Island of the Pigs

The days have been flying by. I can't believe it's May. Soon I will be celebrating my third month in Inhambane - my halfway point. When I arrived, it was hot and humid, now, it's chilly and dry. There have been so many changes.

When I arrived I was afraid of giant cockroaches, now I ignore them. When I arrived, Tracy was here, having just celebrated her third month anniversary, on Wednesday she will return to New York.

We have a new Development Instructor, a girl named Gierdre. Gierdre is from Lithuania and seems nice. I think she's disappointed with the project as we all were when we first arrived. Hopefully she'll have a better experience here than the rest of us (as far as the project goes). We took her around and introduced her to all of our friends and have shown her the beach and the city. She's off to a good start. She's an assertive one, so that will serve her well. You just need to be so blunt here.

I published a travel narrative on the Pilot Guides website about my experience in Ghana at the Cape Coast Castle. The article is located at: www.pilotguides.com/community/travel_writers/ghana_door_no_return.php

Oh, speaking of new developments, we no longer have Nutella. Nutella ran away one day after she was kicked out of the teacher's office by one of the other teachers. We took her outside the office and she tried to jump in through the window. There are bars seperating the window hole into five small squares. Her head went into one, her paws in another, she almost hung herself. After hoisting her down, Tracy and I walked her through the ADPP gates near the main road thinking she would go home. That was the last we saw of her. Oh Nutella, wherever you are we miss you!

Yesterday, Tracy, Geirdre, Akisha, Lynne, Wendy and I took a trip to Pig Island with a bunch of Akisha's students. It turned out to be a great day. It started off rocky. The students didn't plan well and by the time we went to the dock where we were supposed to catch our sail boat that was hired to transport us to the island, the tide was so low the boat couldn't sail. We had to walk for an hour in muddy knee deep water, over sharp stones and shells to the mainland where we had to trek across sand and then through water again to reach the boat that finally took us to the island.

Pig Island is beautiful. It is home to a small traditional village. The island almost seemed empty. We were the only tourists. The Mayor of the village came out and welcomed us and offered us the most amazing coconuts from his palm trees. We spent the day touring the island, relaxing, and picnicking on the breezy beach. I collected two cowry shells (a rare find). My shell collection is growing nicely.

My classes are progressing slowly. Classes were cancelled last week. I did have a student approach me from one of the other classes because he wanted to learn my lengthy version of "Head/Shoulders/Knees and Toes" so that he could teach it to his first graders. I was happy to be of service. Tracy and I put in a proposal for a community literacy program but as with most things it's been brushed to the bottom of the pile. I am really sick of dealing with some of my male colleagues who have clearly never had to work with women before because they can 't stand it when they are challenged. These things drive me crazy and cause me to imagine slamming glass Fanta bottles across their heads, but I try to maintain my composure. Women are definitely second class citizens here and intelligent women with opinions who refuse to take other peoples BS, seem to make everyone very nervous. Luckily I will be going on my two week investigation beginning on Friday and I won't have to think about ADPP for two glorious weeks, three if I can push it. I do need the break.

Last night we watched the movie "27 Dresses". I was not very impressed but it was nice to see Manhattan, if only for an hour and a half.

I HAVE A DOG!!!!!

Things happen quickly sometimes and with little warning. Yesterday, Tracy and I got a dog, or rather it happened upon us, or maybe it was fate?
We were preparing to go out. I opened the door to go to the well to fetch a bucket of water to wash up with. I came back into our house and there was a large pit bull staring at me with the cutest little expression on her sandy brown face. She walked up to me as if we were old buddies. I pet her big head, called Tracy out and we began to fall in love. Her fur was so velvety and she had a pink and black speckled nose. Who doesn't love a pink and black speckled nose? I'm such a sucker all it took was twenty seconds. She was well taken care of and had an owner somewhere because she was wearing a collar but had no tags. Clearly she didn't belong in the bush. We have our share of stray muts, but they are all mournful looking skinny little things. Most of our rural neighbors are terrified of dogs because the Portuguese used to sick their dogs on the Mozambicans to intimidate them. Long story short, we let her stay in our kitchen while we put on our make up and prepared to go out.


We left our house dog in tow figuring that she'd find her way back to wherever she came from. We walked the main road holding our thumbs up trying to get a lift into the city and the dog followed. We finally get a lift and before we can get into the truck, she jumps in. The guys were like, ok, so we were like, um... ok...and so began the story of Sojourner, Tracy and Nutella. Yes, Nutella. We named her Nutella because she's brown and white and she sort of if you squint looks like nutella and we really miss chocolate so it just worked for us. We get off in the city and head toward our friend Lynne's house and she follows. We get to Lynne's house and she hangs out there with our group. Everyone took to her because she's so darn cute.

A few hours later we headed to a BBQ and she of course followed and was very popular. I'm a veggie, so it worked out that I could pile my plate with sausages and give them to her without taking food from the other guests. Then she followed us to the after party at the Baraka next to Lynnes. It was only natural at that point that she hop into the car with us as our friends gave us a lift back to our place.

Today after work Tracy and I are going to put up flyers in town announcing that there is a missing dog. But she's soooooo cuuuutttteeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She is here at work with us as I write, curled into a ball under Tracy's desk sleeping. She's the best dog! If I can't find a home for her, I'm going to bring her back to the states with me which might mean that I will soon be homeless, but she's sooooo cuuuuteeeee!.

All in all things have been going really really well here. Socially and aesthetically I love Inhambane. There is a beautiful energy here.
We've got a new D.I. coming tomorrow so there will be three in the house, I mean four with Nutella, so we've got a lot of adventures and fun times to look forward to.

Muito Frio

It's gotten so cold. Yes, cold, I realize is relative, but it's cold compared to the burning inferno I first encountered in February. Last night I was freezing. I should have brought a blanket with me.

Yesterday I taught a yoga class. It was so nice to get back on the mat and move through a series of asanas. It was a Vinyasa flow class (at least my non-certified version). I'm definitely heading east to an ashram when I'm finished with this project.

I had the best English class. I was teaching the parts of the body and after we identified all of the body parts we sang "Head Shoulders Knees and Toes". My students loved it. I added on seven new verses so that each vocabulary word was covered and I made them sing it and go through the motions quickly and slowly. Their assignment was to create their own song in Portuguese (which they would translate also into English) that they could use to teach the children in their classes the parts of the body. Then they each took a turn sharing their songs with the class. It was so much fun! Their homework is to create movements or a dance to go along with their songs for the kinesthetic learners. Good times! I wish I taught more English classes.

Magnolia Blossoms

I was sick this week-end. I had some sort of a stomach bug that has been going around.
I've lost so much weight since I've arrived, my clothes are all too big. It's ridiculous. Even my underwear are baggy. I have to buy new clothes, pants in particular.

Sunday was a full moon and we went to a full moon party on the beach at DINO's (one of the resort restaurants in Tofo). They have a full moon party every full moon. It was so much fun. It's tourist season right now so there were so many new people to meet, not just the "regulars".
I had fun! A lot of fun!!!
I met someone. I've got such a crush. He's Mozambican, from Maputo and is opening a backpackers on one of the beaches in Inhambane. More later :0)

The weather is freezing. I say this because I've grown accustomed to 90 degrees and it is currently 60-70 during the day and 40ish at night. Winter season is here and it's really blustery. Last night, I heard the cyclone warning horns in the distance, but the scary thing is that unless someone tells me that we are about to have a cyclone, I'd never know. Nor do I know what to do in the event that we do get one, so, let's hope that doesn't happen.

