It’s hard to believe but Ive started my fourth week of training in Namaacha! Time is an interesting phenomena here… the days feel eternally long, but the weeks seem to disappear with the blink of an eye. I apologize that I haven’t been in regular communication with everyone as I wanted to be – that will change once I’m sworn in and move to my 2-year site because I’ll have the time and (marginally) more money to invest in luxuries like internet. As I’ve quickly learned, the primary philosophy of a Peace Corps volunteer quickly becomes “Work with what is available.” Given that there’s one computer in all of Namaacha with internet, I’ve generally decided to unplug myself from the outside world, give or take the few facebook posts to let Mom and Pop know I’m alive ;)
So! Let me begin first with describing my life here.
I have been warmly welcomed into the family of Cremilda and Ernesto Machava and their two kids, Elias and Marina. I feel so lucky to have been placed with this family as they have already left a great impression on me and have helped form some of my first ideas and observations about Mozambique. My “mae” (mother) Cremilda definitely wears the pants in this family, always cajoling, encouraging, or demanding something or another. In addition to being a mother and wife (the primary roles of women here), Mae is also a school teacher at a local Catholic primary school. However, because Mae isn’t home all day to take care of the household chores, she gets up at 4:30/5am everyday to clean the house and kitchen, cook breakfast, prep lunch, boil water for drinking and showers, and sometimes even do laundry or go to the market. I swear, Mae gets done more in the two hours before work than I do all day. My Pai (father) on the other hand (annoyingly) never lifts a finger at home because as is custom here, his primary duties take root in his success as a breadwinner. As a local merchant, Pai commutes between Namaacha and Maputo multiple times per week, driving a car so beat up that I swear to god its held together by duct tape. He’s often only home a few days a week, but whether that’s because of his work or because he has a second wife (aka, “casa dois,” or “house #2” as it’s called here), I haven’t quite figured out and haven’t had the guts to ask.
Ultimately though, as interesting as my Mae and Pai´s relationship is, if it weren’t for Elias and Marina, I would not be having nearly as much fun or feel so connected to this place already. Elias is ten – that amazing age where a giggle is ready to burst out of his little body any time his pale American sister says something wrong in Portuguese or makes faces at him. If I can make Elias laugh, my day becomes instantly better. Also, I gave Elias a soccer ball the first week I arrived in Namaacha and he hasn’t stopped playing/kicking the ball against the house since ( I’m sure he parents are thrilled…and I haven’t even broken out the fart putty yet! :)). Marina, my host-sister, is also a real joy to be around. Already at 14 years, she’s stunningly beautiful with big beautiful brown eyes and long gazelle-like legs. The best part? I don’t think she’s realized her beauty yet, and I don’t think her mother has pointed it out to her either (some things, like a mothers desire for her child to remain innocent as long as possible, really do seem universal!). Also, I enjoyed one of my best, most articulate conversations in Portuguese with Marina last week, talking about our dreams, life goals, and futures. Turns out, Marina loves biology and physics and dreams of going to university. Already though, even at fourteen, she’s worried that she won’t be able to go because of how expensive it is. It´s interesting to put it in this additional perspective: Marina is only two years younger than her mom was when she gave birth to Marina. The weight of the world (and history) seems to already be pressing on this girl’s promise and potential…But for now, I´m keeping content dropping in basic gender equality conversation topics while we do chores together and hope that something sparks Marina´s interest. Already, since Marina LOVES the hip-hop artist Beyonce, we´ve bonded over her song "Girls Run the World". (For those behind on their pop culture knowledge, youºll find the link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBmMU_iwe6U)
In any case, the five of us share a little 3-room cement block house located 4 blocks off the main road that goes through town. I have been given my own room at the family’s insistence while all four of them share a tiny bedroom. The kitchen is small but versatile, acting simultaneously as the living room, office space, and entertainment room. An old, staticy T.V. is the room’s centerpiece, and it’s always blaring some Brazilian soap opera or top 40 music video channel. Privacy is a luxury here, and I have been given as much as can be afforded, but even then, I’ve only had about 20 total minutes of alone time in the last three weeks. I’ve gotten used to it though, and I even look forward to coming home every day to banter and laugh with the family over mealtimes.
