day 5

*I saw my first big bug today! It tickled my toes while I was eating dinner. Before I could pull back the tablecloth I saw this giant cockroach scurry across the floor. It was fat. Cockroaches in Thailand were also large; they were long and fat. This one was short and fat. And it tickled my toes!!

*I am back to the life of feet washing in the sink. This may sound gross to some of you and maybe I should try to bend in a way that if I turned on the overhead shower I would only get my feet wet (I have no bathtub), but alas, I use the sink. A girl can’t go to bed with dirty feet.

*Today I learned that all that money I spent on grad school may just have been worth it. ;-) I felt like I was in a group meeting at SIT all day; except I was at my new job! And we did exactly that which was done all year at grad school - including sitting in a circle for meetings. :-) And tomorrow, any fellow PIM67s who may be reading this, I have to create a log frame. That’s right. My third day on a job and I must create a log frame. Who was it that said we wouldn’t need to know how to make those?? :-)

*Literacy is something I take for granted. This morning I realized just how important it is when needed to reference documents to create new ones. Translation takes a lot of energy and time. I sat this morning in front of a document I needed to do my work. It was written in Portuguese. Three colleagues and I sat for the good part of the morning translating the document so that we could then create another one.

My job more often than not is working with people whose first language is not English; often they speak no English at all. However, I’ve always had the advantage that the work I’m doing is in my language to begin with. It is a great challenge not to have the advantage! I can nonverbally communicate when I need to in a market or on a mototaxi. I can even point and order food at a restaurant without understanding a word or knowing what the food may actually be :-). But I’ve never had my job depend on my literacy skills in a foreign language. This is going to be a challenge. And a great incentive to learn very quickly! (Kate, I’m going to write all my emails to you in Portuguese so we can both practice! You can teach Hudson & Alex too!)

map of mozambique flood risk areas

arrival

Msp - Atl - Dakar - Johannesburg - Maputo!!!

I am in Mozambique!! I have taken a new position working in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response with an international non-profit. This year is bound to be an exciting one!!! It is my first full day in Maputo and I am loving being in Africa once again. The red dirt is nostalgic. The sounds and smells unfamiliar and so comforting at the same time. New faces, sharing smiles, childrens laughter, and ululations being called from the streets. A new stamp in my passport. It's amazing when you find yourself in a new place completely different from that which you came and one that you can't wait to learn more of and explore. I'm overwhelmed with this opportunity to be here and to work. It's amazing!! I love it. :-)

birthday parties & small talk

My new supervisor graciously invited me to a colleague’s birthday party for his 2-year-old daughter. My first day in Mozambique, I humbly oblige. It’s a beautiful sunny day; the weather is cooler than I expected. The streets are lined with palm trees. We walk into an outdoor restaurant with balloons and red table cloths decorating the scene. Two giant birthday cakes sit at the head table. The guest of honor toddles around with a party hat strapped to her little head full of tiny braids. Small children laugh as they run around stealing food off their parents’ plates. I meet a new colleague and his family – his daughter smiles up at me with this mysterious twinkle in her eyes. She giggles. I’m introduced to my supervisor’s wife and young daughter. She says hello and asks if I speak French. I suddenly would like to email my French teacher and ask why the only word I can remember is “pamplamous” -which translates to grapefruit. How can I use that in a sentence? I can’t think of a way.

Small talk is much more difficult when no words can be used. I sit there and realize out of a crowd of 50+ people, there are only two others who speak English. I must start learning Portuguese very fast! Reading and understanding is one thing, speaking and communicating is another. I need to learn quickly. I wish I could speak with these people. They are all very welcoming and kind as we exchange smiles and hand gestures. The awkwardness of it eventually turns into a comfortable silence. I sit back and enjoy the party.

questions? answered.

Here are a few questions you may have asked, that I can now answer (in no particular order):

*What side of the road do they drive on? The left.

*What is the weather like? Cooler temps (60-70 F) as it is winter now.

*Is it safe to walk alone in the city? Yes.

*Sunup & Sundown at 6? Yes.

*When do I go to Mutarara? Sept or Oct (possibly :-)).
Note: the location of my exact field station is still being determined!

*What is the food like? Today I ate sukuma wiki, chapatti, chix and potatoes. :-)

*What is the exchange rate? Somewhere around 24 MZM to the $1 USD.

*Are there any bugs? Not yet. :-)

*Are there any creatures? Not yet. :-)

*What language is spoken? Portuguese.

*English? Portuguese. :-)

*How shall I dress? What is appropriate or acceptable? From my observation today, anything goes. :-)

*Where will I live? Currently in a hotel a few blocks from the office. In the field, will possibly be living in a guest house with my own bedroom and ensuite bath.

*How do you get to Mutarara? By air or land? Both. I was happy to hear there are two air strips within reasonable driving distance in the northwest near Tete, and northeast near Zambezi province. By there I will travel by road.

*Will I have internet? Yes!

*Can I receive packages? Most definately, yes! Contact me for an address. :-)

Note: I will add to these as I find the answers!

new beginnings

Each time I go to a new place it’s a chance to make a first impression; to make new friends; try new things; essentially to be anyone I’d like to be. However, I am finding that the more opportunities I have to change, the more I like who I am. That’s not to say that I don’t want change. I actually crave it at times. And then when it happens I struggle. And then I get bored and crave some more. :-) But the more I share with new people who I am and where I come from, why I’m here, why I do the work I do, I find I’m at peace. I love the challenge of trying to find a common ground. (When I can use my words :-)) Something I can share with this new stranger in front of me, hoping to make a new friend. I worry sometimes that my friendships I leave behind as I set out on these new adventures will disappear while I am away. I am thankful to those who don’t allow that to happen. Because sometimes I find it difficult to share the differences I am surrounded in and the changes that occur during my times away from home. It’s an awesome thing to know people will always be there for you, no matter the time or distance that passes. It’s a luxury. And one I most definitely do not want to take for granted. There’s a struggle that occurs inside me each time I leave the states. It is home. It’s where my family lives. It’s where many of my friends are. Its what I know and am comfortable with. But then there’s this incredible rush when I get to a new place. It’s a challenge. A chase. A chance for so many new beginnings. But I’m finding that I’m not necessarily the one that is craving the new beginnings anymore. After interviewing refugee after refugee, it’s hard to want to experience the new for yourself. There’s a guilt that creeps up. A reality check. I hope my work here, though not dealing directly with refugees, I hope my work will still make an impact in those who have suffered from things beyond their control. I have been so blessed to have that control in my life. To make decisions that have brought me to opportunities like these where I can learn and travel and meet new people. It’s an amazing thing. And it’s a struggle to know where that fine line of enjoying the new is and taking into reality what that means in my own life, as well as those that I’m working with. I don’t want to be the starry eyed American who travels just because I can. And I don’t want to be the do-gooder who is out to make a difference and change the world with my thoughts on what I think life should be. It’s hard to know what to call reality at times. I’m hoping life and the people I’m blessed to meet will show me.

Cheers to new beginnings!