Five weeks

It has officially hit me.  We have 5 more weeks at site before we pack up our house, pass Amenduim off to a new volunteer, and finally get our Rs (RPCV- as we say, Recovering PCV).  The last few weeks have been great, wrapping up the work I've done over the last year, spending time with PCVs who come to visit, and getting to know all the newbies.  But today is just one of those days I imagine I'll be having over the next few weeks/months- a bag a bricks in my stomach. Five weeks and everything is going to change.  Five weeks until a new adventure.

Running into family

This morning on my run I ran into Gilda and Pai, my host siblings.  I don't see them very often because they live 3+ miles from my current house, and to walk that far just to say hi can be frustrating when I get to the house and nobody is there  (yes that happened to me last Friday.  I’m still slightly bitter).  Anyways, they were walking to school for p.e. class and happened to be a bit late.  I convinced them to get a little exercise before getting exercise by running the 2.5miles to school with me.  I was glad I got to see them, chat with them a bit, and still get a comfortable run out of it.  And even in flip flops, Gilda was right there with me the whole time.  That girl impresses me.

Swaziland

I’m not sure if I’ve written a blog about my future plans yet, so here goes… I’m officially finished with Peace Corps in December 2012 ( Fun fact- I entered PC 9/09 and I’m leaving 12/12. It’s the little things in life :) ) However, unlike most people who miss America, family, and friends as much as I do, Scooter and I have decided to stay out here for a bit longer. Scooter has family friends that run a Catholic mission in Swaziland, and a few months ago we decided to go volunteer there from January through April 2013. Yes, volunteer (someday I will actually make money, but apparently I’m in no huge hurry). We’ll be working with the youth center they have, working towards strengthening their monitoring and evaluation system, organizational development of the program, and trying to work towards sustainability (like all work we’ve been doing over here). We’ll also be spending a lot of time with the kids. I’m really looking forward to it! It will be a dramatic change from what I’m doing here, yet continuing on the lines of working with youth development.


It’s been funny (and slightly uncomfortable) when people ask Scooter and I, “So are you excited to finally go home?” or, “Are you two going to be ok when PC is over and you have to move away from each other?” Well, turns out we don’t have to leave each other! People look at us a bit strange (3 years wasn’t enough?) but most aren’t surprised.

In the meantime, I’ll be headed to India!! Rather than going all the way back to Alaska for Christmas and New Years, I’ve decided to visit India for a few weeks. I’ve always wanted to visit, and since I have a friend living there now and a month to kill, it was the perfect opportunity :) It’s going to be a good next few months!!

Session time

The last few training groups that have come through I have met, but have not spend a significant amount of time with. I’ve felt a little underutilized by PC staff- not being invited to share my experiences, lead sessions, or even hang out with the trainees- considering I live in the same town as training. But this time around it’s a bit different. I’ve already developed and led several sessions!!


Yesterday was my session on Secondary Projects (aka what I’ve been doing here my third year.) I got to talking about the projects in Moz and project ideas and I caught myself talking a mile a minute. I got so excited to share what amazing things PCVs are doing throughout the country!! Considering I (along with everyone else) have been denied the opportunity to talk about secondary projects (like REDES, JUNTOS, Science Fair, English Theater, and others) during the last 4 training groups, I think I handled my bundled-up excitement and enthusiasm very well. At the end when the trainees told me it was an amazing session and super helpful, I felt pleased :)

I hope to do a bit more work with the trainees over the next 6 weeks. I feel like I have a lot of experiences to share and can be a great resource for the trainees (as well as PC staff), so I really hope it works out. For now, I’m a happy PCV.

Newbies!!!

A whole new group of Peace Corps Trainees has arrived!!! Our town is now overrun with Mulungos. For example, this morning on our run, Scooter and I saw 11other Americans out running. We're taking over!!


As much as Scooter and I love each other, it's been nice to meet the new trainees and spend some time with new faces. There are several volunteers that have come from Cape Verde, where they spent one year as volunteers before being transferred here due to lack of PC work in CV, so talking to them and learning about their experiences in another country has been really interesting. It's also been fun to see how far I've come in the last three years. It's interesting to look back to when I was in their shoes, fresh into Mozambique, not knowing a word of Portuguese, not knowing how to teach, juggling new friends and new family, and struggling to get through each day. Everything was so new when I got here. I forget that sometimes (passing a goat on the street or scooping frogs off our floor to put outside just seem like daily occurrences now). I'm looking forward to spending more time with the new group- they all seem pretty amazing. And I think it'll be a great way to end my service.

Denim Day!

So three of my good friends just left Mozambique, and as a going away present, we had a Denim Day in Maputo, complete with denim clothing, denim jewelry, and denim accessories.  Scooter and I took it upon ourselves to create rings, bracelets, and/or hair bows for everyone.  See, this is what happens when you've been in Peace Corps too long... and it was amazing.

Moamba REDES Exhibition

 

Yesterday, Dia da Paz (Peace Day), a fellow PCV in Moamba threw an exhibition for her REDES group.  Scooter and I traveled to meet her and participate in the festivities.  The REDES group invited government officials throughout Moamba to learn about what REDES is, what the girls do, and how they as community leaders can contribute to and support REDES.  The girls put together several dance pieces and invited students from a secondary school across town to dance and sing.  They then showed pictures of the REDES group and talked about activities they've done throughout the community.  Finally, the girls put together a fashion show of the products they make (everything from earrings, necklaces, and belts to place-mats and bags).  We then all got together for a snack (of DELICIOUS Indian finger foods), browsed and bought items the girls had made, and talked about their REDES experiences.  I don't think this type of event happens often, and I was happy I could participate.  It is a great way for knowledge of a program to spread through a community, gain support from community members and government officials, and motivate the girls to continue working and growing as a group and as individuals.  I was impressed with the leadership they took of the exhibition, and I was extremely impressed with the Mozambican group facilitator and all she did for the event.  I hope other PCVs take this idea and implement it at their sites, encouraging knowledge sharing, support, and participation.