Better Late Than Never.

Well this post is about two months overdue but I figured it’s better late than never.

I kept my return date to America a secret because I wanted to surprise my family.  They thought I’d be home “for Christmas” so I figured I'd try and be home for Thanksgiving instead and surprise them and the plan worked wonderfully. I will tell you all about it below, but first I want to share my last week or so in Mozambqiue.

My last week at site is actually a blur.  I was still teaching but had planned for my students to give presentations instead of taking tests (much less grading and a lot more fun).  My students had to either memorize and present a poem or sing a song in English.  I was so impressed with the final results; the majority of my students actually prepared and some of them went all out, making up dances and singing  with harmony/melody, they love music and theater so this was a great way for everyone to end the school year with a good grade as long as they actually tried.  I tried to upload a video here of some students singing Thriller but the file was too large, here is the link to see it on my facebook page:

Turma B's Thriller Performance 

When I wasn’t teaching I was visiting friends.  I spent a lot of time with my friend Bea, who had a baby just a few days before I left.  In her culture, when a woman has a baby the baby cannot leave the house for 30 days and the woman and baby are only allowed to be visited by other woman.  I spent my last few days sitting on Bea’s couch, holding the youngest baby I’ve every cradled and just telling stories and making promises to keep in touch with both her and Sophia.

In Mozambique it’s very important to have a despadida, going away party, when you leave.  Even if you are only leaving for a few months or a year, you should throw a going away party.  Well I didn’t want to have a big party because I didn’t think it would look good if, after telling everyone I was a volunteer and didn’t receive a salary, I spent a lot of money on a party.  Additionally, I thought it would be awkward for Thelma because then people would expect her to throw a big party. I also just hate attention.  All of this fell on the deaf ears of my colleagues who pulled some money together and approached me to see how we could organize something.  I went out and bought all the food (and of course some was donated) and my colleagues paid for drinks, and negotiated for us to have the party at a bar in town so that it wouldn’t be at my house and therefore at school. 

The party would be on Friday and then I’d have Saturday to pack and really say goodbye to my best friends and Sunday I’d leave for the airport early in the morning.  On Friday morning a number of women from school came to my house with pots and pans and charcoal and knives and I got out all the food and they set up a kitchen in my front yard.  They cooked for hours and I tried to help but anytime I so much as picked up a knife they told me to relax.  Apparently I wasn’t allowed to help out with my party so instead I was forced to go to school to "despadir" (officially say goodbye) to everyone.

That day, I stood in from of all the morning class students (who I didn’t teach but tutored in English Theatre and sometimes co-taught with Simao or Derreck).  After I gave a little speech that went something like: I arrived two years ago and you welcomed me with open arms.  You were patient with my Portuguese and you didn’t laugh when I made mistakes.  You let me teach you and in turn you taught me about your culture and your town and your country.  Thank you for your friendship and please continue to go to school and keep trying to learn English. Then, My boss, an assistant principal at the school, started giving a little speech about me.  He reminded the students that I lived more than 24 hours away by PLANE and that I had not been home in more than two years and he shocked them by reminded them that I never received a salary, I was just there to help.  There were some gasps and then everyone started clapping and then before I knew it, some of the students I tutored and some of the kids who were involved in English club walked out of the crowd and presented me with certificates.  There was one student to represent each grade (9, 10, 11 and 12). They each gave speeches thanking me, in English and Portuguese, and then shook my hand and kissed me on the cheek. I was crying it was so embarrassing  (Mozambicans rarely cry in public) but also very thoughtful, I brought my certificates home and will eventually frame them.  

In the afternoon I refused to go to school to say goodbye to all the afternoon students (I had already said bye to each of my classes and didn’t want to cry in front of my own students again) so I hid at home and tried to help with party preparations.  Some of my students came over and surprised me by singing a Beatles song as a way of thanking me and saying goodbye.  Thelma had told them that I love the Beatles and had been secretly practicing with them and they did great.  I also cried while they sang this because I was so proud of them and couldn’t believe they were singing a Beatles song.  Some of the kids singing are good at English but others are very shy and didn't speak all year, yet they had learned the song and were proudly singing it for me... Here’s a short little clip of their song it sounds odd without instruments but it was great:

The girl who is proudly singing in front is Graca, our water girl who is a student at school that we sort of adopted and take care of.  She's incredible, Thelma and I are trying to get her on a scholarship to study in South Africa next year.

