Hi my name is Ian and I am an office addict.

Considering I haven’t been in the States since god knows when, I feel like I am pretty up to date on some of the television shows out there. Who ever invented or thought of putting whole TV show seasons on to DVDs should be both praised and persecuted at the same time. Praise is due because you as the viewer don’t have to deal with really annoying commercials for stuff you never really need. But the persecution comes from the fact that you don’t have to wait until next week to see if Pam and Jim really do kiss! I’m 25 years old, living in a 3^rd world country for almost 3 years now, WHY THE HELL DO I CARE IF TWO FICTIONAL CHARACTERS KISS! Oh but I do! Since I’ve gone through 50 episodes of this series in the past week I seem to have nothing else to do. But, whatever! Pam and Jim fake romance is so much better than mine just as Marcus and Sonia’s from the Prophet was the talk of the town here for MONTHS! The show ended a month ago and I still don’t see an end in site to not being called Marcus. Sorry Sam I cut the blonde locks. J Anyway, Jiminy has been keeping me company for the past two nights and so I’ve been awake anyway, why not watch something.

I remember when I came to Africa I was made fun of by certain friends for even thinking of bringing my computer. I knew the iPod was a must have, but where would I use a computer? I didn’t even know if I had electricity. Then when I went home this most recent time, my dad and his wife were teasing me about not living on the level of others. I do live on the level of others, with my ratty old stereo (always blasting) my dvd (always blasting) and my television (which I don’t have.) Even though I’ve been here almost 2 and a half years, I’m still shocked when I see a reed house with electricity, a car port (sometimes a car freshly _________ from South Africa) a satellite dish and a DVD player. Most everyone has a television and a cell phone, but not many people have a land line. The contradictions are so stark to what I thought I would be experiencing and what I am experiencing. Next week, I get to show them to Noel! J

Ties that bind

TIES THAT BIND

This month has been a month of visits – not a calendar month exactly, but a four week period. I’m loving it though because I’ve not had many visits to Mozambique. I usually have to go to a westernized country like South Africa or Swaziland to meet them. But I just had a friend from Swaziland come up to visit me and in 10 days I leave for Maputo to go pick up a certain person named Noel Hefele and Samantha McD (Noel said I spelled her name wrong last time I wrote it, so I’ll leave it at that) Yes it is true, Noel is actually leaving PA for more than just a few hours. People do change!! J But, I don’t want to talk about that yet, my friend’s visit from Swaziland was more important.

This friend is such a trouper. Murphey’s law has been a cannon law while this PCV has been in Africa. My friend is the poster child for the little handbook PC gives us called “Worst Case Scenario.” However, he/she is still here. “Time is over”, though and this PCV will be going home soon. But, s/he was here when my brother called last week and said something very interesting after I got off the phone with my brother. My friend’s grandma died while my friend’s been here and her family did not allow her to fly back home – ie my worst nightmare. Apparently it is my brother’s too. However, my friend and I were discussing that you do have to live your life for yourself. I’ve missed so many things since I’ve lived in Africa. I missed a family member’s birth. It still seems weird to me that I am an uncle. But things like this happen and I feel even more grateful for the time I have with family and friends because of it. It is not just with friends and family from the States, but friends and family from here too. It’s made me think a lot about what I want to do with my life when I am done here though. I don’t want to be coming back only once a year and never see people I care about. But stuff I’ve been looking at and mulling over in my head is making me strive to be true to myself. That’s not easy in this world and not easy at all in Africa. But I will try, and someone told me once here that the ties that bind a family together are an ancient magic. I’m beginning to wonder what the human race lost when it left Africa…

Old is new is old is new again?

I just finished reading an article about the music industry reviving LPs to help and combat against the bags of money they are loosing in the battle against mp3 downloading over the internet. Let me just say they have a whole different level to deal with once they even take a look at Africa. The whole music industry here (except for Maputo) are burned CDs that anyone with an internet connection and LIMEWIRE puts together on their computers. Maybe that’s why no one really looks this way to often. Anyway, in the article, it said that music executives are trying to revive the sale of LPs for new albums - because the sound is "better." Well it is, but when you live out of a suitcase or two, bringing your music collection around in huge flat discs just doesn't seem practicle. But it got me thinking.

While living here, I've gotten to appreciate books and also just being social so much more than I did in the States or Europe. But the other night I was dreading going home because I was without power and going to be reading by candlelight or writing in my journal. So much self-analysis is not a very good thing. I had a pang of longing for the States or just the west because there "you have options." It's true you have options, but think about it, what would I be doing in down time in the States

Watching a movie

Reading a book

Watching tv

going out for food and/or beer

Well, I do all of that here too with and without friends. I may have to think twice now before I saw that Mozambicans and Americans or anyone else for that matter are really all that different.

Thoughts?

