a typical thursday

Written November 30, 2012 – while my dog attempts to sit on my lap.

Sometimes I wonder how to start a blog post. . . do I say hello? Just jump right in with what’s been going on? Ask how things are going at home, when really its rare that I get a response? Not really sure. . . and so with that – this silly and somewhat pointless paragraph is done.

Yesterday was a bit of a frustrating day for me. It was my monthly meeting with Despertai – one of my community based organizations. I had talked with the president of the association, who is also my counterpart for it, about what we were going to go over/do during the meeting. My thought was, let’s make a calendar for December, that way everyone is on the same page as to what’s happening, and lets review our vision and mission statements. That way it’ll just be sort of a baseline for our goals and work in 2013.   –side note, Mozambique goes on holidays from about mid-december to mid-january. . . therefore I foresee a lot of lagoon days in my future.

So – we did a calendar for the month of December- that ordeal took about 2 hours. I cant even go into details about what made it take so long, because I just don’t know. It was just a process. An exhausting and frustrating process. But it was done. We have decided on our holiday dates, people know that my mom is coming to visit (mom get ready to eat a lot of food here) and know when our next meeting is.

So the next topic of our meeting was reviewing our vision and mission statement. I had been informed that the organization had both – something I thought you needed to go through the legalization process. . . apparently I was wrong. So doing each of those took another two hours. I don’t know why people don’t like getting involved during meetings. I saw a few people doze off and called them out on it. I think it stems from the educational structure/system here – people are used to sitting in a classroom and being lectured. There is no individual involvement, when asked a question, everyone responds in unison – so when I’m asking for individual involvement and personal opinion, a lot of the time people clam up. Adding to the frustration.

So we finally got our vision and mission statements done. By now the meeting has run for about 4 hours. I’m exhausted, and about at my whit’s end. . . I needddddd to be more patient, I know. Ugh – I’m frustrated just writing this blog. Because it doesn’t really describe the meeting at all. Things were accomplished, and I’m trying to be very forceful that I’m not the one running meetings. That it should be my counterpart, and I was forcing people to get involved – like writing on the calendar, writing out the mission statement etc. I want them to be sustainable and have the skills of doing simple things like making a calendar even when I’m gone.

Then after all of that was said and done, we took attendance. There were maybe 15 people at the meeting (understandable because of the holiday timeframe, and it being Mozambique and all) and yet 20 some were marked present. I asked why? And was told that those people, who weren’t actually there, had told the president that they weren’t going to be able to make it. I then kindly explained that they were “excused” from the meeting, but they weren’t “present” because they were not actually there. Again, something so simple – yet so new/foreign.

My next goal (probably starting next year 2013) is to get people to start documenting what they are doing in the field. How many patients they see. During what day, how many kids they help etc. because as of right now, we don’t have a funder – if we want to get one, we need to be organized, and be able to show statistics of our work. I’m almost a bit afraid to start this new project. . . but know that it has to be done.

Also – this organization always says that they do “Cuidados Domiciliarios” (certified home visits) – which is wrong. Yes they do home visits, but are not certified in the area of it – much like someone who is watching a child swim in a pool, unless they have gone through the training and classes, they are not a lifeguard. It’s the same thing. The training process costs money though, and without a funder, it would be very hard to get all 30some volunteers in this organization certified. So in the meantime, I have to be the bad guy and constantly cut in, reminding them that we don’t actually have the certification, so we cant say that we do. I feel like an asshole.

And to top off this feeling like a total ass – after the insanely frustrating meeting, the volunteers brought out pots of food. . . . they made me a thanksgiving meal.

I’m officially the worst person ever.

I had explained to them a few weeks ago about our holiday, and how we always have lots of food, and we sit around and talk and we are with friends and family. They saw that I would get really sad when I mentioned/explained this (its hard to be away from you guys) and decided to try and make me a Mozambique Thanksgiving. Of course the food was traditional Mozambique food and people didn’t actually sit at a table and talk – people don’t talk during meals here, but it was still good and the thought was very very nice.

So yeah. . . .that was my day yesterday.

Tomorrow is World Aids Day – I’ll be spending it at the hospital, and in the town square with my organizations.

