Whirlwind

I saw on a fellow PCV’s Facebook status that we’ve been here in Mozambique for 500 days now. That to me seems like a really long time when I can remember those first days so clearly. Okay, parts of those days so clearly. I was jetlagged, overwhelmed and nervous but honestly, I was always confident that i was where I was supposed to be. And now, 500 days later I am starting to think about my post Peace Corps travel and life plans. I’m going to focus on just the travel plans though because “real life” plans scare the hell out of me! But I’ll keep you updated on that as things come together and concentrate on the “here and now”.

Veronica

The new school year got started a few weeks ago and I’ll be giving the first test on Thursday. I went back and forth about which grade I wanted to teach and had pretty much settled with taking 8^th grade again. It would the same curriculum as last year so not a lot of work and the younger students are easier to handle. But since I’ve never been interested in human biology it would be another year of boring material and no challenges. Then one afternoon I was helping the DAP make the class schedules and she mentioned that they were switching 8^th grade to mornings and 9^th/10^th to the afternoon. And as we all know, those early morning hours and I have never quite got along. Jokingly I said just that and she looked at me and said matter of factly: “Then teach something else”. I had already eliminated 9^th grade because a year of plant biology would be way worse than two years of human biology. The 10^th grade curriculum is incredible and very enticing but its means older kids and being responsible for preparing them for their national exam. Again I debated, phoned a friend, polled the audience (i.e. asked Facebook friends) and decided it was worth the challenge. The DAP told me she had confidence in me, my knowledge and my Portuguese and her reassurance definitely helped me make that final decision. So, long story later, I am being brave and confident and taking on the 10^th graders and their attitudes so I can teach genetics, evolution and ecology. How cool is that?!

Aside from school, not a whole lot is going on in The Dombe. I essentially took over as librarian so instead of read for many hours a day and lesson planning at home, I do all that while sitting in the library and getting books for kids as they come in. Students have sign out books (we mostly just have outdated textbooks) but can’t actually leave the library. There are some desks in there and teachers can put assignments up on the board and it’s mostly calm. The other day I had like 50 8^th graders in about 15 minutes because the professors of both biology and history assigned something in their respective book and they all decided to come by at the same time! It was slightly chaotic and I had kids working onside on the little sidewalk area but kind of fun. The vast majority of the 8^th graders don’t know me so they were a little hesitant and did a lot of staring when I spoke. Two weeks ago my group (Moz15) was down in Maputo for our mid-service medical conference and it was a wonderful reunion for us. Some of these folks I haven’t seen since swear-in in December 2009! We had sessions in the morning and medical and dental appointments but for the most part we were free all afternoons and evenings. We ate wonderful food and partied hard in the city and just spent time together! Everyone is having their own unique experience so it was fun to catch up and compare. We were able to determine that Mona and I are amongst just a few volunteers who still don’t have energia and might have the all-around most mato site. Not sure that’s a title I really want but it’s all part of the adventure!

our "i'll rob you with a catana" looks

So things are going well. School is good and our Central region social calendar is filling up. The 17ers in our area are fantastic and I’m excited to start getting to know them better. And slowly but surely we are coming together and moving forward from the aftermath of the accident. I think it will be awhile before I can truly work through everything in my head but for now I am just happy to be here and will do my best to enjoy every minute of these last 9 months.