A magnolia bush is flourishing in our backyard. It smells sooooo nice. Tracy and I have been walking around with the flowers and buds in our hair. We get a lot of odd looks. I've started pressing and drying the flowers and using them to decorate my recycled books. I've been creating various notebooks using recycled cardboard and paper. Soon I'll lead a workshop. I've also made candle holders using recycled coconut shell and plastic bottles. Wish I had more tools, like wire pliers, so that I could manipulate aluminum cans into beads.

I know for next time!

Bubble-Bubble-Toil and Trouble!!!!

HAPPY TWO MONTH ANNIVERSARY TO ME!

Our dinner party last night was a success. Matapa always goes over well. Oh, I love Mozambican food! Matapa is my favorite local dish. Matapa consists of the leaves from the casava plant. Casava plants are everywhere, the leaves sort of look like marijuana. The leaves are boiled and sauteed in a coconut milk and peanut sauce curry and served over coconut rice. Delicious!!!!!!
Our empragada (housekeeper Juakina) makes the best Matapa on this side of the Indian Ocean. We're lucky to have her.

The breakfast Tracy and I prepared for the students was slightly chaotic. My oatmeal was a little on the salty side. I'm not sure what happened but my pinch turned into a cup. I'm not used to making oatmeal by the cauldron full. I felt like I was enacting the first scene of Macbeth. The students liked their breakfast. It was so funny to see them eating western-ish food for the first time. They didn't know what oatmeal was or what french toast was. They thought something was wrong with the bread until they tasted it. The fruit salad was familiar to them at least.

I'm off to sort the garbage!

Call me the garbage lady!

Last night we made fudge in preparation for a dinner party we're throwing tonight.
We're forcing our cozy ex-pat friends who reside in the city to join us for a night in the bush. A night without indoor plumbing or running water. Akisha's already taken the challenge, now we've got three new guests on our roster.
The bush will either make you or break you.
I haven't yet decided what it's doing to me. Only time will tell...

We're making an elaborate breakfast for the students on Thursday to thank them for all of their hard work on the machamba (farm). The agriculture project we've all been slaving away at is finally taking off.
We've just solidified the breakfast budget. The students eat bread and butter for breakfast day in and day out. Tomorrow we will make them oatmeal (with butter, brown sugar, heavy cream, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and a pinch of salt), fruit salad (with papayas, bananas, oranges, apples, pineapples and passion fruit juice), and french toast.
I've got to get up around 4:30 am to make all of this stuff, but I like to cook so I'm not complaining. Our overnight dinner guests will also attend our breakfast and meet our students and project leaders so it should be a good time. We're having them meet our project leaders because they are convinced that Tracy and I have boyfriends in the city. Whenever they see us head towards the city the shoot accusing looks our way. We have been told point blank "I know you're sleeping with men in the city". It's really offensive. In the US, that would be sexual harassment. We keep telling them that we have friends in the city, a group of American, Canadian and British girls that we hang out with and they don't believe us. So tomorrow morning they will see. And the rumors can stop flying. Big brother is always watching here. Most people don't have televisions or books or much to do, so they spend their time talking about the two mazungos who live in the pink and turquoise house smack dab in the middle of the bush. Drives me crazy!

I am now in charge of the garbage and recycling program. I just got a list of students. Most of them are my Intermediate English students. There are twelve in total and we are going to separate the garbage into bins for paper, plastic, aluminum, ash, compost and pig feed. We will also canvass the campus and do garbage pick-ups once a week. We even get to take on the responsibility of feeding the three enormous 250 lb hogs that are kept in a pen behind the kitchen.

I spend the majority of my time working in the field or working with garbage which is funny, because my job description is "Professor". I'm just going to go with the flow. I do feel strongly about recycling and I'm sick of smelling the stench of burned garbage so if this is where I'm needed, this is where I'll put my best foot forward.

sweet agriculture!

It's working. Our agriculture project is producing results. All of our trenches have been filled. The earth is being watered regularly so that the soil will decompose and rot to provide healthy fertile earth.

Today in one of our test patches there were sweet potato plants. The little green leaves broke through the earth in stubborn winding clusters.
There is a delicious dish that is made using sweet potato leaves. I hope we will be able to harvest the crops within the month so they can make and serve the dish in the cafeteria.

I'm not sure what it's called, and I'm not sure what they do, but they do it well, and the result is a creamy coconut flavored, spicy creamed spinach-like meal that is eaten over rice. It's so good. I'm going to learn how to make it so that I can replicate it when I get home. I appreciate the fact that every part of the plants and vegetables are utilized. I had no idea sweet potato leaves could be eaten. I had no idea they were so tasty.

let's add scorpions to the list while we're at it!

I saw my first scorpion today.
Yuck!
It's coloring was odd, bright yellow which translates full of venom.
It was roughly the size of my hand and luckily for me was dead as a doorknob.
I found it in the sand on my way to lunch. I would of course spot it, I can spot an insect in a darkened movie theatre. I made Tracy come over to confirm that I did indeed have my first scorpion sighting and it was confirmed.
I was told that there were no scorpions in Inhambane. I was lied to.
I've been happily walking around in the bush in the dark in flip flops because I was assured that there were no scorpions.
I've been lucky but it's time to change my habits.
First, I need to trade in my flip flops for a pair of actual shoes - boots would be preferred.

Toads in my bedroom

Living at large in the world can be such a roller-coaster.
Right now, at this moment, all is well.

Everything is done in the moment.

Yesterday, walking through the streets of Inhambane, watching the sun slowly set as it cast an ethereal golden glow over the city, I realized that Inhambane is my city. It is what New York was to me, it's my home. Yes, I live in the bush an hour away by foot, but I identify with Inhambane City. Walking to Akisha's house with Tracy, we passed by shops that I know so well, shop owners that we know waved and called out to us, I have memories here. I am comfortable and familiar with the environment. I know that when I walk in front of the Frelimo building there is a dip where one of the bricks in the ground is missing and that I need to step around or leap over it to avoid tripping (as i've done in the past).
When I enter the Mercado Central, I know exactly where to go to get what I want and I know how to haggle and bargain until I get the local price. I know shop women and vendors. What was once foreign is familiar. I have a group of friends in the city which has made a world of a difference. Whether we are meeting for brownies and a movie or are gathering to do a yoga dvd, I feel very much at home and at peace in Inhambane.

Life happens, no matter where you are. No matter where you go, there are friends to be made, relationships to be had, experiences to grow from. When I left for Mozambique, in a strange way I thought I'd be putting my life on hold for a year to have this "experience". Yes, professionally I'm putting my life on hold for a year, but that's as far as it goes. Everything else is blossoming lotus style.

My Portuguese is getting worse, that's not blossoming. I don't understand how this has happened. Yes I do. Everyone speaks to me in English. It's so annoying and now, I've gotten used to speaking in English. One of my Mozambican friends Gilson is supposed to be teaching me Portuguese, I think I need to hurry up and arrange for our first session, pronto.

There was a toad in my bedroom last night, a cute little guy, very noisy, I let him stay.

Brownie Time!

