Its starting to get hotter here….and lately all I’ve been doing was sitting and complaining about how hot it actually is! I’m grateful however for electricity to power the fans, and for ice cold bucket baths. Yesterday I took a bath and was feeling so nice, THEN after hmmm…..5 minutes, I felt sweaty and gross again! It only gets hotter as time goes on. I remember Dec – Mar last year were extremely hot…..but ya know, I’m getting used to it.
One thing I still am NOT used to however, are those big spiders that look like little aliens. They’re orange. They’re fast, and they’re BIG. I called the neighbor boy who lives next door to come over and kill one yesterday. He laughed and said, “Oh Nana, nao fica medo.” (Nana, don’t be scared). I told him to stop laughing and kill the thing before it crawled in my bed. So he very casually found the thing in the corner of my room, PICKED it up, threw it back on the floor and squashed it. GROSS. I would’ve preferred he take it outside then kill it bc now my floor has spider juice everywhere, but its fine. Thank God for lemon scented bleach.
Monday, November 21, 2011
What happens when someone “shats” on a Chapa…..I wish I was Making this up
There is nothing predictable here in Mozambique. Ya can’t just wake up every morning and say to yourself, “everything will go as I plan today, I just know it!” Umm….yea, no ya don’t. Let’s take the experience I had on a chapa THIS morning. I try to avoid chapas as much as possible, but its pretty much the only means of transportation. I needed to do some errands in the city today that were necessary, so I did a few things at site then headed to the chapa stop. Surprisingly the second I got there, not one, but TWO chapas were waiting there. I looked at both to see which one I wanted. I choose the one who had the less ppl in it. I hate standing in chapas. I sat in the last row windown seat – in my opinion the best seat in the house. Its relatively comfortable and you don’t have to move outta the way when someone behind you is getting off. Score. About five minutes into the ride, we picked up a woman carrying two babies – one across her arms, the other one walking. They sat in the row in front of me. Her children were super cute. I love kids, so most of them are super cute…..hmmm but then I noticed the little girl walking didn’t look too happy. She looked like she was mad at the world. “Its ok,” I thought to myself, “its tough being a kid.” I go back to starting out the window, headphones on, while making sure no creepy Mozambican guy starts chattin’ it up. Next thing I know I smell something FOUL. Like the type of smell that is damaging to your health. It wasn’t just a “normal” poop, it smelled like there was something else going in in there. Everybody in the chapa got rowdy, and started their “Eii…Ughh…Sheeeeiiii,” noises. The lil girl who didn’t look so happy apparently didn’t want anyone else this morning to be happy either – bc she decided to “number 2” ALL OVER the place. I felt bad for her, cuz ya know….she’s young, she probably couldn’t help it……but I was also worried about my lungs and what type of gastromic fumes were entering my body. Her mom started yelling at her, “What is wrong with you, eh!?” The girl started crying. (Awww poor baby.) It didn’t end there.
A couple of ppl were yelling at the mom and asked her why she let her baby do that. Yikes, well I don’t think she asked her daughter,”pls go poopy on the chapa” this morning. The poor mom was doing everything she could to clean up the girl, but it literally covered half the third row. Her mom picked her up, and that’s when the fumes hit us HARD. I almost gagged, and at the same time I felt so bad for this lil girl though. I did, however, wanted to get outta this chapa asap, but we were only halfway there…..and I didn’t wanna pay again, so I breathed in and out of the window, making sure the breeze from the ride hit my face. When my stop came up, I literally ran out of the chapa……ANYTHING is possible in Mozambique.
A couple of ppl were yelling at the mom and asked her why she let her baby do that. Yikes, well I don’t think she asked her daughter,”pls go poopy on the chapa” this morning. The poor mom was doing everything she could to clean up the girl, but it literally covered half the third row. Her mom picked her up, and that’s when the fumes hit us HARD. I almost gagged, and at the same time I felt so bad for this lil girl though. I did, however, wanted to get outta this chapa asap, but we were only halfway there…..and I didn’t wanna pay again, so I breathed in and out of the window, making sure the breeze from the ride hit my face. When my stop came up, I literally ran out of the chapa……ANYTHING is possible in Mozambique.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
GHANA!
September 2010
The Journey toward home away from home….
I could almost make a book about all the events that led up to all the events before boarding the plane to Ghana. Let’s just say that everything happens for a reason and God is truly always on my side! I arrived in South Africa a day before my flight and spent the night in a cute lil guesthouse right by the airport. Not only did I get a private ride to the guesthouse, I paid LESS than half the price for one room. Why, do you ask? I don’t know. They treated me like a queen. Then it was the next morning and I checked into my flight and was in the best of moods. My flight wasn’t until evening at 6pm, so I enjoyed walking around SA with one of my friends and getting a look at Joburg for a bit before heading out. And the BEST part of hanging around Joburg was EATING MCDONALDS. I hate mcdonalds in the states, but when y've been living in Africa for a year and havent tasted a greasy burger n fries, YOU GO BIG. Before I knew it, it was time to catch my flight. I haven’t been to Ghana in almost 3 years, and after unnecessary delays and disturbances, I was more than ready for this vacation! And everything went the way it should’ve.
It was nice to see my family and see friends that I haven’t seen in awhile! Family makes a world of difference when you need ppl to be there for you. I stayed at my Uncle’s house, and had a nice room and bathroom to myself. I love staying with my Uncle bc he’s the cool one! Unlike my other Aunts, he doesn’t treat me like Im 14 lol, and he acknowledges that Im an adult. Every morning he and I would have breakfast together – which was nice. Some mornings he’d talk about random things – family history, fun things about Ghana, and how he and his brothers used to shoot boomerangs when he was little. And its so nice to just sit and listen to him tell his stories. Trust me folks, take advantage of talking with your family! They have so much knowledge and experiences to learn from. Speaking of which – I learned that my Grandfather’s parents spoke Portuguese! What a coincidence. My Uncle wasn’t sure of the country they were from, but he thinks its Cape Verde or Angola. How cool is that? I’m hoping one day I get a chance to meet them, then I can have someone to speak Portuguese with.
Besides hanging out with the family – eating dinners, going to church, and prancing around town – I was also excited to see some friends, and hang out with my favorite cousins. My family is in Accra, but I also went to Kumasi for a bit as well. It was wonderful, and the FOOD was even better. I miss Ghanaian food the most here in Mozambique. Food here doesn’t even compare to back home. If you ask my Uncle he’ll tell you I don’t eat enough, but I beg to differ. One thing about Ghana – YOU GET SERVED WAY TOO MUCH FOOD at once Im 125 pound girl, and while I love to go hard on a meal, I cannot however eat a 3 person serving. My Uncle would get mad if I didn’t finish…..ahh memories. So I had to tell my Uncle to tell the cook to PLEASE serve less. Oh and there’s this amazing drink “alvaro” I think is how you spell it, with different flavors. Its addicting. Best thing since lemon Fanta. And I also relaxed n chillaxed on the beach, had some drinks, and of course did some dancing. In my perfect world I’d go dancing on the beach everynight.
I remember before boarding the plane that I immediately didn’t feel an ounce of stress. I had a rough start to Peace Corps, and well, this vacation was long overdue. And funny thing is, I was at peace while I was home. Of course there was the random cases of diarrhea due to overeating and ordering sides of Shito and hot “peppa,” but overall I was happy. I woke up every morning not having to worry about the issues in Mozambique. I got to eat anything I wanted, go wherever I wanted to go. I didn’t have any awkward Mozambican drunk men moments, and BEST PART OF ALL – I didn’t have to take a chapa to get anywhere! I haaate chapas (in Ghana they’re called tro tros) and everytime I sat in a taxi or in the backseat of my Aunt’s hot ride – I laughed at the ppl sitting in them. Is that mean? I think I deserved to amuse myself considering taking a chapa here is the most hot mess experience one could ever have. But at least in Ghana they ONLY sit THREE ppl to a row, and NO ONE has to stand! Can you imagine what that’s like? Here is Mozambique they’d put three people on the roof tied around a rope if they could. Anyway, point is, I was happy face. I felt wanted by friends and family, and I felt like they all supported me. Im not super close with everyone in my family, but just having them all around felt good. Growing up me and my brothers never really had a “big” family, and so for me to continuously get to visit them in gh was nice……and then…..I came back lol.
But I will return very soon…..Ghana needs me ;)
The Journey toward home away from home….
I could almost make a book about all the events that led up to all the events before boarding the plane to Ghana. Let’s just say that everything happens for a reason and God is truly always on my side! I arrived in South Africa a day before my flight and spent the night in a cute lil guesthouse right by the airport. Not only did I get a private ride to the guesthouse, I paid LESS than half the price for one room. Why, do you ask? I don’t know. They treated me like a queen. Then it was the next morning and I checked into my flight and was in the best of moods. My flight wasn’t until evening at 6pm, so I enjoyed walking around SA with one of my friends and getting a look at Joburg for a bit before heading out. And the BEST part of hanging around Joburg was EATING MCDONALDS. I hate mcdonalds in the states, but when y've been living in Africa for a year and havent tasted a greasy burger n fries, YOU GO BIG. Before I knew it, it was time to catch my flight. I haven’t been to Ghana in almost 3 years, and after unnecessary delays and disturbances, I was more than ready for this vacation! And everything went the way it should’ve.
It was nice to see my family and see friends that I haven’t seen in awhile! Family makes a world of difference when you need ppl to be there for you. I stayed at my Uncle’s house, and had a nice room and bathroom to myself. I love staying with my Uncle bc he’s the cool one! Unlike my other Aunts, he doesn’t treat me like Im 14 lol, and he acknowledges that Im an adult. Every morning he and I would have breakfast together – which was nice. Some mornings he’d talk about random things – family history, fun things about Ghana, and how he and his brothers used to shoot boomerangs when he was little. And its so nice to just sit and listen to him tell his stories. Trust me folks, take advantage of talking with your family! They have so much knowledge and experiences to learn from. Speaking of which – I learned that my Grandfather’s parents spoke Portuguese! What a coincidence. My Uncle wasn’t sure of the country they were from, but he thinks its Cape Verde or Angola. How cool is that? I’m hoping one day I get a chance to meet them, then I can have someone to speak Portuguese with.
Besides hanging out with the family – eating dinners, going to church, and prancing around town – I was also excited to see some friends, and hang out with my favorite cousins. My family is in Accra, but I also went to Kumasi for a bit as well. It was wonderful, and the FOOD was even better. I miss Ghanaian food the most here in Mozambique. Food here doesn’t even compare to back home. If you ask my Uncle he’ll tell you I don’t eat enough, but I beg to differ. One thing about Ghana – YOU GET SERVED WAY TOO MUCH FOOD at once Im 125 pound girl, and while I love to go hard on a meal, I cannot however eat a 3 person serving. My Uncle would get mad if I didn’t finish…..ahh memories. So I had to tell my Uncle to tell the cook to PLEASE serve less. Oh and there’s this amazing drink “alvaro” I think is how you spell it, with different flavors. Its addicting. Best thing since lemon Fanta. And I also relaxed n chillaxed on the beach, had some drinks, and of course did some dancing. In my perfect world I’d go dancing on the beach everynight.
I remember before boarding the plane that I immediately didn’t feel an ounce of stress. I had a rough start to Peace Corps, and well, this vacation was long overdue. And funny thing is, I was at peace while I was home. Of course there was the random cases of diarrhea due to overeating and ordering sides of Shito and hot “peppa,” but overall I was happy. I woke up every morning not having to worry about the issues in Mozambique. I got to eat anything I wanted, go wherever I wanted to go. I didn’t have any awkward Mozambican drunk men moments, and BEST PART OF ALL – I didn’t have to take a chapa to get anywhere! I haaate chapas (in Ghana they’re called tro tros) and everytime I sat in a taxi or in the backseat of my Aunt’s hot ride – I laughed at the ppl sitting in them. Is that mean? I think I deserved to amuse myself considering taking a chapa here is the most hot mess experience one could ever have. But at least in Ghana they ONLY sit THREE ppl to a row, and NO ONE has to stand! Can you imagine what that’s like? Here is Mozambique they’d put three people on the roof tied around a rope if they could. Anyway, point is, I was happy face. I felt wanted by friends and family, and I felt like they all supported me. Im not super close with everyone in my family, but just having them all around felt good. Growing up me and my brothers never really had a “big” family, and so for me to continuously get to visit them in gh was nice……and then…..I came back lol.
But I will return very soon…..Ghana needs me ;)
This is the “let’s catch up” blog
July – August
I believe the last time I had the pleasure of writing to you about my life’s adventures was about three or four months ago! YIKES! Writers block much? My fans have been wondering where I’ve been so I have I owe you all some major updates!!!
Things have been kind of crazy since the last time we met, and my experience thus far has been night and day! I’ve been living here in Mozambique for a year and a month, and time has flown by! I can barely believe it myself. Things have changed, I have changed, and well…..I’m feelin’ good. Its been a crazy past almost-year,….. Let me catch you up since June…..
End of June…..Sunshowers so to speak.....
We left off around the 11th of June, and trying to remember what has happened in pc since then has been a lil fuzzy. The rest of June was kind of one big blur that leaded to a series of emotional rollercoasters and a heavy addiction to watching seasons 1 and 2 of Modern Family. The main cause of all of this was lack of work and feeling like this whole thing was somewhat pointless. Now we’ve talked about how my organization has no real work for me to do before, and how it’s been a struggle for me since I got here. For a second, I thought everything that was going wrong with work was somehow my fault, but then I said to myself, “this cant be me.” I was really at the point where I felt like enough is enough! I’ve sat at my org every day and done little next to nothing, and for some reason my boss was ok with that. It hindsight its very hard to stay at a place when you feel unproductive, and useless. I have other projects and outside work that I do which make me feel good about site, but there was still an issue with the org. So I started to involve PC Staff in my issue, to let them know what was going on at my site. The response I received was two fold – on one hand I was told to venture out to other work in the community and focus on outside projects. On the other, I was told to “make it work.” Well I liked the first hand better, and I didn’t know what “make it work” meant.
