All in all, things are going very well. Every day, there are new, difficult challenges. And I'm still concerned about Portuguese, but I understand more every single day, and I speak in more tenses every single day :)
ALCOHOL
Alcohol is as much, if not more of a problem as in any other country.
People drink the most on Sundays, ironically, and they can drink pretty much anywhere, at any age. There are bars everywhere, and comparatively speaking, beer is expensive. A big water jug costs 2(000) Met, while a beer runs 12-17 Met for 1/2 liter. For volunteers, this is a good deal. For natives, they can drink their meager income away.
It's not that people are perpetually sad, it's just that alcohol is plentiful and profitable. What doesn't make sense to me is that Mozambique society is very open, and sober men are always harassing women under the best of circumstances (from an American point of view). So alcohol doesn't seem "necessary", but is a way of dealing with a shitty day.
There is quite a rift between the haves and have-nots among the trainees. Not a personal one, but an experiential rift. I am having a completely different experience from someone who has electricity, a microwave, and a full desk and freezer in their room (yes, it exists). People talk about TV shows, and I feel like the kid at lunch with the sandwich nobody wants to trade for.
But, at the same time, I know I'm getting the experience I want and bargained for. Nothing about my living conditions has surprised me. It's very much like camping!
Peace
John
(NOTE FROM MOM: That's the extent of the journal that I've received thus far. I hope you're enjoying it as much as I am. 10/24/02)
Thursday, October 24, 2002
1015/2002
Today was much better!
The moonlight here is absolutely incredible. I've never experienced anything like it. It's just a half-moon, but I can see my way at night with no problem. I'm not used to that at all. It's very cool!
I wanted to briefly talk about children. Children are everywhere in this village (and in all villages of Mozambique) and if you are going to know anyone, you have to know the children.
Here in Mozambique, children grow up very quickly. As soon as they can walk, they do so without their parents. Older brothers or sisters take care of them, or just other children in the village. Once they get older, they can stray further from the house. But keep in mind that there are less dangers for small children in Africa, and as long as they're in a close-knit community, it doesn't matter where they go. So these kids know each other very well.
They are almost always dirty. They have approximately 2 outfits, the second one for when the first one is being washed. Their clothes almost always have holes and more often than not are American throwaways.
Children usually have a litter of brothers and sisters - my family with three sons is relatively small. The expected lifespan is 37 years, so there are many childhood deaths from malaria and other diseases.
Regardless, when school lets out, there's immediately a flock of 6-12 year olds in the school area where have training. Last week, I played with them all the time, but this week our schedules have not meshed as well, so we play less.
Today, however, they were very rambunctious with my Frisbee. I don't know why, but every time it was thrown, six or seven children would pile on each other, hitting each other and shoving everyone around. It was totally out of character, because before they had always shared and were always laughing. I figured it must have been because of the Frisbee. But since I don't have one for every other child, I can't start giving them out.
In many ways, they are like kids everywhere - they run around and get into everything, they're clumsy, mean to each other, etc. When Nora and I were walking here today, surrounded by about 40 kids, one was running and took a bad fall, spilling his books. We went over to see if he was OK, and suddenly the other kids started making fun of him and pushing him. Typical kid behavior. I told them to stop, and they mockingly thanked me (but did stop...temporarily.) After seeing how ill-tempered (and normal, I suppose) they could be, I realized that this job is going to be harder than I first thought!
On the whole, the children are a blast to be around and are very patient and eager to learn, but they imitate their parents as much as other cultures' children do - and we all know what happens when parents hit their kids. I've heard that teachers hit their students, too, which I can't stand. One of my stated goals is to help the children, so I'm going to need to work on this part.
Peace
John
The moonlight here is absolutely incredible. I've never experienced anything like it. It's just a half-moon, but I can see my way at night with no problem. I'm not used to that at all. It's very cool!
I wanted to briefly talk about children. Children are everywhere in this village (and in all villages of Mozambique) and if you are going to know anyone, you have to know the children.
Here in Mozambique, children grow up very quickly. As soon as they can walk, they do so without their parents. Older brothers or sisters take care of them, or just other children in the village. Once they get older, they can stray further from the house. But keep in mind that there are less dangers for small children in Africa, and as long as they're in a close-knit community, it doesn't matter where they go. So these kids know each other very well.
They are almost always dirty. They have approximately 2 outfits, the second one for when the first one is being washed. Their clothes almost always have holes and more often than not are American throwaways.