We have a rat in our house.
I have braids in my hair.
Something bit my right hand and it's swollen,
but all is well,
because we are going to have a brownie party tonight with Akisha and Lynne and co.
;0)
We've made four different types of brownies that we will sample
and share
yum...yum.. yum...

Cooking with Sojo!

Mosquitoes are steadily feeding on my flesh.
In the past, we didn't have a problem. When I arrived, towards the end of the summer/rainy season, I was told the mosquitoes would be at their peak. I was rarely bitten, barely saw them.
Now that it's winter, a cool breezy seventy degrees, they are everywhere. It's really bizarre. They're in our house, they're by the well and worst of all, they hang out in our bath hut.
I shower around six am, peak mosquito hour and they are everywhere. Someone is leaving water, stagnant water in the bucket overnight so by the time I arrive, they are swarming and hungry. And what can I do? It's not like I can shower with my clothes on. I am going to bring lemongrass incense with me tomorrow morning, the pesky buggers hate smoke and they hate lemongrass or so I've been told. I hope it works because I have to bathe and I really don't want malaria.
I'm not taking any preventive medication (personal choice) and would like to leave Mozie without any unfortunate incidents.

Yesterday was pay day!!!!!! Our money was eight days late, but that's how people roll here, what can I do?
Tracy and I went to the Mercado Central and purchased so much food we could barely waddle home. Akisha has been a positive influence on us. Every time we go to her house we cook and now we're going to cook more often. It is difficult because we don't actually have an oven, only a tiny burner, but creativity will get you far. Last night we ate tuna salad, with hard boiled eggs and a weird crepe/cracker/omelet creation (Tracy's idea) made out of oatmeal, salt and eggs. It was a good dinner actually and this morning, I woke up early to fix a steaming pot of delicious oatmeal. Not to brag, but my oatmeal is amazing, and it's tri-doshic. I should have my own cooking show. It was so good! The butter and milk here aren't pasteurized and contain no nasty hormones or chemicals like the dairy at home. Everything tastes so much better.

I am also a fashion designer! After watching a season of Project Runway, I sketched (albeit badly) some designs for shirts and pants and bags. Yesterday, I went to a seamstress and gave her my designs and some capalanas and she's going to bring my sketches to life. I get my goods on Friday. So excited!

Mozambican Women's Day!

Yesterday was Mozambican Women's Day!
It's a national holiday.
Everything was closed and there was no school.
This is such a great concept. Not only do the people in Mozambique celebrate a Women's Day, but a Mozambican Women's Day as well.
We need this in the US.
The only women who are celebrated back home seem to be mothers. Mothers are great, but every woman is not a mother and a woman doesn't have to be a mother to be a WOMAN or to be noteworthy. Some of the most noteworthy women I know are not mothers.
Come on US, catch up to Mozambique and adapt this holiday!
Tracy, Akisha and I got dressed up in our capolanas and joined the women of Inhambane at their rally. It was nice. It was also unusually hot. We didn't last more than an hour. But it was a beautiful gesture. There was music, dancing, speeches were given by heads of the government. Children danced for the women and handed out flowers. It was really beautiful.

It was a nice long week-end. It was really great. Now I am back in my favorite place, the teachers office. And yes, it is just as loud and annoying as ever!
Good times...
Things would be even better if we could get our pay checks. As usual, they are late. We're supposed to get paid the first of every month. Needless to say I've never once been paid on time. Nothing happens on time here. Things are perpetually backwards.

We were up at five to work on our agriculture project. We're making so much progress. We've filled in all but one trench and are watering the compost waiting for it to rot and decompose into fertile soil so that we can finally begin to plant.
Our aim- vegetables.

The flies here are crazy. They buzz around your body in swarms of three to five. They dive bomb your eyes, nose, ears and mouth. The flies will follow you for miles. I've never seen or experienced anything like it. They swarm and dive bomb. I have to squint and close my mouth because they try to get inside. American house flies are just annoying, but they don't cling to people. They usually stick to windows and fly in angry circles around a room once they realize they've been trapped. These flies, have so much open space and what do they want to do, they want to hover around and become a part of you, it's parasitic. A few always cling to your clothes for a free windless ride. Usually they position themselves on the shoulder blade or back and hold on until you reach their stop. I feel like a whale with barnacles. But there is nothing that I can do and at least they are not bees or wasps or...

Week-End!

I'm at an internet cafe on a friends computer and I'm in a hurry. So much has happened, but i'll recount events in bullet format

tchau tchau


FRIDAY
-Margarita Pizzas in Town
-Akisha sleeps over - Slumber Party like ten year old girls!
-Hard core UNO and TABOO gaming

SATURDAY
- Screening of "Ratitulle"- Such a cute movie
- Screening of "Weeds" season one
- Lunch on Tofo beach
-Drinks in town with our friends
- First concert at a dance club ZOOM to see Stuwart Sukuma (a popular Mozambican singer)
- First time dancing the Pasada (Mozambican salsa-esque dance)
- Winning second place in a Pasada concert while being the only non-Mozambican on stage out of 12 Mozambican women and having only learned the dance two hours prior ( ;o) - I'm good! )

SUNDAY
- Going to bed after sunrise- Sleeping in
- Screening of "Weeds" season two
- Diner with friends at Sem Ceramonia in town (here I am now)

EXCELLENT WEEK-END!
tomorrow is Mozambican Women's Day!!!!
No work
;0)
More later...

...

Tracy came back!
It was so exciting to have another human being around, a kindred spirit, who speaks my language. Woa!
She came with stories and books and South African magazines. As shallow as it may sound, I was so happy to update myself with the "latest" this that and the other thing.
It's been a long two months!

It is officially winter. The temperature is perfect around 65 to 80 degrees depending on the time of day. It's so nice to not break a sweat. We walked into the city today and it was so comfortable... finally!

We're having a slumber party tomorrow. Our friend Akisha is coming over as well as Priscilla another D.I. from a project in Chimoio.

I'm still sleeping in the pantry. Still fearful of another huntsman spider attack. I have to move out by tomorrow though and tonight, I'm going to examine every corner of my room with Tracy to make sure that nothing is living or hiding inside.

The Night Shift

I have no idea how I am going to sleep. I am making myself crazy!!!! I've been sitting here (since I have so much to do...) researching and identifying all of the nasty bugs that I've seen. It turns out the giant tropical centipede that I found in my room last week is poisonous and can inflict a sometimes paralyzing bite. One was in the bath hut with me this morning too. Isn't that fantastic!

Furthermore, the lovely tarantula-cousin spider that paid me a visit last night is a nocturnal hunter with a painful bite considering that their fangs are very strong. So in two hours, when night falls I will be paralyzed with fear underneath my mosquito tent praying that I won't have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Praying for a miracle, to be knocked out completely from six in the evening to six in the morning so that I see nothing and have no more bad experiences.

I'm one step away from an early plane ticket home!

TRACY IF YOU ARE READING THIS
HURRY HOME NOW!!!!!!!

I went home quickly to get my student's songs that they wrote, so that I could grade them. I left in such a frenzy this morning I left them behind.
My flip-flops were gone.
Someone stole my flip-flops!

Surprise spider attack!

I am sitting in the teacher's office with a pulsating headache. My headache has many levels and came into existence in a very unique yet acute way.

