something beautiful

http://fascinately.com/feel-good/2015/01/talented-duet-brings-two-love-songs-together-into-one-beautiful-mashup/

my musical find of the day.

enjoy.

picking up the pieces

Good morning all-

I’d like to start this post with a sincere ‘thank you’. After that last post, I had so many people reach out to me with words of support and love. It was overwhelming in a good way. To know that that many people truly care – some who I haven’t been in communication with for months, fellow PCV’s, returned volunteers, family etc. . . I will never have the words to thank you all properly. You all helped me get through what was, by far, the toughest few days I’ve had in my Peace Corps experience.

I had a long chat with my Peace Corps supervisor last week, and unfortunately there will be no changes regarding my work assignments, or site placement. While during the talk I felt that I was being supported, and given good examples and potentials for work, afterwards I sat for a while and thought upon it all. I am not leaving ICAP, or the DPS and my role with PCVL will continue to be one of administration support from my computer, all here in Quelimane. It became apparent that these suggestions for work were nothing of what I was to be doing in this third year… It was in that moment that I reached the greatest level of despair for my future here in Mozambique.  So, after allowing myself a few days of serious depression, self-pity, and hiding in my house, I’ve decided to try and turn things around. Or at the very least, try to.

I have decided to give this post one more try. For the month of February I will be taking one day at a time, trying to give everything I can into work and my assignments here, while making pro/con lists about the experience. In addition to this I will be applying for some jobs and seeing what possibilities are available to me in the Pittsburgh area.  If by the end of the month I still am unhappy, I will terminate my contract with Peace Corps, and come home. I have given 5 months to this extension position, and feel that it unfortunately has been a gigantic waste of time. I do not feel that I have accomplished anything of true value, and that I am not getting anything out of it. While during my two years in Quissico I often felt that I wasn't giving enough, I was at least immersing myself in the culture and having fantastic life experiences.

As my friend stated, there are three parts to think about in a peace corps experience – work, culture exchange and enjoyment. While work was not always available in Quissico, I still enjoyed hanging out with my local friends and neighbors there, and learned a great deal about the culture. Here in Quelimane, it is obvious that I am not enjoying my ‘work’ am getting little to no cultural exchange, and generally do not like the environment I am living in. SO…. That's where things are with me.

Today is a holiday- Mozambican Hero’s Day. Meaning the ICAP office is closed – not that it really matters - - I went to the office yesterday to find that both my counterpart and supervisor are gone for the week. . . no notice, no information. Whatever. I spent the day at the office, and enrolled myself in an online course through edX, a MIT course called Challenges of Global Poverty. . and then did an online certificate course through USAID about HIV and its, biology, epidemiology and prevention. I went and had some delicious soup for lunch at a new café I’ve discovered – note to self, stop eating hot spicy soup in 90+ degree weather… and then in the evening I mentally recharged with my yoga practice.

Those are my plans.

Let me know what you think.

xo

and in the meantime, check out some amazing TED talks that I've found to be completely inspiring - 

Ben Saunders: To the South Pole and back 

Nancy Frates: Meet the mom who started the Ice Bucket Challenge

breaking point

Hey all –
Sorry its been a bit since my last update. . . All has not been well here in Moz, and I’ve been struggling with finding the words to express it all.

My, my, my. . . how my blog’s tone has shifted to one of a negative-nancy …. But I suppose that's how the cookie crumbles sometimes.

So, the last time we spoke it was one week after my return to Moz, things with work were frustrating . . and I was overwhelmed with the heat and annoyances of life in Quelimane. Since that time, work with ICAP has yet to pick up, and I finally reached my breaking point with them. I’m done. Totally and completely over it.

With ICAP, it just seems to be non-stop data entry, and then the team not having enough time to do anything but that. . many pcv's including myself are finding it difficult to find how our activities/job descriptions fit with ICAP's goals, and for many of us, our teams have told us that they do not. Some pcv's have even been told that the organization did not want a volunteer, and that it was kind of forced on them… my job description has still yet to be reviewed, I have not done anything in relation to the GAAC program or the peer educator enhancement/support – which were my main interests and reason for moving here. 

With the DPS, I have yet to meet with my ‘counterpart’ a man I have met twice and couldn't pick out of a crowd if I tried. . . I know there is an emergency situation here in Zambezia province with the floods and such, but I’d much rather be of use than sitting around with my teeth in my mouth.

I’ve been exploring other options with I-NGO’s, finding administrative work with Peace Corps (which basically means I sit on my computer all day) and am looking forward to next week to find out how I will be involved with site development and any potential forward movement with my role as Peace Corps Volunteer Leader.

