Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Struggles
I've been trying to find the right words for this blog post, to try and explain what I've been feeling the last few days. It's a mixture of sadness, grief, regret, guilt, and confusion.
Monday morning during my 2nd class, all teaching was put on hold because one of our students, a 14year old 9th grade boy, was missing. He'd been swimming in the river a few km from my town the day before and never returned home. We got together, about 30 of us, to set out lookng for him. Right before we left, as I was putting on my poncho, I was told the women were going to stay behind- I couldn't go. I told them I too had eyes to help look and I was going.
We went out into the bush along the path to the river. Because of all the rain, the river has formed little pools that people like to 'tomar banho' or to go swimming in. When we reached the pool we saw his clothes in a neat pile-my heart dropped. Several boys jumped in the water to look for him. After about 20 mins his body was found a bit down the river. He was removed from the water, placed in blankets, and carried the 3km back to my town.
One thing that's been hard to handle in the last two days, besides seeing one of my students being pulled from the river, is the lack of emotion surrounding the whole situation. On Monday, the only glimmer of emotion I saw was when Comiche- one of my students from last year- saw the boy in the water for the first time. Naturally, he yelled and swam away, but then went back. There was no crying, no apparent signs of grief or distress, except classes were cancelled for the rest of the day. I guess the lack of emotion comes from self preservation- so much death and loss occurs here that they can't let each incident sink in all the way. I guess this is all part of living in a third world country.
Monday morning during my 2nd class, all teaching was put on hold because one of our students, a 14year old 9th grade boy, was missing. He'd been swimming in the river a few km from my town the day before and never returned home. We got together, about 30 of us, to set out lookng for him. Right before we left, as I was putting on my poncho, I was told the women were going to stay behind- I couldn't go. I told them I too had eyes to help look and I was going.
We went out into the bush along the path to the river. Because of all the rain, the river has formed little pools that people like to 'tomar banho' or to go swimming in. When we reached the pool we saw his clothes in a neat pile-my heart dropped. Several boys jumped in the water to look for him. After about 20 mins his body was found a bit down the river. He was removed from the water, placed in blankets, and carried the 3km back to my town.
One thing that's been hard to handle in the last two days, besides seeing one of my students being pulled from the river, is the lack of emotion surrounding the whole situation. On Monday, the only glimmer of emotion I saw was when Comiche- one of my students from last year- saw the boy in the water for the first time. Naturally, he yelled and swam away, but then went back. There was no crying, no apparent signs of grief or distress, except classes were cancelled for the rest of the day. I guess the lack of emotion comes from self preservation- so much death and loss occurs here that they can't let each incident sink in all the way. I guess this is all part of living in a third world country.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Integration
Sometimes all it takes are a few smiles and hugs and I can have one of the best days I can remember.
I started school this morning, and to my surprise we actually started- there were students when the bell rang at 7:00! Typically on the first day nobody really shows up- students or teachers. Today was different. I taught 5 classes and in all but one of them I had at least 15 students. At first everyone was pretty quiet, probably a mixture of it being the first day and them not understanding a word I was saying, but they got into it after awhile. We sang the alphabet and almost everyone was totally into it. I think I’m really going to like this teaching-younger-kids thing.
I was done by noon so that felt fantastic. I spent the afternoon on my veranda, talking with kids that came by to play and making friends with one of the puppies that’s been afraid of me. Lote and Rafito, the brother-sister duo who lives next door, have become part of my daily life. They come over, come inside to say hi, chit chat (granted I still can’t understand a word either of them says except ‘Mana Ana!’) and play around on the veranda. I helped Lote eat her bag of ice which she was spilling all over herself, and then she and I took a walk around the neighborhood. I went back to their house and sat outside on a mattress and joked around, let them climb all over me, and just laughed. I don’t know how to describe it- usually the kids play around me not really with me, but today I was right in the middle of it all. It felt nice to have them run up to me and not want to let go, or to crawl into my lap, throw their arms around my neck and lay their head on my chest. It really feels like I’m part of something here, not so much an outsider anymore. Granted I’m saying that after spending an afternoon with children no older than 8, none of whom can speak English or Portuguese, but still, it was nice.
I started school this morning, and to my surprise we actually started- there were students when the bell rang at 7:00! Typically on the first day nobody really shows up- students or teachers. Today was different. I taught 5 classes and in all but one of them I had at least 15 students. At first everyone was pretty quiet, probably a mixture of it being the first day and them not understanding a word I was saying, but they got into it after awhile. We sang the alphabet and almost everyone was totally into it. I think I’m really going to like this teaching-younger-kids thing.
I was done by noon so that felt fantastic. I spent the afternoon on my veranda, talking with kids that came by to play and making friends with one of the puppies that’s been afraid of me. Lote and Rafito, the brother-sister duo who lives next door, have become part of my daily life. They come over, come inside to say hi, chit chat (granted I still can’t understand a word either of them says except ‘Mana Ana!’) and play around on the veranda. I helped Lote eat her bag of ice which she was spilling all over herself, and then she and I took a walk around the neighborhood. I went back to their house and sat outside on a mattress and joked around, let them climb all over me, and just laughed. I don’t know how to describe it- usually the kids play around me not really with me, but today I was right in the middle of it all. It felt nice to have them run up to me and not want to let go, or to crawl into my lap, throw their arms around my neck and lay their head on my chest. It really feels like I’m part of something here, not so much an outsider anymore. Granted I’m saying that after spending an afternoon with children no older than 8, none of whom can speak English or Portuguese, but still, it was nice.
