Today was an awesome day.
I felt like I really made a bond with both Diamentino and Georgito today, cooking a "Chinese dish" for them (basically a stir fry, but for lack of proper materials, it was a stir fry in a pot without any sesame or soy products), which Georgito enjoyed, but Diamentino couldn't stand due to the piri-piri. The recipe, as close as I can approximate it:
1 Met worth of piri-piri
1/2 head of ginger, roughly shredded
2 small onions
3 cloves garlic
2 cucumbers
4 green bell peppers
Cilantro
Salt
Brown sugar
Instructions:
Cut all the veggies to a dice, or as close as you can without killing yourself. (THIS IS MOM -- REMEMBER, HE HAS NO CUTTING SURFACE OTHER THAN HIS HAND....)
Get a pot.
Put a dash of oil in (by Moz standards, this is 1/2 C).
Saute the piri-piri and ginger.
Add the onions and garlic.
Remember that you need to make the rice. Start boiling water.
Add the cucumbers once the onions have started to get transparent.
Add the bell peppers once the cucumbers have lost most of their juices.
Find the rest of the ingredients to buffer the incredible hotness of the piri-piri, in this case cilantro, salt, sugar and two eggs.
Pick stones out of the rice and add to boiling water.
Go exercise.
Find some mint tea your mother sent and introduce it as an additional buffer for the piri-piri (this actually worked very well). One teabag makes a cup for everyone, no matter how many people there are.
I also got a haircut today, on my way to get bread, coming from the Internet Cafe where I helped solve a computer problem (yeah, yeah, laugh all you want - I can go literally to the other side of the world and I'm still fixing other people's computer problems). This was after teaching Milles Bournes, after playing a 2-hour UNO game, but before explaining exasperatingly to the secretaries at school that I don't eat meat.
Music is always playing and though most of the time it's not mine, much of it is American rap or hip-hop. I'm getting to know all of the popular songs real well. There's this guy named MC Rager, who is Mozambican, but writes some pretty catchy tunes, and also has a good grasp on English. Hehe...catchy tunes. And I though it would take the full two years to get out of touch.
I had a lot more "Tober" calls today. He's the guy who was here before me, and we look alike, at least to people who aren't used to seeing very many mid-20s Americans with glasses, short hair and half-goatees. I try not to resort to Changana to correct people to call me Joao, but when I do it's effective.
There was this group of neighborhood children, average age of 5, playing in the middle of the street. They called out "Tober" and I responded with "Aqui Joao!" (literally, "here Joao", but equivalent to "I'm Joao".) However, they kept calling "Tober", so I broke down and said "Hi mina Joao" ("My name is Joao" in Changana). In the same tone and pace, they called "Joao". It was true African magic.
I also met Diamentino's girlfriend and 4 month old son. We had a formal presentation, after they watched us eat dinner. His son's name? Tober.
Boy, I have a lot to live up to.
Peace
John
Sunday, January 12, 2003
12/18/2002
I wrote and sent a ton of letters today.
I did my laundry here in C--- for the first time.
They like Bill Withers.
I helped make a cabbage dish which was really good.
For the second night in a row, I exercised with the "guys".
I'm insanely tired.
It was chilly today.
I still hate mosquitoes.
Life is getting easier.
I have yet to teach a real class.
I have yet to meet any of my supervisors.
I kinda miss my host family.
I very much miss my real family and friends.
I'm understanding more Portuguese.
I'm winning at chess.
I'm taking baths whenever I want.
I miss America less every day.
I enjoy PEACE.
Peace
John
I did my laundry here in C--- for the first time.
They like Bill Withers.
I helped make a cabbage dish which was really good.
For the second night in a row, I exercised with the "guys".
I'm insanely tired.
It was chilly today.
I still hate mosquitoes.
Life is getting easier.
I have yet to teach a real class.
I have yet to meet any of my supervisors.
I kinda miss my host family.
I very much miss my real family and friends.
I'm understanding more Portuguese.
I'm winning at chess.
I'm taking baths whenever I want.
I miss America less every day.
I enjoy PEACE.
Peace
John
12/17/2002
Sorry my entry last night was so...scattered. I think it reflects the state of my brain, actually.
I'm settling in, but it still seems a little overwhelming (what I need to get done), because it's not totally clear what I need to do. The house is livable as is, but I need to start integrating into the community, which as of yet is not an obvious path.
So there are three guys I'm mainly hanging out with, going to the market, showing me around, etc. Georgito, Dinho and Diamentio (I THINK THAT'S WHAT IT SAYS). They're at different ages and educational/Portuguese levels, but all adolescent and have agreed to speak only Portuguese with me (they like to practice their English, but I told them one week so portugues and they're doing pretty well).
Once again, I'm in the position of having too much to describe - but this time, I think I have enough time to describe it all.
My house is about a 5-minute walk from the school. All the roads inside the town are dirt, and the road I'm on is no exception. There hasn't been much rain, but mud hangs around for weeks and impedes car and human traffic.
My house is made of concrete, has a front and back door, a landing for the front door, and a small yard in the back. The landing is used for shoe storage, and other random things that get muddy. It's about 8' x 3'. To the right of the landing is a storage space for bikes and our unplugged deep freezer. Inside that is the bathroom. The bathroom has no outside walls, so all activities are unwittingly shared with the entire house. Beyond the deep freezer and bathroom is the kitchen when then leads to the back door. There is a ventilation chimney for the electric hotplates. The entrance is approximately 5' high and I am 5'9". I have already hit my head about 6 times. I wonder what happens when I hit my head enough times to forget it's there.
There is also a sink in the kitchen, as well as a flushing toilet and sink in the bathroom. Beyond the landing/bathroom/kitchen area is a common room with a couch and comfy chair. There's also an all-weather set of table and chairs for dinner or card-playing outside. These are up against the kitchen.
There's a coffee table in between the couch and comfy chair, and is stocked with various dictionaries and other random reading material.