In short, I've reached a point here where I am sincerely unhappy. This has been the first time in my entire Peace Corps career that I have considered quitting.

To put the cherry on this soured sundae, I was almost homeless in quelimane. There was a communication error on all sides, and my rent was not paid through the month of January. . .yesterday afternoon I was on the phone with 4 different people for a few hours, numerous emails sent, and finally I have assurances that I will be staying in this apartment at least until the end of February. . . woo.

I know that this is a broken record of blog posts . . and through it all I've truly tried to stay positive… I want nothing more than to have a productive and enjoyable experience here . . . however, I feel that I’ve just reached a breaking point emotionally. I’m exhausted with all of the drama and continued frustrations.

….. on the plus side.
(didn't think I had one, did ya?)

I bought a new fan for my apartment, which is a total game changer for me. No more getting shocked plugging it in, because they were just metal fragments being stuck into an outlet, it oscillates and is silent! WILD.

I have also been finding solace in my yoga practice, listening to podcasts, good musc, and doodling.

I’d like to give a quick shout out to my parents who have been so incredibly supportive since my return here. . .they have listened to my rants over skype, and responded to my emails filled with frustration and hopelessness. Thank you both for your own versions of support. It makes it both easier and harder knowing you are in my corner, but reminds me how much I miss you kids while I’m gone.

Countdown – who knows. August seems pretty fucking far away.

weekend update

One week down…. 29 more to go.

Rough estimate.

My official date for close of service (COS) is August 10, however I cannot be medically cleared until thurs/ fri of that week . . .so I will be looking for flights home probably the 14^th or so. . . giving me just about a week to settle in and get ready for grad school.

In the meantime, I have been applying for a few scholarships, figuring out where I should live upon my return, and doing some hopeful planning for an adventure to Tanzania in April to potentially climb Kilimanjaro with a good friend from home!

The end of my week and weekend has found me back in my domesticated life, cooking up some truly delicious and healthy dishes, back to my yoga practice, wandering around town in truly sweltering temperatures, and dodging raindrops. Work you ask? HA! Just kidding. . . I sent out numerous emails upon my return, asking what has been going on, what sorts of projects have come into fruition since my departure, and how I can be of use in these coming months. . . I received one email in response that simply said “happy new year, and welcome back” ….. informative, no?

I’m going to stop by the ICAP office tomorrow morning to check in, and see whats been going on. I’m honestly not sure who is all back from holidays yet, and should know by now that work really doesn't start until the first few days of February. . but alas, I still have hope and some expectations haha.

I’m looking to get involved more with my Peace Corps Volunteer Leader position (PCVL) in the next few coming months. Helping with site identification, and development for incoming volunteers in the new health group. I’ve also sent a proposal to my supervisor about potentially playing a larger role with the pre-service training in Namaacha with the new volunteers starting in May. I’d like to get involved in the programming aspect of Peace Corps, assisting where I can, and being a peer support/resource for the new volunteers.

I’m attempting to find outlets to be productive these next few months before coming home, and realize that I really and truly do not want to be stuck in a dead-end position here in Quelimane that is not offering me any professional development, or allowing me to really do anything of use.

Because there have been such torrential downpours here in the north, I thought a safety update would be good for you all at home. The northern region of Moz has been affected by floods, which resulted from the heavy rains that were experienced in the past few weeks within the country. Many rivers have flooded, and bridges were destroyed because of this. One of the main bridges in Mocuba (about 3 hours north of my site) was broken by the floods, and many in this town have been left homeless… hopefully there will be a temporary metal bridge put in place to allow thoroughfare, however Cyclone Chedza has been detected in the Moz Channel, whih may further affect the central and northern regions of Moz with heavy rainfall in the coming days.

There have also been power outages in the entire northern part of the country due to the floods… the government says that the problem will hopefully be resolved within two to three weeks, but who knows. This situation has affected the communication system, banking systems, and commerce.

Various other bridges have been washed away, and some important roadways and railways have been flooded, therefore cutting the north in pieces. Thankfully all PCV’s have been accounted for, and are safe. As I write this, the rain continues to pound on my tin overhang that shelters my veranda. I wish I could say the rain cools things off. . .instead, it just causes extreme mugginess (is that a word) and things to become truly sticky. I am ever grateful to be on a second floor here in the north, and that I still have energy. 