I try to take everything with a grain of salt. So getting back to the reflection stage – I decided to talk to the previous volunteer before me, to ask him about things that were bothering me about work and this org. He told me that unfortunately, yes, I’d have a harder time at “integrating” than he did because of the issues of gender and race. He also said he as well struggled a lil bit with our org in terms of work – and it took him about a year and a half to start “digging into” the job. That part made me feel a lot better, because then I was certain that it wasn’t just me! Then he told me that my org asks for a volunteer because 1. It’s a status symbol and they try and make themselves look good, and 2. They think I’m going to do big projects and bring in lots of money-which I won’t. He advised me to hang in there, that we’ve all had those moments of wanting to leave, and to take things one day at a time. So while I sat, munching on grapefruits and granola, I thought about everything – about how I could turn a negative into a positive. There is something about Mozambique and about having this experience, that made me not want to give up quite yet. Truth be told- I’m still not a huge fan of my org – but there were other things and people that kept me here – mainly my amazing REDES girls. They look up to me, so I thought about what would happen to me if I left without getting the chance to work with them just a lil while longer. Yet still, July was definitely a month of stress…..and it was also a busy month with 2 conferences, 1 training, and a hell of a lot of bad surprises…….shall we?
......
Its always nice to have a break away from site and see all the other volunteers in my group during conferences n stuff. We all get together, talk, laugh, chill, talk about mosquitos….but it was hard for me to stay focused during July. My body was physically present during these events, but my mind was far……faaaaar away. I’ll tell you why.
Training 1- REDES. During July14-17th there was a REDES meeting to prepare for the upcoming conference that took place in Barra, Inhambane, a small group of about 8 volunteers. (Redes – Raparigas em Desenvolvimento, Educação e Saúde – is a girl’s development group and one of my secondary projects) Even though I was already stressed about lack of work at site, and other non-important drama that encircles my day to day life, I was actually looking forward to spending a few days in Maputo and hanging out with some peeps. It was a short time period, but the first two days went by just fine. Everyone participated in the agenda and plans for the girls, and it felt good to have a positive distraction. And then right when the sunshine spreads its rays, a damn rain cloud comes bursting through outta nowhere! Sadly to say, my sweet, beautiful and favorite dog in the world, Pepper died in a bad car accident while I was away in Maputo.
(Moment of silence………….) Long story short, someone entered my house, stole my food,and my dog followed after him all the way to the main road. Apparently a car came down the road, hit Pepper, and he died three hours later. I could go into detail about what I thought happened, or what people told me happened, but I wasn’t there and don’t even want to think about if something else happened that night too. Anyways I was so upset. Not only was he a rare looking dog – all black with brown spots, clean, healthy, and smart- he was also my security. Its already tough sleeping alone at night in a creepy house with rats, crickets, and occasional tarantulas, but its even worse when your “guard” isn’t laying outside your doorstep anymore. Some of you reading this probably think its silly to cry and be upset over a dog, but it was a big deal. I couldn’t’ really talk to the guy about the incident in detail, but I had to suck up the tears, filter my face, and go back in the conference room. It was at that moment though, that I wanted to just go back to the hotel room, eat some ice cream, and be alone.
When the REDES conference over, I went home, checked on my house, and unpack and repack for the most dreaded conference I was not looking forward to – PDM – Project…development…..i don’t know, something. Not only was I not in the mood for this, but I didn’t want to go to because you needed to bring a counterpart –and mine bailed out a week before. But I found a replacement at the last minute. I only had 2 days in between Redes and PDM, so I was tired and ms.crankypants. But I made through it!
Last trip away from site – mid-August PSN Training (Peer Support Network). Ok, so this one I actually loved. So PSN is a group of volunteers who are peers to trainees and other volunteers. Kind of like a buddy system type thing. Its actually ironic that I out of all people who applied, got chosen for this, because even though I seemed like I could handle everything, I myself felt like at times I needed someone to talk to. But as it turned out I got in, I was just happy I did. And believe it or not, being a new PSN actually was my therapy and my way to deal with my own emotions. A few people told me, “oh yea, you’d be perfect for psn…..that’s so you,” and I thought, maybe you’re right. Why not? And I absolutely love the new group of volunteers that have recently arrived at their sites. I’ve met most of them, and seeing a new group come into Mozambique has actually gave me more motivation, and then I thought about how I was when I first came here. I’m talking like a grandmother haha, but it’s the truth. Its been a lil over a year that I arrived here looking like a lost puppy not knowing what the heck was about to happen – but if I made it this far, who or what is going to stop me from going further? So……..further I went….
I believe the last time I had the pleasure of writing to you about my life’s adventures was about three or four months ago! YIKES! Writers block much? My fans have been wondering where I’ve been so I have I owe you all some major updates!!!
Things have been kind of crazy since the last time we met, and my experience thus far has been night and day! I’ve been living here in Mozambique for a year and a month, and time has flown by! I can barely believe it myself. Things have changed, I have changed, and well…..I’m feelin’ good. Its been a crazy past almost-year,….. Let me catch you up since June…..
End of June…..Sunshowers so to speak.....
We left off around the 11th of June, and trying to remember what has happened in pc since then has been a lil fuzzy. The rest of June was kind of one big blur that leaded to a series of emotional rollercoasters and a heavy addiction to watching seasons 1 and 2 of Modern Family. The main cause of all of this was lack of work and feeling like this whole thing was somewhat pointless. Now we’ve talked about how my organization has no real work for me to do before, and how it’s been a struggle for me since I got here. For a second, I thought everything that was going wrong with work was somehow my fault, but then I said to myself, “this cant be me.” I was really at the point where I felt like enough is enough! I’ve sat at my org every day and done little next to nothing, and for some reason my boss was ok with that. It hindsight its very hard to stay at a place when you feel unproductive, and useless. I have other projects and outside work that I do which make me feel good about site, but there was still an issue with the org. So I started to involve PC Staff in my issue, to let them know what was going on at my site. The response I received was two fold – on one hand I was told to venture out to other work in the community and focus on outside projects. On the other, I was told to “make it work.” Well I liked the first hand better, and I didn’t know what “make it work” meant.
I try to take everything with a grain of salt. So getting back to the reflection stage – I decided to talk to the previous volunteer before me, to ask him about things that were bothering me about work and this org. He told me that unfortunately, yes, I’d have a harder time at “integrating” than he did because of the issues of gender and race. He also said he as well struggled a lil bit with our org in terms of work – and it took him about a year and a half to start “digging into” the job. That part made me feel a lot better, because then I was certain that it wasn’t just me! Then he told me that my org asks for a volunteer because 1. It’s a status symbol and they try and make themselves look good, and 2. They think I’m going to do big projects and bring in lots of money-which I won’t. He advised me to hang in there, that we’ve all had those moments of wanting to leave, and to take things one day at a time. So while I sat, munching on grapefruits and granola, I thought about everything – about how I could turn a negative into a positive. There is something about Mozambique and about having this experience, that made me not want to give up quite yet. Truth be told- I’m still not a huge fan of my org – but there were other things and people that kept me here – mainly my amazing REDES girls. They look up to me, so I thought about what would happen to me if I left without getting the chance to work with them just a lil while longer. Yet still, July was definitely a month of stress…..and it was also a busy month with 2 conferences, 1 training, and a hell of a lot of bad surprises…….shall we?
......
Its always nice to have a break away from site and see all the other volunteers in my group during conferences n stuff. We all get together, talk, laugh, chill, talk about mosquitos….but it was hard for me to stay focused during July. My body was physically present during these events, but my mind was far……faaaaar away. I’ll tell you why.
Training 1- REDES. During July14-17th there was a REDES meeting to prepare for the upcoming conference that took place in Barra, Inhambane, a small group of about 8 volunteers. (Redes – Raparigas em Desenvolvimento, Educação e Saúde – is a girl’s development group and one of my secondary projects) Even though I was already stressed about lack of work at site, and other non-important drama that encircles my day to day life, I was actually looking forward to spending a few days in Maputo and hanging out with some peeps. It was a short time period, but the first two days went by just fine. Everyone participated in the agenda and plans for the girls, and it felt good to have a positive distraction. And then right when the sunshine spreads its rays, a damn rain cloud comes bursting through outta nowhere! Sadly to say, my sweet, beautiful and favorite dog in the world, Pepper died in a bad car accident while I was away in Maputo.
(Moment of silence………….) Long story short, someone entered my house, stole my food,and my dog followed after him all the way to the main road. Apparently a car came down the road, hit Pepper, and he died three hours later. I could go into detail about what I thought happened, or what people told me happened, but I wasn’t there and don’t even want to think about if something else happened that night too. Anyways I was so upset. Not only was he a rare looking dog – all black with brown spots, clean, healthy, and smart- he was also my security. Its already tough sleeping alone at night in a creepy house with rats, crickets, and occasional tarantulas, but its even worse when your “guard” isn’t laying outside your doorstep anymore. Some of you reading this probably think its silly to cry and be upset over a dog, but it was a big deal. I couldn’t’ really talk to the guy about the incident in detail, but I had to suck up the tears, filter my face, and go back in the conference room. It was at that moment though, that I wanted to just go back to the hotel room, eat some ice cream, and be alone.
When the REDES conference over, I went home, checked on my house, and unpack and repack for the most dreaded conference I was not looking forward to – PDM – Project…development…..i don’t know, something. Not only was I not in the mood for this, but I didn’t want to go to because you needed to bring a counterpart –and mine bailed out a week before. But I found a replacement at the last minute. I only had 2 days in between Redes and PDM, so I was tired and ms.crankypants. But I made through it!
Last trip away from site – mid-August PSN Training (Peer Support Network). Ok, so this one I actually loved. So PSN is a group of volunteers who are peers to trainees and other volunteers. Kind of like a buddy system type thing. Its actually ironic that I out of all people who applied, got chosen for this, because even though I seemed like I could handle everything, I myself felt like at times I needed someone to talk to. But as it turned out I got in, I was just happy I did. And believe it or not, being a new PSN actually was my therapy and my way to deal with my own emotions. A few people told me, “oh yea, you’d be perfect for psn…..that’s so you,” and I thought, maybe you’re right. Why not? And I absolutely love the new group of volunteers that have recently arrived at their sites. I’ve met most of them, and seeing a new group come into Mozambique has actually gave me more motivation, and then I thought about how I was when I first came here. I’m talking like a grandmother haha, but it’s the truth. Its been a lil over a year that I arrived here looking like a lost puppy not knowing what the heck was about to happen – but if I made it this far, who or what is going to stop me from going further? So……..further I went….
Friday, June 17, 2011
Stepping outside for a swim
Sometimes we have problems. Problems that need to be solved by taking a step back and taking a moment to assess the situation. My organization is a CBO (Community based organization) and I have been trying to find my role there for quite some time. Its been about 8 months and I've still been trying to push my org in a new direction - but sometimes this doesnt work. The problem with my org, is they are used to the volunteers just being there....sitting around....maybe doing a project, maybe not. Well, I've explained to my boss at work that I didn't drop my life in the states to come to a country where my help wasn't wanted. Again, this is a common challenge that many volunteers face. So I've made the decision, along with the amazing help of Ilidio from the pc staff, that its better for me to venture out into the community and work on other projects in Chongoene. At first, I thought that this would be kind of like a slap in the face to my org, but then I thought about how frustrated I'd be sitting in an office and doing absolutely nothing. That isn't why I joined peace corps. So now, I have a new focus, new goals, and motivation. I will continue working with my REDES group (go to the fb page for more details!), going to the hospital, and helping out other organizations in Chongoene and Xai Xai that need my help. Its not only a way to stay productive, but also a way for me to feel good about what I'm doing. And yes, my boss will probably not like it that I'm doing work with other organizations, but that's something she will also have to accept. I'm not ready to just give up yet, my site has potential, and I am hoping things will turn out on a positive note.
There will be more updates to come, for now I need to roll out!
bjs.
There will be more updates to come, for now I need to roll out!
bjs.
Let's talk about a lil trip to the farm.....and how YOU can donate to my travel fund =)
The Rice Farm
I’ve never really been on a farm quite like this one. It was a really random day, and I was with Mallory and two other Mozambican friends. One of them was like, “I’m taking you guys to see something.” We’re like, “um ok.” Not too far off from where we live, there’s a farmland that is way behind a bunch of houses and buildings. I’m in the car, and the road seemed to get more bumpy as we went on. To my left, was a big white building where the Chinese live. I learned that they own one of the farms that we were about to see. My Mozambican friends weren’t too fond of the Chinese owners, might I add. They told me they sometimes beat the Mozambican workers, and treat them poorly. I just nodded and continued looking out the window…..not really sure what I was about to see. So we all get out the car and take a look at the view. “Wow,” I thought. This is a beautiful scenery. Apparently as far as my eyes could see was nothing but rice. Rice, rice and rice. Literally the biggest farmland of RICE I have ever seen. The guys start walking and me and Mal follow. It was a very narrow road with rice fields on both sides. We could see a few people in the distance working in the fields, and also saw a few small houses which the workers lived in. I actually was kind of in aww, because I actually felt like I wasn’t in Mozambique. I felt like I was in a storybook or something, one of those old plantation history books. We all just stood there for awhile, looked at some of the rice grains, and eventually found this young man who was willing to talk to us. My friend was asking him all sorts of questions, like “What time do you get up every morning? Who owns these fields? You have a family? How much do you get paid?” The man was willing to answer everything. He said he wakes up at 5am every morning, and stops working at 5pm. He explained in a very “careful” tone that the Chinese people own it, and a Mozambican man owns the other one. He has a family, 5 kids I think he said, and receives 1,000 meticas a month – which is about 27 usd. He didn’t elaborate on any of his answers, but was very nice to talk to us. Mal said to me, that sometimes she feels that Mozambicans will kind of sugar coat their answers bc she’s standing there. And she could be right. Maybe if her presence wasn’t there, he might talk to us differently. Afterall, on most days I’m a Mozambican, so it might have been easier to have a more in debt conversation with him. After we talked, my friend gave him 20mets, and told him to go buy bread for his family. The man happily accepted, and we continued on our walk.
Visiting this farm one time just wasn’t enough for me. I want to go back, and maybe talk to one of the Chinese farm owners. Do I have my own opinions about foreign influence in African countries? Absolutely. But what I want to do is learn more about it, and do so with an open mind. Its such an interesting place…..I felt something while I was there. So with that said, there is more to come next time I pay a visit to the rice fields. There’s a story there waiting to be written. Just wait….you’ll see.
BY THE WAY......Upcoming Travels!
Traveling is what I do. There’s so much to see around these parks, so I’m in the process of planning where I want to go and when. Here’s some of my ideas:
1. GHANA – yes that’s all in caps. I miss my family and friends. I hate to sound bias, but Ghana really is the best country in Africa, sorry Moz. I planned on going there in June, but time won’t allow it. So I’m planning to go 2nd week in August. I’ll have accumulated more vacation days, and its really windy and cold here in Moz during that month, so I figure it’s a perfect time to leave. To all my fans in Gh, don’t worry. I’m coming.