Whirlwind - Dispatch

Life Is A Highway

I’ve been trying to start this blog for a while now and just can’t seem to find the right words. So much has happened in the past two months and I’m still processing most of it. School ended at the end of October and I was proctoring exams in the first weeks of November. I finally had some free time to travel and coordinated a trip to the north with my friend Amanda for a couple Thanksgiving celebrations. I met her at the house of some other PCVs in Zobue, Tete on the Malawi border and we cut through there to get over to Mandimba and Lichinga in Niassa province. Malawi was beautiful and the roads incredible. We zig-zaged our way through in under six hours and crossed back into Moz in Mandimba via bike taxi. From there a chapa goes the 150km up to Lichinga on one of the worst roads I’ve seen. I understand that the road to The Dombe is unpaved and pretty crappy, but a section of a national highway, leading to a provincial capital should be better taken care of. My butt may never fully recover.  But the trip was worth it as I saw several PCVs for the first time since swear in and we had an incredible feast with the local Doctors Without Borders group. The day after Thanksgiving we took our leftovers out to Lake Niassa/Lake Malawi and spent a relaxing day getting sun and swimming. Along with a few other volunteers, I started my journey south the following day. Over the next couple of days I went from Lichinga to Cuamba to Gurue to Macuba to Gorongosa for a second Thanksgiving in the park. After stuffing myself with turkey, mashed potatoes, carrots, stuffing and pie for a second time I returned to Chimoio and Dombe to regroup before meeting my Mom and Marv in Maputo. Unfortunately I got roped into proctoring and grading the English exam for the second round of national exams and barely got out in time to catch my TCO bus to Maputo. And like my 15 hour flight to the states last June, after traveling in country on frustratingly bad roads and slow chapas, my 12 hour bus ride was a piece of cake. I arrived in Maputo at 5am and had a couple days to get my head together before Mom and Marv arrived.

Mom and Marv in Chidenguele

 

Now describing the next couple weeks will be difficult. We had so much fun and did so much traveling that I’m going to let my pictures do most of the talking (Mom and I both will have a bunch up on facebook here soon). But we started with a couple days in Maputo before going to Kruger National Park for three days of safari-ing. Shishangeni was just incredible. We were at one of the private lodges in the south part of the park and it was truly ‘chique’. Over the course of our four game drives (two early morning, two late afternoon) we saw elephants, rhinos, lots of impala, kudu, wildebeest, buffalo, lions, giraffes, vervet monkeys and so much more.  I honestly can’t describe my feelings as we approached the pride of lions picking the remnants off the previous night’s kill or seeing a massive elephant walk peacefully by our truck with its baby.

After our final game drive we returned to Maputo to pick up our rental car and start the journey north. Very little of the trip was preplanned and we hadn’t made any hotel reservations so we ended up rolling into each town with our fingers crossed and were lucky to find somewhere awesome every time. Lots of beachfront property for us. It’s going to be a rude awakening when I finally get back to The Dombe. We spent a stormy night in Chindenguele at a place on the dunes and a couple days on the beach in Tofo. Mom and I swam with the whale sharks (unbelievably cool, a true lifelister) and got a bit sunburned. Onto Vilankulos for our two day dhow ocean safari, lots more seafood and great company. We found a quiet little backpackers to return to for Christmas that was, of course, right on the water.

We got up to Chimoio and I was able to get a bed frame made overnight and a new mattress to take out to the mato. Dombe lived up to my descriptions as it was the hottest place we spent time but a few people were around for Mom and Marv to meet. They saw my school and my house, met Panda and had a cold coke in the vila. You’ll have to ask them for more impressions and opinions because that’s just life for me. But I think it was even a bit more remote than they expected. We arrived back in Chimoio as it was getting dark and met up with my friend Amanda for dinner. We “snuck” her into the hotel and she traveled back to Vil with us for Christmas. It never quite feels like Christmas here due to the heat and general lack of decorations and materialistic fervor but we had a great day on the beach complete with seafood dinner (Mom has a great picture of the platter we shared!). We then started our journey back to Maputo with a stopover in Zavora at yet another picturesque dune top resort. Arriving back in Maputo was bittersweet knowing it was our last night together but we had had an amazing trip. To be so far from home at this time of year is hard but having them here made all the difference. Plus we got to talk to Dad, Mary, Jesse and Ashlee and the kids on Christmas day. I love technology!

But then Mom and Marv left and “real life” began again. A good friend and fellow PCV was getting ready to return to America so I spent time with him in Maputo and caught up with others passing through. I had a rough travel day coming north and it took me about 14 hours to travel the 480ish km between Xai-Xai and Vilankulos. Luckily Drew was just arriving back in Vil from a vacation with his family in Paris and I was able to spend New Year’s Eve with him partying with a bunch of Zimbabwean tourists at a nearby resort. Both of us were exhausted from traveling but managed to rally and welcome in the new year until about 3:30am! Now I’m back in Chimoio preparing to head back out to The Dombe and start the new school year. I have no idea what exactly I’ll be teaching this year but I’m excited to get out to my new bed and get rid of this backpack I’ve been living out of for the past month. Feliz Ano Novo! Happy New Year!