Reason one for early morning headache, the teachers are screaming and arguing with each other yet again. It is all they do. Every thirty minutes or so a loud, long screaming match erupts. I just can't understand it. This is supposed to be a "professional" environment- if they only knew. I don't know why the directors don't do something about this, they hear the teachers arguing through the walls, their shouts and screams echo all around and make their way into the classrooms, it's so pitiful.
Today a pair actually exchanged a few shoves. And I sit at my desk, shooting disgusted looks in their direction, typing away, reminding myself over and over why exactly it is that I am here.

Reason two for early morning headache, a spider. Last night after my English class, I came home, went into my room and immediately noticed something out of place. There was a black furry rug along the wall where it met the floor. No wait! It wasn't a rug, silly me, it was a spider, the size of a small dog hanging out in my room. I felt my eyes widen in horror, I covered my mouth so that I wouldn't scream, my entire body began to shake. This was literally the largest spider I had ever seen. This includes large scary spiders behind glass at the zoo. Naively, I ran into the kitchen to grab my can of Baygonne which works on spiders the size of my hand and smaller. Silly, silly, me, when I sprayed this thing, I only made it angry. Spiders here come with the strangest feature. They lay flat, in what I assume is a resting position, but when they are roused, they literally inflate and double in size and girth. Now I was staring at a full fledged enormous tarantula. ENORMOUS! It ran and scurried, I sprayed at it again and it hid behind my night stand.

I ran into the kitchen and just stood there with my mouth open for a good ten minutes. I think I was actually in shock. I was out of my league. I had no idea what to do. I was all alone in this bug infested house in this country where nobody speaks my language. Creatures like this don't just pass by, they enter and take over a space. It was so big and so fast. Baygonne just wasn't going to work. It was like trying to kill a pet cat with Raid. Think Sojourner...think, think, think..... I paced the floor in the kitchen.
The spider, as a way of giving me the finger I'm sure, began to crawl along my door frame peering out at me. It was soooooo big. I couldn't believe what I was dealing with. I gave in. I heard a television somewhere in the distance. I crept next door to see if I could find my neighbor Belleview, but of course when I'm looking for him, I can't find him, when I don't want him around he's everywhere. I did find two servants that work for the family though. In my broken Portuguese, I explained that I needed help because there was a large spider in my room that needed to be killed. One of the men followed me. I handed him a broom and he entered my room. He couldn't find it. After summoning up my courage, I entered the room with him and I couldn't see it either. How could I not see a small dog in a sparsely furnished room. Then, the servant, a man, a Mozambican man, actually screamed. You know it's bad when a local person who is used to all sorts of creepy crawly disgusting creatures screams in shock. This thing was sooooo big!

The spider was backed into a corner. He fought with it using the broom. I'm in the kitchen at this point, all he needed to do was scream and jump back and that did it for me. They battled for a good five minutes. "Is it dead?" I asked. "No" he said reluctantly. "Where is it?" I said "I don't know?" he stammered. How could he not know? What was going on? Who was this super spider? He was such a sweet man, he could tell I was distressed and was trying to be nice. He brought me in the room and we checked every corner and crevice and just like that, the spider was nowhere to be seen.

I grabbed my mosquito net tent and evacuated. I would never be able to look at my room in the same way. I didn't trust that the spider was gone, I knew it was in there hiding, waiting to catch me alone and defenseless.

I thanked the man who happily went back to his room to finish watching his novella. I set up camp in our pantry/turned spare bedroom. It was the most fitful and uncomfortable sleep that I have had yet. I was shaking for an hour afterwards.

This morning, I woke at 5:00 because I had to work on my agriculture project and present a lecture to the students about composting. I got up, climbed out of my mosquito netting and made my way towards my room. I froze, the events were too raw. I couldn't convince my feet to bring me inside. I took the tablecloth off of the table, wrapped it around myself, grabbed my lecture and my bag and took off.

When I returned around 6:30, it was completely light out. I would need to get into my room because all of my shower materials and clothes were in there. It took me fifteen minutes to convince my legs to enter. Another ten to gather my items one by one. I didn't see the spider, but I don't feel safe either.

I don't know how much of this I can take. Tracy isn't back yet, she is taking an extra long investigation. Between the bugs and the teachers that I am forced to share a space with, mentally I am ready to leave.

Bonita Cidade Inhambane!

Culture Shock!

I have gotten to the point (and I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that my American side kick Tracy is still at large on her investigation) where everyone annoys me. I am trying to find positive aspects to Mozambican customs and manners, but at times it is incredibly difficult. I spend the majority of my day in the teachers office observing behavior that in my country, in accordance with my Western system of manners is so vulgar and offensive. Yes I realize I'm not home and yes of course people everywhere act differently, but I've had enough.

Customs And Manners That Drive Me Crazy: (a list of dislikes by: Sojourner Walker)
1. Nose Picking
2. Deep guttural grunting (usually during or after a loud argument)
3. Loud arguments where desks are slammed with the palms of hands
4. A loud squealing "eeeh" sound that usually follows a loud argument (of the type that happen every freaking thirty minutes)
5. Really loud talking
6. Really loud off key singing to bad Western music where the singer is not actually capable of pronouncing the words and is always one beat behind the music
7. The loud sound of snorting mucus back into the nasal passages
8. Hacking sounds as if trying to expel phlegm from the body, without actually doing so
9. Loud hand claps to emphasize a point, during a conversation
10. Sneezing or coughing violently without covering the mouth
11. No personal space! Why do people feel the need to stand right on top of me, to bump into me when they've got other desks and other space in which to work? Why??
12. People reaching directly over you almost knocking you in the head with arms and items
13. The need that men have to touch women as they speak to them. Hands should not be on my hands, on my back, on my arms, on my bra strap. Someone is going to be knocked out with my elbow very very soon.
14. The fact that people do not smile and conduct themselves in a very severe and harsh manner
15. The need that everyone has, to know exactly where I'm going, where I've been and what I'm about to do at all times during the day. I have learned to ignore these questions and just go on about my business blocking out the speakers shouts
16. The loud hissing "TTTSSSSSKKK!!!!!" that is used to get my attention. I also ignore this sound and am constantly being asked why I am not responding to people. I ignore this question as well
17. There are others..... but alas, I've got "work" to do!

intruder!

It's hard to believe that I've been here for almost two months already. At times it feels like I've been here a much longer time and then there are others when I feel as if I've only just arrived.

I spent a lot of time walking into the city this week-end. The walk from my rural-esque outpost to the city centre is more or less an hour. I did this on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. People think that it's crazy that I'm walking. I can't comprehend this. It strikes me as completely ironic considering that I'm an American and Americans have this terrible reputation as being lazy sloth-like overindulged creatures. Yet Mozambicans will go out of their way to avoid walking. When I tell people that I walk into the city, their eyes grow wide. No, you can't it's too far. Too far? It's only an hour. People will pay money to cram themselves into tiny trucks or cargo vans where they have no air to breathe and barely a place to put their bottoms just to avoid walking, it's absurd. The whole time I'm walking down the main road people are pulling over screaming "Senora, senora, boleya?"( rough translation - miss miss do you want a ride?) No thank you I say, I like to walk. This is usually followed by a grunt or a series of snickers.
I never noticed this before because with Tracy we hitchhiked all the time and are always picked up right away unless it's dark.

I have finally learned my way around the city. It's such a liberating feeling to have your bearings in a completely foreign place. It has taken me a while since there are no street signs (at least very few) and many of the buildings look similar. But I can now confidently say that I can get around on my own to almost any location.

