from my home, to my other home

Happy Thanksgiving to all-

I thought it would be interesting to take a look back at my past blogs written around the Thanksgiving time and see what I was thankful for then, and then state what it is I am thankful for now.

Thanksgiving 2012 (spent in Gorongoza, Sofala Province with friends)

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 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.

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.

Remembering my travel to Gorongoza in the central part of Mozambique made me smile. It was a fantastic adventure that found myself and other volunteers in (literally) the middle of nowhere sleeping in a tent, and drinking warm beer because we had no energy. I was still so new in my Peace Corps service, that this was a fantastic opportunity to travel and see parts of the country that I otherwise would not have gotten to see.

Thanksgiving 2013 (spent in Bilene, Gaza Province with friends)

This week is Thanksgiving – what is everyone thankful for?

I am thankful that my dad is healthy.

I’m thankful that my family and friends are healthy, happy, and are still very supportive of my life decisions.

I am thankful that I have a beautiful life here in Mozambique, which has introduced me to so many incredible people, Mozambican and others.

I am thankful for real coffee.

I am thankful for you, the faithful blog readers, that make this silly website meaningful.

I am thankful for this life, which has led me on some incredible journeys so far, and I can’t wait to see where it takes me.

Reading this took me back to the realization that just a year ago my family went through a rather difficult and scary time regarding my fathers health. I am thankful that he continues to get better on a daily basis, and that he remains a positive and encouraging presence in my life. I also remember just how wonderful my friends and family in Quissico (locals and PCV’s) were during the day, and the time leading up to it and am ever grateful for them. The holiday itself was spent with fantastic people, and a beautiful location, eating delicious food. I could not have asked for a better holiday if I tried. 

Thanksgiving 2014 (spent in Queliamne, Zambezia Province)

This Thanksgiving, finds me hard at work here in Quelimane. I decided to not travel anywhere (though I did have some options to do so) because I have been gone for about 3 weeks from site, and this work week has pretty busy. However, with that said, I have taken the time to explain to my coworkers and supervisors what Thanksgiving is, and what my family and friends usually do. The cultural exchange has been lovely, and they have seemed genuinely interested in it. 

Thanks to internet, and social media outlets, I have been able to talk with friends and family members to express my thanks. I even have a skype date set up with my family for late this evening Moz time, around dinnertime for those stateside.

So although I am not officially celebrating today in any traditional way, I would like to take a moment on to express my awareness and thankfulness for all the wonderful things I have had, have and will have, in my life.

To all the people who have made the adventures I have had in my travels, my education, my friendships, family and love, worthwhile, I say “thank you”.

the kids camp!

Hey all!

I’m back in Quelimane on my work grind, after a great week in Mocuba, and a weekend of travel and relaxation in casa.

So last Tuesday I traveled about 3 hours north into Zambezia province to the town of Mocuba, where I helped a fellow PCV run a kids camp. As the students of Mozambique are now on their holiday break (until basically February) my fellow PCV decided to put this camp together to offer children something to do during their free time. The week was chock full of arts and crafts activities, games, sports, and time spent in the library. We had between 50-55 kids every day, and they would all show up around 7:30am, and we would start promptly at 8am. We provided breakfast and lunch everyday for the children and in the afternoon we offered a small classroom session about various health related topics – personal hygiene, malaria, hiv etc.

I was in charge of the sports aspect of the camp, we played soccer for two days and basketball for the other two. The first day of the new sport, we focused on drills and more ‘control’ activities, and the second day we played small-sided games. Having been a soccer coach for a middle school boys team in the states, it was very very interesting to see the difference between the two.

Also, as a side note – I took some time to evaluate just how ingrained the gender roles are in this country, even at a young age. We had divided the children into 4 groups, young/older boys and young/older girls. The boys were all very interested in learning how to play sports, and I could see a market improvement from the drill day to the game day, and see how they responded to suggestions and instruction for their game. For the girls . . . UGH. It was like herding cats! They were uninterested, oftentimes leaving the field or court all together to go pick mango’s, or laying down in the middle of the field etc. . . I wanted to scream haha.

