December 30, 2013

Merry Christmas everyone! We’re still on summer break here, which means we have time to travel! Elizabeth and I flew to Johannesburg where I took the GRE and then we headed to Cape Town for four nights. Cape Town is definitely a must see for anyone going to South Africa. My favorite parts were walking down Long Street, watching the sun set on Table Mountain (one of the 7 natural wonders of the world), and Great White Shark cage diving. We had landed in South Africa about a week after Nelson Mendela passed away so we missed most of the events. Other highlights were walking to the waterfront and the wine tasting tour.

After Cape Town we flew back through Johannesburg and landed in Maputo. From there, Nick met up with us and we spent Christmas Tofo Beach. I was lucky I had the opportunity to see his site (Manjangue) before we flew back up to Nampula in time to spend a quiet New Years at home.

 Cape Town, South Africa

How close we were to a Great White Shark (no zoom!)

About to go whale shark diving! There was a 1 in 14 chance we wouldn’t see any and, of course, we didn’t lol still fun though!

Here are some more “End of the Year” pictures I thought you might enjoy:

Meeting the Mozambican National Director of Education when he visited our school. He already knew who we were and was impressed with all the work we had done. Pretty cool! (The national director is on the left and the director of our school/principle is on the right)

Saying goodbye to the older volunteers who were leaving this November/December.

Elsa, one of our neighborhood kids, came by and asked if she could wash “it.” I thought she was talking about a bucket and didn’t think anymore of it until she proudly showed us our clean (but very unhappy) kitten. She was so proud of herself! Haha We couldn’t stop laughing.

One of the stranger rides we had gotten this year. A man had bought bunnies for his son and we carried them on our laps. They were pretty cute and fluffy though, totally worth it!

Snorkeling off the Mozambican coast in the Indian Ocean. Until next year!

November 30, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving everyone :) Wish I could have been home with everyone to celebrate but I promise I will do my best to be there next year! This year I’m thankful for….

• My friends, who send me emails, letters/care packages, skype, and facebook me. Hearing about your lives back home makes me feel closer to you and happy to know you haven’t forgotten me :)
• My friends here in Mozambique who are always so welcoming, inspiring, and supportive. Seriously don’t know what I would have done without you guys!
• My roommate, who has to put up with me 24/7 and still likes me (she also makes the best food!!).
• My boyfriend, who is the best. I’m the luckiest girl in the world.
• All of my family, especially my mom who always calls, reads my blog, and does her best to make sure I get everything I ask for (and everything else I forgot but realized I needed once I got it ;) ).  
• A new house/community and an opportunity to have a fresh start.
• Being a Peace Corps Volunteer. I’ve learned so much and grown as a person in more ways than I can imagine.

 

We hosted a small Thanksgiving celebration at our new house this year. Everyone pitched in to help cook and we had a fantastic turn out! Volunteers from most of the northern provinces came and we also had a few Japanese volunteers stop by.

 The pies: Cashew (we have so many cashews here but no pecans!), Apple, and Pumpkin! They were all fantastic!

Cooking the turkey. Charcoal at the bottom of a hole that was covered up to keep the heat in.

 

Group shot

November 22, 2013

Our first trip outside the country was in Tanzania! The night Elizabeth and I landed in Dar-Es-Salaam we wandered around eating tons of delicious street food. Her Dad, Dave, flew in later that evening and brought us so many goodies from America (Thank you!). The next day we flew up to Arusha and from there we saw Mt. Kilimanjaro (No, we did not climb it), Tarangire, Serengeti, and Ngorogoro Crater National Parks. We were extremely lucky and saw tons of lions, leopards, giraffes, elephants, buffalos, wildebeests, hyrax, monkeys, baboons, hippos, crocodiles, flamingos, zebras, hyenas, warthogs, and cheetahs! Speaking of cheetahs, we had some pretty awesome luck. Earlier we had seen a cheetah head popping out of the grass. On the last day, however, we saw a group of cars parked off the road. Our driver followed them and we found a mama cheetah with her four baby cubs! They were so cute!

