'Good morning':
Rain has never been more beautiful. It gives life to all things- nourishes the ripening avocados and mangos, the pink and yellow plumeria, the tall lemongrass, the dancing palm fronds...and sustains the people, who hurry to line their buckets and basins under the steady trickles of the tin roof. The air is cool and clean, a welcome change from the sweltering dusty heat of African winter. No pestering flies today.
The rain makes winding rivers and tiny craters in the orange, orange sand. Everywhere, mangos dot the landscape- some fallen from trees, others half eaten and discarded. Every once in a while, a heavy thud as another one hits the ground. A mozambican woman walks by carrying an enormous pile of sticks on her head. 'Li xile' she says, good morning. Local language.
Overhead, the rain has stopped. The gray is breaking up, the blue sky and heat struggling to break through. Two children run by, mangos in hand.
Yup, this is Africa.
'Good afternoon':
I've been here approximately two weeks and have yet to spend a single night in my own house. The problem is, I don't have water, which makes it impossible to take a bath, wash clothes, wash dishes, or even cook.
I've been on the search for an empregada, a maid, to get water, sweep the yard, and clean the latrine for me once I move in. Cooking and cleaning indoors are things that I can do and want to do for myself (although many people, assuming that I have a lot of money, have tried to convince me otherwise). For a while, I figured it easier to just hire the same empregada as Erica/alycia (who im currently still house sitting for)-Luise, a single mother with four kids, who happens to be my neighbor. However, I was reluctant because Luise has a tendency to ask for money (despite getting a steady and hefty paycheck from Erica/alycia), which I find awkward and annoying. That, and from what I've seen, her less than stellar work ethic.
Anyway, my counterpart Irma (sister) Daulisa has been helping me get situated in my house and community. She suggests we go talk to a woman that she knows, the mother of a child who attends the day care.
'She lives close,' Daulisa assures me. We walk together past my house, past the escolhina, down a path I'd never noticed before. Past mango trees, past a red house, past mozambican women sitting in front of humble houses. We finally stop in front of a tiny straw hut, the size of my latrine. An old woman is cutting vegetables outside, a group of children playing in the shade of ever-present mango trees. A thin, worn out woman steps out of the hut and hurries to lay out the straw mat (the nice one, not the tattered one I see next to the door) for us to sit on- she has no chairs to offer. Her name is Maria. She is a widow with four kids, all with stick-like arms and distended bellies- a sure sign of malnutrition.
'Boa tarde,' (good afternoon)I say in portuguese as I shake her hand and sit. Daulisa begins conversing earnestly with Maria, in Changana. Maria listens with her brow furrowed, and then bursts out laughing and leans against Daulisa, who is also laughing. Daulisa beams at me. 'She says she is so happy. She will work for you. She says she wasn't sure how they were going to continue to survive. She wants to start tomorrow!' I apologetically explain that actually, im still living at the other house so I can feed the dogs, so it's best that she start in a few weeks, in January. She agrees, but says that she and the children will start sweeping the yard this week, so that it will look nice when I move in. She is so eager to work.
As we leave, Daulisa says to me,'You see? Do you see the way they live? The children eating mostly mangos? We have had to give that child milk at the escolhina so he can continue to grow. He is slow at learning, they all are because their development is stunted by lack of nutrition. That woman will work hard for you. For someone who has nothing, a chance to work and earn money is everything. You see?'
I see. Empowering a woman to care for her family- well, that's 300mets a month well spent.
'Good night':
You're sitting on the veranda in front of the house as night rolls in, bringing with it an army of mosquitoes. You're thinking about how today went. Pretty well, considering you didn't get that much done. That's how life is here, life in the slow lane. The days are filled with unending housework, mangos, reading, getting bothered by neighborhood kids, and otherwise a whole lot of nothing. For a go-getter like yourself, Mozambique can be a very frustrating place to be... At the end of two years you should have acquired an infinite amount of patience. You're thinking about how lucky you are to have the things you do, and how countless others live unimaginably simple lives. You're thinking about the puppy you've kind of adopted. A neighborhood kid asked you to look after it for the weekend and seems to have forgotten to come back and claim it. Typical child, to only want a plaything without the responsibility. That's how Erica/alycia ended up with their second dog. You've renamed the dog Xima, because he's fluffy and chunky from all the Xima and dried fish he eats. You're thinking about all the things that still need to be done to make your house a home: hang up clothesline, buy a fridge, build a fence, get a bed frame, build a bookcase and shelves, paint the walls...a plethora of projects that gets to be overwhelming unless you take things one day at a time.You're thinking about how you forgot to take a bath today. Oops. You're thinking about your organization, the escolhina, and the project ideas you have for the next two years. They've asked you to give English lessons to the children, and English/ computer classes to the community (as an income generation project). Part of you is worried about the sustainability aspect of your work here. You're thinking that you're pretty comfortable with Portuguese, maybe you should tackle Changana soon. Five languages under your belt is, of course, better than four.
You're thinking there's so many damn cockroaches in this house, and it's not uncommon to find one crawling on you in the middle of the night. You're thinking about how excited you are that your wonderful boyfriend is coming to visit in March, and how you are going to put him to work building things for your house. You've told every mozambican you've met that you're married, so they don't start wagging their tongues later. And so the creepsters back off, although that has been met with limited success (creepsters will be creepsters). You're thinking about your sister, it's her birthday, and you're thinking about how much you miss your friends and family. You're thinking about all the people you love, these blogs are for them. You write because you love to write but you share because others care to listen. You're thinking and thinking and thinking, but it's just about bedtime. Go to bed at 9, wake up at 530, that's just life in the slow lane. So then, li pelile! Boa noite! Good night :)
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Chimundo
"Whatever tomorrow brings, I´ll be there, with open arms and open eyes" - Incubus
So much has happened in the past week! Last Friday, 70 Peace Corps trainees became official Peace Corps volunteers. The swear-in ceremony was held in Maputo, at the super sweet house of the ambassador. We all wore our capulana outfits and everyone looked, as they say here, chique [sheeky], despite several setbacks…
First of all, when we first arrived at the hotel at noon, they would not allow us to check in yet so we lounged around in the lobby until 2. We then had approximately 30 minutes to get ready for the swear-in ceremony. My roommate jumped in the shower first, so by the time she was done I had 15 minutes left. After the shower, I was at 10 minutes. At 5 minutes until departure, I asked my friend to zip up the back of my dress and the zipper promptly broke. My response: “You’ve got to be f-ing kidding me.” While my friend Amanda frantically tried to fix the zipper, and my roommate Jen went to beg an extra few minutes from the Training Director, I was scuttling around the room in my underwear putting on the rest of my makeup and accessories. Eventually, my dress was literally pinned onto me with half a dozen needles and our Training director Claudia, smoking a cigarette and cursing at traffic, raced us to ambassador’s house because we had, of course, missed the bus. Ironically, as my friend was getting out of the car, her capulana skirt ripped and Dress Emergency #2 commenced- we had failed to bring the remainder of the needles. Claudia efficiently resolved the issue and we were able to make our grand entrance.