Stupid people suck

So, I'm back from Chimoio now and landed right into a mess. I just want to talk about the title of this blog for a little while. Stupid people, I don't know if Webster's or Oxford has a definition for who they are, they can come in all shapes and sizes as far as I know, but they do have one defining character - they suck. Now, there are about 15 volunteers within an hour or two drive of the city where I live now. So needless to say we see each other quite a lot. The majority of us have grown quite close over the past couple of years because hey, they are who you turn to when you have problems. One of the disadvantages of being a third year PCV is that you see a lot of people come and go. Sometimes it is good (meaning they finished) sometimes it is bad (meaning they got kicked out or for health reasons should be back in the States.) Now, one of the stalwarts from my zona just got sent home. No one knows why, except for one person who ain't talking. Now none of that really bothers me, because I've since found out that this guy is okay and that is really all I wanted to know. But, the thing that gets me is that he's since called every PCV in the zona and appologized for running off, explaining that it is in his character - which we all knew. I didn't get a phone call but my best friend here got told to keep his mouth shut because he doesn't want me to know anything because I talk too much! I've really got to work on this because I don't do any less talking than any of the PCVs around here. But then Mr. Robot (his nickname) is not exactly mister personality.

Chimoio was awesome, that comes for the next blog.

Off to Manica

Just a little note for all the people that have gotten used to my constant internet this year (including me!!!!) So I wanted to tell all of ya that I'm going to Chimoio in the middle of the country for a week. It's for the annual boys conference. Hopefully I'll be in such a good mood when I get back!

A typical day at work

So, yesterday I was just sitting in my office doing some things and two colleagues come in. They ask me to come with them (bringing a digital camera) to a meeting of curandeiras (traditional healers or witches depending on your beliefs) Off I trotted. I thought it was just going to be running in, taking some pictures and leaving. It wasn't even really worth it for me to try and teach the colleagues how to use the digital camera - which had a disc in it. Never seen that before. Then, the chief of the women sat me down and let me talk to her a little bit. She even brought me into her 'house of healing.' I had to take my shoes off and then kneel in the room. It helped that the ceiling was so low but I understood that I couldn't tower over the spirits that had come to reside in that house. I guess it would get them upset. We were there though because one of the colleagues from the Maputo office is writing an article on these women because of their use of traditional medicine to fight AIDS. Some people will insist that the witchdoctors can cure AIDS, but Mama Ruth (the lady in the picture) said to me right away that she doesn't cure AIDS, she only helps with the symptoms for those people who wish for her help or don't have the means to get to a western based hospital. Very diplomatic I thought. But I was just astounded by their respect for me! Strange thought no?
Inside the "house of healing" all of the medicines and tools, except for the drums, were covered. Just the colors and the smells are enough to make you crazy. I wonder if this stuff really works. Maybe I have to go to these ladies when I'm sick next. Please stay tuned!

oh yeah, click on the link on the right ------------->
to see pictures

April 1 Dia Da Mentira

Today is a weird day. It's not a holiday and yet it is celebrated with a lot of gusto. None of us get the day off of work but that leads and lends itself to more practical jokes. It's celebrated the world over yet has slightly different "rules" in different countries. And it's a day I enjoy! But, something a friend and I were talking about yesterday, what kind of response do we really expect from people when we play a practical joke on them? "Oh thank you, you proved that I am in fact a gullible person and have insulted my intelligence!" Not likely... it would be more along the line of "YOU BASTARD"
"LIAR"
"F*&*&*"
Like I got today.

As I walked into the office, the games already started. The secretary asked whether or not I had heard that Robert Mugabe had been assassinated. I of course was very happy to hear he was out of the way, turned the internet on and found it wasn't true. He may get voted out, but that is a whole other blog. I took that joke and did it on a few other people. 2 believed me and ever spread it further. However, I think my crowning achievement was the trick i played on my brother. You see, he's coming to visit here in about a month and I've very excited. I emailed him saying I had gotten kicked out of Peace Corps and was on my way home, I was very sorry and I didn't know what to say. Needless to say, he was mad. His girlfriend was mad too. Thank God I was on the internet so he could talk to me about it before Sam called the airline! But the question is why are people so gullible? I've gotten Noel 3 years in a row now.

tchau

100

100 is playing a lot of importance in my life today. This is the 100th post to my blog. I think I was sitting in a cold library annex in Muswell Hill London when I started this post a little of 3 years ago. Now I'm sitting in a HOT office in Maxixe Mozambique. What a trip! The difference between Clinton and Obama is about 100 votes, the falting constituencies in Zimbabwe are about a 100, and its 100 degrees out. :) Lets all keep our fingers crossed that Mugabe gets voted out. Zimbabwe needs a change. America needs a change.


Oh and by the way liz, you got Iran, I got Kazakhstan. I think Borat is reading my blog!