I ended up killing that chicken on Thanksgiving. I was not expecting it...I came home and my host mom had three chickens chillin on the porch. She said today was the day. I said, but my brother isnt here to kill it too. She said I would have to do it alone, or let her do it because either way it was going to die. So I sucked it up and killed a chicken. Theres no better day than Thanksgiving to kill a bird!
Next Tuesday I swear in to become a Peace Corps Volunteer! Finally! I decided when I was in high school that I wanted to join the Peace Corps someday, so after years of volunteer work, 3 years in college, a year of the application process for the Peace Corps, I am finally here! I made it! I am so relieved and feel so accomplished.
I dont have anything specific to write about. But I am trying to think fast since I am paying by the minute. Send me some suggestions, anyone?
Hmm...I just want to say how proud I am of my host brother. So here, the education system is ´´a little´´ corrupt. Children get by with cheating and teachers have inappropriate relationships with their students. Not many people make it past grade 10. And, people may have to repeat grades several times, so it would not be weird to find young adults in the 7th grade. Anyway, with that being said, my host brother is 17. SEVENTEEN! And he is graduating high school this month. Not only that, but he just completed grade ten and took a test that he passed with flying colors that is enabling him to skip the next 2 grades and move on to college. Yup, he is going to college! When I first got here, he told me he wanted to be a teacher and teach portuguese in the U.S. someday. Two weeks later, he wanted to be a doctor. A week later, he said he wants to be President of Moçambique. Then, he went to the university in Maputo to apply and has to take a test next month. But he came back saying he is going to study math and physics to be a teacher because all the spaces to become a doctor were full. A little might have gotton lost in translation...but I think he may still be trying to become a doctor..Point of the story: my host brother, who I am going to just call my brother for now on, has ambition and I am proud to say that I believe he will really do great things for this country in the future!
Tomorrow is our party with our host families. They all pitched in 900 MTS! PC told us they bought a COW! I am really excited to attend...more excited to eat good food and take lots of pics. Cant wait to tell yall all about it!
xoxo
December 4, 2009
November 26, 2009
Thanksgiving
Originally I was only going to send this to my family, but I thought I would share it with whoever reads this.
First, I want to say how hard it is being away this holiday season and that I appreciate all the support from back home. I miss all my family and friends very much, and love all of you dearly. I think about each one of you everyday.
Things I am thankful for-
1. During my site visit to Tete, I visited a PCV who started a day school for young children. This program started when she met a couple who had a similar interest and desire for such a program. They are not getting paid. All the money they have for this program goes strictly to food for the children during the day. The children are being taught English and Portuguese, along with English Christmas songs. The place was not like any day care center in the U.S. The buildings were made of tin and there was a small area with swings. I think the PCV told me they helped build it themselves. If it werent for this couple these children may not have this opportunity.
2. This week I visited an orphanage for girls about just over an hour outside Namaacha. As soon as we arrived, all the girls got in a group and sang to us. This particular orphanage was a place where the girls learned how to cook, work in a garden, clean, and sew and make crafts. They also have a new building for schooling. This orphanage was started and is funded by a Moz woman who is independently wealthy, and was an orphan herself.
Let us all be thankful for people like this in the world.
Yesterday Peace Corps and all its people celebrated Thanksgiving. It was a pretty sweet day. I finally got my site assigment information. Its crazy to think that I JUST found out where exactly Ill be going, and what exactly Ill be doing. But hey, you gotta have a little faith to do this, right?
I will be moving to Xai Xai, which is the provincial capital of Gaza province. It is located right by the beach. Its only 3 to 4 hours north of Maputo. My good friend Emily will be stationed only 10 minutes away from me! I will be working with an organization called ICAP. International Care and Treatment Program. ICAP is based in the hospital and works on patient treatment adherence and home based care and implements community activities with families led by activistas. In the letter the former PCV sent me, she said theres an orphanage or childrens center, along with offices of World Vision, Save the Children, and FGH (I think) located in Xai Xai. So I am sure my next two years will be a great learning experience. My site description also suggested I learn a local language, which I was already planning. The day before yesterday, I told my host family that I just may end up learning their dialect, Chengana, if Im in the south. And sure enough, I am! They were really excited and tried to already teach me a few phrases, I think that was more for entertainment than anything. Ha. So in about two weeks, Ill be off to Xai Xai.
Stay tuned to se what the next two years has in store for me!
First, I want to say how hard it is being away this holiday season and that I appreciate all the support from back home. I miss all my family and friends very much, and love all of you dearly. I think about each one of you everyday.
Things I am thankful for-
1. During my site visit to Tete, I visited a PCV who started a day school for young children. This program started when she met a couple who had a similar interest and desire for such a program. They are not getting paid. All the money they have for this program goes strictly to food for the children during the day. The children are being taught English and Portuguese, along with English Christmas songs. The place was not like any day care center in the U.S. The buildings were made of tin and there was a small area with swings. I think the PCV told me they helped build it themselves. If it werent for this couple these children may not have this opportunity.
2. This week I visited an orphanage for girls about just over an hour outside Namaacha. As soon as we arrived, all the girls got in a group and sang to us. This particular orphanage was a place where the girls learned how to cook, work in a garden, clean, and sew and make crafts. They also have a new building for schooling. This orphanage was started and is funded by a Moz woman who is independently wealthy, and was an orphan herself.
Let us all be thankful for people like this in the world.
Yesterday Peace Corps and all its people celebrated Thanksgiving. It was a pretty sweet day. I finally got my site assigment information. Its crazy to think that I JUST found out where exactly Ill be going, and what exactly Ill be doing. But hey, you gotta have a little faith to do this, right?
