I have climbed the “wall” of a mountain enclosing Ribeira Das Patas about 5 times now, but I have been told about another hiking path located in a different zone which leads to the same summit in Bordeira. With my one day free from classes, I decided I could afford the time to get lost and re-find my way, something inevitable to occur. After finding the faint footpath in Cirrio, I began my climb accompanied by our unofficially adopted dog Karreka.

I have explained the thrill and exhilaration you experience when climbing a mountain alone. After ascending the first kilometers or so, all sounds and distractions soon disappear. There is nothing but you, the path, and in my case a little beige dog. It is an opportunity to break away from small village gossip, from the smell of burning plastic and trash, from the students hissing….it is an opportunity to be alone and escape the “fishbowl” effect, the concept that as an American you are the little “fish” in an equally little bowl and everything you do or say is being closely watched and equally scrutinized. I love meeting new people and continually being surrounded by friends, however sometimes you just need some time to yourself to think and reflect.

This was exactly what I was doing when I looked around, realized I had reached the top of the mountain and was now lost. During my daydreaming state, I had ascended to an elevation of 1660 (I have a Santo Antao map, so yes that is accurate information), and directly into a massive cloud. Looking around you could probably see nothing more than 10 feet in front of you. I had no idea how close or far I was from the mountain’s edge, I had no idea if I had passed the trail I needed to descend, and I could not see if there were any houses nearby to ask for help. When you summit the mountain to Bordeira, it is as if you have entered a new world. Everything is relatively flat in comparison to what I am used to in Ribeira Das Patas and it is virtually uninhabited. So here I am, on an unfamiliar part of the island, stuck in the middle of an impenetrable fog blanketing everything in eye sight. What to do….I began to descend the way I had come and luckily within 10 minutes I ran into a group of tourists attempting to do the same hike. I ran up to them explaining in Criolu how I thought I knew where I was going and what I was doing, but had been incredibly wrong and was now lost. The tourist guide replied to me in English, inviting me to join their group for lunch after which he would point me in the right direction.

If I had continued about 20 more feet from where I had stopped, I would have run into a small farm house belonging to a Cape Verdean family who frequently opens up their home to tourists for a place to rest. We set down our belongings and enjoyed goat cheese, fresh vegetables and feijao verde, after which we sipped on a hot cup of coffee with fresh milk, still warm from the goat it had just been milked from. The group of 5 tourists were from Germany, but were able to speak English, Portuguese, as well as understand some Kriolu, so sitting around the table, the conversation alternated between 4 languages.

I have lived in Cape Verde for 9 months and I will admit some days I wake up and just want to stay in the house, but there are other days when I look out on my surroundings and everything just seems new again. Today was one of those days, leaving me now refreshed and rejuvenated. It makes me question how I was so impartial to taking advantage of learning opportunities in the past. It is easy to get lost in the typical American life, living day to day, working enough just to get by, and unknowingly missing a chance to learn and live. America is characterized by a blend of cultures and influences, thereby also rich in resources and knowledge. There is no reason I cannot live my life there with the same sense of liberation and curiosity which I have developed here. It is a little unsettling to now realize that it took 9 months of living in a country virtually void of ethnic diversity, to realize how blessed I was in America to be surrounded by a plethora of people rich in differing cultures, beliefs and life experiences. Everyone is an individual. Everyone has a unique story. Sometimes it is worth it to just shut up and listen.