By the way, everyone stares at me. Expected, but I'm still not used to it.
Beyond the common room are the two main bedrooms, each about 10'x6' with the exception that my bedroom has an extra cut-out for the bed. The third bedroom sits off to the side of the common room, currently occupied by Diamente who is staying with me to smooth over my transition. Also because I'm paying for food and I'm fun to have around.
Of course, some of the fun of having me around is at my expense :)
There's always music playing and lately it's been all the guys'. I've let them have pretty free reign over going in and out of the house and the musical selection, but only those three - and as I am able to be more independent, I will be able to request that they play outside more or listen to MY music.
It may seem petty, but it's all small decisions at this point when it comes to setting the limits as to what I'll tolerate for two years. If I don't carve out the expectations now, I can expect to be walked over or risk insulting others.
I'm starting to feel the real crunch of communal life - how much food am I willing to give to others who are spending time with me? I have to discriminate because I don't want to have friends who use me - but I know these three can be trusted, according to Blake and Tober.
The floods came into C--- and this whole region in 2000. They absolutely devastated this area, and the rebuilding is still evident. Water marks are still present on and in many buildings - others that have been repainted have a line "CHEIAS 2000" ("2000 Floods"). People talk about the floods as a landmark - "Before the floods...", "After 2000...", etc. Everything changed and an already poor area got poorer.
From the little info I have, many people, both governmental and NGOs, got involved in the rebuilding. There's a multipurpose sport court built by the French, an Internet Cafe started by a Canadian group, and a computer lab in the Agricultural school donated by South Africa. PC has been here teaching since 1999, and had to be evacuated for the floods.
Entire major roads were demolished and the only way to get from the south to the central provinces was by air. There are still "landing strips" present on the road in the form of two large white stripes, about 1/4 mile apart.
Peace
John
I'm settling in, but it still seems a little overwhelming (what I need to get done), because it's not totally clear what I need to do. The house is livable as is, but I need to start integrating into the community, which as of yet is not an obvious path.
So there are three guys I'm mainly hanging out with, going to the market, showing me around, etc. Georgito, Dinho and Diamentio (I THINK THAT'S WHAT IT SAYS). They're at different ages and educational/Portuguese levels, but all adolescent and have agreed to speak only Portuguese with me (they like to practice their English, but I told them one week so portugues and they're doing pretty well).
Once again, I'm in the position of having too much to describe - but this time, I think I have enough time to describe it all.
My house is about a 5-minute walk from the school. All the roads inside the town are dirt, and the road I'm on is no exception. There hasn't been much rain, but mud hangs around for weeks and impedes car and human traffic.
My house is made of concrete, has a front and back door, a landing for the front door, and a small yard in the back. The landing is used for shoe storage, and other random things that get muddy. It's about 8' x 3'. To the right of the landing is a storage space for bikes and our unplugged deep freezer. Inside that is the bathroom. The bathroom has no outside walls, so all activities are unwittingly shared with the entire house. Beyond the deep freezer and bathroom is the kitchen when then leads to the back door. There is a ventilation chimney for the electric hotplates. The entrance is approximately 5' high and I am 5'9". I have already hit my head about 6 times. I wonder what happens when I hit my head enough times to forget it's there.
There is also a sink in the kitchen, as well as a flushing toilet and sink in the bathroom. Beyond the landing/bathroom/kitchen area is a common room with a couch and comfy chair. There's also an all-weather set of table and chairs for dinner or card-playing outside. These are up against the kitchen.
There's a coffee table in between the couch and comfy chair, and is stocked with various dictionaries and other random reading material.
By the way, everyone stares at me. Expected, but I'm still not used to it.
Beyond the common room are the two main bedrooms, each about 10'x6' with the exception that my bedroom has an extra cut-out for the bed. The third bedroom sits off to the side of the common room, currently occupied by Diamente who is staying with me to smooth over my transition. Also because I'm paying for food and I'm fun to have around.
Of course, some of the fun of having me around is at my expense :)
There's always music playing and lately it's been all the guys'. I've let them have pretty free reign over going in and out of the house and the musical selection, but only those three - and as I am able to be more independent, I will be able to request that they play outside more or listen to MY music.
It may seem petty, but it's all small decisions at this point when it comes to setting the limits as to what I'll tolerate for two years. If I don't carve out the expectations now, I can expect to be walked over or risk insulting others.
I'm starting to feel the real crunch of communal life - how much food am I willing to give to others who are spending time with me? I have to discriminate because I don't want to have friends who use me - but I know these three can be trusted, according to Blake and Tober.
The floods came into C--- and this whole region in 2000. They absolutely devastated this area, and the rebuilding is still evident. Water marks are still present on and in many buildings - others that have been repainted have a line "CHEIAS 2000" ("2000 Floods"). People talk about the floods as a landmark - "Before the floods...", "After 2000...", etc. Everything changed and an already poor area got poorer.
From the little info I have, many people, both governmental and NGOs, got involved in the rebuilding. There's a multipurpose sport court built by the French, an Internet Cafe started by a Canadian group, and a computer lab in the Agricultural school donated by South Africa. PC has been here teaching since 1999, and had to be evacuated for the floods.
Entire major roads were demolished and the only way to get from the south to the central provinces was by air. There are still "landing strips" present on the road in the form of two large white stripes, about 1/4 mile apart.
Peace
John
12/16/2002
This is my first day in C--- as a volunteer. And it's been pretty...well, normal. And interestingly, how I expected it to be. Two guys are sitting here, playing cards, keeping me company and trying out their English every so often. But my Portuguese continues to improve, and saves theirs attempts at speaking my native tongue :)
The electricity has gone out twice tonight, so it feels like B---. It's not great when you're brushing your teeth and you lose electricity. That sucks.
It's also incredibly hot today, and humid. So we've all been drinking a ton of water.