Overall it was a fantastic week, spent with wonderful children, and great PCV’s. As many of you know, I am not the biggest fan of kids – but am learning that I enjoy spending time with them for a limited amount of time like this. We can play, learn and have fun . . .and then they go home to those that are responsible for them … it's a great set-up.

learning to dribble

again

learning to shoot the ball

our health sessions in the afternoon

a malaria activity we played with nets

travel back to quelimane

zambezia province, and the open road (view from the back of a truck)

I was supposed to be a part of a workshop given through ICAP for the Focal Points at the hospital in Mocuba for the GAAC program, considering I was already in town . . . but, surprise surprise, that didn't actually happen. Oh, the workshop did. . . I just wasn't a part of it. Due to no responses to my texts or calls to my supervisor, asking where exactly it was happening and what time it was starting. Oh well. Their loss. I got to hang out with kids all week and have fun.

I’m back in the city, and am catching up on all of the emails I missed last week (where I was staying had absolutely no cell service), and organizing my life for the next few weeks. I’ve also started getting people’s Christmas presents together to bring back with me, so if you all have requests- get them in now!

Xo

t

a light? or just a brief respet

Sorry I have been out of touch for almost a month! After my rant about Ebola, I felt you all deserved a break from my soapbox nonsense. Plus, work here in Quelimane continued to go at a snails pace, so there really wasn't much to report.

On the 2^nd of November I traveled to Maputo with to help facilitate the Reconnect conference for group Moz 22 – it was both interesting and eerily strange to hear all about their first three months in country at their sites, doing their presentations about their community needs assessments etc However, this was the group that replaced Moz 18, my friends and family at our various sites. . . hence the strangeness. Hearing their stories about their daily life, funny events, and awkward situations with people in their communities and thinking back to my friends continuous life events that, were at times spot on with the new volunteers (sometimes even with the same people!). My days were pretty full with the sessions, and then the evenings were either filled with a Bootcamp workout that I did with my fellow 18 extendee Colleen (who lives in Maputo) or dinners at various friends houses, or work that continued into the evening . . . I didn't really have much time to really enjoy being in Maputo.

Until . . . .Saturday rolled around! We had some close southern friends roll into the capital city to attend a wine festival that night in the big city. It was so fun to get a little dressed up, go and sip some fancy wines (read, we attempted to be classy) and enjoy the jazz band that was playing. In reality we all got a bit drunk, did our best to maintain our composure, while constantly on the lookout for snacks haha. A wine festival with NO CHEESE???? What kind of malarkey is that?!

colleen and i at the wine fest

Sunday morning, bright and early, I boleia-ed (read, hitchhiked) north to my old site, Quissico, where I stayed with the boys until my return to Maputo on Tuesday. My time there was spent talking with old friends at the hospital and ACOMUZA, spending a good amount of time with Tia Julia at her shop, going to the lagoon with the boys, and drinking ice cold beers at the overlook. I really could not have asked for a better trip. . . except to maybe have been able to stay longer.

family

i missed this view so much

on the way south, a friend and i stopped at the worlds greatest take-away place. renowned through the volunteer community

Wednesday I had a meeting scheduled with ICAP at the Maputo office to work on changing up my job description here in Quelimane. . .while it seemed productive at the time, looking back now it seems just like a lot of ‘yes men’. Just like every visit by any superior or outside visitor is… sigh.

Thursday was a bit PAC , Project Advisory Committee, meeting in Maputo with some of the higher-ups at the CDC, the Ministry of Health, USAID and some implementing partners. We were a group of 4 volunteers who presented to the panel, two of us 3^rd year volunteers, and the other two in their second year. We gave an overarching look at what volunteers are doing, what some of our national programs are, our secondary projects, and just basic life in the communities. Its pretty interesting to present this to people who have been born and raised in a city, never lived without energy or running water.