Life Is A Highway - Tom Cochrane (It has to be his version because we mentions Mozambique!)

Fields of Gray

As many of you may have seen on Facebook, our Peace Corps Mozambique family suffered a tragic loss on December 20^th when five volunteers were involved in a road accident. Four brand new PCVs from the Moz17 group and one from my group were traveling to the coast for a day on the beach when the driver of the car lost control. Lena Jenison and Elizabeth Alden Landis died from their injuries and Mark Goldfarb, Derek Roberts and Mary Lager were evacuated to Pretoria, South Africa for treatment. As PCVs from the newest group, Lena and Alden had been sworn in on December 8^th and had been at site for less than two weeks. I had met them when I went to their PST week 1 and again at swear in and they were both just full of life and so excited to be in Moz. They were confident, beautiful girls and their energy and positive attitude was evident to everyone. I didn’t know either Lena or Alden that well but they were part of the family and we are all feeling their loss. My heart breaks for their families and for their fellow Moz17ers as they have to deal with all this so soon after arriving and during their first holiday season away. Knowing I saw them just a few weeks ago makes it that much more difficult to comprehend. Derek and Mary have both been released from the hospital and will be flying back to the U.S. sometime this week. My friend Mark suffered the worst injuries of the three and may not be released for a couple more weeks. He will also go back to the states to continue his recovery but isn’t stable enough to travel. I just saw him at our Gorongosa Thanksgiving and we spoke about how excited he was for the new year as he was taking on a new position to better connect PCVs and our science fair project with the government. The chances of him being able to return to service are almost zero so I’m glad I have those recent memories to hold on to.

Elizabeth Alden Landis

Lena Jenison

Over the past week or so, memorials for Lena and Alden were held in each region so we all had a chance to remember and reflect together. I attended the southern memorial in Macia (Mark and Derek’s site) on my way north. It was a small group as many PCVs are traveling but it was a nice opportunity to be together and work through our emotions. Only one Moz17er was present but he shared his memories of Lena and Alden and hopefully he felt supported by our presence. I think we’re all experiencing conflicting feelings of sadness, confusion, fear, relief and guilt.  Can we be relieved it wasn’t us without disrespecting the young women we lost? Will we be able to control these new fears and apprehensions about traveling and move forward with our service?  

As volunteers we take risks almost every day and have been since we made the decision to apply to the Peace Corps in the first place. We prevent malaria with prophylaxis and mosquito nets and intestinal issues by filtering and treating our water. We learn about cultural norms so we can make good decisions regarding how and when we interact with the community. But there are some risks nearly impossible to avoid. As we aren’t allowed to drive during our service, we take a chance every time we get into a vehicle to travel. Chapas are old, often in poor condition and always overcrowded. Motoristas (drivers) are can be erratic, hurried and not always the best of drivers. They have set routes and sometimes are the only option to get from one place to another but are constantly stopping and can be incredibly frustrating. A boleia (getting a ride in a private car) is essentially hitchhiking and usually very safe. Personal vehicles are typically in better condition, won’t be making so many stops, go faster and if you’re real lucky include air conditioning. You can be far more discerning when it comes to selecting a boleia but it has its risks too. A driver could have been recently drinking or might have crazy road rage issues. You may not realize these things until your under way and then be forced to decide to take the risk or ask to get out.  But if you ever plan on leaving your site you must face these decisions and weigh the risks. I can’t speak for everyone, but I’d say a vast majority of us have gotten into a chapa or accepted a ride that we weren’t completely sure about. Somewhere in our brain a little alarm went off but for whatever reason (we’re in a hurry, sick of standing on the side of the road in the sun, or racing against the setting sun) we got in anyway. 99% of the time everything goes smoothly and we make it to our destination but we also start getting complacent and ignore those gut instincts.  The events of December 20^th were tragic and something that will stay with us for the rest of our lives but maybe it will help us remember to listen to that voice, alarm or gut feeling and make the safer decision.

