Hey Kids,
This was a good week. We finally got our mail after almost a month. Normally it takes packages about 2 1/2 weeks to arrive in country and then some time to get in our hands, but there was a slight mix up with Peace Cops and every one's mail was delayed. A hearty thanks to Mom and David for their package of copies of The Economist (badly needed intellectual reading material) and the converter and studying aides. Also a big thanks to Dad and Dee for their over indulgent gift package that has basically isolated me from the rest of the volunteers out of sheer envy....hehe. Can we say Lobster Pate? Craziness.
Also, we received our site placements this week. It looks like PC is sending me to a semi-rural area working for a community based organization that is in need of some structural support and new ideas. The organization is AREPACHO, and they work with orphans, agriculture, and income generating projects, plus I get to work in the field...all of which I requested. This is also a new site, so Peace Corps has not sent a volunteer here before. They are located in the community of Choguene, just north of Xai Xai in the Provence of Gaza. Basically I am about a 4 hour Chapa ride from Maputo. I am looking at a picture of my house and it is super cute, although my bathroom is still in the process of being constructed. They are even building a veranda for me! PLUS, I have....(wait for it)....electricity! Well, at least that is what they tell me. I will have to assess everything once I get to site. From what I can tell, it is a cute little house and perfect for a person living alone. I will be sure and take plenty of pictures once I get to site.
As it stands right now, I am hoping to get to site and have everything up to PC Safety Code by Christmas. Then, if the stars are aligned, I will take a 7 hour Chapa ride up the coast to Vilankulo, to house sit for one of my favorite volunteers, Lily. The house is supposed to be great and her dog needs a care-taker while she and her roommate are away for the holidays. Plus since this is the first Christmas that I will be alone, I wanted to do something special. Snorkeling with manta rays and and resting on the beach sounds pretty good, right?
This past Thanksgiving alone was a little tougher than I thought, but I quickly recovered. We opted not to make a big deal about it, since anything we could put together would only make us miss our families more. So today, all the health trainees from my village have taken the trip to Maputo and we are eating lunch at a supposedly great Indian restaurant. This might be as close to turkey as I get....lol
I have to close for now, but thanks for keeping me updated on everything. Hopefully my cell phone will be arriving soon and I will be in closer contact with some of you.
Keepin it up,
ZS
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Pictures....Finally!
Hey Kids,
Well, we just finished week 7 and I am feeling much better. My site visit to Xai Xai was a real treat. The city was much larger than anything I would want for a site, but was a nice change of pace. I and another trainee, Nicole, stayed with David, a volunteer working for the very large NGO, Save the Children. After a week of checking e-mail, walking around the city, visiting the large market and eating as much goat as we wanted, Nicole and I went to the beach on Thursday and Friday. The volunteers had pitched in to get all the trainees who were visiting the area two beach houses for our last night. It was great to relax with everyone and watch the waves roll in. Hopefully you can understand why I took so many pictures of the sunrise at 5 am.
I arrived back at Mafuiane after catching a 4 hour Chapa ride back and then hitching a ride with a nice Mozambican farmer. In fact, I have taken a real shine to hitching rides to various destinations. In many ways it is safer than taking the overcrowded chapas, but they are sometimes the only option. When I arrived I found that the other volunteers were rested as well, but most of us were not in the mood to resume training. This week went especially slow, despite the exciting discussions on project implementation and budget composition.
Last night while I was reading my new book, "A Complicated War" (awesome, btw), I noticed that one of my neighbor's new baby goats who had just been born this past week, had an anus that was impacted with...well, stuff. I have no idea how it happened but this was problematic for the baby, as he/she was unable to defecate. When I addressed the issue with the Mama next door, she said she had noticed it but wasn't sure what to do. So I grabbed another trainee, Jody, got some gloves, caught the goat and began....well, you know. 20 minutes and plenty of doo doo later, the baby goat was back to prancing around with a fully funtional rectal cavity. The smell was foul, but it only intensified my desire to live in a rural area and raise some sort of animal...but more about that later.
This morning, I woke up at the earliest possibly hour and went with a neighborhood boy, Gildo, to help me cut down reeds so that I could learn to make an astera mat. These are pretty simple mats that all the women use to sit on during the heat of the day when you want to be in the shade outside where there is breeze. The problem is that if you wait too long in the morning to collect the reeds, it gets warms and, as Gildo was quick to point out, cobras (meaning snakes) become a problem. Once those dry, I will begin working with Gildo in making my own mat.
After that, I went and had my interview with the Associate PC Director for Health, Janelle, regarding my site placement. She was very complimentary of my work in the tech sessions and I told her that I wanted a rural site working with kids, preferebly in the central portion of the country where assistance is most needed. She said that she already had a project in mind for me from the beginning that was along those lines, so I was happy. Whether or not I have electricity is to be decided. The ability to have a fridge and fans would be dreamy, but I might just be hoping. I should know my area next week and will update you shortly there after. Keep your fingers crossed for me. Depending on how far I am from a larger town, my updates on here might get a tad scarce.
