2 Jan 2009
I would like to rename my last entry: The Debbie Downer List of 2008. Now, although my list of frustrations remains valid, I made it in the heat of the moment – literally, it was a really hot moment – and I was passionately angry at the bugs, the heat, the intermittent electricity, etc. Also, lets face it, I have been known to be a little dramatic at times. But after a refreshing New Years beach trip, I have resolved to be more positive about my experience here in Mozambique in 2009 and hopefully all through 2010 as well. It may be rough, there may be a lot of annoying things that happen, and sometimes I really just want to shake some sense into people, but I am here, and allowing myself to become cynical (which I quickly quickly am) will do me, my students, and my community no good in the long run.
So here goes, New Years Resolution: have a more positive outlook on life here in the Moz.
Things I Like About Mozambique:
1. Although I am constantly sweaty and dirty, I am never the smelly kid around town. The Mozambicans always win that contest.
2. Since I am basically malnourished from a lack of protein, the bugs in my food lend some much needed nutrients right? But here is the question: I am verging on vegetarian, do bugs in my food count as eating meat?
3. Parasites and intestinal worms are great weight loss methods. So if the constant and somewhat consuming feeling like I am just on the verge of vomiting means that I have one I won’t have to worry that all I eat here is bread, pasta, potatoes, rice and corn mush.
4. Although the ridiculous amount of attention I get from Mozambican men is annoying, it is a chance to practice my Portuguese. And they always think I am just hilarious when I tell them I have three husbands and can’t possibly handle one more.
5. There is one store that sometimes has Coke Light, my absolute fave. I think it is actually better then Diet Coke, but I may be delusional. So although refrescos are rarely cold because electricity works about 1/2453453635th of the time, at least the refresco is delicious despite its tepid temperature.
Ok, but seriously, all sarcastic/snide/still tinged with hate/etc remarks aside, there are some things that I absolutely love about this place and my life here.
1. The ladies in the market that call me Tia Katarina and then giggle. And sometimes they throw in a few extra tomatoes for free just because they like me.
2. The stars. The sky is so clear here and the stars so vibrant. On Christmas Eve you could even see the Milky Way – or at least that is what my friend Abbie told me it was. The sky is pretty amazing during the day too actually. Massively expansive and absolutely picturesque Africa.
3. Beatiful beaches. I like to call Mozambique a tropical paradise. Seriously, amazing. I am turning into such a beach girl. I might just have to live somewhere warm and coastal when I get back to the states. It really is not just the beaches though, this country is so beautiful in so many ways. I look around and remind myself that although life is hard at times, at least I am surrounded by absolute ridiculous astounding beauty. I met some volunteers from PC Namibia the other day, and they face similar difficulties as I do in terms of life, but they said that instead of tropical paradise they live in flat, hot, deserty wasteland. Sucks for them.
4. Cute South African boys.
5. And beautiful Mozambican men – although this option more often leads to leering and inappropriate conversation. But seriously, the men are amazingly chiseled. And they don't even do the whole go to the gym and grunt while you lift weights in front of a mirror and stare at your bulging veins thing. Au natural I guess.
6. Pineapple – I am pretty much eating one a day – mangos, bananas, and freshly roasted cashews. All for sale on the street/at chapa stops/in the hands of small children that chase you down the street/beach trying to get you to buy some. It makes grocery shopping easy, delicious, and snack friendly.
7. My porch. I spend a lot of time there, looking out over my town that sits in the valley below. I read, work on my various craft projects, and on hot days I sit there eating pineapple all day because it is the only cool place in the country – the breeze up here is glorious (I start work in two weeks, so as of now I have very little to do. This is the reason I sound like a lazy bum to you all. I promise I will be teaching English to classes of 70 very soon).
8. Chapa rides. Ok, so this is a love hate relationship. Because a chapa ride involves cramming like 25 people into a 12 passenger van, plus various bits of cargo, plus animals (lets recall my goat experience please). But at the same time, I always make friends with someone, and there is just something memorable and endearing about being awkwardly close to 24 Mozambicans at once.
9. Capulanas. They are these large rectangular pieces of vibrantly colored and patterned fabric. I think that most or at least a lot of African countries have them, and they go by various names in each place. The things are just so handy. Mozambican women – unless you are in a city – constantly have one tied around their waste, “to protect your clothes” mama would say to me. I use them as a skirt when I am too lazy or to hot to put on pants, instead of a towel to shower (especially when I am traveling because they are so light and thin, great for packing), as a blanket when I am traveling because sleeping bags are big and annoying to carry and it is too hot for them anyway, I usually keep one in my purse for wiping the sweat off my face on hot days, they are perfect for laying on the beach and then to put on as a swim cover-up if you feel like moving to a shady beach-side restaurant to sip a cool beverage, I cut them up to make clothes and various pieces of home decor, you can also take them to a tailor and have pretty much anything made for dirt cheap, women use them to carry babies on their backs and I am brainstorming how I might rig up some sort of backpack system with one since I am sans child, and finally, I roll one up to create a luxurious cushioning system for carrying buckets of water on my head.
10. Mozambique is making me crafty and resourceful. I make pretty much all of my food from scratch. This includes a coffee cake I made with oil instead of butter, and powdered non-dairy creamer instead of milk because I do not own a refrigerator and thus cannot keep these items in the house. It turned out utterly delicious believe it or not. I am debating making homemade pasta, just because I have the time; I have hand-sewn a shirt and two curtains; I made picture frames out of cardboard, fabric, and a gluestick; I made my own calendar that is entirely neon because the only markers I had were actually highlighters. I call it 2009: An Ode to the ‘80s; I fixed my window and installed a mosquito screen using duct tape and yarn; I strategically tie fishing line around my house and hang things from it because I as of yet have not managed to get a nail into my concrete walls; I lugged an entire full large propane tank through the city of Xai-Xai, onto a chapa, out of a chapa, across a major freeway, and halfway up a steep sandy massive hill before an old man insisted he carry it for me; I live on about $7 a day, and for a developing country, Mozambique aint all that cheap. In fact, it is far more expensive than its neighbors; I use less than one large bucket of water a day, this includes bathing, drinking, cooking, dishes, etc. Ok, on the days I do laundry I use two buckets. But still, pretty impressive I think. Then again, if I use more, I have to carry more. And there is a real big hill between my water source and my house; I carry buckets of water on my head. This makes me a good Mozambican woman. But also, think of the whole center of gravity thing. It just makes more sense this way… The list goes on, but you get the idea, I am pretty freakin handy.
Happy New Year!
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