This kind of reaffirms a thought I’ve been pondering as of late; do outsiders, like Peace Corps volunteers have a better read on what life can really be like in the communities, and on a day to day? We see first hand the suffering, the frustrations, the needs of the people. . . a majority of those in the ‘big city’, while they may work in the health sector, really have no idea what the patients go through on a daily basis.

Anyway. Just a thought.

This week has started off well, I’m heading to Mocuba tomorrow (about 3 hours north of Quelimane) to help with a fellow volunteer’s sports camp for children – and attend a training for the focal points at the hospitals in the city for the GAAC program. Hoping for a fun, and productive week.

21 days until americaland.

There is a tunnel on the PA turnpike that has a section in the middle of it where the hills it cuts through dip into a valley, creating a brief moment of ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ before plunging back into the other half of it. That's kind of how I am looking at this upcoming break home to the states, it’s not an end to my time here in Mozambique which (despite my grumbling) I am thankful for, but it is a much-needed gap in my service where I can be around family, and friends during the holiday season.

I depart Quelimane on the 8^th of December for Maputo where I will stay for one full day before departing on the 10^th for Pitsburgh, PA. So, if anyone wants anything from Mozambique, place your orders now! I’ll be arriving around 11am on the 11^th, less than one month until I’m freezing my butt off in negative temperatures, compared to the sweltering, sweat-inducing nonsense that I’m dealing with over here.

xo

-t

Ebola.

So with all of the recent media attention about the Ebola outbreaks in West Africa, and the few reported cases in the United States, I felt it was time to make a post about Ebola. . . . And how it has absolutely no affect on my life in Mozambique. I’m not arguing the severity of the outbreaks, and will touch on that later in this post, however if one more person asks me "how's Africa", or if I’m worried I wont be able to fly home in December because of Ebola  . . . sigh. Read and learn, kids.

Firstly, lets start by taking a look at just how BIG, the CONTINENT of Africa really is –

It is huge…

Reminder- I live in the COUNTRY of Mozambique, which is located in the ‘china part 2’ area along the coast, on the CONTINENT of Africa.

Now, lets take a look at where the outbreaks of Ebola are happening . . . and now, lets compare the two maps that we have. Where I live in relation to where the outbreaks are happening. As we can see, I am incredibly far from the outbreak area.

Next, I’d like to share with you a simple graph of what “Africa’s killers” really are. These are issues that have been going on here for years, and are a much higher cause of death than Ebola.

From this graph, I would like to share a simple yet powerful illustration followed by the online article about how what’s wrong with the way the West talks about Ebola. It is an epidemic that (according to the most recent World Health Organization statistic - 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/22/us-health-ebola-who-idUSKCN0IB23220141022) has killed close to 5,000 people in various West African countries (Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia)…. It has killed ONE in the United States.

"People in the African continent are more regarded as an abstract statistic than a patient in the U.S. or Europe," he said. "How many individual stories do we know about any African patients? None. They are treated as an indistinguishable crowd." - André Carrilho

http://mic.com/articles/100618/one-powerful-illustration-shows-exactly-what-s-wrong-with-media-coverage-of-ebola

Now, with all of this said – I do not feel that Ebola is an issue that should be overlooked. It is a deadly disease that threatens humanity, by preying on humanity.

“The most striking thing about the virus is the way in which it propagates. True, through bodily fluids, but to suggest as much is to ignore the conditions under which bodily contact occurs. Instead, the mechanism Ebola exploits is far more insidious. This virus preys on care and love, piggybacking on the deepest, most distinctively human virtues. Affected parties are almost all medical professionals and family members, snared by Ebola while in the business of caring for their fellow humans. More strikingly, 75 percent of Ebola victims are women, people who do much of the care work throughout Africa and the rest of the world. In short, Ebola parasitizes our humanity.” – Benjamin Hale

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2014/09/why_ebola_is_terrifying_and_dangerous_it_preys_on_family_caregiving_and.single.html

Some facts about transmission and treatment;

Healthcare providers caring for Ebola patients and the family and friends in close contact with Ebola patients are at the highest risk of getting sick because they may come in contact with infected blood or body fluids of sick patients.