Yesterday afternoon as I was coming home from the city, I noticed the gate to my house and the front door were open. At first I thought Tracy was home. As I got closer, I saw a pair of flip-flops that I didn't recognize.
"Ola! Ola!" I said walking into my house. The dining room was clear, the living room was clear, spare bedroom one was clear, my door was locked, Tracy's door was locked, that left spare bedroom number two. "Ola!" I pushed the door open and flipped on the light. The door bounced back. Someone was behind the door. My heart started to leap out of my chest. "Ola! Ola!" I pushed on the door again, I could see the faint outline of a figure in the crack in the door. "Saida!" I exclaimed. The person stepped out. It was one of the neighbor kids. The one that stares but never speaks. He looked frightened. I was so confused yet relieved that it wasn't a rapist or a mass murderer. What are you doing here? I asked in French since I forgot how to say it in Portuguese. The boy, who is probably 14 and probably slow, said something about a cat and ran out. His cat story made no sense considering my door was closed and last I checked cat's didn't possess the thumbs necessary to open doors. I walked around the house to check if anything was missing. We've had problems with people walking in and taking our food. I guess the perception is that the Americans can afford to buy more food, so let's just help ourselves to whatever they've got. It's so annoying, but our door doesn't lock and there is nothing we can do.
Making my rounds, I noticed that the guitar we keep in the corner of the living room was missing. It's case was wide open. I went back into the spare bedroom and tucked away behind the door was the guitar. I wasn't sure what to do. Our next door neighbors don't speak English. They own the house we live in. Their son broke into my house and was either playing the guitar or planning on stealing the guitar. I didn't have the language skills to explain the situation, so I am going to wait to speak to my project leader today to see if he can speak to the family next door. So strange!

We really need a lock. Only our bedrooms lock. People are constantly walking in, taking our broom, our coffee, our tea, our matches and our food when we're not home. People just walk in when we are home, they come in for visits and quite frankly after spending my day in the teachers office with my "colleagues" the last thing I want to do is have a visitor whose native language is not English, who doesn't observe the same cultural customs that I do. It's too frustrating for me to deal with at this stage of my own culture shock. At first I used to feel bad kicking people out. I used to give in and tell people that I'd give them English lessons. "What would happen if you just said no?" Akisha asked one day. I was taken aback. Duh! Just say no. And now I do. People may think that I'm rude, so let it be, I've got peace of mind. "I want you to teach me English and I will teach you Portuguese"- "No!" "Ugh?" "Not today. Good night!"

eight legs and eight eyes, just a bit off-putting!

I am not a chemical spray kind of a person. I feel they are dangerous and unnecessarily toxic. I do not use Raid or Aerosol or even hairspray for that matter.
Today after work I am going to buy Baygonne (or however it is spelled). It is basically Raid, a very powerful raid.
The reason for this uncharacteristic purchase is that this afternoon while I was eating my lunch and sprucing up my resume, an enormous spider the size of my hand sped into my living room. Immediately I jumped up and ran next door to get someone to kill it. One of my neighbors was outside sweeping the sand (I'll never understand why this happens) and she came to my rescue, only by the time we got back into the house it was gone. It wasn't gone in my mind however. I could feel that the spider sensed that I was trying to kill. I could feel it, conveniently tucked into the shadows, waiting for the moment when I will be alone to strike.
NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!
I'm arming myself
and it's warfare.
I've got to survive three more days before Tracy returns and I finally have some back-up.

working

The wheels in my brain are cranking in overdrive this morning. I just finished translating a forty minute speech that I have to present this afternoon regarding the importance of using Drama as an educational tool for people in rural communities. This will be my longest Portuguese speech yet. I hope it goes over well. I hope I'm understood because my Portuguese accent, in terms of my pronunciation, always sounds French since that was the language I studied in school. Whenever I attempt to speak any of the romance languages they all have a French twang.

My students were so cute last night. Finally, I feel a wall has come down. I'm used to joking around with my students and interacting with them. I ruled my classrooms with an iron fist, but I always found time to bop one or two students on the head with my New York Times or poke a few in the ears with pencils. Teaching should be fun! Here it is almost impossible because everyone and everything is so serious. Last night, however, I made my students laugh, I made them crack-up. I poked fun at a few and they understood that I was teasing them and they couldn't stop laughing. VICTORY for Senora Sojo! or Mamma Sojo as I am sometimes called.

Last Thursday, our English lesson was about temperature and weather. Last night we reviewed some of our key concepts and vocab words and I proceeded to teach two songs. One song was an old Broadway tune, a Gershwin standard I believe "Oh the rain, goes a pitter-patter, and I'd like to be safe in bed...", the other one was the good old Christmas favorite "Let it snow, let it snow , let it snow". So I taught these songs and we dissected the meaning, then I broke them into four groups and gave each group a weather phenomenon to write a song in English about. One group had cyclones, another wind, another floods and another the sun. They loved the assignment and had so much fun composing. Some of the songs were really good. My students are very musical. I will keep that in mind. Next Monday, each group will take a turn teaching their song to the class and they have to come up with a dance to go along with their song that conveys the meaning. It was so fun! I'm recording their performances.

My work here is really picking up. I'm happy. I've been busy doing actual things that are useful. My field observations with the student teachers are going well. I've seen some amazing progressive teaching. I've also seen some scary things. I have started to set up meetings with the teachers and I am able to provide feedback and give suggestions. I also get time to demonstrate some techniques to them. It's great. I'm mentoring.

I've also been given the task of creating a pre-school curriculum for children in the community. I'm working on that right now. I'm making sure to address all of the learning modalities to provide the teachers with a good firm example of diversified lesson planning. I'm going to observe some local pre-schools to get a better understanding of how they run and what types of curriculum's they use. There are several pre-schools in the city that cater to the children of ex-pats and they are excellent models of what every child here in Mozambique should have access to. They will actually establish a pre-school here at the EPF school in the coming months. I hope I'm here to help set up.

Long story short. I've been very enthusiastic about my work lately.

frog prince!

Can somebody please tell me why this was necessary?
I was rounding the corner to enter through the ADPP gate about five minutes ago
for my evening class.
One of the usually shy guards pops out
and pulls me in for a Brazilian, right cheeked kiss.
Oh, I thought, we're going for a Brazilian, he.. he.. nervous laughter.
Then he whips around for an Italian kiss on the left.
This time I step back.
Then he pulls me into him
and plants his hot crusty lips on mine.
I jumped back.
He said something in Portuguese.
I was disturbed and had no words to communicate my disgust in Portuguese and hurriedly slid through the gate.
Why?
Why was that necessary??
I still have to walk home in the dark past the same guard station!

Happy Easter!

The sky just opened up and expelled bucket-loads of rain. This lasted for an hour straight. I haven't seen rain like this here. It's gotten nice and cool outside. It feels like early Spring in the States (er-rather the North Eastern part).

My Easter week-end was fantastic. I spent my time in the city with Akisha and her former Peace Corps buddies. It was so nice. I got to catch up on LOST. I'm completely up to date now. Can't wait to see what happens next. Caught up on some movies as well.

We had Mexican night on Saturday. I love Mexican food. Everything was made from scratch and was so good. I hadn't been that full in a long long time. We topped everything off with passion fruit cocktails and good conversation. It was really nice.