Monday, January 17, 2011
A New Year
Feels good to be back in the swing of things. School opening was today- it was a pretty typical ceremony- long, hot, somewhat confusing, and conducted in several languages- but it was enjoyable. It was nice to be back with the other teachers, to see some of my old students, and to be recognized rather than stared at. The jarring part of today came when I was told I’d be teaching 8th and 9th grade in the mornings, rather than 12th grade in the afternoon as I’d expected. I was pretty frazzled at first- I was prepared for the 12th graders, their enthusiasm, their knowledge base, their (relative) maturity- and I was all ready to use lesson plans from last year I’ve been compiling. However, in the last 8 hours I’ve become pretty excited about the little guys- I’ve already planned my first 9 lessons and I have the first trimester laid out. I get to teach the alphabet, ‘to be’, colors, body parts, greetings, all the basic stuff, and I can dance around and sing songs and even if they think I’m weird and crazy, they’re young enough they won’t be too cool to join in. I guess one downside is that I’m teaching 30 hours, everyday from 7:00 til 12:00, but at least I have my afternoons and nights free.
I’m not sure how to backtrack and get through what’s happened in the last 2 months... Classes finished, I controlled tests, graded said tests, said goodbye to students, met the new PCVs who arrived in country in October, threw a beach party for the new volunteers, took over complete control of REDES (yikes!), went to South Africa to pick up Will who happened to get stuck in London, spent Christmas with my new family, spent New Years with Will (finally) at the beautiful beach, saw 4 of the big 5 in Kruger, took several hot showers and ate home cooked American food, and... well, started year 2 of being a volunteer.
The last few months have been anything but dull and have taught me a lot about how far I’ve come in the last year. When my brother was here, I was about to show him around, to let him into my life here in Africa. It was fantastic when he met my adoptive families, when he saw my house and my school, walked through the market with me, met my friends, and saw the beautiful country I live in. It felt somewhat like two worlds colliding at moments- I kept having to remember my little brother was actually visiting me in Africa!- but absolutely wonderful. The holidays definitely made me miss home, but coming out the other side and starting school is helping with the homesickness.
Kruger was great!! I didn’t take but one picture, but my brother took at least 2,000 while he was here so I’ll find a way to link you to them if you’re interested in looking. The first few moments in the park we drove upon zebras, impala, water buffalo, and elephants. A few minutes later we ran into giraffes and a rhino. It was crazy!!! And so many monkeys! I’m so glad I finally made it there and I had the best time with Will. It was so hard to leave him at the airport- I wanted to jump on the plane with him.
This year is going to be so different from what I’ve been used to. My teaching schedule is completely different, I’m in charge of one of the biggest secondary projects in the country, it’s the 50th anniversary of Peace Corps and I’m on the planning committee, I can finally speak Portuguese and will be learning Changana, I have friends and family, and I’m for the most part comfortable here. I still have my moments of thinking “what the hell did I get myself into here!” but not as many as before. I promise, now that I’m back in school and FINALLY on a schedule, I’ll start writing more blogs and try to keep you up to date.
Oh, one thing- when I came home I found 5 puppies in my backyard. They’re still somewhat scared of me but I think I’m going to get the best of them- I don’t have to feed them or take care of them but they watch over my house and I get company when I want it. I’m kinda scared to name them because they have the potential to get stolen but we’ll see.
I’m not sure how to backtrack and get through what’s happened in the last 2 months... Classes finished, I controlled tests, graded said tests, said goodbye to students, met the new PCVs who arrived in country in October, threw a beach party for the new volunteers, took over complete control of REDES (yikes!), went to South Africa to pick up Will who happened to get stuck in London, spent Christmas with my new family, spent New Years with Will (finally) at the beautiful beach, saw 4 of the big 5 in Kruger, took several hot showers and ate home cooked American food, and... well, started year 2 of being a volunteer.
The last few months have been anything but dull and have taught me a lot about how far I’ve come in the last year. When my brother was here, I was about to show him around, to let him into my life here in Africa. It was fantastic when he met my adoptive families, when he saw my house and my school, walked through the market with me, met my friends, and saw the beautiful country I live in. It felt somewhat like two worlds colliding at moments- I kept having to remember my little brother was actually visiting me in Africa!- but absolutely wonderful. The holidays definitely made me miss home, but coming out the other side and starting school is helping with the homesickness.
Kruger was great!! I didn’t take but one picture, but my brother took at least 2,000 while he was here so I’ll find a way to link you to them if you’re interested in looking. The first few moments in the park we drove upon zebras, impala, water buffalo, and elephants. A few minutes later we ran into giraffes and a rhino. It was crazy!!! And so many monkeys! I’m so glad I finally made it there and I had the best time with Will. It was so hard to leave him at the airport- I wanted to jump on the plane with him.
This year is going to be so different from what I’ve been used to. My teaching schedule is completely different, I’m in charge of one of the biggest secondary projects in the country, it’s the 50th anniversary of Peace Corps and I’m on the planning committee, I can finally speak Portuguese and will be learning Changana, I have friends and family, and I’m for the most part comfortable here. I still have my moments of thinking “what the hell did I get myself into here!” but not as many as before. I promise, now that I’m back in school and FINALLY on a schedule, I’ll start writing more blogs and try to keep you up to date.
Oh, one thing- when I came home I found 5 puppies in my backyard. They’re still somewhat scared of me but I think I’m going to get the best of them- I don’t have to feed them or take care of them but they watch over my house and I get company when I want it. I’m kinda scared to name them because they have the potential to get stolen but we’ll see.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Finally...
Long time no blog! I blame the fact that I’ve been out of a computer for a while now. Too many crazy African viruses and she just stopped working. Thankfully I have several very computer savvy co-workers and my computer has been re-vamped and set back into motion. SO! SOOOOO much has happened in the last… 3 months?… not quite sure where to start, how to start... I hope I don’t backtrack too much but here I go…
Science fair, which was in mid September after all the crazy rioting and whatnot, was a huge success for my school considering my student, Vama, won 1st place for all of southern Moz! He won a computer, but it wasn’t until October that I was able to give it to him, in front of the whole school. Mozambicans are very formal in their carrying-ons, so when we finally gathered together people took pictures, made speeches, presented certificates, a trophy for the school, and of course made me get in front of everyone and speak. The students LOVE it when I have to make public speeches- probably because they can tell I get embarrassed easily.