Fields of Gray - Bruce Hornsby

Summer Smoke



fellow teachers



October 28^th was the official end of the school year here in Moz which means I survived my first year teaching in Portuguese. It’s kind of hard to believe actually. I so clearly remember my first day of classes, the butterflies in my stomach and the doubts I had in my language skills. Would the kids like me? Would they adapt to my teaching style? Would they even understand me? After hearing from 14ers that most kids won’t show up the first week I decided to give a lesson on the scientific method rather than jump into required material. I was greeted with lots of blank stares and silence. But slowly that improved. They did adapt and were soon making comments, correctly my Portuguese writing and sassing off. I squashed the latter two habits and we found a comfortable level of interaction. Just like 8^th graders in the U.S., these kids just want to have fun, be with their friends and be popular. Some are real smart and interested in learning; some are simply in class because they are supposed to be there. I learned that I had to identify the dedicated ones and generally teach to them – I can’t make everyone happy and if they aren’t going to try it’s their loss. They tolerated my eccentricities and “strange” teaching style but I had no idea how they felt about me until I returned from my America trip and was left with only two turmas.  Those two groups gave me a standing ovation when I announced it and the students from the other three were disappointed and wondered why I was leaving them. I felt bad for them but was feeling really good about myself! And now, three trimesters and the human body later, my grades are done, exams are returned and students are asking me if I’ll teach them again next year (I would love to stay with them but 9^th grade biology is a whole year of plants and I think I would go insane teaching that). So one year down and one to go. Who knows what adventures it will bring!

Unfortunately, the end of October also means we’re a little bit closer to saying goodbye to the 14ers. Heath PCVs always COS (Close Of Service) first so some of them might already be down in Maputo but the Education volunteers will be headed that way real soon. I realize that it’s only goodbye until we’re all back in Americaland but these folks are a key part of my Peace Corps service. These were the people that answered all of our questions, encouraged us when we were down and welcomed us into this exclusive group of crazies that chose to leave family and friends to give everything we have to a bunch of strangers in a third world country. I can’t imagine my experience without them and now I’m moving into my second year knowing they won’t be here anymore. But at the same time, a new group of volunteers is settling into training and maybe I can fill that role for some of them. I was selected to help out the first week of PST for Moz17 and it was amazing to be in Namaacha and be on the other side of the situation. I was the “experienced” PCV peppered with questions, offering advice and encouraging them through tough moments. What a difference a year makes! I of course promoted the Central region and have my fingers crossed that PC sends some of them our way.

In other news, we had our English Theater competition last weekend here in Chimoio and had 15 schools from around Manica and Sofala provinces presenting their plays. The theme was ‘Choose Your Future’ and since it’s a PEPFAR funded project they all have an HIV/AIDS education/prevention aspect.  The Dombe group didn’t win any awards but they did an amazing job, had a lot of fun and are hopefully proud of themselves for how much they improved. Panda finally made it back to The Dombe after a particularly lengthy adventure in transportation and is doing well. She’s a bit of a diva and a pain in the ass but I love her. I have to remind myself daily that she is still very young and will probably grow out of some of her less than endearing qualities. She finally has a little doghouse and is sleeping outside which is saving me a lot of floor mopping.  One of my neighbors also got a puppy (a beautiful white male) and since Panda getting pregnant is an inevitability, Mona and I have decided that we’d be okay with that union. They would be adorable puppies! And I’m officially taking over as the Provincial Coordinator for Science Fair but won’t have to worry about that for a couple months. Right now my plan is to enjoy my summer vacation, see more of this beautiful country, prepare for my mom and Marv’s visit in December and try to avoid getting heatstroke!

Summer Smoke  - Girl Talk

A Day in the Life of a Dombe PCV

*As I've said, my day to day life is not terribly fascinating so I apologize if you're too bored to finish this...

3:00am – Woken up by roosters crowing outside window. Insert earplugs.

I'm almost ready to kill my first chicken
and this rooster may be my victim

5-7:00am – Wake up but avoid moving, so you don’t start sweating, until you decide if it’s too hot to sleep anymore. Go for a run if you’re feeling particularly motivated,

7-10am – Clean house and/or wash clothes while the shade is still present on your side of the house. Eat a small breakfast of crackers or yesterday’s leftovers (this is risky at this time of year due to the ever present heat but usually works out fine and if you’re real lucky these leftovers might get you through lunch as well).

10:00am – Bath #1 (glorious cold water bucket bath). Immediately start sweating again.