I went to the market with the guy who's staying in the house with me for now, and we got a bunch of food which should last me for a few days - and it all cost 160 Met or $7.00
Tomorrow I start my workout regime, which will be determined by how I can find somewhere to do pullups. Also, I meet the pedagogical director of my school. I'm not quite sure how I do that yet. Should be interesting.
It's nice to be moved in, and settled into some semblance of a normal life - but frustrating that I have three weeks until classes. I suppose I can start preparing for them once I know what I'm teaching. I like that I immediately feel comfortable here. It's a good sign!
Peace
John
The electricity has gone out twice tonight, so it feels like B---. It's not great when you're brushing your teeth and you lose electricity. That sucks.
It's also incredibly hot today, and humid. So we've all been drinking a ton of water.
I went to the market with the guy who's staying in the house with me for now, and we got a bunch of food which should last me for a few days - and it all cost 160 Met or $7.00
Tomorrow I start my workout regime, which will be determined by how I can find somewhere to do pullups. Also, I meet the pedagogical director of my school. I'm not quite sure how I do that yet. Should be interesting.
It's nice to be moved in, and settled into some semblance of a normal life - but frustrating that I have three weeks until classes. I suppose I can start preparing for them once I know what I'm teaching. I like that I immediately feel comfortable here. It's a good sign!
Peace
John
12/15/2002
(THIS IS MOM --- I JUST RECEIVED SOME ENTRIES PRECEDING THE BATCH I'D JUST ENTERED LAST WEEK. SORRY ABOUT THAT --- HERE ARE 12/15 THROUGH 12/19. THAT SHOULD CATCH US UP.)
I am currently in the lap of luxury, and trying to make the most out of it.
Because we can't all be delivered to our sites at the same time, we got put up in a very nice Maputo hotel, just like when we first got here. Except this time, we truly appreciate the great food, the pool, the showers and the view.
It's really - jarring - to be sitting poolside with nothing to do, watching the people of the city working hard and scavenging for food. It's hard because I don't want this, but I feel handcuffed, because I can't do anything for the people here just yet.
Also, we just said goodbye to over half of the group this morning. Most of them I will see for Christmas, but many I won't see until April. And it's not necessarily difficult because we've grown close (we all knew this was coming), but because this is such a drastic change in our schedule and who our friends will be...again. It's eerily similar to leaving Philadelphia, saying good-bye to loved ones and heading off for the unknown.
I think we're all looking forward to arriving in our new homes. We just wish we could take the best parts of each aspect of the PC life and have it all at the same time - but I suppose the idea is that this needs to be hard.
Peace
John
I am currently in the lap of luxury, and trying to make the most out of it.
Because we can't all be delivered to our sites at the same time, we got put up in a very nice Maputo hotel, just like when we first got here. Except this time, we truly appreciate the great food, the pool, the showers and the view.
It's really - jarring - to be sitting poolside with nothing to do, watching the people of the city working hard and scavenging for food. It's hard because I don't want this, but I feel handcuffed, because I can't do anything for the people here just yet.
Also, we just said goodbye to over half of the group this morning. Most of them I will see for Christmas, but many I won't see until April. And it's not necessarily difficult because we've grown close (we all knew this was coming), but because this is such a drastic change in our schedule and who our friends will be...again. It's eerily similar to leaving Philadelphia, saying good-bye to loved ones and heading off for the unknown.
I think we're all looking forward to arriving in our new homes. We just wish we could take the best parts of each aspect of the PC life and have it all at the same time - but I suppose the idea is that this needs to be hard.
Peace
John
Thursday, January 09, 2003
12/29/2002
In this job, I will be doing my job if I keep myself busy helping or educating other people. I will consider myself successful, however, if I help the most people the most that I can. I can't judge that success based upon how effective my work is, but I can't ignore this aspect of my work. I would be successful if I were to obtain the money and permission to build a new school, even if nobody came - assuming there was a need in the community.
Of course, there are prerequisites to helping people, and that includes learning language and being aware of myself. I have been focusing on both of these for a couple weeks now, with the additional side effect of educating people about Moz. I also need to gain respect within the community, which I'm always working on.
Respect is not just complimenting people and saying thank you. Sometimes it's the complete opposite. Respect is not being everyone's friend, but being friendly with everyone. Respect is lending your services, but only once a relationship has been established. Respect is paying for things what they are worth, no more and no less. Respect is saying no to most invitations, and yes to some of them. Respect is handing items with your right hand, addressing people properly, not staring at people, not smiling all the time, not losing your temper, stopping to have conversations, never being in a hurry, clasping your hands, asking to learn more about their culture and freely answering questions about your own, not wearing tattered clothing or shorts around town, not pointing, not talking loudly, learning the local language, showing a sense of humor, not showing off all the stuff you have, keeping well shaven but growing some facial hair if you can, not doing your own laundry (for men), not cooking (the same), and a million other things that I will discover over the next couple years.
I don't do all of those things just yet, and I will never stop cooking. But I am an individual, and as much as Mozambicans like to think of themselves as cogs in the wheel of their community, they are just as different from each other as are Americans. The fact that I can find respect in who most of them are, should dictate (and does) that they should be able to respect me. It's just too early for me to tell what that means from a Mozambican point of view.
It's very hot today, and I needed to go to the market, which I decided to do at the hottest possible moment, clearly.
It came time to buy bread, and next to the padaria, is a refrigerator with Coke and other sodas. For 6 Met. And did I mention they were cold? Possibly the best thing I've ever tasted.
And I'm not a big fan of the whole commercialization, especially exploitation, of 3rd world countries by American companies. In fact, it downright disgusts me at times. But when I can buy a bottle of ice cold refreshment sold in recycled containers for 25 cents, I can't help but feel a guilty pleasure.
This doesn't mean I'm changing my mind about McDonald's. They're still pure evil.