Afterwards, the volunteers returned to the 5-star hotel Cardoso and stayed up all night hanging out, our last night together as a big group- the first group (north) departed for their supervisors conference at 5am. In stages, Moz 15 was separated. My group, the 16 health volunteers of north/central Mozambique, headed to Bilene. We got very lucky with our hotel accommodations here as well: my single, air-conditioned room had a fridge and running water, and was right on the beach. We had buffet-style meals three times a day, plus two snack/tea times. Crab /shrimp curry! Salad! Chicken! Beef! Fruit salad! Flan!
After a relaxing weekend on the beach (mental health break times two, minus the heavy drinking and 50+ volunteers), we had our supervisors conference with our organization counterpart(s). My counterpart was a woman named Irma (Sister) Daulisa, a nice plump woman who likes to laugh a lot and is currently helping me set up my house. Not much to say about the conference, we went over policies and had discussions of what to expect from each other, etc.
Wednesday morning, our volunteer group was split again by region. We said our final goodbyes and left on a private chapa- 6 volunteers, their counterparts, a PC staff member, and a lot of luggage. One by one, the volunteers were dropped off at their sites. Meghan first, Caitlin next, Anne, Naa.. At each site we got off the bus to check out our peers’ new home and I took a picture of each volunteer standing in front with their counterparts, ready to start their new life. At Anne’s site, she was greeted by a crowd of people (her organization? Community members?) who sang songs as she approached, and presented her with a lei of flowers. The chefe then ceremoniously cut a ribbon of flowers strung across her door so that she could enter. It was intense.
Finally, it was my turn. There was still another volunteer, Jess whose site is 5km away in Chibuto, who had yet to be dropped off. We arrived in Chimundo, stopped in front of a large gray house, and unloaded my luggage. I stepped inside the filthy, completely empty THREE-bedroom house and... almost began to cry of disappointment. All the other volunteers had quaint little houses, had at least some furniture- a bed maybe, or perhaps a table and chairs- and had been greeted by at least a few excited community members. I had a grumpy landlord who hadn’t even put locks on the doors or the front grate, fist-sized spiders on the walls, and torn window screens to let all the mosquitoes in. Irma Daulisa and PC staff Rogerio began to argue with the landlord about the locks, which should have been in place already. The landlord responded that he didn’t know when I was supposed to be moving in, and he hadn’t had time to do it. So we sadly loaded my luggage back on the chapa. My house wasn’t ready for me.
We dropped Jess off and went to buy locks for my house. I was asked to front money for the locks and get reimbursed later, which almost made me break down again. Peace Corps, for reasons beyond me, does NOT give volunteers more settling-in money even if they are opening up a new site. So, I get the same amount of money as a volunteer who moves into a previous volunteers’ house which will naturally already have many things such as furniture. A nice mattress itself, with a box spring, is approximately 6/7 of the settling in allowance I get. Frustrating much? I’ve resigned myself to buying things in spurts, and hoping that eventually, it will actually feel like a home.
Anyway, I balked at the idea of fronting even more money (tables/chairs/bed frame are items that I will be reimbursed for, but are hefty chunks of my allowance that I don’t feel comfortable spending… especially since I'll be missing the money in my account for at least a couple weeks). Rogerio fronted the money and the landlord promised to change the locks. Meanwhile, I went to stay with Erika and Alycia, my two Moz14 Education sitemates. Thankfully, they live just one street over and their house, on the polar end of things, is absolutely cluttered with anything and everything. Their house has had PC volunteers since 2002; there are even beach murals on the walls! They have bookcases full of books, a kitchen full of dishes and pots, two dogs, two cats, blah blah blah. Oh, and a lot of cockroaches. (Side note: This story is kind of disgusting but last night, as I was sleeping on their couch, I dreamt that I had a cockroach crawling on my leg so I instinctively squished it between my knees. This morning, discovered it wasn’t a dream)
Unfortunately, this is travel season for them so they actually left for South Africa two days after my arrival. I am, however, house sitting and feeding their pets (Interesting: in terms of feeding animals, you can either buy scraps from the butcher or, as Erika and Alycia do, mix dried fish with xima. Xima, as a reminder, looks like mashed potatoes but is essentially like corn meal grits). They have two dogs and two cats, and a mangy neighborhood dog who sneaks in the house to steal food and beg to be adopted.
During the day, I am out and about in the community and in the city buying stuff for my house. The Chibuto market is a 1.5 hour walk but it’s very easy to catch a ride on the main road. And, unlike other markets, this one is rather large and comprehensive. A fridge and a mattress I will need to buy in XaiXai, but the rest I think is available here.
The morning after arrival, after some food (I forgot to mention that I didn’t get to eat breakfast or lunch before I got to site) and a good nights’ rest, I was feeling much better. I took a bath and went out to conquer the community. I introduced myself to Erika/Alycia’s neighbors (still useful, because I live so close) and was invited to tomar cha (drink tea / have breakfast). I imagine that the rest of my two years will look something like this, sitting under mango trees and conversing with the neighbors. I mentioned that I like mangoes, and I was offered several throughout the day. Later on, I was greeted by multiple people that I had met, which made me very happy to have initiated the integration process. The only problem is, I cant seem to remember their names although they always remember mine…
I already have an idea of what home improvement projects I will be taking on in the next few weeks. FIRST and foremost, build a backyard fence. This so I can get a puppy (Erika knows someone who is selling puppies) and so the annoying neighbor kids wont peek in my windows like they’ve done to Erika and Alycia in the past. The charming little kids here lack supervision, and spend their days wreaking havoc (I'm exaggerating, but only a little bit). They like to retrieve and sort through the trash of foreigners (us) and then leave the trash scattered everywhere- defeats the purpose of throwing the trash in the trash pit. They steal unripe mangoes from the tree next to the house, take one bite, and then discard the mango.