All in all, as you can probably tell it was very difficult to say goodbye to my students. I’ve kept in touch with some of them but the majority of them don’t even have cell phones.  I had a lot of “favorite” students but I don’t know how many of them will go to college, and even if they do I don’t know how many of them will get real jobs.  I can only hope that those kids who made my day every time I walked into the classroom don’t lose focus, and that all their hard work really does pay off in the end.

Turma D: I taught most of these kids both years and although they were my youngest and most immature class they were a lot of fun and always made me laugh.

Turma B: My best class by far.  All but one female student passed at the end of the year and the males did almost as good. I knew almost everyone's name and LOVED teaching them.  They were so much fun and made showing up at school, even on rainy days or hot days or days when I was sick, completely worth it.

Turma A: I taught a number of these students both years and although they were loud and difficult to control at times there were some real gems, like Neto and Manual who joined my JUNTOS group and worked harder than another other student I taught in my two years. 

Neto and Manual.  The nicest, most responsible and hard-working students. Also, easily the best note-takers.  I have no doubt that they will be doctors, engineers or teachers one day.

Turma E: My "I think I can, I think I can" Turma. I read them a losely translated version of The Little Engine That Could and then told them that the story was their class. They showed up last January and were so far behind and most of them shouldn't have passed but somehow, they all decided to actually write notes and study and they made so much progress, they were all doing extra credit assignments and begging to come read English books at my house by the end of the year.  

*I did teach one other Turma but they were so terrible I didn't say goodbye to them or take their picture...unfortunately they can't all be great classes.

School aside- the ladies at my house cooked up a feast and by the time the sun was setting I was ready to go have a fun night with my colleagues.  At the bar we set up all the food, and most of my colleagues came with their spouses and children.  I invited some friends to come, like Labson and my neighbors, and left a big plate of food aside for Charles, my neighbor’s house boy who cooked all the meat!  People gave speeches, I cried some more.  My bosses thanked me for my service and asked me never to forget Vanduzi and they presented me with some very thoughtful presents.  Then we ate and drank and danced until it was really late and I finally went home very happy and sad all at the same time.  I had a great time with my friends but couldn’t believe everything was really ending.

Myself with the two Asst. Principals at school presenting me with a woodcarving of Mozambique, for my desk at my next job so that I can show everyone where I lived.

So much food and it was all delicouse and cooked in proper Mozambican style.

My neighbor Massango posing with the book he made me and had every teacher sign so I could go home with my own little yearbook. 

Some of my colleagues.

All the wonderful women who cooked the food!

On Saturday I cleaned my house, walked to my school director’s house to say goodbye to his wife and then just hungout on my porch all day with Amendoim.  At night I walked to Bea and Sofia’s and sat on their porch, gave presents to their kids and watched them cook up a feast for my final night.  It seemed fitting that I stayed in Vanduzi my last night and ate dinner with the two women who were waiting for me when I first arrived in that wonderful town two years ago.  They welcomed me into their lives, literally took care of me, and became my closest friends.

Gael, Eva and Panoshe...my favorite criancas and constant companions.

Dinner at Bea and Sofia's.

On Sunday I woke up very early and found Labson waiting outside my house.  He knew I was leaving early and he didn’t want to miss saying goodbye.  He waited patiently while I got my stuff together to leave and then he, Homisio, Mario, and Charles (all boys that lived around me and constantly watched my house and Amendoim) came over and we drank juice and shared bread and waited for my ride to come.  I was grateful they were there to see me off but it was also so strange to be sitting with them like everything was normal and we were just eating breakfast together like we usually would on a weekend.  Amendoim sat on my feet the whole time as I scratched his head and rubbed his back and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.  But when the car pulled up, the tears started streaming again and I gave everyone hugs, ran to Bea and Sofia’s to say goodbye to them and then gave Amendoim one last big hug before climbing in the car.  I remember closing my eyes so I wouldn’t have to see Amendoim make his “you’re leaving me face” or see the rest of my friends looking sad.  The car drove away and I sat in shock that I was actually leaving and that this wonderful little village was no longer my home.

Amendoim got to sleep on my bed my last night at site. What a lucky guy.

Labson, Charles, Mario and Homisio.  My neighbors, my Mozambican brothers and likely the reason why no one ever broke into my house or did anything to harm Amendoim.  These guys took such good care of me and Thelma and really watched out for us.