2. Sofala, Zambezia, and Tete! – Mozambique is HUGE, and so me and my bff Mallory have decided we want to do our best to see as much as we can! By the way, Mal is my left shoulder I lean on, oh, and Caitlin is my right. Without those two I would crumble ;) Anyway, Mal is a GREAT writer, and she an I share that in common. So we plan on taking our pen n paper, computers, and cameras, and head out to other regions on Mozambique. First stop on the list is Gorongosa National Park! Mal and I signed up to help out another volunteer with her conservation project. There’s also a lot of wildlife and animals to see, so I’m looking forward to that. Then, we plan on visiting other regions. Mal doesn’t want to go to “touristy” places….I think she’s all about the matu (farm) areas, but I’m hoping to convince her we’ll do a lil bit of both.
3. Tanzania!! – Just the name, Tanzania, gives me the chills. I have heard so many great things about it,that it’s a MUST that I go there, and I get to practice my Swahili! What I really want to do in Tanzania is see their beaches, and eat their amazing food. I love to eat. I also want to learn how to dance their traditional dances there. Give me a cute dancing outfit, some drums, and a crowd, and I’m good to go. Yay for Tanz.
4. Botswana! – Mal and I reeaaaallly want to go to Botswana. Apparently its one of the most amazing South African countries, so we’re going there to investigate. I’m hoping we find a good story to write about there, Bots is an interesting place, and I’d love to visit there. If Mal and I are lucky, we can make it before the end of this year.
5. Cape Town and Jo’burg! – So surprisingly I’m not that excited over South Africa – I feel like I meet enough South Africans here in Moz lol, BUT, I want to meet Nelson Mandela and talk to him for 5 minutes. (Oh what, you think its not possible? It so is.) Despite my reservations about SA, I’d love to see what the hype is all about. I do want to see the “Americanized,” places, but also the neighborhoods that people don’t talk about. I want to meet new people, talk to families, and learn something new that I didn’t know before. Plus, if I’m lucky, Mandela will ask me to stay there and become one of his personal writers.
That’s all that’s on the radar for now – so I’ll keep you posted. And please if you’d like to donate to the “Naa wants to travel” fund, that is a-okay with me!
I’ve never really been on a farm quite like this one. It was a really random day, and I was with Mallory and two other Mozambican friends. One of them was like, “I’m taking you guys to see something.” We’re like, “um ok.” Not too far off from where we live, there’s a farmland that is way behind a bunch of houses and buildings. I’m in the car, and the road seemed to get more bumpy as we went on. To my left, was a big white building where the Chinese live. I learned that they own one of the farms that we were about to see. My Mozambican friends weren’t too fond of the Chinese owners, might I add. They told me they sometimes beat the Mozambican workers, and treat them poorly. I just nodded and continued looking out the window…..not really sure what I was about to see. So we all get out the car and take a look at the view. “Wow,” I thought. This is a beautiful scenery. Apparently as far as my eyes could see was nothing but rice. Rice, rice and rice. Literally the biggest farmland of RICE I have ever seen. The guys start walking and me and Mal follow. It was a very narrow road with rice fields on both sides. We could see a few people in the distance working in the fields, and also saw a few small houses which the workers lived in. I actually was kind of in aww, because I actually felt like I wasn’t in Mozambique. I felt like I was in a storybook or something, one of those old plantation history books. We all just stood there for awhile, looked at some of the rice grains, and eventually found this young man who was willing to talk to us. My friend was asking him all sorts of questions, like “What time do you get up every morning? Who owns these fields? You have a family? How much do you get paid?” The man was willing to answer everything. He said he wakes up at 5am every morning, and stops working at 5pm. He explained in a very “careful” tone that the Chinese people own it, and a Mozambican man owns the other one. He has a family, 5 kids I think he said, and receives 1,000 meticas a month – which is about 27 usd. He didn’t elaborate on any of his answers, but was very nice to talk to us. Mal said to me, that sometimes she feels that Mozambicans will kind of sugar coat their answers bc she’s standing there. And she could be right. Maybe if her presence wasn’t there, he might talk to us differently. Afterall, on most days I’m a Mozambican, so it might have been easier to have a more in debt conversation with him. After we talked, my friend gave him 20mets, and told him to go buy bread for his family. The man happily accepted, and we continued on our walk.
Visiting this farm one time just wasn’t enough for me. I want to go back, and maybe talk to one of the Chinese farm owners. Do I have my own opinions about foreign influence in African countries? Absolutely. But what I want to do is learn more about it, and do so with an open mind. Its such an interesting place…..I felt something while I was there. So with that said, there is more to come next time I pay a visit to the rice fields. There’s a story there waiting to be written. Just wait….you’ll see.
BY THE WAY......Upcoming Travels!
Traveling is what I do. There’s so much to see around these parks, so I’m in the process of planning where I want to go and when. Here’s some of my ideas:
1. GHANA – yes that’s all in caps. I miss my family and friends. I hate to sound bias, but Ghana really is the best country in Africa, sorry Moz. I planned on going there in June, but time won’t allow it. So I’m planning to go 2nd week in August. I’ll have accumulated more vacation days, and its really windy and cold here in Moz during that month, so I figure it’s a perfect time to leave. To all my fans in Gh, don’t worry. I’m coming.
2. Sofala, Zambezia, and Tete! – Mozambique is HUGE, and so me and my bff Mallory have decided we want to do our best to see as much as we can! By the way, Mal is my left shoulder I lean on, oh, and Caitlin is my right. Without those two I would crumble ;) Anyway, Mal is a GREAT writer, and she an I share that in common. So we plan on taking our pen n paper, computers, and cameras, and head out to other regions on Mozambique. First stop on the list is Gorongosa National Park! Mal and I signed up to help out another volunteer with her conservation project. There’s also a lot of wildlife and animals to see, so I’m looking forward to that. Then, we plan on visiting other regions. Mal doesn’t want to go to “touristy” places….I think she’s all about the matu (farm) areas, but I’m hoping to convince her we’ll do a lil bit of both.
3. Tanzania!! – Just the name, Tanzania, gives me the chills. I have heard so many great things about it,that it’s a MUST that I go there, and I get to practice my Swahili! What I really want to do in Tanzania is see their beaches, and eat their amazing food. I love to eat. I also want to learn how to dance their traditional dances there. Give me a cute dancing outfit, some drums, and a crowd, and I’m good to go. Yay for Tanz.
4. Botswana! – Mal and I reeaaaallly want to go to Botswana. Apparently its one of the most amazing South African countries, so we’re going there to investigate. I’m hoping we find a good story to write about there, Bots is an interesting place, and I’d love to visit there. If Mal and I are lucky, we can make it before the end of this year.
5. Cape Town and Jo’burg! – So surprisingly I’m not that excited over South Africa – I feel like I meet enough South Africans here in Moz lol, BUT, I want to meet Nelson Mandela and talk to him for 5 minutes. (Oh what, you think its not possible? It so is.) Despite my reservations about SA, I’d love to see what the hype is all about. I do want to see the “Americanized,” places, but also the neighborhoods that people don’t talk about. I want to meet new people, talk to families, and learn something new that I didn’t know before. Plus, if I’m lucky, Mandela will ask me to stay there and become one of his personal writers.
That’s all that’s on the radar for now – so I’ll keep you posted. And please if you’d like to donate to the “Naa wants to travel” fund, that is a-okay with me!
Monday, May 16, 2011
It's not all sun and roses....
Safety in Mozambique is the most important thing to me. So when this incident happened a few weeks ago, I was a little bit scared, annoyed, and frustrated. I'll leave the minor details out, but I was walking down the street around 11:15am on my way to the store. I had just gotten off a three hour chapa ride from Maputo and just wanted to get home and relax. I was already irritable because sitting in a chapa for 3 hours isn't a fun experience. Anyways, there's this crazy woman who lives in Xai Xai, or better use of words, she's mentally ill. I think she's a bit schizophrenic, but she's always angry and cussing people out. I saw her up the street and took more caution than usual because she was giving me "the eye." I don't know why she chose me, but she made some gesture at me, then decided to push me against a pole and slap me across the face. I screamed - bc that was just my first reaction - and I immediately started bleeding. She just kept on walking, and a police officer who saw the whole thing, also decided to do the same. Interesting. Glad he helped. Anyway, in the midst of some people laughing, some staring, I went across the street to the pharmacy to get something to stop the bleeding on the left side. I then called my friend Mal to come and meet me bc I needed someone to calm me down. Let me tell you, I wanted to hit somebody - mainly bc nobody in the streets, especially Mr. Policeman, didn't seem to care. Anyway, Mal showed up, we went to file a police report (which was pointless bc police here don't do anything about mentally ill people), and then I went home. I couldn't understand why I was so angry. surprisingly I wasn't angry at the woman bc she couldn't really help what she did - I mean she's mentally ill, but I was upset at the people and how the officer reacted at the police station. its amazing how nobody here cares about crazy Jane and Joe that walk the streets who say and do anything they please. What if that lady hit me with a weapon, or used a knife or something? We think things like this can't happen to us, but they do. I was thankful it wasn't worse than it was. At least she only used her hands.
Anyway, the point of this story is to let anyone know who's reading this and living and working in an environment different than their own - always, always keep guard. I felt I was pretty cautious, but I guess there was nothing I could've done to avoid the situation. Mozambique can be dangerous, depending on where you are and who you're with. I never walk alone at night, never take a chapa alone at night, and am usually always with a friend when I'm walking around the city. Its unfortunate that the police feel they can't do anything to Jane. They say to me, "What do you want us to do. She's mad." For all of you in the states, you're very lucky that if anything like this happened to you, you'd have somewhere to go. For example, back home we have mental hospitals, and while there are some here in Moz in the capital, Maputo, I don't live there. So its a problem when I try to express to the police here that its dangerous for these people to be on the street. Unfortunately they don't understand.
So I've become more irritable here, and I realize that even if its broad daylight I could be in danger. I don't want to scare anyone either, but don't worry. I'm fine now. Today is another day, and well, I'm still here.
Fica bem.
Anyway, the point of this story is to let anyone know who's reading this and living and working in an environment different than their own - always, always keep guard. I felt I was pretty cautious, but I guess there was nothing I could've done to avoid the situation. Mozambique can be dangerous, depending on where you are and who you're with. I never walk alone at night, never take a chapa alone at night, and am usually always with a friend when I'm walking around the city. Its unfortunate that the police feel they can't do anything to Jane. They say to me, "What do you want us to do. She's mad." For all of you in the states, you're very lucky that if anything like this happened to you, you'd have somewhere to go. For example, back home we have mental hospitals, and while there are some here in Moz in the capital, Maputo, I don't live there. So its a problem when I try to express to the police here that its dangerous for these people to be on the street. Unfortunately they don't understand.
So I've become more irritable here, and I realize that even if its broad daylight I could be in danger. I don't want to scare anyone either, but don't worry. I'm fine now. Today is another day, and well, I'm still here.
Fica bem.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Flyin' High, Needles, and Baby Fizz
Spreading my Wings
I think I have finally found my role here at work, (which means going out to find work bc things move slooooooow here) and also becoming more integrated in my community – all thanks to my new friends, called patience and more patience. Sometimes there are so many lil small things I can think of that make me irritated, unhappy, or just plain upset – but I have learned to find the positive and beautiful things here in Chongoene. Slowly I think I’m developing into someone or something……who really knows, but the most important part is that I am making the most out of everyday here – and already realizing that time is flllyyyyying by. I cant believe its already been a lil over 6 months – but I’m happy I want to stay and experience more.
I talked a lil bit about my work before and how things were “picking up,” but its gotten even better since then. I have started going to the local hospital here in Chongoene, which is…..well I’ll talk about that a bit down the page, and also am working hard to get my REDES (Raparigas em Desenvolvimento Educacao e Saude) group together at the primary school. It’s a group for young girls that promotes awareness of health issues – such as HIV/SIDA and family planning. I love working with girls – but only the younger ones. Let me tell you, those teenage girls here are a hot mess sometimes – everywhere in the world there’s that group of petty teenage girls, when on any given day I could slap one of them lol. You get my drift, ne? Its easier to work with younger girls, because they listen and they are easier to work with and teach things to. So far I have 4 girls that are interested, so I’m working out the logistics with the Director of the School and hopefully (wish me luck) things will get underway.
Hospital
I work with a nurse, named Lurdrinha. She’s just about the craziest woman I have ever met in Mozambique, and absolutely love her. For the past few weeks I’ve just sat at the hospital and observed. Before I will say or suggest anything, I just like to “get to know” everyone and how everything works. Its better to just become familiar with the environment and comfortable with the people first – then I can start talking to them about why I’m really there and how I can help. So on Monday’s and Wednesday’s I help my friend, Antonio, with the program for teenagers at the hospital. They provide condoms and information that any teenager that comes to the hospital has. Its nice because Antonio himself is a teenager – so it makes it easier to work and talk with people his age. I was impressed at the resources they had – books of STD’s, loads of condoms for male AND female, contact information for the hospital in case of emergency, and more. It’s a very good program to have at a hospital, especially the condoms. Here you can’t just walk in a store in Chongoene and ask for a condom, because they’re not sold. My town is smaller than the next city over, and so things like condoms aren’t as accessible.
This past Monday I got to see Lurdrinha gives vaccines to babies – DTP and Hep B. Every mother here has a “Carto de Saude de Crianca,” a health record for the babies. One by one the names are called into the hospital waiting room – not a private room – and Lurdrinha tells the mothers to take off their babies diapers so that she can have room to shoot them up in the upper thy. The mothers do as instructed and then crazy Lurdrinha goes to work. The way she was giving them their shots was a lil hard to watch – first she’d take off the plastic off the syringe, squeeze in the medicine in the needle, then boom just like that. She did everything so fast….and so ……fast. Its like the mothers were in line getting a ticket or something and then walking away. One by one, shots were given, babies immediately started crying (awww they were so cute too), and the mothers left. The biggest thing I notied was that Lurdrinha didn’t clean the area first with alcohol, or put a bandaid on the area. I had asked one of my Mozambican friends if that was normal here, and his face dropped and said absolutely not. About 99% of hospitals clean the skin before giving the shot, but not at the hospitals in Chongoene. I wanted to say something the moment I saw it – but it wasn’t my place. I think today I will talk to the other doctor (since we’re like friends and all) and ask her instead of telling here what I think. “So before vaccines are given, are you supposed to clean the skin first or no?” something like that.
