Ready, Set, New Zealand!

Time for a little change of scenery. After two years on the dusty plains of Senegal, I decided that the next stop on my international tour had to be GREEN! So far, New Zealand has proven to be a wise choice, with some of the most extraordinary flora I've ever seen, bursting at the seams. I've come to New Zealand to start a Masters program in Environmental Management, drink lots of good coffee and go on lots of great adventures(in no particular order, though NZ is the adventure sport capital of the world). After 28 hours of flight time on 4 different airplanes, I hopped off to beautiful weather and took to the city- a rolling, San-Francisco-esque place with hints of British colonialism, Pacific Island heritage, Chinese and Japanese food infusions and enough accents and languages walking through the streets to feel very international indeed.

Aotearoa, the Maori name of New Zealand. Art by Justin Campbell

I've only been here one week but it feels like much more. Each day has been packed with tours of different neighborhoods, incredibly varied weather(sunny and hot, windy and cold, gale-force winds, horizontal rain, etc.) and an assortment of cultural experiences from a weekend at the Horse Races to a tour of the national museum, to bouldering on the wharf and lazy afternoons sprawled out on various beaches. I've done a fair share of walking, but despite Wellington being the capital it can be traversed in about 45 minutes on foot, so I've started to get a pretty good handle on my surroundings.

I've also developed a penchant for good coffee shops in the last year that's a little difficult to explain, but whether or not it's a good thing it has become more than a trivial interest. Fortunately for me, Wellington has an amazing coffee culture, and there are literally dozens of interesting places each with its unique style and blends. A staple of my daily routine has been trying out new and interesting places, searching for the creme de la creme. Expect to see a fair share of coffee posts in these pages.

Coffee Craft at 'Mojo Coffee'

My first excursion out of the city was to the annual Horse Races north of the city, where about 20,000 people show up dressed to impress, some in period English clothing- there's even a hat competition for the ladies. A day full of unsuccessful betting ensued. We had to console ourselves with an abundant amount of wine- and thus I was introduced to New Zealand's favorite pass-time(drinking!). The summer months are full of activity, and the city is abuzz with foreigners on vacation and locals trying to soak up the pleasant weather.

We bet on the wrong horse, again and again and again...

Dressed for the Occasion

I'm planning on taking full advantage of the good weather myself, so I've decided to buy a motorcycle and head off on a mini-tour of the Islands to get out the urge to move before I settle into my studies. This weekend promises good rock climbing on Lake Taupo in the center of the North Island with a group of friends from the university, and then I'll jump on a ferry to the South Island to explore wine country, careen down winding mountain roads and hopefully throw myself off a cliff or two(bungee attached, of course). I've acquired an old bike with great character that I've lovingly dubbed 'The Grouch," and tomorrow we set off on our first adventure together. All of this may be the fault of my older brothers, who put the notion of NZ in my head to begin with, so Matthieu and Justin, THANK YOU.

A Month in Island Time...a Decade!

It's still a little difficult to come to terms with the reality that I have completed my Peace Corps service and moved on from Senegal for good. I wake up some days wondering why I don't hear chickens crowing in the distance and the odd donkey call, and I imagine it will be some time until I think the sound of traffic in the street is normal. It's now been a month that I've been in Cape Verde, and life is good.

Hiking with pals

Cape Verde has been just as stimulating the second time around as it was the first, and I have been reveling in the open silences that I find on my solitary hikes around these mostly deserted islands. Generally very arid, there are hidden pockets of green in deep valleys that that pierce the typical tan/yellow that dominates the color spectrum, and when you find them it's like striking gold.


After spending a short week in the capital speaking with some hopeful work partners, I hopped on a ferry to one of the most secluded islands in the center of the archipelago, Sao Nicolau. Inhabited by about 12,000 people in total, it is mostly empty space and I made it my personal mission to fill in that space with my footsteps. Hosted by Peace Corps volunteers in little communities across the island, I walked everywhere, covering 42 kilometers on my longest day. I was glad to get to know the volunteers and see how different their lives are compared to what I experienced in Senegal, and together we played basketball, drank local cane rum, made pizza, traded stories and laughed a lot.

