Today was a success!

Finally I had a day where I felt like a productive PCV. Here’s a little glimpse into what I did today…

-Skyped with my mom back home! 

-Cut my hair for the first time since leaving home (yes you are reading this right—I cut my own hair with sewing scissors my mom sent with me. I’ll admit I don’t I cut it straight…probably because I did it outside with no mirror…oops.) :)

-Talked to Irmå Tassy about the English and Computer Curriculum. She then told me that she wants me to do more projects outside of the classroom so I’ll only be teaching 11^th grade English and probably not Computers anymore (which is fine with me!)

-We started talking about how Bryson (5yrs old) and Ano  (4yrs old) don’t go to the Primary school yet but have a lot to learn (they don’t even know their colors or how to count to 10). She mentioned that she wants to teach them or do things educational things with all the little kids living at the school. I jumped at that idea and told her I would love to teach them and even had some books for kids in English. She asked if I really wanted to do that with them everyday and of course I said yes (finally something to do! And teaching little kids!). I think she’s getting an idea of the Professors’ kids that would come and going to tell me more about it tomorrow. She even said she has little chairs I could borrow for the kids to sit in while I teach them in my “Quintal” (backyard)

-Made an Omelet that actually looked like an Omelet-success!

-Wrote more lesson plans for my 11^th grade English class

-Made no bake cookies :) 

-Helped a nun (Irmå Lucia) set up her very own email account! It wasn’t until after we set up the account did I find out that she doesn’t know how to use a computer. Probably should have taught her a little bit about that first before introducing her to the email world. You wouldn’t believe how long it takes to teach how to double click and type all the weird accents on Portuguese words. Today we just learned how to send and check email and write in a Word document. Tomorrow we’ll practice again

-Today is one of the seminarian’s birthday and I think my roommate and I got invited to a mass/party for him…I’m not quite sure though. I guess I’ll find out in an hour if someone knocks on my door wanting me to go to this mass.

I’d say overall this has been the best day of 2013. I’m glad I finally have things to do and a purpose to my life in Nacuxa! More to come later once I start teaching the little “crianças” (kids) :)

Funny Stories from the week:

-On Sunday at church I somehow got pulled into dancing with the girls who were dancing in front of church to the songs. (Let me just tell you…I’m not a good dancer in America or Mozambique…so it was slightly embarrassing but I had fun dancing with the students and looking like a fool) :)

-One night this week my counterpart, Irmå Tassy, came over and sat by me on my porch and we started talking about school, Nacuxa and cooking. She then asked what I had been cooking…well we really don’t have much access to meat or vegetables or fruit (besides mangos) so I’ve been eating a lot of eggs and peanut butter sandwiches. After I told her this she laughed and told me she’s going to help me learn how to cook. She even brought me over to their house that same night and cooked an egg for me and gave me a huge plate of rice. I tried to explain that back in America I cooked every night at home—I don’t think she believed me. She then told me she would take me to Nacala to the stores that sell vegetables and meat (that you don’t have to kill). After we do that she wants me to come over to her house for a little bit everyday to learn how to cook. They must think I am an idiot in the kitchen. I need to explain to her that I like to bake more than I cook. Since I’ve been here I have made coffee cakes, sugar cookies, oatmeal cookies, French toast, pancakes, and no bake cookies! I just didn’t no how to say all of that in Portuguese so she thinks I’ve just been eating bread, peanut butter and eggs. Oh boy. I have a long way to go to reassuring them I can cook!

Here are some quotes that I wanted to share this week:

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  ~Jeremiah 29:11

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you may go.”  ~Joshua 1:9

“The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.” ~Walter Bagehot 

(However, for me it’s doing the things I thought I could never do…like living on a different continent, speaking a different language, killing scorpions in my room and not thinking twice seeing lizards in my house) :)