During outbreaks of Ebola, the disease can spread quickly within healthcare settings (such as a clinic or hospital). Exposure to Ebola can occur in healthcare settings where hospital staff are not wearing appropriate protective equipment, including masks, gowns, and gloves and eye protection.

Once someone recovers from Ebola, they can no longer spread the virus. However, at this point in time there is no FDA-approved vaccine or medicine (e.g., antiviral drug) is available for Ebola. Experimental vaccines and treatments for Ebola are under development, but they have not yet been fully tested for safety or effectiveness.

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2014/08/the-political-economy-of-ebola/

Symptoms of Ebola are treated as they appear. The following basic interventions, when used early, can significantly improve the chances of survival:

• Providing intravenous fluids (IV)and balancing electrolytes (body salts)
• Maintaining oxygen status and blood pressure
• Treating other infections if they occur

Recovery from Ebola depends on good supportive care and the patient’s immune response. People who recover from Ebola infection develop antibodies that last for at least 10 years, possibly longer. It isn't known if people who recover are immune for life or if they can become infected with a different species of Ebola. Some people who have recovered from Ebola have developed long-term complications, such as joint and vision problems.

Finally, for those who are worried about me being able to come home in December – or have heard suggestions on the social media/news about a travel ban to/from Africa, I urge you to read this next article;

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-10-06/fighting-ebola-an-african-travel-ban-is-bad-for-the-u-dot-s-dot-too#p2

If we want to stop deadly diseases from spreading, and reduce our exposure to dangerous pathogens, we have to fight them when and where they emerge.

“To battle continuing epidemics and potential pandemics, we need strong health and surveillance systems in every country and research and development not only for the diseases of the rich (such as cancer and heart conditions) but also for the infections of the poor.” – Charles Kenny

where is home?

Good Morning!

A very good friend sent me this link from a Ted Talks transcript from back in July. It discusses the question “where do you come from”/”where is home” . . . I find it to be so spot-on and true in some of the descriptions and feel that I can really relate to it.

“Movement was only as good as the sense of stillness that you could bring to it to put it into perspective”

http://www.ted.com/talks/pico_iyer_where_is_home/transcript?language=en

“And it's only by stepping out of your life and the world that you can see what you most deeply care about and find a home.”

My time here in Mozambique has given me more time alone with my own thoughts than I ever have had in my life before. I have had the profound experiences of feeling so low that getting out of bed seemed like an impossible task, and the feelings of absolute happiness. I am so incredibly fortunate to have had this experience. While there are days where I complain about it (more often than not these days) I know that I am growing and learning as an individual here more than I ever could have had I remained in the same place.

My life movement, being a modern-day vagabond (if you will) has allowed me an introspective look about what ‘home’ really is to me. It is not the actual structure, it is the people and memories that offer me support and love no matter where I am in the world.

So for all of you at ‘home’ be it in Pittsburgh, various locations in the United States, here in Moz, or in other fantastic countries – I would just like to say how much I appreciate you.

Have a fantastic Tuesday.

surf, sand and soccer

Well hello there-

Life in a big city has its disadvantages like it does in any country in the world. A few weeks ago I was privy to an experience that I had been hoping to avoid during my time here in Mozambique, but it happened nevertheless. I had an attempted robbery/mugging when I was walking home from the yoga class that I had been participating in with friends.

