Oh Maputo

So, here in Maputo after one hell of an African style trip. I'll do that blog when I have a little more time, because, you see I have gotten some pictures put up on the internet! I've actually been able to put about 35 pics up. There are three envelopes of hard copies heading stateside right now. To Mag, Jess and Dad. I know some people who are on there way to Joburg so I gave them the pictures and thinking that from Mozambique the photos have to go through there anyway to get to America so why not cut some of the middle men out. But, I'm going to try to share the picture through kodakgallery. I hope you can all see them and enjoy them. Pictures are going to be a slow process but I promise to keep them coming. Hopefully within the next two years internet connection will improve along with everything else so it will be easier. But I'm doing everything African style now. If you get an invite from Kodakgallery and know some people who want to see pictures who have not gotten an invite from me. PLEASE SHARE!!!!

Ndzi mbongile!

African pulse with a Latin rhythm

That is what Maputo is to me. I love that city and I have a long weekend from work so I am going to go to see my friend Fran off. The first time i went back to that city after being at site for a long time I will have to say this quasi New Yoker and Londoner got overwhelmed. IN my town, seeing three cars on the road is considered heavy traffic and two cars going the opposite directions is a traffic jam. So when I am in Maputo and actually have to look both ways before crossing I sit on the curb and hope someone will come to my rescue and help me across the road! No not really but more often than not a chapa appears out of thin air and I fly accross the road. :O) But in Maputo, the smells hit you full force and it is an overload of diesel fumes, every food under the sun frying up in gallons of cooking oil on the side of the road, the hair product of the ladies walking down the road who are wearing actual designs that could be seen anywhere. Not that I don't like capulanas but Maputo is a wonderful recharge for this little big city boy. Pictures are getting sent out to my sister, my father and Mag so everyone keep a heads up and when I can get my hands on a blank CD i'll burn my digital pics and send them to my brother to post on the internet. HEy Noel. flickr isn't working for me for some reason! :O(

Ianito

so, parte dois

Let me apologise immensely for not responding to any emails. Gmail is not accessible right at that moment. I have no idea why but this is Africa, so I have given up asking for along time now! Anyway, I am going to try and burn a cd of my pictures so far and send them to my brother Noel, who will then upload my pictures I hope. Otherwise, next time I go to Maputo, which is god knows when. :O)

Anyway, life is moving on along here. Last week was a crazy week at school. I broke up two fights in one day. One was between my dog and a turkey that wandered into my yard. The other was between two students that i actually had to battle with. But I felt like a good teacher because my director complimented me for doing the right thing and bringing the students to him! Last Saturday was apparently a student teach meeting and since I am head teacher of a stream of 65 students I was suppossed to meet with the parents. I show up at school on the day of the meeting at 8 AM. Which is the time I was told to be there. Only one other teacher was there and it was an english teacher so we get talking about the course and what we have to do. After, another teacher that only teaches during the night came up. He said he was here because he was put on as a teacher during the day. I laughed because it seemed so very mozambique. Little did I know it was my stream he was put in charge of! Anyway, I ggot booted out because anzdi wulawuli Xitswa kwatsi! :O( Hopefully that will change though. Also, right now I have no electricity at my house, who knows when I will get it back. The handy man had sent some kids up a tree to trim a tree, right over my electricity wires. I knew what was going to happen and it happened JUST AS I WAS TELLING THEM TO BE CAREFUL of my wires! Oh well....

Ya know, it seems like all I do is complain but I'm really liking it here! It's just I'm so used to it I don't think you guys would like to here about how I take a now COLD bucket bath under the stars. Or walk through groves of palm trees under the bluest sky to get to work every day. Or WOuld you? And don't worry, I am writing it all down for the (mis)adventures to come.