Children usually have a litter of brothers and sisters - my family with three sons is relatively small. The expected lifespan is 37 years, so there are many childhood deaths from malaria and other diseases.
Regardless, when school lets out, there's immediately a flock of 6-12 year olds in the school area where have training. Last week, I played with them all the time, but this week our schedules have not meshed as well, so we play less.
Today, however, they were very rambunctious with my Frisbee. I don't know why, but every time it was thrown, six or seven children would pile on each other, hitting each other and shoving everyone around. It was totally out of character, because before they had always shared and were always laughing. I figured it must have been because of the Frisbee. But since I don't have one for every other child, I can't start giving them out.
In many ways, they are like kids everywhere - they run around and get into everything, they're clumsy, mean to each other, etc. When Nora and I were walking here today, surrounded by about 40 kids, one was running and took a bad fall, spilling his books. We went over to see if he was OK, and suddenly the other kids started making fun of him and pushing him. Typical kid behavior. I told them to stop, and they mockingly thanked me (but did stop...temporarily.) After seeing how ill-tempered (and normal, I suppose) they could be, I realized that this job is going to be harder than I first thought!
On the whole, the children are a blast to be around and are very patient and eager to learn, but they imitate their parents as much as other cultures' children do - and we all know what happens when parents hit their kids. I've heard that teachers hit their students, too, which I can't stand. One of my stated goals is to help the children, so I'm going to need to work on this part.
Peace
John
10/14/2002
I'm still working on how not to miss people. I have to get up early tomorrow. Tonight, I need to cry a bit to myself and try to figure out how to miss people less. I know this isn't what you want to read, but here it is. My brain.
I'm definitely not the leader I thought I was. Oh well, I suppose, as they say here, "Chapa" happens!
Peace
John
I'm definitely not the leader I thought I was. Oh well, I suppose, as they say here, "Chapa" happens!
Peace
John
10/13/2002
I really hope I get mail this weekend. I miss everyone so much. But I know I'm needed in Mozambique so much more than in the USA, at least for right now.
I guess I just feel like missing people tonight.
I have a lot of fun with the neighborhood kids. I taught them "Red light/green light", but dropped the "light" part. This is to help me with my colors, of course. I walked on my hands for them too, and one of them came up with the smart ass idea of putting his hands underneath his feet and walking, saying he was doing the same!
Others went out for beer, but I like spending my time at home. Honestly, I'd feel bad if I didn't.
In other news, Chris has a new home. Police showed up at his house this morning because his mother threatened his father with a machete. Mom's in jail, Chris has a more friendly family. All in one day!
I'm definitely in the missing mood, and still justifying why I'm here. This is really tough.
Peace
John
I guess I just feel like missing people tonight.
I have a lot of fun with the neighborhood kids. I taught them "Red light/green light", but dropped the "light" part. This is to help me with my colors, of course. I walked on my hands for them too, and one of them came up with the smart ass idea of putting his hands underneath his feet and walking, saying he was doing the same!
Others went out for beer, but I like spending my time at home. Honestly, I'd feel bad if I didn't.
In other news, Chris has a new home. Police showed up at his house this morning because his mother threatened his father with a machete. Mom's in jail, Chris has a more friendly family. All in one day!
I'm definitely in the missing mood, and still justifying why I'm here. This is really tough.
Peace
John
10/12/2002
We went to Maputo today to get vaccinations at the MOZ PC HQ (heh,heh, abbreviations are fun) and see some sights. We got to walk around for a bit and go to the Natural History museum. While in there we made an interesting observation - everything in the museum is out in the open - models, specimens, stuffed animals, etc. And yet the museum obviously has children visiting quite often.
Children just have more respect in Mozambique (and maybe Africa as a whole?). Kids are taught from an early age to obey their parents, elders and guests. In my house, the children immediately do what they're told, without question. If I'm alone with a kid or two, they'll initiate conversation because they know me. But in a group of white people, the children only speak when spoken to and even then, it is minimal.
This isn't to say that the clear lines drawn between fathers and sons in Africa should be replicated in the USA, but I'm curious as to how respect is enforced. If there's one thing I've found, it's that mothers and children are the same all over the world. So what changes in how these kids are raised?
I don't hope (but assume) that corporal punishment is used. However, living in a communal society also helps - where everyone demonstrates respect, conformity ensues.
So in this society, a Natural History museum with open exhibits has few discipline issues.