The company we went through, Original Safari, was great. We had a driver/guide and personal cook that traveled with us throughout the five days. Unforeseeable car trouble, however, put a bit of a damper on our trip towards the end. Someone at the gas station had added petroleum that was mixed with kerosene so the car was constantly stalling. The most terrifying part was on the last day when we were leaving Ngorogoro Crater. The car would just stop working halfway up a hill and we would start rolling backwards on a windy road with no railings. Tons of people stopped to help us though and Dave knew a lot about cars and was able to get the car rolling in more than one instance.

Seeing African wildlife was really cool but it was also interesting to see how the local tribe, Masaai, dressed and acted compared to the Mozambicans I knew. Where there were a lot of tourists, the Masaai had chosen to wear traditional garb and live the way they had been living for hundreds of years. It seemed like they were very resistant to outside influence and stuck strongly to their culture and traditions while in Mozambique I believe there is more of a merging of the two.

Stunning sunrise in Serengeti

A lion protecting its kill (a zebra) from hyenas

I was pretty excited to see a zebra near our camp site and wanted a picture with it

Inside our jeep! We weren’t allowed to walk around inside the parks so the tops of the cars opened and it was easier for us to see further away/get good photos.

 

Group picture with Mt. Kilimanjaro in the background

After we finished our safari, we headed to the island of Zanzibar. We stayed at some bungalows that were right on the beach on the eastern coast while we were SCUBA certified. Mozambique has a lot of coast line and we will be in the country a year longer so we felt it was worth it. On our first dive we saw a sea turtle and tons of beautiful fish. I couldn’t believe how pretty the water was. It was a turquoise color and very warm, which made visibility great. We dove four times in total and after the last dive we saw dolphins swimming along with the boats. I’m really grateful we had such awesome luck seeing all the things we saw.

Sitting on the boat after our first dive. Can you spot us? :)

After the certification, we went back to the western coast of the island and stayed in Stonetown. The street food there was also great. Walking around the city reminded me of Mozambique Island but so much bigger. Tons of tall old buildings and narrow corridors where we were constantly asked to buy overpriced goods. Wish I could have stayed there longer to explore more. Maybe next time!

For Lauren: The Mercury House!

Overall, I had a so much fun! It was really interesting, though, to see how lucky we are living in the first world in the 21^st century. Instead of going all the way to Africa to see the wildlife, we can drive a few hours away and visit a zoo. You can get almost as close to the animals. And scuba diving was fun but it also felt like I was looking at many of the things I could see in an aquarium or on the Nemo ride at Disneyland. Interesting, huh?

We arrived back in Pemba, Mozambique the evening of the local elections where we were told everything had gone smoothly (But found out later that the police in places like Angoche had used tear gas. Scary!). The next day we were back home. Hoping the presidential election next year will turn out more like Pemba instead of Angoche.

October 29, 2013

Happy early Halloween everyone! This past weekend I traveled to a small town called Angoche. It is on the coast of Nampula and so isolated that it has its own local language (cotí). Two volunteers live there in one of the nicest houses I’ve seen here in Mozambique. They live in an apartment with running water (which meant free showers for us!) and a balcony with a view of the ocean. The streets there are so wide and there is hardly any traffic. At night you can see these strings of lights that hang above the streets, reminding me of America and Christmas.

Getting to Angoche, however, can be a bit difficult. The road is unpaved with collapsed bridges from the rain. After a long day, we finally got into town. A fellow passenger bought me mangos, which made me really happy. Mango season is almost here! The mangos still left on our tree in our yard (after the neighborhood kids come by with large sticks/rocks to knock them to the ground) are still green but the mangos along with coast are perfect. Speaking of food, we had so much good food! The volunteers in Angoche organized delicious meals and we ate lots of seafood ! yum!

The apartment is only a short walk away from the beach. We walked down the road a few minutes until we came to a dirt road that led through a mangrove grotto. Once we got to the end, we climbed into a small boat that ferried us across a stretch of water until we arrived at a beautiful secluded beach. White sand and palm trees. The water was warm and kids sold us mangos/young coconuts to eat/drink.

Halloween night was fun. Almost everyone there that weekend was in the same training group as me. Since there were 68 of us in total, it was really hard for me to get to know everyone. Now, I’m really grateful I had the opportunity to hang out with everyone this past weekend. We all had very different backgrounds but now we are all going through the same things at the same time together. Sometimes, it’s nice to know that you’re not alone. Thanks Peace Corps family :)

 Walking along the beach.