10:15-12am – Sit inside in your capulana for as long as possible to avoid clothing. This is a good time for reading and journaling.

12-5:00pm – Plant yourself on an esteira in the biggest, most solid piece of shade you can find with a pillow and lots of water. Here’s where you have options: read a good book, take a nap, play with/talk with/or ignore the crianças depending on your mood, lesson plan or grade tests and TPC (homework).Remember to periodically check for the shifting shade; don’t want to get caught out in the sun. Feeling social? Visit friends and share their shade instead. If you must, go to school and teach some lessons or proctor an exam.  Bath #2 might fit in there somewhere as well.





5:00pm – Start thinking about dinner but avoid actually doing anything until it starts to get dark and slightly cooler.

(Hours vary at this point)

5-8:00pm – Make and eat a lovely candlelight dinner with your sitemate and discuss life’s many mysteries or gossip about fellow PCVs, Bath #2 or 3 depending on the day’s activities and if you still have some battery power, watch some TV or a movie.

7-9:00pm –Get ready for bed, tuck yourself into your mosquito net and read a bit. Again, try not to move too much to avoid sweating and to cool down.

8:00pm-5 or 6 or 7:00am – Sleep, glorious sleep with a smattering of excitingly vivid, malaria prophylaxis induced dreams.

*This schedule of course varies depending on the time of year and even the day of week. Sometimes, there may even be a trip to the cruzamento or the vila (but let’s be serious, we usually just send the empregado).*

The Essential Portuguese Handbook for Moçambique

If you’re planning a visit to Moçambique (which you all should) or just want to have a bit of Portuguese in your back pocket in case of emergencies, this is the cabula (cheatsheet) you want to bring along (plus I've included pictures from recent adventures!):

My first safari!

Sim – Yes

Não- No

Olá – Hello

Bom dia/boa tarde/boa noite – Good morning/good afternoon/good evening

Como está? – How are you?

Estou bem – I’m good

Tudo bem – (both a question and an answer) How is everything?/Everything is fine

Por favor – Please

Obrigado/a – Thank you (changes with gender of speaker)

De nada – Your welcome

Licensa – Pardon me

Desculpa – Excuse me

Como se chama? – What is your name?

Chamo-me _________  - My name is _________

Coming down the mountains to Dombe

Onde está a casa de banho? – Where is the bathroom?

Estou a pedir _______ - I would like _______

Tem agua/refrescos gelados? – Do you can cold water/sodas?

Tem coke light? – Do you have diet Coke?

Quanto? – How much? (you can simply point to something and ask)

Onde está o parragem? – Where is the bus stop?

Tenho fome/sede – I’m hungry/thirsty

Estou com sono – I’m sleepy

Pode ajudar me? – Can you help me?

Estou a vir – I’m on my way (this could mean ‘I am right around the corner’ or ‘I’ll be there in two hours’ and should be taken with a grain of salt)

The river in Dombe

Quero uma Manica grande – I want a big Manica (type of beer)

Quero um meio frango com salada e batatas – I want half a chicken with salad and french fries

Tem piri-piri? – Do you have hot sauce?

Estes vegetais são limpos? Não quero cólera – Are these vegetables clean? I don’t want cholera

Onde posso encontrar chocolate? – Where can I find chocolate?

Há espacio para meu cabrito em baixo da cadera? – Is there room for my goat under the seat?

Por que há uma galinha aqui? – Why is there a chicken here?

Esta galinha é de quem? – Who’s chicken is this?

Não sou muzungu. Chamo-me _________ - I’m not “muzungu” (a dialect term for white person or foreigner). My name is ________

A que hora é o jogo de futbol? – What time is the soccer game?



a bushbuck in Gorongosa National Park

Deixa-me! – Leave me alone!

Barulho! – Quiet down!

Sai! – Leave!

Liga-me! – Call me!

the floodplain in GNP

Obrigado, mas tenho um(a) namorado(a). Não quero um outro. – Thanks but I have a boy/girlfriend. I don’t want another.

Mas precisa um namorado Moçambicano – But you need a Moçambiquen boyfriend

Um é bom para mim – One is good for me

Voce é casado? – Are you married?

Sim, tenho um marido e dois filhos em casa – Yes, I have a husband and two kids at home

Warthog!