What I also noticed at the hospital was the lack of PRIVACY. I know I’m that American who lived in a totally different culture than this, but I literally got goosebumps at times. For example, the hospital is set up so that when you walk in there are 3 chairs in the waiting room (along with the table that I sit at along with Antonio and the other jovens). There’s a tv to watch but no one seems to look at that. Anyway, three people sit outside the room and wait to see the doctor. But the room that the patients enter is always open. When the doctor is speaking to the patient, ppl in the waiting room can hear most of what’s going on. Also when the patient is in the room, there’s other medical staff inside working or talking to other ppl/patients. Each person spends no more than 7 minutes with the doctor ( I was keeping time) and then they leave with a prescription. Everything just seemed so chaotic. I felt like I wasn’t really in a hospital. In my head I was thinking, How can a sick patient be thouroughly evaluated in 5 minutes? And how can the patient feel comfortable talking to the doctor when the whole waiting room and other people inside the room know your business? I’m sorry if I sound culturally insensitive – but I think no matter the culture or situation, every patient should feel comfortable and willing to visit the hospital. It should be an environment that’s safe and welcoming. Even the nurses and Lurdrinha, talk with no patience, one of the nurses never smiles and yells at people when they don’t move fast enough. My theory is – if the medical staff is walking around with an attitude and a cold shoulder – then the patients will feel that. Mozambican culture isn’t as “warm” as it might be to some of us back in the states, but its important that the medical staff cares about the people they’re helping. Most of the people that came in this past Monday, (Antonio told me) are HIV positive, or their babies have HIV. He knows the health history of the people in Chongoene well, but I was shocked when he told me. I never asked, but he says he knows who has “the virus.” It was sad hearing that, but its also the reality. Chongoene is a town of about 23,000 people, but I only know of a few people in my community that have HIV/AIDS. I sometimes think about how alarming the statistics are here, and constantly thinking about what I can do? We’re all trained to work with HIV people in our communities, but some days I get depressed when I see a 5 year old child that’s HIV positive. Or a young kid who is mentally retarded because his mother decided to drink beer while she was pregnant. Sometimes I want to scream, but I take it one day at a time and have learned to “speak the language they speak.” I talk to people in a way people can understand.
“Um…excuse me…..your baby…..um”
I remember one day at the beach, I saw this mother giving her baby Fizz – same thing as a can of Sprite – and I was feeling rowdy that day and said something to her.
“Excuse me, Senhora, does your baby like Fizz?”
she looked at me kinda weird with a smile and said, “sim.”
I said, “ok ta bom, but I think Fizz has too much sugar for a baby….how old is he?”
“4 months.”
“Ahhh ok, well I work with babies at the hospital and the doctor told me babies 0 – 6 months should only be drinking breast milk because its not good for the baby to drink soda too young. Maybe your baby will get sick….and that would not be good, yea?” (mind you I’m talking to her like she’s my galfriend, not trying to be one of those know-it-all foreign chicks)
Surprisingly she smiled and said, “Ahhhhh ok mana, yea I don’t want by baby to get sick, because if he does you will arrest me.” Haha…funniest thing that was ever said to me that day, but we both laughed. I’m hoping she didn’t think I was just joking around, but that she really took into consideration what I said. I see that a lot though – babies drinking sprite, eating fries and other bad food. And even just the way babies are handled in general makes me cringe! People here seem to want to carry a baby by one arm and just fling it across the room. (I’m not exaggerating) To me, my jaw drops a lil and I start staring at it, but people just laugh and say to me, “mana nana, que e problema?” Or the way people “play” with babies. They are really aggressive when the throw babies up in the air, and also aggressive when the babies start to cry. The dynamic sometimes…..not all the time…..is so “rough” between the baby and parent. Either I’m too sensitive when it comes to baby care, or Mozambicans are too rough. Hmmm, I don’t know. But at the end of the day, babies are the most precious things to me, so I try to accept the fact that no matter what I say, or what my reaction is, Mozambicans will still pick their children up by one arm, throw them in the air, throw them in the water at the beach (as if a baby can swim), and give them Fizz and fries for breakfast. It’s a process for an overprotective baby lover like me.
Speaking of babies....there's one screaming in this internet cafe, so I'll cut this one short.
Next time folks....bjs
I think I have finally found my role here at work, (which means going out to find work bc things move slooooooow here) and also becoming more integrated in my community – all thanks to my new friends, called patience and more patience. Sometimes there are so many lil small things I can think of that make me irritated, unhappy, or just plain upset – but I have learned to find the positive and beautiful things here in Chongoene. Slowly I think I’m developing into someone or something……who really knows, but the most important part is that I am making the most out of everyday here – and already realizing that time is flllyyyyying by. I cant believe its already been a lil over 6 months – but I’m happy I want to stay and experience more.
I talked a lil bit about my work before and how things were “picking up,” but its gotten even better since then. I have started going to the local hospital here in Chongoene, which is…..well I’ll talk about that a bit down the page, and also am working hard to get my REDES (Raparigas em Desenvolvimento Educacao e Saude) group together at the primary school. It’s a group for young girls that promotes awareness of health issues – such as HIV/SIDA and family planning. I love working with girls – but only the younger ones. Let me tell you, those teenage girls here are a hot mess sometimes – everywhere in the world there’s that group of petty teenage girls, when on any given day I could slap one of them lol. You get my drift, ne? Its easier to work with younger girls, because they listen and they are easier to work with and teach things to. So far I have 4 girls that are interested, so I’m working out the logistics with the Director of the School and hopefully (wish me luck) things will get underway.
Hospital
I work with a nurse, named Lurdrinha. She’s just about the craziest woman I have ever met in Mozambique, and absolutely love her. For the past few weeks I’ve just sat at the hospital and observed. Before I will say or suggest anything, I just like to “get to know” everyone and how everything works. Its better to just become familiar with the environment and comfortable with the people first – then I can start talking to them about why I’m really there and how I can help. So on Monday’s and Wednesday’s I help my friend, Antonio, with the program for teenagers at the hospital. They provide condoms and information that any teenager that comes to the hospital has. Its nice because Antonio himself is a teenager – so it makes it easier to work and talk with people his age. I was impressed at the resources they had – books of STD’s, loads of condoms for male AND female, contact information for the hospital in case of emergency, and more. It’s a very good program to have at a hospital, especially the condoms. Here you can’t just walk in a store in Chongoene and ask for a condom, because they’re not sold. My town is smaller than the next city over, and so things like condoms aren’t as accessible.
This past Monday I got to see Lurdrinha gives vaccines to babies – DTP and Hep B. Every mother here has a “Carto de Saude de Crianca,” a health record for the babies. One by one the names are called into the hospital waiting room – not a private room – and Lurdrinha tells the mothers to take off their babies diapers so that she can have room to shoot them up in the upper thy. The mothers do as instructed and then crazy Lurdrinha goes to work. The way she was giving them their shots was a lil hard to watch – first she’d take off the plastic off the syringe, squeeze in the medicine in the needle, then boom just like that. She did everything so fast….and so ……fast. Its like the mothers were in line getting a ticket or something and then walking away. One by one, shots were given, babies immediately started crying (awww they were so cute too), and the mothers left. The biggest thing I notied was that Lurdrinha didn’t clean the area first with alcohol, or put a bandaid on the area. I had asked one of my Mozambican friends if that was normal here, and his face dropped and said absolutely not. About 99% of hospitals clean the skin before giving the shot, but not at the hospitals in Chongoene. I wanted to say something the moment I saw it – but it wasn’t my place. I think today I will talk to the other doctor (since we’re like friends and all) and ask her instead of telling here what I think. “So before vaccines are given, are you supposed to clean the skin first or no?” something like that.
What I also noticed at the hospital was the lack of PRIVACY. I know I’m that American who lived in a totally different culture than this, but I literally got goosebumps at times. For example, the hospital is set up so that when you walk in there are 3 chairs in the waiting room (along with the table that I sit at along with Antonio and the other jovens). There’s a tv to watch but no one seems to look at that. Anyway, three people sit outside the room and wait to see the doctor. But the room that the patients enter is always open. When the doctor is speaking to the patient, ppl in the waiting room can hear most of what’s going on. Also when the patient is in the room, there’s other medical staff inside working or talking to other ppl/patients. Each person spends no more than 7 minutes with the doctor ( I was keeping time) and then they leave with a prescription. Everything just seemed so chaotic. I felt like I wasn’t really in a hospital. In my head I was thinking, How can a sick patient be thouroughly evaluated in 5 minutes? And how can the patient feel comfortable talking to the doctor when the whole waiting room and other people inside the room know your business? I’m sorry if I sound culturally insensitive – but I think no matter the culture or situation, every patient should feel comfortable and willing to visit the hospital. It should be an environment that’s safe and welcoming. Even the nurses and Lurdrinha, talk with no patience, one of the nurses never smiles and yells at people when they don’t move fast enough. My theory is – if the medical staff is walking around with an attitude and a cold shoulder – then the patients will feel that. Mozambican culture isn’t as “warm” as it might be to some of us back in the states, but its important that the medical staff cares about the people they’re helping. Most of the people that came in this past Monday, (Antonio told me) are HIV positive, or their babies have HIV. He knows the health history of the people in Chongoene well, but I was shocked when he told me. I never asked, but he says he knows who has “the virus.” It was sad hearing that, but its also the reality. Chongoene is a town of about 23,000 people, but I only know of a few people in my community that have HIV/AIDS. I sometimes think about how alarming the statistics are here, and constantly thinking about what I can do? We’re all trained to work with HIV people in our communities, but some days I get depressed when I see a 5 year old child that’s HIV positive. Or a young kid who is mentally retarded because his mother decided to drink beer while she was pregnant. Sometimes I want to scream, but I take it one day at a time and have learned to “speak the language they speak.” I talk to people in a way people can understand.
“Um…excuse me…..your baby…..um”
I remember one day at the beach, I saw this mother giving her baby Fizz – same thing as a can of Sprite – and I was feeling rowdy that day and said something to her.
“Excuse me, Senhora, does your baby like Fizz?”
she looked at me kinda weird with a smile and said, “sim.”
I said, “ok ta bom, but I think Fizz has too much sugar for a baby….how old is he?”
“4 months.”
“Ahhh ok, well I work with babies at the hospital and the doctor told me babies 0 – 6 months should only be drinking breast milk because its not good for the baby to drink soda too young. Maybe your baby will get sick….and that would not be good, yea?” (mind you I’m talking to her like she’s my galfriend, not trying to be one of those know-it-all foreign chicks)
Surprisingly she smiled and said, “Ahhhhh ok mana, yea I don’t want by baby to get sick, because if he does you will arrest me.” Haha…funniest thing that was ever said to me that day, but we both laughed. I’m hoping she didn’t think I was just joking around, but that she really took into consideration what I said. I see that a lot though – babies drinking sprite, eating fries and other bad food. And even just the way babies are handled in general makes me cringe! People here seem to want to carry a baby by one arm and just fling it across the room. (I’m not exaggerating) To me, my jaw drops a lil and I start staring at it, but people just laugh and say to me, “mana nana, que e problema?” Or the way people “play” with babies. They are really aggressive when the throw babies up in the air, and also aggressive when the babies start to cry. The dynamic sometimes…..not all the time…..is so “rough” between the baby and parent. Either I’m too sensitive when it comes to baby care, or Mozambicans are too rough. Hmmm, I don’t know. But at the end of the day, babies are the most precious things to me, so I try to accept the fact that no matter what I say, or what my reaction is, Mozambicans will still pick their children up by one arm, throw them in the air, throw them in the water at the beach (as if a baby can swim), and give them Fizz and fries for breakfast. It’s a process for an overprotective baby lover like me.
Speaking of babies....there's one screaming in this internet cafe, so I'll cut this one short.
Next time folks....bjs
Friday, April 22, 2011
BIG FISH
I.love.the.fish.market. I mean there are fish…..and then there are fiiiiish. A group of us headed over there one afternoon, and immediately became a bit overwhelmed. Once the vendors there see a group of Americans, they start yelling and rushing toward us trying to get us to buy their food. They really do have everything at the fish market – shrimp, lil fish, big fish, clams, like everything. I’m not a big seafood eater, but it was the first time I tried a piece of shrimp. It wasn’t like allll that but I kept on eating ‘em. I never say no to food. So anyway, the way it works is – you buy all the food you want, then go to the other side of the market where they have tables. You choose a table and have your food prepared. It’s a fun atmosphere – lil overwhelming if its your first time – but then you learn how things move. I’ve been there about 4 times now, and every time its something new, but ya know…I can’t complain! Once YOU come to visit me we’ll go there together
yummmy
I don't eat these but apparently they're amazing
us waiting patiently for our food....=)
and THAT's how we roll!
Random story
Mozambicans can be really nice – and I saw that on my chapa ride from Maputo back to Chongoene. So when the chapa driver stops at a busy “paragem” (stop) there’s people there selling snacks, bananas, and drinks. Me being the naturally always hungry girl, bought some cookies. I was sitting in the back row with three other young girls, and they wanted the same cookies I had……but I bought the last ones. I felt kinda bad, so I gave each of them two cookies. They were so happy, and just smiled at me. Ya know Nana loves the kids. About an hour goes by and I had taken a lil snooze, and right when I opened my eyes one of the girls says, “mana, queres comer?” – “sister, do you want to eat?” I mean she already had the plate with a chicken leg and pasta ready, so I happily said “obrigada” and ate it. It was just such a nice gesture, especially coming from kids that age. They were so sweet. So yes ppl – even though Mozambicans can get rowdy sometimes…there are some that really go the extra mile to lend a helping hand. And Im glad she did lend a hand bc I was dreaming about chicken anyway…..
What every American girl Needs in Moz
This is a list comprised of ideas from me and my hot mess friends living in moz. Take it from us – we know what every girl here needs!
1. Nail polish – they do sell it here but most of them don’t have OPI. So I mean definitely bring your favorite colors. When you first get to site most of you will have plenty of down time – so use that to paint your pretty toes.
2. Make up – I assume if you regularly wear make up you wouldn’t forget this one. Its important to have if you use it! Its hard to find make up unless you’re in Maputo or another big city
3. Jewelry – Don’t bring anything here that you wouldn’t cry about loosing – but definitely bring your favorite necklaces and bracelets, bc its what makes you, you! You don’t have to be as conservative as Peace Corps says you have to be – its really important you keep your personal style. No need to change who you are……walk the runway with pride.
4. Batteries – batteries……….
5. Leggings
6. Cute underwear – SOMEtimes its ok to wear the granny panties when you’re like hiking or something…..but its ok to wear your cute undies….you’ll feel good about it at the end of the day.