I will be moving to Xai Xai, which is the provincial capital of Gaza province. It is located right by the beach. Its only 3 to 4 hours north of Maputo. My good friend Emily will be stationed only 10 minutes away from me! I will be working with an organization called ICAP. International Care and Treatment Program. ICAP is based in the hospital and works on patient treatment adherence and home based care and implements community activities with families led by activistas. In the letter the former PCV sent me, she said theres an orphanage or childrens center, along with offices of World Vision, Save the Children, and FGH (I think) located in Xai Xai. So I am sure my next two years will be a great learning experience. My site description also suggested I learn a local language, which I was already planning. The day before yesterday, I told my host family that I just may end up learning their dialect, Chengana, if Im in the south. And sure enough, I am! They were really excited and tried to already teach me a few phrases, I think that was more for entertainment than anything. Ha. So in about two weeks, Ill be off to Xai Xai.
Stay tuned to se what the next two years has in store for me!
Food for thought
I am going to kill a chicken before I leave Namaacha. Supposively its a rite of passage.
Next time you go into a grocery store and select products, seriously take a moment to think about how that product got into your cart. Being in the Peace Corps, even thought Im only in training right now, I have had some extra free time on my hands lately, which leads to deep thoughts that get to challenge my beliefs, or validate them. Whats even more fun is sharing these discussions with my colleagues.
The first time my host mom bought a chicken, I couldnt even be in the same vicinity when she killed them. They were so cute cuddling next to each other. They looked so peaceful, I almost felt guilty. The second time, I told her I would watch. I watched her take it to the yard, step on its wings, and put the knife to its neck. Then I turned around. I couldnt watch as the chicken was shrieking. The third time, we had two chickens I believe and it was nighttime, and pretty chilly. The two chickens were cuddling under the charcoal stove we had going. I was able to watch that time. It helped that it was dark, but I watched from the porch. With the second chicken, I was actually able to hand it to her and watch again. After these experiences, I have seriously thought about becoming a vegetarian. I still have yet to actually kill a chicken, but I told my host mom I want to before I leave, as long as my brother does it with me because he never has either. Anyway, so then this experience led into this whole thought process about whether I should be able to even eat anything that I am not able to kill. I was discussing this with a former trainee, and he said he felt the same way about this. That taking the life of something can make you feel sad or whatever, but after its done, its done. Just like that.
So then I was thinking, ok now lets be real. I am from Texas and I am surely not going to give up filet mignon in my future. Ive decided as long as the killing of animals is humane, Ill eat it.
During our permaculture training, the trainer told us that when putting manure in the crops, be sure you dont use human waste, because our waste is toxic. What am I putting into my body that would be toxic to the soil? And what does that do inside my body? Theres a whole science on this topic, and I would love to learn more about it.
I have yet to kill a chicken, but when I do, I will keep in mind that that chickens life has been worth this lesson.
Next time you go into a grocery store and select products, seriously take a moment to think about how that product got into your cart. Being in the Peace Corps, even thought Im only in training right now, I have had some extra free time on my hands lately, which leads to deep thoughts that get to challenge my beliefs, or validate them. Whats even more fun is sharing these discussions with my colleagues.
The first time my host mom bought a chicken, I couldnt even be in the same vicinity when she killed them. They were so cute cuddling next to each other. They looked so peaceful, I almost felt guilty. The second time, I told her I would watch. I watched her take it to the yard, step on its wings, and put the knife to its neck. Then I turned around. I couldnt watch as the chicken was shrieking. The third time, we had two chickens I believe and it was nighttime, and pretty chilly. The two chickens were cuddling under the charcoal stove we had going. I was able to watch that time. It helped that it was dark, but I watched from the porch. With the second chicken, I was actually able to hand it to her and watch again. After these experiences, I have seriously thought about becoming a vegetarian. I still have yet to actually kill a chicken, but I told my host mom I want to before I leave, as long as my brother does it with me because he never has either. Anyway, so then this experience led into this whole thought process about whether I should be able to even eat anything that I am not able to kill. I was discussing this with a former trainee, and he said he felt the same way about this. That taking the life of something can make you feel sad or whatever, but after its done, its done. Just like that.
So then I was thinking, ok now lets be real. I am from Texas and I am surely not going to give up filet mignon in my future. Ive decided as long as the killing of animals is humane, Ill eat it.
During our permaculture training, the trainer told us that when putting manure in the crops, be sure you dont use human waste, because our waste is toxic. What am I putting into my body that would be toxic to the soil? And what does that do inside my body? Theres a whole science on this topic, and I would love to learn more about it.
I have yet to kill a chicken, but when I do, I will keep in mind that that chickens life has been worth this lesson.
November 13, 2009
Site Visit
So last weekend the Peace Corps decided to send all the trainees to different provinces where there are different PCV sites. We got to spend the weekend with them. Some traveled far, some not. Two days ago I was seriously considering about throwing in the towel and coming home. Want to understand why? Lets rewind.
Thursday (last week)
I decided I wanted to go to Tete Province because my language instructor had said they have animals. So, I get my site visit placement and find out Im going to Tete (I had no say in this either). Specifically, to Angonia to visit 2 education volunteers.
Saturday
I leave in the morning with my friends and former colleagues Sara, who is also a health PCT, and Esther, whose an education PCT. We get driven from Namaacha by Peace Corps to Maputo to fly to Tete. I must note that there was laughing cow cheese included in our meal on the plane and lets just say my taste buds were ecstatic. So, we arrive in Tete and its hotter than Hades...I almost said hotter than Africa, because thats what I used to say in the U.S. Now I understand the meaning of that phrase. Anyway, its really hot and we´re in Tete City. I call our PCV to see whats up. She says to get a taxi to the catholic cathedral and that it should cost 200 MTS. Ok, sweet. We get in a taxi and head to the igreja. The dude then says the ride costs 500 MTS! I was like umm, no. My colleague said this should be 200. Then Sara had already given him a 500. So we waited for the PCVs to arrive. I explained the situation and then they start calling the guy a thief and that he was robbing us and that they were going to call the police. He then gave Sara 200 MTS back. Settled. The PCVs told us we were staying with one of their Brazilian friends at their house. Uhhh what they did NOT mention is that these people live in a mansion! So this guy and his family had befriended these PCVs. He then provided us with Brazilian bbq, running water, toilets, and air conditioning. Not to mention we were able to catch a few episodes of an old season of CSI. Besides that, I saw the Zambezi river and no I did not see any hippos or crocs. I know, I was also disappointed. Somehow, a small reminder of Namaacha happened to slip into my bag. So as Im getting ready to shower, I open my backpack to grab some clothes and see something scurry at the bottom. I freaked and shrieked. A huge cockroach the size of Dallas climbs out of my bag. Sara comes up, I tell her the situation. I was amazed that a cockroach could survive a two hour plane ride, and the ride there. How did it survive? She said, ´´Were in Africa, Mal.´´ Yeah, thats great, just kill it. And she did.