I am safe, and unhurt (save for some fading bruises on my arm), and reported it to Peace Corps. It happened, it was traumatic, I cried. Its done. I haven’t been going out in the evenings at all – instead spending my nights at home doing various forms of exercise (yoga, cardio, total body circuits) finding that it has become a good hobby and stress reliever. I’ve also been experimenting with cooking to fill the evenings – this weeks experiment was a pumpkin curry with a coconut milk base. Delicious.

Stand up comedy has also become a big chunk of my evenings entertainment- so if anyone has favorite stand up artists, please let me know and I will try to download them to watch!

Work still continues to be a frustration, I spent the week at the ICAP office doing work online for Peace Corps, and sending emails to the DPS trying to schedule a meeting. I finally was able to get through to people here, and am currently sitting in a room, waiting for a training workshop about data collection for HIV related information to start. It is 930am, and the meeting was to start promptly at 8. Just goes to show that even in the big city, working with professionals NO ONE ever shows up on time.

Thankfully the meeting ended up being a success, and I think it was a great way to get my foot in the door with the DPS. . unfortunately ICAP still proves to be a challenge. . so keep your fingers crossed for me.

 October 15 was Election Day in Mozambique! Thankfully here in Quelimane it seemly passed peacefully and without any big incidents.

This past weekend I made an impromptu trip to the beach about 30 minutes from here, named Zalala. The trip was exactly what I needed. Getting out of the city was wonderful – just being at the beach with the wind, sand and water. It was a party weekend with some friends of a friend, so there was consistently beer in hand, great food to be had (fresh seafood of course), and just lots of laughter and music. We came back Saturday afternoon- which was nice. One night on the sand in my tent was enough haha, especially when I have a very comfortable bed only 30 minutes away.

But the best part of the weekend was Saturday afternoon- I got to play soccer on the beach!! I do not even have the words to explain just how wonderful it was to play, let alone in the setting I was in . . .sigh. I really miss the sport. More than anything really. It is one of the most frustrating things about being a woman here in Moz. . .the inability to play soccer. I can talk until I am blue in the face about how I played in college, how I was a coach, and how I have a good understanding and deep love for the game-  but many people (read, men) do not take me seriously because I am a woman. Sooo when I have an opportunity to play, I go all out.

When the teams were being selected I was originally placed on the sidelines as a ‘sub’ … knowing all too well how that goes (I sit there until the game is over, never seeing time on the actual field). So when that happened, I put up a bit of a fuss, and was allowed to stay on the field (noticing many eye rolls, and dismay of the men). . . the quickly realized how wrong they were. I’m not trying to talk myself up here, but I do know how to play haha- after scoring two goals and assisting with another one, the ‘men’ realized that in fact, I did know what I was doing. Suck it.

I had such a fun time running around, really getting into the game. It wasn't until the next day (and today) that my body was like “what the fuck did you do?” haha loose sand, and running around on it for a few hours awoke some muscles that I forgot I had. And here I was thinking that my daily workouts were doing me some good. . .sigh. someone is getting old around here.

Anyway. . .the work week has started off with our weekly meeting at ICAP. And now we have all returned to our separate desks, and of course- I find myself with nothing to do for ICAP. SIGH…. Just another day in Moz.

Hope all is well at home.

xo

http://africarm.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/true-size-of-africa.jpg

still on the struggle bus

Well. Its October. . .

The leaves should be changing colors at home, that crisp feel to the air, spiced apple cider, going to pumpkin patch, and Halloween celebrations . . . here in Mozambique, its just starting to get hotter.

I miss the changing of seasons. Here its just hot, or hotter. Not too much of a variation. Sure there are seasonal crops and such – but that's basically when different tropical fruits are edible and when they aren’t. I suppose its not all that bad, many people dream of climates like this, and hate the cold – maybe its because I was born and raised in Western PA, where there are very distinct seasonal changes, that I miss it. Even the freezing cold snow and ice… which, I will see. The two month countdown has started . . . get your requests in now for any nick-nacks or Christmas presents from Mozambique that you would like.

