I learned to cook!!

End of week three we had a cooking day with our language groups- it was quite the experience! Five Americans, five host mothers/sisters, one current PCV and one teacher all working together to make chema, cove, and matapa, kill a chicken (kudos to Alice for killing it with the ridiculously dull butter knife- you’re stronger that I am), scrape out coconuts for leite de coco, and crush (or “pilar”) peanuts down to a fine powder. The finished products were amazingly delicious, and I learned a lot about every bit of the process, but I have a feeling I won’t be doing a lot of cooking like that once at my site- it took about 6 hours from start to eat time! I don’t have that kind of patience yet. Maybe eventually…
I’ve officially lost my ability to sleep in, which stinks. Without fail, by 6am I’m out of bed and doing something, be it jogging or studying or just wandering around. I think it’s all the chema I’m eating- I have way too much energy. That and the roosters that crow at all hours of the night.

Today was an AMAZING day, again. We spent all of today, like yesterday, learning about Permaculture and how to implement what we learn these two days at site. I have never been more excited about dirt and water in my life! I can’t wait to start a garden at my house and one in my community. It’s a simple technique that we’re learning, and it’s a great way to integrate ourselves into our communities in a way other than through our primary project (i.e. teaching). Also I’ll get to eat fresh veggies anytime I want!

Funny moment from this week- I was caught outside during a lightning storm, raining like crazy- and I was locked out of my house when I finally got home soaking wet. I had to run through the abandoned mansion that lives behind my house and through its deserted courtyard as lightning was flashing above me… slightly scared for my life but all worked out in the end. There ARE creepy crawlies that go bump in the night- I encountered more than I care to remember earlier this week. I do not plan on walking around after dark unless I absolutely have to. The word for thief in Bantu is “ninja” and this word alone has supplied many of us with constant jokes and entertainment (thank you Sam for dressing up as the ninja in our play- unforgettable). Parabens! (meaning congrats) is my new favorite word. Oh, and Presidential elections were held this week- the whole country practically shuts down for the day- no kids have school and many people don’t have work. It’s been interesting to learn a bit about Mozambican politics so far, and I’m interested to see how these next few weeks shake out.