As my favorite thinker, Albert Camus, once wrote in The Stranger, “one can truly get used to anything.” I’ve truly been amazed at how quickly I’ve gotten used to living a completely different life. All the hesitancies and anxieties about pit latrines, bucket baths, and no running water are things that turned out to be complete non-issues. Amazingly enough,
things that you don’t have you generally realize you don’t need. As it is, I’m living on barely $3 per day. Really. And that’s still more than what local Mozambicans live on. As a sidenote, I have found a soul mate in Mozambican bathing culture! My host-mom made it very clear to me that I needed to bath 2-3 times per day while I’m here. So twice a day, I diligently scoop some water from our water barrel into a basin, pour in some hot water from the stove, and shuffle outside to the bathing hut in my colorful capulana. Also, for more perspective on my daily life, I do my laundry by hand in a bucket, sometimes with a rock. I look forward to the slice of American cheese that I get for breakfast every morning – “plastic” cheese that I would have scoffed at that in the U.S. I even helped kill, pluck, and gut a chicken last week. Wouldn’t have thought I’d do that in a million years.
Now, in regards to being an official Peace Corps Trainee (PCT), the last three weeks and the next seven reflect an intensive introduction to not only Peace Corps ideology (addressing everything from teaching pedagogy to grassroots/community development methodologies), but also immersion into language. My training in Portuguese has thus far been an intense, physical immersion into the language. Language classes are often 8 hours a day and forbid the use of ANY English. Moreover, we are all working with local speakers in groups of 4-5 people so we are individually held accountable to our learning. The Peace Corps views language acquisition as the primary way of keeping people safe during service – the better you can communicate in your host-community and host-country overall, the less likely you´ll will be taken advantage of or put in vulnerable situations. Hence, the emphasis on language-learning is paramount to serving as a volunteer. When we’re not in language classes, all 67 of us Peace Corps Trainees (PCTs) attend group training sessions about safety and security, health, and various other important skills like permagardening. And, when we’re not in training sessions we’re all at Javiers, a local bar, drinking Manica beer and exchanging laughs and stories. Overall, I am learning so much and honestly loving every minute of it!!
That’s all I have time for now, but I hope to keep y’all updated more regularly. Just wanted everyone to know that I am alive, happy, and loving what I’m doing!
So! Let me begin first with describing my life here.
I have been warmly welcomed into the family of Cremilda and Ernesto Machava and their two kids, Elias and Marina. I feel so lucky to have been placed with this family as they have already left a great impression on me and have helped form some of my first ideas and observations about Mozambique. My “mae” (mother) Cremilda definitely wears the pants in this family, always cajoling, encouraging, or demanding something or another. In addition to being a mother and wife (the primary roles of women here), Mae is also a school teacher at a local Catholic primary school. However, because Mae isn’t home all day to take care of the household chores, she gets up at 4:30/5am everyday to clean the house and kitchen, cook breakfast, prep lunch, boil water for drinking and showers, and sometimes even do laundry or go to the market. I swear, Mae gets done more in the two hours before work than I do all day. My Pai (father) on the other hand (annoyingly) never lifts a finger at home because as is custom here, his primary duties take root in his success as a breadwinner. As a local merchant, Pai commutes between Namaacha and Maputo multiple times per week, driving a car so beat up that I swear to god its held together by duct tape. He’s often only home a few days a week, but whether that’s because of his work or because he has a second wife (aka, “casa dois,” or “house #2” as it’s called here), I haven’t quite figured out and haven’t had the guts to ask.