Upcoming fun events – the weekend of valentines day is Carnival here in Quelimane! I have heard nothing but really fun things about this festival, and apparently Quelimane is called “pequeno brazil” … so that should be something to look forward to. I’ve put the cap of potential guests at 15 for my house, and have given numbers for local guest houses/hotels. Fingers crossed that the road situations improve, and that people are able to come and celebrate.

Now that I am settled back into my house, I am realizing that I forgot to purchase a few key things while in America. Blame it on being overwhelmed…. But I did. A day planner and some good spices (ie, basil, oregano) are on the top of the list of things I forgot. No big issues. . . hindsight is always 20/20 I suppose haha!

Anyway. Hope you are all surviving the cold temperatures, and are enjoying the snow!

Beijos-

t

tales from the road

International travel… an exciting journey to an exotic location. Or at least that's what one may think when they hear those words. The reality of the situation is another story entirely.

On the way to the states, I was originally planning on traveling to Maputo, from Quelimane on the 8^th of December. . .after arriving at the airport at noon, anticipating a flight at 1pm, I discovered it had been delayed until 5pm. . .no issue, I had a good book with me, my phone, and there is a café at the airport. So I settled in with my book, and a beer to pass the time. 4pm rolls around and I’m informed that the flight was pushed back to 9pm…. No point in going anywhere at this point, so I ordered myself some food, and went back to my book. Check-in at 8pm finds me at the counter, only to discover that my ticket, had not actually been purchased. DEEP SIGH. So. I went back to my locked up apartment, where the energy and water had been shut off for my trip home. . . and just laid in my bed.

Tuesday the 9^th, I made my flight – barely – because the airplane actually arrived an hour early. . . but all is good. I made the flight, arrived in Maputo, and then went to the house of an ex-pat who was willing to host a PCV. We had a lovely dinner together, and I went to bed early, all prepped for my flight to the states the next day.

But of course, it wasn't that simple. . the next morning I awoke, showered and went out to the craft market to look at some potential gifts for friends/family. I returned to the house (mind you this is a beautiful house in the nice part of Maputo) to find that the guest bedroom was completely FLOODED. Apparently the shower faucet had detached from the wall, and flooded the bathroom and then the room. All was ship-shape before I left for the craft market, so I really don't know if it was something I did, or if it was just a freak accident after use of the shower. . .either way.  . this is why I can have nice things.

The flights to Pittsburgh were uneventful, some delays getting into Atlanta that made me miss my first connecting flight, but thankfully there was one that I could easily board right after getting through customs. All was well. I landed safely and was greeted by one of my best college friends. Couldn't have asked for a better homecoming.

The trip back . . . buckle up kids. This is a good one.

I left Pittsburgh on a day where it was 1 degree, bundled up, arriving at the airport. . . checked in, and checked my bag through to Maputo no issue (however they couldn't print out my boarding pass from Johannesburg to Maputo … not sure why) and made it through security no issue. Arrived in Atlanta to find that my flight had been delayed an hour or so, no issue, I got a smoothie and settled in with my book.

The flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg was uneventful, people beside me on each international flight were not interesting at all (such a shame, I love to chat), and I arrived in Joberg with about 30 minutes to make my connecting flight to Maputo. This is where shit hit the fan.

My bag was checked through to Maputo. But I didn't have a boarding pass …. And the desk in front of security was already closed for the evening. Fortunately a nice woman at South African Airlines took pity on me, and booked me for a flight an hour later. UNfortunately that meant I had to go through customs, collect my bag, pay the penalty fee for my ticket change, and get back through customs, check my bag, and get through security. . . .in one hour?? Ya ok.

Standing in line at customs, I watched the hands on my watch pass the hour mark. . .and then keep going. Finally making it through, I went to baggage claim. . of course my bag wasn't there. So I filed a claim, and went to the ticket sales counter. Paid my penalty fee for a flight the next morning, and tried to print out a boarding pass so I could get back through customs, and sleep in a safer part of the airport. . . no dice. That's when it all started hitting me. My bag was lost, I was stranded in a very unsafe airport/city, and had no means of communication with anyone.

I allowed myself to have a quick mini-meltdown in the bathroom… collected myself, and went back to the Delta desk to figure out a game plan. I found a cheaper guest house, that offered free transport to and from the airport, and checked myself in for the night. A hot shower, and a comfortable bed later, I was feeling a bit better. I was jet lagged and stressed, so sleep did not find me. . . but it was infinitely better than sitting alone in an unsafe airport at the check-in desk.

