I'm Famous!!!!

Apparently I am famous here is Cape Verde, but not always for the right reasons.
I am famous at a little place called Pao Quente. It means warm bread and is ,as expected, a bakery. We go there to buy bread but once or twice a month we go there to buy just the dough. We make pizza with it. Robert always likes to test my Portuguese skills there so he makes me order. All I can say is that I always leave them laughing. The other day I went in to order a "meio quilo de massa"or a half of a kilo of dough. Well knowing I was buying it to make pizza my tongue misfired and I said "Eu presciso de um meio quilo de pazza." The lady laughed and said, "meio quilo de massa para pizza, sim?" Which basically means you need a half a kilo of dough for pizza, yes? I said sim, and then "e tambem four carcasas" Carcasas are big sandwich rolls. She laughed again and said quatro. I nodded realizing then I had said four instead of quatro. Robert of course stands behind me and rolls his eyes which makes them laugh even harder. So that is what I am famous for there.
The next place I am famous at is a Chinese store. All of the nicknack stores are owned by the Chinese. The one we go to the most is the biggest in Praia, and it is the closest thing we have to a one-stop-shopping Walmart experience, although it is more the size of a Walgreens. We go there often to buy for the mission, and I did do all my Christmas shopping there - 7 flower purses for 7 granddaughters. Anyway, last Tuesday Robert and I were extremely busy and he took off with one of the Assistants to get  TWO things for the missionaries. They went to "Walmart" with out me.The owner and employees at the store wanted to know where Robert's "companheira" was. He told them I was busy somewhere else, and they told him to be sure to bring me next time. Well about four hours later we realized we needed to buy some things for a brand new apartment - iron, ironing board, dishes, shower curtain, shower curtain rod, pots and pans, dishes, silverware, curtains, etc. There is only one place we can get all of that in one stop, so off we went to "Walmart." Now when we started walking up the steps to the store, we noticed almost all the employees were outside enjoying the cool weather. When they saw me I waved not knowing what had transpired earlier with Robert. Then to my surprise they all started CLAPPING! Three of the young women excitedly followed me right into the store.
And it took all three of them to carry, in the tiny baskets they have, all the stuff we needed. We spent about $200 which explains the clapping and why I am so famous there.
Here is the front of the store. We love the very dated mannequin by the door.  

Here are the three Walmart helpers.

The next place I am famous at is in our office. I keep a little dish of candy on my desk. Everyone who comes, which includes missionaries, those involved with the Perpetual Education Fund, President, the guy who washes our car, the maid who cleans the office and just about anyone who comes to visit. I guess candy is an expense most people can't afford to make around here so they all get really excited to take one, or two or sometimes three pieces. Well recently our Bishop has been coming to the office to help out with a few things. He always comes into the office to say hi and claim his piece of candy. 
So today we are at church and it is Fast Sunday. There are several babies to be blessed but most of them are toddlers - children of recent converts. Well the first little toddler got spooked and started screaming just as they were to begin the blessing. His mom took him to the back of the chapel to calm him down. Then the second toddler came up and he too started screaming. It was like the two little guys were communicating with each other. Both were looking across the chapel at each other crying. That is when the Bishop leaned over the railing of the podium and asks out loud in front of the whole congregation, "Sister Mathews do you have any candy?" Robert about died! I quickly rummage through my purse, but no candy, only mini altoids.
I raced up to the front and handed them to the Bishop. He literally took one out of the tin and placed it in the mouth of the crying child. He looked like a Catholic priest placing a wafer in someones mouth. But the child stopped crying and the blessing was given. The Bishop did it with the next child and it worked again. Finally the little guy in the back was brought forward and it worked with him as well. After the meeting the Bishop gave the altoids back and called them magic pills.
The other thing I am famous for at church is my Ipad. I make friends with it. I can't speak Portuguese well, as has already been discussed, but it wouldn't matter with the kids anyway. They don't learn Portuguese here until they enter school. They speak creole in their homes. So I have to figure out clever ways to communicate with the little guys, especially when I am asked to babysit them during Robert's Temple Preparation class. So we play on my Ipad. We take pictures and look at pictures, etc. These are a few of the people I am most famous with. The last two came and sat by us at church today.