LUCY!!! She finally had her babies- 4 adorable little things… I proceeded to leave town for a few days to go to Maputo, which was fantastic (will describe below) and when I returned I learned she’d fugired- she left on Saturday and hadn’t been seen since (it was by then Tuesday). My neighbors were surprisingly helpful and comforting during the whole ordeal- Mozambicans don’t keep animals as pets really, and when they do they don’t actually care for them lick we crazy Americans do. Regardless, they helped me look for her and didn’t laugh at me when I was upset that we couldn’t find her. Not only do I miss her, I’m left to hand-feed her 4 starving, whining, peeing, uncoordinated babies. It took about 10 days of feeding them by hand with a little dropper that I finally gave up and let them fend for themselves. They figured it out- however before eating/ drinking they bathe in their food- they’ll jump into the milk bowl or walk through the plate of chima. My flood has been covered in food for at least the last week. Still no sign of Lucy- I think she was stolen and eaten- but Snap Crackle and Pop have become more manageable and actually pretty cute to watch.
Maputo- I went down with Scooter and Emily to have a meeting about the REDES project and the whole thing went over with overwhelming success. Also, I made some amazing friends who make living in Moz just a bit more comfortable. Maputo is a big hub for AID organizations, and many people that go into overseas AID work are RPCVs or at least have an understanding of the life that we have here. Well, I made friends with a few of these RPCV families who have graciously opened their doors wide open to me. I love where I live and I have friends out here in the mato, but it feels so good to stay a night or two in an actual house with an American family, with people who appreciate the work we’re doing and let us relax into the amenities a bit. Plus many of the people who live here have so many amazing stories and experiences to learn about, I look forward to learning more about their lives.
One highlight from my days in Maputo, besides the REDES success and the REDES-JOMA prank war that we’ve thrown into motion, was Zac-toberfest with several of my new-found friends. Those of you who know me know I’m a fan of good beer. Well! I’ve found myself in the presence of several people who brew their own beer- heavenly!
Another highlight, getting to see Greg and Lisa, two of my very best friends from training. It’s amazing how after knowing someone for 10 weeks and not seeing them for almost a year you can feel like nothing has changed and so completely comfortable with them.
One giant success for me over the last few weeks/ months has been finishing out the school year. I’m officially don’t giving classes and not only am I happy about the decrease in work, I also feel very accomplished. One year down, one to go… I can only assume that the next year will be easier, already having lesson plans written up, knowing a bit more about classroom punishment, and having made a name for myself. My students seem to like me but also understand that I won’t take any BS. An accomplishment within teaching for me came when I was grading their final writing assignment- to see the growth they’ve made throughout the year. For their first assignment they wrote 10 sentences on malaria- out of 280 students I think I had, tops, 8 versions, everyone else either copied or didn’t do it. Throughout the year less and less people were copying, more people were actually turning in their papers, and this last assignment, 250+ words about their future plans and how finish school will help them, I had almost 100% participation and not a single copied paper, not to mention all of them were actually well written. That may not sound huge, but for me it’s… ugh, there are no words. I’m going to miss my students- I can’t say I’m become personally close to any of them, but they’ve been with me almost every day of the week during the toughest year of my life, helping me through it and giving me the support and encouragement to keep going. Granted, they’ve also contributed greatly to my stress, but I’ve gained much more from them than I thought I would have.
Conselhos- finishing up classes, preparing grades, doing paperwork- conselhos is the vain of my existence. Seriously! Out of the 18/28 (depending on who cares to show up) other teachers at my school, there is one I look forward to working with during conselhos. He’s very Mozambican, yet he has a strong work ethic, works quickly, doesn’t complain, and can pick up on things quickly. With every other teacher it’s like I’m working with a 4th grader. Normally not so, I enjoy my colleagues, but something about conselhos brings out the worst in them. Needless to say I was at school for 4 days, 9 hours each day, and was productive for about 4 of those 36 hours. I did read a fabulous book, Reading Lolita in Tehran, got some journal writing in, and did a lot of waiting, trying to help people get the show on the road. I’m so grateful it’s over.
Halloween! I spent the Saturday before relaxing on the beach, soaking up some much needed sun and solidarity, and eventually met up with 10 other volunteers to have a superhero themed Halloween celebration. I’ll admit, probably my favorite part of the night was watching the VH1 Top Male Video countdown (Michael Jackson #3, John Lennon #2, Elvis #1) with Alicia and Jenna. Tremazing made her appearance, along with Rehydration Girl, Sugar and Spice, and Day Woman (among others).
Embarrassing moment of the month: Today, while giving a preparation class to my 12th graders I turned the corner around a desk a bit too sharp and caught the back pocket of my jeans… Yeah, I ripped the behind practically right off myself. Not only was I in front of people, I was in front of my students, in a conservative village where any exposed skin above the calf is considered intolerable. Awesome. Well, I’d say I usually get flustered and embarrassed pretty easily, however today I just started laughing, joked around for a minute about what a klutz I am, then excused myself to go change my pants. I was more embarrassed by the fact that I can’t even judge my own width anymore.
Science fair, which was in mid September after all the crazy rioting and whatnot, was a huge success for my school considering my student, Vama, won 1st place for all of southern Moz! He won a computer, but it wasn’t until October that I was able to give it to him, in front of the whole school. Mozambicans are very formal in their carrying-ons, so when we finally gathered together people took pictures, made speeches, presented certificates, a trophy for the school, and of course made me get in front of everyone and speak. The students LOVE it when I have to make public speeches- probably because they can tell I get embarrassed easily.
