Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Bem-vindo a 2013!!!


I was only out of Monapo for two weeks but when I got back it felt like so much had changed. There was a huge fire on New Year’s Eve at the market in Monapo. Roughly 20 bodegas selling everything from Indian dresses to Chinese electronics burned down. I’m not sure what kind of financial help the owners received but they are currently in the process of re-building their stores with less combustible materials like cement and sheets of zinc, as opposed to wood and grass. I also came back to a fully pregnant cat who has since had her kittens! There are three of them- two are dark and one is more like Roo, white with dark patches. I sat on my back veranda with the kids while we watched her move them from a secluded corner of my yard into the spare room in my house. They can’t walk yet so I don’t have to worry about them getting into trouble. While I was gone I missed Eddie’s (my little neighbor boy) celebration into manhood. To make up for it I baked oatmeal raisin cookies and took him back-to-school shopping. I spent about $4 and got him a new notebook, colored pencils, pens, ruler and an incredible Transformer set with notepad, pencil sharpener, pencils and pencil case.  As we walked through the market picking things out he was so excited he could barely talk! And the biggest change of all- its 2013 and I’ll be coming back to the states in 6 months! So strange to think that I have so little time left.

I had a lovely Christmas/New Year holiday. A bunch of volunteers who live in Southern Mozambique came up North so I didn’t have to travel very far distances for once, which was a very nice change! Two of my close girl friends got to my house early so I was able to spend time with them and show them around Nampula city and Mozambique Island. Then 7 of us went to one of my favorite places- Chocas. We had a pretty rustic experience because we chose to camp. But it was great being able to buy fish and seafood right on the beach from the fishermen and cooking it for dinner. From Chocas we traveled up farther North to Pemba, a beach town full of tourists and ex-pats. There was a huge group of PCVs that camped out at a really fun lodge complete with great American food and cable tv, all a short walk from the beach. We were even treated to a free Christmas buffet lunch complete with turkey, beef, fish, squid and LOBSTER. What luck! After Christmas I traveled even farther North (super close to the Tanzanian border) to a town called Moçimboa da Praia, which is my friend Nitisha’s site. It was horrible getting there (several hours spent in the hot sun trying to get a ride and eventually ended up standing on an even hotter bus stuffed beyond capacity with humans of all shapes/sizes/ages) but I’m glad we went because it was probably one of the most unique places I’ve ever been in Mozambique. After Nitisha showed us around for a couple of days, we headed back down to Pemba for the New Year. We camped at the Pemba Dive and Bush Camp this time around which was really fun because they provide a lot of free activities- kayaking, archery, nature walks, mud baths, volleyball. You better believe we got our monies worth! I rang in the New Year with my girl friends on the dance floor of the Pemba Beach Hotel, a very swanky place. After enjoying the American tunes and firework display we switched venues and went to a seedier part of town to ring in the New Year with the locals. We ended the night back at the Bush Camp hanging out around the bonfire. All in all, a fantastic way to say goodbye to 2012.
                 
Since being back from vacation, I’ve been reminded of a mothers’ typical wish on Mother’s Day- peace and quiet. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love “my kids” (read: the little neighborhood munchkins) but sometimes enough is enough! The past couple of weekends I’ve spent nearly all of Saturday and Sunday with the little monkeys. From the time I open my door in the morning until it gets dark at night. And even then they’re peeking through my front windows watching me watch tv, doing yoga, or cook. Last Sunday, I spent all morning with them in my backyard. Then Carla had the idea to do a picnic lunch. So everyone ran home to grab a bit of food to share with the rest of the group. Then I put up the hammock and we had fun putting people in and swinging them back-and-forth. At some point, I fell asleep and when I woke up the kids had organized themselves into teams for a cooking competition! I was utterly amazed. They brought pans and charcoal from home and collected mandioca leaves from random plants growing in my yard. I ended up giving each team an onion, oil and salt so the matapa (green, leafy Mozambican dish) wouldn’t be so bland. It was so cute watching them help each other get their fires started (they used bits of charcoal and wood scraps and grass from my yard). Even little Deena and Fatiminha took over tending the fires! Can you imagine 3 and 4 year olds doing that in the states?! The parents would be hauled away by social services! It’s incredible that things still shock me after two years in Moz.
                 
My family will be here in six weeks! I am equally excited and frightened. Who knows what we will encounter. But I can guarantee it’ll be one heck of an adventure!