Yesterday, we went to Xai-Xai, on the Indian (Ocean) coast. We had to take three chapas to get to the beach, and it took from 7:30, stopping for 3 hours, then going again and arriving at about 3 PM. But it was worth it.
I'd never set foot in the Indian Ocean before, and it's not as if my 3rd ocean was spectacularly different - it was just the novelty of it all. Of course, it was a gorgeous, unfettered beach and there were only a handful of people there on a beautiful day. Although I enjoyed myself, it was a guilty pleasure. I know I'm not here to be a beach bum - and I'm also privileged enough to have the choice. Most people can't afford to ship out to the beach - ever - and the people who buy up the property fence themselves in with their satellite dishes and SUVs. It creates a further dichotomy when you see this alongside reed huts. So can we ever integrate into the community when there's not only a perception but a reality that we have money and time to waste? Many volunteers have shown that they think so, but I wonder how true their integration really is. I would love to see if I can truly live at the level of the community, instead of slightly above it.
Anyway, the water was chilly and blue, perfect for a hot day. We did some body surfing and threw around a frisbee. We left the beach late afternoon and got into Xai-Xai for dinner at a tourist restaurant (however cheap).
Well, after dinner we went to a volunteer's house to hang out. Then we headed to the discoteca - Miao Miao. It was a fun one and played both traditional and pop American songs. This seemed to have more international interest, as it was near the beach and the tourist areas. I've gotten over the weirdness of being in dance clubs here - and how eerily similar the whole experience is to the States. I had a good talk with Lisa - I needed to vent some homesickness.
We returned from the club quite late, and most of us ended up only getting a couple hours of sleep before we rented our own chapa (between the 12 of us) straight to Boane. I've been napping and studying since I got home- well, trying. My host dad keeps interrupting. To him, it's not interrupting and I understand that, but it's still frustrating.
So I know what I want from a site now. I just don't think it exists. So no matter what, I'm going to have to compromise. It's not as if I came to Africa expecting anything anyway. It's just that we've been allowed to form expectations and desires about the rest of our experience, which is dangerous. I look forward to getting to site, but I'm also excited about this last half of training. My Portuguese came a long way this weekend, if only in colloquial ways. But confidence is confidence, so I'm a happy camper!
Peace
John
