Hello again! This time I am writing from Maputo. We are on a field trip to the capital so that we can learn how to get around when we need to come here from site. I definitely prefer the rural community of Namaacha...it's scary walking around here. I've been clutching my bag the whole time. I got to ride in a chapa (taxi like service) for the first time as well...we smashed 24 people into a van that wasn't supposed to hold more than 16. I sat facing the opposite direction with my legs jammed against the person in front of me. Not my favorite way to travel. The drivers here are incredibly dangerous, so it's best to avoid riding in cars as much as possible. There are no stop lights or signs and I still haven't seen a speed limit sign...
The good news is that I survived week 3! I have to congratulate myself every time I make it through a week. This week proved to be a reality check for many volunteers...lots of random bouts of crying...the honeymoon period (if there ever really was one) is definitely over. My language group (we have all our Portuguese language sessions together, 6 times a week) had a slight breakdown this week, which I guess is pretty common. We found it was resolved by getting out of the 105 degree weather and into a barraca (bar) and drinking some cold fanta. All is well.
I have been kind of sick the whole time I've been here and I decided to talk to the medical officers about it yesterday...turns out I have giardia! About 90% of volunteers get it at some point during their service. It's a water parasite that makes life unpleasant. I'm getting medication for it on Monday. I must say, I miss the days when waking up at 6:40 wasn't sleeping in, I didn't think condensed milk was a treat, and getting giardia wasn't common...but I'm still doing OK.
Things with the host family are about the same...luckily I'll only be living with them for another 7 weeks. I definitely made some mistakes this week asking why women didn't get to eat inside...I was told it was because they didn't like eating with the men, and I was given an awkward long stare afterwards. I went to bed quite soon after that. I spoke with a PC officer, and he said it's best to aim those weird cultural questions at him...will do.
I'm getting super pumped for site visits! They happen in about 2 weeks and we get to go to actual sites and "shadow" current volunteers for 5 days. After that we do more indepth interviews with PC officers to find out where we should be placed in December. Also, after site visits, we start preparing for "model school." Each volunteer will teach a class for a week and be evaluated. As of now, that idea is really daunting because the tech sessions we've had have been a joke thus far. All of us trainees are feeling frustrated with the inefficiency of time and such. I'm the "chefe" (boss) for my language group, so I got to voice some complaints to the main people. We are hoping to see some change soon.
Everything else is going OK...still have to take it day by day. Some days are definitely better than others, but I'm sticking it out. I miss you guys all a lot. Please let me know what's going on in your lives and with the election!!! I still haven't gotten any mail...A girl received a package but it had been broken into. It was really sad...clothes and an ipod charger were stolen from it. Again, for safety precautions, if you want to send something do the following:
1. Use US Mail. It's the cheapest.
2. Within the main box, put things in tampon boxes. It makes it less likely they will search through it if they just open it and see feminine hygiene products.
3. Write "irma" before my name...they might think I'm a nun.
4. Try to send small boxes.
I guess that's it! Many hugs and kisses to all!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
I got through week 2!
Hello again! Sorry it has been so long since my last post. The internet here in Namaacha leaves much to be desired and there is always a long line to use it. I´ll try my best to post something once a week though. Please leave comments! I like to see what you guys have to say and I miss you all so any contact whatsoever is lovely...
Ok, so like the title says, I survived my second week of training and living in Namaacha. Things have definitely gotten easier, or at least I´m used to them more, but I still have new surprises every day. For anyone that has talked to me on the phone, it is common knowledge that I do not like my host father. Apparently I got stuck with the most patriarchal family of all. His name is Jorge and he is the most authoritative person ever! All he does is ask me when I´m going to cook and wash clothes. When I did do those things he could not have looked happier. FYI, I do in fact wash my clothes on a rock. Yeah. Pictures to come. I´m constantly wishing that Jorge would fall down the poop chimney but it hasn´t happened yet...As it turns out, after talking with my host mother, Eliza, Jorge has a woman on the side that he has 3 kids with. I asked my host mom if she was ok with that and she said no, but her sister died of AIDS last year (her daughter is staying with us) and her mother died a long time ago so she doesn´t have any other family she could go to. It made me really sad. Women and girls here, especially within the interactions of my host family, have nothing. The little girls act as servants to all the men (host father and 3 host brothers). The girls and mother eat on the floor in the bamboo shack that is the kitchen. They don´t even get the same food as the men of the house. Since I´m a white American it´s a little different for me, I eat with the men and eat their food, but it´s still expected of me to clean and cook. I´m constantly being told by Jorge that I study too much. It´s taking a lot of adjusting. I knew the culture would be different coming here, butI could not have prepared myself for going from a place where I was respected by my male friends and family, to just being expected to fulfill certain gender roles. I doubt I´ll ever fully adjust to it. Hopefully once I start teaching and am at my site I can more actively fight against it.
