Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Oh where, oh where have I been??!

Hey everyone! Sorry it has been so long since my last blog entry...what can I say, it's Africa and a third world country, access is few and far between. I suppose I'm damn lucky that I even have internet connection. I mean when I was preparing to come over here I didn't even think I would have electricity, running water, or internet. Haha ok well I do have two of those things, I'm just lacking on the whole running water issue. Ahhh the life of a PCV in an African country.

OK so the last few weeks (or months...I can't even really remember; time flies here!) have been pretty good over all. A lot of noteworthy things happened during this short period of time, if you can believe it...

I finally got my computer that my mother so generously sent from the US. It was a damn pain to not only get it here but then get it out of Mozambican customs. If the cost of shipping on top of the computer itself wasn't enough, the customs department put it over the top. Its just so ridiculous that they include shipping when they calculate the fee owed to customs! I couldn't believe it. Anyway, it started when i got a call that notified me that my computer was in Mozambique. I set up plans to go to Maputo to go get it. Well I got into Maputo and the next day i went to the airport to go get it armed with my passport and copious amounts of Meticais (the currency of Moz: metical [sing.], meticais [pl.]). The people there did not know what I was talking about when I was there. Now some of this may have been attributed to my talent in speaking Portuguese but I think I can actually get a coherent thought across. They asked if I had a form to pick it up, of course I didn't – no one told me about a form. Went back to the PC office to find out that I in fact do need a form, I didn't know what form or that there was even a form in existence. I called up my mother at 1:30 am, NY time, and had her fax all the info that she had. I went back to the airport only to have them send me downtown to the post office. The post office didn't have anything so I was instructed after many hours of questioning to go to a place called Sky Net (partner of UPS). I finally get there at 11:45 am, Moz time, 15 minutes before its set to close (just about everything closes at noon in Maputo on a Friday). They said they delivered a customs form to the PC office. I was furious. I just spent 1200 meticais on taxi's getting to and from everywhere and the source of the problem was the second place I went to, my organization! Turns out that my higher-up left the form with another person and didn't inform this person of what it was this person subsequently left the country for an extended period of time. What can I say? My luck is just too much for one person! Basically that weekend was a waste of all my money and I didn't get much out of it. The next weekend I headed back down and retrieved my comp after my organization picked it up for me. So, alas, I now have my computer and am severely contented.

I did get some good things out of my first weekend in the “big city.” I randomly met up with a fellow MOZ 12-er, Ali, and we ended up hanging out together at the PC office for CD Dave's going away party/despedida then sspending a well needed night just hanging out. It was good fun after the computer incident. You might have caught it or perhaps not but I just alluded to the change in Peace Corps Mozambique regime. The Country Director of Mozambique, Dave Bellama, retired his position as CD after 3 years of service here. He was one hell of an awesome guy and he will be missed. Now we have a new CD who I have yet to meet but pretty excited to get to know her.

The biggest change/event in my life since my last post is the start of classes here in Mozambique...well at least at the Escola Secundaria de Chibuto. After much disorganization within my school we are finally in flow with the first trimester. I thought/was told I would be teaching 11th grade chemistry to 4 turmas (classes) but that has changed into me teaching 9th grade and 7 turmas. So within one week I am teaching for about 21 hours 350 students. Most of my pupils are nice and fun but I do have some “indiciplinados”/class hellions; I mean they are high school freshmen after all. Pretty much things go smoothly so it's all good. We are just about to enter into our midterm time here and we are almost finished with the first trimester already! I can't believe it has really gone by this fast! All-in-all I'm having a really good time teaching these kids the noble study of chemistry (must be my Leo side...blah blah) and they seem to enjoy me, which is a really good thing too.

The only truly difficult thing is the whole teaching in Portuguese issue. OK, I am not lying when I say that I don't speak hardly a word of English in class...well maybe a word or two like “yeah” and “good afternoon/goodbye.” But thats it really. I must say that it is getting easier every class but its really frustrating when the students laugh at me sometimes because they know what you're trying to say but your clearly not saying it correctly. I do get a bit flustered but try do everything I can to not let them see that. Hey they would be having a hard time too if they arrived in the US only 4 months before starting teaching without knowing a single world of English before they came. Of that I'm certain, and that gives me some sense of self-satisfaction and accomplishment. So in the end it's the beginning of an adventure and I'm absolutely positive that i will have more stories as far as teaching is concerned.

Other ongoings at my school would include the secondary projects that I am continuing and starting up. First, what is a secondary project? Well a volunteers primary project is what we came here to do, in my case teach. Secondary projects are projects/initiatives that are done in addition to ones primary job, hence the name. These secondary projects can come in all shapes and sizes. The secondary projects I am currently doing/going to start very soon is a Theatre Club for boys through the Peace Corps started organization JOMA (Jovens para Mundanca e Accao/Young Men for Change and Action). Basically it is a group centered around gender equality campaigns and HIV/AIDS awareness through the medium of acting. The other project I hope to start in my town soon is the National HIV/AIDS Awareness & Science Fair. There are three official regions in Moz and every region holds a fair with participants from as many school as possible to sumbit science fair projects. Students have to devise and implement a science experiment and then present and publicly defend their project. It's never been done at my school and I'm really excited to have some of my students submit projects!

Other than the projects that I am doing at my school, I am also taking an aerobics class there too! Who would have thought that there would be an aerobics class here?! Its crazy ridiculous and just over the top. It's not really a workout as much as just something to give me a routine in my crazy scheduled life here. I mean I sweat more from the walk to catch a ride home than I do in that class. Nevertheless it's a great way to integrate more in the community. Hell yeah!

