{maique}

😎 Sunday was, as it’s supposed to, lazy. We went to the hotel that’s furthest from the city, and spent the whole day lounging around, eating, and talking to our new friends Don and Catherine. tinyMovieStar is so in-love with Don she said she wants to marry him. We came back to the city via the place where we married, and I just had to step off the car and meet Manuel, my best friend there. Of course everyone else started showing up, “Miguel!” was in the air, and it took us a while to get back on the road.

🧸 While we waited for dinner, and for the super handyman Carlitos to fix our hot water issue (it’s been two days with only cold water coming out of the pipes), I finally walked to my godmother’s place to say hi. I knew I’d be in big trouble if I waited any longer. She was aware we were in the city already, of course, one of the kids had ratted me out. The grandkids were all there, with one we’d never met before, as he was born while we were away. Updated her on the news, she did the same. I left, the kids with me. Raquel, Erika, Junior, Ibrahim, Marcos, Fábio, all came to our place, where they met tinyMovieStar. She was asleep when we got home, and really surprised to see all of them playing with her stuff when she woke up. Kids here are the sweetest, though, and have an incredible trick up their sleeves: they clean up after playing!

🎉 We left the house, a kid train following us, and walked around for a bit. Local holiday coming up, so a lot of practicing going on. People are playing music and dancing all over the place. We stopped at a fairground, where dancing was the thing, and tinyMovieStar couldn’t help but join in. Dinner, and back home. Must sleep.

☀️ Sun up very early, and we as well. Time to go to the local cafe, grab one for movieStar, and drive up to Roça. Morning spent doing some video, snack for lunch, afternoon at the pool and sea. The look on tinyMovieStar’s face when she gets in the water. She can’t pick between sand and water. The water is just too warm, so impossible to leave. This is turning into a nice routine.

🥘 We finally found the time to go and have dinner with my godmother. She owns the restaurant where I had my first meal on the island, one that was a reference, and a spot you had to visit, but somehow was left behind. There are a few new venues in the city, finding a decent meal is easier to find now, but she could have kept that place THE one. It feels great to see her, and share a meal with our family, but can’t shake the sadness to see the place so empty. tinyMovieStar spent the whole time playing, getting her hair done, and just having fun. We spent our time talking to her and her daughters, there was a lot of catching up to do.

🤬 There is one person on the island that’s not very nice. A expat, new hire in the company. I’m not wasting my time talking about him, just letting everyone know that paradise is not always perfect. Done.

🍺 One of the awesome things of such a small place, if you enjoy small places, is the community feeling. Everyone is going through life in pretty much the same way, at the same pace. Of course some have an easier life, but everyone is on the same boat. Life/work separation is tough here, as you find each one of your colleagues on the street when you leave work. Thankfully we all get along fine, and have know each other for a long time. It’s a pleasure, as far as I’m concerned, and I’m not even part of the company. Or, maybe, that’s why.

📷 Seems like I have work to do, after all. The owner of the new restaurant called me out a few nights ago, when we were about to leave. He’s knew in town, having moved over from Angola. He’d heard I was a photographer, and wondered if I’d mind taking a photo of his family, as he wanted a nice one, and photographers are hard to find here. Of course, I’m thrilled to do it. They are a nice family, and tinyMovieStar was already in playing buddies terms when he popped the question. Also, it’s not really work, I’m not charging him a cent, of course. Also pro bono, I’ll try a small workshop with some of the company’s employees, a rerun of the mobile photography workshop from a month ago, tropical edition this time.

✈️ Still keeping an eye on the news regarding the strike. There’s one negative thing about this, one alone. If we do get stranded, it’s on the big island, not here. Still ok with it, but here would be so much better. Fingers crossed.