Happy Six Months In-Country-aversary!

As of December 2, 2011 I have officially been in country six full months! I can hardly believe it has already been this long.

I can remember so vividly my last moments at home. I can even recall brining in the New Year at home with friends and Family. Life has certainly changed in my six short months, both here in Mozambique and at home in the States.

I went from a life of relative comfort to a much more rustic existence and to my own surprise have adjusted better than pretty well. I have become more resourceful-learning scrub stuck on grease with sand, and to use laundry detergent when i've run out of dish soap- and if it's possible have become more domestic. I have no doubt that if I had to I could live without running water forever...not that I want to though!

I have communed with all manner of wildlife, from swimming with several ton whale sharks and playing "Auntie" to new born donkeys to sharing a living space with gekkos, newts, a pretty rambuncious but still incredibly cute "African Mutt" and what may potentially turn out to be an African WIld Cat. I have even, much to my chagrin but still quite an accomplishment, wrested with the occassional camel spider.
I went from roommate to single pet mother in one week. Saying "good bye" to my roommate was more emotional than I expected it to be, but i'm glad to have met and lived with her and am forever grateful for all the help she gave me. My initial fears about living alone have quelled. Having Nhemba (my puppy) and Botao (the kitten) around has definitely made the transitition easier. I've established a little bit of a routine and am now connected to the internet at home so I think I'm pretty happy.

Work is still pretty slow but it's getting close to the holiday season so I fear that it's just going to get much slower. I have spent my free time coming up with lots of ideas for how to help improve both my orgs so along with a few other "Non-resolutions" (since I never keep actual New Year's resolutions) I hope to begin working on my ideas in the New Year.

Wow, 2011 is already (almost) over. It started out a little rough but has proved to be one of my best. I am more than confident that 2012 will be just as amazing. I am the master of my fate and Lord willing will succeed in all that I set out to do.

Since coming to Mozambique, I've gained several adorable new siblings and a cool second (or third or fourth) mom. I have been so blessed to have gone through training and these first few months of service with the most awesome group of people ever! It's like having 28 best friends. We all just naturally get along and have since the very beginning. I am so thankful to have my Moz-16 family as a support system and I look forward to building upon, maintaining abd furthuring our friendship for the next 21 months abd many years to come. Anytime a group of us gets together we have already begun to make to get together after service LOL.
I have also been pleasantly surprised by how awesome all the other PCVs are here. Everyone is so down-to-Earth and also really open and helpful. The Peace Corps network has already proved to be an amazing resource (even before I actually got to Moz), not just in Mozambique but also volunteers in surrounding countries and the many RPCVs I've had the pleasure of meeting in whatever form (PC meet-ups, facebook groups, random mutual friends lol). I feel like I have joined a fratenity (for lack of a better word) and look forward to continuing  my association and involvement throughout the rest of my life.

I just need to make it through the rest of my service first. Which, I know that I can and will do with the love, support, advice, prayers, help and cooperation from my family, friends, fellow Moz-16ers (and 15ers, 14ers 13ers 17ers and even Moz-18ers-coming soon) and everyone I've met during my journey.

Thank You!

Until the next milestone! 

Ate Ja!

The Integration Period: a narrative

One day a young girl received a call from a kind man by the name of John. This call was one sent out many many years ago to young people all over the country to travel to far away lands to complete for a full two years of service to mankind. The call was to join the Peace Corps.

 This young girl answered that call with zeal and excitement.

Her story began like so many other volunteers. She quickly packed up her life-somewhat successfully into the requisite 80lbs of luggage- and was off to fulfill a long time dream in Mozambique.
She struggled a bit at the beginning of  Pre-Service Training, but soon made many friends, gained a few new family members, learned muito and had fun. After she swore-in she was ready and once again excited to begin her service...
That is however until she entered...the INTEGRATION PERIOD!!

Our young heroine once again packed her bags and after one final hot shower and a hurried buffet breakfast she was whisked away to a magical land called Inharrime.

When she arrived at her new home she was greeted by many new faces including her fairy god-mother disguised as her new temporary roommate, currently COSing (close of service) volunteer Ann.
Almost immediately, and all according to plan, the young woman was paraded around the tiny yet bustling town where she was introduced to many important members of the community including the Chief of Police, Dona Joanna, and several "Chefes do Bairro" (local neighborhood leaders).

After was seemed like a fairy-tale beginning the real story began. At the urging of her roommate the young woman was pushed into giving a palestra (lecture) to the activistas (community health workers) at her new organization, most of whom spoke only Copi (the local dialect) and could not read or write. She found it difficult at first to tailor her lesson to this group and became increasingly more aware that  her Portuguese skills were definitely not up to par but that even if they were nearly everything that happened at site happened in Copi!

Felizmente! (fourtunately), she was equipped with an excellent book of medical information specifically written for Mozambicans (or at the very least Portuguese speaking Mozambicans). This amazing resource continues to serve her very well during her first three months of service. Our young heroine has giving mini palestras on cholera, TB, Cancroid, Leperasy, Diabetes, PTV and even Children's Rights (thanks to good ol' MozSoft).
Although she is enjoying her work and she believes that her activistas are benefiting from her presence she has come up against two major (allbeit forseen) opponents:

1)Pronunciation-as if she weren't already self-concious about her language skills, having to explain complicated medical jargon has proved to be ten times worse! How can she expect people whose first language also isn't Portuguese to understand what ganglios or meningues are when she isn't even sure she saying it correctly!?

2) The "Misinformation Male Chauvinist "-there is one gentleman in particular at her organization who believes that he is God's gift to Tivikeli. He saunters into the weekly meetings late (if at all) the interrupts the "replicas" (when the weeks selected activistas translate and desiminate the information I gave them on the chose topic in Copi) wuth his own version of what causes and transmits diseases. Then the ladies have a ten minute conversation in Copi and the young lady fears that they are propogating the wrong information he has just given them simply because he is a man.

To get over these obstacles, the young woman has begun to read, write and speak more in Portuguese. She beleives that practice makes perfect so she has decided to talk to everyone and anyone without being embarrassed or offended when people correct her. As for the misinformation being spread, she has started to raise her hand and her voice more during the meetings and makes sure that if she sees or hears something amiss that she corrects it immediately.

All-in-all her integration period was not as scary or stressful as she thought it'd be. In fact it actually turned out to be a lot of fun. Our volunteer has traveled, experimented with new recipes, made more friends and has started to accumulate quite an impressive collection of capulana clothing.

At the end of the integration period her roommate/ fairy god-mother, who helped make her adjustment to life in Inharrime and as a Health Volunteer in general pain free left to return home. Thus begins the next chapter in the life of our heroine-living alone in a foreign country!

Stay tuned...

Ate Logo!