Let's put it this way - if some startup MOZ soft drink company were offering cold drinks for about the same amount, I'd buy that first in a heartbeat. But MOZ has better things to be concerned with than meeting the pop needs of its people, which Coca Cola can handle just fine. It is, however, jarring when you pass people humping rice sacks provided by USAID, drinking a refresco that they had to pay for. Do either of these things really help the people, or does it just improve their lives for a day? Coke can disappear, and suddenly a market opens up, but nobody knows how to capitalize on it. Or, alternatively, the rice disappears and people discoer they never learned how to find food during a drought, leaving them worse off than before.
We Americans are suckers for a bright, smiling face and healthy-looking poor people. We don't always consider that these people have pride, just like us. Pictures of Americans with intense, battered faces resting in front of their labor denote pride for us. So why are we not concerned with instilling the knowledge that would allow other people to be just as proud in developing....
(THIS IS WHERE THE LATEST ENTRY ENDS.....SORRY!)
Of course, there are prerequisites to helping people, and that includes learning language and being aware of myself. I have been focusing on both of these for a couple weeks now, with the additional side effect of educating people about Moz. I also need to gain respect within the community, which I'm always working on.
Respect is not just complimenting people and saying thank you. Sometimes it's the complete opposite. Respect is not being everyone's friend, but being friendly with everyone. Respect is lending your services, but only once a relationship has been established. Respect is paying for things what they are worth, no more and no less. Respect is saying no to most invitations, and yes to some of them. Respect is handing items with your right hand, addressing people properly, not staring at people, not smiling all the time, not losing your temper, stopping to have conversations, never being in a hurry, clasping your hands, asking to learn more about their culture and freely answering questions about your own, not wearing tattered clothing or shorts around town, not pointing, not talking loudly, learning the local language, showing a sense of humor, not showing off all the stuff you have, keeping well shaven but growing some facial hair if you can, not doing your own laundry (for men), not cooking (the same), and a million other things that I will discover over the next couple years.
I don't do all of those things just yet, and I will never stop cooking. But I am an individual, and as much as Mozambicans like to think of themselves as cogs in the wheel of their community, they are just as different from each other as are Americans. The fact that I can find respect in who most of them are, should dictate (and does) that they should be able to respect me. It's just too early for me to tell what that means from a Mozambican point of view.
It's very hot today, and I needed to go to the market, which I decided to do at the hottest possible moment, clearly.
It came time to buy bread, and next to the padaria, is a refrigerator with Coke and other sodas. For 6 Met. And did I mention they were cold? Possibly the best thing I've ever tasted.
And I'm not a big fan of the whole commercialization, especially exploitation, of 3rd world countries by American companies. In fact, it downright disgusts me at times. But when I can buy a bottle of ice cold refreshment sold in recycled containers for 25 cents, I can't help but feel a guilty pleasure.
This doesn't mean I'm changing my mind about McDonald's. They're still pure evil.
Let's put it this way - if some startup MOZ soft drink company were offering cold drinks for about the same amount, I'd buy that first in a heartbeat. But MOZ has better things to be concerned with than meeting the pop needs of its people, which Coca Cola can handle just fine. It is, however, jarring when you pass people humping rice sacks provided by USAID, drinking a refresco that they had to pay for. Do either of these things really help the people, or does it just improve their lives for a day? Coke can disappear, and suddenly a market opens up, but nobody knows how to capitalize on it. Or, alternatively, the rice disappears and people discoer they never learned how to find food during a drought, leaving them worse off than before.
We Americans are suckers for a bright, smiling face and healthy-looking poor people. We don't always consider that these people have pride, just like us. Pictures of Americans with intense, battered faces resting in front of their labor denote pride for us. So why are we not concerned with instilling the knowledge that would allow other people to be just as proud in developing....
(THIS IS WHERE THE LATEST ENTRY ENDS.....SORRY!)
12/28/2002
Today we went to the site of the new tri-country game park. The agreement was signed three weeks ago to join Kruger (South Africa) with parks in Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Currently, they are removing fences and building news ones to create the corridors. Like everything else, this could take a while.
But this is a great thing for this region in some ways, and a bad thing in other ways. It increases the wildlife and preserves some endangered species, most obviously elephants, but it stresses already poor regions, with tourism that takes more pictures and leaves more trash. I hope this is being taken into account. If I go to the game park, I'm going to make sure I speak the local language so that I can talk with the people and enjoy their presence as much as I enjoy the animals.
We drove up there today with Blake's family to see the dam in Massingir and we continued on about 3K into the park. We spoke with a few of the locals...not really. Blake's father wanted to get pictures of them, so I decided to try and test my Portuguese.
Unfortunately, the people didn't speak Portuguese.
I got out of the car, hands clasped together as a sign of respect, wishing them a good afternoon and then I sought out the oldest one. Usually, if you go to the elder, he will be able to direct you to who you need to speak with (if it's not him). Well, either there was nobody in this village who spoke Portuguese, or he wanted to show the village he understood the visitor.
Well, he didn't.
First, I asked (with gestures) if we could take pictures. He said it was OK. Then, because they all had USAID bags of rice, I asked which way the people who brought the bags went.
He then proceeded to translate this for the crowd of people that had assembled. They ooh'ed and aah'ed and smiled at me more. At this point, I realized that the elder was probably saying that I was responsible for bringing the food or that I was bringing more. I thn posed the question in a different way, simpler, hoping I would get a proper response, but again what must have sounded like nonsense was translated into whatever he wanted me to say.
At this point, a man who spoke as much English as I speak Changana, called me over. I repeated the question, to which I got "Yes". It was a confident "Yes", to his credit.
I have no doubt that this is how I must seem to many Mozambicans - regardless of how intelligent we are, we become stupid in the eyes of those who are fluent in languages we barely have a grasp on. On this day, I was as much a curiosity to them as they were to me.
Peace
John
But this is a great thing for this region in some ways, and a bad thing in other ways. It increases the wildlife and preserves some endangered species, most obviously elephants, but it stresses already poor regions, with tourism that takes more pictures and leaves more trash. I hope this is being taken into account. If I go to the game park, I'm going to make sure I speak the local language so that I can talk with the people and enjoy their presence as much as I enjoy the animals.