Ultimately though, as interesting as my Mae and Pai´s relationship is, if it weren’t for Elias and Marina, I would not be having nearly as much fun or feel so connected to this place already. Elias is ten – that amazing age where a giggle is ready to burst out of his little body any time his pale American sister says something wrong in Portuguese or makes faces at him. If I can make Elias laugh, my day becomes instantly better. Also, I gave Elias a soccer ball the first week I arrived in Namaacha and he hasn’t stopped playing/kicking the ball against the house since ( I’m sure he parents are thrilled…and I haven’t even broken out the fart putty yet! :)). Marina, my host-sister, is also a real joy to be around. Already at 14 years, she’s stunningly beautiful with big beautiful brown eyes and long gazelle-like legs. The best part? I don’t think she’s realized her beauty yet, and I don’t think her mother has pointed it out to her either (some things, like a mothers desire for her child to remain innocent as long as possible, really do seem universal!). Also, I enjoyed one of my best, most articulate conversations in Portuguese with Marina last week, talking about our dreams, life goals, and futures. Turns out, Marina loves biology and physics and dreams of going to university. Already though, even at fourteen, she’s worried that she won’t be able to go because of how expensive it is. It´s interesting to put it in this additional perspective: Marina is only two years younger than her mom was when she gave birth to Marina. The weight of the world (and history) seems to already be pressing on this girl’s promise and potential…But for now, I´m keeping content dropping in basic gender equality conversation topics while we do chores together and hope that something sparks Marina´s interest. Already, since Marina LOVES the hip-hop artist Beyonce, we´ve bonded over her song "Girls Run the World". (For those behind on their pop culture knowledge, youºll find the link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBmMU_iwe6U)
In any case, the five of us share a little 3-room cement block house located 4 blocks off the main road that goes through town. I have been given my own room at the family’s insistence while all four of them share a tiny bedroom. The kitchen is small but versatile, acting simultaneously as the living room, office space, and entertainment room. An old, staticy T.V. is the room’s centerpiece, and it’s always blaring some Brazilian soap opera or top 40 music video channel. Privacy is a luxury here, and I have been given as much as can be afforded, but even then, I’ve only had about 20 total minutes of alone time in the last three weeks. I’ve gotten used to it though, and I even look forward to coming home every day to banter and laugh with the family over mealtimes.
As my favorite thinker, Albert Camus, once wrote in The Stranger, “one can truly get used to anything.” I’ve truly been amazed at how quickly I’ve gotten used to living a completely different life. All the hesitancies and anxieties about pit latrines, bucket baths, and no running water are things that turned out to be complete non-issues. Amazingly enough,
things that you don’t have you generally realize you don’t need. As it is, I’m living on barely $3 per day. Really. And that’s still more than what local Mozambicans live on. As a sidenote, I have found a soul mate in Mozambican bathing culture! My host-mom made it very clear to me that I needed to bath 2-3 times per day while I’m here. So twice a day, I diligently scoop some water from our water barrel into a basin, pour in some hot water from the stove, and shuffle outside to the bathing hut in my colorful capulana. Also, for more perspective on my daily life, I do my laundry by hand in a bucket, sometimes with a rock. I look forward to the slice of American cheese that I get for breakfast every morning – “plastic” cheese that I would have scoffed at that in the U.S. I even helped kill, pluck, and gut a chicken last week. Wouldn’t have thought I’d do that in a million years.
Now, in regards to being an official Peace Corps Trainee (PCT), the last three weeks and the next seven reflect an intensive introduction to not only Peace Corps ideology (addressing everything from teaching pedagogy to grassroots/community development methodologies), but also immersion into language. My training in Portuguese has thus far been an intense, physical immersion into the language. Language classes are often 8 hours a day and forbid the use of ANY English. Moreover, we are all working with local speakers in groups of 4-5 people so we are individually held accountable to our learning. The Peace Corps views language acquisition as the primary way of keeping people safe during service – the better you can communicate in your host-community and host-country overall, the less likely you´ll will be taken advantage of or put in vulnerable situations. Hence, the emphasis on language-learning is paramount to serving as a volunteer. When we’re not in language classes, all 67 of us Peace Corps Trainees (PCTs) attend group training sessions about safety and security, health, and various other important skills like permagardening. And, when we’re not in training sessions we’re all at Javiers, a local bar, drinking Manica beer and exchanging laughs and stories. Overall, I am learning so much and honestly loving every minute of it!!
That’s all I have time for now, but I hope to keep y’all updated more regularly. Just wanted everyone to know that I am alive, happy, and loving what I’m doing!