My flight to Maputo was ok, still didn't know where my bag was at that point, but Peace Corps granted me an evening in the capital city until my bag was found. Later the afternoon on Monday it arrived on a flight from Johannesburg. . . thankfully it had not been tampered with, and I was able to check in for my morning flight on Tuesday to Quelimane. That flight was only delayed two hours, which is a new record for shortest time spent in the airport. Arrived in Quelimane no issue. And have been settling back into my home here, getting things organized, sweeping up the dead cockroaches, getting the musty smell out of things, cleaning up the water that leaked into my house. Etc.

Unfortunately the northern part of Mozambique is totally disjointed right now, due to HEAVY rains. Roads are flooded out, bridges washed away etc. Some people have been trying to cross via ferry/canoe’s but those are capsizing. . . many volunteers were mid-return travel back to their sites after the holidays and have found themselves stranded at other sites. I have a volunteer with me right now, who can’t return to site until Peace Corps says so, because the road to his site is completely flooded out.

Every town north of me is without power or running water, so I am incredibly thankful/counting the minutes until it cuts out here.

Quelimane is flooded in some places, and I find that I have to wade around town, picking new routes to get to the places I need to.  I’m heading back to work on Monday, so just using these few days to settle back in, and get my house in order.

-tchau kiddos

tchau america!

Greetings from the Atlanta international airport-

Thus ends my 30-day trip home. It was a mixture of lots of happiness, laughter, good food, and time well spent with loved ones.

I arrived on the 11^th of December, after experiencing some travel issues, getting out of Mozambique, and then again getting out of Johannesburg. . . I get it Africa, you don't want me to leave. Made it home safely, and my bag arrived without issue. It was a long series of flights, which have been added on to with my flight from Quelimane. . . it now takes 4 flights to reach where I live, rather than just three, or two and a bus. Oh well… roll with the punches, right?

The Christmas holidays passed wonderfully with many visits to and from family members, and friends who have become family over the years. I couldn't have asked for a nicer time with people. The only thing that would have taken it to the next level would have been if there was snow. . . but I did get some of that the last few days I was home! Which, much to the complaints of my friends, I LOVED. Not having seen snow for over two years will do that to a girl.

katrina and i bought a tree for the apartment! 

katrina, cassie and i down in the strip district, before the whiskey distillery tour

christmas eve with my family

It was nice being back in Pittsburgh in some respects, and challenging in others. Many of my friends don't truly get what it is that I’m doing, nor can stories do my lifestyle justice . . though I do love to tell them. So while they listen with patience and understanding to me as I waffle on about my challenges and frustrations – often finding that I have to stop to figure out how to say the phrase in English, its not fully comprehended. This is something I realized after talking a bit with my aunt who is an RPCV, and then spending a week with returned Moz 18ers in Boston over the New Year. I am very happy to have seen my friends and family, don’t get me wrong, and I love seeing how successful everyone has been in their lives – many including an engagement or marriage in the past few years, or the upcoming months. . but that is all so far from my reality that it provided a challenge of relatiability.

Except for my week trip to Boston (which was absolutely wonderful) I spent most of my time home in the Pittsburgh area, some days I was all over the city, and others just spent in the south hills. Deciding to stay with my friend Katrina at my old apartment was a nice alternative being home. Not that I wouldn’t have been fine staying at my parents home, but this offered me a bit more freedom and opportunity to feel more normal, considering that I’ve been on my own for a good while now and kind of have my own routines and habits. Unfortunately I never got to go to the overlook on Mt. Washington, go ice skating, bowling, or skiing. . . unfortunately. Luckily I’ll be back in 7 or so months and can have that world at my fingertips again.

moz 18. . . looking rather cold in boston

The last few days stateside were spent running errands, making trips to Trader Joe’s to stock up on good snacks, and spices/sauces, and indulging in delicious foods (Sushi, Mexican, Chinese etc). I did make a day trip to UPJ, to give a brief presentation about Peace Corps and my experience in Moz, which I feel went well. It was crazy to be back on my old college campus, and though I didn't walk around too much, due to the insanely cold temperatures, I was greeted with a rush of memories and such as I pulled into and out of campus.

Earlier that day I had the opportunity to meet with my future advisor at Pitt for my masters program, which was exactly what I needed. A part of me feels that returning to Pittsburgh in August is taking a step backwards, though I will be there to advance my academic career, its back in the city that I was born and raised. . . it's a great spot, don't misunderstand me. . I just don't want to ‘end up’ there. At least not yet. There is still so much of this world that I want to see and explore. Hopefully I can do a study abroad/work abroad travel with my masters studies, and then find some job that will keep me in an international lifestyle.

Anywho. . . I promise to be better about blogging these last few months in Moz. So be ready for all the good, bad and poop-filled stories haha!

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