We drove up there today with Blake's family to see the dam in Massingir and we continued on about 3K into the park. We spoke with a few of the locals...not really. Blake's father wanted to get pictures of them, so I decided to try and test my Portuguese.
Unfortunately, the people didn't speak Portuguese.
I got out of the car, hands clasped together as a sign of respect, wishing them a good afternoon and then I sought out the oldest one. Usually, if you go to the elder, he will be able to direct you to who you need to speak with (if it's not him). Well, either there was nobody in this village who spoke Portuguese, or he wanted to show the village he understood the visitor.
Well, he didn't.
First, I asked (with gestures) if we could take pictures. He said it was OK. Then, because they all had USAID bags of rice, I asked which way the people who brought the bags went.
He then proceeded to translate this for the crowd of people that had assembled. They ooh'ed and aah'ed and smiled at me more. At this point, I realized that the elder was probably saying that I was responsible for bringing the food or that I was bringing more. I thn posed the question in a different way, simpler, hoping I would get a proper response, but again what must have sounded like nonsense was translated into whatever he wanted me to say.
At this point, a man who spoke as much English as I speak Changana, called me over. I repeated the question, to which I got "Yes". It was a confident "Yes", to his credit.
I have no doubt that this is how I must seem to many Mozambicans - regardless of how intelligent we are, we become stupid in the eyes of those who are fluent in languages we barely have a grasp on. On this day, I was as much a curiosity to them as they were to me.
Peace
John
12/27/2002
....So after we got on the bus, I realized that there was no way I'd be sitting down for the remaining hour of the ride due to the tremendous amount of people. So I got as far back as I could in the bus, put my pack behind me, left Simoes in front of me, and held on to posts that join the storage bins, on opposite sides. Basically, it looked like I was readying a gigantic catapult, leaning back, arms spread wide. But I felt safe, knowing I wasn't going anywhere in an accident!
In any case, today I spent the day with Blake's family. We went around town and showed them the ropes of living here in C---. We then made a traditional dinner of Cove, much to their delight. I have to admit it was quite good.
It's nice to have people to educate, in person, around a lot of the time. I broke the ice between Blake's father and some locals in terms of taking pictures and I've been answering questions and explaining the general way of life.
It's amazing to me how much I've really learned the past few months, as this family sees it. October seems like years ago in terms of reality - Blake's family really makes it hit home that I'm here for two years, but not that far away. It's also given me some ideas as to what I do and don't want to do with people who visit me.
People who visit (yes, that's you) are going to experience Mozambican life as best as I can demonstrate. You will travel in chapas, try to speak Portuguese and Changana, go to the market, cook traditional foods, hang out with my MOZ friends, go to a discoteca (maybe), go to a couple bars, see the children and play with the children, sit in on a class or two, etc. You won't need a car.
They don't.
I'm going to spend New Year's here, with Diamantino at his place. I tried to explain the Times Square ritual, but a big lit ball dropping slowly from the top of a building just doesn't translate correctly.
I hope that things disappearing from the house isn't because of Diamantino. It's possible, because he has a significant financial burden, but for the sake of our friendship, I hope it's not true. I know he appreciates me as a person. I just don't know how much of it is clouded by the fact that I have money and spend it (relatively) freely.
I got an email from Lisa today. It clarified tremendously how she sees our relationship, and it's just about the same way that I feel. The best part about our lives is that we are both following our dreams at the same time, and are in very intense situations. As much as I want her to visit to understand what my life is like, how much could I ever step into her shoes? Sorry to be vague, but this is a pretty private thing!
Peace
John
In any case, today I spent the day with Blake's family. We went around town and showed them the ropes of living here in C---. We then made a traditional dinner of Cove, much to their delight. I have to admit it was quite good.
It's nice to have people to educate, in person, around a lot of the time. I broke the ice between Blake's father and some locals in terms of taking pictures and I've been answering questions and explaining the general way of life.
It's amazing to me how much I've really learned the past few months, as this family sees it. October seems like years ago in terms of reality - Blake's family really makes it hit home that I'm here for two years, but not that far away. It's also given me some ideas as to what I do and don't want to do with people who visit me.
People who visit (yes, that's you) are going to experience Mozambican life as best as I can demonstrate. You will travel in chapas, try to speak Portuguese and Changana, go to the market, cook traditional foods, hang out with my MOZ friends, go to a discoteca (maybe), go to a couple bars, see the children and play with the children, sit in on a class or two, etc. You won't need a car.
They don't.
I'm going to spend New Year's here, with Diamantino at his place. I tried to explain the Times Square ritual, but a big lit ball dropping slowly from the top of a building just doesn't translate correctly.
I hope that things disappearing from the house isn't because of Diamantino. It's possible, because he has a significant financial burden, but for the sake of our friendship, I hope it's not true. I know he appreciates me as a person. I just don't know how much of it is clouded by the fact that I have money and spend it (relatively) freely.
I got an email from Lisa today. It clarified tremendously how she sees our relationship, and it's just about the same way that I feel. The best part about our lives is that we are both following our dreams at the same time, and are in very intense situations. As much as I want her to visit to understand what my life is like, how much could I ever step into her shoes? Sorry to be vague, but this is a pretty private thing!
Peace
John
12/26/2002
I'm a slacker, but it's OK because I was at the beach for Christmas.
Twelve of us went over Chris' house near the coast for Xmas the past couple days, and we all had a great time sharing stories of our past week and a half and spending the most celebrated American holiday with our new family.
We cooked our own huge meal for Xmas, including a fresh green salad, pasta and sause, grilled chicken, potato salad and garlic bread. It was one of the best meals we've had here, specifically because we made it and we made a ton of it. If we weren't going on hours-long chapa rides today, we would have grabbed more leftovers.
