Easter Weekend

This week has been a pretty rewarding week. After spending what seemed like forever away from site, in Maputo and Xai Xai, I got back and had a successful few lessons, preparing my students for their upcoming trimester finals. At least I really hope I prepared them- I’ll know a bit better Friday after they’ve taken the test. Prepared or not, I felt great about this last week, like I was finally getting somewhere with them.
This weekend has been pretty nice. I don’t teach on Thursdays and Friday was Good Friday so no afternoon class, so it was a four day weekend. I did a lot of reading, napping, cooking, and wandering. Valerie came to visit on Friday- it was great to have my first visitor! It was a little strange, and because it was a holiday weekend my town was absolutely deserted, but I think she enjoyed it. On Friday we went to my adopted family’s house (they have taken me in and are absolutely amazing). We talked for a few hours but fugired (fugir = to leave, or escape really) before we were roped in for the 5 hour long dinner process. Instead we went back on Saturday, ate lunch, and made peanut butter cookies. Delicious! They offer to let me use their oven all the time, and after having made these cookies, I think I’m going to take them up on that offer and see if I can’t perfect a few things while I’m over here. Not really sure if they liked them (they’re not used to peanut butter) but if not they were still very gracious about it all. Saturday morning we had a brief thunderstorm. Woke me up just before 6 and by 7:30 I had the all my basias and bidons (buckets) full of fresh rain water, the dishes washed, laundry soaking, and breakfast made- all before miss Val was up. I’m still not sure how she slept through it all- the thunder was the loudest thunder I think I have ever heard. It was insane.
Today, I negared (negar = to decline, or reject) from going to church, even though it’s Easter Sunday. But a 5 or 6 hour long service in Changana just didn’t seem like the most exciting way to spend my afternoon. Instead, I sat on my stoop, watched my geese, goats and chickens that went by, read a good book, and played with Lucy. My neighbor brought me some cake and flan she’d made, which was delicious, and in the evening her sons and a few other people came over the chat and hang out. Usually I like to be in my house relaxing once the sun goes down, but today was so enjoyable hanging outside with them. There was (and probably still is) a lightning storm going on off in the distance so I was watching that as well as talking with them, practicing my Portuguese and Changana. At one point the boys were making fun or me for being afraid of a beetle that was hanging out on the stoop with us, but only a few minutes later said beetle (who was at least the side of a golf ball, with a huge hooked nose- disgusting) had flown right into my head and was taking up a residence in my hair. They thought it was hilarious as it burrowed but regardless they helped to get it out. This is why I don’t like bugs- they seem to love me.
It was a very relaxing week and weekend, and I’ve felt very much a part of my community lately. I’m obviously always going to be an outsider, but within the last week I’ve felt a bit more a part of things. Between having my new ‘family’ really taking me in, and my neighbors coming over just to be around, I’m feeling really great about things. I’m hoping that feeling continues 