Hey everyone,
Well, I’ve done it again... it’s been over two months since I last blogged. Not quite as bad as the three month hiatus of fall 2011, but still shamefully delinquent. Desculpa.
I have no real excuse this time, other than the fact that Mabote doesn’t have electricity anymore. You might remember that we used to get three hours a day from a generator, but it’s been really erratic since about October or November, and pretty much nonexistent for about the past three months. So when I do have a charged laptop I usually use it to
But anyway, excuses excuses. So happy May! I hope you’re all enjoying what I imagine is lovely spring weather. Our seasons are opposite so we’re on our way into the cool, dry season... not that we had much of a rainy season this year. It only rained a small handful of times in Mabote. My friend Angela was visiting this week and my colleague Teresa and I took her to see my favorite spot: what some lovingly refer to as “praia” de Mabote (Mabote “beach”).
But alas, we found that what used to be a lush field with a large pond where kids swam and animals drank was nothing but a sand pit with a hole of sun-baked, cracked mud in the middle. Guess I haven’t been there in a while. Angela, Teresa and I entertained ourselves by staging a photo shoot at the “beach” (dirt hole). It was so Mabote. Clearly, though, a near-drought is not all fun and games since a lot of crops failed this year...
But enough about the weather. So the last time I blogged my dad was about to arrive in Moz and we were all set to have a father-daughter, trans-generational Peace Corps adventure (he was a Peace Corps volunteer too). And we did! It was a great trip, for a lot of reasons. Not least of which was that I got to hear him compare and contrast 1970s Guatemala and present day Mozambique, Santa Cruz Barillas and Mabote, bush Spanish and bush Portuguese, his agricultural work and the random assortment of projects I dabble in, etc etc. It was good perspective, and a great chance to spend quality time with my dad and show him my life here.
So. Not that I’m counting down or anything... but perhaps some of you have been thinking that I sure have been here a long time. And you would be right. But guess what: I only have FIVE MONTHS left! I am excited about that for a couple of reasons. First, even though I’m really glad I’m here, every day is hard. Obviously I try not to whine on my blog, but I’d be giving you a false impression if I didn’t put it out there.
The heat, the bugs, the bucket baths, no electricity, little privacy, always fighting to define my role and figure out how to add value, the language barriers, transportation challenges, being far away from family and friends, being a total misfit and stared at/asked for things/proposed to, all of the inevitable challenges of living in a culture that is polar opposite from my own. There’s no getting around it... that stuff is hard and it wears on you. So yeah, I know it will be bittersweet – after all, Mozambique feels like my second home now – but I also know I will be ready for a change in five months. Oh so ready.
Which brings me to my second reason for being excited: I’m planning an epic round-the-world adventure post-Peace Corps. Though it’ll be sad to miss yet another Christmas at home, already being in Africa is too good of an opportunity to pass up. My plans are a work in progress, but right now I’m thinking I’ll go overland through a few other southern African countries and then up to east Africa ending up in Kenya, and then fly to Asia (South Korea to see my friend Kristy, and then Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand). So if you have any interest in visiting any of those places (minus Korea), hit me up! I’m kind of intrigued by the idea of traveling alone, but I’d also love company. Maybe I’ll start a new blog when I’m traveling: Letters home from ????
So between fantasizing about my epic adventure, needing to apply to grad school before I leave, and the fact that a new volunteer will be arriving in Mabote in a mere THREE MONTHS to replace me, sometimes I get all riled up... “I’m almost done! The end is nigh!!” And yet, it’s not. When I have a bad day or a bad week (see above list of “things that are hard”)... five months can still seem like a long time. But I’ve got some pretty awesome people and perks in my life to keep me going during those times. In short, living in Mozambique is teaching me the importance of community. For this individualistic American, it’s an important lesson.
So who is my community? I’ve got my ladies in Mabote: several colleagues who I’ve gotten close with over the months who consider themselves my Mozambican family. They take me to church and the machamba (farm) with them, visit me when I’m sick, and – most recently— comfort me when I need it. For the record, I try not to complain to them because, well... compared to them, what could I possibly have to complain about, right?? All of my basic needs are met and then some, and I have more opportunities in life than they or their children ever will.
But the other day I was having a bad day (bad week really) and ended up crying in front of them despite my best efforts not to. And what did they do? Not surprisingly, they gathered around me, patted me and told me everything would be okay. I felt very mothered. They started telling me stories of hardship from their lives and even though their stories absolutely DWARFED mine, they didn’t seem to see a big difference.
They just saw the commonality: mainly that they were upset at the time but that it eventually passed (“graças a Deus”... “by the grace of God”), and so would my troubles. It was good perspective. I was touched, as always, by their kindness and was left with a new appreciation of the fact that despite what sometimes seem like insurmountable differences, we’re all pretty much the same when it comes down to it. There’s a Mozambican phrase I like that sums it up nicely: “Todos nós somos humanos” (“We are all human.”)
Who else is my community? I don’t know if I would have made it here without my Peace Corps people. Even though I am essentially maintaining long distance friendships with all of them except for my Mabote site mate, Mandy, that can sometimes be a perk. i.e. Taking a break from Mabote, or seeing it through the new eyes of a visitor, is sometimes the perfect reboot.
This past week has been quite a social one for the Peace Corps community. Try not to judge me for what I am about to tell you, but last weekend I was in Vilankulo with 50+ other Peace Corps volunteers for an annual event known as “Beer Olympics.” The name really says it all so I will leave the rest to your imagination. But my friend Jama and I decided that if we’re going to attend a college frat party weekend as mature women of a certain age, we’d at least do it with a little dignity. So we brought our own wine – complete with fancy wine glasses (well, fancy for Moz) – and rented a cozy beachfront bungalow instead of camping or sleeping in the dorms at the hostel. It was a good call.