In catching up with people, I found out that many people have had problems with their houses not being ready or not being fully secured yet, so fully 1/4 of the volunteers in our group have not yet moved in. It's unfortunate for them because they haven't been able to take advantage of this time to settle in or improve their language skills half as much as if they had been in their houses.
However, we can't expect this to be like the States - and we all know this, however frustrating it still is.
My situation is definitely the exception rather than the rule, essentially living with a couple locals and having a house that's already ready to live in. Some people didn't show up to Xmas, though, because they wanted to integrate more into their communities or go back to home-stay families. So by no means were we homogeneous in our decision to hold on to our American identities during Xmas.
I've pretty much decided that I'm going to spend New Year's here in order to integrate into the community - but I still haven't decided on whether I'm going to start drinking here yet. I want to make sure I have the respect of the community before I start "male bonding", which is very commonly done over a few beers.
Phone calls were really tough these past couple days because it's been so hard to get through. My parents, however, managed to call me and we had a great long conversation that was, unfortunately, cut off and we didn't get to finish it. But it was very nice to hear from them and to have them know that everything was OK with me.
It's just so disconcerting, coming from a world where you can get in touch with anyone at any time, to having a conversation abruptly end and not have any recourse - not have any way to get in touch. It doesn't help that I've become more of a control freak here than in the States. Having the phone completely out of my control is just...jarring. But at least I have a phone, which is better than most people.
The trip back from the coast was eventful. I have to take a chapa from the volunteer's house to the market, and then the market to an intermediate city, then from the intermediate city to C---. Except it didn't quite work out that way. The whole process should take 3 hours, and it did on the way there. But on the way back, I got foiled by Jesse who told me to get off too early on the way to the market. So I had to walk about 20 minutes to get to the market, watching my chapa pass by. Then, I got to the market and got on a chapa that said that they were going all the way to C---. We waited 30 minutes for it to fill up, then were on our way and made it to the intermediate city without a problem, except that they changed their tune and ended up not going to C---. So I got dropped in the middle of a major intersection, not really knowing where I was going. Following my nose, I crossed a couple streets and asked people where these chapas were going - bingo. And in so doing, I found someone who was going back there for the first time in a long time, Simoes. He was born in C---, but as I understood it, he was going to visit family for the holiday, family he hadn't seen in a long time.
We hopped on the next empty chapa and again I had about 30 minutes of downtime. The whole ride, I had been reading "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance". So I opened the book, and Simoes immediately perked up. I asked him if he spoke English, and he said (in Portuguese) that he tried. So we read along - I, knowing that there's no way he'd understand what was going on; he, happy to have a chance to read English on the way to seeing his family.
About 1/2 an hour into the ride, we came upon a police stop. I'm not quite sure (and Simoes wasn't quite sure) what they were doing, but we sat for a while, then our driver parked on the opposite side of the road. We were told that the chapa had to return to town, but we were also told that we had to go with him. The people spoke, however, and we slowly trickled out and started waiting for a ride. A bus slowed up, already pretty full, and started having the same police problems. But most of us hung around the bus, knowing that we could squeeze in and no motorista refuses a fare. A chapa with room came by and a few people ran to catch it, but we stuck by our guns and eventually got on the bus.
I'll continue the story sometime, but I found a passage in "Zen..." that sums up an aspect of how I feel about myself.
"The range of human knowledge today is so great that we're all specialists and the distance between specializations has become so great that anyone who seeks to wander freely among them, almost has to forego closeness with the people around him."
Peace
John
Twelve of us went over Chris' house near the coast for Xmas the past couple days, and we all had a great time sharing stories of our past week and a half and spending the most celebrated American holiday with our new family.
We cooked our own huge meal for Xmas, including a fresh green salad, pasta and sause, grilled chicken, potato salad and garlic bread. It was one of the best meals we've had here, specifically because we made it and we made a ton of it. If we weren't going on hours-long chapa rides today, we would have grabbed more leftovers.
In catching up with people, I found out that many people have had problems with their houses not being ready or not being fully secured yet, so fully 1/4 of the volunteers in our group have not yet moved in. It's unfortunate for them because they haven't been able to take advantage of this time to settle in or improve their language skills half as much as if they had been in their houses.
However, we can't expect this to be like the States - and we all know this, however frustrating it still is.
My situation is definitely the exception rather than the rule, essentially living with a couple locals and having a house that's already ready to live in. Some people didn't show up to Xmas, though, because they wanted to integrate more into their communities or go back to home-stay families. So by no means were we homogeneous in our decision to hold on to our American identities during Xmas.
I've pretty much decided that I'm going to spend New Year's here in order to integrate into the community - but I still haven't decided on whether I'm going to start drinking here yet. I want to make sure I have the respect of the community before I start "male bonding", which is very commonly done over a few beers.
Phone calls were really tough these past couple days because it's been so hard to get through. My parents, however, managed to call me and we had a great long conversation that was, unfortunately, cut off and we didn't get to finish it. But it was very nice to hear from them and to have them know that everything was OK with me.
It's just so disconcerting, coming from a world where you can get in touch with anyone at any time, to having a conversation abruptly end and not have any recourse - not have any way to get in touch. It doesn't help that I've become more of a control freak here than in the States. Having the phone completely out of my control is just...jarring. But at least I have a phone, which is better than most people.
The trip back from the coast was eventful. I have to take a chapa from the volunteer's house to the market, and then the market to an intermediate city, then from the intermediate city to C---. Except it didn't quite work out that way. The whole process should take 3 hours, and it did on the way there. But on the way back, I got foiled by Jesse who told me to get off too early on the way to the market. So I had to walk about 20 minutes to get to the market, watching my chapa pass by. Then, I got to the market and got on a chapa that said that they were going all the way to C---. We waited 30 minutes for it to fill up, then were on our way and made it to the intermediate city without a problem, except that they changed their tune and ended up not going to C---. So I got dropped in the middle of a major intersection, not really knowing where I was going. Following my nose, I crossed a couple streets and asked people where these chapas were going - bingo. And in so doing, I found someone who was going back there for the first time in a long time, Simoes. He was born in C---, but as I understood it, he was going to visit family for the holiday, family he hadn't seen in a long time.