LUCY!!! She finally had her babies- 4 adorable little things… I proceeded to leave town for a few days to go to Maputo, which was fantastic (will describe below) and when I returned I learned she’d fugired- she left on Saturday and hadn’t been seen since (it was by then Tuesday). My neighbors were surprisingly helpful and comforting during the whole ordeal- Mozambicans don’t keep animals as pets really, and when they do they don’t actually care for them lick we crazy Americans do. Regardless, they helped me look for her and didn’t laugh at me when I was upset that we couldn’t find her. Not only do I miss her, I’m left to hand-feed her 4 starving, whining, peeing, uncoordinated babies. It took about 10 days of feeding them by hand with a little dropper that I finally gave up and let them fend for themselves. They figured it out- however before eating/ drinking they bathe in their food- they’ll jump into the milk bowl or walk through the plate of chima. My flood has been covered in food for at least the last week. Still no sign of Lucy- I think she was stolen and eaten- but Snap Crackle and Pop have become more manageable and actually pretty cute to watch.
Maputo- I went down with Scooter and Emily to have a meeting about the REDES project and the whole thing went over with overwhelming success. Also, I made some amazing friends who make living in Moz just a bit more comfortable. Maputo is a big hub for AID organizations, and many people that go into overseas AID work are RPCVs or at least have an understanding of the life that we have here. Well, I made friends with a few of these RPCV families who have graciously opened their doors wide open to me. I love where I live and I have friends out here in the mato, but it feels so good to stay a night or two in an actual house with an American family, with people who appreciate the work we’re doing and let us relax into the amenities a bit. Plus many of the people who live here have so many amazing stories and experiences to learn about, I look forward to learning more about their lives.
One highlight from my days in Maputo, besides the REDES success and the REDES-JOMA prank war that we’ve thrown into motion, was Zac-toberfest with several of my new-found friends. Those of you who know me know I’m a fan of good beer. Well! I’ve found myself in the presence of several people who brew their own beer- heavenly!
Another highlight, getting to see Greg and Lisa, two of my very best friends from training. It’s amazing how after knowing someone for 10 weeks and not seeing them for almost a year you can feel like nothing has changed and so completely comfortable with them.
One giant success for me over the last few weeks/ months has been finishing out the school year. I’m officially don’t giving classes and not only am I happy about the decrease in work, I also feel very accomplished. One year down, one to go… I can only assume that the next year will be easier, already having lesson plans written up, knowing a bit more about classroom punishment, and having made a name for myself. My students seem to like me but also understand that I won’t take any BS. An accomplishment within teaching for me came when I was grading their final writing assignment- to see the growth they’ve made throughout the year. For their first assignment they wrote 10 sentences on malaria- out of 280 students I think I had, tops, 8 versions, everyone else either copied or didn’t do it. Throughout the year less and less people were copying, more people were actually turning in their papers, and this last assignment, 250+ words about their future plans and how finish school will help them, I had almost 100% participation and not a single copied paper, not to mention all of them were actually well written. That may not sound huge, but for me it’s… ugh, there are no words. I’m going to miss my students- I can’t say I’m become personally close to any of them, but they’ve been with me almost every day of the week during the toughest year of my life, helping me through it and giving me the support and encouragement to keep going. Granted, they’ve also contributed greatly to my stress, but I’ve gained much more from them than I thought I would have.
Conselhos- finishing up classes, preparing grades, doing paperwork- conselhos is the vain of my existence. Seriously! Out of the 18/28 (depending on who cares to show up) other teachers at my school, there is one I look forward to working with during conselhos. He’s very Mozambican, yet he has a strong work ethic, works quickly, doesn’t complain, and can pick up on things quickly. With every other teacher it’s like I’m working with a 4th grader. Normally not so, I enjoy my colleagues, but something about conselhos brings out the worst in them. Needless to say I was at school for 4 days, 9 hours each day, and was productive for about 4 of those 36 hours. I did read a fabulous book, Reading Lolita in Tehran, got some journal writing in, and did a lot of waiting, trying to help people get the show on the road. I’m so grateful it’s over.
Halloween! I spent the Saturday before relaxing on the beach, soaking up some much needed sun and solidarity, and eventually met up with 10 other volunteers to have a superhero themed Halloween celebration. I’ll admit, probably my favorite part of the night was watching the VH1 Top Male Video countdown (Michael Jackson #3, John Lennon #2, Elvis #1) with Alicia and Jenna. Tremazing made her appearance, along with Rehydration Girl, Sugar and Spice, and Day Woman (among others).
Embarrassing moment of the month: Today, while giving a preparation class to my 12th graders I turned the corner around a desk a bit too sharp and caught the back pocket of my jeans… Yeah, I ripped the behind practically right off myself. Not only was I in front of people, I was in front of my students, in a conservative village where any exposed skin above the calf is considered intolerable. Awesome. Well, I’d say I usually get flustered and embarrassed pretty easily, however today I just started laughing, joked around for a minute about what a klutz I am, then excused myself to go change my pants. I was more embarrassed by the fact that I can’t even judge my own width anymore.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
ONE YEAR!!!
