs I started to dig it. So they played three sets and we danced and drank the night away until 5:30 or so. Fortunately, I managed to snag a car with a friend and get back to Vila shortly after 6, because not everyone had the same luck. Tey, one of the surf club guys, told me that none of them were able to get home until 10 or so. Plus there was a rumble. No, seriously. Apparently, João Galego took on Bofareira. This is hilarious, because if João Galego is tiny, Bofareira is less than a speck. It's about 20 houses sitting in the desert. Plus, a fight in Cape Verde usually has very few punches thrown. Instead, everyone throws bottles and rocks. Not kidding. Fully grown men throw rocks at each other like 6 year olds fighting over swings. Anyway, it was a fantastic night. The festa continued on Sunday, but I was too exhausted/hungover to make it the 45 minutes through the desert to get there. I napped a lot though.

What else? I finally set up a date with a Cape Verdean girl last week, only to be stood up, or so I thought. Apparently she stopped by the CEJ when I wasn't here to tell me she couldn't make it, and an anonymous coworker failed to pass on the message. Damn. I'll try again.

I still swim every day. I don't think I am going to like going back to a place without warm ocean water. I'm slowly getting back into respectable shape, though I am still too skinny for my tastes.

I finished my Excel class last night. The tests were pretty decent, with only 3 people failing. I should probably mention that failing means getting less than a 10 out of 20. Yes, being 50% right is considered a good job. But I have a two week break from teaching right now, until the last computer class, plus a chess workshop I set up. Thank god there will be parties next week, because I might get bored otherwise.

No more. Time for a swim.