We hopped on the next empty chapa and again I had about 30 minutes of downtime. The whole ride, I had been reading "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance". So I opened the book, and Simoes immediately perked up. I asked him if he spoke English, and he said (in Portuguese) that he tried. So we read along - I, knowing that there's no way he'd understand what was going on; he, happy to have a chance to read English on the way to seeing his family.
About 1/2 an hour into the ride, we came upon a police stop. I'm not quite sure (and Simoes wasn't quite sure) what they were doing, but we sat for a while, then our driver parked on the opposite side of the road. We were told that the chapa had to return to town, but we were also told that we had to go with him. The people spoke, however, and we slowly trickled out and started waiting for a ride. A bus slowed up, already pretty full, and started having the same police problems. But most of us hung around the bus, knowing that we could squeeze in and no motorista refuses a fare. A chapa with room came by and a few people ran to catch it, but we stuck by our guns and eventually got on the bus.
I'll continue the story sometime, but I found a passage in "Zen..." that sums up an aspect of how I feel about myself.
"The range of human knowledge today is so great that we're all specialists and the distance between specializations has become so great that anyone who seeks to wander freely among them, almost has to forego closeness with the people around him."
Peace
John
12/23/2002
I met with the pedagogical director today. We were told in training to always use the most formal method of address with our directors, and that we would receive formal address in return.
Specifically, instead of saying "you", one says "o senhor", literally "the mister".
Tomorrow I head to the beach for Xmas. Whoah...
Peace
John
Specifically, instead of saying "you", one says "o senhor", literally "the mister".
Tomorrow I head to the beach for Xmas. Whoah...
Peace
John
12/22/2002
I've started another diary/journal in Portuguese, so I can practice. I may or may not decide to post it - even though that might not be a good idea, because I would have to post it myself (or could someone who knows Portuguese do it?)
Anyway, a Canadian couple who also works here in C--- stopped by today. They work for an NGO in Canada, and both speak French. They are from Montreal and Ottawa and are here working with the elderly and in providing Internet access. We are having a dinner with the Canadian/American contingent this Thursday - I'll make sure to bring up Moxy Fruvous, Ashley MacIsaac, Arrogant Worms, Great Big Sea, Toronto, trying to relearn French while I'm here, and some other things. It's exciting to have North Americans so close by, and they're going to be here until 2004, like me.
I didn't invite them into the house, but it was mainly because there were too many people here already. Hopefully, I still made a good first impression!
Last night, I also gave a short physics lesson, in Portuguese, to Jorgito. We discussed work, kinetic and potential energy and gravity as it relates to density, using household examples like a ball of string, and oil in water. It was exciting to be able to teach a subject I have relatively little training in, in a language I know only fairly well. And he got it, too, which was the best part. He wants to go to college in the States, and I've already set a goal for myself to do everything I can for him and his friends who want to do the same. It may not be very realistic to expect that I can get him there, but it's worth a try because he has the desire and capacity. Of course, like everything else, I have no idea where to start, but I guess I could try to contact State universities that might be trying to attract more foreigners. Yeah. This is gonna be fun. (FROM MOM --- JOHN ASKED ME TO DO WHAT I COULD AS WELL, AND IF ANYONE HAS SUGGESTIONS OUT THERE, FEEL FREE!)
Tomorrow, I'm going to school to meet the school director and pedagogical director. Hopefully, my Portuguese has improved enough at this point so that I'll have a handle on these conversations and not f--- anything up - especially their confidence in my ability to teach in Portuguese. Also, and some would say more importantly, I get the cell phone tomorrow for the Xmas break! Yes, I get to talk to people --- on my own phone (kinda...)
If I miss people for two years, how is that going to affect me? Is that even emotionally or physically safe? I don't want to stop missing people -- and will they continue to miss me?
I have less silence in my life now because this world that I'm in is constatnly alive - not necessarily with machinery or cars or music or people - but with life in its many forms. Chickens, dogs, insects, the light of the moon. But the silence, when I do find it, is the scariest part of being here. In the silence, my mind is free to travel to all the places I've been and relive all the things I've done. And remember all the people I love. In the silence, my mind creates an alternative universe where the people I know don't change and their daily activities stay routine. America slowly becomes as unimaginably unattainable as it is for most Mozambicans - yet there is the same reservation that it could never be everything you need.
In my mind, I've resolved that it will be two years before I return, so my vision of America is simply advanced two years - what I think it should look like when I go back. So when I visit places I know in my mind, it already seems like it's been years, simply because I know not to expect it to be the same.
However, the silence hasn't poisoned me. I'm able to look back and find the qualities of my previous life that I was truly happy about, and apply those universal truths to my life here. I already know how to help people here, because I have the basic tools. I just don't yet know what to build (or how to draw the plans in Portuguese :) )
And, of course, the silence forgets all too easily how much others do think about me, and care for me, as much as I do for them. The silence can never know love, because love doesn't take a two-year break.
The silence is my friend, but only a friend. I visit every so often, and when I do, I keep a distance.
Peace
John
Anyway, a Canadian couple who also works here in C--- stopped by today. They work for an NGO in Canada, and both speak French. They are from Montreal and Ottawa and are here working with the elderly and in providing Internet access. We are having a dinner with the Canadian/American contingent this Thursday - I'll make sure to bring up Moxy Fruvous, Ashley MacIsaac, Arrogant Worms, Great Big Sea, Toronto, trying to relearn French while I'm here, and some other things. It's exciting to have North Americans so close by, and they're going to be here until 2004, like me.
I didn't invite them into the house, but it was mainly because there were too many people here already. Hopefully, I still made a good first impression!