So, it's been a very exciting few weeks.... First I had my 25th birthday. Exciting! The girls in Chokwe threw me a party with champagne, cake, twister, and movies. I'm so lucky to live next to such amazing girls. Then, for the weekend, I went up to Gorangoza to visit some other volunteers and take a mini-vacation. It was a LONG trip but totally worth it. Five of us that went have Septmeber birthdays so we had a lot of celebrating to do. I'm starting to realize just how different parts of Mozambique are. Down where I am everything is flat and dry- nothing like anything I've ever seen before. Inhanbane is more tropical, with so many coconut and banana trees, and of course gorgeous beaches. And then Manica/Sofala are more hilly and colorful. I felt like I was driving through the states, with the changing colors of the leaves and the mountains (hills really) in the distance. Too bad I dont live a little bit more central so I could travel a bit more. Anyways, I saw my first wild animal!!! It was a baboon- and I was SO excited a punched Colin who was sleeping next to me. Apparently I'm the only one in this country that's never seen a wild monkey because he just laughed at me. During our weekend celebration we went to the river close to Brian and Jordan's house twice each day. It was fabulous! And hilarious actually- a large group of molongos marching down to the river, turning rocks into water slides, playing catch with soap bars, washing our hair then putting on sunscreen... it was great. We cooked amazing food (ok, they cooked, I helped), played card games like we did during training, and camped outside next to the bonfire. Amazing weekend. I'm here with a fantastic group of people.
So, today I am celebrating not only being in country for one year, but also the birth of Lucy's 4 babies. Bright and early this morning she perched herself on my bed and went into labor. After promptly revoming her from my bed I sat with her and tried to make her a bit less confused about what was going on (if that's even possible...) She seemed pretty clueless about what to do once they were born- she kept pacing through my house- but hopefully she figures it out here soon.
One year down, One more to go. I've learned so much, grown so much, been knocked down more times than I can count, but this has definitely been one of the best years of my life. A year ago today I had NO idea exactly what I was getting myself into. I can only imagine what this next year has instore for me...
So, today I am celebrating not only being in country for one year, but also the birth of Lucy's 4 babies. Bright and early this morning she perched herself on my bed and went into labor. After promptly revoming her from my bed I sat with her and tried to make her a bit less confused about what was going on (if that's even possible...) She seemed pretty clueless about what to do once they were born- she kept pacing through my house- but hopefully she figures it out here soon.
One year down, One more to go. I've learned so much, grown so much, been knocked down more times than I can count, but this has definitely been one of the best years of my life. A year ago today I had NO idea exactly what I was getting myself into. I can only imagine what this next year has instore for me...
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
I´m over it
Monday and yesterday (Tuesday) I had the worst two days of teaching since training. My lesson was how to write a resume, something I think is pretty important for students about to graduate high school. I was well prepared, had several activities, and thought it was going to go fairly well. SO WRONG! I think it was a combination of lack of understanding, inability to see the importance, and lack of motivation for any schoolwork that led them to sit there are stare. My students don’t participate a lot, I’ve gotten used to that. But there was something different about these last two days. Each class I’d change a few things and make my lesson clearer, more interactive, more basic, whatever, but nothing got them going. I currently have 2 hours before I have to go back and continue teaching them and honestly, I’d rather just sit here today. I’m trying to find the motivation to persevere but it’s getting difficult…
Monday, September 13, 2010
REDES
Just got back from our provincial REDES conference- it was quite a success! We had about 40 girls in all, 7 Mozambicans, and several PCVs. I brought three girls from my school and they all seemed to have a great time and learn a few things. Also, Paulina Chiziane, the first Mozambican woman to be a published novelist, came and spoke to the girls about her life. She was a phenomenal speaker, and the girls said they enjoyed it so much and were very inspired by her story. Seeing as though I am now the national coordinator for this project, I definitely have my hands full to make the next conference just as enjoyable and educational.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
REDES
Just got back from our provincial REDES conference- it was quite a success! We had about 40 girls in all, 7 Mozambicans, and several PCVs. I brought three girls from my school and they all seemed to have a great time and learn a few things. Also, Paulina Chiziane, the first Mozambican woman to be a published novelist, came and spoke to the girls about her life. She was a phenomenal speaker, and the girls said they enjoyed it so much and were very inspired by her story. Seeing as though I am now the national coordinator for this project, I definitely have my hands full to make the next conference just as enjoyable and educational.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Funeral part 2
The funeral process ended up lasting 4 days, that I’m aware of. The first three days were all the same- women under the tree, singing, chanting, screaming, crying, processionals to the grave with flowers, more weeping. The fourth day was silent but many people were around. I happened to be teaching a lot that day so I might have missed something but from what I could tell it was pretty calm. I’m still very curious what kind of religious or cultural impart suicide has on a family. I’m curious if there are implications for the surviving members of the family, or if the grieving process is the same. There are many funerals around here, and although I haven’t seen too many first hand, like this one, I’m pretty sure there’s not usually a lot of wailing and carrying on. I will do some research and post about it.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Cat Attack
I woke up at 2:30 this morning to something trying to come into my house. I quickly realized it was only a cat, but it wasn’t Lucy because she was with me in my room. So I got out of bed to try and shoo the stray out- bad idea. S/he flipped! This cat tried to jump out the window and got caught, leapt a good 12 feet into the air, meowed and cried for a while, then ran into the kitchen, knocking things off my shelves. Garfield (as I will call him) perched, hollering, for a good five minutes. I didn’t want to get close just in case he’s rabid, so I threw pencils at him trying to get him to move. Finally, at least 15 minutes after I got out of bed, he finally went for the open door and escaped. So I’m thinking Garfield is one of the past volunteer’s cats because this isn’t the first time he’s come into my house to eat Lucy’s food. And to be honest it really wouldn’t bother me except he’s too fat and once he gets in my house he can’t get back out. No good.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Market Day
I spent the entire day in the market this afternoon. I brought my capulana and camped out with a woman all day. The women loved having me there- they’d joke around about how horrible my Changana accent is, or how I was saying the wrong words, or how every other people that walked through the market stopped to ask why I was there. The kids loved it- they gathered around to talk to me or to ask me questions they knew I wouldn’t understand. I learned a fair amount of Changana and definitely got in a few laughs, even if they were at my own expense. It was anything but eventful, but I felt accomplished at the end of it all. I don’t know if I could spend another entire day there anytime soon, but to stop in for an hour and practice my Changana I can definitely do more often.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Funeral
Turns out the scary goat-killing beast was a baboon. Unfortunately it moved on without me getting too see it. Maybe next time.
