Vivendo em Moçambique: December 24, 2012

Merry Christmas everyone! It doesn’t feel like Christmas Eve here though. It’s just too hot! I’m so use to all the decorations in the stores and commercials on TV. It’s so strange to me that I don’t see it here. We left Montepuez today and traveled three hours by chapa to the beach. We met up with some volunteers who invited all the new Cabo Delgado volunteers over. When we walked inside the volunteer house, we saw cute stockings with our names on them on the wall and real stockings with something inside of them hanging from the window. The Christmas cookies were delicious, and after that we ate lunch at a place called Frango Assada (half a chicken and French fries. Yum!). We were pretty full after our meal and headed to the beach. It was so pretty! Beautiful white beach with palm trees lining the beach and warm water. VERY different from the beaches in Long Beach. No trash! After walking down the beach, we stopped at a restaurant with really funny/tacky xmas decorations. Dinner was at the restaurant near a hostel (Russel’s). A few of us split a pizza, hamburger, and lasagna and we got to meet a lot of the volunteers here in Mozambique.

While I was eating, the coolest/most random thing that happened to me! A girl walked up to me asking if I was from Palmdale and Lauren’s friend. I completely blanked out and didn’t understand what she was talking about until I realized that a couple days before I left the U.S., Lauren Pitts (from high school) told me her friend was also a PCV in Mozambique!! And this was her! She found me here in Pemba. It was so awesome because her site was all the way in the south near a place called Chokwe in the province of Gaza. I also found out that my mom’s friend’s friend’s daughter is another education volunteer here in Mozambique. Such a small world!

After that, we went to a party. I was really tired because I am use to going to bed when the sun goes down (Which is early! Life without electricity). I also wasn’t really in the mood for socializing with people I had never met before and dancing to music while drinking beer and smoking. So, instead, I talked on the phone to Nick until his credit ran out. It made me realize what I value most about Christmas, which is The Christmas Spirit combined with family and friends. It was hard to be away from that and I don’t have any close friends here in Cabo Delgado but it was so nice to talk to someone at least on the phone. After I hung up with Nick, one of the girls we met earlier (Pam’s new roommate named Stephanie) sat next to me and I complained about the whole situation. Thank goodness she felt the same with me. We randomly found a chapa back home (half of us were standing) and when we got back, Stephanie mysteriously pulled me outside away from everyone else. I was extremely happy and surprised when she suggested listening to silent night on her ipod while lighting candles. It made me miss you guys so much. I wish I was in Texas with my family at Candlelight Service but that’s not exactly practical at the moment lol but lighting that candle made me feel like I was with you guys in spirit :) Finally got to bed around 2am and slept under a mosquito net with Anna.

The next day, Christmas day, we woke up early and heated up the cinnamon rolls! Stephanie surprised us again by adding gifts to our stockings (bon bon chocolates, lotion, and soap!) and we listed to holiday music or watched “Elf” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” After that, we headed to the beach once more to hang out and made tacos that afternoon for dinner. They were so delicious! I miss real vegetables. It is “Tempo de Fome” (time of hunger) here in Mozambique right now so there are not many types/amounts of produce and all they have is expensive.