Last night, I also gave a short physics lesson, in Portuguese, to Jorgito. We discussed work, kinetic and potential energy and gravity as it relates to density, using household examples like a ball of string, and oil in water. It was exciting to be able to teach a subject I have relatively little training in, in a language I know only fairly well. And he got it, too, which was the best part. He wants to go to college in the States, and I've already set a goal for myself to do everything I can for him and his friends who want to do the same. It may not be very realistic to expect that I can get him there, but it's worth a try because he has the desire and capacity. Of course, like everything else, I have no idea where to start, but I guess I could try to contact State universities that might be trying to attract more foreigners. Yeah. This is gonna be fun. (FROM MOM --- JOHN ASKED ME TO DO WHAT I COULD AS WELL, AND IF ANYONE HAS SUGGESTIONS OUT THERE, FEEL FREE!)
Tomorrow, I'm going to school to meet the school director and pedagogical director. Hopefully, my Portuguese has improved enough at this point so that I'll have a handle on these conversations and not f--- anything up - especially their confidence in my ability to teach in Portuguese. Also, and some would say more importantly, I get the cell phone tomorrow for the Xmas break! Yes, I get to talk to people --- on my own phone (kinda...)
If I miss people for two years, how is that going to affect me? Is that even emotionally or physically safe? I don't want to stop missing people -- and will they continue to miss me?
I have less silence in my life now because this world that I'm in is constatnly alive - not necessarily with machinery or cars or music or people - but with life in its many forms. Chickens, dogs, insects, the light of the moon. But the silence, when I do find it, is the scariest part of being here. In the silence, my mind is free to travel to all the places I've been and relive all the things I've done. And remember all the people I love. In the silence, my mind creates an alternative universe where the people I know don't change and their daily activities stay routine. America slowly becomes as unimaginably unattainable as it is for most Mozambicans - yet there is the same reservation that it could never be everything you need.
In my mind, I've resolved that it will be two years before I return, so my vision of America is simply advanced two years - what I think it should look like when I go back. So when I visit places I know in my mind, it already seems like it's been years, simply because I know not to expect it to be the same.
However, the silence hasn't poisoned me. I'm able to look back and find the qualities of my previous life that I was truly happy about, and apply those universal truths to my life here. I already know how to help people here, because I have the basic tools. I just don't yet know what to build (or how to draw the plans in Portuguese :) )
And, of course, the silence forgets all too easily how much others do think about me, and care for me, as much as I do for them. The silence can never know love, because love doesn't take a two-year break.
The silence is my friend, but only a friend. I visit every so often, and when I do, I keep a distance.
Peace
John
12/21/2002
(THIS IS MOM --- I RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING OVER 3 DAYS AND FINALLY HAVE A COHERENT GROUPING TO POST! THE VERY END IS QUITE ABRUPT, PROBABLY BECAUSE JOHN'S HOUSEMATE'S FAMILY WAS LEAVING AND HE JUST HAD TO RIP AND SEAL IT UP! FYI, I HAD A LONG TALK WITH JOHN ON NEW YEAR'S DAY AND HE'S DOING WONDERFULLY WELL AND SENDS HIS LOVE TO ALL.)
I just had a conversation in English for the first time in about 6 days. Wow.
There's a geography teacher here named Kingston who's from Zimbabwe. I speak Portuguese with him after saying "Good morning", etc., usually, and today when he stopped by my house with a friend, we switched to Portuguese on my cue.
Then he introduced his friend in English after a couple of minutes, and I asked him whether he spoke Portuguese. He didn't, so for his benefit, I continued the conversation in English.
It was hard, because I was so used to having to translate my thoughts, so about half of things I was saying came out like my Portuguese - choppy and slow. But it was really cool to feel like English was my second language. It's going to be hard when Tober and Blake come back and I don't have to speak Portuguese all the time. Maybe I'll make Blake speak "so portugues". That could be interesting...
I met a friend of Jorgito's who does theater teaching about SIDA and drug abuse with Jorgito, and we discussed where they perform, who they perform for, etc. I asked if they had a script that they worked from, and they said they would bring it. It was downright exciting to start my actual development work, however tangential this one meeting was to getting anything done.
But I know two years is not a long time when it comes to helping a community as large as C---.
My first impression of all the DJs here is "Man, this guy sucks."
But then it dawns on me that a DJ is a public servant, and he needs to do what people want to hear. So, by American standards, these DJs would suck, but by MOZ standards, American DJs would similarly suck.
It's like knowing a lot of biology, but not speak the language that people need to learn the material in. So I'm working on sucking less.
Peace
John
I just had a conversation in English for the first time in about 6 days. Wow.
There's a geography teacher here named Kingston who's from Zimbabwe. I speak Portuguese with him after saying "Good morning", etc., usually, and today when he stopped by my house with a friend, we switched to Portuguese on my cue.
Then he introduced his friend in English after a couple of minutes, and I asked him whether he spoke Portuguese. He didn't, so for his benefit, I continued the conversation in English.
It was hard, because I was so used to having to translate my thoughts, so about half of things I was saying came out like my Portuguese - choppy and slow. But it was really cool to feel like English was my second language. It's going to be hard when Tober and Blake come back and I don't have to speak Portuguese all the time. Maybe I'll make Blake speak "so portugues". That could be interesting...
I met a friend of Jorgito's who does theater teaching about SIDA and drug abuse with Jorgito, and we discussed where they perform, who they perform for, etc. I asked if they had a script that they worked from, and they said they would bring it. It was downright exciting to start my actual development work, however tangential this one meeting was to getting anything done.
But I know two years is not a long time when it comes to helping a community as large as C---.
My first impression of all the DJs here is "Man, this guy sucks."
But then it dawns on me that a DJ is a public servant, and he needs to do what people want to hear. So, by American standards, these DJs would suck, but by MOZ standards, American DJs would similarly suck.
It's like knowing a lot of biology, but not speak the language that people need to learn the material in. So I'm working on sucking less.
Peace
John
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