----- --------- -------
Food is often a topic of conversation here. We get fed more often than we go to the bathroom, which is quite often for some people. I eat a big morning breakfast of egg, bread and something else. Then we have a mid-morning snack break, then a long lunch break followed by a mid-afternoon snack break. You go home about 5:30 (when the sun starts to set) and are offered food immediately.
I've trained my family to only give me one meal per night. Some have three dinners in one night. We eat a lot. We learned how to say "enough" very quickly (chego).
Tonight, my family kept on feeding me, so instead of saying "enough", I decided to make the universal gesture for "I'm going to explode". I was very animated and so this made for a very good 5-minute laugh. We pretended to pick up pieces of me from all over the room. It was funny.
Everything's funny here. People live life with humor close to them at all times. I've found that my experience here has been tempered only by my willingness to make a complete ass out of myself. I'm the first to try or do a lot of things, and the Mozambican trainees have noticed this. I get picked on first for dancing, demonstrating a concept, etc. Everyone calls me "Joao" now and I respond to it immediately. For the first time, I've started referring to myself in the 3rd person, just because my name is so fun to say!
This isn't to say that nobody else takes the lead or participates, etc. It's just that the trainees always turn to me for a good laugh. Especially when I don't know what's going on.
By the same token, I've consciously taken leadership roles in training. And I can tell people look up to me, which is crazy as it's only 1 1/2 weeks in. I try not to outdo anything - in one minigroup session, my group of six wanted me to be the appointed leader, which I refused. I tried to get the shy one to do it, which failed, but someone who doesn't usually step up, did. Which I'm glad for.
This leadership thing seems to be quite natural for me at this point in my life. I've found out how to take charge without being tyrannical, pompous, controlling, stressed out, or intense. I think I just needed to learn the exact role of humor, which I have.
Of course, this begs questions. 1 - What do I do for the rest of my time here to improve myself, and 2 - Why am I here if I can leave at any time?
#2 is, ironically, the easy one. However much love I have for people in the States and however much I miss them is secondary to tangibly improving others' lives, and helping a desperate country. It's a long 2+ years, and I will miss out on life, but I will experience a life I've wanted desperately for quite a while now. I take things day by day, not year by year.
#1 - this is what training is for. I want to have a bunch of (MOM TALKING - I DON'T HAVE A CLUE WHAT WORD HE WROTE) projects to do that will really teach people what they need to know. I want to find inner peace. I want to improve myself - learn more about an agrarian lifestyle. Be self-sufficient. And I want to teach!
Back to the leadership. I received a compliment last night that I'm very diverse in my talents. It was a great, unsolicited compliment. She made it sound like I was the most diverse of the group (I hate the usage of "diverse"). This is a very talented bunch of people. It was amazing to hear this from both this young woman and another next to her. She also pointed out how good I am with kids. (This is all difficult to write, I hope you know!) I have a great time with kids, being one myself. That's all they want, is affirmationn that happiness is not a temporary condition.
I'm still seeking balance in my life, but I know that I've come a long way.
I think the second goal of PC needs to be toned down significantly. This goal has to do with spreading American culture, which is already pervasive. I think the only way PC gets bipartisan funding is by maintaining this clause and insisting on its execution. We'll see how much emphasis is placed on it.
I called my mother and Lisa today, for about a minute each. I called my mother for her sanity and Lisa for my own. Both calls went very well. I miss everyone so much. I need to find a better way to call.
Peace
John
Children just have more respect in Mozambique (and maybe Africa as a whole?). Kids are taught from an early age to obey their parents, elders and guests. In my house, the children immediately do what they're told, without question. If I'm alone with a kid or two, they'll initiate conversation because they know me. But in a group of white people, the children only speak when spoken to and even then, it is minimal.
This isn't to say that the clear lines drawn between fathers and sons in Africa should be replicated in the USA, but I'm curious as to how respect is enforced. If there's one thing I've found, it's that mothers and children are the same all over the world. So what changes in how these kids are raised?
I don't hope (but assume) that corporal punishment is used. However, living in a communal society also helps - where everyone demonstrates respect, conformity ensues.
So in this society, a Natural History museum with open exhibits has few discipline issues.
----- --------- -------
Food is often a topic of conversation here. We get fed more often than we go to the bathroom, which is quite often for some people. I eat a big morning breakfast of egg, bread and something else. Then we have a mid-morning snack break, then a long lunch break followed by a mid-afternoon snack break. You go home about 5:30 (when the sun starts to set) and are offered food immediately.
