a trip to the beach

Written February 6, 2013

So its February?! When did that happen??

Time has this funny way of feeling that it is passing by so quickly here, yet at times I feel like I’m standing in a stagnant pool of days, hours and weeks. 18 months to go. Buckle up kids, its going to be an interesting ride.

So to help pass the time and ease the monotony of life here at site, I have been doing a bit of traveling. I try to get out every other weekend or so, to see friends, see a new beach/area of the country. This past weekend I went about 7 hours north of my site to a beach town called Vilankulo. It is possibly one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. I think my preferences for beach life is still Tofo (about 3 hours north of me) because it has waves, and a nice big beach to lay out on. But Vilankulo is much bigger, and has a very different appeal.

For me, this weekend consisted of what the nightlife at a beach town here in Mozambique has to offer. I traveled north on Friday, catching a ride with a lovely pair of South Africans. We had a great trip north, I told them about my work here, and they thought it was really interesting that I was giving up my time like this. For the record, I don’t consider it “giving up my time” it just seems like the right place and thing to be doing in my life at the moment. We got to Vil around 2pm where I met up with some PCV’s and their local friends. Our home base for the weekend was a local friends house right on the beach. A great spot close to a lot of things, and very generous of our friend to let us crash there. 

So we decided to have some beers and wait for others to arrive at a spot right on the main street in Vilankulo. That evening, after everyone had arrived we decided to hear out to a local dance club – this was after the power had been out for a few hours, forcing us girls to do our makeup by a buddy system, one person holds a flashlight and a mirror while the other applies mascara, etc. nothing like being a resourceful PCV to make the night complete.

Side note: I thought it was hilarious when I heard the power went out during the Superbowl. . . clearly no one there was a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV). Hilarious.

Needless to say the evening was very fun, dancing the night away with friends. It feels good every now and then just to spend a weekend dancing. Just letting go of all the stresses of life here in Mozambique.  So I did just that. Staying out until the wee hours of the morning (I watched the sunrise Saturday night/Sunday morning on the beach) and sleeping out on the beach during the day. I met a really cool new group of people, and had a wonderful time. The only damper on the entire weekend was that unfortunately my iPod did go missing. I had it put away in a very secure spot, so I don’t know if it was housekeeping, or what. . . but I now officially am without my iPod. Very depressing.

So after a long weekend of merriment with friends, my day Monday wasn’t all that great. Hitchhiking in the heat while hung-over. . . I don’t really recommend that to anyone. But I made it home safe and sound. I returned to a town that hadn’t had energy for the past 2 days, luckily I had made sure to empty my refrigerator before I left so nothing went bad. The energy issues continued into Tuesday, which meant I had no work at the hospital. So I spent the morning cleaning my house, wandering around town, and hanging out with the neighbors.

Last evening I had my English Group meeting, so far it is going very well. We have decided to have a meeting on Tuesday evenings and Sunday afternoons. That way if I am traveling I can plan to be home before the meeting on Sunday. We shall see how this plays out.

The remainder of this week is life per-usual here. Meetings today and tomorrow, then off to the hospital for work all-day Friday. This weekend I am hanging out here around site, maybe going down to the lagoon on Saturday, and Sunday I promised the neighbors I’d go to church with them – its Pastor Day. I don’t know if that means its his birthday, or just a day to celebrate him. But either way I’m going to make my new favorite dessert – coconut ginger brownies. The combination of all these flavors in a smooth chocolate brownie are amazing and addictive haha.

Oh, and in other news of what’s coming out my kitchen these days – avocado ice cream. Yeah, that’s right. It happened, and it is AMAZING. Avocado, condensed milk, some fresh milk, and I tossed in some lemon juice for a bit of a zing. Freeze, and mix often. It helps if you put it in a blender, but I don’t have one of those. Soooooo I mix it the best I can by hand.

I have also mastered a great homemade teriyaki sauce.

So I suppose that’s all for now. Off to drink my coffee and hang out with the dog before my meeting.