Local grogue(sugar cane rum) production

After 7 pleasant days on Sao Nicolau, it was time to catch the weekly ferry to another island in the north, but to my great surprise, the ferry which is ALWAYS late left 12 hours early! Island life strikes back. It looked like I was going to be hiking the island for another week, but by my good fortune a French couple had arrived on their sailboat and were bound for the same island that I wanted to get to. After a few minutes of schmoozing, I dropped a hint that I really needed to get a ride off the island and they offered to take me with them, sure to stop at some deserted islands that almost nobody gets to visit- talk about sweetening the package!

My hosts on the sailing adventure

Sure enough, my time on the sea was terrific, and on the first day we pulled in a massive fish that fed us for the two full days of our voyage. They called it a Wahoo, and we prepared it as steaks, sushi, steamed and Sicilian, each time bringing out a new texture and flavor. After being away from seafood for so long I could have eaten it all week! They were on their way to Brazil, and when we pulled into port on the island of Sao Vicente, I was sorely tempted to stay aboard and continue with them across the ocean...after perhaps dropping some more hints that I really needed to get to Brazil!


I have since been more or less stationed in the town of Mindelo, but have ventured to another island called Santo Antao that is known for its vast open spaces and jagged valleys reminiscent of Hawaii. This is the island that really captured my heart the first time I was here, and I have to admit that it did it all over again. In contrast to the barren nature of most of these rain-starved islands, Santo Antao has valleys full of lush vegetation and stream beds intricately engineered to support hydroponic agriculture creating the effect of cascading gardens. I've just returned from 6 days of solitary wandering, finding unique corners that I fantasize are my own and scheming different ways for me to build Cape Verde into my future. There are days when I think of staying, but to do so would mean changing so much about the way that I live and there are still too many things I need to do with my life before I can cut myself off from the rest of the world. Cape Verde isn't going anywhere, I'll know where to find it. I just hope it's the same when I get back.

Landscapes out of Jurassic Park

Never learned to say no to a climb

I may soon be on my way to France, so I am trying to make the most of the next couple of weeks here. There are still a few islands that I haven't seen, and yet others that I have been to that I would like to revisit, so I will have to choose wisely and not waste the precious time I have left. One thing is for sure though, I won't leave disappointed!

Cape Verde Round Two: The north and beyond!

It's taken me a little while to get this second installation on my time in Cape Verde up on the blog, and a lot of decisions and head scratching have taken place in that time. The fact of the matter is, I was so won over by my experience in Cape Verde that I have decided to move their immediately following the completion of my Peace Corps service and spend about 3 months getting to know these islands better.

Beautiful valleys of Santo Antao, the northernmost island

Dramatic volcanic formations

Villages hug the steep hillsides

Initially, my plan had been to head across Africa on motorcycle, sweeping through West Africa, down the central west African coast to South Africa and finally north along the East African coastline to Tanzania, where I had planned to climb Kilimanjaro. Despite my enthusiasm, my trip was frowned upon by most of my friends and I think my mother had a mild heart attack at the first mention of heading through the Congo. None of this was enough to dissuade me, but one trip to the Cape Verdean islands and I had an irresistible urge to return.

Stunning cliff-lined coastlines are the staple

My plan for the next year has thus dramatically changed in the last few weeks. As of now I will spend 3 months on the Cape Verdean archipelago, bouncing from one island to the other and discovering corners that I missed on my first trip. In July I'll travel to France for a half season of guiding cycling tours with the company that I worked with before coming in to the Peace Corps, and in the fall I hope to return to the African continent to climb Kilimanjaro and perhaps explore the East African coastline to South Africa. There are of course a dozen factors that might derail this plan over the next few months, but for now I am going for it.

The terraced Valley of Paul, where I can't wait to return

Amazing streambed agriculture puts Senegalese practices to shame

There are a number of factors that draw me to Cape Verde, and I think its mix of African culture and flare combined with its familiarity with Western culture is one of the most attractive elements. There is a large Cape Verdean diaspora, with significant emigrant populations in the US, Portugal, Spain, Germany and France therefore most people that you meet have a relative of some kind living abroad and sending remittances home. This creates a strange double standard of course, as locals are often seen wandering around with iPods and flashy phones even while living in relatively low standard housing. Youth are pulled away from these idyllic places with the promise of material goods and the fast lives seen on satellite TV, so the islands suffer a perpetual brain drain.

Shrooms! On donkey dung!