I flew to Maputo for the week and that was even more of a blur.  I had interviews with staff, did some medical tests and attempted to apply for jobs.  I stayed at Mindy’s house with Ari and that was nice because we could cook and tell stories at the end of each day and I was happy to be in the company of good friends at a place I was familiar with, instead of at a hotel.  I was the first volunteer from my group to officially receive my “R” and finish my service, and after I was done, I took a trip to Namaacha to see my host family off one last time.  My host mom made matapa, I surprised her with wine, myself, Cleiton and Yusara made cake and we had a little party.  I gave my host mom a capulana and she also surprised me with a capulana and asked me to give it to my mom.  It was a really fun visit. After a weekend in Namaacha, I got in a chapa and went back to Maputo to meet my best friends from my Peace Corps group for one more night together before I flew out of the country. 

The neighborhood kids playing with the frisbee I brought them.

Making cookies to surprise their mother with.

When Graca said goodbye to me she thanked me for being her "daughter, sister, and her friend" Last time I called her she said she was setting up a facebook account and Cleitnon was teaching her how to use her new smartphone so we could keep in touch :)

Ari, Rich, Victor and I were all friends throughout training and have spent the last year traveling together on our breaks.  It seemed fitting that I spent my last night in Mozambique at the fish market with them, eating a feast, and then sharing a bottle of wine in their hotel room.  The next day I woke up, packed, got on a plane and left.  I kept thinking I would cry and be so sad, but honestly after leaving Vanduzi there were no more tears left.  Everyone I said goodbye in Maputo I knew I’d see again, and I’m sure I’ll even return to Mozambique one day and I’ll be in Maputo (and could easily visit my host family) but the life I lived as a volunteer in Vanduzi, well that was something special.

Group Shot at the fish market with our waiter who loved Ari's bartering skills...

From Maputo I flew to Addis Ababa and spent a week with a good friend from college, Erin, who was also working with the Peace Corps but in Ethiopia.  Erin and I had so much fun catching up, exploring Addis together (going to museums, shopping, eating pizza, being tourists and making new friends).  We also took a short trip to Harar, which is the 4^th holiest city I the world and it was beautiful.  We had one fun night out in the capital too and it was great to meet Erin’s friends and see how her PC life compared to mine. 

FINALLY DRINKING REAL COFFEE. 

So on my first day wandering the city I asked Erin if we could go to a coffee ceremony and she said she didn't know anyone in the city we could go with.  A woman walking behind us overheard this and invited us to her house...well on a whim we decided to take her up in this invitation.  She fed us lunch and roasted us fresh coffee and we made a new friend.  Her name was Mercy and she was so sweet, Erin still visits her often in Addis.  Proof that you can really make friends with anyone, including a complete stranger you meet on the street.

Feeding a hyena in Harar.

We stayed at a traditional guesthouse in Harar and it was beautiful.

From Ethiopia I flew to Cairo where I met 3 of my very best friends for a week.  Sara and Nadia, both roommates from DC were now living in Cairo, and Farley, another roommate from DC was visiting them.  Farley and I spent our days being tourists (going to museums, seeing the pyramids, exploring mosques and bazaars and visiting Alexandria) and then met up with Sara and Nadia each day after work to drink tea and smoke hookah, see live music, or ride a faluka and have a fun night out. 

Swimming in the Red Sea.

Typical way to end an evening: in a cafe with hookah and sweet tea.

We tried to walk like Egyptians...

The Al-Hakim Mosque. 

Another great thing happened in Cairo, I was able to stop taking my malaria medicine for the first time in two years and I turned into a different, much happier person.  I got pretty sick in July and took medicine but my symptoms never went away and I was miserable.  Everything I ate hurt my stomach, I couldn’t workout, I didn’t drink and I had no appetite.  Well turns out, my malaria meds were making me sick and when I stopped taking them it was like night and day.  Aside from no longer having stomach problems I was happier, less anxious and had more energy.  The girls noticed right away too that something was different about me and everyone was happy I could really enjoy my last few days in Egypt and seemed like my old self again!

Best friends regardless of where in the world we're living.

The week in Cairo was so much fun but went by too quickly and by the end of it I did not even want to leave.  Cairo is an incredible city with a rich history, beautiful beautiful architecture, delicious food and a very warm culture.  Going to tourist places and not speaking Arabic was frustrating and I hated being ripped off because I was clearly a foreigner but if you know anyone in Egypt, visit them! Or if you’re feeling adventurous and can afford a tour guide then you should go because it was such an amazing country.  After a week of fun in Egypt I finally boarded a plan and landed in NYC 16 hours later.  I met my sister and best friend Keri in the airport and we drove home and surprised my family and boy were they surprised. Needless to say we had a great Thanksgiving.

Since returning home I’ve spent a lot of time with my family and am of course applying for jobs.  I am hoping to start a career in human rights work, preferably focused in the rights of refugees and people living in conflict areas.  I know one day I'll return to Africa but for now, I want a career back home.