I should go to the hospital today, but there is nothing for me to do, so I’m going to work on my VRF (volunteer reporting form) and then wander over to my other organization to talk about our plans for tomorrow.

Hugs and kisses from Mozambique.

td

Written November 27, 2012

How to spend Thanksgiving in Mozambique:

First you have to decide last minute (two days beforehand) to travel halfway across the country. Secondly you can only take a backpack and a purse because you will be hitchhiking and can’t carry a lot of things. Thirdly I suggest bringing sunscreen or a baseball hat (both is advisable) because more than likely you will be sitting in the bed of a pickup truck for countless hours.

With those tidbits of information, I’m going to tell you about how I spent my first Thanksgiving (Dia de Peru –day of the turkey) in Mozambique. My adventure starts last Tuesday afternoon after work – I was standing on the side of the road on the edge of Quissico, trying to flag down a ride to Maxixe where I was going to spend the night, and meet up with some other volunteers traveling north. What do you know, but a pickup truck full of other volunteers stops to pick me up! We take that truck (with people heading up to Gorongoza as well) to the crossroads of Maxixe and Inhambane City (there is a turnoff to go to the beach) we hop out of the bed of that truck, and flag down a nicer looking car that takes us into the town center of Maxixe. Our friend who lives there meets us and we head back to his house to drop our bags off. 

I should clarify this right now, when I say “us” I am referring to myself, my friend Morgan, and my friend Heather. We kind of became travel buddies by total chance on this trip. I love Africa.

So we spent the night in Maxixe at our friends house, getting up at 4am to get to the side of the road by 4:30/5am.  –To catch a good “boleia” (free ride) you need to walk a bit out of town, to catch the cars/trucks/semi’s that are actually leaving town. Around 6am (this process can also take a while) we flagged down a bit semi truck that was heading north to Tete Province.  Although he was passing the town we were going to, because we weren’t willing to pay he said he would only give us a lift to the border of Inhambane Province and Sofala Province. No arguments there – that’s a 7/8 hour ride and gets us about halfway.

So we piled in and proceeded to try and get as comfy as possible in a hot (semi smelly) cab of a semi-truck. The roads north of Vilankulo are not paved, and somewhat shitty, so it was a bit slow-going for the big truck. The trip to the “Ponto Save” (a bridge over the river Save dissecting Inhambane and Sofala) ended up taking about 9 hours.

Here’s where things get funny – the driver originally said that he would take us into Sofala – when we got to the bridge, he made us get out saying he was worried about the police charging him money, or that he was transporting us (blah, blah, blah) we tried to explain that we had proper documentation and whatnot, but he wasn’t having it really. So we got out, and proceeded to walk across the Ponto Save. I’m actually kind of happy for these turn of events, I got some really beautiful pictures of the river (or whats left of the river, considering there is a drought) and it was a cool thing to say I’ve done.

From the bridge we walked a bit of a ways and proceeded to wait a few hours for our next lift – a younger Portuguese man who was nice enough to give us a lift about halfway to Inchope (the town before Chimoio). He was cute too.

From this random town, we got in a chapa that was going all the way to Chimoio (where we were staying for the night) for 125Mtz. We decided to pay that, as it was getting to be afternoon-time and we didn’t want to be stranded on the side of the road at night. We pulled in to Chimoio around 6:30pm, and met everyone for dinner – I had a Manica beer in the Manica Province. Life was good.

I crashed that night at my friend Wendy’s house (she’s a Moz 18’er too) and the next morning (Thursday) we were up and back on the side of the road trying to catch boliea’s out of Chimoio to Gorongoza National Park. I got one to Inchope, and then one right to the entrance of the park.

We got to our campsite, pitched out tents, took showers (with running water in the bathhouse) had some beers and dinner (pasta, salad and garlic bread) and all crashed. Friday was our “Thanksgiving” some went on nature walks in the morning around our campsite, others decided to dip into some early morning sangria, either way it was a laid back day, full of friends, food, and much needed fun. We had grilled turkey (killed that day), garlic rosemary mashed potatoes (made by yours truly), a cheesy carrot casserole, green beans, and homemade cranberry sauce (made from jelly haha). It was basic Thanksgiving food, other volunteers had much more where they celebrated, but considering we had to pre-plan everything, and lug it all the way into this park, I’d say we did a really great job.