7. Leave in conditioner – (because Mona said so)
8. Tampons WITH the plastic applicator – PC doesn’t have those
9. Hair straightener – IF you have room, you’ll appreciate it.
10. Sports bras
11. A decent sized mirror – you will not find many mirrors here. They just aren’t used like that.
12. Eye brow pluckers
PACKAGES AND LETTERS
Ok this is just a QUCIK lil message to those back in America land – SEND ME STUFF. I know we all get busy and whatnot…..but imagine not having sunbelt granola bars, or sour patch kids, or a new journal to write it. And PPL I have down times on some days and would LOVE to read your letters. Some of you all don’t like writing letters but it means a lot to me….so pleeeeeeeeeeeease send more! And thank you to those who already have! Nana loves u.
yummmy
I don't eat these but apparently they're amazing
us waiting patiently for our food....=)
and THAT's how we roll!
Random story
Mozambicans can be really nice – and I saw that on my chapa ride from Maputo back to Chongoene. So when the chapa driver stops at a busy “paragem” (stop) there’s people there selling snacks, bananas, and drinks. Me being the naturally always hungry girl, bought some cookies. I was sitting in the back row with three other young girls, and they wanted the same cookies I had……but I bought the last ones. I felt kinda bad, so I gave each of them two cookies. They were so happy, and just smiled at me. Ya know Nana loves the kids. About an hour goes by and I had taken a lil snooze, and right when I opened my eyes one of the girls says, “mana, queres comer?” – “sister, do you want to eat?” I mean she already had the plate with a chicken leg and pasta ready, so I happily said “obrigada” and ate it. It was just such a nice gesture, especially coming from kids that age. They were so sweet. So yes ppl – even though Mozambicans can get rowdy sometimes…there are some that really go the extra mile to lend a helping hand. And Im glad she did lend a hand bc I was dreaming about chicken anyway…..
What every American girl Needs in Moz
This is a list comprised of ideas from me and my hot mess friends living in moz. Take it from us – we know what every girl here needs!
1. Nail polish – they do sell it here but most of them don’t have OPI. So I mean definitely bring your favorite colors. When you first get to site most of you will have plenty of down time – so use that to paint your pretty toes.
2. Make up – I assume if you regularly wear make up you wouldn’t forget this one. Its important to have if you use it! Its hard to find make up unless you’re in Maputo or another big city
3. Jewelry – Don’t bring anything here that you wouldn’t cry about loosing – but definitely bring your favorite necklaces and bracelets, bc its what makes you, you! You don’t have to be as conservative as Peace Corps says you have to be – its really important you keep your personal style. No need to change who you are……walk the runway with pride.
4. Batteries – batteries……….
5. Leggings
6. Cute underwear – SOMEtimes its ok to wear the granny panties when you’re like hiking or something…..but its ok to wear your cute undies….you’ll feel good about it at the end of the day.
7. Leave in conditioner – (because Mona said so)
8. Tampons WITH the plastic applicator – PC doesn’t have those
9. Hair straightener – IF you have room, you’ll appreciate it.
10. Sports bras
11. A decent sized mirror – you will not find many mirrors here. They just aren’t used like that.
12. Eye brow pluckers
PACKAGES AND LETTERS
Ok this is just a QUCIK lil message to those back in America land – SEND ME STUFF. I know we all get busy and whatnot…..but imagine not having sunbelt granola bars, or sour patch kids, or a new journal to write it. And PPL I have down times on some days and would LOVE to read your letters. Some of you all don’t like writing letters but it means a lot to me….so pleeeeeeeeeeeease send more! And thank you to those who already have! Nana loves u.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Work is getting underway!
So I work for an organization called AREPACHO - Agricultural Association for the Reduction of Absolute Poverty and to Combat HIV/AIDS of Chongoene. These are a few pictures of an event we had last Friday. All of the activistas in my org (about 135) received new kapulanas in celebration of National Woman's Day. It started at about 8:45 in the morning, but that doesnt stop ANYONE from getting up, strapping on a new kap, and singing in perfect pitch. Yup....that included ME. I was trying to keep a "low" profile - which never happens - but they immediately spotted me out. "Mana Nana, ven aqui, queremos dancar!" which means, Nana get out that chair and shake what ya momma gave ya - just kidding. It means, come here, we want to dance. So I started dancing and taking pictures at the same time. It was alot of fun and gave me a chance to ATTEMPT to speak and learn the names of all the activistas. That may never happen, but its a start. Hope you enjoy the pics!
sing it momma, sing it
Here is Ms. Ivete, the Project Coordinator at Arepacho. funniest woman ever.
I also work at two "escolinhas" or preschools, one in the town of Fidel Castro and the other in my home town Chongoene! I absolutely love children - grant it they're a handful - but they really put a smile on my face.
More pics of work to come! Hope everyone back home is fabulous..until next time =)
sing it momma, sing it
Here is Ms. Ivete, the Project Coordinator at Arepacho. funniest woman ever.
I also work at two "escolinhas" or preschools, one in the town of Fidel Castro and the other in my home town Chongoene! I absolutely love children - grant it they're a handful - but they really put a smile on my face.
More pics of work to come! Hope everyone back home is fabulous..until next time =)
Time is a goin people.....
Tears and Sweat
It is sooooooo hot here in chongoene, hotter than “normal” (but thank the heavens "winter" has arrived) And I know its not just me, bc other ppl living in Gaza province have said the same thing - its hot ppl. So hot that when I was sitting at the internet café the other day - I felt trickles of sweat crawl down my back like I was standing under a waterfall. Gross. Just gross. I’ve learned to carry a little towel or handkerchief with me so that my face doesn’t glisten like a hot pepper, but lately that hasn’t done a thing. And then I look at other ppl and they’re literally not sweating like I am. I mean - Mozambicans sweat but not like me. I can’t imagine how other people manage the heat - like volunteers living in Tete. Apparently Gaza isn’t nearly as hot as Tete. Ughh…..I’m suffering people. Then there’s days when I have no energy to do anything, but its too hot to stay in the house. Even when your’e really sick or have a cold, you cant just sit in your house and take a nap - you will sweat……. and then start crying bc the heat is unbearable. Then after you cry you have to dry your tears - but wait, why dry them bc the sweat will just start again, and you’ll look like you never even stopped crying. Sad times ppl….sad times.
Sex Convo
Probably one of my favorite conversations so far in moz was talking to my good friends Celso, Nino and Dino and sex. It was actually good practice. Since I’m a health volunteer, I have to be comfortable with talking about sexual topics with people in the community. I don’t really know how the conversation started out, but I think we were talking about Americans and HIV/AIDS. So that led into them asking a lot of questions. I told them, “seriously, if you have any questions just please ask me, or if you guys need condoms I have them just ask.” that opened up a whole new door of questions - “Is it good to wear two condoms? I don’t like to go get HIV tests bc the hospitals aren't nice. If I have sex with a woman after she had an abortion and we don’t use a condom - will I die?” some of these questions may sound funny to you - but that’s the reality sometimes here. Sometimes, people just don’t know. I used this as an education moment. Sex is not always an easy topic to talk about but its necessary. I was happy to be answering their questions - we had moments when we laughed about certain things, but they really were happy that we were having an open conversation. I even used a banana and a peel to demonstrate how to use a condom effectively, it was great. Next time you should definitely join us.
You are a dancing queen!
Ok So, ya know how in the states being inappropriate in public is absolutely not ok? well nooooot so much here. Me, Mallory, Emily, and Caitlin are walking in Shoprite minding our own business when all of a sudden one of the workers starts dancing to house music that was playing in the store. He looked a hot mess. a hott mozambican mess. More like a fool actually. I was trying not to laugh but he was just so entertaining. And of course, the aisle I needed to go in was EXACTLY where he was dancing. And of course Caitlin was like, “I wonder which bottle of oil is better?,,,,,,hmmmm, which one is better?“ Im like, “girl, I wish I could tell you but I’m so distracted by this clown to my left….and its getting to be a lil awkward.“ So we left that aisle, but of course he was like, “You want dance with me ha? Come help me.“ I replied, “I don’t speak English, sorry” And THAT worked like a charm, (even though he knew I was American bc I'm always up in shoprite) I love the culture here sometimes, Mozambicans have the RIGHT to dance whenever and wherever….who says its ever inappropriate? I mean, the next time anyone in Americaland sees someone doing a version of the tootsie roll while spread eagle, just simply stare and applaud. Go Shoprite.
The best things in life are….
1. KFC! Yup that’s right. There is a KFC that is opening up in xai xai…and um I’m excited - r Back at home, I’d never be excited to go to KFC, but the fact that a slice of Americaland is making its way to my neighborhood is absolutely fantastic. I hope their biscuits are up to par, and that the chicken tastes just as good as it does back home.
It is sooooooo hot here in chongoene, hotter than “normal” (but thank the heavens "winter" has arrived) And I know its not just me, bc other ppl living in Gaza province have said the same thing - its hot ppl. So hot that when I was sitting at the internet café the other day - I felt trickles of sweat crawl down my back like I was standing under a waterfall. Gross. Just gross. I’ve learned to carry a little towel or handkerchief with me so that my face doesn’t glisten like a hot pepper, but lately that hasn’t done a thing. And then I look at other ppl and they’re literally not sweating like I am. I mean - Mozambicans sweat but not like me. I can’t imagine how other people manage the heat - like volunteers living in Tete. Apparently Gaza isn’t nearly as hot as Tete. Ughh…..I’m suffering people. Then there’s days when I have no energy to do anything, but its too hot to stay in the house. Even when your’e really sick or have a cold, you cant just sit in your house and take a nap - you will sweat……. and then start crying bc the heat is unbearable. Then after you cry you have to dry your tears - but wait, why dry them bc the sweat will just start again, and you’ll look like you never even stopped crying. Sad times ppl….sad times.
Sex Convo
Probably one of my favorite conversations so far in moz was talking to my good friends Celso, Nino and Dino and sex. It was actually good practice. Since I’m a health volunteer, I have to be comfortable with talking about sexual topics with people in the community. I don’t really know how the conversation started out, but I think we were talking about Americans and HIV/AIDS. So that led into them asking a lot of questions. I told them, “seriously, if you have any questions just please ask me, or if you guys need condoms I have them just ask.” that opened up a whole new door of questions - “Is it good to wear two condoms? I don’t like to go get HIV tests bc the hospitals aren't nice. If I have sex with a woman after she had an abortion and we don’t use a condom - will I die?” some of these questions may sound funny to you - but that’s the reality sometimes here. Sometimes, people just don’t know. I used this as an education moment. Sex is not always an easy topic to talk about but its necessary. I was happy to be answering their questions - we had moments when we laughed about certain things, but they really were happy that we were having an open conversation. I even used a banana and a peel to demonstrate how to use a condom effectively, it was great. Next time you should definitely join us.
You are a dancing queen!
Ok So, ya know how in the states being inappropriate in public is absolutely not ok? well nooooot so much here. Me, Mallory, Emily, and Caitlin are walking in Shoprite minding our own business when all of a sudden one of the workers starts dancing to house music that was playing in the store. He looked a hot mess. a hott mozambican mess. More like a fool actually. I was trying not to laugh but he was just so entertaining. And of course, the aisle I needed to go in was EXACTLY where he was dancing. And of course Caitlin was like, “I wonder which bottle of oil is better?,,,,,,hmmmm, which one is better?“ Im like, “girl, I wish I could tell you but I’m so distracted by this clown to my left….and its getting to be a lil awkward.“ So we left that aisle, but of course he was like, “You want dance with me ha? Come help me.“ I replied, “I don’t speak English, sorry” And THAT worked like a charm, (even though he knew I was American bc I'm always up in shoprite) I love the culture here sometimes, Mozambicans have the RIGHT to dance whenever and wherever….who says its ever inappropriate? I mean, the next time anyone in Americaland sees someone doing a version of the tootsie roll while spread eagle, just simply stare and applaud. Go Shoprite.
The best things in life are….
1. KFC! Yup that’s right. There is a KFC that is opening up in xai xai…and um I’m excited - r Back at home, I’d never be excited to go to KFC, but the fact that a slice of Americaland is making its way to my neighborhood is absolutely fantastic. I hope their biscuits are up to par, and that the chicken tastes just as good as it does back home.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Finally a Summer birthday!
Its Friday March 18th, the day before my birthday and I already start celebrating. Normally I'm not the excited about bday's but here its different - for the first time I'm having a bday at the beach with nice weather! Back at home its either snowing or freezing cold, so I had to go big with this one!
There were a few people that came into town Friday night and stayed at my place, and then we all migrated to the beach. The other ppl were meeting us at the beach. There was about 30 ppl at my party - both peace corps volunteers and my Mozambican friends. We laid out, ate food, had some drinks, listened to music, and tried not to drown in the ocean with all of the rough waves that came our way. The day actually started off kind of chilly which I was so worried about - but then the sun began to shine! of course it would on my special day.
Once nightfall started to come around, we all gathered our things and made our way to the chapa stop. But luckily for me and my friends, Michelle (my site mate) coordinated a PRIVATE chapa to lug all of us back to Chongoene. Now that's bday service. To have a chapa with enough space for everyone and there's not someone sitting on top of you, is a nice way to ride back home. Some people slept at Michelle's house, and the others at mine. The party continued at my place, and it was really nice. I never really felt so loved, there were alot of ppl that came out - and I even got GIFTS. I never get gifts like this. I got a mini turtle paperweight (awesome), a towel wrapped in soccer ball paper (thx peggy!), two capulanas, a bottle of wine, and a homemade peneira (used to make rice) with my name written in purple that said 2011. That gift was the most special. I have a picture of it but totally forgot to put it up! I'll fix that later on. But it was a rockin time, and I'm so thankful to everyone that came out to celebrate with me. yall are the best.
me and Mallory!
hangin' out.
There were a few people that came into town Friday night and stayed at my place, and then we all migrated to the beach. The other ppl were meeting us at the beach. There was about 30 ppl at my party - both peace corps volunteers and my Mozambican friends. We laid out, ate food, had some drinks, listened to music, and tried not to drown in the ocean with all of the rough waves that came our way. The day actually started off kind of chilly which I was so worried about - but then the sun began to shine! of course it would on my special day.