It´s also difficult to get used to the absolute poverty here. Yesterday I saw little girls playing jump rope. The rope was made of trash bags tied together. Very few of the children (and I mean little kids, toddlers and older) have shoes. They are constantly filthy and their clothes are torn. Toddlers walk around in packs without any adults. There are just so many things you wouldn´t dream of seeing in the US.
There is still an incredible water shortage here as well and the people are suffering. It has only rained twice since I´ve been here. A volunteer that had training here in Namaacha last year said that he can´t believe the difference. All the wells are dry and the river is nothing but a stagnant creek for washing clothes and dishes now.
As much as I can´t believe it, I´ve actually grown to enjoy my bucket baths! I wasted SO much water showering in the US. Here, just a small bucket and cup is all I need. They are quite refreshing, unless it´s cold in the morning. Then I miss my private, indoor shower.
I´ve learned to make a few Mozambican dishes, wash clothes, light charcoal for cooking, pilar amendoim (smashing peanuts colonial style) and my Portuguese is improving each day. I´m constantly tired! I wake up at 6 every morning and I haven´t stayed up later than 9 so far...ah the life of a Peace Corps trainee.
The only wildlife I´ve seen has been an ostrich. It was huge with prehistoric looking feet. I´ve seen lots of crazy lizards, some cockroaches (in my room and crawling around my poop chimney), and one HUGE spider (black with white stripes...my host sister killed it while laughing at my fear). I´ll be in a more rural area for my service so hopefully I´ll have more exciting animal encounters then.
I think that´s all for now...please leave your comments! I miss you all SO much!!
Ok, so like the title says, I survived my second week of training and living in Namaacha. Things have definitely gotten easier, or at least I´m used to them more, but I still have new surprises every day. For anyone that has talked to me on the phone, it is common knowledge that I do not like my host father. Apparently I got stuck with the most patriarchal family of all. His name is Jorge and he is the most authoritative person ever! All he does is ask me when I´m going to cook and wash clothes. When I did do those things he could not have looked happier. FYI, I do in fact wash my clothes on a rock. Yeah. Pictures to come. I´m constantly wishing that Jorge would fall down the poop chimney but it hasn´t happened yet...As it turns out, after talking with my host mother, Eliza, Jorge has a woman on the side that he has 3 kids with. I asked my host mom if she was ok with that and she said no, but her sister died of AIDS last year (her daughter is staying with us) and her mother died a long time ago so she doesn´t have any other family she could go to. It made me really sad. Women and girls here, especially within the interactions of my host family, have nothing. The little girls act as servants to all the men (host father and 3 host brothers). The girls and mother eat on the floor in the bamboo shack that is the kitchen. They don´t even get the same food as the men of the house. Since I´m a white American it´s a little different for me, I eat with the men and eat their food, but it´s still expected of me to clean and cook. I´m constantly being told by Jorge that I study too much. It´s taking a lot of adjusting. I knew the culture would be different coming here, butI could not have prepared myself for going from a place where I was respected by my male friends and family, to just being expected to fulfill certain gender roles. I doubt I´ll ever fully adjust to it. Hopefully once I start teaching and am at my site I can more actively fight against it.
It´s also difficult to get used to the absolute poverty here. Yesterday I saw little girls playing jump rope. The rope was made of trash bags tied together. Very few of the children (and I mean little kids, toddlers and older) have shoes. They are constantly filthy and their clothes are torn. Toddlers walk around in packs without any adults. There are just so many things you wouldn´t dream of seeing in the US.
There is still an incredible water shortage here as well and the people are suffering. It has only rained twice since I´ve been here. A volunteer that had training here in Namaacha last year said that he can´t believe the difference. All the wells are dry and the river is nothing but a stagnant creek for washing clothes and dishes now.
As much as I can´t believe it, I´ve actually grown to enjoy my bucket baths! I wasted SO much water showering in the US. Here, just a small bucket and cup is all I need. They are quite refreshing, unless it´s cold in the morning. Then I miss my private, indoor shower.
I´ve learned to make a few Mozambican dishes, wash clothes, light charcoal for cooking, pilar amendoim (smashing peanuts colonial style) and my Portuguese is improving each day. I´m constantly tired! I wake up at 6 every morning and I haven´t stayed up later than 9 so far...ah the life of a Peace Corps trainee.
