Found out my site placement for the rest of my 2 years of service…I will be heading up north to the province of Nampula. My site is in Nacuxa (pronounced Na-cush-a) and is pretty close to some beautiful beaches! I’m opening up this new education site but thankfully there is already a Moz 18 health volunteer, Anna, there that I will be living with. We will be living on the school grounds in a cement house that has an indoor bathroom and running water occasionally. The secondary school is run by a Priest and a few nuns that also live there—it will be nice to not have to walk very far to go to church on Sundays since I’ll be living right across from the chapel!
I will be teaching English and ITC (a computer/technology class)—I’m glad I have some practice helping my grandma "sittee" with her computer I’m really excited and anxious to be teaching at a secondary school…I think it will be really good experience but I’m used to 3rd graders so there will definitely be some things I need to adjust. The school I will be teaching at is an agricultural/technical school and only has about 300 students. Since it’s a smaller school I think the class sizes will be smaller—hopefully not more than 50! I am nervous for teaching ITC because that will all be in Portuguese! I don’t yet feel confident in my Portuguese knowledge to teach a class about computers…I’m going to try and learn a lot of the computer/technology vocab before I leave PST! (I’m also really hoping my school has computers…it would be very difficult to teach an ITC class without computers to look at and practice on but it is very possible that could happen). Hopefully by the time school starts in late January I’ll be able to talk about computers in Portuguese!
From what I have heard about the site it is really beautiful and also rural. Anna, the volunteer already living there, did give me a heads up and told me that you cannot buy toilet paper anywhere in our town. I’m definitely going to stock up before I leave for site on that! There is a bigger city about 45 minutes away from Nacuxa that has real supermarkets where you can buy toilet paper and all the other fruits and vegetables you can’t get at site. It will definitely be nice to be so close to a bigger city where I can buy some staple items for my house and for meals. I did find out that our school has a giant mango tree in the middle of the grounds—I’m so excited to be able to go outside and pick a mango to eat for breakfast!
Next week we are celebrating Thanksgiving on Friday with all the volunteers, PC staff and LCFS (language teachers). We were even able to get 10 turkeys for all of us and are making tons of other good American comfort foods! I’m really excited to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving here with all the other volunteers before we leave for sites.
This week we have model school at the secondary school in the mornings. I’m teaching a 9th grade English class, thankfully it won’t be bad since I can talk all in English!Sunday I went to Mass in the morning then walked to the waterfalls with some friends. The waterfalls were beautiful—I took lots of pictures and once I find my camera cord I will definitely upload them!
"We know only too well that what we are doing is nothing more than a drop in the ocean. But if the drop were not there, the ocean would be missing something." ~Mother Teresa
My friend Anna, another PCV, let me borrow an interesting book on Mozambique and this quote was on one of the pages. I loved it and wanted to share it with you all-- Enjoy this week!
Updates:
-New address for when I move to site in December:
Corpo da Paz (Peace Corps)
Rua Dar-Es Salam No. 14,
P.O. Box 526
Nampula, Mozambique
-I love to eat chicken…even after I have killed it but I just cannot get down with eating the chicken’s foot…there’s just something about it that I can’t make myself eat it. My host mom got a good laugh at that when I was trying to explain why I hadn’t eaten the foot for lunch!
-Voluntarily took a bath in the middle of the day with cold water just so I would stop sweating and cool down for a few minutes. I’m worried about going to site because right now I’m in the mountains where it is much cooler…Nacuxa is VERY hot! I think my first purchase when I get to site will be a fan (and toilet paper)!
-Love running in the mornings here! Usually not too many people are awake/out yet…and therefore do not get stared at or called malungu ("white person") by everyone. Somehow I could never wake up early in the United States to work out but here I get up everyday without an alarm clock at 5am or earlier…I guess it could have something to do with me going to bed at 9pm all the time!
-Have had to sneak bananas into my house too many times to count since I’ve been at my new home stay. The first time I bought some my sister made us hide them at the back door and then walk through the front door and sneakily get them through the other door later. I still can’t figure out why I’m hiding the bananas I just know that I can’t show them to my host mom or throw the trash away at my house. (Yes I know how weird it sounds to say I’m hiding my bananas and taking my trash to a friend’s house…)
-During language class this week a woman selling ice cream walked past our class and our amazing LCF let us take a break and go buy an ice cream cone for 10mets (which isn’t even 50 cents in America—pretty dang cheap ice cream!)