Well I can say that it has been nearly 6 months since I first landed here in Mozambique and I have been an actual Volunteer for 3.5 months. (Congrats Moz 12!) It really doesn't seem like it has been that long since I left but I will be the first to admit that so many things have happened to me in the short time that I have been overseas. I wish I could accurately explain the effect that all of these events has had on me already but truthfully I don't even know the extent to which I have been affected. All I know is that I have been in a way. Don't worry though! I am not going to come home and not take showers or something ridiculous like that.

That being said I can say that my life here in Chibuto (pronounced 'Shi-boo-too'), my fair hamlet, is coming along at a pretty good pace. Not only have I started school but I have also gotten in pretty good with the integrating process. Now most people in my town (aprox. pop.: 10,000 people) know my name, who I am, and what I'm doing here. I mean there are only 5 volunteers in Chibuto, 3 from the Peace Corps and 2 from JICA (the Japanese equivalent organization), and there are NO foreigners in our community besides us. For the most part my community is really accepting/tolerant of expats. They all seem to want to get to know me...which brings me back to a conversation I had with some Moz 10 volunteers before they COS-ed and went back home. “Are you ready to be a Mozambican rock star for the next two years?” was the question asked to me. I didn't exactly know the full extent of that question and how truthful they were being when asking me that at the time. Now I have a bit more experience – and they weren't kidding! It really does feel sometimes like I am a rock star here. I would be lying if I didn't like it sometimes (blame the Leo in me, what can i say) I mean who doesn't like some attention but other times it just gets so damned annoying. Like for example: I'll be waiting for a chapa (a packed minivan type taxi of sorts) and someone will just be staring at me from across the road...sometimes for up to 20 minutes until I say something to them like 'Bon dia' or 'Boa tarde.' I mean come on, seriously people what is so interesting about a white dude waiting to get a ride?! Alas, just one of the 101 questions I have for this country. Again, the life of a PCV.

Back to my 'fitting in' exposé...I also am starting to make friends and contacts in my community and around the country. I have a few friends here in my community that I hang out with on a regular basis and show me around to some of the more fun parts of my town. The other night the volunteer from a town 20 minutes away, Samantha, came over. Eventually my friend and two of his buddies came over and decided to take us out to the local “hot spot.” It was pretty cool, it had a pool table, a nice bar with a wise assortment of South African wines and cold beers. They also had a DVD player that kept playing CDs of Justin Timberlake, Lisa Jaymes, Beyonce, and (oh yes!) Michael Bolton. I wont even start about the wide array of “discotecas” here in my lovely bush town. Life is going pretty well over here so far.

I don't know if you have heard of anything on the world news or BBC but recently the chapa union decided to raise their fares by 100%. Quickly after, the government put a stop to that as it was such a steep increase and a majjority of the community would have a hard enough time affording that. Well naturally that just set the chapa people of this country into pandemonium because not only are the chapa people angry but with the increase comes the increase of all the goods/services in the country...and now we have riots in parts of the country. In Maputo (the country capital) there were tire burnings, a fatality, and cars being stoned in broad daylight. Luckily and thankfully due to the swift action of PC Moz none of us volunteers have been involved in anything. Like I said this rioting is going through the country, but at a slow pace. My community is not immune to it and in fact we had a series of riots here in Chibuto. I didn't go to school one day because I got a text from my site mate telling me of the craziness. Apparently from what I heard was that a special type of police was brought in to control the crowd because people were firing guns, burning tires, mugging people, looting stores, and burning bread stores. Needless to say i didn't leave my little house/backyard area. All is well now so no worries! I mean really, what is service without something scary and crazy like this happening?! What an adventure!


OK just one quick note...I finally got a chicken! Her name is Penny and she is such a stress because she doesnt like to sleep in her own coop. The neighbors think a magical chicken just showed up until I killed that idea. I cant wait to get my own eggs from her...and eat her offspring.

Also, if you have tried to call me part of last week and this week, my cell phone was stolen while visiting a friend. What can I say? It was bound to happen. Nevertheless I am still pissed! Well all good now. I have a phone...so what are you waiting for?? Call me! Don't forget to use the internet program SKYPE (www.skype.com). All you need is an internet connection and a microphone. According to my family its pennies compared to any other means of calling communication. If you don't want to call then you can always shoot me an email at jon.d.bates@gmail.com. I'm not choosy and will take anything.

Well currently I am in Maputo for our bi-annual regional meeting. Most of us Moz 12-ers are pretty excited because we haven't seen each other in awhile, some of us since swearing-in in December. It also happens to fall on the oh-so-fun holiday of St. Patty's Day!! Hell yeah! Good times for all to be had.

Well that's the latest from me here. I hope you all have enjoyed reading. I miss you all and hope that you all are doing well and staying safe in wintery New York. I cannot explain how much I really miss everyone. I have a wall of all pictures of my old life back in NY. I can't but help to realize how lucky I really am. Each one of you has a very special place near and dear to my heart. Sorry I just went all mushy but sometimes it needs to be said and consequently heard.

On a completely unrelated topic, now that I have my computer feel free to send me DVDs and CDs of the latest movies and music (or anything really, I'm not picky!). I mean you can't really get to much over here and the internet connection sucks to download anything (hello dial-up!). Also one last thing but still very important. Thanks so completely much for all the mail that you all have been sending to me. Whether they were letters or packages of sweet treasures, I value and appreciate EVERYTHING. I mean it from the bottom of my heart when I say thank you.


All my love,

Jon


PS- Enjoy some pics from me and fellow PCVs on the beach after a long week at work! Suckaaaaaasss.

My fellow Moz 12 Gazan's, Megan Moriarty and Lindsay Hutchinson.