My world fits in a one-kilometer square. Its limits are : from Rua das Rosas where we live, near our grandparents, on my father's side, down to the Monte Verde beach and from Rua de Estevam Alves (in Matriz) to the old Franciscan Convent (in Conceição) in the other direction. Sometimes, I would get out of this little square to visit the Maré family in nearby Ribeira Seca. Beyond this, it was the end of the world.
Our toys are quite simple: a ball that we make out of pork bladder, a whistle, o pateiro, a game we play using two sticks or straight branches, one is sharpened at both ends. We also play o cerço, a metal circle we handle with a steel stick. We can spend hours playing with a little carro de bois, a wood spinner or marbles. With these toys, our child shouts and laughters resonate in the streets of Ribeira Grande, from the courtyard of Doctor Albano’s mansion to the Monte Verde beach, our two preferred playgrounds.
MY
UNIVERSE
Rua das Rosas (1976), the street of my childhood
(Arrow : our house)
My precious spinners and
some colorful carros de bois
From left to right :
An image of Senhor dos Passos from a frame my father brought in his bags when he left in 1954, and the statue of Senhor Santo Cristo dos Terceiras, two religious figures that marked my memory. Like the iconic building of the Ribeira Grande hospital where my grandmother worked all her life as a seamstress, they are part of my Azorean childhood universe.
The Nossa Senhora da Estrela church
in the Matriz area (1976)