-Only 2 weeks left in Namaacha then I’ll be flying north to Nacuxa! Time has flown by so far…
Monday, November 19, 2012
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Breakfast for dinner, baked goods & chapa rides
Site visits this last week were a much-needed break of PST! The site I visited in the Inhambane province was about a 40-minute chapa ride from Maxixe in Homoine. The 2 volunteers were both Teacher Trainers and lived at the IFP, (Teacher Training Institute) was about a 30-minute walk from the town/market. Their house is really nice—they even have a bathroom with running water (sometimes), an indoor toilet and a small toaster oven. The IFP was beautiful—it was sandy and really sunny which is very different than Namaacha which is all mud and cool weather right now. All the people we met were very nice and welcoming! The students at the IFP are very polite (they all stood up and greeted us when we walked into the classroom). The town itself is really safe and they had a really good market with fresh fruits and vegetables!
We made amazing food: pizzas, chocolate cake, banana bread, breakfast for dinner, coffee cake and no bake cookies! It was the best food I have eaten since I’ve been here. It was really nice to be able to make our own food and live on our own schedule for the week. We also got to see the Indian Ocean in Tofo at the beach there one day this last week—it was really beautiful! I walked with a few other volunteers and collected some pretty cool looking seashells and saw some jellyfish. We even got to watch the elections on the TV where we were staying. It was really fun being able to watch all the drama of the elections in Africa on a beach.
The IFP we visited just bought a primary school down the road and the director wants the next volunteer to do a lot of work or secondary projects with it so that would be perfect for me. I think they want to work on literacy and having more books but I’m not quite sure. I can’t wait to get to site and start teaching (in English) and be able to figure out what other projects I want to accomplish while I’m there. One of the volunteers I visited is in the process of building her own library and bringing in books for the local crianÁas (children) and teachers. It is a really cool project and hopefully can stay useful after she leaves with the help of the community. There are so many different projects that PCVs are doing and I’m getting more and more excited to be able to do my own or at least help out at a local school.
I think I’m ready to be done with PST and get to site so I can start teaching and have my own place. I’m definitely going to miss being with all the other volunteers and having a host family to help me with all my chores (like laundry—since I never do it the right way or can’t seem to get all the dust out of my white socks.)
This Wednesday during HUB day we find out our sites! I’m really excited to know where I’m going and also to know where all the other trainees are going so we can plan on getting together for Christmas and all during service.
Just saw a rat in my house for the first time yesterday during lunch…I thought that would be the only one but then I was on the phone in my room and saw a HUGE rat running across my ceiling and it really grossed me out. I would rather have rats than flies though. I don’t know what it is with me and flies but it’s getting so bad that I don’t even like to hear their buzzing. And if they are in the latrine I cannot go to the bathroom with them buzzing all around me…so that’s been kind of a problem lately.
I found out my LPI results on Friday and they are a lot better than I expected! I actually scored at the Intermediate Mid level which is what I needed to get. I don’t know how accurate it is because right now I am not feeling too strong about my Portuguese skills but hopefully I will soon. Anyone that scored Intermediate Mid or lower now is taking language classes everyday from 1:30-5:30pm instead of our tech classes (learning about classroom management and other education topics). I am actually really glad that I’ll be having the extra language practice—I really need a lot more practice speaking so I think it will help a lot!
Today I went to Mass with some volunteers, am going to watch a good American movie on my laptop and hang out with my host family (and hopefully practice my Portuguese!)
Updates:
-Never been so happy to have a fan in my life than I was during site visits! (boy, does it get hot!)
-Made pizza dough and coffee cake from our Mozambique cookbook this last weekend—it was so yummy! I’m excited to be able to cook once I get all settled in at site.
-I need to get over my fear of driving on hills/roads that are on inclines…it sounds really weird I know but I really don’t like driving when the roads are super uneven (Which is the case in Africa so I really need to work on that)
-Can’t wait to celebrate Thanksgiving…we are cooking all the traditional American dishes and desserts for our Thanksgiving dinner together! I am a little sad to miss the craziness of Black Friday shopping though. Not that I ever buy anything I actually need on that day but it’s just such a fun and crazy atmosphere.