Erika and Alycia have a recently-constructed fence that gives them some backyard space and now they can leave the back door open to get some air in the house. Of course, the kids do like to push the limits by climbing the trees to peek over the fence, or as I witnessed while washing dishes, every once in a while a bold little booger will try to creep in the backyard just to stare inside. Really annoying. If the front door is open, same thing. They’ll stand right at the doorway and peer in, sometimes try to come in. The only way to get rid of them is to close the door and suffocate inside. These kids do not all speak Portuguese, either. The majority of the families around here speak Changana, the local language, and until these kids have gone to school, they will not know Portuguese.
So much has happened in the past week! Last Friday, 70 Peace Corps trainees became official Peace Corps volunteers. The swear-in ceremony was held in Maputo, at the super sweet house of the ambassador. We all wore our capulana outfits and everyone looked, as they say here, chique [sheeky], despite several setbacks…
First of all, when we first arrived at the hotel at noon, they would not allow us to check in yet so we lounged around in the lobby until 2. We then had approximately 30 minutes to get ready for the swear-in ceremony. My roommate jumped in the shower first, so by the time she was done I had 15 minutes left. After the shower, I was at 10 minutes. At 5 minutes until departure, I asked my friend to zip up the back of my dress and the zipper promptly broke. My response: “You’ve got to be f-ing kidding me.” While my friend Amanda frantically tried to fix the zipper, and my roommate Jen went to beg an extra few minutes from the Training Director, I was scuttling around the room in my underwear putting on the rest of my makeup and accessories. Eventually, my dress was literally pinned onto me with half a dozen needles and our Training director Claudia, smoking a cigarette and cursing at traffic, raced us to ambassador’s house because we had, of course, missed the bus. Ironically, as my friend was getting out of the car, her capulana skirt ripped and Dress Emergency #2 commenced- we had failed to bring the remainder of the needles. Claudia efficiently resolved the issue and we were able to make our grand entrance.
Afterwards, the volunteers returned to the 5-star hotel Cardoso and stayed up all night hanging out, our last night together as a big group- the first group (north) departed for their supervisors conference at 5am. In stages, Moz 15 was separated. My group, the 16 health volunteers of north/central Mozambique, headed to Bilene. We got very lucky with our hotel accommodations here as well: my single, air-conditioned room had a fridge and running water, and was right on the beach. We had buffet-style meals three times a day, plus two snack/tea times. Crab /shrimp curry! Salad! Chicken! Beef! Fruit salad! Flan!
After a relaxing weekend on the beach (mental health break times two, minus the heavy drinking and 50+ volunteers), we had our supervisors conference with our organization counterpart(s). My counterpart was a woman named Irma (Sister) Daulisa, a nice plump woman who likes to laugh a lot and is currently helping me set up my house. Not much to say about the conference, we went over policies and had discussions of what to expect from each other, etc.
Wednesday morning, our volunteer group was split again by region. We said our final goodbyes and left on a private chapa- 6 volunteers, their counterparts, a PC staff member, and a lot of luggage. One by one, the volunteers were dropped off at their sites. Meghan first, Caitlin next, Anne, Naa.. At each site we got off the bus to check out our peers’ new home and I took a picture of each volunteer standing in front with their counterparts, ready to start their new life. At Anne’s site, she was greeted by a crowd of people (her organization? Community members?) who sang songs as she approached, and presented her with a lei of flowers. The chefe then ceremoniously cut a ribbon of flowers strung across her door so that she could enter. It was intense.
Finally, it was my turn. There was still another volunteer, Jess whose site is 5km away in Chibuto, who had yet to be dropped off. We arrived in Chimundo, stopped in front of a large gray house, and unloaded my luggage. I stepped inside the filthy, completely empty THREE-bedroom house and... almost began to cry of disappointment. All the other volunteers had quaint little houses, had at least some furniture- a bed maybe, or perhaps a table and chairs- and had been greeted by at least a few excited community members. I had a grumpy landlord who hadn’t even put locks on the doors or the front grate, fist-sized spiders on the walls, and torn window screens to let all the mosquitoes in. Irma Daulisa and PC staff Rogerio began to argue with the landlord about the locks, which should have been in place already. The landlord responded that he didn’t know when I was supposed to be moving in, and he hadn’t had time to do it. So we sadly loaded my luggage back on the chapa. My house wasn’t ready for me.
We dropped Jess off and went to buy locks for my house. I was asked to front money for the locks and get reimbursed later, which almost made me break down again. Peace Corps, for reasons beyond me, does NOT give volunteers more settling-in money even if they are opening up a new site. So, I get the same amount of money as a volunteer who moves into a previous volunteers’ house which will naturally already have many things such as furniture. A nice mattress itself, with a box spring, is approximately 6/7 of the settling in allowance I get. Frustrating much? I’ve resigned myself to buying things in spurts, and hoping that eventually, it will actually feel like a home.
Anyway, I balked at the idea of fronting even more money (tables/chairs/bed frame are items that I will be reimbursed for, but are hefty chunks of my allowance that I don’t feel comfortable spending… especially since I'll be missing the money in my account for at least a couple weeks). Rogerio fronted the money and the landlord promised to change the locks. Meanwhile, I went to stay with Erika and Alycia, my two Moz14 Education sitemates. Thankfully, they live just one street over and their house, on the polar end of things, is absolutely cluttered with anything and everything. Their house has had PC volunteers since 2002; there are even beach murals on the walls! They have bookcases full of books, a kitchen full of dishes and pots, two dogs, two cats, blah blah blah. Oh, and a lot of cockroaches. (Side note: This story is kind of disgusting but last night, as I was sleeping on their couch, I dreamt that I had a cockroach crawling on my leg so I instinctively squished it between my knees. This morning, discovered it wasn’t a dream)
Unfortunately, this is travel season for them so they actually left for South Africa two days after my arrival. I am, however, house sitting and feeding their pets (Interesting: in terms of feeding animals, you can either buy scraps from the butcher or, as Erika and Alycia do, mix dried fish with xima. Xima, as a reminder, looks like mashed potatoes but is essentially like corn meal grits). They have two dogs and two cats, and a mangy neighborhood dog who sneaks in the house to steal food and beg to be adopted.