Unfortunately this will not be a positive blog post. . .yet again.

 I am still finding it to be a struggle to be in Quelimane. . . yes, I am making my house homier, and am starting to enjoy it more (or maybe I’ve just gotten used to it), but work continues to be a struggle. Last week, I went to the ICAP office every day, from 7am until around 3:30pm. I tried to be included in meetings, events and such, but it is data collection time, meaning my coworkers are all very focused on their excel spreadsheets, and getting the data into New York. . . This leaves me to sit here. Day in and day out, trying to find things to do.

I participated in a few conference calls with Peace Corps staff in Maputo that would have been productive, unfortunately the connection was terrible, and it became more of a hassle to try and keep me connected- and we eventually just ended the call.

I sent off the final draft for the GAAC Toolkit that we’ve been working on, waiting for review and feedback. . . sent a bunch of emails for other work topics, reached out to some new PCV’s to see how their integration is going. . .and surfed the web. Needless to say, it was a long and stupid week.

Trying in vain to meet with people from the DPS (provincial department of health) who I am supposed to be partnered with. Waiting for feedback from my proposed project ideas to ICAP (the I-NGO I am partnered with), and now, waiting for feedback from the GAAC Toolkit.

I am busy for maybe an hour out of my day, sending and responding to emails. . and then I sit here in an office.

I miss Tia Julia. At least when I didn't have work in Quissico, I could go an sit with her for hours on end, watching the towns movements, and chatting with a good friend. Ive tried to get to know my neighbors, to no avail. . . they just aren’t interested. I’ve made some friends that I do yoga with in the evenings. . however I don't always attend our classes because I don't feel safe walking around the city at night.

I am currently dealing with a lot of inter-personal drama with friends, and family. So I’m finding that a good outlet has been yoga and drawing.  I had some fellow PCV’s over this past weekend, which was nice in some respects, and incredibly annoying in others. Let me state for the record, that I truly enjoy cooking for people, I enjoy having people around my house, hanging out, going out on the town etc. HOWEVER – when people ‘forget’ to chip in for the costs of things, it stops being enjoyable and becomes annoying. There is more to this, but that's all I feel like saying for now.

Wah, wah, wah.

Poor me.

Sorry again for the negative tone in the blog. Just the way things are right now.

I have decided that if I am still unhappy by the time I come home for leave, I will just stay stateside, work for a while and save up money for graduate school (which is also something that I am reconsidering).

If anyone has suggestions, job opportunities, thoughts about graduate school etc. . . I am open for suggestions/guidance.

Thanks

t

Moz Revolution Day

Today is a national holiday, which means there is no work, no shops are open, and a majority of the population are already at the bar drinking (its 15:30). So I took the day to clean my small apartment, do a yoga workout, walk to the open air market where I bought all sorts of delicious fresh fruits and veggies, enjoyed the sunshine on my face as I walked through the bustling streets, and returned home to have a sun-ripened papaya with lemon juice on it - while sitting in my hammock. 

I listened to a few good podcasts while making some home improvements; capulana wall hangings, setting up my new table/desk/work area, and just did a general cleaning of my house. I feel somewhat accomplished, and content with my day.

It has been an enjoyable, slow day, mainly spent at home because of all of the political commotion going on around town right now. Nice to just recharge with some alone time.

I hope that you are in good health and spirits.

happy thursday

td

new wall hangings, and my work station

another view

my hammock and bedroom doors (that i finally got to open)

par for the course? or boredom?

Why the hell am I still here in Mozambique?