One of the most remarkable impressions for me while I was there was the abundance of natural energy sources that remain largely untapped. The wind blows non-stop, and the sun shines 365 days out of the year, yet the islands remain almost entirely powered by diesel generators, so what gives?? One of my main goals for my time in Cape Verde is to see what potential lies ahead for these islands in terms of renewable energy and determine whether or not there are any opportunities waiting for me. My head is already swimming with ideas, so we'll see where things stand in a couple of months.

The old capital of Mindelo, where I will hopefully live in a couple of weeks

Cape Verde Round One: Fogo

Two weeks ago I was lucky enough to visit the African archipelago of Cape Verde, some 500 kilometers off the coast of Senegal, to do some collaborative work with their Peace Corps program, and came back feeling inspired and invigorated. Cape Verde is a place of wide vistas, dramatic and varied landscapes, smooth African music and good natured people. Though the local language is a Portuguese Creole, I was fortunate enough to stay with local volunteers and otherwise get along fine with lots of smiling and hand gestures, with a dash of French/English thrown in too.

My first stop was the island of Fogo, an ancient volcano that remains active and erupts every 15 years or so but mostly minds its manners. My first impression was, "this is Africa?" The streets were clean and paved with beautiful cobbles, the buildings weren't falling over, and I wasn't constantly heckled by calls of 'toubab, toubab' (whitey, whitey, the constant refrain in Senegal). Things only got better as the days went on, and I found myself slowly but surely lulled into an appreciation of these seemingly forgotten islands. Though still undeveloped by western standards, they are far ahead of Senegal, and there is a peace here that we should all be envious of.

A visit to the island of Fogo is incomplete without scrambling up the newly formed volcanic cone and dashing down its rocky slopes in a fantasy land above the clouds. Nestled within the walls of the original volcano, a small town supports a tiny population that somehow manages to grow wine ON THE INSIDE OF THE CRATER! The soil is actually quite suited to growing grapes, and from a seemingly impossible moonscape sprout vines and a small winery even does tastings of their red and white creations. Though not comparable to a fine Bergundy, they hold their own.

Waking at dawn to climb to the top, I was greeted by a sensation that I had practically forgotten about: COLD! Atop the mountain it had actually frozen overnight and in the shadow of the volcano it was a chilly start to the day indeed. As expected, it was all worth it- after a 2 1/2 hour hike, we reached the top to clear blue skies and a truly fantasy-like landscape above the clouds amid the silence of the atmosphere. We toured the extinct cone, still burping sulfurous steam from its yellowy floor, and still had the best part of the day ahead of us- the DESCENT! Essentially a controlled fall, coming down the mountain entails a several hundred meter-long dash on pebble size stones that rise to mid-shin. It is without a doubt the most intense rock slide I've ever experienced, and once we finally reached the bottom all I could think was, "I want to do it again NOW!"

Alas, time was short and we still had to hike 7 kilometers to the coast where we were staying the night, so any thoughts of climbing up again just for one more intense ramble back down was out of the question. Something tells me I haven't seen the last of Mt. Fogo though. After hiking out of the desolate crater, we emerged on the green side of the island, blessed with almost all of the precipitation Fogo sees, and were all of a sudden walking through a mist-filled forest amid giant spiked bromeliads and a dense green forest. Contrast, contrast, contrast, smacking me in the face without pause. We strolled through coffee plantations with banana and papaya trees and ultimately emerged on the coast to a pure blue ocean with a cool inland breeze...from 2829m at the top of Mt. Fogo to the edge of the sea it had been an amazing day.

With three more islands to visit yet and short on time, I sadly said my goodbyes to Fogo and the two great volunteers who had hosted me there, Sarah and Rachel, with my sights on Sao Vicente and Santo Antao, two islands to the north. I had no idea what I was going to find, but you'll have to wait to find out...

Kedougou Tech Training

Looking down the pipeline to my completion of service with the Peace Corps, I realized it was time to transfer some of the technical capacity for the projects we have started to new volunteers. With that in mind, I organized a three-day technical training for volunteers in other regions and invited them to Kedougou for a few days of hands-on building, installation and promotion. The peace Corps tries to emphasize the sustainability component of its programs, so I felt that this step was really important to ensure that our projects continued to move forward.

Existing Rope Pump Demonstrator at the PC Regional Center

Rocker Pump-off!