I've trained my family to only give me one meal per night. Some have three dinners in one night. We eat a lot. We learned how to say "enough" very quickly (chego).
Tonight, my family kept on feeding me, so instead of saying "enough", I decided to make the universal gesture for "I'm going to explode". I was very animated and so this made for a very good 5-minute laugh. We pretended to pick up pieces of me from all over the room. It was funny.
Everything's funny here. People live life with humor close to them at all times. I've found that my experience here has been tempered only by my willingness to make a complete ass out of myself. I'm the first to try or do a lot of things, and the Mozambican trainees have noticed this. I get picked on first for dancing, demonstrating a concept, etc. Everyone calls me "Joao" now and I respond to it immediately. For the first time, I've started referring to myself in the 3rd person, just because my name is so fun to say!
This isn't to say that nobody else takes the lead or participates, etc. It's just that the trainees always turn to me for a good laugh. Especially when I don't know what's going on.
By the same token, I've consciously taken leadership roles in training. And I can tell people look up to me, which is crazy as it's only 1 1/2 weeks in. I try not to outdo anything - in one minigroup session, my group of six wanted me to be the appointed leader, which I refused. I tried to get the shy one to do it, which failed, but someone who doesn't usually step up, did. Which I'm glad for.
This leadership thing seems to be quite natural for me at this point in my life. I've found out how to take charge without being tyrannical, pompous, controlling, stressed out, or intense. I think I just needed to learn the exact role of humor, which I have.
Of course, this begs questions. 1 - What do I do for the rest of my time here to improve myself, and 2 - Why am I here if I can leave at any time?
#2 is, ironically, the easy one. However much love I have for people in the States and however much I miss them is secondary to tangibly improving others' lives, and helping a desperate country. It's a long 2+ years, and I will miss out on life, but I will experience a life I've wanted desperately for quite a while now. I take things day by day, not year by year.
#1 - this is what training is for. I want to have a bunch of (MOM TALKING - I DON'T HAVE A CLUE WHAT WORD HE WROTE) projects to do that will really teach people what they need to know. I want to find inner peace. I want to improve myself - learn more about an agrarian lifestyle. Be self-sufficient. And I want to teach!
Back to the leadership. I received a compliment last night that I'm very diverse in my talents. It was a great, unsolicited compliment. She made it sound like I was the most diverse of the group (I hate the usage of "diverse"). This is a very talented bunch of people. It was amazing to hear this from both this young woman and another next to her. She also pointed out how good I am with kids. (This is all difficult to write, I hope you know!) I have a great time with kids, being one myself. That's all they want, is affirmationn that happiness is not a temporary condition.
I'm still seeking balance in my life, but I know that I've come a long way.
I think the second goal of PC needs to be toned down significantly. This goal has to do with spreading American culture, which is already pervasive. I think the only way PC gets bipartisan funding is by maintaining this clause and insisting on its execution. We'll see how much emphasis is placed on it.
I called my mother and Lisa today, for about a minute each. I called my mother for her sanity and Lisa for my own. Both calls went very well. I miss everyone so much. I need to find a better way to call.
Peace
John
10/11/2002
Tonight will also be a short entry as I have to get up early tomorrow to go to Maputo.
I want to give the people here credit - they definitely know how to survive. They live communally, in many senses, and individualistically in others. As this journal continues, you will get to know the different ways.
Information here is communal, when it deals with people, especially visitors like the PC. Everything we do is recorded by the children and mothers (even the fathers on occasion) and passed along to everyone else.
For instance, I bumped my head today on the corner of a window sill (very stupid thing to do) and started bleeding a bit. I got hold of a medical kit and cleaned myself up.
While I was eating dinner, several hours later, a mother and her son came by just to tell my "parents" what had happened. They made sure everything was OK, and it was, of course.
If you think you're scrutinized by living in a small, tight-knit community, you really have no idea. See, very few people knew what had happened, yet everyone knew within hours. It's amazingly efficient, and I can definitely see its usefulness!
Peace
John
I want to give the people here credit - they definitely know how to survive. They live communally, in many senses, and individualistically in others. As this journal continues, you will get to know the different ways.
Information here is communal, when it deals with people, especially visitors like the PC. Everything we do is recorded by the children and mothers (even the fathers on occasion) and passed along to everyone else.