Supporting the Angoche JUNTOS group painting a mural about environmental conservation.

Found these in the fish market after watching the sunset. A baby reef and hammerhead shark!

Celebrating a fun weekend with good friends!

October 12, 2013

Mozambicans celebrate a lot of holidays compared to Americans. Days I never would have considered, like Children’s Day and Hero’s Day, are official holidays when no one goes to school (except for the confused Americans who then wander around wondering where everyone went). October 12, however, is a very important holiday for all education volunteers here in Mozambique: Teacher’s Day! Here’s how our day went:

My English Theater students loved being in the spotlight and wanted to show off their skills once again. They wrote another play, this time in Portuguese, to present at the district celebration. After practicing for a week, we all went to the party in Namialo. Every type of teacher was there and many schools came up to dance and sing. All the teachers also wore matching capalans so everyone would know they are a teacher and got to sit in actual seats.

The teachers of an elementary school celebrating on their holiday.

My students once again performing their theater.

We had all contributed money earlier and all the female teachers spent the day preparing a feast. Near midnight (way past our bedtime!) we finally got to eat, listen to music, and enjoy ourselves. Unfortunately, Elizabeth had a fever so I saved her a dish and left soon after.

Being a teacher here in Mozambique is different than in the United States. Teachers here make a lot of money so they can afford things like televisions, vacations, even cars. They are in an upper class. In the United States, however, a lot of teachers are underpaid and underappreciated. Parents encourage their children to be doctors or lawyers. Maybe we as Americans can be more like Mozambique in some aspects :)

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!

 The Meconta Team!

The beginning of our play (the two main characters with our narrator).

Our play: A doctor and nurse telling a girl what life changes she needs to make now that she has AIDS.

All the Nampula participants, about 100 students in total!

September 25, 2013

After teaching in Meconta for a month, a lot of students approached me to ask for more English practice. I was really impressed, these kids were already motivated to practice and learn. All I had to do was show up a few mornings a week! Surprisingly, we were approached by the English Theater coordinator of Nampula and asked if Elizabeth and I wanted to participate in the competition this year. Since we moved sites, I didn’t think it would be possible but after speaking to the kids we decided that we wanted to try and go for it.

We started meeting every week day for two hours. The kids themselves wrote the script originally in Portuguese and then we translated it together into English. The theme this year was, “The choice is mine, the future is ours.” Our play had two main characters: a girl who made a good decision and a girl who made a bad decision. They decided that the girl who made a bad decision will get AIDS from having unprotected sex in the play so I took the participants to the local health center to learn about preventing, transmitting, and living with AIDS here in Africa. A technician (who is basically a doctor?) took time out of his schedule to help inform the students. They played games with health themes and took lots of notes to insure that the message in our theater was as accurate as possible. I wasn’t sure if they were getting the message until one of the more outgoing students approached me.

Here is the story he told me: Male students need to go to a barber to get their hair shaved as part of their school uniform here in Africa. Razors are not cleaned after each shave and this particular student was cut by the razor. He had learned from the health session that AIDS could be potentially transmitted through open wounds and thankfully, after taking a test, learned that he was negative. He is scared to get his hair cut now but needs to shave his hair so he can go to school. What can you do?

The students were very excited about their play and wanted to present it in front of the whole town at the next biggest holiday: Armed Forces Day. On September 25, 1964, the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO) was created to begin an armed campaign against colonial rule (Portugal). There was a really big party here in Meconta because the administrator (governor) of our district lives here, right down the street from us. Elizabeth and I were asked to lay flowers down at the statue in honor of the soldiers who died fighting for independence. After that, our students present their theater! It was all in English so most people didn’t understand but I think everyone was still impressed. When the students were finished, we were asked to sit under the shade with the important officials of our district, which was a lot of fun! We got to see all the other cultural activities (ie singing and dancing). My favorite was watching the traditional Mapiko dance.

 

The crowd of spectators. There were a lot of people! “Father Guebuza, Meconta is with you in the fight against poverty.” Guebuza is the President of Mozambique.

 

The students after they finished their theater. I was so proud!

Mapiko Dance

One of the students (and neighbor) Anequisse and I.