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!
