I can’t believe I’ve been living in Mozambique for 10 months already. It seems like just yesterday I was freaking out over what to pack in my suitcase and hiking pack for the next 27 months of my life. Little did I realize that I hardly brought anything that was important (like American food/chocolate/spices/solar panel) and focused too much on other stuff (like clothes). How was I supposed to know how my life would be here? I only had a small glimpse into the life I’d be having during training and the completely different life I’d be having when I finally got to site thanks to the blogs I found online. I now look back at my old blog posts and realize I had no idea what I was in store for, but I am grateful for the turn my life has taken.
It’s been 10 months in Mozambique and a week shy of 8 months at site. I am in awe that I’ve been away that long. I have learned so much about myself during this time away from home. I am so thankful I was able to have this experience, but I’m sad at how fast it’s going. Weeks and months seem to fly even though some days seem to drag a bit. Where did July go? I feel like I was just welcoming July, yet in a few short days it’ll be August. Kids in America will start thinking about going back to school as summer is coming to an end there. Here, we’re getting ready for a two-week break in-between the second and third trimester. We have provincial exams next week followed by a week of school where no one will be here, which has a two week break afterward (I’m going on vacation for a bit and then have a Peace Corps conference), and then we’ll have the first week of the trimester where I believe some Peace Corps staff members will be passing through Nauela! Needless to say if I thought July went fast, August is going to FLY.
How has 10 months felt for my friends and family? Well, some say it feels like just yesterday I left as they feel they’ve been able to keep up with me pretty well. Others say it definitely feels like I’ve been gone for 10 months. Maybe my months are flying off the calendar because no two days are the same for me. I don’t think I’ve had two of the same day here – even when I have to do the same thing… everyday is an adventure. Everyday has something new to offer me and I learn something new everyday. Perhaps that’s why my life seems to be moving faster than the speed of light. Before I know it, I’ll be back in America, applying to graduate schools, and getting my life started. Woah, let’s pump the breaks there…
Such pretty mountains. I just love this view in Gurue!
So here are 10 lists of top 10 things I think y’all might enjoy! 🙂
The top 10 things I have learned to live without:
10. Makeup, perfume, and fancy/cute clothes
9. Washing my hair everyday (and blow drying it)
8. Dr. Pepper
7. Reliable transportation
6. Talking in English
5. Talking to my friends and family everyday (both in Mozambique and America)
4. Having a choice of food or veggies to buy
3. A fridge – so cold water or really cold anything
2. Running water
1. Electricity
The top 10 things I couldn’t survive without:
10. My carvão (charcoal) stove
9. Lentils, beans, and rice
8. Fausia, an awesome 8th grader who helps me around my house
7. My friends and neighbors in Nauela
6. The adorable 2 year olds that live near me
5. Media of some kind – movies, TV shows, etc
4. The support of my friends and family in America
3. My PCV friends (who are my family) in Mozambique
2. My solar panels (all three of them)
1. My smartphone and computer
My top 10 favorite foods to make in Mozambique:
10. Sweet and sour cabbage with lentils with or without rice
9. A cold lentil salad with lemon
8. A lettuce salad with tuna
7. Rice and beans (thanks to Fausia’s help!)
6. Spaghetti with soy meat sauce with some parmesan cheese
5. Lentil chili
4. Open faced tuna sandwiches with avocado
3. Curried lentil soup
2. Pumpkin and potato curry
1. An okra, tomato, green pepper, and onion mix with lemon and lentils with or without rice.
My top 10 favorite places I’ve visited since being in Mozambique (Nauela intentionally not included):
10. Mocuba, Zambézia
9. Monapo, Nampula
8. Invinha, Zambezia
7. Namaacha, Maputo
6. Kampala, Uganda – I went there on a trip, but I went from Mozambique
5. Maputo Cidade, Maputo
4. Quelimane, Zambézia
3. Ilha de Moçambique, Nampula
2. Gurué, Zambézia
1. Pemba, Cabo Delgado
My top 10 favorite things about Nauela:
10. The community of people
9. The fact that everyone knows who I am (even the little kids!)
8. My students – all 400 of them
7. The fresh produce (we might not have a lot of it, but it’s straight from someone’s garden to my kitchen)
6. The scenery of the beautiful mountains all around
5. Louisa’s bolos (fried dough)
4. My friends and people who stop by my house to say hello
3. My wonderful neighbors and their children
2. My host mother and father
1. My friend Louisa, her husband Veloso, and their three beautiful children
The 10 staple foods of my diet:
10. Peanut butter
9. Cabbage/Lettuce/Okra – depending on the season
8. Bolos/Bajia (fried dough/fried mashed beans)
7. Lentils
6. Bread
5. Beans
4. Rice
3. Tomatoes
2. Onions
1. Tea/Water
My top 10 most worn clothing items:
10. Hoodie/North Face fleece (during the winter of course – it gets cold here!)
9. Leggings – under skirts/dresses, by themselves, or under other pants
8. Skirts and dresses either brought from America, made from capulanas, or bought second hand
7. T-shirts
6. Rainbow flip flops (around Nauela, not to teach) and Old Navy flip flops (around the yard and house)
5. V-neck shirts from America in all colors
4. Columbia travel pants/Columbia rain jacket
3. Long flannel pants from America/linen pants bought second hang in Gurué
2. Long sleeved flannel shirt bought second hand in Gurué
1. Chacos – seriously the best shoes ever invented
The top 10 things I miss most about America:
10. Hoegaarden/Dr. Pepper/Raspberry vodka and soda water with a lime
9. Not having to wrestle a mosquito net to get in and out of bed
8. A BBQ bacon cheddar cheeseburger
7. Disney World – but really, Epcot
6. Contacts and a full-length mirror – I don’t like wearing glasses everyday and I haven’t seen my whole body in a mirror since America
5. Chik-fil-a
4. A mattress that isn’t made of foam and doesn’t have a divot where my body sleeps at night or have random bugs that bite me at night
3. The choices of food/produce at the supermarket
2. Having and driving my own car
1. My parents and friends – being able to communicate easily with them
10 things I’ve learned about myself:
10. I don’t need running water or electricity to live a happy, successful life
9. I can learn a new language if I really want to
8. I need to trust people more and ask for help when it’s needed
7. It is okay to cry; it’s a great way to let things out
6. It is okay to treat myself every once in a while – like buy chocolate, nutella, beer, and soda when I know it’s a little pricy for my budget – because sometimes it’s the only way to stay sane
5. Every single day I am in Nauela, I make an impact on the people I see, touch, talk to, and am friends with (especially the little kids!)
4. It is okay to become fast friends with people, especially other PCVs – they understand what I’m dealing with and are my family here
3. I am beautiful without makeup, perfume, straightened hair, and fancy clothes
2. I appreciate even the smallest things a million times more – like a cold soda
1. I can survive the hardest situations because nothing will ever be as hard as living in Nauela for 2 years
10 things I want to accomplish in the next 10 months in Mozambique (so by the end of May 2015):
10. Learn more Lomwe (the local language in Nauela)
9. Effectively teach my students better with few resources
8. Learn how to make xima, and make it well – it’s pronounced shima; it’s a stiff starch made of corn flour in hot water
7. Get in better shape/workout more – do more yoga, walk more, run more, eat healthier, etc
6. Have more of a trade of food/goods – I give them a Tupperware of “American” food and they return it filled with Mozambican food
5. Make more friends in Nauela
4. Travel to visit more volunteers and see more of Mozambique, and maybe even surrounding countries (Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and/or Swaziland)
3. Study and take the GRE to prepare for Graduate School (in December)
2. Work at the hospital a little every week to help with nutrition in Nauela
1. Build (or start building) a library at the primary school for my children’s literacy program
Boa Noite, Moçambique! 