My first impressions upon arriving in Cabo Verde/Inferno were those of sheer excitement. This was exactly the kind of place I was looking for and I couldn’t wait to meet my host family. As odd as it may sound I was thrilled by the lack of infrastructure, the size of my house and the generally poor nature of the area. Since I was looking to have an experience as different as possible from my daily life these aspects were all a dream come true.
Life in Cape Verde to put it bluntly was great and I enjoyed every minute of it. I adapted easily to the slower pace of life. I quickly lost my cell phone that I never checked anyway and did not miss TV or the internet. I will say the pace of life in Inferno was much more to my liking than in Plateau. Praia was much busier and crowded and I preferred Inferno hands down. Plateau was my least favorite place to be in Praia.
The smallness of the house seemed to make no difference at all. I actually liked it, It kept everyone close. I’m sure at times it was a little much for them but there were other houses to go to when needed. The family seemed to be running around all over inferno on a regular basis but were all home quite often. Here at home my family would drive me nuts if we were in the small a space my host family seemed to do fine in. I was surprised how little of an issue it seemed to be for them and me. It is possible they were on good behavior while I was around though.
What was the quality of life in Inferno? This is perhaps the most important question. Well, it was surprisingly high, even for me. For what Inferno lacks; infrastructure, health sanitation, etc., it more than makes up for with its strong sense of community. I wish my neighborhood had half as much community as Inferno. By far the most surprising aspect of the trip was how much I enjoyed Inferno. I can’t fully explain why, although much of it was simply the people and feeling of the neighborhood.
This is one of the most interesting aspects of the trip for me. It is the very lack of infrastructure that has given them the very hardest aspect of a place to create. Infrastructure is easy, creating a community, nearly impossible. I really do believe that Inferno is actually missing fewer of the pieces than we are. This begs several questions. How much infrastructure is needed or even desired? Will developing the infrastructure destroy or erode the community? Where is the balance between infrastructure and community if in fact there is a relationship? What level of expansion, development, and density should be pursued? These questions have had a large impact on my own thoughts and studies of slum upgrading and poverty alleviation.
Onto the best part of the trip, the people of course. The people of Cape Verde were great and especially those from Inferno. We met many friendly people. Sometimes randomly on the street or cab drivers. Everyone we talked to seemed nice enough, even the lady at the bank who we were sure was going to kill us as we were the last to purchase the stamp. She was very nice, kind as could be, although me saying “Ami mesti un cello por favor” might have helped, or perhaps we had a different person but the horror stories were not true for us. The looks and surprise of the cab driver every time we said Inferno was priceless. One even responded with a very shocked “Abo mora na Inferno?”. We had just started to get to know everyone when we had to leave. We were invited into many homes, and usually offered food to boot. Many people in Inferno would come up to us and talk, and anyone you approached was happy to talk to you. Many already knew who we were and greeted us and talked with us.
The last and most important part of our trip was our families. They were instantly accepting of us and made our trip infinitely more enjoyable than staying in a hotel. I had a family of six living in one room and it was an incredible experience. I felt as though it did not take long to become a part of the family. Although I did receive special treatment, I also felt the connection that developed between us. Their treatment of me was the most emotional part of the trip. They went out of their way countless times to make me as comfortable as possible, and they were all willing to give up what they had for me. It was very moving and humbling to see those who have so little be so willing to give up what they have.
The end of the trip came much too soon. I knew on the last night I was not ready to leave. I had so much left to experience and learn about Inferno and the families. We had just started to make friends in the neighborhood and get to know the neighbors when we had to leave. D-day was not as sad as I had expected it to be; maybe it had not set in yet.
Returning to the U.S. was a different story. I immediately felt what I guess was reverse culture shock. The first instance was getting on the highway on my way back from the airport. I can’t quite describe the feeling but overwhelmed by the scale is close. I certainly did not miss highways while in Cape Verde. Also it was extremely difficult to explain my family’s situation to my actual family. How little they had, how much they were willing to give.
A return to Cape Verde is 100% guaranteed. I will go back as often as I can and would love to help my family personally or Inferno in general in whatever way I can. I do not think sanitary plumbing would be beneficial to them. I hope I get the chance to study Inferno through its development as a neighborhood and, with any luck, help shape its future for the better. I honestly could see myself living there, at least for a while.
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