Sunday
So Sara and one of the PCVs and I leave Tete city to Angonia. At first, we were going to take a chapa, which would have cost 190 MTS until this lady from Malawi in her van behind the chapa stop said she would take us for the same price. We decided to switch and go with her because extra leg room in a 4 hour ride sounds pretty nice. And, if you really understood a ride in a chapa, you would have went too. It was legit. If you want to talk to me about this decision, email me. Anyway, so we get in her van and then on the way there her car breaks down more than once and we keep having to pour water in it or something. Not to mention while we were broken down at one point our chapa that we could have been on strolled by and waved at us. Whatever, just get us to Angonia please. We finally get there, and the lady didnt give us change (we gave her 200 MTS each). Should have gone on the chapa. That night in Angonia, however, we were able to make pizza which was worth the trip. One of the PCVs had mentioned that the dough wasnt cooked all the way, and asked if I wanted it cooked longer. At that point, I was starving and salivating, and figured Ive been eating cookie dough like nobodys business all my life. So, I ate the pizza.
Monday
We went to visit one of the PCVs schools. She started a secondary project with a couple. They began a pre school for kids ages 3 to 6, where they go all day and teach them english and portuguese. Its a great opportunity for them but unfortunately funding is becoming a problem but theyre working on it. After that, I bought some capulanas and chilled the rest of the day. Also, my host mom sent me a text message saying they all missed me. Awwwww. Eu tamben, Eu tamben...
Tuesday
Oh. My. Gosh. We had to take a chapa to Zobwe because thats where Esther had gone to visit after we split in Tete city. So the ride was about 3 hours. Most uncomfortable ride in my life to say the least. I was so squished and uncomfortable. Then, at one point, we came across an accident and saw a lady lying on the side of the road. She wasnt dead, but she didnt look that great. It was really sad. What can people out here do? There are no ambulances, and even if there were, it would take forever to get to a hospital. Then, what about the quality of that hospital? Pretty sad to think about, huh? So the chapa drops us off at a turn off point and then we have to get a ride the rest of the way. So we get on this truck with other paying passengers and off we go. Theres this lady with a baby in front of me sitting in the bed of the truck and the way I was sitting couldnt have been comfortable for her. So I asked her in portuguese if she was comfortable and she just gives me this blank stare. Then this guy next to her said Zungo, or whatever the local word is for white person or foreigner. And I was like (he spoke english), Im asking her if shes comfortable why are you calling me that? He must have misunderstood I have no idea, maybe he just wanted to inform me of that word. Awkward. So we get off finally and people ask us to buy all sorts of goodies and at this point Im already tired and about to lose my marbles because I was overwhelmed from the means of travel. Then this guy grabs my arm and asks me to buy something and thats when I almost lost it. But, I just shrugged away and it was all good. That night at the PCVs house we made fajitas and played games with the neighborhood children. Oh, not to mention that when we were going to bed there were all sorts of bugs flying around and then I felt something on my face. I flick it off and tell the PCV to turn on her flashlight. It was just a small beetle, no harm. So then Sara smashes it. Once again, all good.
Wednesday
By this point Im ready to get back to Namaacha. I have bites from something all over my body. It looks like I have chicken pox but not as bad. So, we take a chapa back to Tete city. We went into a cafe for a bit and I met some ladies that are Americans that are here to translate the Bible into some local language. Connections, connections. Got her business card just in case. After that we walk across Tete city in 114 degree heat to find a chapa to take us to the airport. I felt like I was going to pass out but just kept on truckin. We finally find a chapa and during the ride some dude got off and didnt pay so him and the cobredor (the guy who takes the money for the chapa) get into a fight. It didnt escalate too much so we keep going and finally get to the airport. By the time we get there I feel nauseous. We get on the plane and theres a little turbulence and then they start bringing out food. It was then that I knew I was going to puke. And I did. Twice. Hopefully its just motion sickness. Finally we land and Peace Corps is there to pick us all up. I wait in the car and puke again. I had already taken dramamine for motion sickness and had a little water. Then on the ride back to Namaacha, I puke again. By this point Im getting dehydrated and my friend told me I that its bad when you cant keep down water, and that one cause could be e. coli poisoning from uncooked pizza dough. Thats just great because I definitely ate that this weekend. Awesome. So, I call the doc and she gives me some rehydration salts. That night I finally got home and passed out and was able to keep everything down.
The next day my host mom made me soup for breakfast. During training that day (yesterday), I was having second guesses. BUT, then I received EIGHT letters! Whoo! I started to feel better. And then I reminded myself why I join the Peace Corps, spent some quality time with my host family, and I got over my second guesses of being here. Then today, I received TWO more letters! Whoo!
MUCH THANKS TO Aunt Marla, Granny, Mom, Dad, Alison, Eric, Karissa, Kelsey, and Sara. Thank you all SO much for sending me letters and lots of love in the mail. It means so much, you have no idea how much I value a short note. I plan on putting my cards on my wall for decoration! LOVE YALL! XOXOXO
Thursday (last week)
I decided I wanted to go to Tete Province because my language instructor had said they have animals. So, I get my site visit placement and find out Im going to Tete (I had no say in this either). Specifically, to Angonia to visit 2 education volunteers.