Well Cap Preparation for the Rope Pump

Mold assembly for the Rocker Pump

Our focus was on the two pump technologies that I've been using over the last year, the Rope Pump and the Rocker Pump, since there are already other volunteers trained in the assembly of the Universal Nut Sheller. Now that there is a new wave of volunteers trained in the assembly and installation of these devices, I hope to see our work fan out into different regions, and I encouraged them to run with these projects during our final session. We discussed the possibility of doing a 52 pumps in 52 weeks challenge, and two volunteers in the Kaolack and Kolda regions have decided to take this on in the next year. Shout out to Marcy Todd and Garrison Harward for taking on such an ambitious project!

Fully installed Rope Pump

As the following pictures will show, it wasn't all about hard work and blistered hands, and we still made the time to hike to one of our local waterfalls and take in some of the natural beauty that Kedougou has to offer. The countryside is all the more striking at this time of year, as the dusty windswept grassland meets lush stream-side canyons home to howling baboons and even Chimpanzees- though none came out to greet us on this excursion.

It's hard to believe that this will soon be a recent memory and that I will have moved on from my little corner of Senegal, but surely I will feel better knowing that we have put a process in place that will ensure that these projects live on. As I was walking away from the waterfall on our hiking excursion, I turned back at the first bend in the canyon, knowing full well that this could be the last time I see this place, and was hit full on with a wave of loss and nostalgia, which only served to show me how much I came to appreciate my life in Senegal. With little over one month left, I'm gonna make the most of it!

Care for some pizza, Madame Ambassador?

Alright, I know that I've been getting a lot of mileage out of this pizza oven in my blog posts recently, but I seriously couldn't make this stuff up and it gets better and better. This past weekend, I kid you not, we served the US Ambassador to Senegal in my hut! Not only did she enjoy it, she brought the beer. Madame Ambassador, you are welcome any time.

For the celebration of the Peace Corps 50th anniversary, the US Embassy is producing a film about the work of the Peace Corps in Senegal, to be aired on public television and perhaps in the US. For the past couple of weeks, a film crew circled the country shadowing a few volunteers and I happened to be the last one they visited, which coincided with the Ambassador's trip to our corner of the country. When the film crew got a look at my hut, they decided that they HAD to bring the Ambassador by for a visit, which they did, and when she got wind of the fact that we made pizza there she decided she HAD to come have a slice or two, which she did.

Alex working the ingredient line.

Service was top notch!

What resulted may have been our best Pizza Night yet, with a gaggle of delicious ingredients and excellent company. We are getting pretty close to perfecting the technique with the ovens, now sliding pizzas onto the slab inside using metal paddles, and with two running in tandem we can't roll them out fast enough! The heat inside is intense, and in less than a minute the cheese you've sprinkled on top is bubbling and the ingredients have fused together for a sublime taste. In the end, everyone was stuffed and the Ambassador gave us the honorary title of the best pizza in Senegal!

Building the pizza oven proves to be a sound decision!

Nobody had any fun.

Even more rewarding than the successful pizza night(well, maybe) was the fact that the Ambassador was able to follow us to a couple of villages and see first hand the work that we are doing in the region and the technologies that we have been working with for the last two years. She was very impressed with the impact that these simple machines can have on people's lives and we even had her shelling peanuts on the UNS and pumping water using the new Rocker Water Pump! If we're lucky, well have good footage of her using the Full Belly technologies come March, when the film is supposed to be completed.

Demonstrating the Universal Nut Sheller

With the completion of my service right around the corner, the timing couldn't have been better, and having the Peace Corps Country Director and the US Ambassador both surveying my work, I felt a true sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. The film could be a huge opportunity for our project, and the journalists that came for the documentary suggested that the Minister of Agriculture might be interested in doing a major project with both the sheller and the Rocker Pump once he sees the film. Fortunately, I'm training a new group of volunteers to carry the torch once I'm gone, so with luck this project will live on.

Ambassador Bernicat testing the Rocker Pump

PC Senegal Director Chris Hedrick on the Rocker Pump

Needless to say, it was an exciting week in Kedougou, and not only did we have the Ambassador's visit, we installed two pump systems, placed a Universal Nut Sheller in a new village, and did some endurance testing of the new Rocker Pump- it feels great!

First spout of water!

Completed Rope Pump feeding into an irrigation reservoir (Faraba)