Akisha has indoor plumbing and running water, so I fully enjoyed myself. I actually cringed this morning when I had to face yet another cold bucket bath. One week-end away and I've become spoiled.

On Easter Sunday, we made our way out to Barra beach. It's the other major beach here in Inhambane. It's much classier if you will, than Tofo and is more family oriented/summer home oriented. Tofo is more my speed. The crowd is younger and completely free-spirited. There are locals on the beaches and there are no major hotels. The Barra crowd is older and loaded. It was nice though. We had dinner at Flamingo Bay, a Conde Naste resort. It was beautiful. The resort was on stilts overlooking a bay of flamingos. The food was fantastic. Unfortunately, we could only afford to eat dinner, since the rooms started at $595.00/night. Ah, one day! But it was lovely and we even ate Cadburry chocolate bars in honor of Easter.

Akisha and I ate our Good Friday meal in the Central Market. There is a wonderful little vegetarian-esque food stall frequented by locals right in the center of the market. The food is amazing and cheap and the women who run the restaurant are a riot. We dined on coconut curried sweet potato leaves, manioch and fried potato. Since it was Good Friday and everyone was is a jovial mood, we were given complimentary cups of Palm Wine (which we were forced to drink, it was absolutely disgusting and smelled rancid but was a beautiful gesture). We were also given fish to eat. It is extremely rude here to leave anything at all on your plate. Our fish was staring back at us, literally, and we had to swallow it down, minus the head and vertebrae. It was gross, but you can't knock their tradition. The women got a kick out of us and asked us to take pictures of them. It was a good time. I'll be going back to their restaurant stall quite often.

On my own....

Alas, I am officially alone. It started yesterday morning when Tina left. And I've been alone ever since. I have been just fine though.
Last night I tutored Belview my neighbor so I had company. He's a stubborn pupil. Getting him to focus can be like pulling teeth. He is in every since of the word a teenager.
I've been blasting my I-pod music now that I have speakers and I've focused my energy on my writing. I've been a writing fiend. I can't stop. Tracy left a manuscript that she is working on for me to edit, so it's nice to be able to get out of my head and jump into the world of her story.
I can't stop eating passion fruit. It's my new favorite. Mango season has left me and last Sunday while I was watching movies in town at Akisha's house, she introduced me to the sweet, savory, succulent passion fruit. They are gifts from the heavens. I can't get enough.
I also can't get enough tea. I don't know what's gotten into me. I have about four cups of tea a day. Black tea with milk, no sugar. I've become British. I even take biscuits with my tea. Lately I've been partial to the Maria biscuit. It's a classic, very subtle, yet elegant. There are around twenty or so different varieties of Mozambican produced biscuits. Each with its own unique flavor and nuance.
I will stop talking about food. I am always hungry.

Our cat La Linia aka. Freaky, had babies. She gave birth to two tiny squirming kitties. At first I couldn't find them. I would hear them cry and I'd run around trying to follow the sound of their squeaky little croaks. Finally, last night, I located the litter, nestled snug between the refrigerator and the oven. Not the best location, I realize, but we never use the oven, so they should be fine. The kittens are so tiny. I would guess they are three days old or so. They can't even open their little eyes yet. Both fit in the palm of my hand. They are just the cutest little things ever. It's very exciting for me as I've been slightly bored and will grow even more bored and restless as the days go by until Tracy returns.

I have great plans however. There is a guitar in our living room. I decided this morning that I will teach myself how to play it. I've never taken lessons. I've never even held a guitar before, but I'm confident I'll be able to strum a little tune in two weeks time.

I've also decided that I will paint a series of self-portraits. I've got my mirror. I've got drawing paper, pencils, pens, and paints. What can I say, narcissism never killed anyone.

Ok, back to work. Today is a half day. I would hate to waste it online ;)

More random photographs!

Our house is a very very very fine house!

our house
our pregnant cat freaky eating dinner
our porch
my bedroom
etc...

MAPUTO

These pictures were taken on day two when we spent the day in Maputo, the capitol of Mozambique. Look how fresh faced Tamika, Sergio and I looked back then.

Why are Celine Dion and Brian Adams so popular here?

I locked myself out of my room first thing this morning. It was crazy! I'm usually so together and never lose things or lock myself out of places, but not this morning. As soon as the door slammed behind me, my heart sank. I was on my way to the shower at 5:30am, wearing only and I emphasize ONLY my capolana (thin sarong-like patterned piece of fabric). Tracy left last night for her two week investigation period. Tina was out jogging. I panicked. I tried to pick the lock with a bobby pin, I tried to pick the lock with a match stick (don't ask), I tried to pick the lock with a knife from the kitchen table - nothing. I slammed my weight against the door, it didn't budge. Nothing worked, it was secure and I have no breaking and entering skills. I was forced to do what I didn't want to do. I went next door, knocked on my neighbors window to ask if they had a spare key. Only, I didn't know the word for key in Portuguese, nor did I have my speech prepared and I stood there sputtering and muttering like a nervous idiot. I was miming and the man looked at me like I was completely out of my mind. I convinced him to follow me into my house so I could show him my problem and he said something rapidly in Portuguese and left. I was so afraid that I would have to go to work in my capolana. Then one of the little servant children came over with a key, a key that fit perfectly into my key hole and just like that, my life was back on track.

As of tomorrow I will be alone :0(
I'm already alone at work. Tracy has gone on a two week investigation period. Tina leaves tomorrow morning for Maputo. I don't want to be all alone in my house. It's so difficult because we hitchhike everywhere which is fine if you are two or three, very safe and common, but very stupid if you are one. The chapas don't run after six so I can't really go anywhere. Walking late at night I love and it's fine if you are two or three, but completely stupid once again if you are one. I am one!
And I have no idea what I will do if a bug enters our house. Lately all has been well. The weather has been so cool and breezy compliments of the cyclone. I'm wearing a sweatshirt right now because it's around 65 degrees. So I haven't seen as many bugs which I'm thankful for. It's just lonely being in the teacher's room alone. I did have conversations with the teachers this morning in Portuguese so on the up side maybe my Portuguese will improve.

My work load has picked up. I am actually working. It's not bad. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings I work on the machamba (farm). I spend my mornings planning lessons and correcting papers or to be perfectly honest reading. I just finished "The Omnivores Dilemma" by: Michael Pollen, very good. Now I'm reading "Notes from a Small Island" by: Bill Bryson. It's so funny, I can't stop laughing aloud. On Monday evenings I lead an English club. My students are learning and analyzing Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds," It's really fun. I run around directing them like a conductor with a pencil.
On Thursday mornings I hold a formal English class. The students are very attentive in the mornings, I just wish they'd ask more questions and have stronger personalities. But this really isn't about me, so I'll let it go. In the afternoons Monday through Thursday, I follow the students into the rural villages to watch them student teach and I give them pedagogical notes. I also got my drama club. We meet sporadically in the evenings. The students are putting on an educational drama about child abuse which demonstrates how to effectively deal with the problem. It's good. It is of course in Portuguese and I can't give them their notes until the next day because I have to go home and translate my acting critiques but it's good. I am actually reminded of how much I love directing and I miss my old students (the ambitious actor wanna-be ones). It was such a pleasure to direct them and help them to realize their potential. A lot of what I say here gets lost in translation, I don't feel the same connection. I don't feel as though I'm a part of organic creation. I feel more like an observer than a participant. Hopefully things will change. We have entered a competition which will take place in two weeks that may qualify us for a national theatre festival. Cross your fingers for us. We're trying to get there.

