Moving to Praia this spring and introducing myself

Hi Geder,

Sounds like you've already selected your retirement destination - Cape Verde. Congrats! Praia, in my informed opinion, provides the best environment for retirees and semi-retirees. Curious how you discovered Cape Verde coming from the US southwest. There are quite a number of American expats in CV, but the vast majority are Cape Verdeans who are returning after many years of working and/or studying in the US, or those who were born in the US of Cape Verdean descent. But there are also Americans who have no ancestral connection to CV who live and work here, especially on the island of Santiago.

I would like to know if there are any photography groups.
To answer your question, there are no photography groups here. The reason is simple. The majority of people are very poor. A good camera would be considered quite a luxury for the average person. The people who would have such equipment are typically professionals who utilize a camera in their jobs. I even checked at the Universities with the multimedia programs. The reality is that not even the students in these university programs specializing in photography and videography have equipment of their own. They all use the equipment of the college.

However, most people have digital phones which today come with very good cameras. But they only use the cameras for selfies and other casual shots that they post on Facebook.

Here's the thing about Cape Verde. It's like a blank canvas ... full of opportunities to create new things. So, if you want to be part of a photography group, why not start one?

We are coming from the U.S. southwest and are semi-retired. I have a million questions ...
Well, I don't quite have a million answers. LOL. But what I do have is a 50-page eGuide on living, working and retiring in CV which would probably answer a large number of the typical questions that newly arriving expats ask. Anything not addressed in there, feel free to ask.

Best regards,

Angelo

Geder wrote:

Hi All,

We are moving to Praia sometime this Spring.
I would like to know if there are any photography groups.

We are coming from the U.S. southwest and are semi-retired.
I have a million questions, but I will not flood you with them.
We'll take this introduction slow.

#DeColonizeTheMind

Hello CV ANGELO,

My wife has CV Ancestry. in 2019 we visited the homeland of her grandfather who is buried on Fogo.
He passed before seeing his country become independent.

Somehow, Cabo Verde just grabbed me. We visited Fogo, Sao Vicente, and Santiago. I just fell in love with the place. We were going to re-visit, however, thanks to the pandemic and 'climate' in the States we decided to simply repatriate. A tick on the bucket list.

I've heard that Cabo Verde is a blank canvas. Thank you for co-signing that notion. 
We do have an agent who is guiding us through the maze of dual citizenship and all that stuff.
That said; I think I will go ahead and get your guide book (PDF).

One of my million questions. Are there any 'local' techies that have created any computer/internet apps worthy of considering and supporting?

We are excited about this new adventure we are embarking!
Obrigadu!

#DeColonizeTheMind

Hi Geder,

My profuse apologies as I am just seeing your post right now. For some reason, the Expat system did not notify me about your response. So let me address your comments and questions now:

Somehow, Cabo Verde just grabbed me. We visited Fogo, Sao Vicente, and Santiago. I just fell in love with the place. Yes, now is a great time to come. Our borders are open and the coronavirus infection levels have dropped quite low. And you can go between islands by air or sea (with only a antibody test in a few cases...for eaxmple if you travel from São Vicente which is the only island with a risk level one notch higher than all the other islands). However, taking the necessary precautions is still recommended when moving around. But for the most part, everything is open for business as well as entertainment (including the beaches!)

By the way, I'm not sure if you are aware of it but the easiest and cheapest route from the USA to Cape Verde is through Boston where you will connect with Azores Airlines which flies to Praia with a brief layover in the Azores (Ponto Delagado). If you search for their flights, look for a Thursday departure from Boston as it is the only day of the week they make that outbound trip.

You can also fly through Lisbon, Portugal but the situation in Europe with border restrictions is dire, so I recommend that route only if you research the current status (as the restrictions in Portugal are always changing).

I've heard that Cabo Verde is a blank canvas. Thank you for co-signing that notion. 
We do have an agent who is guiding us through the maze of dual citizenship and all that stuff.
That said; I think I will go ahead and get your guide book (PDF). A blank canvas indeed! However, living here permamnently and visiting for a short holiday are completely different. There are so many things that could get in the way of having an more relaxing experience when you live here. The culture and social norms are very different. So you must patientlyadapt to the new local norms. This is exactly why I wrote my eGuide. It helps to make expats aware of the norms and eliminate surprises. Thanks for getting a hold of it.

One of my million questions. Are there any 'local' techies that have created any computer/internet apps worthy of considering and supporting? This is one of the areas where there are massive business opportunities. We have some techies among the younger generation but they lack the resources to design and develop the app that are sorely needed to make life easier for everyone. I have a list of app ideas which I myself cannot implement, but which I have observed as being possible to dramatically change the way things are done here. The key is that there is a total lack of information about almost everything. There is a lot of data and information out there but no-one has brought all the info together into one place where people who have information can supply it to those who need it for a small fee (the very essence of an economic marketplace). I'd be happy to bring any interested investors together with the youngsters who have the capacity but lack the resources to do implement these big ideas.

We are excited about this new adventure we are embarking! Well, that is the right attitude with which to approach your relocation. I can assure you that it will be an adventure. And with the right attitude and the right information, it will be a positive experience for you and your wife.

Best of luck with everything,

Angelo

Geder wrote:

Hello CV ANGELO,

My wife has CV Ancestry. in 2019 we visited the homeland of her grandfather who is buried on Fogo.
He passed before seeing his country become independent.

Somehow, Cabo Verde just grabbed me. We visited Fogo, Sao Vicente, and Santiago. I just fell in love with the place. We were going to re-visit, however, thanks to the pandemic and 'climate' in the States we decided to simply repatriate. A tick on the bucket list.

I've heard that Cabo Verde is a blank canvas. Thank you for co-signing that notion. 
We do have an agent who is guiding us through the maze of dual citizenship and all that stuff.
That said; I think I will go ahead and get your guide book (PDF).

One of my million questions. Are there any 'local' techies that have created any computer/internet apps worthy of considering and supporting?

We are excited about this new adventure we are embarking!
Obrigadu!

#DeColonizeTheMind

Hello Geder & CVAngelo,

First and foremost, welcome, Geder, to Expat.com

Please note that a new topic has been created with your posts on the Cape Verde forum so that Geder can have a separate thread to ask his questions.

Best,

Diksha
Team Expat.com

Thank you, Diksha. That's very helpful of you. Have a great day.

Regards,

Angelo

Diksha wrote:

Hello Geder & CVAngelo,

First and foremost, welcome, Geder, to Expat.com

Please note that a new topic has been created with your posts on the Cape Verde forum so that Geder can have a separate thread to ask his questions.

Best,

Diksha
Team Expat.com