During the day, I am out and about in the community and in the city buying stuff for my house. The Chibuto market is a 1.5 hour walk but it’s very easy to catch a ride on the main road. And, unlike other markets, this one is rather large and comprehensive. A fridge and a mattress I will need to buy in XaiXai, but the rest I think is available here.
The morning after arrival, after some food (I forgot to mention that I didn’t get to eat breakfast or lunch before I got to site) and a good nights’ rest, I was feeling much better. I took a bath and went out to conquer the community. I introduced myself to Erika/Alycia’s neighbors (still useful, because I live so close) and was invited to tomar cha (drink tea / have breakfast). I imagine that the rest of my two years will look something like this, sitting under mango trees and conversing with the neighbors. I mentioned that I like mangoes, and I was offered several throughout the day. Later on, I was greeted by multiple people that I had met, which made me very happy to have initiated the integration process. The only problem is, I cant seem to remember their names although they always remember mine…
I already have an idea of what home improvement projects I will be taking on in the next few weeks. FIRST and foremost, build a backyard fence. This so I can get a puppy (Erika knows someone who is selling puppies) and so the annoying neighbor kids wont peek in my windows like they’ve done to Erika and Alycia in the past. The charming little kids here lack supervision, and spend their days wreaking havoc (I'm exaggerating, but only a little bit). They like to retrieve and sort through the trash of foreigners (us) and then leave the trash scattered everywhere- defeats the purpose of throwing the trash in the trash pit. They steal unripe mangoes from the tree next to the house, take one bite, and then discard the mango.
Erika and Alycia have a recently-constructed fence that gives them some backyard space and now they can leave the back door open to get some air in the house. Of course, the kids do like to push the limits by climbing the trees to peek over the fence, or as I witnessed while washing dishes, every once in a while a bold little booger will try to creep in the backyard just to stare inside. Really annoying. If the front door is open, same thing. They’ll stand right at the doorway and peer in, sometimes try to come in. The only way to get rid of them is to close the door and suffocate inside. These kids do not all speak Portuguese, either. The majority of the families around here speak Changana, the local language, and until these kids have gone to school, they will not know Portuguese.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
When life gives you an ugly capulana print... you rock that shit!
One last post before I go to site, just in case my internet is iffy there.
We have finally reached the end of PST! I have become very comfortable with Namaacha and im sad to leave my awesome host family, but im so ready to move on to the next phase of my service. I've been giving my family a few small gifts here and there- a bottle of piripiri because they're always asking for mine, photographs, a binder for my sister who is a teacher, nail polish for my younger sisters. My mae is already asking me when im coming back to visit! I won't be seeing Namaacha again for a couple of months at the very least. She makes me promise that I'll call often.
For the swearing-in ceremony tomorrow, all the trainees had capulana clothes made as a present from our host families- dresses/ skirts for the girls, shirts for the guys. The host moms picked out one print for all of health, one print for all english teachers, and one print for math/science. Let me tell you, our health print is pretty unappealing. It is beige and brown with stripes and a scale- like pattern, with green and blue bows everywhere. Well, determined to make the best of an unfavorable situation, I took the capulana to a seamstress, who promptly lost the drawing I gave her and decided to go ahead and make me whatever dress she felt like (without using the measurements she took). I am now going to my swearing in wearing an off the shoulder dress with satin ruffles around the collar and at the hem. Fortunately, however, she was willing to work with me and make the necessary adjustments (when I first tried it on, it looked like I was wearing a loose, frilly off the shoulder bag) so I actually think it may look kind of cute. I'll be sure to post pictures soon.
The last time I put my camera memory card in a public Mozambique computer, I got 6 viruses and now my photos won't show up on any pc. I cannot fix the problem unless I reformat the drive, which means losing all my pictures. So, for now, im backing up my photos on a friend's mac and im really kicking myself for not bringing computer or an external hard drive. While everyone else is exchanging movies and music, I am getting viruses on all my electronics from the crappy computers here. Eh pa! Thank God I have internet configured on my phone and I can do simple things like blog and check email.
I do have a physical mailing address at site but at this point im not sure if packages sent there will get to me faster than ones just sent to the Peace Corps office in Maputo. It might be interesting to do an experiment. So, if you're mailing something to me, please make sure to date it!
You can send mail to the shared address for the volunteers near the city of Xai Xai is:
Vivienne Chao
CP 85
Xai Xai, Mozambique
And once again, the address for Maputo office:
Vivienne Chao, PCV
Corpo da Paz / Peace Corps
Avenida do Zimbabwe
CP 4398
Maputo, Mozambique
A word on mail, it is very unreliable here and may not get to me in a timely manner. My first package had been torn open (by a person? By a rat?) and several packages im waiting for have not even arrived. If you are sending me something liquid or edible, please put it in a ziploc bag in case it spills. Do not declare expensive things on the customs forms. Some volunteers' parents have been writing things like 'God bless! Jesus saves!' and addressing their packages to 'Sister caitlin,' etc to minimize the chance of someone opening the package. Like I mentioned earlier, date everything you mail.
I have a ton of things I need to buy because im opening up a new site. But in the meantime, here is my american wish list! :)
Wish list:
Dish sponges
Can opener
Spices?