The only wildlife I´ve seen has been an ostrich. It was huge with prehistoric looking feet. I´ve seen lots of crazy lizards, some cockroaches (in my room and crawling around my poop chimney), and one HUGE spider (black with white stripes...my host sister killed it while laughing at my fear). I´ll be in a more rural area for my service so hopefully I´ll have more exciting animal encounters then.
I think that´s all for now...please leave your comments! I miss you all SO much!!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Training
So, I am half way through my third day of training here in namaacha. (im sorry but it is difficult to capitalize and do proper punctuation with this computer). here is a little bit of my everyday life thus far - i wake up at 6am from the rooster crowing, then i gather my things and walk down to the bathroom area, which is really a concrete shack with a tin roof. there, i set my bucket of river water and then i use a cup to pour water over myself as a squat on the floor. right next to the shower area is the hole where you do your duties. it looks like a mini chimney. i squat on that too. then i walk back to my room, which is also a concrete room with a tin roof (that the chickens like to jump on and then walk all over) and i get dressed. i brush my teeth over the trash hole, which is a giant square dug out of the ground that all the trash is dumped in and burned when it gets too full. then i have breakfast that consists of tea and bread, and go to portuguese lessons. those are going really well. my house is made up of 4 different buildings. 1 for eating, my room, the bathroom, and the shack that is the kitchen, which only has a hot plate in it for cooking. it has definitely taken some getting used to and im still adjusting. im doing much better than the first night. ive killed a few cockroaches. no snakes or spiders yet though so i am thankful. we are doing cross cultural lessons and such during the day too. those are also going well. i like all of my fellow trainees so thats good. im making some friends. ive taken some pictures of my neighborhood. i can see swaziland and south africa from the top of the trail down into my area. its a beautiful view. when i can upload pictures i will. i hope everyone is doing well and i miss you all. much love!
Friday, October 3, 2008
Maputo
Hello!
I've been in Africa for a few days now. I think I've actually managed to adjust to the time change quite well because I've forced myself to only go to sleep at normal local times. I didn't sleep much on the plane so that made it easier. We're staying in Kaya Kwanga now, but I'll be living with my host families starting on Sunday morning and I'll also start my more intensive training then. Thus far, I've received 4 vaccinations (with more to come), metacais (local currency), a HUGE medical kit and general precautions about our safety in regards to where we can go and water and food. We get a heavy duty water purifier too. Maputo is a pretty dangerous place...our hotel is surrounded by a fence with barbed wire on top. I guess a lot of crimes happen right across the street from where we are, along the beach. Assaults and robberies are the most common, but the Peace Corps is very upfront about telling us what we can and cannot do. I'm becoming quite certain that I'll get malaria or some sort of other parasite at some point during my stay. It's just inevitable. But we have all the medicine we need. We have to brush our teeth wiith bottled water because the tap is REALLY unsafe. I'm enjoying everyone and everything so far. I'll try to write more later, but as I'm going to my host family soon communication will be even more limited. If anyone wants to text, my cell number is 011-258-82-819-8145. I won't text a lot, but if you want to know I'm alive I'll give you updates. I hope everyone is doing well! Miss you all. Much love!!
I've been in Africa for a few days now. I think I've actually managed to adjust to the time change quite well because I've forced myself to only go to sleep at normal local times. I didn't sleep much on the plane so that made it easier. We're staying in Kaya Kwanga now, but I'll be living with my host families starting on Sunday morning and I'll also start my more intensive training then. Thus far, I've received 4 vaccinations (with more to come), metacais (local currency), a HUGE medical kit and general precautions about our safety in regards to where we can go and water and food. We get a heavy duty water purifier too. Maputo is a pretty dangerous place...our hotel is surrounded by a fence with barbed wire on top. I guess a lot of crimes happen right across the street from where we are, along the beach. Assaults and robberies are the most common, but the Peace Corps is very upfront about telling us what we can and cannot do. I'm becoming quite certain that I'll get malaria or some sort of other parasite at some point during my stay. It's just inevitable. But we have all the medicine we need. We have to brush our teeth wiith bottled water because the tap is REALLY unsafe. I'm enjoying everyone and everything so far. I'll try to write more later, but as I'm going to my host family soon communication will be even more limited. If anyone wants to text, my cell number is 011-258-82-819-8145. I won't text a lot, but if you want to know I'm alive I'll give you updates. I hope everyone is doing well! Miss you all. Much love!!
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