Library Cleaning Day!

The past few days I have been very productive. Yesterday I planted a garden (with the help from one of my friends, Ancha) and today I cleaned the library. I went over this morning so we could bring everything we had in the old library room to the new, bigger classroom. The other one was having serious roof/leaking problems. After talking with my counterpart-the school director, and the pedagogical director we decided the library could be moved to the first classroom. It's a lot bigger, cleaner and has no water problems! The only problem is that is used to be the 7th grade classroom so I think we kind of kicked them out to make room for the library...oops. I saw them cleaning out another classroom when I left this morning so they'll probably use that classroom for 7th grade. I had quite a few primary school students helping me move everything and set up the bookshelves. After they helped we took some pictures and I showed them the books they could use next week. The professors even poked their heads in to ask about the library. I'm really excited this is becoming a reality and hoping kids start coming when it opens next week. This weekend I'm going to set up the books and decorate the walls! More pictures to come after we open :) 

The classroom picture before

Some students helping carry the mud blocks used for the bookshelves

The students who helped me move all the wood and blocks

Trying to arrange the bookshelves

Carrying the wood Mozambican style

Some more helpers

After arranging the bookshelves we celebrated with some pictures

Those kids just love taking pictures with my camera... 

Eating lunch then back to working on the library! More pictures to come after this weekend :) 

America--Maputo--Nacuxa

I’m finally back at site (for more than just a day or two!) and almost unpacked…it’s been over a month since I’ve last posted and it’s been crazy busy. I was in America for a little about two and a half weeks then came back to Nacuxa for a few days and then traveled to Maputo for 10 days for the EGRA/Mid-service conference.

It’s weird to be back at site since I haven’t been here in over a month but also really nice. I was really happy to get to talk to my students again and they have all been asking me about my trip to America and my family.

I don’t even know where to start writing about this last month. It has been crazy...I’ll try to keep this condensed but I think it’s going to be a jumble of thoughts so I apologize in advance. :)

I went home to America Dec 17^th and was able to celebrate Christmas with my family as well as see my friends from home and college. While I was in America I was able to check off everything that I hoped to do and eat (tortilla chips, froyo and Texas roadhouse!) as well as catching up with my friends and family. It was so nice being home for the holidays, getting to make Christmas cookies and go to mass together but I was not prepared for the freezing cold weather! I was rudely awakened when I landed in Omaha with a dress and sandals on and that wasn’t even the coldest day we had. I did get somewhat used to it by my last few days just to have to come back to the summer heat of Mozambique.

I was really blessed to have been able to go home when I did because my grandma (my dad’s mother) was very sick and in the hospital. I was able to see her and spend Christmas with her before she passes away. It meant a lot to me that I was able to spend time and talk with her as well as say goodbye before I came back to Mozambique.

My travels back to Mozambique were not as expected. My first flight got delayed which made me miss all my connecting flights and caused my bags to go missing. Thankfully I arrived a day later than planned in Mozambique but my luggage was not with me. After many frustrating calls and 2 trips to the Nampula airport my bags finally showed up. I just got them to my house Sunday and it is so nice having all of my stuff back! 

By the time my bags arrived to the airport it was time for me to fly down to Maputo for our library (egra) and mid-service conference. It was a long 10 days of conferences but I learned some good ideas about library activities/planning as well as new English lesson plans. It was really great being with all of Moz 19 and catching up with friends I hadn’t seen in a long time. We had a fun time going out, eating amazing food and ice cream while in Maputo. Having A/C at our hotel was also a very nice change :) I’m really glad we had our mid-service conference this month because it was a much-needed rejuvenation and break before classes begin. I was feeling overwhelmed and anxious about the New Year and the library/EGRA but after our conference I have some ideas and am ready to get started! I already miss being with the Moz 19 group but I know we’re going to have a good final ten months at site.

Our classes in Nacuxa are starting on February 4^th and I’m hoping to get the library arranged this week!  But that depends on the rain/flooding problem we’ve been having in the current library room so we may need to fix the roof or move to another room. I’m hoping to get it figured out this week so we can open the first or second week of February. I’m excited to get started doing the library activities and tutoring program as well as start teaching my English classes again!

Here’s my plan for my last year at site (I can’t believe I’ll be done this year!):

• Open the library in February and start the EGRA tutoring
• Visit other provinces in Mozambique
• Go to Malawi in July with my friends from home
• Finish reading the Bible (I’m halfway done!)
• Start teaching English classes at the primary school again
• Host my English club once a week
•  Take more pictures of Nacuxa and my community (if I’m really dreaming maybe 1 a day but we’ll see how that goes….) :)
• Soak up my time in Nacuxa and Mozambique

I'll be posting again after the first day of classes in February :)