Nylon thread
Vegetable peeler
Ziploc bags (diff sizes)- probably best to put everything in plastic bags
Neutrogena sunscreen (spf 50 or higher)
Nail polish in fun colors
Cheap watch
Dog/cat treats
Dog/cat flea drops
Books
Stickers (for kids)
Cheezits
Herbal tea
Gum
Starbucks via instant coffee
Maps! (US, africa, mozambique, world)
Blank cds
Flash drives
We have finally reached the end of PST! I have become very comfortable with Namaacha and im sad to leave my awesome host family, but im so ready to move on to the next phase of my service. I've been giving my family a few small gifts here and there- a bottle of piripiri because they're always asking for mine, photographs, a binder for my sister who is a teacher, nail polish for my younger sisters. My mae is already asking me when im coming back to visit! I won't be seeing Namaacha again for a couple of months at the very least. She makes me promise that I'll call often.
For the swearing-in ceremony tomorrow, all the trainees had capulana clothes made as a present from our host families- dresses/ skirts for the girls, shirts for the guys. The host moms picked out one print for all of health, one print for all english teachers, and one print for math/science. Let me tell you, our health print is pretty unappealing. It is beige and brown with stripes and a scale- like pattern, with green and blue bows everywhere. Well, determined to make the best of an unfavorable situation, I took the capulana to a seamstress, who promptly lost the drawing I gave her and decided to go ahead and make me whatever dress she felt like (without using the measurements she took). I am now going to my swearing in wearing an off the shoulder dress with satin ruffles around the collar and at the hem. Fortunately, however, she was willing to work with me and make the necessary adjustments (when I first tried it on, it looked like I was wearing a loose, frilly off the shoulder bag) so I actually think it may look kind of cute. I'll be sure to post pictures soon.
The last time I put my camera memory card in a public Mozambique computer, I got 6 viruses and now my photos won't show up on any pc. I cannot fix the problem unless I reformat the drive, which means losing all my pictures. So, for now, im backing up my photos on a friend's mac and im really kicking myself for not bringing computer or an external hard drive. While everyone else is exchanging movies and music, I am getting viruses on all my electronics from the crappy computers here. Eh pa! Thank God I have internet configured on my phone and I can do simple things like blog and check email.
I do have a physical mailing address at site but at this point im not sure if packages sent there will get to me faster than ones just sent to the Peace Corps office in Maputo. It might be interesting to do an experiment. So, if you're mailing something to me, please make sure to date it!
You can send mail to the shared address for the volunteers near the city of Xai Xai is:
Vivienne Chao
CP 85
Xai Xai, Mozambique
And once again, the address for Maputo office:
Vivienne Chao, PCV
Corpo da Paz / Peace Corps
Avenida do Zimbabwe
CP 4398
Maputo, Mozambique
A word on mail, it is very unreliable here and may not get to me in a timely manner. My first package had been torn open (by a person? By a rat?) and several packages im waiting for have not even arrived. If you are sending me something liquid or edible, please put it in a ziploc bag in case it spills. Do not declare expensive things on the customs forms. Some volunteers' parents have been writing things like 'God bless! Jesus saves!' and addressing their packages to 'Sister caitlin,' etc to minimize the chance of someone opening the package. Like I mentioned earlier, date everything you mail.
I have a ton of things I need to buy because im opening up a new site. But in the meantime, here is my american wish list! :)
Wish list:
Dish sponges
Can opener
Spices?
Nylon thread
Vegetable peeler
Ziploc bags (diff sizes)- probably best to put everything in plastic bags
Neutrogena sunscreen (spf 50 or higher)
Nail polish in fun colors
Cheap watch
Dog/cat treats
Dog/cat flea drops
Books
Stickers (for kids)
Cheezits
Herbal tea
Gum
Starbucks via instant coffee
Maps! (US, africa, mozambique, world)
Blank cds
Flash drives
Monday, November 22, 2010
Li xile!
On thursday, we found where we're going for the next two years and then promptly left Namaacha for mental health break. I spent all weekend eating seafood pizza, laying on the beach, and reflecting on my site, or what I know about it.
Here it is: I'll be in Chimundo, a small villa of the larger town of Chibuto, in Gaza province (still south Mozambique, just north of Maputo province). My organization is a preschool/ kindergarten/ day care run by a Mozambican nun and supported by a Portuguese church. I will be living directly behind the center and working with young children and OVCs. This is a new site but I have two education sitemates from moz14. There is a mercado (market) nearby where I can buy everything I need. I've heard a lot of good things about my house, which is apparently BIG and new (two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, outside bathroom).
Before giving us the envelopes with our site placements, we were told 'life may not lead you where you thought you wanted to go, but have faith that you are exactly where you are meant to be!' and I find this absolutely reassuring. Several trainees began crying when they found out their site, which I find a little ridiculous because ultimately what will matter is the work we do, not what part of the country we're in. Although this specific site was not on my top three, it did make the list of 13 (the health volunteers got a chance last week to see a coded description of all 24 sites and pick our top 13). And in a strange way, this site is perfectly fitting. For instance, I mentioned in my placement interviews that I do not have a strong health background and that I would be interested in working with children. Working at an escolinha will give me an opportunity to create my own health projects, especially on the topics that interest me such as nutrition, hygiene and sanitation, malaria prevention, etc. All in all, im super anxious to be done with training in two weeks and move onto the next phase of Peace Corps service! I'd say that most if not all of us are consumed with thoughts of site.
The beaches in Bilene were beautiful- the water was so clear and blue. We rented two houses for the weekend. There were beds but not enough, so many people slept or passed out on the floor. The first night we had a dj and everyone danced and drank and had a good time. I felt like I was back in college, at a house party, which I'm not sure is a good thing...
We swear in on dec 3, at the ambassador's house. All of us are having capulana clothes made from matching print. The ceremony will be on national news! If all goes well, all 70 of us will become official peace corps volunteers. However, this is contingent upon our performance on next week's LPIs and approximately 15 people are in danger of not passing (and may have to stay in Namaacha until they do pass). In the meantime the rest of us are moving on to learning local languages. In my region the local language is Changana, something so different from any language I've studied in my life. I doubt I will be fluent by the end of two years, but at least I'll know a little.
Thus far, only one trainee (a health volunteer) has decided to leave mozambique due to personal reasons (ET- early termination). This same volunteer was mugged in front of her homestay house several weeks ago, just another reminder that as foreigners we are and always will be perceived differently.
