3 weeks and counting in Maputo

These past few weeks have been crazy. There is no other way to describe it. I have spent exactly 3 weeks away from site, and 20 of those days have been spent here in Maputo, where I’ve enjoyed things like running water, pretty reliable electricity, air conditioning, and lots of great food. I just want to say that I am doing so much better and things have really picked up.

First, I will tell you all that I am being moved to an entirely new site-Vanduzi. It’s in central Mozambique (in Manica province) and I will be the first education volunteer to be sent there in 3 or 4 years. My town is about 30 k from a much larger town called Chimoio. I’m supposed to be moving there Sunday but its all pending on some renovations for my new house there (renovations sounds fancy but my house needs windows and a front door…kind of important don’t you think?) I’ll still be teaching English once I get there.

Second, yesterday I went back to Guija to do one final sweep of my house. I was able to salvage some things, like my trunk (which was filled with lesson plans and electronics chargers) my teddy bear and pillow (my mattress must have floated!) and some cooking essentials that weren’t actually in the thick layer of mud that still covered my floor. I also grabbed whatever clothes of mine hadn’t fallen on the ground and gotten soaked in the dirty/contaminated/idk what was even in it but it smelled terrible mud.

On the way back from Guija we also stopped in Chissano and I got to pick up my dog, Amendoim! He is coming with me to my new site and I could not be more excited about it! I’m going to be the only volunteer in my village so I really wanted to bring him for safety reasons—plus he is my buddy.

Third, I have spent the last week staying at apartments/houses of different ex-pats here in Maputo. First I stayed with a couple who worked at the US embassy and now I am staying with an RPCV who works for the CDC. Peace Corps moved us in with these families and it has just been so fantastic. For once thing, its just a lot cozier. Who wants to sit in a musty old hotel room all day?? Not this girl. Plus eating out for every meal was kind of taking a toll on my stomach. Now that we are staying in actual houses with American families the four of us who are still in Maputo have been able to really relax-or at least I have. For example, last night, after coming home from our long trip to Guija and being dropped off at a new house, our host came out to greet Eisabetta and I. She has 2 dogs and was perfectly fine letting Amendoim stay here too, which is just great. We came in, got a short tour, I took a shower (in a shower with actual water pressure and hot water oh my god I almost died….this was so nice though because after cleaning through my hosue I was so muddy and smelly and also covered in dog fur because of course Amendoim sat on my lap the whole ride back to Maputo). Anyway so I showered and then sit down to enjoy this delicious Indian take out that Elisabetta and I ordered and Mindy, the woman we are staying with, gives me an American beer and then also tells us there is ice cream in the freezer if we want any. I actually feel so spoiled to be staying here but its really just much cozier. I can sit around the house during the day, use the internet, cook my own food and just stop worrying about the flood. I can’t emphasize enough how wonderful its been staying with these families.

When I went to Guija last week and saw my house for the first time I was just shocked. I knew to expect a lot of damage but I really didn't imagine it could have been as bad as it was. The flood water basically engulfed my entire house, the water line was just below my roof and to make it even worse (if thats possible) the water must have entered my house really quickly because all the furniture was knocked over and/or broken. My huge fridge was flipped on its side, an entire bookshelf was knocked down (and I couldn't see any books because they were all hidden in the mud) and my couch and chairs were knocked on their sides. My water basilla (basically a huge trash can) that I had filled with water before I left was knocked over--and that thing is heavy. Everything was just a mess and there was a good 5 or 6 inches of mud on the ground and it smelled so bad. My bedroom door was pushed open and my dressers were knocked over, my bed was kind of on top of them and everything was just covered in smelly mud. The only thing that looked clean was my mattress, which floated, and my table, which also floated. So yea, I was just really upset when I realized I had to accept that every single thing I brought to Mozambique had been destroyed by the water. It sucked and it made me want to give up on Peace Corps. I didn’t want to go home but I just felt so lost, I remember sitting in the car going back to Maputo thinking that I actually didn’t have a home here and it was so depressing. Well, now I have a new home to look forward too and a current place to stay in Maputo, where I feel so welcome and relieved. I can finally just relax and enjoy these next few days because I know once I get to my new site there's going to be a lot of adjusting to do...speaking Portuguese and living in the bush are going to be tough but I can't wait to get back into it!!

So here are some more pictures because I have wifi :)

Tent camps on the way to Chokwe-sadly the camp was actually larger this time we passed through but there is a good amount of relief aid being sent there too. Elisabetta and I thought this camp might turn into a a real town (with permeant housing) if it keeps growing with tents....

Here's a picture of my room that I took last week when I went to Guija...LOOK AT HOW DIRTY EVERYTHING IS!!!! My clothes were covered in so much mud I couldn't even roll them into a ball to throw them in a garbage bag they were too stiff and crusty (see the brown blob to the right of the hanging clothes, yea those were cardigans). .....drumroll please

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU OWN A LAUNDRY MACHINE!!!!!!!!!! seriously, I will NEVER EVER EVER complain about doing laundry again the states, I have no idea how my clothes got clean but they did and they even smell clean. I actually cried a little when I peaked into the washer and saw that they were clean. Seriously best day ever. I wasn't able to get much from my house, most of my clothes had fallen into the mud and as a result were moldy and black but these clothes didn't they fall so they didn't get moldy and now they are clean!!!!! Okay enough about clothes but really I am SO HAPPY. A good friend of mine also gave me two bags full of clothes which was basically one of the nicest things to do in the world! I can buy clothes here but they are pretty expensive, the alternative is to buy used clothes in the market which I am going to do tomorrow...Also those are my sweet new kicks-of course I bought new running shoes before buying anything else but hey, they're important!

This is what happens when you get to live with ex-pats in the capital...they have real kitchens with things like food processors and refrigerators and you can actually cook! Tonight we made homemade pesto sauce with pasta and then had ice cream for dessert. I know any PCVs that are reading this are hating my guts right now....sorry guys!

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST....

My little buddy who is coming all the way to Vanduzi with me.

OH AND I LIED ONE MORE.

I went back to Namaacha to visit my host family because they live just 90 minutes outside the city. I'll admit I was a little nervous to go at first-mainly because I didn't know if I could speak Portuguese well enough to spend the whole day with them alone-but it was actually the perfect little trip for me. I spent the day just hanging out at my house catching up with my mae, host brother and sister. My mae bought a bottle of wine, and we shared that and cooked matapa and I told her all about Guija and the flood. She surprised me by telling me that she was learning English, and then proceeded to say the phrases she had learned so far, it was so great. My little sister even got out the barbie dolls I gave her as a farewell gift, and Cleiton was wearing the shirt I gave him it was all just really really nice. I know I'll be back to visit them again next time I am in Maputo.


TO END-- my sitemate Elisabetta, has been working with some other RPCVs to create a fund to organize donations to help with the reconstruction effort in Guija. I will post details for this next time I write as the fund is still being finalized. Generally speaking I can say the money donated will go towards the hospital in town, to fund medicine and supplies, or to the school, which is still standing but suffered a lot of damage from the flooding. Let me know if you are interested in learning more about this or just wait until I post again soon!