The next morning we went on a game drive through Gorongoza National Park. We saw elephants, warthogs, and all kinds of other gazelle like animals. Unfortunately my camera died, so I was only able to get a few pictures. The scenery was amazing though, we drove through lush forest, to then be in the dry flood basin a minute later. That was classic Africa in my mind. This open stretch of land that you could see the heat ripples rising up, the animals slowly walking across it. Unfortunately we didn’t see any lions, but the elephants were pretty cool in and of themselves.

That afternoon we packed up, and headed back into Chimoio – had dinner, and again crashed at my friend’s house. The next morning was the earliest of all – a 3:30am wakeup, to be on the road by around 4. We caught a nice boleia into Inchope, and walked through town. The boliea gods were smiling down on us, because we caught THE BEST ride down south. This nicer pick-up truck of media/journalism people were traveling to Maputo, we asked to sit in the back of the truck and they agreed. The ride was smooth and quick. We stopped every now and then for a drink/pee break, a we only got a little bit sunburned in the back. For the most part it was comfy, laying on our bags, napping, and talking.

On the trip home, Morgan, Heather and I talked about what we were thankful for. My list was pretty complex but the basic components of it would be; I am thankful for my family and friends, my amazing colleagues here in Mozambique, to be in Africa, capulana’s, hard-boiled eggs (a staple here when traveling), clouds, nice people who give boleia’s, Obama winning the election, music and movies, and the fact that I now have two homes –one here in beautiful Quissico, and one back in the states where my friends and family will always be.

With all that said, I am back at home, sipping on some instant coffee, while some neighbor kids play in my yard with the dog.

I hope everyone had a filling, and happy Thanksgiving – remembering that holidays are not about where or when you celebrate, as long as you enjoy yourself when/where you do celebrate.

Gobble gobble.

Written Thursday, November 15, 2012

Good mid-morning everyone- I hope the week is passing along nicely, and that you are all getting excited for thanksgiving next week! I’m sad I wont be around to celebrate that wonderful American food-fest with all my loved ones.

So I’ve been trying to get back into the swing of things here, after being away for a week. Its kind of tough to pick up where I left off with my organizations because we were somewhat out of touch, and people here don’t keep calendars. For example, today was the day of our “machamba” (aka- garden) at Despertai. There was a group of about 8 women who decided that the 15^th would be the best day, and if we showed up at like 6:30/7am we could get our work done early before the hot sun hit, and temperatures rose dramatically. So I showed up at 7am with my hoe, water barrel, and some seeds to plant – only to find that one other person showed up. So together her and I re-arranged some of the beds, planted some corn, beans, and peanuts – things that will be good during this hot time.

Needless to say I was a little disappointed in everyone – something I’ll talk about on the 29^th during our monthly meeting (again, depending on attendance). I know I was away for a week, and I couldn’t remind everyone that we had our gardening project today, but then again, that’s not my responsibility. They decided on the date and time. . . meh. Frustrating.

So yeah, after some back breaking work in the garden this morning – I came home, took a cold bucket bath, and am going to relax with some water and maybe an afternoon movie. I have a delicious mango for lunch, and am thinking about making an egg scramble for dinner.

Yesterday I had a wonderfully interesting day – like I think I said before, I never know what my days have in store for me, and enjoy seeing where they go. For example, I showed up at my one org, ACOMUZA, yesterday at 9am, thinking we had our weekly meeting – instead to find that they are having a training with IRD (another international organization), so I sat in on that for a bit, and left around 2pm with one of my colleagues. We went to her house, and hung out there for a while. She has a baby (named after my mom) so most of my time was spent pretending I liked playing with and holding babies. . . as most of you know – babies aren’t my thing. But I went with it, and that was that. She’s a cutie – baby Diana, huge eyes that mirror back anything she is looking at because they are so dark, always smiling, and curious as to what is around her.