Saturday
I leave in the morning with my friends and former colleagues Sara, who is also a health PCT, and Esther, whose an education PCT. We get driven from Namaacha by Peace Corps to Maputo to fly to Tete. I must note that there was laughing cow cheese included in our meal on the plane and lets just say my taste buds were ecstatic. So, we arrive in Tete and its hotter than Hades...I almost said hotter than Africa, because thats what I used to say in the U.S. Now I understand the meaning of that phrase. Anyway, its really hot and we´re in Tete City. I call our PCV to see whats up. She says to get a taxi to the catholic cathedral and that it should cost 200 MTS. Ok, sweet. We get in a taxi and head to the igreja. The dude then says the ride costs 500 MTS! I was like umm, no. My colleague said this should be 200. Then Sara had already given him a 500. So we waited for the PCVs to arrive. I explained the situation and then they start calling the guy a thief and that he was robbing us and that they were going to call the police. He then gave Sara 200 MTS back. Settled. The PCVs told us we were staying with one of their Brazilian friends at their house. Uhhh what they did NOT mention is that these people live in a mansion! So this guy and his family had befriended these PCVs. He then provided us with Brazilian bbq, running water, toilets, and air conditioning. Not to mention we were able to catch a few episodes of an old season of CSI. Besides that, I saw the Zambezi river and no I did not see any hippos or crocs. I know, I was also disappointed. Somehow, a small reminder of Namaacha happened to slip into my bag. So as Im getting ready to shower, I open my backpack to grab some clothes and see something scurry at the bottom. I freaked and shrieked. A huge cockroach the size of Dallas climbs out of my bag. Sara comes up, I tell her the situation. I was amazed that a cockroach could survive a two hour plane ride, and the ride there. How did it survive? She said, ´´Were in Africa, Mal.´´ Yeah, thats great, just kill it. And she did.
Sunday
So Sara and one of the PCVs and I leave Tete city to Angonia. At first, we were going to take a chapa, which would have cost 190 MTS until this lady from Malawi in her van behind the chapa stop said she would take us for the same price. We decided to switch and go with her because extra leg room in a 4 hour ride sounds pretty nice. And, if you really understood a ride in a chapa, you would have went too. It was legit. If you want to talk to me about this decision, email me. Anyway, so we get in her van and then on the way there her car breaks down more than once and we keep having to pour water in it or something. Not to mention while we were broken down at one point our chapa that we could have been on strolled by and waved at us. Whatever, just get us to Angonia please. We finally get there, and the lady didnt give us change (we gave her 200 MTS each). Should have gone on the chapa. That night in Angonia, however, we were able to make pizza which was worth the trip. One of the PCVs had mentioned that the dough wasnt cooked all the way, and asked if I wanted it cooked longer. At that point, I was starving and salivating, and figured Ive been eating cookie dough like nobodys business all my life. So, I ate the pizza.
Monday
We went to visit one of the PCVs schools. She started a secondary project with a couple. They began a pre school for kids ages 3 to 6, where they go all day and teach them english and portuguese. Its a great opportunity for them but unfortunately funding is becoming a problem but theyre working on it. After that, I bought some capulanas and chilled the rest of the day. Also, my host mom sent me a text message saying they all missed me. Awwwww. Eu tamben, Eu tamben...
Tuesday
Oh. My. Gosh. We had to take a chapa to Zobwe because thats where Esther had gone to visit after we split in Tete city. So the ride was about 3 hours. Most uncomfortable ride in my life to say the least. I was so squished and uncomfortable. Then, at one point, we came across an accident and saw a lady lying on the side of the road. She wasnt dead, but she didnt look that great. It was really sad. What can people out here do? There are no ambulances, and even if there were, it would take forever to get to a hospital. Then, what about the quality of that hospital? Pretty sad to think about, huh? So the chapa drops us off at a turn off point and then we have to get a ride the rest of the way. So we get on this truck with other paying passengers and off we go. Theres this lady with a baby in front of me sitting in the bed of the truck and the way I was sitting couldnt have been comfortable for her. So I asked her in portuguese if she was comfortable and she just gives me this blank stare. Then this guy next to her said Zungo, or whatever the local word is for white person or foreigner. And I was like (he spoke english), Im asking her if shes comfortable why are you calling me that? He must have misunderstood I have no idea, maybe he just wanted to inform me of that word. Awkward. So we get off finally and people ask us to buy all sorts of goodies and at this point Im already tired and about to lose my marbles because I was overwhelmed from the means of travel. Then this guy grabs my arm and asks me to buy something and thats when I almost lost it. But, I just shrugged away and it was all good. That night at the PCVs house we made fajitas and played games with the neighborhood children. Oh, not to mention that when we were going to bed there were all sorts of bugs flying around and then I felt something on my face. I flick it off and tell the PCV to turn on her flashlight. It was just a small beetle, no harm. So then Sara smashes it. Once again, all good.
Wednesday
By this point Im ready to get back to Namaacha. I have bites from something all over my body. It looks like I have chicken pox but not as bad. So, we take a chapa back to Tete city. We went into a cafe for a bit and I met some ladies that are Americans that are here to translate the Bible into some local language. Connections, connections. Got her business card just in case. After that we walk across Tete city in 114 degree heat to find a chapa to take us to the airport. I felt like I was going to pass out but just kept on truckin. We finally find a chapa and during the ride some dude got off and didnt pay so him and the cobredor (the guy who takes the money for the chapa) get into a fight. It didnt escalate too much so we keep going and finally get to the airport. By the time we get there I feel nauseous. We get on the plane and theres a little turbulence and then they start bringing out food. It was then that I knew I was going to puke. And I did. Twice. Hopefully its just motion sickness. Finally we land and Peace Corps is there to pick us all up. I wait in the car and puke again. I had already taken dramamine for motion sickness and had a little water. Then on the ride back to Namaacha, I puke again. By this point Im getting dehydrated and my friend told me I that its bad when you cant keep down water, and that one cause could be e. coli poisoning from uncooked pizza dough. Thats just great because I definitely ate that this weekend. Awesome. So, I call the doc and she gives me some rehydration salts. That night I finally got home and passed out and was able to keep everything down.