-Site placements next week!
We made amazing food: pizzas, chocolate cake, banana bread, breakfast for dinner, coffee cake and no bake cookies! It was the best food I have eaten since I’ve been here. It was really nice to be able to make our own food and live on our own schedule for the week. We also got to see the Indian Ocean in Tofo at the beach there one day this last week—it was really beautiful! I walked with a few other volunteers and collected some pretty cool looking seashells and saw some jellyfish. We even got to watch the elections on the TV where we were staying. It was really fun being able to watch all the drama of the elections in Africa on a beach.
The IFP we visited just bought a primary school down the road and the director wants the next volunteer to do a lot of work or secondary projects with it so that would be perfect for me. I think they want to work on literacy and having more books but I’m not quite sure. I can’t wait to get to site and start teaching (in English) and be able to figure out what other projects I want to accomplish while I’m there. One of the volunteers I visited is in the process of building her own library and bringing in books for the local crianÁas (children) and teachers. It is a really cool project and hopefully can stay useful after she leaves with the help of the community. There are so many different projects that PCVs are doing and I’m getting more and more excited to be able to do my own or at least help out at a local school.
I think I’m ready to be done with PST and get to site so I can start teaching and have my own place. I’m definitely going to miss being with all the other volunteers and having a host family to help me with all my chores (like laundry—since I never do it the right way or can’t seem to get all the dust out of my white socks.)
This Wednesday during HUB day we find out our sites! I’m really excited to know where I’m going and also to know where all the other trainees are going so we can plan on getting together for Christmas and all during service.
Just saw a rat in my house for the first time yesterday during lunch…I thought that would be the only one but then I was on the phone in my room and saw a HUGE rat running across my ceiling and it really grossed me out. I would rather have rats than flies though. I don’t know what it is with me and flies but it’s getting so bad that I don’t even like to hear their buzzing. And if they are in the latrine I cannot go to the bathroom with them buzzing all around me…so that’s been kind of a problem lately.
I found out my LPI results on Friday and they are a lot better than I expected! I actually scored at the Intermediate Mid level which is what I needed to get. I don’t know how accurate it is because right now I am not feeling too strong about my Portuguese skills but hopefully I will soon. Anyone that scored Intermediate Mid or lower now is taking language classes everyday from 1:30-5:30pm instead of our tech classes (learning about classroom management and other education topics). I am actually really glad that I’ll be having the extra language practice—I really need a lot more practice speaking so I think it will help a lot!
Today I went to Mass with some volunteers, am going to watch a good American movie on my laptop and hang out with my host family (and hopefully practice my Portuguese!)
Updates:
-Never been so happy to have a fan in my life than I was during site visits! (boy, does it get hot!)
-Made pizza dough and coffee cake from our Mozambique cookbook this last weekend—it was so yummy! I’m excited to be able to cook once I get all settled in at site.
-I need to get over my fear of driving on hills/roads that are on inclines…it sounds really weird I know but I really don’t like driving when the roads are super uneven (Which is the case in Africa so I really need to work on that)
-Can’t wait to celebrate Thanksgiving…we are cooking all the traditional American dishes and desserts for our Thanksgiving dinner together! I am a little sad to miss the craziness of Black Friday shopping though. Not that I ever buy anything I actually need on that day but it’s just such a fun and crazy atmosphere.
-Site placements next week!
Friday, November 2, 2012
Halloween, Site Visits & My Mom’s Birthday!
This year’s Halloween was very different than last years. There was no pumpkin carving, apple cider, pumpkin pudding, trick-or-treating or Reese’s pumpkins. Instead I celebrated by wearing a ton of Halloween jewelry, Halloween socks and watched some volunteers bob for apples and play Halloween charades. I treated myself that night to no studying and instead watching a movie and eating some peanut butter m&m’s sent from home. (So I still did get some candy!)
