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
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3 comments:
It's GREAT reading your blog entries and hearing about life in Mozambique. Our next guild meeting will be on the 8th of November so I hope to send you a "care" package after that. I read some of the things that you need but if you get this before the 8th, let me know if there's anything else you've thought of that you need. My direct email address is chuckarchie@email.com. Look forward to keeping up with you and your adventures. Know that I'm thinking about you and praying for you daily.... love ya man, chuck
Peace Zachery,
sounds like the life change is already happening. I'm the RPCV that you talked toon Franklin Ave in Hollywood before you left. it's good to know your holding up. give me a shout if you whenevs.
Peace!
As a recently returned Peace Corps Volunteer it's amazing to me how every Peace Corps Volunteer goes through the same things. Zachery is right on schedule and exactly where he should be emotionally. I encourage people to send him care packages....or at least letters. I can tell you - they really mean a lot. And in about 6 - 12 months - he will REALLY need them. Zachery - you are doing great and I'm proud of you!
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