The next day my host mom made me soup for breakfast. During training that day (yesterday), I was having second guesses. BUT, then I received EIGHT letters! Whoo! I started to feel better. And then I reminded myself why I join the Peace Corps, spent some quality time with my host family, and I got over my second guesses of being here. Then today, I received TWO more letters! Whoo!
MUCH THANKS TO Aunt Marla, Granny, Mom, Dad, Alison, Eric, Karissa, Kelsey, and Sara. Thank you all SO much for sending me letters and lots of love in the mail. It means so much, you have no idea how much I value a short note. I plan on putting my cards on my wall for decoration! LOVE YALL! XOXOXO
November 2, 2009
Homesickness & Halloween
Im going to go where no other Peace Corps blog has gone before and talk about homesickness. Oh. My. Gosh. Training is an emotional roller coaster. One day I absolutely hate it and other days I feel like Im fitting in and learning and doing good. I miss the U.S. I miss the Reality television shows, Oprah, MTV, and pepperjack cheese. I miss Sonic slushes on hot days and Blue Bell ice cream, too. I miss driving my car with the windows down and listening to trendy music on the radio. I miss cars yielding to me as a pedestrian. I miss being at a restaurant and not having confusion with the waitress because she speaks english also. I miss mashed potatoes. I miss being able to call home whenever I want to. I miss being able to stay out past dark. I miss all my friends in San Marcos! I miss movies. I miss my bed and my big fluffy pillow. I miss shopping with my mom and drinking coffee with my dad. I miss my familys dog, Kacy. I miss being able to wear tank tops and shorts and not have to worry about it. I miss paved sidewalks that arent muddy when it rains. I miss Dr. Pepper. I miss hot showers and toilets and clean running water. I miss the USA!!!
Though I miss all of these things, everybody Ive talked to feels the same way. So dont think Im gonna quit training and come home. Its normal. Anyway, so halloween was this past weekend. I was a hippie. I was going to wear a baseball jerzee but my brother didnt have anything to wear so I gave him that and I wore a tye dyed shirt..Ironically, it was the same shirt I wore last year (remember, Daniel)? I doubt youll read this but I thought of you! So we go to the first party where all the PCTs brought their siblings and there was limbo and lots of refrescos and food. I brought coconuts. So good. Anyway, afterwards we went to this second party that was supposed to be just for PCTs but we were able to bring our family if we wanted. I brought my host brother, and even if I didnt want to he told me he wouldnt leave me alone anyway because theres bad ppl out that nite and he said he needed to protect me. ha. It was pretty ridiculous when we got there. The ppl at the gate wanted to charge our siblings 100 MTS to get in. Ridiculous. So we called our PC director and she settled it. We pretty much told them if they dont get in for free, we will all just go to a different barraca. It all worked out. So there we danced and everyone had lots of fun.
Yesterday one of my fellow PCTs and I passear~ed down this road where we heard there was a river. We probably walked about 4 miles in the afternoon heat (remember were in the mountains) to see whats LEFT of a river. Anyway, so on our way back we stop at a barraca for some water since we were seriously about to pass out. This lady sells us 2 bottles and sits with us and starts talking with us. We left after she criticized my friends portuguese skills. Ppl here are just really blunt.
So I decided that Im going to make a blanket or quilt out of capulana cloth. Ive never sewed anything in my life but Im going to start now. Well see how it turns out! Hmm...what else? I have come to love grape and orange Fantas. My favorite dish is mboa, which is this leafy goodness in coconut oil. Also, if anyone reads this and emails me, Im sorry if I dont write back, know that I truly appreciate anything I receive but I cant always write back but I eventually will.
TCHAU!!
Though I miss all of these things, everybody Ive talked to feels the same way. So dont think Im gonna quit training and come home. Its normal. Anyway, so halloween was this past weekend. I was a hippie. I was going to wear a baseball jerzee but my brother didnt have anything to wear so I gave him that and I wore a tye dyed shirt..Ironically, it was the same shirt I wore last year (remember, Daniel)? I doubt youll read this but I thought of you! So we go to the first party where all the PCTs brought their siblings and there was limbo and lots of refrescos and food. I brought coconuts. So good. Anyway, afterwards we went to this second party that was supposed to be just for PCTs but we were able to bring our family if we wanted. I brought my host brother, and even if I didnt want to he told me he wouldnt leave me alone anyway because theres bad ppl out that nite and he said he needed to protect me. ha. It was pretty ridiculous when we got there. The ppl at the gate wanted to charge our siblings 100 MTS to get in. Ridiculous. So we called our PC director and she settled it. We pretty much told them if they dont get in for free, we will all just go to a different barraca. It all worked out. So there we danced and everyone had lots of fun.
Yesterday one of my fellow PCTs and I passear~ed down this road where we heard there was a river. We probably walked about 4 miles in the afternoon heat (remember were in the mountains) to see whats LEFT of a river. Anyway, so on our way back we stop at a barraca for some water since we were seriously about to pass out. This lady sells us 2 bottles and sits with us and starts talking with us. We left after she criticized my friends portuguese skills. Ppl here are just really blunt.
So I decided that Im going to make a blanket or quilt out of capulana cloth. Ive never sewed anything in my life but Im going to start now. Well see how it turns out! Hmm...what else? I have come to love grape and orange Fantas. My favorite dish is mboa, which is this leafy goodness in coconut oil. Also, if anyone reads this and emails me, Im sorry if I dont write back, know that I truly appreciate anything I receive but I cant always write back but I eventually will.