It’s a question I have been asking myself as of recently, more and more. I do not love it as much as I should, or as much as I did the first two years. A lot of it has to do with moving sites, seeing my friends leave, and all that shit. Living in the big city now means that I am just one of the masses- another face in the crowd. And because my face is a white one, and I am a woman, and I am working with an I-NGO sooo many people expect me to have money. Including my co-workers! When I try and explain that no, I do not receive a salary – I get eye rolls and the standard tongue-click of disbelief, and then the numerous questions start to flow, well if you don’t have money, how did you buy the tea you are drinking? If you don’t have money, how did you buy the fancy clothes you wear? You may not be receiving a salary now, but when you go back to your country, you’ll have money waiting for you there, and you’ll get a salary for your work here, right?

Sigh…

It is very hard to explain my life to people here in the city. When I tell them about the conditions I lived in before in Quissico, again, many do not believe me - while others begin a long list of questions about how I survived in these conditions etc. When I state that I had visitors to this house, people become shocked and almost dismayed- how could you let people experience those horrid conditions?? At this point, I generally get fed up, and want to yell at them ‘I want to go back to that house and life!!’. At least there, being the foreigner meant that people knew me, and knew my story, and I was enveloped in a sense of community.

This past week has been somewhat productive work-wise. I have been eating healthy, doing a mini-workout every night. . but a life without music, media, or company is a truly boring one. I get up in the morning, shove a banana or two in my face, put my coffee or tea in my travel mug, and hop a bike taxi to work. I am at work from 7ish until whenever my day ends. Sometimes it is over at 3pm, others it’s not over until the fat lady sings. I don’t have a specific job description yet, because no one is giving me the goddamn time of day.

I am finding work to do, trying to stay busy. My supervisor is happy with the progress I have made thus far. . . so I guess that’s a good thing.

I just think I expected more.  More from my coworkers, more of a game plan, more organization within a work day, more involvement in the planning of things…. Rather than just ‘show up for work and find out whats happening in my life today’…. Annoying.

I like Quelimane enough… it has all of the necessary things someone may need. Good fruits and veggies, lots of shops to get whatever I need for my house etc… but there are still the same frustrations of living in a third world country. . . people don’t show up on time for appointments, house repairs  on a budget, being dependent on a third party to get things done, constantly being upcharged in the market for produce, the stares and cat calls I get just walking down the street (mind you, I can be in a dirty, three day old t shirt, hair in a bun, glasses on and still get these, simply because my skin color stands out) etc… the list goes on.

And now that my computer charger has shit the bed, I have difficulty getting work done in the evenings; I have no way of getting music, or watching media on a weekend when there really isn’t anything to do, and there are only so many times I can go walk around the town to pass the time. Especially in the heat here …. Ugh Quelimane is fucking HOT.

Alright. That’s enough venting from me. It’s the same shit, just a different day. Tomorrow will be better. Or it won’t be. Either way, I’m here.

who needs a computer in africa?

 Hello hello -
Again, sorry its been a bit since I’ve posted. I think that this year, blogs will be a but more sporadic due to my workload and such. I appreciate all of you sticking with me though, and promise to try to keep it as interesting as possible.

So I am officially settled here in Quelimane. I have started hanging things on the wall in my apartment, hung up my hammock on the veranda, done the first load of laundry etc. Moving into a new house takes time. You have to go through each room and make it your own, introducing yourself slowly as time goes, and making modifications to small things. And on a Peace Corps budget, it is just that – slow goings haha. 

Work has been going well, just like the house it takes some time. Pouco a pouco as they say, little by little… however I feel overall that i am making good steady progress. I just need to remember to be patient with myself, the process itself, and those that I am working with. It still amazes me just how quickly time slips away here in Mozambique. . . how did it suddenly become mid-September? 