So this morning was a bit particular. My next door neighbor committed suicide. It’s not at all common here and I have no idea why he did it. Well, I woke up this morning to some screaming and crying when he was found. Then as the morning and afternoon continued, I witnessed the funeral process. Around 8am people started gathering at the house to pay respects to the family. At around 9:30 a crowd of people came walking up carrying the body and placed it in the house. After that people just kept coming and coming. The women sat on the ground under a huge tree and sang while the men sat under another tree in chairs and watched as one man made the casket. This continued until about 4pm when the singing calmed down and it got quiet. Then the body was placed in the back of a truck and everyone (about 60 people) followed behind the truck singing as they went to the cemetery. It’s currently 5:05pm and it’s surprising quiet around here. A huge part of me wanted to see more of what was going on today, learn a bit more about the funeral process, but because I wasn’t invited to participate I didn’t feel it was my place. I will say I’m amazed at the singing that took place all this afternoon- at least 6 hours of constant chanting and singing. It was quite beautiful. Also I was somewhat surprised by the male female separation all day. Only when they were placing the body in the house and as they were driving to the cemetery did I see any men and women interacting together. This is a very gender-separated culture, and I guess traditional ceremonies only accentuate that separation.
So this morning was a bit particular. My next door neighbor committed suicide. It’s not at all common here and I have no idea why he did it. Well, I woke up this morning to some screaming and crying when he was found. Then as the morning and afternoon continued, I witnessed the funeral process. Around 8am people started gathering at the house to pay respects to the family. At around 9:30 a crowd of people came walking up carrying the body and placed it in the house. After that people just kept coming and coming. The women sat on the ground under a huge tree and sang while the men sat under another tree in chairs and watched as one man made the casket. This continued until about 4pm when the singing calmed down and it got quiet. Then the body was placed in the back of a truck and everyone (about 60 people) followed behind the truck singing as they went to the cemetery. It’s currently 5:05pm and it’s surprising quiet around here. A huge part of me wanted to see more of what was going on today, learn a bit more about the funeral process, but because I wasn’t invited to participate I didn’t feel it was my place. I will say I’m amazed at the singing that took place all this afternoon- at least 6 hours of constant chanting and singing. It was quite beautiful. Also I was somewhat surprised by the male female separation all day. Only when they were placing the body in the house and as they were driving to the cemetery did I see any men and women interacting together. This is a very gender-separated culture, and I guess traditional ceremonies only accentuate that separation.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
PINK
I don’t remember if pink was a trend/popular color when I was in the states, it’s not something I’d pay attention to, but here pink is everywhere! Not only the little girls or the women, pink is worn by all. And I’m not only talking pink button-ups or pink ties, the men and boys are wearing pink hats and carrying pink backpacks. They wear “I am a princess” shirts and “This girl’s got ATTITUDE” shirts. There are also the collared shirts that have Best Buy or LOWES or other random labels on them that they wear. I think my favorite was a Trojan condom t-shirt my ped director wore when we met the Ministry of Education, or the Santa sweater (yes, one of those big puffy tacky Christmas sweaters with bells and pompoms) the director of my school wore last month (July) to an important meeting. I understand why she wore it, it was cold, but I definitely got a chuckle out of it.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Chapa rides...
My life is so much less eventful when I’m not riding in chapas! I love getting rides not only because they are safe and sometimes free, but also because it’s so much more calm and uneventful. Well this morning was anything but calm and uneventful. The taxi ride was pretty smooth going- good start. Then once we got to junta in Maputo, Scooter and I parted ways and I was left to haggle my way onto a chapa headed south. I’m a small white woman carrying bags, so not only did I stand out but I was an easy target for the cobradors (not drivers, but the people who “take care” of you once you’re on the chapa-open the door, take the money, etc). I walked back and forth between a few chapas, trying to find the one that was most full because it has the most potential to leave the soonest, and also who would give me the best price. I found one, started haggling, and ended up getting into an argument with the cobrador. I was telling him he was charging me WAY too much and I wasn’t going to pay, and he told me I was white and had plenty of money for him. I tried to explain Peace Corps- I’m here as a volunteer NOT as a tourist and I’m NOT getting paid a lot of money. He didn’t want to listen, and he was being a douch about it, so I got upset and walked off after a few minutes of arguing. Luckily, a few other people heard me and how rude he was being so they followed me and we filled up a different chapa.
So, once on the road, the woman behind me started chanting. It wasn’t in Changana or Portuguese (or English or French for that matter) and it was very strange- there was some rocking back and forth with the eyes closed… It died down about an hour in, which was when a man starting to complain that we needed to pull over so a little girl could pee. A few minutes later he admitted it was him that needed to pee and everyone in the chapa started to make fun of him. It was strange- riders don’t seem to care when we stop every 20 yards to pick up more people, stuff, rearrange, blow a tire, whatever. But to pull over and pee was absolutely out of the question! For a minute there I thought he might just pee out the window. Anyways, finally got out off that chapa and on to another. It was full of drunk teenagers, before 10:30am. At least they were friendly and the driver was sober. We waited over an hour to fill the chapa before we could leave. Once driving, we still stopped every few minutes to pick up more people- at one point we had 26 people on board, not including children and babies. At one point we stopped to let people off and I saw a dance party going on- several people with crazy hats dancing around with people watching. My favorite was the little boy in hot pink rain boots that came up to his knees, dancing in the sand. Finally at my stop I got out and waited for another ride to take me into my town. Luckily I made it home and back to school with my bata just as classes were starting, 12:20. A 5 ½ hour trip via chapa that should’ve taken maybe 3. An exciting morning.
