So this weekend has been a blur. Okay, let’s back up to Thursday – the day after Mozambique’s Independence Day.
Thursday we were back to work and back on the job! No more just sitting around and bumming with my friends. I started the morning with TICs, which went as normal as it could in a community without electricity, and I finished the afternoon in my 8th grade English class. In this class, we talked about jobs and occupations. We discussed possible jobs for after secondary school and also what subjects were needed. I had my students write sentences about what job they liked and considering doing after finishing secondary school and also what subjects they needed to study more of in order to do that job. I walked around the room and read their sentences, and it appears that I have many future journalists, teachers, and doctors in my classroom. I was really excited to talk to them about the importance of thinking ahead about the future even though they are only in 8th grade. I also watched the USA vs. Germany soccer World Cup game at the Pedagogical Director’s house. It turns out there isn’t a place in this world where you can’t watch the World Cup games. The Pedagogical Director has solar panels, which are the same as the Director’s house, another professor’s house, and the school’s solar panels. He has a tiny 12-inch TV and a satellite dish to watch the game. Although there was much animosity from my colleagues due to the fact that the Portugal vs. Ghana game was on at the same time, we watched the USA game. Unfortunately we lost, but it was still great to see us fight hard and know that Portugal winning against Ghana sent us through to the second phase.
Friday was another day of running around talking to people, getting things settled and organized, and organizing a meeting I was to have on Monday in Alto Molòcué. I spent part of the afternoon at my friend’s house, like I always do!
Saturday was the first official day of my EGRA program, where I am working with two people from my community to teach children how to read and write in Portuguese. We had 53 kids show up over the course of the hour! We had a great spot in the primary school with a chalkboard and a few desks and chairs for the kids. We spent the entire hour learning the letters – naming the letters and practicing the sounds of the letters. We then had the students go one by one around the room and read off random letters. We found out that some of the kids know a great deal about letters, yet others haven’t a clue. We then spent time practicing how to write the letters A through G in uppercase and lowercase. The kids really seemed to enjoy learning the letters and how to write them. We first practiced with our fingers in the air and then we transitioned to pen and paper after a few times in the air. Some of the kids know how to write (and can write their names), while others really struggle and don’t know the first thing about writing (and looked scared when asked to write their names). I can tell this is something we really need in Nauela. I have a student in my 8th grade English class that doesn’t write well at all and she struggles to understand Portuguese. Hopefully with this EGRA program, we can eliminate (or help prevent) more cases like that from happening in the future. When a student gets to 8th grade, they most definitely should be able to read, write, and speak Portuguese. I just hope this program is a good start! I also was able to Facetime my parents (which I’m happy we’ve been able to do every weekend) and one of my best friends Rachel from home. Being able to see their faces, though sometimes they’re frozen in place, is such a great thing for me. I love being able to catch up with friends and family.
Our first EGRA meeting with 53 kids! They were so excited, and I was too!
Some of the kids writing letters on paper or in their notebooks! They loved it when I looked at their letters and gave them positive feedback!
I love Facetiming with my parents… especially when my Dad makes funny faces at the camera! 🙂
Sunday was a relaxing day – I didn’t do anything work related and just took the day for me. I spent time reading, watching some episodes of “How I Met Your Mother,” and just relaxed. It had been a while since I had a day just for me.
Monday morning I got up early and left on the first chapa to Alto Molòcué. Unfortunately, it was a cold, cloudy, grey, rainy day, but I was able to sit in the front of the chapa (yay for not getting wet due to the rain). When I got to Alto Molòcué (after 2 and a half hours – the worst chapa ride to date), I bought a few things that I needed back home in Nauela (like dish soap, laundry soap, table salt, big cloves of garlic, big onions, and toilet paper). Then I made my way to my friend Jesse’s house and hung out with him until my meeting at 10am. I had a meeting with World Vision, which is a health organization in Mozambique that does all sorts of things. I am currently attempting to get a nutrition secondary project going in Nauela, and the health side of Peace Corps Mozambique is trying to hook me up with an organization. I met with one of the guys that works at World Vision, and he seemed like a great guy. We discussed options for nutrition, but unfortunately all of the work is being done in Alto Molòcué and Mugema. Mugema is 15km away from Nauela in the direction of Alto Molòcué, which wouldn’t be a problem in America, but with the transportation the way it is, it is difficult to get there and get home (plus it’s 30 mets each way, so 60 mets (or $2) each way. We’re trying to figure out options, but I’m not sure the project that is in Mugema is for me. I then reached out to another organization, CLUSA, about their work and they work from Mugema through Nauela until Cololo, which is another village on the other side of Nauela toward Gurué. I need to call them back and discuss more about what they’re doing in Nauela. I also have been seeing FGH (Friends in Global Health) emblems on cars driving in Nauela to the hospital here, and emailed the health APCDs within Peace Corps. They work with people living with HIV/AIDS and there is a nutrition component to that work. Apparently the two health volunteers (Laura in MOZ 12 and Michael in MOZ 14) who were here worked with FGH and a religious organization. We’re now going down that road to see what options are available for me to work/support. I’m just hoping something works out in the nutrition side of life. I’d love to have some experience with nutrition before going to graduate school for nutrition!
And now, today is Tuesday! My TICs class saw a real life desktop computer today and I showed them how different keys on the keyboard work and what the different functions are. I never realized how much I take the knowledge of computers I have for granted (thanks Dad!) because these kids literally know NOTHING about computers. When I was in elementary school, I remember having typing class or computer class where we all sat at our own computer and played typing games. My parents even got me a few when I was growing up to practice at home (man, was I a nerd growing up!) Because of those games and classes, I can type super fast now. These kids don’t know the first thing about computers – let alone understand how to type. Capital letters? What? You’re telling me I need to hit “shift” and the key AT THE SAME TIME. Woah. Too much. It’s interesting to see the different teachers come into my TICs area where we’re learning about the computer and eavesdrop on my lesson. If we get more computers, giving the teachers a computer class wouldn’t be a bad idea. They all need it – desperately.
Tonight I’ll be watching the USA vs. Belgium soccer World Cup game back at the Pedagogical Director’s house. Last time I wore red, white, and blue and this time I will be as well! It’s going to be a late game, 22:00 (or 10pm), but I’m going to take a nap (maybe) and stay up for the game. I have to support my country!
Friday is the fourth of July and I can’t wait to celebrate it with other volunteers! Stay tuned to see where my adventure takes me!
Boa Noite, Moçambique! 