TCHAU!!
October 24, 2009
Life as a PCT
Ive been here almost a month now. I miss you all back home so much! I really appreciate all the emails and letters. Im not too sure what to write about because its so hard to describe what my experience is like. Here goes...
Today I went to the market to buy a Halloween costume. Anyway, I was buying a pair of cute rose earrings and this guy next to me, who was buying something, said ´´Hello sister.´´ I was like, Hiii, do you speak english? He said yes. I said, are you fluent? Then he asked me how I was doing. I said fine, and you (in portuguese)..and he was like I speak english, I am a foreigner. I was like oh from where? He said from Swaziland. He asked me the same, I told him I was an American. He said, oh, you are visiting Mozambique? At first I almost said yes. Then I said no, I live here. He said oh in Maputo? I said no, here in this village. He asked why, he was so confused! I told him bout the Peace Corps. And he still didnt really understand. He asked how long I was livin here for and I said 2 years and he was shocked. He was like, oh my! Good luck in Africa, my sister! Ha. Yeah so today, reality kinda set in.
My host family is great. I feel like Im fitting in. They really treat me as if Im a member of the family. My siblings call me their sister and my parents introduce me as their daughter. Last weekend my brother asked me how to teach him to dance like we do in America. He put on hip hop at first, and then I told him that it wouldnt be appropriate for me to show him how Americans dance to that..So then, I put on my Kings of Leon cd and taught him how to 2 step! HA! It was fun and he was actually pretty good. Then I told him I learned the traditional Moz wedding dance and so we danced to that. Its actually more difficult than youd think. Then he showed me how they dance in the discotecas. Wow. Lets just say Im going to have some seriously cool moves to take back to the States. Thats one experience.
Also in training, we learn dances and songs and games that they play to around here. We learned this game called Terra, Mar! (Land, Sea). Basically what happens is you draw a line and one side is land and one side is sea. The kids line up and one person calls out terra or mar and they jump and the point of the game is to try to stump them so they land in the wrong place. Its a lot of fun, I play it with my young siblings, neighbors, and cousins. Actually, my friend Jessica, a fellow PCT, is my cousin. One day after training I was sitting in my room doing nothing really and my mom comes in and told me they were outside. So I went out there and Jessica and her siblings (my cousins) had walked all the way over to play Terra, Mar because they liked it so much. Its funny how much simple fun we have here.
The day after that, my parents and I went over to Jessicas for some kind of festa. I then learned that this was because my uncle was presenting his girlfriend or fiance to the family and they were wanting to get married or something. At least thats what I got out of it. There was lots of food. MMMM. We had carne da vaca (steak), frosted cake, and many other wonderful things! Delicious. Then, we danced. We all got in a circle, cranked up the tunes and took turns for people getting in the middle to show off. I definitely took up that opportunity. Then we played games. My brother and the rest of the kids had a contest to see who could stand on one leg the longest. Then we also played this game where everyone stands in a circle and sings and does this hand clapping game. It was interesting.
Hmm...what else can I share? Yall need to send me some ideas. Next weekend on Halloween the PCTs are having a party. Were getting together and bringing food and beverages and music along with a few family members. We will also have costume contests! I bought a GIANTS jerzee today, I guess Im going to be a sports fan.
Not everything is fun and games here though. Nope. Training is intense, I think I might have posted that before. Sadly, weve been learning about the HIV AIDS crisis here. The HIV prevalence in Moz is 16%..Thats almost one in every five people infected. Well, thats all I got for now.
I miss you all and love you SO SO SO much!!
Today I went to the market to buy a Halloween costume. Anyway, I was buying a pair of cute rose earrings and this guy next to me, who was buying something, said ´´Hello sister.´´ I was like, Hiii, do you speak english? He said yes. I said, are you fluent? Then he asked me how I was doing. I said fine, and you (in portuguese)..and he was like I speak english, I am a foreigner. I was like oh from where? He said from Swaziland. He asked me the same, I told him I was an American. He said, oh, you are visiting Mozambique? At first I almost said yes. Then I said no, I live here. He said oh in Maputo? I said no, here in this village. He asked why, he was so confused! I told him bout the Peace Corps. And he still didnt really understand. He asked how long I was livin here for and I said 2 years and he was shocked. He was like, oh my! Good luck in Africa, my sister! Ha. Yeah so today, reality kinda set in.
My host family is great. I feel like Im fitting in. They really treat me as if Im a member of the family. My siblings call me their sister and my parents introduce me as their daughter. Last weekend my brother asked me how to teach him to dance like we do in America. He put on hip hop at first, and then I told him that it wouldnt be appropriate for me to show him how Americans dance to that..So then, I put on my Kings of Leon cd and taught him how to 2 step! HA! It was fun and he was actually pretty good. Then I told him I learned the traditional Moz wedding dance and so we danced to that. Its actually more difficult than youd think. Then he showed me how they dance in the discotecas. Wow. Lets just say Im going to have some seriously cool moves to take back to the States. Thats one experience.
Also in training, we learn dances and songs and games that they play to around here. We learned this game called Terra, Mar! (Land, Sea). Basically what happens is you draw a line and one side is land and one side is sea. The kids line up and one person calls out terra or mar and they jump and the point of the game is to try to stump them so they land in the wrong place. Its a lot of fun, I play it with my young siblings, neighbors, and cousins. Actually, my friend Jessica, a fellow PCT, is my cousin. One day after training I was sitting in my room doing nothing really and my mom comes in and told me they were outside. So I went out there and Jessica and her siblings (my cousins) had walked all the way over to play Terra, Mar because they liked it so much. Its funny how much simple fun we have here.
