Vivendo em Moçambique: September 28, 2013

English Theater is a competition where you can only speak English. Ten students participate in a play that lasts ten minutes. Each province (state) in Mozambique has its own competition and this year there were 9 schools that competed here in Nampula. Elizabeth and I collected the students (nine boys and one girl) and brought them to a site called Monapo for the day. The presentations lasted all morning and after they were finished, all the kids got certificates and, thankfully, dictionaries!

Watching the kids get dictionaries was definitely one of the best parts of the day. This year our funding for the English Theater program was cut and we weren’t sure if all the students would get one. Luckily, our coordinator was able to manage the budget and it worked out perfectly in the end, my kids couldn’t stop smiling! For some of the students, it was the first book they owned. We don’t have a library at our school and the only dictionary at the office was for French. Now when I am asked, “Teacher, what is _____?” I can say, “Use your dictionary!”

Driving back home in our private shuttle bus was another favorite part of the day. Everyone was laughing/singing/chatting away and reprimanding one another if they stopped speaking English. They were all very impressed when I could sing along to an Eminem song and asked me to write down the lyrics when we got back. The friendship and sense of camaraderie reminded me of all the band competition/Science Olympiad trips I participated in over the years. I was really happy I could give them that experience because most students here never get the opportunity.

Overall, the competition was a great success. All of the students who wanted to know whether or not they had HIV could take a quick test and get a red ribbon and a pin. One of our students even won the Best Actor Award! Elizabeth and I are going to organize the competition next year for Nampula, wish us luck!