Quelimane has been a tricky place to get used to… while it has a very fun social scene, one can become a bit dependent on specific people, and when those people travel for work and other reasons you can kinda get left behind. I am trying to branch out and make friends, my work colleagues do not really seem interested in getting to know me outside of the office, which is fine (a bit disappointing) but I suppose that’s the way it’s going to be. I cant help but compare this experience to the one I had in Quissico- there all of my coworkers were very involved in my life, actually providing my social circle aside from a few families in the community. Here in Quelimane, I have my work circle between ICAP the DPS and the CDC, and then some friends I have happened to make in town. Most of my evenings are spent at home, cooking, reading my books and laying in my hammock. 

a fellow pcv and i enjoying a beer on a friday night

My computer charger has decided, after years of dedicated service, to die. So most of my work is now being done here at the ICAP office at the computer… Most of my work, or at least thus far has me in the office at the computer, or in various reception areas at various health centers in the city. Those are interesting days, full of many different emotions – even after being in this country for over two years, I can be appalled and disheartened by the conditions of some of the health facilities here.

work at the office...  

Imagine, you walk through an old rusty chain link fence into an overgrown sandy yard where many stray dogs that are covered in mange are laying. Chickens run amok in the yard, barefoot babies, some without clothing cry in their mothers laps – a majority of the people are huddled under the shade of a solitary mango tree, waiting, sometimes for hours for a consult. During this consult, the exhausted doctor or technician will only speak to the patient in Portuguese, not caring that the patients’ language ability starts and stops with a basic greeting. During these consults the technician will often shame the patient for not knowing better than to get sick, hand off a prescription for a potentially improper medication, and send them on their way.

And that’s just the consult rooms. In the reception area and HIV testing centers, where I do most of my work, paperwork and patient files are organized in such a clusterfuck, its amazing that any work actually gets done. The facility I went to on Monday has many patients who are consistently getting their medication from the pharmacy, but are not going to their consults. This is a problem for many reasons… one – the patients CD4 count may have changed, meaning that their dosage of medication should also be changed, two- the patients should not be able to get medication without a receipt from their clinical consult, which means that the pharmacy is handing out medication to potentially incorrect people. Etc. . 

So what we did on Monday was go through all of the ‘abandono’ files and separate the ones who are actually active in the pharmacy, but not in the clinical consults. It was a lot of paperwork, number dictation, and not mentally stimulating at all. But necessary, and it will help us streamline the ‘busca’ process for that specific health center.

Yesterday I participated in a meeting with the DPS, CDC, Ministry of Health, and various implementing partners that discussed the current situation of HIV and the accelerated plan to get more people on treatment, and retention of these patients. Very interesting facts and statistics, again some more disturbing than I was expecting. Out of 4,682,435 people in Mozambique, 294,993 have HIV. Out of those, 117,997 are considered eligible to start ARV medication (meaning they have a CD4 count fewer than 300) however, only 83,767 are actually on the medication. And who knows how many of those who are on treatment will continue to stay on it, or have already abandoned it. 

My day today has been spent writing up project proposals – 

Community Mapping Project for Abandonos and Target Groups

Proposal: Using a terrain-view map of each district or area surrounding a health facility, outline the neighborhood demographics of abandonment rates. These statistics can also be broken down into target groups such as, pregnant women, people who have abandoned treatment within the past 6 months, children at risk, etc. This Community Map could not only be used as a resource for the local community, but in conjunction with the Montly Busca project proposal.


and the second is


Monthly Buscas for Abandonos

Proposal: Once a month, using the resources from ICAP (car/team) go into the field to help with the buscas activas that are further than Peer Educators can achieve alone. Choose a centralized location according to the Community Mapping project, travel there in the car and from a decided stopping point, walk in small groups to locate patients. This project could be completed once a month with an assigned team.


I look forward to seeing where these proposals can go, and am preparing for a proposal meeting tomorrow with a representative from the Ministry of Health about the GAAC toolkit. Lots going on. Lots of work is deskwork, and project management…. So I’m not loving it, missing the hands on lifestyle of my small community, but feel that its good I have that basis of understanding and can use those experiences to further my work here in a practical manner.

 

I have 80 days until I am stateside for my leave, and while I am in no real rush to go home, obviously, I am looking forward to it. Until then, I'll have a cold one at my downstairs bar, and send you all some love...

 

~ t