For instance, I bumped my head today on the corner of a window sill (very stupid thing to do) and started bleeding a bit. I got hold of a medical kit and cleaned myself up.
While I was eating dinner, several hours later, a mother and her son came by just to tell my "parents" what had happened. They made sure everything was OK, and it was, of course.
If you think you're scrutinized by living in a small, tight-knit community, you really have no idea. See, very few people knew what had happened, yet everyone knew within hours. It's amazingly efficient, and I can definitely see its usefulness!
Peace
John
Saturday, October 19, 2002
Everything is fine
I am having an awesome time here in Moz and in less than two weeks, journal
entries should be up, courtesy of the Africa PC director bringing mail back
to the US. I do not want to get into how things have been, because I just
do not have the time! Just know for now that it has been everything I have
hoped for so far, and I am having to work really hard. Plus, I do not know
where the apostrophe key is, so I am writing in very stilted English!
I have not received any mail yet because it is very slow, so please be
patient and keep on sending mail!
Love & Peace,
John
_________________________________________________________________
Broadband? Dial-up? Get reliable MSN Internet Access.
http://resourcecenter.msn.com/access/plans/default.asp
entries should be up, courtesy of the Africa PC director bringing mail back
to the US. I do not want to get into how things have been, because I just
do not have the time! Just know for now that it has been everything I have
hoped for so far, and I am having to work really hard. Plus, I do not know
where the apostrophe key is, so I am writing in very stilted English!
I have not received any mail yet because it is very slow, so please be
patient and keep on sending mail!
Love & Peace,
John
_________________________________________________________________
Broadband? Dial-up? Get reliable MSN Internet Access.
http://resourcecenter.msn.com/access/plans/default.asp
Saturday, October 05, 2002
Greetings!
Boa tarde! (Good afternoon)
I'm in Maputo, Mozambique, in a RESORT of a hotel, enjoying my last day of orientation in a beautiful, but dangerous area. It's difficult to explain how it's been so far -- I have 36 awesome fellow trainees, and we are all having a wonderful time. We are learning Portuguese, learning about security, and learning about how we will possibly teach Biology (and English) in another language. We are asking questions of everyone: Current volunteers, nationals, staff, other trainees, etc. It's almost getting tiring getting acquainted with everyone else, but it's fantastic knowing as many people as well as I do. I'm writing a ton in my journal, which is why I'm not getting into specifics -- the entries should be posted within 2-3 weeks, so just be patient!
I know you have a ton of questions, but hopefully they will be answered by my journal in due time ...
If you haven't received responses to e-mail, it's because I have very limited and expensive e-mail time, so I'm trying to be frugal with my remaining American $$$!
So far, I love Africa and I'm safe and sound!
Oh, and please try to send snail mail (address is on the journal) and not e-mail, because then I'll be able to respond to it with more thought. Mail costs $1.50 (one day's living wage here) to send, so I may not be able to send as much as I thought, but I will write back to you all!
Peace,
John
I'm in Maputo, Mozambique, in a RESORT of a hotel, enjoying my last day of orientation in a beautiful, but dangerous area. It's difficult to explain how it's been so far -- I have 36 awesome fellow trainees, and we are all having a wonderful time. We are learning Portuguese, learning about security, and learning about how we will possibly teach Biology (and English) in another language. We are asking questions of everyone: Current volunteers, nationals, staff, other trainees, etc. It's almost getting tiring getting acquainted with everyone else, but it's fantastic knowing as many people as well as I do. I'm writing a ton in my journal, which is why I'm not getting into specifics -- the entries should be posted within 2-3 weeks, so just be patient!
I know you have a ton of questions, but hopefully they will be answered by my journal in due time ...
If you haven't received responses to e-mail, it's because I have very limited and expensive e-mail time, so I'm trying to be frugal with my remaining American $$$!
So far, I love Africa and I'm safe and sound!
Oh, and please try to send snail mail (address is on the journal) and not e-mail, because then I'll be able to respond to it with more thought. Mail costs $1.50 (one day's living wage here) to send, so I may not be able to send as much as I thought, but I will write back to you all!
Peace,
John
Thursday, October 03, 2002
I'm in South Africa!
Just wanted to let everyone know that all is well and I am currently in =
Johannesburg, South Africa. It's been a really fantastic ride so far, =
and you'll hear more very soon!
Peace,
John
Johannesburg, South Africa. It's been a really fantastic ride so far, =
and you'll hear more very soon!
Peace,
John
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