Living in the moments of Mozambique: when the pavement runs out

Good morning Quelimane!

Finally back in the city after a couple of weeks spent on the road assisting with site development and preparations for the incoming volunteers. Exciting fact- they arrive on May 1. Our pre-service training is changing its style a bit this year, rather than spending 10 weeks in the homestay family of Namaacha and going to site afterwards, the trainees will spend 6 weeks in Namaacha with these families, 3 weeks at their site with a homestay family there, and then return to Namaacha for the final 4 weeks of training. The idea behind this, is to introduce the trainee to their site a bit sooner, while keeping the homestay family experience going. At their sites during these three weeks, they will begin the integration phase- find out where the market is, where they pay for energy, how the hospital is working, potential projects to get involved in, introduce themselves to the administration and other higher-ups of the town etc. Essentially getting a feel for where they will be spending their next two years rather than having Peace Corps drop them at a totally unknown location after the swear-in conference and wish us ‘good luck’.

So what have I been doing to help with the preparations for this new program? Good question – I’ve been on the road in the Zambezia, Niassa and Nampula provinces meeting with the health staff of communities where we wish to put volunteers, introducing the program, explaining a bit what it is like to be a volunteer here, what our skills and assets are, how we work etc. Giving the health staff a first hand view and example of a volunteer (touching on my experiences from the first two years a great deal) rather than just having someone explain what the organization does. It gives doctors and directors of the health centers a first hand look at what it may be like to have a volunteer working for them. I go into detail about what we may be like as Americans/foreigners/men/women etc. Habits of a different culture, how our language skills may not be up to snuff when we first get to site, blah, blah.

After our meetings with the health staff, we also meet with community based organizations if there are any around, and then meet with various homestay families, to conduct a mini-interview, assess houses, and end up choosing one after its all said and done.

Honestly, I really enjoyed this work over the past few weeks- it reminded me why I chose to stay in Mozambique for a third year. It was because of the people, the wonderful people I’ve met on this journey who open up their homes, want to know about other cultures, and want to work with volunteers to hopefully shape the future of some Mozambicans for the better. The country is so incredibly vast and beautiful. I’m going to post a bunch of photos with this blog from my time on the road that will hopefully show you some of the beauty that I’ve been privy to see.

I didn't really journal in a normal sense when I was on the road, instead, I penned down some words and quick descriptions that came to me as I was traveling. I’d like to share a quick few with you now – afternoons on the road; big huge sky that is a fluid combination of vibrant, rich colors, the trees reaching towards it, caressed in the setting sun, the mud huts set ablaze by the reddish orange light as it sinks farther down the horizon – the open road stretches before me, a lazy winding mixture of pavement and dirt that lead to unknown beauty, smiles and waves of children as we pass through a grouping of small buildings nestled together on the side of the road, those smiles, so pure and innocent, true beauty – the clouds create a proverbial ceiling between the hot earth and the crystal clear blue sky, how flat they are on the bottom compared the luscious tendrils that top them, the stark contrast between the sheer white and blue as they stretch over the brown road and green vegetation . . This is what I will remember most.

It is hard to capture the true beauty of Moz in just words. And my words hardly do it all justice, as my photos will also not. . . but along this journey I was fortunate enough to view some truly majestic sights, and spend time with some wonderful peace corps staff- the first weeek was spent with Osvaldo, and the second was with Lucio. We traveled well together, I introduced them to some great bands from the states, and we got into some really great discussions that tested my Portuguese, and were enlightening.

While it is nice to be home in Quelimane, sleeping in my own bed (rather than a floor), not living out of a backpack, and not sitting in a bumpy car for 8+ hours a day - - I’m not really feeling ‘at home’ here. For me, home is where you stand not where you sleep, where you are at that moment with your ever-evolving life, finding oneself in things that are totally and completely different than what you are- bringing a glorious mixture to your personal world.

With that, I leave you with some photos from my adventures!

Enjoy. And be well.