The latest presents for the children and the most recent news from Calheta ...

I shall be flying to Cape Verde in a week's time and  have therefore been collecting the last presents to take for the children of Calheta.

Sérgio has today given me two T-shirts for Ismael and a toy that made the delight of many over the years. He has also given me the money to provide for the school material he might need. Surama has also given me a two piece outfit (shirt and cardigan) for Neuza, to which I have added a doll bought with some of the money Luisa provided me with. It will soon be my protegée's birthday, so I couldn't help but buying her a present as well (a pair of long red shorts and a T-shirt) to add to the things I had already bought for her.

Ismael's presents (Left). Neuza's presents(Right).

Leinira's new birthday clothes.

Taking into account some of the latest photos sent from Calheta and having realised that some of the children have really grown since I last saw them (September) Surama and I decided to get some bigger size T-shirts, so as to have them for children (just in case). So Surama has got an additional blouse for Neuza (with little flowers) and a white sleeveless shirt which fastens around the neck, a blue embroiderd blouse and a colourful dress for Simone (another of her "protegées" ) and I got two extra shirts thinking of children like Rosana and Tarine.

Simone's presents (Left). Some additional shirts for the children (Right).

These are three photos from Cape Verde depicting the "softball girls" group (I shall soon be working with)  getting and wearing their new "lettuce green" T-shirts, which we feel proud of having sent.

It is this type of  genuine happiness that reinforces my personal idea that it does not take much to make these children smile ...

The "Jordanian approaches circuit" - Day 7

The "Jordanian approaches  circuit" - Day 7

The Dead Sea
The 28th of January 2011

We headed North in what seemed an almost never ending drive up to the salty inland lake. Along the way we came across quite a few arable stretches of land being tended by seasonal workers, many of whom were tomatoe pickers (close to those arable stretches of land one could see tents or temporary accomodation) interspersed by either uninhabited areas or small "bedouin" like villages where camels seemed to be the commonly used transportation. Photographing from inside the bus kept me busy until we approached the Dead Sea. 

And when we approached it ... its  colours just  impacted us so strongly ... that we were speechless ...

The three cardboard boxes ...

The three cardboard boxes which got to Praia, Cape Verde on the 2nd of January have finally reached the people they were sent to. The second-hand clothes and odd things those boxes contain and which had been collected by some of my friends shall be locally distributed by those in need, after having been sellected by Sibylle. 

I must say I was beginning to get worried ..., but I can finally say ... I am relieved ... and particularly happy see the happy expressions on Beat's face and the volunteers who work with him ...

The arrival of the boxes to Sibylle's carried by Mito, Vivi and their cousin.

The opening of one of the packs by Beat, Tabea and Britta (Left). Beat and Tabea showing some of the things (Right).

May the ones who are going to get some of these things understand how committed we have been whilst putting things aside for them ...

 

The "Jordanian approaches circuit" - Day 6 (cont.)

The "Jordanian approaches circuit" - Day 6 (cont.)

Aqaba
The 27th of January 2011

Aqaba town centre is a network of streets and alleys clutered around a junction, where we find  dozens of cafes and restaurants. We ended up having our first  "unarranged" meal around this area and were quite satisfied with both the food and the price.  The "inspiring" titled Ali -Baba was the restaurant we ate at, which was also where we bought a huge variety of delicious little honey dripping cakes and pastry cut squares filled with pistachios and other nut varieties (though I am not so sure whether we'll have any left by the time we get back home ...).

We walked up to the giant flagpole (one of the tallest flagpoles of the world and one of the most identifiable landmarks of Aqaba) soaring above the Great Arab Revolt plaza on the waterfront, not before having passed a long line of  "peculiar"plantations just along the Aqaba beach until we reached the 1320 Mamluke Sultan Khanso al-Ghuri fort, which we visited, followed by the little Museum and the Souk Ayyadi selling some of the nicest  handcrafted textiles, ceramics and jewellery I have seen so far.

We then visited the ruins of the Islamic-period town of Aila to soon find ourselves back at the hotel.

Though most of our colleagues have enjoyed the boat trip we have felt quite happy to just stay around "exploring" the city's atmosphere and relaxing.

We have a long day tomorrow, as we are travelling back to Amman stopping over for the afternoon at the Dead Sea, prior to being "dropped" at the airport. The trip is coming to the end ... and I don't know if I want it to end that soon ...

Some of the latest presents for the children of Calheta ...

Although I have not been able to collect all the presents for the children of Calheta, I have today been handed  some of the latest. Paula Marina and Rosario kindly handed them out to Carla Brigida, who in turn brought them to me, together with a few blouses and two pairs of sandals she herself separated from her own things in case they are necessary for any other child.

I have been given a decorated bag with two beautiful T-shirts, a violet skirt, some underwear, a pair of sandals and child jewellery for Livia, together with an envelope, to which I have added a small rag doll (given by little Beatriz). Livia's "Godmother" Paula Marina has also included two aditional T-shirts for any other child who may need them. 