After hanging around her house a bit, we walked down to her neighbors, were I was presented with a HUGE bunch of banana’s and some sugar cane. YUM. I then proceeded to get into a discussion with her other neighbor, a nice well-meaning guy, about religion and science. . . .again, as many of you know, my ideas about religion is that its silly and has caused more bad than good in the world – to each their own. I cant say that I’m shocked that so many people here have strong ties to religion, it’s a form of education in some ways- just not the correct form.

For example during this rather heated discussion, I touched on some subjects like evolution, space travel, shifting tectonic plates (describing Pangaea) and then last but not least other countries in the world and other religions. He kept asking why I didn’t want to have a religion, and I explained that in my opinion, religion is just another thing to fight about, and that it has caused so many wars, hate, and death. He tried to dispute that – so I asked him what he thought of the Islamic faith, what he thought of Catholics, those who were Buddhist etc. (for the life of me I cant remember what religion he said he was) but he would respond that “those people” were wrong, and that his religion was the only one that would provide salvation after death. Thus proving my point entirely. I think I shocked him, I shock a lot of men here – I’m not afraid to speak my mind, constantly advocating for women here, for better education, stating that – no I don’t want children, the fact that I play soccer, live alone, drink a beer every now and then, know how to play checkers etc. . the list goes on.  I’m hardly a demure lady in the states, why should I be any different here?

Anyway – with that being said- I bit you all adieu.

td

Written Monday, November 12, 2012

Why hello there!! It has been quite sometime since I’ve updated everyone about my life here- sorry about the delay, its been a busy few weeks.

So when we last left off, I was preparing to head down to Maputo for our IST Reconnect conference, after 3 months all the volunteers in my group met up in the capital for a conference to discuss how site has been, work/counterparts/housing/life etc.

It was SO good to see everyone. After training was over, everyone was ready for site, ready to set out on our own and see what life was like here in Moz. But after 3 months, it was incredible to catch up, hear about everyone’s experiences, the good and the bad. I really missed my friends.

Last Saturday (the 3^rd) I went down to Bilene – a beach near Macia in the Gaza province. We had a great time at the beach there it was a collection of people from my group of Moz 18, and other volunteers that came in for the weekend. Its really awesome to meet other volunteers who have been in country for a while, everyone seems to get along really well and its interesting to hear of everyone’s experiences.

Sunday I headed down to Maputo, I’ve become a fan of using “boleia’s” aka- hitchhiking for travel purposes. Not only is it free, it also usually is much quicker than a chapa or a bus because they don’t stop to pick people up. So I made it down to Maputo in decent time, arriving early afternoon. The entire group went out for dinner that night at a wonderful Thai restaurant – can you say YUM?  And the fun kicked off there. Most of us were really beat from a day of traveling, so nothing major happened Sunday night, just the dinner and catch up. There was a lot of hugging, yelling, and loud exclamations whenever a new person would walk in. I’m pretty sure I jumped on 3 people to hug them. Haha yep, I was that girl.

So Monday kicked off with an all day session about our lives, everyone gave a 10/15 min presentation about what they had been up to, what life was like for them etc. we had lots of sessions throughout the week about counterparts and supervisors – and how the role of the volunteer works within organizations here in Moz. Or “should work” haha. Not everyone had as great of an experience as I did. I have been really fortunate with work, my housing situation and many other things in my life here so far, of which I am very grateful.

I’ll spare you all the details about our conference and the sessions we had throughout the week and just tell you about our evenings. Tuesday we were invited to the US Embassy to watch the election – it was a bit overwhelming to say the least, lots of Americans, tv’s playing CNN, etc. It was a really cool experience, just a bit different from my life here in Quissico. Oh! Let me just tell you about my supermarket experience. . . .Monday night, we went into this great supermarket called Spar – I’d say it’s the same as a Giant Eagle Market District. . . my mind was blown haha. I just walked around looking at things for a while, and ended up buying a bottle of wine – because there was that option. No boxed wine all week! It was great haha.

So that was Monday and Tuesday evening. Wednesday we went to dinner at our Country Directors (Carl) house. He made us this delicious risotto and broccoli, and we had a really nice evening with him, it was a relaxing environment, and we played some fun games that included the entire group. All in all, it was an excellent evening. Not to mention his apartment is absolutely beautiful. When I grow up, I’d like to live in a place like that haha.