Here it is: I'll be in Chimundo, a small villa of the larger town of Chibuto, in Gaza province (still south Mozambique, just north of Maputo province). My organization is a preschool/ kindergarten/ day care run by a Mozambican nun and supported by a Portuguese church. I will be living directly behind the center and working with young children and OVCs. This is a new site but I have two education sitemates from moz14. There is a mercado (market) nearby where I can buy everything I need. I've heard a lot of good things about my house, which is apparently BIG and new (two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, outside bathroom).
Before giving us the envelopes with our site placements, we were told 'life may not lead you where you thought you wanted to go, but have faith that you are exactly where you are meant to be!' and I find this absolutely reassuring. Several trainees began crying when they found out their site, which I find a little ridiculous because ultimately what will matter is the work we do, not what part of the country we're in. Although this specific site was not on my top three, it did make the list of 13 (the health volunteers got a chance last week to see a coded description of all 24 sites and pick our top 13). And in a strange way, this site is perfectly fitting. For instance, I mentioned in my placement interviews that I do not have a strong health background and that I would be interested in working with children. Working at an escolinha will give me an opportunity to create my own health projects, especially on the topics that interest me such as nutrition, hygiene and sanitation, malaria prevention, etc. All in all, im super anxious to be done with training in two weeks and move onto the next phase of Peace Corps service! I'd say that most if not all of us are consumed with thoughts of site.
The beaches in Bilene were beautiful- the water was so clear and blue. We rented two houses for the weekend. There were beds but not enough, so many people slept or passed out on the floor. The first night we had a dj and everyone danced and drank and had a good time. I felt like I was back in college, at a house party, which I'm not sure is a good thing...
We swear in on dec 3, at the ambassador's house. All of us are having capulana clothes made from matching print. The ceremony will be on national news! If all goes well, all 70 of us will become official peace corps volunteers. However, this is contingent upon our performance on next week's LPIs and approximately 15 people are in danger of not passing (and may have to stay in Namaacha until they do pass). In the meantime the rest of us are moving on to learning local languages. In my region the local language is Changana, something so different from any language I've studied in my life. I doubt I will be fluent by the end of two years, but at least I'll know a little.
Thus far, only one trainee (a health volunteer) has decided to leave mozambique due to personal reasons (ET- early termination). This same volunteer was mugged in front of her homestay house several weeks ago, just another reminder that as foreigners we are and always will be perceived differently.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
when in china...
This blog post finds me short on sleep, what with the discovery of a rat in my room last week and the return of the bed bugs. Despite this, I am very optimistic for the coming week, particularly for our site announcements this THURSDAY and mental health break this weekend. Most of us are going to spend the weekend in the beach town of Bilene; we have rented two houses and plan to have a great time during our much needed break :)
This weekend was pretty exciting: field trip to the witch doctor on saturday and hiking on sunday to the intersection of the three borders: swaziland, south africa, and mozambique. The weather was perfect for a 5 hour hike. (pictures to come soon!)
Something very interesting came up last week and I wanted to share. In a session about stigma and discrimination (particularly in an HIV/AIDS context) our two mozambican facilitators asked us to each think about a time in which we felt isolated or rejected (in our personal lives). As we came together as a group to share our experiences, one of the facilitators wanted to get us to do some quick exercises to boost our energy. 'when I say cadeira quente (hot chair) you all stand up!' 'when I say cadeira fria (cold chair) you all sit down!' 'when I say china, you do this!' and he proceeded to yell 'hai-ya!' and make karate chop movements. An uncomfortable feeling settled over the room even as my peers repeated (a little hesitantly) after him. And as I watched this happening, my heart began to pound and I became acutely aware of my status as the only asian in the room. I felt helpless, frozen, unsure of what my peers were thinking and if they felt the same knot in their stomachs as I did in mine. Was no one going to call him out on that culturally inappropriate remark? It took me a minute to find my voice. 'I am chinese, or almost chinese,' I said. 'I am taiwanese, I am asian, and I did not appreciate what just happened. I don't know karate or kung fu, neither does my family, neither do my friends from china ,and I did not find that appropriate.' The facilitator became very defensive and replied,'We're just playing around. Its nothing serious.'
And just like that,he passed over my concerns without really acknowledging them. A few people shared their personal accounts of experiences with isolation, and all the while I continued to feel (ironically) isolated in this session. So when I finally found the courage to speak up again, I surprised even myself to find the tears falling as I said, 'I'm still upset about earlier. I know none of you meant anything offensive but you all still DID it, you still perpetuated something you knew wasn't right. And so I think it's important for us to note that, while we're discussing isolation in different contexts, in a family or in a community, these things can and do occur even in groups such as this. Even Peace Corps, where we all pride ourselves on being open minded. And maybe it's because im in the only asian here, but i felt my identity tested and discarded into a degrading stereotype, and I still feel shitty about this.'
I think that's when it really hit. As people reacted (positively) to my words, we suddenly entered into an open discussion, an impromptu diversity session. We've had several in the past weeks, sessions meant to promote diversity and understanding, but this time it was real, not just for me but for the PCTs with me. The outpouring of support and agreement was immense. It made me strangely glad that this happened because of the thoughts and conversations it provoked, and because i know this is only the beginning of these kind of struggles.
As a Taiwanese-American in mozambique, I know I will face numerous challenges during my service, especially in regards to my race. Kids and adults alike will (and already do) chant,'Chinesa! Chinesa!' as I walk by, never taking into consideration that I may not consider myself chinese. I could be korean, or philippina, or any other sort of asian and it would make no difference to them. I may explain that I am american, but to them that doesn't make sense. Americans are white. 'you have the face of a japanese person' my host sister's boyfriend told me. 'I'm american,' I said. 'Yeah, but you have the face of a japanese.'
A lot of it comes from ignorance, especially of geography. My friend's host family owned a globe that they used as toy, ' the spinning ball,' never realizing that its actually meant to be a map.
Part of my mission here is to teach mozambican about americans and the diversity it entails. But it's hard, to be categorized into a racial group before they even know my name.
This weekend was pretty exciting: field trip to the witch doctor on saturday and hiking on sunday to the intersection of the three borders: swaziland, south africa, and mozambique. The weather was perfect for a 5 hour hike. (pictures to come soon!)