Once nightfall started to come around, we all gathered our things and made our way to the chapa stop. But luckily for me and my friends, Michelle (my site mate) coordinated a PRIVATE chapa to lug all of us back to Chongoene. Now that's bday service. To have a chapa with enough space for everyone and there's not someone sitting on top of you, is a nice way to ride back home. Some people slept at Michelle's house, and the others at mine. The party continued at my place, and it was really nice. I never really felt so loved, there were alot of ppl that came out - and I even got GIFTS. I never get gifts like this. I got a mini turtle paperweight (awesome), a towel wrapped in soccer ball paper (thx peggy!), two capulanas, a bottle of wine, and a homemade peneira (used to make rice) with my name written in purple that said 2011. That gift was the most special. I have a picture of it but totally forgot to put it up! I'll fix that later on. But it was a rockin time, and I'm so thankful to everyone that came out to celebrate with me. yall are the best.
me and Mallory!
hangin' out.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
this post is about what happens when mosquitos stop being polite....and start getting REAL
Have you ever wanted to just scream bc your entire body was covered with tiny bites from merciless, BIG mosquitoes? Well, I have. Umm.....I have bites everywhere - my feet, my arms, my legs, my neck, and EVEN well....ya know. Do I have to spell it out for you? They are a pain, and I find myself spending lots of time scratching and applying cortizone cream on my body, like its my job. And then if I scratch too hard, I start to bleed, then if I'm outside some fly comes by and tries to eat me up. So now I have an open mosquito bite, dripping blood, and a fly trying to have lunch. Isn't it gross? I try not to scratch them, but its a part of my daily routine.
Let me further explain....
I try my best everyday to take a bath by nighttime, and run in my bed before the monsters really start to come out. And by the way, these mosquitos are HUGE. They're just not normal. Its almost as if they take sterioids or something....kinda like the roosters and chickens here. Oh yea, I saw this one chicken, and his feet were like backwards, and he had the NERVE to "cock-a-doodle-doo" right outside my window at 5am. Um excuse me, LET ME SLEEP. He made more noise than normal, and then when Pepper (my dog) started running after it - the rooster tried to escape - but since his feet were like sideways, he didn't make it very far. Usually I yell at my dog when he chases chickens, but I gave him a pat on the back for this one......Oh sorry, back to the bugs...
So anyway, its around 6:30pm, which means the sun is down and by 7 it will start to get dark. I'm in my latrine. I tell myself, "ok Naa, don't take any more than 10 minutes in here bc you'll get eaten alive." I splash the water on my face. add some facewash...done. I lather my body with soap.....ok, ok......5 minutes pass....done. oops, crap, there's a monster on my leg. I slap it. I miss. He's gone...for now. I rinse, grab my towel, and literally do the 2 step back to my house. But oh wait.....there's a problem. "I forgot the bucket in the bath. Should I leave it there? Will somebody steal it?...Probably, its a nice bucket." I run back to the latrine, and BAM, two mosquitoes waiting for me as I pick up the bucket. 2 quick bites. Ouch. It kinda hurts. So THEN, I finally am done with this whole being-outside thing, walk quickly to the house, and then FALL on my right leg. Yea yea, laugh it up, but it wasnt funny at the time. I'm dirty again, not to mention my right side of my body is covered in sand. But I brushed it off, went in the house, put on my pjs, and settled under my mosquitoe net. It's sord of like camping for the next two years, and my bed is my tent. I swear, I don't feel normal at all here....and I love it.
If you are in Africa and not taking malaria profilaxis, you're outta ur mind. There has already been two of my friends who got malaria, and I dont wanna be the next. (knock on wood). Oh well....let's see what happens, bc I have got to get used to this.
smooches.
Let me further explain....
I try my best everyday to take a bath by nighttime, and run in my bed before the monsters really start to come out. And by the way, these mosquitos are HUGE. They're just not normal. Its almost as if they take sterioids or something....kinda like the roosters and chickens here. Oh yea, I saw this one chicken, and his feet were like backwards, and he had the NERVE to "cock-a-doodle-doo" right outside my window at 5am. Um excuse me, LET ME SLEEP. He made more noise than normal, and then when Pepper (my dog) started running after it - the rooster tried to escape - but since his feet were like sideways, he didn't make it very far. Usually I yell at my dog when he chases chickens, but I gave him a pat on the back for this one......Oh sorry, back to the bugs...
So anyway, its around 6:30pm, which means the sun is down and by 7 it will start to get dark. I'm in my latrine. I tell myself, "ok Naa, don't take any more than 10 minutes in here bc you'll get eaten alive." I splash the water on my face. add some facewash...done. I lather my body with soap.....ok, ok......5 minutes pass....done. oops, crap, there's a monster on my leg. I slap it. I miss. He's gone...for now. I rinse, grab my towel, and literally do the 2 step back to my house. But oh wait.....there's a problem. "I forgot the bucket in the bath. Should I leave it there? Will somebody steal it?...Probably, its a nice bucket." I run back to the latrine, and BAM, two mosquitoes waiting for me as I pick up the bucket. 2 quick bites. Ouch. It kinda hurts. So THEN, I finally am done with this whole being-outside thing, walk quickly to the house, and then FALL on my right leg. Yea yea, laugh it up, but it wasnt funny at the time. I'm dirty again, not to mention my right side of my body is covered in sand. But I brushed it off, went in the house, put on my pjs, and settled under my mosquitoe net. It's sord of like camping for the next two years, and my bed is my tent. I swear, I don't feel normal at all here....and I love it.
If you are in Africa and not taking malaria profilaxis, you're outta ur mind. There has already been two of my friends who got malaria, and I dont wanna be the next. (knock on wood). Oh well....let's see what happens, bc I have got to get used to this.
smooches.
And the Race Continues.
The race wars have continued for me here in mozambique. I hate to keep blogging about it, but this one situation blew my mind. I just had to write about it.
Michelle and I were sitting at a restaurant the other day, and this White man (probably South African) came up to us and shook Michelle’s hand and greeted her.
“Hi, how are YOU?” (guy shakes her hand)
“WE’RE good thank you.”
“Great. Are YOU from America?”
“Yes, WE’RE from America.”
“Ok, what are you doing here?”
“WE’RE volunteers with Peace Corps.”
“Good. Nice to meet YOU, take care.”
“Yea thanks, nice meeting you too.”
I had to emphasize the YOU and WE because Michelle was trying to acknowledge that I was also sitting there, and yes the black girl is also American. But this happens all the time when I’m with her. She’s the white girl, and people will speak to her first and literally hold a conversation with her while not saying a thing to me. Or I get the, “Where does she live? Is she a volunteer too?” And I’ll be standing right next to Michelle. Um Hello, just ASK me, I have a mouth too. Sometimes I want to say something, like “You can talk to me, I’m standing right here.” But it happens so frequently that I don’t have the energy to go into it. I figure if a grown person doesn’t know any better or have the manners to speak to me, then I really don’t have the time to deal with it. Depending on the situation, I'll speak up, but normally it flies over my head. To stop every person and say how I REALLY feel would be time consuming. And let's face it - you can't waste time in this country.
Anyways, I have started to learn to deal with racism and discrimination in this country with a sense of humor and laughter. i also learned that just because I'm different and receive unwanted attention or bad attitude, doesnt mean I have to take it - and I don't! I usually keep my cool, but I will not be disrespected. Not here, not anywhere. Like they say, through time things will get better....it has to right? Cuz I got a long way to go!
Smooches
Michelle and I were sitting at a restaurant the other day, and this White man (probably South African) came up to us and shook Michelle’s hand and greeted her.
“Hi, how are YOU?” (guy shakes her hand)
“WE’RE good thank you.”
“Great. Are YOU from America?”
“Yes, WE’RE from America.”
“Ok, what are you doing here?”
“WE’RE volunteers with Peace Corps.”
“Good. Nice to meet YOU, take care.”
“Yea thanks, nice meeting you too.”
I had to emphasize the YOU and WE because Michelle was trying to acknowledge that I was also sitting there, and yes the black girl is also American. But this happens all the time when I’m with her. She’s the white girl, and people will speak to her first and literally hold a conversation with her while not saying a thing to me. Or I get the, “Where does she live? Is she a volunteer too?” And I’ll be standing right next to Michelle. Um Hello, just ASK me, I have a mouth too. Sometimes I want to say something, like “You can talk to me, I’m standing right here.” But it happens so frequently that I don’t have the energy to go into it. I figure if a grown person doesn’t know any better or have the manners to speak to me, then I really don’t have the time to deal with it. Depending on the situation, I'll speak up, but normally it flies over my head. To stop every person and say how I REALLY feel would be time consuming. And let's face it - you can't waste time in this country.
Anyways, I have started to learn to deal with racism and discrimination in this country with a sense of humor and laughter. i also learned that just because I'm different and receive unwanted attention or bad attitude, doesnt mean I have to take it - and I don't! I usually keep my cool, but I will not be disrespected. Not here, not anywhere. Like they say, through time things will get better....it has to right? Cuz I got a long way to go!
Smooches
Friday, February 25, 2011
Life in the Slow lane
SO, I wake up this morning and my dog, Pepper, is freaking out and barking at Billy the Goat. Billy is the most disgusting, ugly, and oldest goat I've ever seen, and I was freaking out because I thought that there was something wrong. After that I go back in the bed (now 3am) and I hear a weird noise on my roof...turns out my house has a chicken nest right above my room....fantastic!
Speaking of my house - I'm currently looking for a new one. Right now I am living in a house that is next to my organization, but I have no privacy at all. Everyday there are constantly ppl around - and even on a saturday I try to sit outside under my mango tree or on my veranda, and I find ppl THERE...just there. The area around my house is used for town meetings, my org's events, everything. Even the smallest task of taking a bath requires there to be nobody around. I'm just not comfortable walking out in my towel or capulana while going to take a bath with a million eyes watching me. I already get stared at no matter what I'm doing anyway! Bottom line is, I want to be comfortable where I'm going to be living - after all I am here for two years. Hopefully, my request to get a new house will be approved. If not - I don't know what the next step will be.
Random things -
1. I learned 5 new words in Changana, the local language, this week. I'm pretty good at it.
2. someone came to my house and took all of the water out of my buckets that took 20 minutes to fill....happens
3. I cried last night for about 20 minutes....then played songs from Rihanna's album and felt like a new person.
4. I bought some REALLY cute shoes down in Maputo....absolutely love this city!
5. My birthday is coming up! I'm planning a beach party....its gonna be fun. you're invited.
I've been a lil stressed as of lately, but its friday and I am going to enjoy the weekend. Work at the preschool has begun and I'm enjoying that. Even when I wake up super stressed, I am happy to see the lil children playing and smiling. Its something about children that make me smile. The kids here are so smart, but just dont have the resources to learn better - but - that's why I'm here, right? Hopefully the preschool will receive money for pencils, notebooks, and desks. They do have a meal everyday which is good, but other than that their materials are limited. The children sit on a mat on the floor, and write in the sand with sticks. So I'm working hard to push for money and assistance - they deserve it!
As for now, its boiling hot in this internet cafe, so I'm up n outta here. Time to eat a hamburger and a cold sprite. Why do I always end my blogs talking about food? I eat a lot. It keeps me happy.
Ciao amigos...ate luego!
Speaking of my house - I'm currently looking for a new one. Right now I am living in a house that is next to my organization, but I have no privacy at all. Everyday there are constantly ppl around - and even on a saturday I try to sit outside under my mango tree or on my veranda, and I find ppl THERE...just there. The area around my house is used for town meetings, my org's events, everything. Even the smallest task of taking a bath requires there to be nobody around. I'm just not comfortable walking out in my towel or capulana while going to take a bath with a million eyes watching me. I already get stared at no matter what I'm doing anyway! Bottom line is, I want to be comfortable where I'm going to be living - after all I am here for two years. Hopefully, my request to get a new house will be approved. If not - I don't know what the next step will be.
Random things -
1. I learned 5 new words in Changana, the local language, this week. I'm pretty good at it.
2. someone came to my house and took all of the water out of my buckets that took 20 minutes to fill....happens
3. I cried last night for about 20 minutes....then played songs from Rihanna's album and felt like a new person.
4. I bought some REALLY cute shoes down in Maputo....absolutely love this city!
5. My birthday is coming up! I'm planning a beach party....its gonna be fun. you're invited.
I've been a lil stressed as of lately, but its friday and I am going to enjoy the weekend. Work at the preschool has begun and I'm enjoying that. Even when I wake up super stressed, I am happy to see the lil children playing and smiling. Its something about children that make me smile. The kids here are so smart, but just dont have the resources to learn better - but - that's why I'm here, right? Hopefully the preschool will receive money for pencils, notebooks, and desks. They do have a meal everyday which is good, but other than that their materials are limited. The children sit on a mat on the floor, and write in the sand with sticks. So I'm working hard to push for money and assistance - they deserve it!
As for now, its boiling hot in this internet cafe, so I'm up n outta here. Time to eat a hamburger and a cold sprite. Why do I always end my blogs talking about food? I eat a lot. It keeps me happy.
Ciao amigos...ate luego!
Ohhh my
Issues
I can already tell that Mozambique is gonna be one of those countries that I have a love-hate relationship. This place is absolutely beautiful, and while I find a lot of good things about it here, theres also cultural differences, that at times, test my character. Its a culture that I’m still learning to live in. I respect the culture here and have an open mind, but there a few things that on a day like yesterday - make me slightly irritated.
1. Volume level - When someone speaks to me they are either screaming at the top of their lungs, or whispering. There is NO medium speaking level in Mozambique. When I’m riding on the chapa people are sitting RIGHT next to each other but are screaming….literally. I’m like, that person is right next to you and you’re shouting while using hand gestures. On the other hand, when you’re in the store trying to buy something or greeting someone on the street, they whisper when they speak. I’m like, what? Como? I always ask them to speak up and they talk in the same tone or give me an annoying look. I especially ask people to speak up, especially since they’re speaking Portuguese. So if I don’t get something the first time, I ask them to repeat. And of course what should be a 5 minute conversation takes 10. Love it.
2. Chapas - If I haven’t explained what a chapa is, it’s a mini bus - that is used to transport 15 people (roughly) However, it is totally ok for a chapa driver to cram 20 - 30 people in one chapa. Some stand. Some sit. Some hover over you with their armpit in your face. Others cough on you. Some scream in your ear while talking on the phone. And of course there is always someone cussing someone else out because they stepped on their toe or other body part. Not to mention that people are always in a rush, so when the chapa stops you have to RUN to get to the door and push your way I, or out. And don’t delay for a second - bc the driver WILL pull off if you’re not on it. Again, I don’t completely understand the rushing thing, but I guess I have to get used to that.
