Writen June 19, 2012

Hopefully posted sometime this week.

Hello hello – it is I your not-so-faithful pen pal in Moz.

Sorry for all of the delays of posting blogs and responding to emails, internet is just a bit hard to come by here (the free stuff is about a 20 min walk from my house) and I have yet to have a chance to purchase more credit for my phone. I have figured out how to use it as a “modem” via Bluetooth, however it does eat up the credit quickly, so my time online is sparse.

I will figure out this situation though in the next two years, that is my promise to you haha!

Today was another veryyy longgg day. It started out with a brief language session, where we went over how to make recipes and different words for in the kitchen. We then put our knowledge to good use, and made an “American” lunch for our host mom’s while they concocted a lovely Moz meal. My language group decided on mac & cheese, lemon garlic chicken, sautéed green beans, and a salad. It actually turned out very well, given our cooking area the resources, and some necessary improvisation.

Everything was cooked over the carvao, except the salad of course. We grilled the chicken after marinating it in lemon, fresh garlic, onion and a bit of salt. The green beans were sautéed in a soup pot, after sautéing some onions to accompany them. The pasta was cooked in a large pot with water, and the “cheese sauce” was comprised of the type of milk that doesn’t need refrigerated until opening, a type of cheddar cheese (which we shredded) and a pinch of flour. Mixing them together after the pasta had cooked.

The mom’s made xima, and this topping (forgetting the name of it now) but it was comprised of leite de coco (water that has been strained through the shredded coconut) the shredded leaves of pumpkins, a bit of salt, ground peanuts (a fine powder) and simmered together. As simple as that recipe sounds, it is a truly all-inclusive meal. We started out peeling the veins out of the leaves, then crushed the peanuts in a massive pilar, sorted the fine powder by hand, all while cracking coconuts and grating the insides into a large bowl.

After the physically laborious part of the preparation we washed the coconut shavings and strained the water into a large saucepan. It amazes me that they do not actually eat the coconut shavings, instead either throw them out, or feed it to the chickens. Soooo of course there I was, picking at the raw coconut, and drinking the actual coconut milk – all while the women looked at me like I was some crazy person. We sliced and diced the leaves, amazed how the women here cut everything in their hands, usually towards themselves. They are truly truly skilled women. From cracking a coconut with a machete, to slicing leaves into fine strips for consumption. . . actually now that I come to think of it, we used the same knife for almost everything today. Including – I’m sure, killing the chicken. Mmmmm nothing like a little cross-contamination to get the GI belly felling good haha! (still holding up strong – no massive issues yet)

So you simmer all of that together for about 25 minutes, while the xima takes about 30 min or so. So in about 2 hours (from start to finish) you have a very basic Moz meal, that is delicious, and full of starch. Ahh. The wonderful world of carbs. I am quite familiar with it, but I think I’m doing an ok job maintaining my physical aspect, because of walking so much everywhere, going for a jog/hike 2 or more times a week, doing yoga with friends – we even started a small aerobics class usually wed/thurs or fri nights.

Rumor on the street – the host moms are playing a game between themselves, to see which can make their volunteer gain the most weight. NOT COOL. I eat my rice and xima anyway. Its part of dinner, and by 7:30 or so, I am usually very hungry.

Luckily there is an abundance of fresh fruit and veggies here, so I am basing most of my diet around those. An avocado a day keeps my belly happy. And the bananas here are incredible, a bit smaller than those found in the local Giant Eagle back home, but something about them is a bit more . . . savory shall I say? Mmm. Mouthwatering just thinking about it.

Had an orange after dinner today. Fantastic stuff.

Ok enough about food – although most of you know me well enough to know that I could go on about food for days.

After our cooking extravaganza, we headed to the HUB for our afternoon session of technical tutorials. We were assigned new language teachers, and tomorrow we are going on a field trip (in individual language groups) to some sort of health clinic here in Namaacha. I am looking forward to it!

The evening comprised of taking a walk with one of my fellow volunteers and his host dad. We walked down to the main market in Namaacha, chatting along the way, stopping to talk to some passers-by. I didn’t buy anything at the market, but it was wonderful seeing all the various stalls, and talking with some of the vendors. The language is coming along. Its was nice to be around my friend and his dad – my language picks up when people around me are speaking in a manner I can understand. My host family tends to talk a bit rapidly, and slur their words, making it difficult to follow along – but I do my best, and for the most part understand what they are saying. (I hope) haha!

I’m off to brush my teeth from a water bottle, crawl under my mosquito cube/net contraption, and snuggle down into my terrible mattress that bows in the middle haha. I wake up every day in a king tut position due to the concave corpse receptacle some may call a mattress. And please don’t even get me started on this pillow that was provided. .  . I think a rock from the outside garden would have been a bit easier to snuggle down into. But I think with time it will get broken in (again, I hope). Either way, I am always exhausted by the end of the day, and sleep has yet to be a problem for me. Mornings always seem to come rapidly, and another day is born.

Did yoga today outside as the sun was setting. It was a magical time, and I found both comfort and balance in the quick, but effective practice for the day.

Namaste

td