Thursday evening, our APCD (Rachel) held a Halloween party for us. I didn’t have a costume, sadly, but again it was really nice to hang out with everyone in a collective area, and have some yummy dinner. I ate really well this past week if you haven’t picked up on that yet haha.

And then suddenly it was Friday evening – somehow the week just flew by, and we were all preparing to leave the next day. Everyone met up for a drink at the neighboring restaurant, and two girlfriends and I broke off to go have dinner at a different Thai restaurant. We wanted an evening just the three of us to catch up, chat, and have a good meal. We had a pitcher of sangria to celebrate the week, and a really delicious meal. . . am I in Africa?? Haha

Saturday I was up bright and early – actually I didn’t sleep at all that night, I was up late trying to Skype people – the internet at the hostel we were staying at SUCKED, so that was annoying. I was really looking forward to chatting with a lot of people. But unfortunately due to time constraints with the conference and the changing of hours (you all are now 7 hours behind me) it just didn’t work out. . . better luck next time I suppose. So Saturday I headed up to Inharrime for a friend’s going away party. Again, it was a late night of fun, wishing her well and congratulating her on completing 2 years here in Moz.

Came back to Quissico on Sunday with a friend who was passing through to Maputo – we decided to hike it down to the lagoon and spend the afternoon there relaxing and swimming. Last night I cooked a really good veggie curry and had Sota and one of his friends over for dinner. A great way to end an incredible week. A good dinner with some nice visitors. What more could a girl ask for?

Needless to say, today was totally and completely dedicated to domestic chores, and napping. I did all of my laundry, dishes, and even gave the puppy dog a bath. Then took a 3 hour nap haha. Its going to be an early night for me as well, because tomorrow I go back to the “grind” of my working life here. HAHA working life. I’m such a kidder. But really though, I have some cool things planned this week, and am looking forward to seeing everyone again.

So I suppose I should explain my facebook status from the other day to everyone. Yes I did go to the hospital in Maptuo. Yes I am ok. But I do have a nice set of stitches on the back/nape of my neck. I had been having a problem with dry skin/what I thought was dandruff during my time here – and it seems to have gotten worse as the weeks go by. The medical officer looked at it, and sent me to the Maptuo hospital to have a dermatological consult. The doctor decided she wanted to do a biopsy, so Thursday afternoon I went and had the procedure done. She shaved part of the back of my neck, and numbed the area, then removed three samples. I have some lovely stitches now, that itch like hell, and hurt in an awkward way. I have to keep my hair up in a ponytail/bun, and was given a cream for the rest of my scalp. I go to get the stitches out at the end of this week, and the results from the biopsy should be received in about 15 days. Vamos ver- we will see.

And so it goes.

But tonight finds me here back on my porch with my pup. He smells good from his bath, and my yummy veggie curry leftovers taste even better day 2.

Life continues to be good here, and the crazy experiences just get better and better. I’ve also really enjoyed getting to know fellow volunteers. Such a cool networking system. I’m a lucky girl to be here in Moz.

Mom comes to visit in just about a month! So so so so so excited!

Anyway- sorry again that I’ve been out of touch. But I’m back home now with my evenings mostly free! So hit me up with emails, phone calls whatever! I’d love to hear how everyone at home is doing!!

Hugs and kisses always-

td

Written Thursday, November 1, 2012

HAPPY NOVEMBER!

Wow… November already. Tara’s birthday, Thanksgiving, the kick-off of the “holiday season”. . . . and its summertime here haha. So I hear we have been having crazy weather at home? Is everyone ok? Staying safe and dry I hope. It’s been really rainy and stormy here too this past week, so I feel your pain. Maybe not as much, but living in a reed house, with a tin roof during an insane storm with wind, rain and loud noises isn’t a picnic, let me tell you.

So! Its been a while since my last post- sorry about that. Sunday turned out to be a really great day for me. I went to the Methodist church right next to my house, and ended up getting invited back to a friends house to celebrate a birthday. My friend is an ex-Technician from the hospital, and he was throwing a party for his namesake – who just turned 93. I will repeat again – 93 years old.