On Halloween we found out what site we were all visiting so it was a very exciting day! I’m visiting Homoine in Inhambane province…it’s considered to be in the Southern region of Mozambique and is about a 9hour chapa ride from Namaacha. Our group is leaving bright and early at 3:30am on Saturday (tomorrow) to catch our bus. I’m really excited because we’re visiting 2 volunteers that are Teacher Trainers living at an IFP! I’ll actually be able to get a feel for what I’ll be doing and what the living situation will be like. I think they have running water, electricity and an indoor bathroom so I’m pretty excited! :)
Today we had our LPI and Round Robin mid-training tests. The LPI is a 10-min oral test with one of the language teachers about our daily life in Moz, family, giving directions and other day-to-day language lessons. Depending on how we do on the test (at the end of training we need to pass intermediate-mid level) we either get more language classes or cut back and do more teaching practice/model school. My Portuguese isn’t the greatest right now so I’m pretty sure I’ll be getting lots more language classes but that’s alright. The round robin test has questions from all of our other sessions…including medical, safety & security, technical training and core/cultural. Overall it only lasts an hour total between the LPI and Round Robin…I’m hoping we find out our results soon!
Wanted to post a little earlier this week because I’ll be gone on Sunday and probably won’t get to post again until after site visits. Then hopefully I’ll have more info to share on my site visit! :)
Happy 55th Birthday Mom! I’m sorry I can’t be there to help you celebrate on Sunday but know that I’m thinking about you everyday and sending lots of love! Thank you for being such a great friend and mom—I wouldn’t have made it here to Africa without your support and motivation. I’m so grateful to call you my mom and best friend! Love you!
Updates:
-This week for lunch one day I literally had French fries and bread…it’s safe to say I’m not getting a balanced diet but I’m kind of over it. (I made up for it by buying my own bananas and eating them with peanut butter in my room) lol
-Going to visit Homoine tomorrow (or as my uncle said…Hermoine/the Deathly Hollows)
-Ate literally everything out of my care packages in a little over a week…I really missed American junk food :)
-Actually wished for gloves and a hat this week because it was that cold…it’s Africa it should not be this windy and cold but I guess we are in the mountains.
-Today I had a huge salad with my lunch and I have never been so excited to see lettuce :)
On Halloween we found out what site we were all visiting so it was a very exciting day! I’m visiting Homoine in Inhambane province…it’s considered to be in the Southern region of Mozambique and is about a 9hour chapa ride from Namaacha. Our group is leaving bright and early at 3:30am on Saturday (tomorrow) to catch our bus. I’m really excited because we’re visiting 2 volunteers that are Teacher Trainers living at an IFP! I’ll actually be able to get a feel for what I’ll be doing and what the living situation will be like. I think they have running water, electricity and an indoor bathroom so I’m pretty excited! :)
Today we had our LPI and Round Robin mid-training tests. The LPI is a 10-min oral test with one of the language teachers about our daily life in Moz, family, giving directions and other day-to-day language lessons. Depending on how we do on the test (at the end of training we need to pass intermediate-mid level) we either get more language classes or cut back and do more teaching practice/model school. My Portuguese isn’t the greatest right now so I’m pretty sure I’ll be getting lots more language classes but that’s alright. The round robin test has questions from all of our other sessions…including medical, safety & security, technical training and core/cultural. Overall it only lasts an hour total between the LPI and Round Robin…I’m hoping we find out our results soon!
Wanted to post a little earlier this week because I’ll be gone on Sunday and probably won’t get to post again until after site visits. Then hopefully I’ll have more info to share on my site visit! :)
Happy 55th Birthday Mom! I’m sorry I can’t be there to help you celebrate on Sunday but know that I’m thinking about you everyday and sending lots of love! Thank you for being such a great friend and mom—I wouldn’t have made it here to Africa without your support and motivation. I’m so grateful to call you my mom and best friend! Love you!
Updates:
-This week for lunch one day I literally had French fries and bread…it’s safe to say I’m not getting a balanced diet but I’m kind of over it. (I made up for it by buying my own bananas and eating them with peanut butter in my room) lol
-Going to visit Homoine tomorrow (or as my uncle said…Hermoine/the Deathly Hollows)
-Ate literally everything out of my care packages in a little over a week…I really missed American junk food :)
-Actually wished for gloves and a hat this week because it was that cold…it’s Africa it should not be this windy and cold but I guess we are in the mountains.
-Today I had a huge salad with my lunch and I have never been so excited to see lettuce :)
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