3. Personal space and privacy - well yea, that doesn’t exist here. Did I mention that already? Just to reiterate, its kind of overwhelming for me. I like my privacy, but living in a house that is literally 5 feet away from my organization, doesn’t necessarily allow me to have alone time when I want it. For example, I have to take a bath outside, which means I feel more comfortable if I do it when no one is around (just for the fact that its outside and I walk to my latrine in a capulana). But its hard to feel completely comfortable when there’s a bunch of people around my house. I like to take a bath at any time during the day, mainly because its so hot and I like to stay as cool, clean, and and fresh as possible.
4. I’m not Mozambican….I’m American….no no…American. - I don’t get offended at all when Mozambicans assume I’m one of them., or from South Africa or Zimbabwe. I do have the same color skin - so you can‘t blame them for making assumptions. When I tell people, “I’m American,” they don’t believe me. So then I go into small detail and explain that not all Americans are white, we’re all different colors with different backgrounds. I think the biggest thing that bothers me is the way I notice how black Americans are treated here, and how white Americans and other whites are treated. Sometimes it’s a good thing - for example, when I walk down the street I usually am never stopped by someone trying to sell me things on the street. When I have somewhere to go, I can usually get there with no problem. But if I’m with white people we get stopped all the time….I find it amusing actually.
And then there’s times when its not a good thing - I went in the gas station the other day to buy a can of soda and some pringles. But when I got to the counter, the Pringles were about 100 mets - and I was not paying that much for that small can of chips…tempting but no. So I told the lady I didn’t want the chips. She told me that I should just go ahead and buy them bc she didn’t know how to take it off the receipt. I’m like, no I don’t want the chips. She was rude about it, smacked her teeth, rolled her eyes, and made a big fuss about removing the Pringles. Then she mumbled something to her co-worker and told me next time I should know what I wanted before I came to pay. I wanted to respond, but I don’t know how to cuss someone out in Portuguese quite yet.
One of my Mozambican female friends told me that sometimes, moz women have an attitude with other moz women - which is common in all parts of the world. Women just don’t like women unless they’re friends, and for some reason we are the most petty creatures on earth. Point of this story is, I have never seen a Mozambican talk to a white person like that - whether they be south African, Portuguese or American. Some of you may disagree, but for some reason Mozambicans treat whites like they’re special, like they owe them something. Many of you may not understand this, especially if you’re not an African-American living in an African country, but I notice things that someone else doesn’t, and furthermore my experience and attention I receive is different than a white peace corps volunteer. I think the racial dynamics might still be an effect of colonialism, and the civil war that's not too far off. In my opinion, Mozambicans have not yet grown into a society and culture that allows them to treat and be treated equally.
It also goes vice versa. I see and notice how Portuguese or South Africans talk to Mozambicans, and it’s a way that can be degrading sometimes, as if moz’s are subordinate. There’s a lot of foreigners that come to Mozambique for business, vacation, etc, and when I see how they treat a waiter, a taxi driver, a woman, or even a non-white American, is far from what I would consider respect. I heard one of the previous pc volunteers say to me, “As a white male, I can get whatever I want in this country. I get treated very well.” And what he said I’ve seen to be generally true. Anyways…..I still love being African American here…….the American card still lets me get away with a lot of things, so I just roll with it and continue to be who I am.
On a more positive note - I just ate a big plate of Indian food with a cold can of Sprite. You can find all kinds of food in Mozambique! Until next time folks…..
I can already tell that Mozambique is gonna be one of those countries that I have a love-hate relationship. This place is absolutely beautiful, and while I find a lot of good things about it here, theres also cultural differences, that at times, test my character. Its a culture that I’m still learning to live in. I respect the culture here and have an open mind, but there a few things that on a day like yesterday - make me slightly irritated.
1. Volume level - When someone speaks to me they are either screaming at the top of their lungs, or whispering. There is NO medium speaking level in Mozambique. When I’m riding on the chapa people are sitting RIGHT next to each other but are screaming….literally. I’m like, that person is right next to you and you’re shouting while using hand gestures. On the other hand, when you’re in the store trying to buy something or greeting someone on the street, they whisper when they speak. I’m like, what? Como? I always ask them to speak up and they talk in the same tone or give me an annoying look. I especially ask people to speak up, especially since they’re speaking Portuguese. So if I don’t get something the first time, I ask them to repeat. And of course what should be a 5 minute conversation takes 10. Love it.
2. Chapas - If I haven’t explained what a chapa is, it’s a mini bus - that is used to transport 15 people (roughly) However, it is totally ok for a chapa driver to cram 20 - 30 people in one chapa. Some stand. Some sit. Some hover over you with their armpit in your face. Others cough on you. Some scream in your ear while talking on the phone. And of course there is always someone cussing someone else out because they stepped on their toe or other body part. Not to mention that people are always in a rush, so when the chapa stops you have to RUN to get to the door and push your way I, or out. And don’t delay for a second - bc the driver WILL pull off if you’re not on it. Again, I don’t completely understand the rushing thing, but I guess I have to get used to that.
3. Personal space and privacy - well yea, that doesn’t exist here. Did I mention that already? Just to reiterate, its kind of overwhelming for me. I like my privacy, but living in a house that is literally 5 feet away from my organization, doesn’t necessarily allow me to have alone time when I want it. For example, I have to take a bath outside, which means I feel more comfortable if I do it when no one is around (just for the fact that its outside and I walk to my latrine in a capulana). But its hard to feel completely comfortable when there’s a bunch of people around my house. I like to take a bath at any time during the day, mainly because its so hot and I like to stay as cool, clean, and and fresh as possible.
4. I’m not Mozambican….I’m American….no no…American. - I don’t get offended at all when Mozambicans assume I’m one of them., or from South Africa or Zimbabwe. I do have the same color skin - so you can‘t blame them for making assumptions. When I tell people, “I’m American,” they don’t believe me. So then I go into small detail and explain that not all Americans are white, we’re all different colors with different backgrounds. I think the biggest thing that bothers me is the way I notice how black Americans are treated here, and how white Americans and other whites are treated. Sometimes it’s a good thing - for example, when I walk down the street I usually am never stopped by someone trying to sell me things on the street. When I have somewhere to go, I can usually get there with no problem. But if I’m with white people we get stopped all the time….I find it amusing actually.
And then there’s times when its not a good thing - I went in the gas station the other day to buy a can of soda and some pringles. But when I got to the counter, the Pringles were about 100 mets - and I was not paying that much for that small can of chips…tempting but no. So I told the lady I didn’t want the chips. She told me that I should just go ahead and buy them bc she didn’t know how to take it off the receipt. I’m like, no I don’t want the chips. She was rude about it, smacked her teeth, rolled her eyes, and made a big fuss about removing the Pringles. Then she mumbled something to her co-worker and told me next time I should know what I wanted before I came to pay. I wanted to respond, but I don’t know how to cuss someone out in Portuguese quite yet.
One of my Mozambican female friends told me that sometimes, moz women have an attitude with other moz women - which is common in all parts of the world. Women just don’t like women unless they’re friends, and for some reason we are the most petty creatures on earth. Point of this story is, I have never seen a Mozambican talk to a white person like that - whether they be south African, Portuguese or American. Some of you may disagree, but for some reason Mozambicans treat whites like they’re special, like they owe them something. Many of you may not understand this, especially if you’re not an African-American living in an African country, but I notice things that someone else doesn’t, and furthermore my experience and attention I receive is different than a white peace corps volunteer. I think the racial dynamics might still be an effect of colonialism, and the civil war that's not too far off. In my opinion, Mozambicans have not yet grown into a society and culture that allows them to treat and be treated equally.
It also goes vice versa. I see and notice how Portuguese or South Africans talk to Mozambicans, and it’s a way that can be degrading sometimes, as if moz’s are subordinate. There’s a lot of foreigners that come to Mozambique for business, vacation, etc, and when I see how they treat a waiter, a taxi driver, a woman, or even a non-white American, is far from what I would consider respect. I heard one of the previous pc volunteers say to me, “As a white male, I can get whatever I want in this country. I get treated very well.” And what he said I’ve seen to be generally true. Anyways…..I still love being African American here…….the American card still lets me get away with a lot of things, so I just roll with it and continue to be who I am.
On a more positive note - I just ate a big plate of Indian food with a cold can of Sprite. You can find all kinds of food in Mozambique! Until next time folks…..
Friday, January 21, 2011
OLA!
Natal and Ano Novo
Bom dia! Well, there is a lot that has been going on! Let’s begin with what I did over the holidays….it was definitely a lot of fun and I had a lot of food and drinks. Ok, so, I went to Xai Xai (Shy-shy) beach for the Christmas. A group of us were meeting there, and some ppl rented a house along the beach. Let me tell you Xai Xai beach is BEAUTIFUL. People are out dancing, drinking, eating, swimming, even surfing - which by the way I am definitely learning to surf and become a licensed scuba diver!- but yea back to the beach. The weather was perfect for me, I love a white Christmas, but spending it here with the sand in my toes and the cool water on my skin was just heavenly. There was a bunch of South Africans and other tourists that come to Mozambique for the holidays. I haven’t had many encounters with South Africans, but I must say the ones I had over Xmas break were….interesting. Yeah. On the beach, they also have this massive dance floor with a DJ and loud music right across one of their hotels. Everybody was just having a good time. Oh, and some of you have asked me, “are you getting darker, can you tan?” hahah, why yes…yes I have. Before I came to Moz I was like a coco-caramel, but now I’m like a coco brown-milky way-caramel lol. But seriously I have noticed a shade darker in my skin, I love it! And btw YES black ppl need to wear sunscreen. One of the PCV’s was like, “yea you need to wear sunscreen too,” I’m like, “Um yea obvi,” (not that I asked him in the first place). But this is the longest I’ve ever lived in a place where there’s sun….hot hot sun….so I try to protect myself as much as possible. I also learned to carry a bandana or some type of sweat rag, because as soon as I take a bath and walk around for 5 minutes, I’m drenched in sweat. Nice right? So for those of you that WILL visit me this year, pack a few rags.
As for New Years - um what an experience. So like, I kinda wanted a “quiet” New Years. I know that sounds strange, but I wanted to be with just one or two friends, have some wine, sit outside and talk, listen to music…..ya know. Im sure you’re wondering why on a day like NYE I wanted to be chill, but fact of the matter is - I was missing my friends and all that jazz back in the states…and thinking about what we did last NYE…(haa) So, Idk I was kinda moody and was just like, “yea its 2011 whoop-dee-doo.” WELL, in Chongoene you can’t stay at home on New Years, are you crazy?! Two of my Moz friends came over, and looked at me and basically gave me 15 minutes to get dressed, grab a drink, and head over to the neighbors house. So….I mean, I had to go, right? I put on some jeans and went to their house, and I must say, as interesting as my neighbors are, they definitely made me feel at home. Before I came, they were just chilling. But as soon as my friend asked them could Nana celebrate her first NYE with us, they were like yes! The mom got a table, put snacks out, fed me, and even sent my friend to the store to get my signature drink bc they didn’t have it haha. I’m like, “please its ok, I can drink soda.” The dad’s like, “Sprite, on New Years? Ayyy paaa!” and they laughed….I’m like ok well if you insist…..can’t pass up a free drink, now can you? Needless to say, within minutes the music was poppin, random ppl joined us and started dancing, and well….the drinks were flowing. It was nice. As the clock got closer to 12, my neighbor’s kids were lighting fire crackers - which is scary considering they nearly almost lit the house on fire! - but it was nice. “cinco, quatro, tres, dois, um….Feliz Ano Novo!” Literally the whole town was shouting, and believe it or not, this was my first time being up that late in my new neighborhood….I thought I’d sleep through New Years! But yea it was cool, I had a good time, and liked the hospitality my neighbors showed me that night. And well, that about rounds up what I did for the holidays. it’s a nice time to visit here, because you meet all kinds of people and toursists, and there’s ALWAYS a party to crash or a beach to lay on. All in all, my holiday’s were fabulous.
Vaca!
Michelle and I were walking along, just getting to know our hood a bit more, and out of nowhere comes a HUGE cow - basically one of those bulls that you see on tv - mooing and running in our direction. Needless to say, we were a teeny bit frightened! I see kids all the time spanking the cow herds and watching over them - but that’s only from a distance. Seeing a cow up close, and you’re not in a zoo - is a hot mess. Literally this thing was looking at me like he wanted to eat me for dinner. Me and Michelle just start laughing, then dodge the cow like we were dodging bullets! Luckily a girl “shooed” the cow/bull away, and me and michelle pranced along. We kept looking over our shoulders, making sure he was gone….and he was…..ahh fun times.
Why not everyone can be a Peace Corps Volunteer….you meet all kinds of animals!
SO, as some of you may know, lately I’ve had some unpleasant encounters with animals - or as I’d really like to call them “balls of rabies.” I’ve heard about a lot of volunteers in my groups having animals problems, but I was hoping I wouldn’t have to be one of them….but NOOOOOooooooo, what would my experience here be without some balls of rabies to welcome me? Let’s start with the lil stuff - you already know about the cockroaches, flying-biting ants, long, orange spiders, hyperactive frogs, and the bettles. Well….let me tell you….you ain’t seen NOTHIN’ yet until you’ve seen a RAT hiding behind your bedroom door at night. I literally screamed, called my friend, and almost cried bc the rat looked like Flavor Flave n Shrek mixed together. He was soooo ugly and gross, and BIG. As soon as rabies saw me, he ran right up the wall back into his little whole like nothing even happened. I was freaked out, and I immediately wrote on my to-do list - FIND A CAT. I am not a cat person, in fact when they’re big they freak me out, but I hate rats more! So, I have a reeeeeeeaaaallly cute kitten (notice I said kitten, not a cat) and since I got her I haven’t seen a rat since. Her name is Sadie (Say-dee) and she’s tan mixed with light brown…adorable actually. I was worried about her in the beginning because she had diarrhea or something, but now she’s ok. A vet came to my house and get her shots for rabies, tapeworm, and fleas….and she’s literllay a blessing. I think I’m becoming one of those ppl who’s like “awww look at my kitty witty…so cute…” but I mean, let’s be real….a cute, cuddly kitten is better than a human eating rat…!
And um yea, (knock on wood) Im hoping bats aren’t my next problem. I woke up in the middle of the night and heard something chewing through the wood in my roof. I have a tin roof, with long pieces of wood that hold it together. And when the thing stopped making noise it flew away…..it sounded like a scene from that movie Birds or something. Im praying its not a bat - my site mate Michelle has them in her house, and spends a fair amount of time killing or chasing them out the house….I can obviously handle many things - but a BAT…not so much.