So, once on the road, the woman behind me started chanting. It wasn’t in Changana or Portuguese (or English or French for that matter) and it was very strange- there was some rocking back and forth with the eyes closed… It died down about an hour in, which was when a man starting to complain that we needed to pull over so a little girl could pee. A few minutes later he admitted it was him that needed to pee and everyone in the chapa started to make fun of him. It was strange- riders don’t seem to care when we stop every 20 yards to pick up more people, stuff, rearrange, blow a tire, whatever. But to pull over and pee was absolutely out of the question! For a minute there I thought he might just pee out the window. Anyways, finally got out off that chapa and on to another. It was full of drunk teenagers, before 10:30am. At least they were friendly and the driver was sober. We waited over an hour to fill the chapa before we could leave. Once driving, we still stopped every few minutes to pick up more people- at one point we had 26 people on board, not including children and babies. At one point we stopped to let people off and I saw a dance party going on- several people with crazy hats dancing around with people watching. My favorite was the little boy in hot pink rain boots that came up to his knees, dancing in the sand. Finally at my stop I got out and waited for another ride to take me into my town. Luckily I made it home and back to school with my bata just as classes were starting, 12:20. A 5 ½ hour trip via chapa that should’ve taken maybe 3. An exciting morning.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
la!
The word La (which means there) is used often here in Moz. I originally thought it meant right here, close. However, after many months I've come to realize it can mean anywhere between right here close to down the street to the other end of the country. The way to deduct this information is to listen to the pitch of the person talking. For example, "Oh don't worry you're carrying heavy luggage, the hotel is just la" - If the speaker sounds like a baritone, you really have nothing to worry about, the hotel is probably in view. If he sounds about normal, count on a few minutes hike. Now, if you hear a high pitched la, you're in for quite a hike. And if he sounds like an opera singer, just give up there because it's probably not even in the same town. This valuable information has been collected through months of long hikes trying to track down things that I assumed were just around the corner but turn out to be (opera)) la!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Box of Love
I received a care package today- an unexpectd gift from a complete stranger.
My first reaction- "Who do I know in NYC?" Next- "How does she know me?"
Apparently, Mom, Nana, you're not the only two that read this.
My new friend told me a bit about her life and her experience in a thrid world country. She opened my eyes up to a few things I hadn't really put much thought to. I hope she won't mind me quoting her on a few things-
"Hindsight has provided me the great gift of thinking about all the things I would do differently if I had the chance to go back into a third world country. I would spend more time in the village just hanging out. Maybe I would befriend a woman at the market and sit with her at the market. Just hang out, even if I didn't understand her. I would ask her if I could try for a day to do all that she does. I would invite someone from the village to my home for dinner. I'd learn how to do the daily things people in the village do: pluck a chicken, carve a chicken, or even kill a chicken. I would spend more time with my village learning everyone's name or almost everyone's name. I would try to think like them, even if I didn't agree. The reason I say all this is because at the time I thought I was pretty well intergraded. I got used to limited electricity, no tv, no computer, no internet, but it wasn't until ten years later that I was able to reflect on my experience and say taht I didn't really learn any skills there. I didn't really know the things the average person in my village knew. I would challenge you to ask yourself that. What are the five basic things your average villager does that you could envision yourself actually doing?"
Those words really got me thinking- I do feel quite intergraded but then again I have never spent more than a few minutes at the market, nor have I planted a machamba, or killed a chicken... I know these are only specific examples, and just because I'm not doing EVERYTHING the people in the community are doing doesn't mean I'm not intergraded, but it gets me thinking that there is always another way to get myself a bit deeper into my experience here.
So, not only did I get encouragement, fresh ideas, and goodies for my belly, I think I made a new friend. You have made not only my day, my week, but my month- you have left me speechless by your generosity. Thank you.
My first reaction- "Who do I know in NYC?" Next- "How does she know me?"
Apparently, Mom, Nana, you're not the only two that read this.
My new friend told me a bit about her life and her experience in a thrid world country. She opened my eyes up to a few things I hadn't really put much thought to. I hope she won't mind me quoting her on a few things-
"Hindsight has provided me the great gift of thinking about all the things I would do differently if I had the chance to go back into a third world country. I would spend more time in the village just hanging out. Maybe I would befriend a woman at the market and sit with her at the market. Just hang out, even if I didn't understand her. I would ask her if I could try for a day to do all that she does. I would invite someone from the village to my home for dinner. I'd learn how to do the daily things people in the village do: pluck a chicken, carve a chicken, or even kill a chicken. I would spend more time with my village learning everyone's name or almost everyone's name. I would try to think like them, even if I didn't agree. The reason I say all this is because at the time I thought I was pretty well intergraded. I got used to limited electricity, no tv, no computer, no internet, but it wasn't until ten years later that I was able to reflect on my experience and say taht I didn't really learn any skills there. I didn't really know the things the average person in my village knew. I would challenge you to ask yourself that. What are the five basic things your average villager does that you could envision yourself actually doing?"
Those words really got me thinking- I do feel quite intergraded but then again I have never spent more than a few minutes at the market, nor have I planted a machamba, or killed a chicken... I know these are only specific examples, and just because I'm not doing EVERYTHING the people in the community are doing doesn't mean I'm not intergraded, but it gets me thinking that there is always another way to get myself a bit deeper into my experience here.
So, not only did I get encouragement, fresh ideas, and goodies for my belly, I think I made a new friend. You have made not only my day, my week, but my month- you have left me speechless by your generosity. Thank you.