Something very interesting came up last week and I wanted to share. In a session about stigma and discrimination (particularly in an HIV/AIDS context) our two mozambican facilitators asked us to each think about a time in which we felt isolated or rejected (in our personal lives). As we came together as a group to share our experiences, one of the facilitators wanted to get us to do some quick exercises to boost our energy. 'when I say cadeira quente (hot chair) you all stand up!' 'when I say cadeira fria (cold chair) you all sit down!' 'when I say china, you do this!' and he proceeded to yell 'hai-ya!' and make karate chop movements. An uncomfortable feeling settled over the room even as my peers repeated (a little hesitantly) after him. And as I watched this happening, my heart began to pound and I became acutely aware of my status as the only asian in the room. I felt helpless, frozen, unsure of what my peers were thinking and if they felt the same knot in their stomachs as I did in mine. Was no one going to call him out on that culturally inappropriate remark? It took me a minute to find my voice. 'I am chinese, or almost chinese,' I said. 'I am taiwanese, I am asian, and I did not appreciate what just happened. I don't know karate or kung fu, neither does my family, neither do my friends from china ,and I did not find that appropriate.' The facilitator became very defensive and replied,'We're just playing around. Its nothing serious.'
And just like that,he passed over my concerns without really acknowledging them. A few people shared their personal accounts of experiences with isolation, and all the while I continued to feel (ironically) isolated in this session. So when I finally found the courage to speak up again, I surprised even myself to find the tears falling as I said, 'I'm still upset about earlier. I know none of you meant anything offensive but you all still DID it, you still perpetuated something you knew wasn't right. And so I think it's important for us to note that, while we're discussing isolation in different contexts, in a family or in a community, these things can and do occur even in groups such as this. Even Peace Corps, where we all pride ourselves on being open minded. And maybe it's because im in the only asian here, but i felt my identity tested and discarded into a degrading stereotype, and I still feel shitty about this.'
I think that's when it really hit. As people reacted (positively) to my words, we suddenly entered into an open discussion, an impromptu diversity session. We've had several in the past weeks, sessions meant to promote diversity and understanding, but this time it was real, not just for me but for the PCTs with me. The outpouring of support and agreement was immense. It made me strangely glad that this happened because of the thoughts and conversations it provoked, and because i know this is only the beginning of these kind of struggles.
As a Taiwanese-American in mozambique, I know I will face numerous challenges during my service, especially in regards to my race. Kids and adults alike will (and already do) chant,'Chinesa! Chinesa!' as I walk by, never taking into consideration that I may not consider myself chinese. I could be korean, or philippina, or any other sort of asian and it would make no difference to them. I may explain that I am american, but to them that doesn't make sense. Americans are white. 'you have the face of a japanese person' my host sister's boyfriend told me. 'I'm american,' I said. 'Yeah, but you have the face of a japanese.'
A lot of it comes from ignorance, especially of geography. My friend's host family owned a globe that they used as toy, ' the spinning ball,' never realizing that its actually meant to be a map.
Part of my mission here is to teach mozambican about americans and the diversity it entails. But it's hard, to be categorized into a racial group before they even know my name.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Highlights of PCT
The street market is open Wednesdays and Saturdays. Vendors set up their wares- dried peixe (fish), snacks, produce, colourful capulanas, shoes, shirts - on makeshift wood tables. You can “pedir desconto” (ask for discount) if you are confident in your Portuguese. The regular Mercado is open every day, but the things you cant buy there can usually be found at ShopRite. Capulanas are sheets of fabric that women wear around the house, do housework in, carry babies around in, and use as towels. They come in beautiful patterns and colors, and are one of my favorite things to buy because having clothes made here is super cheap! For a dress, approx 150 mets ($4-5). I have a dress already, and I am having a skirt made this week.
Chapas are the main method of transport here in Moz, because most people do not have cards. There are several types of chapas, the most common here resemble minivans. These cars are designed to seat 15 people, but the chapa driver charges per person so he fills the chapa as full as possible. Usually he has a partner who lets people in and out and collects money from every passenger. On certain days (ie. Sunday) everyone is trying to get somewhere, so the chapas are crammed. Seats are first come first serve- old people and (even pregnant) women are afforded no luxuries. If there is no room to sit, people will crouch or stand, hunched over with their backs against the roofs of the car, holding on to whatever they can. The guy next to you, a complete stranger, falls asleep on your shoulder without asking. The guy in front of you starts puking out the window right as the trip begins. The woman hovering over you, bent at a 90 degree angle for the entire ride, has her arm gripping your seat for balance and her ripe armpit in your face. The song “Ridin Solo” by Jason DeRulo comes blaring through the radio while youre riding 23 deep… Ironic much?
If you cant find a chapa (Corpo da Paz mandates that you do not ride a car in the dark due to safety reasons), you might need to pedir bolea (hitchhike). It is very much part of the culture here and a relatively safe way to travel (cheaper and more comfortable). You wave your arms and passing cars will stop if they have room. When they see you are a foreigner, they may try to charge to charge you way too much money (for example, 100 US dollars) for a ride that in a chapa would cost 50 mets ($1.50). That’s because they assume you are rich and/or stupid, preferably both. Most of the time, however, boleas are free. Or cost a minimal amount, such as the 10 met/person bolea we took on the bed of a pickup truck (not safe, by the way).
The shopping center in Matola (a smaller, closer version of the capital city of Maputo) has everything a PCT could need. The Mcel and Vodacom stores are right next to each other if you need to buy or have problems with your phone. However, their store hours are highly irregular- closed on Sundays (most of the time), and only open until 12 on Saturdays, so sometimes hard to catch on the weekends. The restaurant Mundos has free wifi (!!!) and sells pizza, burgers, milkshakes and other American-style foods. It’s a bit pricey (about 400 mets for a pizza) but well worth it when you are American and starving for familiar foods. The ShopRite is an actual grocery store, a land of goodies and wonders where its absolutely possible to spend your entire walk around allowance in once trip. My last trip on Saturday found me $800 mets down, but loaded up with soy sauce, black pepper (my cooking staple), sour cream and onion Pringles (don’t judge), TWO kinds of piri-piri (hot sauce- which, by the way, makes every meal exciting), coffee candy, and juice flavoured “Whispers of Summer.”