The day after that, my parents and I went over to Jessicas for some kind of festa. I then learned that this was because my uncle was presenting his girlfriend or fiance to the family and they were wanting to get married or something. At least thats what I got out of it. There was lots of food. MMMM. We had carne da vaca (steak), frosted cake, and many other wonderful things! Delicious. Then, we danced. We all got in a circle, cranked up the tunes and took turns for people getting in the middle to show off. I definitely took up that opportunity. Then we played games. My brother and the rest of the kids had a contest to see who could stand on one leg the longest. Then we also played this game where everyone stands in a circle and sings and does this hand clapping game. It was interesting.
Hmm...what else can I share? Yall need to send me some ideas. Next weekend on Halloween the PCTs are having a party. Were getting together and bringing food and beverages and music along with a few family members. We will also have costume contests! I bought a GIANTS jerzee today, I guess Im going to be a sports fan.
Not everything is fun and games here though. Nope. Training is intense, I think I might have posted that before. Sadly, weve been learning about the HIV AIDS crisis here. The HIV prevalence in Moz is 16%..Thats almost one in every five people infected. Well, thats all I got for now.
I miss you all and love you SO SO SO much!!
October 14, 2009
Namaacha
Today is Wednesday, I have been here for about 11 days or so now. I moved in with my host family. I have 2 parents and 3 siblings. My host mom is a teacher, and my host dad works with cars..I think. I have a 17 yr old brother who wants to go to the U.S. someday for college to be a doctor. Hes super smart and trying to learn english so I help him with that as much as I can. I also have an 8 yr old brother and 4 yr old sister. Training is intense, I wake up at 6 every morning and have training from 730 to 530 six days a week. AND we have homework everyday. Basically, I dont have much free time. When I come home from school I do my homework eat what I can, use the facilities before the sun goes down, and I get in bed and tuck in my mosquito net by 830...not kidding.
For the most part I absolutely love it here. Somedays I want to go home because the language barrier is intense and the bathroom facilities are unsanitary. But for the most part I cant help but regret that I am only in Namaacha for 3 months for training, then I move to my site.
Youre probably wondering, how it is here. I have 4 minutes to sum this up because its dark and I didnt bring much money to use the internet. First, the bathroom. We have latrines. LATRINES. A latrine is a very deep hole. There is a cement chimney looking toilet over the hole. This is where you do your business. Yes, there are bugs. Sometimes cockroaches like to hang out around the top of the inside of it. Im actually starting to get used to this, mostly because I dont have a choice. The food. They eat SO many CARBS here. Bread and crackers for breakfast. Bread, pasta, potatoes, and fish for lunch, and rice and bread and whatever else for dinner. Not kidding. So I hadnt been eating much since I first got here and my host mom realized this and asked why I dont eat very much and that I am not healthy. So I told her, respectively, that they eat more carbs here than in the U.S. and I need a more balanced diet with fruits and veggies. I told her what I like, eggs, tomatoes, onions, you know, the usual. So the next morning she gave me a tomato salad and onions. Covered in oil. Did I mention they load oil on everything.
Thats all for now folks, if anybody really reads this. Ill write again soon!
For the most part I absolutely love it here. Somedays I want to go home because the language barrier is intense and the bathroom facilities are unsanitary. But for the most part I cant help but regret that I am only in Namaacha for 3 months for training, then I move to my site.
Youre probably wondering, how it is here. I have 4 minutes to sum this up because its dark and I didnt bring much money to use the internet. First, the bathroom. We have latrines. LATRINES. A latrine is a very deep hole. There is a cement chimney looking toilet over the hole. This is where you do your business. Yes, there are bugs. Sometimes cockroaches like to hang out around the top of the inside of it. Im actually starting to get used to this, mostly because I dont have a choice. The food. They eat SO many CARBS here. Bread and crackers for breakfast. Bread, pasta, potatoes, and fish for lunch, and rice and bread and whatever else for dinner. Not kidding. So I hadnt been eating much since I first got here and my host mom realized this and asked why I dont eat very much and that I am not healthy. So I told her, respectively, that they eat more carbs here than in the U.S. and I need a more balanced diet with fruits and veggies. I told her what I like, eggs, tomatoes, onions, you know, the usual. So the next morning she gave me a tomato salad and onions. Covered in oil. Did I mention they load oil on everything.
Thats all for now folks, if anybody really reads this. Ill write again soon!
October 2, 2009
Orientation
Ill try to make this fast bc i only have 9 mins left of internet and theres a mosquito flying around. haha calm down i just took my malaria meds. anyways ill try to sum up my experience so far as quick as possible. forgive the misspelled words and typos.
got to philly for orientation there are 65 ppl in our training group weºre from all over the country! at orientation we talked about the importance of our awareness of our behavior bc we are representing our country and if we make a bad impression on someone we can ruin the reputation of our nation. then we drive to nyc and hop on a 15 hour flight. it was crazy bc we left at 11 in the morning and i dozed off for about 2 hours and when i woke up it was completely black outside bc of the time zone change. WEIRD to experience thats for sure.
as soon as we hopped off the plane the first thing i noticed was the smell. it reeked. then we drive thru maputo the capital and it looked like scenes from that wonderful movie ´´slumdog millionaire´´. not kidding.
i know earlier i said that i thought my biggest fear would be bugs. im in a very nice hotel right now and havent really seen much but i am pretty sure that will be the least of my worries. im more worried about integrating into my community, and ive realized how hard it is to communicate in a foreign world, even with the portuguese that i do know. ive been in training all day today and i felt myself getting homesick so i went and looked at pictures of all my friends and family back home. i miss you all so very much. even tho im with many americans in my group its still hard because its not like we can grow close so fast. please write and email me you have no idea how much it means to me. anyway after i decided to stop moping around i went and had dinner w some new ppl and tried some octopus. it was alright, kinda chewy. i might try it again for lunch tomorrow. for lunch today i had some fish and the fish here is not de-boned. we have been spoiled on fish fillets in the states thats for sure. i couldnt even finish my meal bc it was time for our meeting again and i couldnt finish picking out the bones. then when i scraped all the meat off the bones i still found more small bones in the rest of the meat. sucks. anyway i cant wait til tomorrow well be going to namaacha, a village where we will spend the next 10 weeks for pre service training. it will be really intense for cultural and language training. wish me luck . anyway gotta go times almost up. i love you and miss you all so SO much!!