I have also been given a  card decorated pack for Carla with the presents bought by her "Gardian Angel" family (Rosario and her daughter Nair). I have photographed it from the front and back ... and although I have been authorized to open it (for carrying purposes, as I am struggling with lack of space) I will only do that if I have to ... I would like Carla to get it the way this family has wanted her to.

Livia's presents

Carla's presents

Needless to say that these "Godmothers" have contributed with 10 Euros each, as agreed upon. I feel blessed these children have  found committed "Godparents" who care for them and who want them to know they care ...

May they be blessed as well ...

 

"E não se pode matá-los" on stage ...

"E não se pode matá-los" ("We cannot kill them") by a Spanish playwriter has been translated, adapted to the Portuguese reality and is now on stage at Comuna Theatre till the 3rd of April.

The interactive type of "mis-en-cène", which made us (as spectators) move around the stage like room ... walking in and out of every ... fragmented "live" situation  for one hour and twenty minutes ... turned us into stand up "actors" within the sequencing of scenes ... some of which  were very satirical ...  with others being even dramaticly comic ... but all of them violent  ...

The portrayed day-to-day violence came in a variety of shapes  and forms ... and approached all sorts of daily scenarios ... from the subtlety  of domestic violent scenes within a family to the apparently unharmful  film being shown on TV, ( similar to many which are on show on the Portuguese TV where violence forces its way into one's home and gives it a different tinge of violence because of those watching it being  mere passive "observers")... 

Apart from a disfunctional family, (whose actors were always the same) around which the sequence of acts  evolved, the remaining actors played several roles each ... and the fact that my daughter was among these latest  group of actors in no way influenced my judgement ... (it was a brilliant interpretation)...

 ... and it was a poignantly disturbing play, though it made me laugh a few times ...

One of the "hilarious" moments

I can't help saying it is definately one of the best plays I have recently  seen ... and I am tempted to see it again before it "leaves" the stage ...

Playwriter - Alicia Guerra

Translation - João Maria André

Stage management and  play adaptation - João Mota

Actors - Alvaro Correia, Carlos Paulo, Fabiola Lebre, Hugo Franco, Joana Sapinho, Maria Ana Filipe, Mia Farr, Miguel Sermão, Marco Paiva and Tânia Alves

Outfit design - Carlos Paulo

Stage light and sound operator - Nuno Samora

Stage assistants - Hugo Franco and Davoud Ghorbanzadeh

The "Jordanian approaches circuit" - Day 6

The "Jordanian approaches circuit" - Day 6


Aqaba
The 27th of January 2011

Aqaba , though considered a world class leisure destination is also  known as one of the more socially conservative urban centres in Jordan, due to the "proximity to - and historical links with Saudi Arabia".

We decided to walk along the waterfront, prior to visiting the Castle and other places of interest, as the beach wandering the day before had left me quite intrigued ... camels  moving about ... people picknicking ... smoking narguile ... women  sitting on the sand in groups  separated from the men ... (just to mention a few things which had caught my attention).

It was a fairly warm morning ... and although from a distance it might have looked like a European  beach  ... the atmosphere was somewhat different ... there were quite a few children and men bathing (and even sitting in chairs placed) in the crystal clear waters of the Red Sea but all the women were covered up (mostly in black) either standing by the shore, sitting on huge towels and carpets in groups of other women or walking along the peer, where  most of the glass boats are hired at or leave from.

I honestly don't know what to think of it all ... it impressed me  (it still does) ... and I feel these "black figures" will be with me for a while ... together with what lies behind this scenario like situations ...

The " Jordanian approaches circuit" - Day 5 (cont.)

The "Jordanian approaches circuit" - Day 5

Wadi Rum - Aqaba
The 26th of January 2011

We stopped at some Bedouin tents prior to having lunch (also in a bedouin tent) and the whole experience has been worthwile ...  the indescribable natural beauty ... the silence ... the simple "pleasures" ... the surrendering to the  "imposing"  rocky atmosphere ...

This "atmosphere" gave way to a slightly different one ( ... one of a different kind of silence and imposing veiled beauty) as we reached Aqaba in  the early evening, which still allowed us some free time to walk around the souk,  (fairly close to the hotel we were staying at) ... and that's when I felt the "weight" of the women without  a face  ...

They touched me, as strongly as they had two days before  (or maybe even more) ... at times I felt they  were looking us in the eye ... "following" us with their sad or happy eye expressions ... but could it all be the product of my imagination, I wondered ...

... All we could get a glimpse of  ... were the eyes and  the eye movement ...

The shops were tempting ... but these "imposing" black figures had definately taken over my thoughts ...

... I couldn't stop thinking about them ... (... at times I was "them") and the moment we walked along the beach it was even worse ... 

We shall be "exploring" the city tomorrow, while most of our trip companions go on a boat trip ...

I might be in need of a rest ...