Otherwise all is well. No illness, no injuries, well except for the puncture wound I took to the toe yesterday while working on the agriculture project. I had to perform minor surgery on myself to remove a large thorn from my toe with my eyebrow tweezers. It broke in half so half is still impaled in my big toe. I'm hoping it will work itself out like a splinter. Luckily I came prepared with a large first aid kit, so I'm keeping it clean and covered.

I'm just going a little crazy here because everywhere I go for some bizarre reason people are blasting the worst Western music ever. Celine Dion, Brian Adams, The Backstreet Boys, they are all so popular here. I have no idea why. It's like they imported all of the crappy music nobody in the West will listen to anymore and decided that it should be idolized. Everywhere I go, one of these ill fated musicians follows me. I'm in the teachers office right now and they are playing some awful Celine Dion ballad. The worst is when people decide to sing along really loudly but they don't really know the words so they are muttering and grunting to the already awful song. Moments like that make me wish I were the pistol carrying type. But alas, I take a deep breath, I channel my inner ohm and try my best to tune everything and everyone out.

Photos from our early morning agriculture project

Tofo Beach Photos

Tofo Beach!

I'm trying to upload more pictures but it's taking forever.
More soon, I promise!

Bella Mocambique!

Here are some pictures of mine uploaded from Tracy's computer.

The weather alert is calling for a cyclone.
Hmmmmm... I'm not sure what that is exactly. Is that a tornado over water?
It's supposed to touch down this afternoon, so I guess I'll soon find out.

We were up at five again this morning to work the garden. We are now in the process of fertilizing our sandy soil by filling our trenches with dead grass and leaves. It's no fun gathering the stuff because it scratches your arms up. Then, once we've filled the trenches we have to stomp on the dead leaves and grass "I Love Lucy" style to pack it down for the next layer of compost. That part is fun.

We've got a new house mate for a week. It's nice to have another person in the house. There are two of us sharing a four bedroom so it's kind of empty. Tina is from the ADPP project in Maputo and she's on her investigation period where she's investigating another project in Mozambique.

I taught my first class last Monday. It went well. My classes are an hour so they're not too terribly difficult to manage at all. My students are intermediate English speakers and they're really sweet. I need to break them out of the habit of mumbling and speaking softly. I can never hear them and I don't know how a classroom full of kiddies will ever hear them. The women are especially shy and passive, it's so sad to see. They must think I'm crazy because my theatre major lungs can project and I'm always engaging them, asking questions and making them get up to play games or do activities. I teach again in about twenty minutes, the same group. I'm finding ways to sneak pedagogical studies into my lessons. Today they will be learning "Three Little Birds" in round. Yep, in round! Along with how to tell the time and a number review.

I know, I know, It's almost too exciting to handle,
but I will manage.

Eu Estou Bem!

I am better now!
I had some sort of a flu strain from South Africa. I'm glad it wasn't malaria. We both had all of the classic symptoms. I've actually never had the flu before. It's really horrific.

Tracy and I made a new friend!!!!!
:0)
Her name is Akeisha and she's an American from North Carolina. She teaches at the Eduardo Mondlane University (she's a former Peace Corps gal). It's so nice to have another American to click with. I know I didn't come to Mozambique to find other Americans to buddy up with. I am very conscious of trying to befriend a wide variety of people. It is just really hard with the other teachers at the project because, well, they're very distant. The other teachers don't even seem to hang out with each other very much. Anyhow...
We just came back from a really nice dinner at a fancy restaurant in town where we met Akeisha's British friend Wendy, also very nice.
It looks as though we are expanding our network. It's so nice to once again have a group of friends to do things with.

Muito Doente!

Sickness is common here and happens often. The teachers and the students are always sick. This morning, we got word that our cleaning lady was sick with Malaria. Tracy was sick yesterday and still is. This morning, I woke up feeling really groggy and by noon I had a fever and a sore throat. It is no fun to be sick here. It is so hot and I've been feverish and uncomfortable all day. I'll break into a cold sweat and then a fever sweat and then I'll be exhausted and so thirsty.

It is hard to take care of yourself without running water, let alone if you're sick. I have to walk to the well, fill my bucket with water, carry it home, boil the water, wait for it to cool then drink and all I really want to do is pass out. We're going to get tested for Malaria tomorrow but I don't think we have it. Something is going around that feels like strep, I'll know tomorrow.

The bugs are driving me completely crazy. Last night I was in the dining room writing and I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I looked up to see an enormous spider the size of my hand. The spider was flat to the ground and as soon as I jumped on my chair, it literally inflated before my horrified eyes and began to sprint in erratic circles and zig-zags across the floor. Tracy was in bed sick so she couldn't help me (she's not afraid of spiders). I jumped across the room and locked myself in my bedroom for the night. It was 7:30 pm and I wasn't tired and I had to go to the bathroom but I wasn't going back out there, so I hid beneath my mosquito net and fought off the images of spiders feasting on my sleeping body.
It was one of those "why am I here?" moments. Moments that come and go, but when they come, it's difficult to pick up and move on.

And now I'm sick and sweating out all of my fluids, despite the fact that this is one of the coolest and breeziest nights we've had so far.

This is the rhythm of life here. Appreciate the upswings, the good days to your fullest. This is something the people here seem to do very well.

I am very frustrated because I haven't taught any classes yet. I was supposed to begin teaching on Thursday but it didn't work out.
I have been productive working on the garden project however. Yesterday we were up at five. It had rained during the night so the earth was so cool, moist and fragrant. There's something so relaxing about getting down on your hands and knees and working with the earth as the sun rises. It was like an active meditation. I truly appreciate the instant gratification that goes along with manual labor.
Other than that, I've been doing the usual.
I have mastered the art of hacking into a coconut with a machete. I'm now addicted to coconuts. They are my new favorite.
I still can't fetch water at the well very effectively. My bucket is always an eighth full. I'm not catching on to this art form at all, but I'm hopeful that soon I will be able to fetch water like an old pro.
Lunch time.
Ciao!

PICTURES!

I've developed an incredible rotating rash. I have no idea what my problem is. I just got over my sprained foot and am walking upright like a homo erectus once again. Now I have this weird rash on both of my wrists and shoulders. Sometimes it's there and sometimes it's not. Sometimes it's on one wrist and sometimes it's on both. I don't know if I'm allergic to something or if it's heat related. It doesn't itch, I'm just falling apart.
ç')

Mozambicans tend to be on the short side and slender. I'm only 5'6" and I feel like a tree stump sometimes in the U.S. but here, I am the height of an average man, or a little bit taller. It's like when I was in Thailand where everyone was for the most part tiny tiny tiny. I get so claustrophobic in my bathroom shower hut because the thatched roof is only three inches from the top of my head and it's teeming with giant spiders and roaches. Way too close for comfort. I'm a girl who needs wide open space!

Oh and Freddy, and anyone else who would like to visit. F.Y.I., yes, there are direct flights from Johannesburg to Inhambane. They are about $130.00 U.S. round-trip.

Boa Tarde!

Observations on a Tuesday!

There are days when I feel like I am making great progress, when I feel I understand Portuguese. Then there are days when it seems I am taking two giant leaps backwards and I can't understand anything. Language is so frustrating. Today, I actually understood what Clara my native Spanish speaker, Portuguese as a second language assistant project leader said. I will consider that progress.