That is UNHEARD of here. The typical lifespan is low 40’s. . . people are thrilled to get to 38 here. Could you imagine? So here we are, at the neat little house way out in the bush, celebrating a 93 year old’s birthday. This man was totally with it mentally, physically he moved a bit slow, but still held his own, ate and drank normally. I had a pleasant conversation with him – he told me he remembered when the first group of PC volunteers came through Moz, and how we have been helping this country, as well as all the other international-aid organizations here. I wanted to talk to him more about his life, but it was hard to get a word in edge wise with everyone else wanting to talk. I’m just happy I had that kind of experience.

I would also like to point out- whoever made up the statement “finish your dinner, there are starving people in Africa” has clearly never been to a birthday party in Mozambique. I was so full after I left there, that the only thing I could do Sunday evening, was lay in my bed. Sheesh!

Monday came and went- business as usual. Went to the hospital, finished organizing the paperwork for the people who have abandoned their ARV treatment (anti-retroviral treatment) and discussed how we can start doing “buscas” or searches for these people out in the field. I’ve also toyed with the idea of trying to start a GAAC group (I think that’s the right acronym) – the basis of these groups is to send one person every 3 or 6 months to the hospital or pharmacy to get all the ARV meds for their community. So say there are 12 people who are on the medication, one person will go to get everyone’s meds, and the next time, someone else will go. This helps to cut down the cost of transportation, helps to save time for people, helps to reduce the social problems (there is still a great deal of sigma related to HIV/AIDS) etc. I’m going to talk about this idea next week at my conference in Maptuo. Hopefully I’ll be able to get some more information, and see where this can take me.

Tuesday, went to the hospital again – and again did some paperwork dealing with the “abandono’s” (people who have abandoned treatment). That afternoon, I hung out with the neighbors, and was asked if the girls could braid my hair. I said yes, and again, have a head of cornrows haha! They get such a kick out of playing with my hair, and it feels nice to be included in such a normal activity for them, that I say go for it. The braids only stay in about a day or 2. I need to wash my hair much more often than my neighbors – but I like having the braids, it keeps my hair off my neck, and out of my face. A great thing when its hot outside.

Yesterday was super cold and chilly, I went to ACOMUZA in the morning for our weekly meeting – we had a visitor this week from IRD (and international development organization I think from Ireland). So most of my morning was just sitting there listening to the meeting. After they left, we touched on the topics from our past weekly meeting – the SWOT analysis about our home visits – and how we are working on changing some of our problems related to that. Overall it went well, and everyone wished me a great trip this coming weekend so that was nice. Yesterday afternoon was rainy, and chilly. I spent my afternoon in bed with the puppy, watching a movie and drinking hot chocolate. Sometimes you just need an afternoon/evening like that.

I made some really great food dishes this past week – 2 really good veggie curries with rice, and last night I made this stuff called Kusherie its lentils, rice, with a tomato/veggie sauce, topped with sautéed onions and garlic. Yum yum yum. That’s how my evenings have been lately. I cook starting around 5ish, once my stuff is done, I make the puppy food, and then we eat together, most times I watch a movie and have a glass of wine. Not a bad lifestyle if you ask me. Aside from the dog, it sounds like my life at home when I wasn’t working dinner shift at the restaurant haha.

So yes- that has been my week in a nutshell. I’m heading down to my other CBO today – Despertai, we are going to talk about this months plan, and I may go out into the field to do some home visits. Tomorrow I’m headed to the hospital for a bit, but have to make a trip up to Inharrime as well – the modista has some of my clothes that I want for Reconnect conference. Then its doing laundry and packing for me – Saturday I’m headed to a Halloween party – sadly I don’t have a costume. Didn’t really have the time or energy to make one. Oh well, there are bigger problems I think.

Then Sunday I’m headed into Maputo for the week! Running water, hot showers, and hopefully an internet café to skype with some people!

Life continues to be good here, there are some times when I’m sitting on my front porch at night- looking at the stars (and milky way galaxy) that I think “damn, I’m a lucky girl to be living here in Moz”.

Hugs and kisses - td