Other than that, all is well. I'm strongly considering getting a dog when I get to site, so I might be in need to pet supplies depending on what is available in my area. Plenty of people have dogs in Moz, but the care and attention they give their pets is substantially less from that which is given in the States. I think that is one tradition I will not pick up.
Pictures are attached to the original e-mail. Sorry for making you join Snapfish to see them, but I couldn't find away around the photo-sharing sites. Thanks for the e-mails and letters. They help tremendously. PC has been a little slow in getting us our mail, but I know a couple things are in route.
Stay in touch and I'll try and do the same.
LU,
ZS
Well, we just finished week 7 and I am feeling much better. My site visit to Xai Xai was a real treat. The city was much larger than anything I would want for a site, but was a nice change of pace. I and another trainee, Nicole, stayed with David, a volunteer working for the very large NGO, Save the Children. After a week of checking e-mail, walking around the city, visiting the large market and eating as much goat as we wanted, Nicole and I went to the beach on Thursday and Friday. The volunteers had pitched in to get all the trainees who were visiting the area two beach houses for our last night. It was great to relax with everyone and watch the waves roll in. Hopefully you can understand why I took so many pictures of the sunrise at 5 am.
I arrived back at Mafuiane after catching a 4 hour Chapa ride back and then hitching a ride with a nice Mozambican farmer. In fact, I have taken a real shine to hitching rides to various destinations. In many ways it is safer than taking the overcrowded chapas, but they are sometimes the only option. When I arrived I found that the other volunteers were rested as well, but most of us were not in the mood to resume training. This week went especially slow, despite the exciting discussions on project implementation and budget composition.
Last night while I was reading my new book, "A Complicated War" (awesome, btw), I noticed that one of my neighbor's new baby goats who had just been born this past week, had an anus that was impacted with...well, stuff. I have no idea how it happened but this was problematic for the baby, as he/she was unable to defecate. When I addressed the issue with the Mama next door, she said she had noticed it but wasn't sure what to do. So I grabbed another trainee, Jody, got some gloves, caught the goat and began....well, you know. 20 minutes and plenty of doo doo later, the baby goat was back to prancing around with a fully funtional rectal cavity. The smell was foul, but it only intensified my desire to live in a rural area and raise some sort of animal...but more about that later.
This morning, I woke up at the earliest possibly hour and went with a neighborhood boy, Gildo, to help me cut down reeds so that I could learn to make an astera mat. These are pretty simple mats that all the women use to sit on during the heat of the day when you want to be in the shade outside where there is breeze. The problem is that if you wait too long in the morning to collect the reeds, it gets warms and, as Gildo was quick to point out, cobras (meaning snakes) become a problem. Once those dry, I will begin working with Gildo in making my own mat.
After that, I went and had my interview with the Associate PC Director for Health, Janelle, regarding my site placement. She was very complimentary of my work in the tech sessions and I told her that I wanted a rural site working with kids, preferebly in the central portion of the country where assistance is most needed. She said that she already had a project in mind for me from the beginning that was along those lines, so I was happy. Whether or not I have electricity is to be decided. The ability to have a fridge and fans would be dreamy, but I might just be hoping. I should know my area next week and will update you shortly there after. Keep your fingers crossed for me. Depending on how far I am from a larger town, my updates on here might get a tad scarce.
Other than that, all is well. I'm strongly considering getting a dog when I get to site, so I might be in need to pet supplies depending on what is available in my area. Plenty of people have dogs in Moz, but the care and attention they give their pets is substantially less from that which is given in the States. I think that is one tradition I will not pick up.
Pictures are attached to the original e-mail. Sorry for making you join Snapfish to see them, but I couldn't find away around the photo-sharing sites. Thanks for the e-mails and letters. They help tremendously. PC has been a little slow in getting us our mail, but I know a couple things are in route.
Stay in touch and I'll try and do the same.
LU,
ZS
Saturday, November 3, 2007
It's been a tough week...
The end of week 5 marked the halfway point in our training. We took the first of our two LPI's which gauge our proficiency in Portuguese and must be passed for us to be delivered to site. Our guest speaker on Thursday was a mother living with HIV. She told us that she became aware of her status when she went in for a pre-natal exam. Upon telling her husband, he promptly left her and their two children with one more on the way. So not only did she have to deal with losing her husband and the income associated with him, but also with being positive, pregnant and an active mother. Apparently this is not an uncommon story. Because of the lack of jobs, many men go to work in the mines of South Africa for years at a time, sending money back to their family. Sadly this is also when some of them contract the disease. Luckily the baby did not contract the disease during delivery. Mom was breast feeding exclusively for the first 6 months until the local Christian organization that she gets food from told her to stop, and that they would supply her with formula for the baby. Now the organization is out of food and the baby is hungry. Her two other children are not eating regularly either, and she is forced to make the decision of whether to let her baby go hungry, or beast feed and potentially pass the virus on to him. When she was done, there was not a dry eye in the place. It's at times like these that you question your ability to handle this whole experience, but also see the need for aide and volunteers.