And now you are ready to tackle traveling in Moz. Let me know when you've bought your tickets!


P.S. I got a puppy this weekend in case you need more motivation to visit. She's ridiculously adorable.

The puppies! Panda is the lighter one in the middle
with her head on mom's side

The Bug

A big thing we think and talk about here (especially now that the 14ers are a few months away from their COS) is how it will be to adjust back to life in the States. And since I was just back in June I know firsthand how overwhelming it is, even after just 9 months away. We’re not just on some long vacation over here and can be quite cut off from news, entertainment and the changes in technology, fashion and “what’s hot”. I had my moments of anxiety while visiting Colorado and think I handled them quite well overall, but what I hadn’t considered was how it would be to return to life in Moçambique. I figured that three weeks away wasn’t enough to cause me any stress but I was surprised by my reactions and feelings. It was hard to leave all the people I love again but I was excited to get back here and start working again. I was a bit worried about dealing with my luggage once I got back in country but overall felt good. I arrived back in Chimoio after two days of planes, trains and automobiles (and 10 hours in Frankfurt!) to a gathering of volunteers in town to plan a REDES conference that starts here in a couple days. I was so happy to see my friends again and get a chance to catch up about the last month. I was staying with a volunteer here in the city with hot running water and a comfy bed so it wasn’t like I was immediately thrown back into the mato but I woke up that first night at about 3:30am with this deep feeling of homesickness and sadness in my heart and for a second didn’t remember where I was. Just days before I had been in Colorado with all my family and now I was back across the globe feeling confused and isolated. I had trouble sleeping that first week and often found myself thinking about what I might be doing if I were still in Denver. Like clockwork, I woke up every night at 3:30 with all these conflicting emotions and struggled to get back to sleep. During the day, when I was kept busy, I was fine but during those quiet moments alone in my bed, I was really struggling. And since I’m not real great at dealing with confusing emotions, I simply threw myself into activities and books and school (I read nearly 15 books my first two weeks back thanks to my handy dandy Kindle. This by the way was the best purchase I made stateside.). For a couple days back in Dombe I questioned whether or not I could actually do this for two more years. I was down to four hours a week of teaching and had all this time on my hands and my mind just wondered to all the hard parts of life. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows out in The Dombe but I was used to it and my trip back interrupted my natural order. You’ll never hear me say I regret that trip because I would never have forgiven myself if I missed that valuable time with my family but it was an awkward time to leave. But something we talked a lot about in PST was resiliency and this was my first big test. I wrote in my journal and in e-mails to friends, kept reading like a madman and made sure I spent time everyday outside the house and with friends. And slowly I adjusted back to the slow pace of life in the mato. I finished the trimester and proctored an absurd amount of exams (my Kindle helped me through those moments as well) before venturing out again for some PC related conferences. And now? Sometimes it’s seems like I never went back to Colorado. It seems so far away now that I’m re-immersed into my “real life” but now I can look at the pictures and remember the funny moments without getting sad and just appreciate the experience.



it was hard to leave these loons

And a brief update of other events: I took part in a programming conference in Chimoio with fellow PCVs and our Mozambiquen counterparts (and by take part I mean I spent two days in bed with a stomach virus), visited my wonderful friend Amanda at her site in Angonia in Tete province, become a Glee fanatic and watched both seasons in just over two days, had a semi-scary encounter with some Malawi immigration officers, was selected for our Peer Support Network and flew to Maputo for some well-paced, warm and fuzzy type training (think happy notes, massage circles and lots of talking about our feelings and experiences) and then returned to Chimoio for the tail end of our REDES (Raparigas Em Desenvolvemento, Educação e Saude) conference. Everything was a smashing success and now I’m preparing to head back to site to start the third trimester. We’re closing in on our one year in country mark (my group arrived at the end of September last year) and I am having trouble wrapping my head around that idea especially because it means my friends from Moz14 will be leaving in a couple months. I suppose us 15ers will have to step up and be the “cool, experience PCVs”. I should start working on that.


With two of my students and my
counterpart at Feira da Ciencias



Cabeca do Velho near Chimoio





The Bug - Dire Straits (Thank you for laying it out for us Mark Knopfler)