Trocar cultura
Just like any other person, living in a new place will have its classic moments, none other characterized by “culture shock.” As I said before, nothing really “shocks” me here, as I sometimes find myself comparing it to other African countries. But I try not to do that, because Moz in itself is another world of its own. Let me be frank - I like it here so far, but noticing certain aspects of Mozambican culture that makes me think. Before I get into it, know that I am only generalizing, not all of my encounters with Mozambicans have been the same, and furthermore, I am only stating my opinion of what I’ve seen in almost 4 months. So, one of the major things I’ve noticed while being here, is the attitude of some Mozambicans - and I don’t mean this in a negative way. I noticed that they feel their way of doing things is the ONLY way of doing things, and if you do something a different way - you’re wrong. Um, here’s an example…..
Yesterday I went to Chongoene beach (20 mins from my house) with my neighbors - the ones whose house I went over for New Years. It was the parents and their kids, two of my friends, and the guy who was the driver. We all got in his truck and headed for the beach. First of all, the beach was absolutely beautiful, it’s the perfect place to go to for a relaxing day. But, I couldn’t really enjoy the scenery because of what was happening. On any other day, I would take my bathing suit along to the beach, go in the water to cool off, and walk around like there’s no problem. But I didn’t bring my bathing suit on this trip - for the simple reason I’m not comfortable showing my body like that in front them. it’s a little different if I was just with the mom and her two kids, but with the father, their friend, and my two other guy friends, I’m just a little conservative. Here, its no problem to swim in your underwear, which is still a little akward but is growing on me. I think my main concern is being around men in my bathing suit. It may sound silly, but I would’ve felt like their eyes would be on me…and my belly ring haha. So with that said, they all kept asking me, “Nana, tomar un banho agora,” - “Nana, take a bath now.” (They refer to swimming as taking a bath) I just smiled and said “nao obrigada, eu nao tenho ropa do banho,” trying to say I don’t have a bathing suit. They looked at me like I was nuts, “porque?” I just kept on smiling bc its what I do best, and said I’m good, thank you. Next time. The mom made a face and mumbled something to her husband, and then the kids looked at me….and they kept looking at me….and it was awkward. One of my friends sat on the beach with me which was nice, but I still felt weird. This was something they just didn’t understand, and literally the whole ride home they talked about how Nana didn’t get in the water, what’s wrong with her?
The ride home was also weird because they were asking me interesting questions. Like,
“why do you stay in your hosue, you sleeping all day?”
“why don’t you have an empregada, you need help doing housework.”
“why don’t you drink Milo?”
“why did your parents only have 3 kids? You only have two brothers?”
And so on. I havent been asked these questions from my neighbors alone, but from a lot of ppl. For the first question, Mozambicans have this thing where they think if you stay in you’re house during the day, or even at night, that you’re sleeping. They don’t understand the concept of alone time. I like and appreciate my along time here. I always just smile and say, no Im not sleeping, I’m doing a lot of things around my house - reading, studying Portuguese, watching movies - and they still say to me, but why do you stay in your house? And I often will get asked about my family back in the states a lot. Its just me and my two brothers, and here, depending on who you talk to, its good to have a lot of children. But of course, this is a mentality that I want to make ppl think about. I want women to realize that having a baby = having money and being prepared. And that’s part of the reason why I appreciate these moments when ppl ask me these questions, because it allows me to plan what activities and conversations I can have with my community.
I’m saying all this to show that in my experience, Mozambicans expect me to learn and respect their culture, and how they do things, but I haven’t really felt that respect in return. Don’t get me wrong, I have met a few Moz’s who really listen when I explain, “oh in America some ppl do this,” or, “when this happens, my family does this,” and so on. But generally speaking, I feel like some ppl judge me. They give me a disapproval look, they mumble things in Portuguese or Changana to one another, or still tell me that the things I do are wrong. I’ve never really seen or lived in a culture where the ppl feel there’s only one way of doing things. With this said, I still walk around feeling positive, because being here I don’t judge their culture, but it definitely is frustrating when you don’t feel like you’re being respected. Now of course, a lot of my friends say the same thing about their encounters with Mozambicans, but this is just my experience. But I know not all Mozambicans are the same, and I;ve only seen a small portion of this country…..so I look forward to meeting more ppl, and learning all that I can - the positive, and negative!
Bom dia! Well, there is a lot that has been going on! Let’s begin with what I did over the holidays….it was definitely a lot of fun and I had a lot of food and drinks. Ok, so, I went to Xai Xai (Shy-shy) beach for the Christmas. A group of us were meeting there, and some ppl rented a house along the beach. Let me tell you Xai Xai beach is BEAUTIFUL. People are out dancing, drinking, eating, swimming, even surfing - which by the way I am definitely learning to surf and become a licensed scuba diver!- but yea back to the beach. The weather was perfect for me, I love a white Christmas, but spending it here with the sand in my toes and the cool water on my skin was just heavenly. There was a bunch of South Africans and other tourists that come to Mozambique for the holidays. I haven’t had many encounters with South Africans, but I must say the ones I had over Xmas break were….interesting. Yeah. On the beach, they also have this massive dance floor with a DJ and loud music right across one of their hotels. Everybody was just having a good time. Oh, and some of you have asked me, “are you getting darker, can you tan?” hahah, why yes…yes I have. Before I came to Moz I was like a coco-caramel, but now I’m like a coco brown-milky way-caramel lol. But seriously I have noticed a shade darker in my skin, I love it! And btw YES black ppl need to wear sunscreen. One of the PCV’s was like, “yea you need to wear sunscreen too,” I’m like, “Um yea obvi,” (not that I asked him in the first place). But this is the longest I’ve ever lived in a place where there’s sun….hot hot sun….so I try to protect myself as much as possible. I also learned to carry a bandana or some type of sweat rag, because as soon as I take a bath and walk around for 5 minutes, I’m drenched in sweat. Nice right? So for those of you that WILL visit me this year, pack a few rags.
As for New Years - um what an experience. So like, I kinda wanted a “quiet” New Years. I know that sounds strange, but I wanted to be with just one or two friends, have some wine, sit outside and talk, listen to music…..ya know. Im sure you’re wondering why on a day like NYE I wanted to be chill, but fact of the matter is - I was missing my friends and all that jazz back in the states…and thinking about what we did last NYE…(haa) So, Idk I was kinda moody and was just like, “yea its 2011 whoop-dee-doo.” WELL, in Chongoene you can’t stay at home on New Years, are you crazy?! Two of my Moz friends came over, and looked at me and basically gave me 15 minutes to get dressed, grab a drink, and head over to the neighbors house. So….I mean, I had to go, right? I put on some jeans and went to their house, and I must say, as interesting as my neighbors are, they definitely made me feel at home. Before I came, they were just chilling. But as soon as my friend asked them could Nana celebrate her first NYE with us, they were like yes! The mom got a table, put snacks out, fed me, and even sent my friend to the store to get my signature drink bc they didn’t have it haha. I’m like, “please its ok, I can drink soda.” The dad’s like, “Sprite, on New Years? Ayyy paaa!” and they laughed….I’m like ok well if you insist…..can’t pass up a free drink, now can you? Needless to say, within minutes the music was poppin, random ppl joined us and started dancing, and well….the drinks were flowing. It was nice. As the clock got closer to 12, my neighbor’s kids were lighting fire crackers - which is scary considering they nearly almost lit the house on fire! - but it was nice. “cinco, quatro, tres, dois, um….Feliz Ano Novo!” Literally the whole town was shouting, and believe it or not, this was my first time being up that late in my new neighborhood….I thought I’d sleep through New Years! But yea it was cool, I had a good time, and liked the hospitality my neighbors showed me that night. And well, that about rounds up what I did for the holidays. it’s a nice time to visit here, because you meet all kinds of people and toursists, and there’s ALWAYS a party to crash or a beach to lay on. All in all, my holiday’s were fabulous.
Vaca!
Michelle and I were walking along, just getting to know our hood a bit more, and out of nowhere comes a HUGE cow - basically one of those bulls that you see on tv - mooing and running in our direction. Needless to say, we were a teeny bit frightened! I see kids all the time spanking the cow herds and watching over them - but that’s only from a distance. Seeing a cow up close, and you’re not in a zoo - is a hot mess. Literally this thing was looking at me like he wanted to eat me for dinner. Me and Michelle just start laughing, then dodge the cow like we were dodging bullets! Luckily a girl “shooed” the cow/bull away, and me and michelle pranced along. We kept looking over our shoulders, making sure he was gone….and he was…..ahh fun times.
Why not everyone can be a Peace Corps Volunteer….you meet all kinds of animals!
SO, as some of you may know, lately I’ve had some unpleasant encounters with animals - or as I’d really like to call them “balls of rabies.” I’ve heard about a lot of volunteers in my groups having animals problems, but I was hoping I wouldn’t have to be one of them….but NOOOOOooooooo, what would my experience here be without some balls of rabies to welcome me? Let’s start with the lil stuff - you already know about the cockroaches, flying-biting ants, long, orange spiders, hyperactive frogs, and the bettles. Well….let me tell you….you ain’t seen NOTHIN’ yet until you’ve seen a RAT hiding behind your bedroom door at night. I literally screamed, called my friend, and almost cried bc the rat looked like Flavor Flave n Shrek mixed together. He was soooo ugly and gross, and BIG. As soon as rabies saw me, he ran right up the wall back into his little whole like nothing even happened. I was freaked out, and I immediately wrote on my to-do list - FIND A CAT. I am not a cat person, in fact when they’re big they freak me out, but I hate rats more! So, I have a reeeeeeeaaaallly cute kitten (notice I said kitten, not a cat) and since I got her I haven’t seen a rat since. Her name is Sadie (Say-dee) and she’s tan mixed with light brown…adorable actually. I was worried about her in the beginning because she had diarrhea or something, but now she’s ok. A vet came to my house and get her shots for rabies, tapeworm, and fleas….and she’s literllay a blessing. I think I’m becoming one of those ppl who’s like “awww look at my kitty witty…so cute…” but I mean, let’s be real….a cute, cuddly kitten is better than a human eating rat…!
And um yea, (knock on wood) Im hoping bats aren’t my next problem. I woke up in the middle of the night and heard something chewing through the wood in my roof. I have a tin roof, with long pieces of wood that hold it together. And when the thing stopped making noise it flew away…..it sounded like a scene from that movie Birds or something. Im praying its not a bat - my site mate Michelle has them in her house, and spends a fair amount of time killing or chasing them out the house….I can obviously handle many things - but a BAT…not so much.
Trocar cultura
Just like any other person, living in a new place will have its classic moments, none other characterized by “culture shock.” As I said before, nothing really “shocks” me here, as I sometimes find myself comparing it to other African countries. But I try not to do that, because Moz in itself is another world of its own. Let me be frank - I like it here so far, but noticing certain aspects of Mozambican culture that makes me think. Before I get into it, know that I am only generalizing, not all of my encounters with Mozambicans have been the same, and furthermore, I am only stating my opinion of what I’ve seen in almost 4 months. So, one of the major things I’ve noticed while being here, is the attitude of some Mozambicans - and I don’t mean this in a negative way. I noticed that they feel their way of doing things is the ONLY way of doing things, and if you do something a different way - you’re wrong. Um, here’s an example…..
Yesterday I went to Chongoene beach (20 mins from my house) with my neighbors - the ones whose house I went over for New Years. It was the parents and their kids, two of my friends, and the guy who was the driver. We all got in his truck and headed for the beach. First of all, the beach was absolutely beautiful, it’s the perfect place to go to for a relaxing day. But, I couldn’t really enjoy the scenery because of what was happening. On any other day, I would take my bathing suit along to the beach, go in the water to cool off, and walk around like there’s no problem. But I didn’t bring my bathing suit on this trip - for the simple reason I’m not comfortable showing my body like that in front them. it’s a little different if I was just with the mom and her two kids, but with the father, their friend, and my two other guy friends, I’m just a little conservative. Here, its no problem to swim in your underwear, which is still a little akward but is growing on me. I think my main concern is being around men in my bathing suit. It may sound silly, but I would’ve felt like their eyes would be on me…and my belly ring haha. So with that said, they all kept asking me, “Nana, tomar un banho agora,” - “Nana, take a bath now.” (They refer to swimming as taking a bath) I just smiled and said “nao obrigada, eu nao tenho ropa do banho,” trying to say I don’t have a bathing suit. They looked at me like I was nuts, “porque?” I just kept on smiling bc its what I do best, and said I’m good, thank you. Next time. The mom made a face and mumbled something to her husband, and then the kids looked at me….and they kept looking at me….and it was awkward. One of my friends sat on the beach with me which was nice, but I still felt weird. This was something they just didn’t understand, and literally the whole ride home they talked about how Nana didn’t get in the water, what’s wrong with her?
The ride home was also weird because they were asking me interesting questions. Like,
“why do you stay in your hosue, you sleeping all day?”
“why don’t you have an empregada, you need help doing housework.”
“why don’t you drink Milo?”
“why did your parents only have 3 kids? You only have two brothers?”
And so on. I havent been asked these questions from my neighbors alone, but from a lot of ppl. For the first question, Mozambicans have this thing where they think if you stay in you’re house during the day, or even at night, that you’re sleeping. They don’t understand the concept of alone time. I like and appreciate my along time here. I always just smile and say, no Im not sleeping, I’m doing a lot of things around my house - reading, studying Portuguese, watching movies - and they still say to me, but why do you stay in your house? And I often will get asked about my family back in the states a lot. Its just me and my two brothers, and here, depending on who you talk to, its good to have a lot of children. But of course, this is a mentality that I want to make ppl think about. I want women to realize that having a baby = having money and being prepared. And that’s part of the reason why I appreciate these moments when ppl ask me these questions, because it allows me to plan what activities and conversations I can have with my community.
I’m saying all this to show that in my experience, Mozambicans expect me to learn and respect their culture, and how they do things, but I haven’t really felt that respect in return. Don’t get me wrong, I have met a few Moz’s who really listen when I explain, “oh in America some ppl do this,” or, “when this happens, my family does this,” and so on. But generally speaking, I feel like some ppl judge me. They give me a disapproval look, they mumble things in Portuguese or Changana to one another, or still tell me that the things I do are wrong. I’ve never really seen or lived in a culture where the ppl feel there’s only one way of doing things. With this said, I still walk around feeling positive, because being here I don’t judge their culture, but it definitely is frustrating when you don’t feel like you’re being respected. Now of course, a lot of my friends say the same thing about their encounters with Mozambicans, but this is just my experience. But I know not all Mozambicans are the same, and I;ve only seen a small portion of this country…..so I look forward to meeting more ppl, and learning all that I can - the positive, and negative!
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