Writing this blog from Naira’s house, which is my
old temporary house – its funny to spend time here, knowing that I once called
this home. I think back to those times when Mozambique was still so full of
wonder and new things for me. I think that, although it was a struggle with
language and cultural idioms, I was never so happy here than during those first
few months at site. I was getting to know everyone, exploring different parts
of town, discovering new recipes to cook, learning not only to take care of
myself in a 3rd world country but a dog as well…. It was a time of
discovery, both personally and in my surrounding environment. Its times and
memories like that which make me grateful for my experience here.
Anyway…. This blog is dedicated to this past
weekend.
My adventure in Manjacaze, Gaza province:
This was not my first trip to the town of
Manjacaze, located in interior Gaza province. I head south from my town,
stopping at a town called Chonguene, where I can catch a ride to the town. . .
I was very fortunate in my travels both ways this weekend. The very first car I
flagged down once I was on the road stopped, and was traveling all the way to
Maputo – so I was able to hop a ride south to Chonguene. Did I mention this car
was a Lexus?! Madness. I had a seatbelt, air conditioning, and the man was
generous enough to offer me a RedBull…. What??! I haven’t seen one of those in
so long. And a seatbelt?! Air conditioning? Windows that go up and down at the
touch of a button?! Wild.
I made it to the intersection in record time,
having had a nice, educated conversation with the man. No sooner did I step out
of the fancy car, did a chapa roll through, luckily they had a seat available
for me!
-side
note, I am using the word ‘seat’ verrrry generously. It was more like, a space
that kinda, sorta could fit the ass of a 3 year old who happened to be
anorexic. I made it work.
It was not nearly as comfortable as the luxury
that I had just left, but it was a quick ride into the town of Manjacaze, so
who was I to complain?
Unfortunately, just as the chapa pulled into the
town center, the heavens opened up in a torrential downpour, so Linda (who came
to meet me in town) and I took shelter under a small overhang, to wait out the
worst of it. We decided to wait for our other friend Dan who was close behind
me on the road. After we all met up, we walked towards Linda’s new home.
-another
side note, this is her 3rd house/move since becoming a volunteer. So
in total, this girl has lived in 4 different homes here in Mozambique
(including homestay). Each with a different story, and experience.
Where she is located now, is what we jokingly call
the ‘retirement community’. It is a lovely fenced in compound with dorm-like
rooms, a separate kitchen and living room, an excellent garden, and a yard. It
is lovely, a bit secluded which can be nice when you really need to just ‘get
away’ from life in Mozambique.
We spent the afternoon and evening cooking
deconstructed taco’s/nacho’s, wandering around town, and playing an excellent
card game “Cards Against Humanity” with Linda and Evan. . unfortunately it was
incredibly hot and humid that evening, and Linda’s fan just happened to break
(darn you Mozambique!) … so it was a sweaty, sweaty night.
(taco's!)
We woke to a very overcast sky, not abnormal
because it is the rainy season, so we decided to have a lazy morning complete
with a delicious breakfast. That afternoon we went wandering about town and
made some purchases for cooking later that evening, and met up with Evan for a
cold pop in town. Again, we became trapped in an insane downpour, and we took
shelter in a neighboring shop/restaurant where we amused ourselves with a
verbal/word game called “Contact”. Once the rain cleared up, we decided to head
back to Linda’s house to cook some lunch.
Upon our arrival, we discovered that her room had
completely flooded. Her mattress soaked, about a ¼ inch of water all over the
floor, my bag and things were soaked through, blankets, yoga mat etc. (DARN you
Mozambique!).
Of course the punches just kept coming. . .that
night her gas tank for the stove ran out, leaving us to cook on wood in the
outdoor kitchen (which is fine, just annoying). After we went to bed, the rain
returned, flooding her room once more, so we took shelter in the living room/kitchen
area. Who knew that some blankets on top of cement floors could be so
comfortable…
-I’m
not sure if that shows just how far my standards have fallen, or if it is just
all relative at this point.
Luckily we had a fan that night, so the mosquito’s
and humidity were not too unbearable.
During the storm, the pigs that are also housed in
the compound broke loose. So when we opened the door to the outside, we were a
bit startled to see pigs frolicking about.
(PIGS!!)
I turned to Linda and said ‘I come to the interior
of Mozambique, and its like Alice stepping through the looking glass’. So true.
Where else would we have two insane monsoons forcing us to take shelter in
another room, fans breaking, gas tanks running out, pigs on the loose, and
constant energy cuts? (oh wait. . .that could happen ANYWHERE in Mozambique
haha)
I still found it to be incredibly amusing. It was
a nice weekend spent with friends. . . just wish it could have been within
conditions that were a bit more welcoming.
Such is life here in moz. .
At the hospital again today, doing the same stuff,
just on a different day.
I successfully made blackbean and potato burgers
last night, and served it with a moringa and tomato salad, and mustard. Yum.
(salad, mustard, burgers)
Also, I made homemade granola, and am wondering
WHY it took me this long to do so. Its delicious, and a great dessert/afternoon
snack.
xoxo
t
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