The next day, Friday, after class I went to Buane to check some emails and escape a little bit. As I was leaving the cafe' and walking back to the chapa stop, a truck sped by weaving in and out of the lanes. I don't know whether the driver was in a hurry or the brakes went out, but he lost control and the huge truck turned over on its side. By the time I ran there, two men were pulling the man out of the driver's seat. His leg had been crushed and was hanging on by only a few stands of muscle. I felt completely helpless as I didn't know the number for emergency services and I didn't have a phone even if I did know them. I didn't have any gloves with me to assist and I didn't have the medical knowledge to do any good if I had. Plus my language skills were no strong enough to help direct people. All I could do was sit back and watch as his guy was laying on the side of the road with half a leg and yell in my broken Portuguese "We need a car! We need a hospital." Eventually cars started honking their horns and trying to get around the accident all at once. I put down my things and directed traffic until a truck came to take the man to the hospital. Looking back it was actually kind of humorous as this little skinny white boy is telling these persistent chapa drivers to stop. One kept moving, so I yelled "Para!" and actually startled him a bit. But it worked and he stopped. Afterwards I just kept getting angry about how helpless we all seem to feel right now. We came here to "do good" but I don't even know how that is measured or what it means. We leave for site visit on Monday to see a current volunteer in the field for about 5 days. It should be a nice beak from training and a chance to get a much needed boost.
Also, I know a couple of you have wanted to send care packages. That is super sweet of you and always appreciated. Most things I can either get in country or live without. But here is a wish list anyways:
*BOOKS! - It is so hard to come by good reading material in Moz. Anything historical, health, or Pulitzer is always nice. I just finished "Mountains beyond Mountains" and I highly recommend it. I'm wanting to read a doctoral thesis called AIDS and Accusation soon.
*Index cards - They are nearly impossible to get in Moz and SUPER helpful in learning vocabulary. I will need them for the next year or so.
*Hobbies - Any books or materials hat can help me start a hobby. I will not have a TV or radio at site, so it will be nice to have things to work on. Help me get creative!
*Converter - Moz works on a 220 amp and my trimmer works on an American 110 amp. I have the adapter for the prongs, but I need a converter for the wattage.
*Double A Batteries - for camera
*General goodies - Pictures are always nice. Have fun and I will try and pick up some cultural items for you as I get deeper into service.
Thanks for everything and the support along the way.
I'll keep my chin up and stay in touch.
xo
Zachariah
The next day, Friday, after class I went to Buane to check some emails and escape a little bit. As I was leaving the cafe' and walking back to the chapa stop, a truck sped by weaving in and out of the lanes. I don't know whether the driver was in a hurry or the brakes went out, but he lost control and the huge truck turned over on its side. By the time I ran there, two men were pulling the man out of the driver's seat. His leg had been crushed and was hanging on by only a few stands of muscle. I felt completely helpless as I didn't know the number for emergency services and I didn't have a phone even if I did know them. I didn't have any gloves with me to assist and I didn't have the medical knowledge to do any good if I had. Plus my language skills were no strong enough to help direct people. All I could do was sit back and watch as his guy was laying on the side of the road with half a leg and yell in my broken Portuguese "We need a car! We need a hospital." Eventually cars started honking their horns and trying to get around the accident all at once. I put down my things and directed traffic until a truck came to take the man to the hospital. Looking back it was actually kind of humorous as this little skinny white boy is telling these persistent chapa drivers to stop. One kept moving, so I yelled "Para!" and actually startled him a bit. But it worked and he stopped. Afterwards I just kept getting angry about how helpless we all seem to feel right now. We came here to "do good" but I don't even know how that is measured or what it means. We leave for site visit on Monday to see a current volunteer in the field for about 5 days. It should be a nice beak from training and a chance to get a much needed boost.
Also, I know a couple of you have wanted to send care packages. That is super sweet of you and always appreciated. Most things I can either get in country or live without. But here is a wish list anyways:
*BOOKS! - It is so hard to come by good reading material in Moz. Anything historical, health, or Pulitzer is always nice. I just finished "Mountains beyond Mountains" and I highly recommend it. I'm wanting to read a doctoral thesis called AIDS and Accusation soon.
*Index cards - They are nearly impossible to get in Moz and SUPER helpful in learning vocabulary. I will need them for the next year or so.
*Hobbies - Any books or materials hat can help me start a hobby. I will not have a TV or radio at site, so it will be nice to have things to work on. Help me get creative!
*Converter - Moz works on a 220 amp and my trimmer works on an American 110 amp. I have the adapter for the prongs, but I need a converter for the wattage.
*Double A Batteries - for camera
*General goodies - Pictures are always nice. Have fun and I will try and pick up some cultural items for you as I get deeper into service.
Thanks for everything and the support along the way.
I'll keep my chin up and stay in touch.
xo
Zachariah
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