Monday, August 16, 2010
It's a what?!
So get this- I just got home from a conversation with a few of my neighbors. Walking back from class I stopped to talk to my neighbor Mana Angelina. Another neighbor passed by and the two started talking in Changana (so I didn't catch a word of it) but I did pick up on the emotion behind the words- excitement, terror, confusion. The nameless neighbor turned and spoke to me for the first time ever- "Mana Ana, fechar o porto bem, e nao pode apagar as lampadas. Nao pode sair a noite!" translation- Ana, close your door well, don't turn off the lights, and you cannot leave at night! I turned to Mana Angelina and inquired porque- My guess was a ladrao (theif) was in the neighborhood. But no, no theif, it's a wild beast. Nobody knows exactly what it is- some say large cat (leopard? cheetah?) others large monkey (chimpanzee? gorilla?) but whatever it is has been killing and eating goats in the middle of the night. Two nights ago two goats killed by the market, last night 3 at a house just down the street from mine. But what is this beast?!?! LION? TIGER? BEAR? I want to see it! I can't promise I won't go looking for it in the night, but I do promise I'll take my machette with me :)
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Inhanbane
I decided to get out of site for a few days after all the stress from conselhos and the end of the trimester. I made the trek up to northern Inhanbane province, and even though I made the trip pretty fast, it took me about 12 hours on the road (not including the time it took to wait for rides). The first part of my journey was with Matt, who was on his way to the beach as well, but a bit further south than my destination. I made it up about halfway and stopped to stay the evening with Ann (a health volunteer, who I haven’t seen since parting ways in Swaziland). Not only was it WONDERFUL to finally spend time with her, I also got to see the new episode of GLEE! New to me at least- I’ve been deprived. Back on the road in the morning, and I made it to the beach at around 3pm. I met up with Tim who was also staying with Colin for the evening, and caught up a bit. And I thought I lived in the middle of nowhere! After hearing about Tim’s several hour boat rides, one-car-a-day in and out of his site, the 4 hours bike ride to the closest volunteer because there is no road… I feel like I live in the city in comparison. That evening, we had dinner with Gracey’s parents who were visiting. Gracey was busy for the evening so we were fortunate enough to be foster kids for the night. They were absolutely wonderful! I felt so at home with them, and had a fantastic meal of coconut curry crab. Unbeatable.
Lisa came the next day! A group of volunteers from all over were there for a PC conference, so I stuck around with them and caught up with everyone. Lisa was my best friend during training, and I’ve missed her like crazy. Fourteen other volunteers were down for the weekend, so we hung out, caught up, traded tv shows on our hard drives, and laughed, a lot. While they were in meetings I spent time lounging at the pool and reading. Come Monday morning all I wanted to do was come back to site. I’d forgotten what it was like to be around so many other friends and just have a good time. Being here alone is definitely changing my perspective on more things than I was prepared for.
Anyways, after leaving the beach, I made half the trip home and this time stayed with Scooter. I wish we lived closer to each other! Her dad was also visiting so I got to meet him and catch him up a bit. I’ve loved meeting people’s parents. Mom, Dad- be ready to meet A LOT of volunteers during your vacation.
Now, back at site, I’m settling into things pretty well. A few classes over and done with, third trimester on a roll, and the pace of life is picking up speed very quickly. Before I know it it’ll be Christmas!
Lisa came the next day! A group of volunteers from all over were there for a PC conference, so I stuck around with them and caught up with everyone. Lisa was my best friend during training, and I’ve missed her like crazy. Fourteen other volunteers were down for the weekend, so we hung out, caught up, traded tv shows on our hard drives, and laughed, a lot. While they were in meetings I spent time lounging at the pool and reading. Come Monday morning all I wanted to do was come back to site. I’d forgotten what it was like to be around so many other friends and just have a good time. Being here alone is definitely changing my perspective on more things than I was prepared for.
Anyways, after leaving the beach, I made half the trip home and this time stayed with Scooter. I wish we lived closer to each other! Her dad was also visiting so I got to meet him and catch him up a bit. I’ve loved meeting people’s parents. Mom, Dad- be ready to meet A LOT of volunteers during your vacation.
Now, back at site, I’m settling into things pretty well. A few classes over and done with, third trimester on a roll, and the pace of life is picking up speed very quickly. Before I know it it’ll be Christmas!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Boleia
I got a ride from a group of divers today on my way back home from the beach. It not being a chapa, it was not only comfortable and safe but their hospitality was above and beyond what I was prepared for. They stopped in Xai-Xai to do a bit of shopping- chips, soda, water, the essentials- and one of the men looked at me and said “I hope we aren’t offending you by this, but we wanted to buy you a few things to take back to site. We really appreciate all the work you’re doing here and we’d like to say thank you.” First I was blown away, and then almost in tears. I watched as they loaded a shopping basket full of cheese, soy milk, sausage, yogurt, chocolate, coffee, and more and more… I had said earlier in the car that where I lived it was difficult to find certain things, and I hadn’t realized they’d been making a mental list. I was/am blown away by their sweet gesture and now I will have a happy belly for weeks to come.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Matt!
Matt, the Moz 10 volunteer from my site came through for a few days to visit. I had such a fantastic time! It was such a pleasure to spend time with someone who has not only experienced Peace Corps and come out the other end still intact, but to talk to someone that knows exactly what I’m going through- who my friends are, how the school and neighbors treat me, the particular challenges I’m faced by this particular town- I’m so happy he came through! We talked, cooked, spent time with friends he had when he lived here (pretty much the people that befriended me when I arrived), and both wished at the end of it all that we had a few more days to relax, hang out, and catch up. We parted ways at the turnoff to his favorite beach where I hope he spent some much needed time relaxing and catching some fabulous Mozambican sun.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)