xoxo
got to philly for orientation there are 65 ppl in our training group weºre from all over the country! at orientation we talked about the importance of our awareness of our behavior bc we are representing our country and if we make a bad impression on someone we can ruin the reputation of our nation. then we drive to nyc and hop on a 15 hour flight. it was crazy bc we left at 11 in the morning and i dozed off for about 2 hours and when i woke up it was completely black outside bc of the time zone change. WEIRD to experience thats for sure.
as soon as we hopped off the plane the first thing i noticed was the smell. it reeked. then we drive thru maputo the capital and it looked like scenes from that wonderful movie ´´slumdog millionaire´´. not kidding.
i know earlier i said that i thought my biggest fear would be bugs. im in a very nice hotel right now and havent really seen much but i am pretty sure that will be the least of my worries. im more worried about integrating into my community, and ive realized how hard it is to communicate in a foreign world, even with the portuguese that i do know. ive been in training all day today and i felt myself getting homesick so i went and looked at pictures of all my friends and family back home. i miss you all so very much. even tho im with many americans in my group its still hard because its not like we can grow close so fast. please write and email me you have no idea how much it means to me. anyway after i decided to stop moping around i went and had dinner w some new ppl and tried some octopus. it was alright, kinda chewy. i might try it again for lunch tomorrow. for lunch today i had some fish and the fish here is not de-boned. we have been spoiled on fish fillets in the states thats for sure. i couldnt even finish my meal bc it was time for our meeting again and i couldnt finish picking out the bones. then when i scraped all the meat off the bones i still found more small bones in the rest of the meat. sucks. anyway i cant wait til tomorrow well be going to namaacha, a village where we will spend the next 10 weeks for pre service training. it will be really intense for cultural and language training. wish me luck . anyway gotta go times almost up. i love you and miss you all so SO much!!
xoxo
September 22, 2009
Countdown...to bugs?
So exactly one week from right now, I will be about to wake up to get ready to leave for the airport. Rather, I will most likely be restless all night because I will be so nervous/anxious/scared/excited to leave for Mozambique! In case you didn't know, I leave next Tuesday, the 29th @ 7:30 a.m. from Houston to Philly. We have orientation in Philly, then leave @ 3 a.m. to NYC and our plane leaves there on the 30th in the late morning to head off to South Africa, then to Maputo, Mozambique!! I have so many things to do before I leave: pack, finish my Rosetta Stone courses, and say final farewells to everyone. I didn't even get my final medical clearance til last week, in case you were wondering why I am just now starting to pack and buy stuff for my trip.
During my first 3 months will be specifically Pre-Service Training. I'll only have internet access once a week. Please write me! I will post my address before I leave. Even though I'm sure whoever reads this probably already has it. I'll post it anyway.
The only thing I am NOT looking forward to are...can you guess? BUGS. SNAKES. SPIDERS. Anything that crawls, slithers, flies, slides, runs, or basically anything that is not a mammal, I'm not looking forward to...Oh, rodents also, since I'm pretty positive those are mammals. Don't laugh at me if they're not. Yeah but bigger animals like lions, cape buffalo...not so scared. Ok, I say that, but they must be least likely to get into my home...and Bear Grylls taught me how to scare them off if I hear their foot falls. :-)
You're probably now thinking about how much time you think I'll last over there. I'm trying to prepare myself ahead of time. I'm trying to tell myself ahead of time, "ok, for every bug/creeper that I will come into contact with will just be a sign from God that I am making a difference in some way."
You know what, if each pestering creature I am to come into contact with represents a child I can teach something to, or represents a myth about HIV/AIDS that I can disspell for someone, or represents the number of moments that are to positively affect my life forever, then maybe I can adjust more easily to Africa and all its creatures. Great, right?
Hopefully my future creepy, crawling, flying friends are not planning to throw me a house warming party upon my arrival.
During my first 3 months will be specifically Pre-Service Training. I'll only have internet access once a week. Please write me! I will post my address before I leave. Even though I'm sure whoever reads this probably already has it. I'll post it anyway.
The only thing I am NOT looking forward to are...can you guess? BUGS. SNAKES. SPIDERS. Anything that crawls, slithers, flies, slides, runs, or basically anything that is not a mammal, I'm not looking forward to...Oh, rodents also, since I'm pretty positive those are mammals. Don't laugh at me if they're not. Yeah but bigger animals like lions, cape buffalo...not so scared. Ok, I say that, but they must be least likely to get into my home...and Bear Grylls taught me how to scare them off if I hear their foot falls. :-)
You're probably now thinking about how much time you think I'll last over there. I'm trying to prepare myself ahead of time. I'm trying to tell myself ahead of time, "ok, for every bug/creeper that I will come into contact with will just be a sign from God that I am making a difference in some way."
You know what, if each pestering creature I am to come into contact with represents a child I can teach something to, or represents a myth about HIV/AIDS that I can disspell for someone, or represents the number of moments that are to positively affect my life forever, then maybe I can adjust more easily to Africa and all its creatures. Great, right?
Hopefully my future creepy, crawling, flying friends are not planning to throw me a house warming party upon my arrival.
September 1, 2009
The beginning of many more...
This is my new blog site where you'll be able to find entries that describe my journey in Mozambique as a PCV. This thing was kind of complicated to set up, but we all know that computers are not my forte...I'm not sure on what exact day I leave yet, but I'm sure it will be around 9/28 or so. I will definitely be overseas in a month!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