The weather here, I probably have already mentioned, is ridiculous. You need a jacket in the morning, sweat bullets on the way home for lunch, change into lighter clothes, and promptly freeze your ass off in the afternoon. It rains buckets at night and creates mud everywhere for you to slip on and fall in the mornings. Been there, done that.
The best advice Ive been given yet so far is: learn to laugh at yourself. Last night I got soaked on the way home from class, took a bath, and while walking back in the house, slipped and fell in the mud. My capulana managed to stay on when my legs flew in the air, but my towel slipped and I flashed my boobs to all the neighbors. When that happens, what can you do but laugh?
Chapas are the main method of transport here in Moz, because most people do not have cards. There are several types of chapas, the most common here resemble minivans. These cars are designed to seat 15 people, but the chapa driver charges per person so he fills the chapa as full as possible. Usually he has a partner who lets people in and out and collects money from every passenger. On certain days (ie. Sunday) everyone is trying to get somewhere, so the chapas are crammed. Seats are first come first serve- old people and (even pregnant) women are afforded no luxuries. If there is no room to sit, people will crouch or stand, hunched over with their backs against the roofs of the car, holding on to whatever they can. The guy next to you, a complete stranger, falls asleep on your shoulder without asking. The guy in front of you starts puking out the window right as the trip begins. The woman hovering over you, bent at a 90 degree angle for the entire ride, has her arm gripping your seat for balance and her ripe armpit in your face. The song “Ridin Solo” by Jason DeRulo comes blaring through the radio while youre riding 23 deep… Ironic much?
If you cant find a chapa (Corpo da Paz mandates that you do not ride a car in the dark due to safety reasons), you might need to pedir bolea (hitchhike). It is very much part of the culture here and a relatively safe way to travel (cheaper and more comfortable). You wave your arms and passing cars will stop if they have room. When they see you are a foreigner, they may try to charge to charge you way too much money (for example, 100 US dollars) for a ride that in a chapa would cost 50 mets ($1.50). That’s because they assume you are rich and/or stupid, preferably both. Most of the time, however, boleas are free. Or cost a minimal amount, such as the 10 met/person bolea we took on the bed of a pickup truck (not safe, by the way).
The shopping center in Matola (a smaller, closer version of the capital city of Maputo) has everything a PCT could need. The Mcel and Vodacom stores are right next to each other if you need to buy or have problems with your phone. However, their store hours are highly irregular- closed on Sundays (most of the time), and only open until 12 on Saturdays, so sometimes hard to catch on the weekends. The restaurant Mundos has free wifi (!!!) and sells pizza, burgers, milkshakes and other American-style foods. It’s a bit pricey (about 400 mets for a pizza) but well worth it when you are American and starving for familiar foods. The ShopRite is an actual grocery store, a land of goodies and wonders where its absolutely possible to spend your entire walk around allowance in once trip. My last trip on Saturday found me $800 mets down, but loaded up with soy sauce, black pepper (my cooking staple), sour cream and onion Pringles (don’t judge), TWO kinds of piri-piri (hot sauce- which, by the way, makes every meal exciting), coffee candy, and juice flavoured “Whispers of Summer.”
The weather here, I probably have already mentioned, is ridiculous. You need a jacket in the morning, sweat bullets on the way home for lunch, change into lighter clothes, and promptly freeze your ass off in the afternoon. It rains buckets at night and creates mud everywhere for you to slip on and fall in the mornings. Been there, done that.
The best advice Ive been given yet so far is: learn to laugh at yourself. Last night I got soaked on the way home from class, took a bath, and while walking back in the house, slipped and fell in the mud. My capulana managed to stay on when my legs flew in the air, but my towel slipped and I flashed my boobs to all the neighbors. When that happens, what can you do but laugh?
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Marching on...
This week has been much better, and things are picking up pace again. I just had my first LPI (Language Proficiency Interview) this morning and am already at an Intermediate-Advanced level, although I only need to be at Intermediate by the end of training. No sweat!
The weather has been ridiculously bipolar here, switching back and forth from hot and sunny to cold and windy. I wake up in the middle of the night sweating or hear the wind blowing violently outside my window. Ive developed a cough but have been drinking excessive amounts of ginger tea, so hopefully it wont last too long.
Things that are keeping me going, and making me excited for the upcoming weeks:
- Finding out my site in two weeks!
- Im over halfway done with training!
- Permagardening sessions were useful, and I cant wait to start my own garden and compost
- We finally received mail this week! Although one of my packages was ripped open, as was one of the packets of M&Ms inside...
- Tomorrows trip to Matola to run errands and hang out
- Hiking next weekend to the mountains, where the three borders meet (South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique)
"We'll have the days we break,
And we'll have the scars to prove it
We'll have the bombs that we saved,
And we'll have the heart
Not to lose it
You put one foot in front of the other,
We move like we ain't got no other
We go where we go,
We're marchin on, marchin on
There's so many wars we fought
There's so many things we're not
But with what we have
I promise you that
We're marchin on"
- OneRepublic
The weather has been ridiculously bipolar here, switching back and forth from hot and sunny to cold and windy. I wake up in the middle of the night sweating or hear the wind blowing violently outside my window. Ive developed a cough but have been drinking excessive amounts of ginger tea, so hopefully it wont last too long.
Things that are keeping me going, and making me excited for the upcoming weeks:
- Finding out my site in two weeks!
- Im over halfway done with training!
- Permagardening sessions were useful, and I cant wait to start my own garden and compost
- We finally received mail this week! Although one of my packages was ripped open, as was one of the packets of M&Ms inside...
- Tomorrows trip to Matola to run errands and hang out
- Hiking next weekend to the mountains, where the three borders meet (South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique)
"We'll have the days we break,
And we'll have the scars to prove it
We'll have the bombs that we saved,
And we'll have the heart
Not to lose it
You put one foot in front of the other,
We move like we ain't got no other
We go where we go,
We're marchin on, marchin on
There's so many wars we fought
There's so many things we're not
But with what we have
I promise you that
We're marchin on"
- OneRepublic
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