Toodles

t

Written February 6, 2013

So its February?! When did that happen??

Time has this funny way of feeling that it is passing by so quickly here, yet at times I feel like I’m standing in a stagnant pool of days, hours and weeks. 18 months to go. Buckle up kids, its going to be an interesting ride.

So to help pass the time and ease the monotony of life here at site, I have been doing a bit of traveling. I try to get out every other weekend or so, to see friends, see a new beach/area of the country. This past weekend I went about 7 hours north of my site to a beach town called Vilankulo. It is possibly one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. I think my preferences for beach life is still Tofo (about 3 hours north of me) because it has waves, and a nice big beach to lay out on. But Vilankulo is much bigger, and has a very different appeal.

For me, this weekend consisted of what the nightlife at a beach town here in Mozambique has to offer. I traveled north on Friday, catching a ride with a lovely pair of South Africans. We had a great trip north, I told them about my work here, and they thought it was really interesting that I was giving up my time like this. For the record, I don’t consider it “giving up my time” it just seems like the right place and thing to be doing in my life at the moment. We got to Vil around 2pm where I met up with some PCV’s and their local friends. Our home base for the weekend was a local friends house right on the beach. A great spot close to a lot of things, and very generous of our friend to let us crash there. 

So we decided to have some beers and wait for others to arrive at a spot right on the main street in Vilankulo. That evening, after everyone had arrived we decided to hear out to a local dance club – this was after the power had been out for a few hours, forcing us girls to do our makeup by a buddy system, one person holds a flashlight and a mirror while the other applies mascara, etc. nothing like being a resourceful PCV to make the night complete.

Side note: I thought it was hilarious when I heard the power went out during the Superbowl. . . clearly no one there was a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV). Hilarious.

Needless to say the evening was very fun, dancing the night away with friends. It feels good every now and then just to spend a weekend dancing. Just letting go of all the stresses of life here in Mozambique.  So I did just that. Staying out until the wee hours of the morning (I watched the sunrise Saturday night/Sunday morning on the beach) and sleeping out on the beach during the day. I met a really cool new group of people, and had a wonderful time. The only damper on the entire weekend was that unfortunately my iPod did go missing. I had it put away in a very secure spot, so I don’t know if it was housekeeping, or what. . . but I now officially am without my iPod. Very depressing.

So after a long weekend of merriment with friends, my day Monday wasn’t all that great. Hitchhiking in the heat while hung-over. . . I don’t really recommend that to anyone. But I made it home safe and sound. I returned to a town that hadn’t had energy for the past 2 days, luckily I had made sure to empty my refrigerator before I left so nothing went bad. The energy issues continued into Tuesday, which meant I had no work at the hospital. So I spent the morning cleaning my house, wandering around town, and hanging out with the neighbors.

Last evening I had my English Group meeting, so far it is going very well. We have decided to have a meeting on Tuesday evenings and Sunday afternoons. That way if I am traveling I can plan to be home before the meeting on Sunday. We shall see how this plays out.

The remainder of this week is life per-usual here. Meetings today and tomorrow, then off to the hospital for work all-day Friday. This weekend I am hanging out here around site, maybe going down to the lagoon on Saturday, and Sunday I promised the neighbors I’d go to church with them – its Pastor Day. I don’t know if that means its his birthday, or just a day to celebrate him. But either way I’m going to make my new favorite dessert – coconut ginger brownies. The combination of all these flavors in a smooth chocolate brownie are amazing and addictive haha.

Oh, and in other news of what’s coming out my kitchen these days – avocado ice cream. Yeah, that’s right. It happened, and it is AMAZING. Avocado, condensed milk, some fresh milk, and I tossed in some lemon juice for a bit of a zing. Freeze, and mix often. It helps if you put it in a blender, but I don’t have one of those. Soooooo I mix it the best I can by hand.

I have also mastered a great homemade teriyaki sauce.

So I suppose that’s all for now. Off to drink my coffee and hang out with the dog before my meeting.

Toodles

t