Things are going well. I have a teaching assignment. I'm scheduled to teach a level two (intermediate) English class twice a week. I am slated to teach on Thursday mornings and Monday evenings. I've been planning my courses all morning. It's nice to be working towards something productive.

Speaking of productive, we were up at 5:15 this morning because we are helping out with an agricultural project. We were out in the fields digging 40cm x40cm trenches and weeding. It wasn't bad because it's really pleasant in the mornings temperature-wise. Waking up early is not a problem because the sun rises here at around 4:45am and my room faces the rising sun so when the sun makes and appearance, so do I.

I had papaya and plain yogurt for breakfast. It's my new favorite breakfast combination. I love the fruit here it's so much better than the fruit in the United States, and I'm not just talking about standard pesticide enriched grocery store produce, it's so much better than the "organic farm fresh" fruit in the United States. Eating fruit is like using your taste buds for the first time. So so so good!

Yesterday we went to Maxixe. (We, meaning Tracy and myself). Maxixe is a town on the mainland that has cheap goods because it is not nearly as touristy as Inhambane. To get to Maxixe we had to take a 30 minute ferry. Our ferry literally looked and felt ( I imagine) like a refugee boat of the sort that wash up on the coast of Florida. I've never seen so many people crammed into a tiny wobbly boat. The ride though, was beautiful. Maxixe is very Mediterranean in it's aesthetics. There were very few tourists here and the central market was crazy. There were so many twists and turns and items to choose from. Someone stole my sunglasses, but they were only a dollar so I'm over it. I purchased two capolana's (large pieces of colorful printed fabric). I'm going to have one turned into a bag so I don't have to carry my backpack and get robbed.

We spent the entire day there. I was happy to bop back across the Indian Ocean to my beautiful Inhambane though. Inhambane is much more beautiful than Maxixe and it's definitely beginning to feel like home sweet home.

The night sky here is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I can literally see the milky way and constellations, so many stars that go on forever. There are no tall buildings to block the landscape, everything is open. One of my favorite modes of transportation is in the back of a truck at night, cruising the open road, staring into the sky.

Someone asked me via email about the people in Mozambique. Mozambique is an absolutely huge country, so I can only speak to what I know of the rural people in Inhambane province. And please take this for what it is, my opinion and my opinion only, which is not the same as truth.

The people here are interesting. Upon first meeting, you think wow, Mozambicans are the friendliest people ever and they are friendly. There are some characteristics though that can get to be annoying. There is no personal space here. Some people (not all) will literally talk to you one inch from your face and as a westerner, I find it so off-putting. It is perfectly acceptable to publicly pick your nose. And I don't mean pick, I mean dig. Some men feel as though they can flirt openly with Western women and have no problem grabbing your hand or touching you. I can't even count how many sweaty hands i've wriggled my hand out of and how many men i've almost kneed in the you know what for touching me. It is however, not everyone.

The men from the city have this train of thought more commonly than the villagers. Mozambicans who live in touristy areas, don't seem to have this trait at all. Everyone talks about everyone, people know who I am and where I'm from and my name is and I've never even been introduced to them or seen them before. It was nice at first but it gets annoying because I'm trying to get from point a to point b (such a horrible western mentality, I know, but I am after all a New Yorker!) and people will want to talk and I don't know them and then there's a group and I just need to continue on my way and I can't even have a real conversation because I don't speak Portuguese well and they don't speak English and inevitably they ask for money which I'm not dolling out so it gets weird. Also, the teachers at ADPP aren't very friendly, especially the women. We smile and greet everyone and they just look at us, it's very awkward at times.

One of the project leaders who is from Columbia (an outsider her self) said that it could be a result of the Civil War. During the war, people between 20-50 were targeted and killed, that left the very young and the very old to fend for themselves. This being said, there was not a lot of time for conversation and pleasantries, so the people who are now 20-30, were children then and they are not particularly friendly. I don't know if this truly is the case, but it's a good consideration. Many of the teachers are also very intimidated by us. We try to make suggestions and we are laughed at or ignored. It's frustrating,but they don't want to change from what they know (I mean who does). The professors here basically have only had a seventh grade education, have completed the teacher training college for two and a half years and then have taught for a year and now they teach other teachers to teach. That of course would never fly in the West and it's off-putting for them i'm sure to have these people come over who have taught for several years, who have master's degrees, who tell them how to change what they've been taught to do. Teachers will literally get upset if a student asks a question that they don't know the answer to because it makes them look bad, but the problem with that is you're limiting the curiosity of the students. Students are being conditioned not to ask questions and there are so many things that the teachers actually don't know because they are basically asking their students to memorize things that they themselves had been trained to memorize but could never explain. I'm sure we seem like a bunch of progressive freaks when we suggest group work or having students sit in circles or in clusters. So bottom line, there is a culture clash and it's difficult to penetrate especially when the language skills are not there. But I will do what I can to demonstrate and serve as an example. It's like pulling teeth sometimes to get the students to admit that they don't know something. Unlike their Mozambican teachers, I'm always asking them if they have any questions. If I can give another example, If I can demonstrate something differently. So hopefully they will learn to do the same with their young pupils.
The male teachers talk down to us which drives me crazy because I can't take any of them seriously as teachers because they don't do anything so I'm sure they think I have an attitude problem because they are not at all used to assertive women and I have no problem letting them know that I do not agree with them. So the crazy dance goes...

People here are very trusting which is refreshing. The village people are extremely sweet and always return greetings. People from the city are different, which is the case all over the world it seems.

Mozambique is very diverse. There are many Indians (brought in to work the railroads), Chinese (brought in to work the railroads), Portuguese (old colonial families)and South Africans- Afrikaans (white business owners/beach front property owners). It's interesting. Many Mozambicans are still being taken advantage of in their country which I guess I already knew because if they weren't I wouldn't need to be here. It's one thing to know, but it's another thing entirely to experience. The white South Africans for the most part are so disrespectful towards the native Mozambicans. They will set up businesses in their country, buy property in their country and will refuse to do business with the locals and will do everything in their power to price out the locals (which isn't difficult), the white South African mentality is in my opinion absolutely disgusting. I'm waiting to encounter one who will change my opinion. It hasn't happened yet but I'm open.
The Chinese keep to themselves as they do in many other countries and seem to work in construction.
Indian families also keep to themselves and like in most other countries, they own most of the shops and businesses and here they tend to be pretty well off.
The old colonial Portuguese families are very proud of being Mozambican and will say, I am Mozambican, my family has been here for seven generations. They seem to be the wealthiest and they are mostly in the large cities. They own businesses, and basically seem to run things still, even though "technically" the power has been handed over to the hands of the Mozambican people.
I said Mozambique was diverse, I didn't say it was integrated. This is one of the most segregated places I've seen. It's very similar to South Africa in that way. In fact, many South Africans will make comments to the extent of "Wow, Mozambique is amazing, it's like how South Africa used to be!"- Meaning, pre-apartheid. Gotta love em!

Despite all of the problems, I believe progress is being made. Slowly, progress is being made. There are a handful of wealthy native Mozambicans who are doing well. I think tourism is going to pick up in the next few years and the economy should boom as a result. I just hope the people, the indigenous Mozambicans, get to reap the benefits of their land and resources. Time will only tell...