Friday, April 21, 2006
Africa is complicated
SO, I finally get the chance to upload some photos and I have to do them one BY ONE!!!!!!!!!! ARGH. But anyway, check out www.kodakgallery.com and have a look. It should be fun and interesting. I hope....
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Just a quick update
Hello from the grand capital city of the land of good people. On a map, it just goes by Inhambane City. But its a cool little place and I have been here since Sunday. I'm staying until sunday befor I go to home to Homoine. We are at a Boy's conference now. This afternoon I'm painting murals on the walls around town. It should look good when it is finally finished. Don't know exactly when that will be then. I'm here with three other people from my town. Remember the "Can I have a tee-shirt with that" post? Well, this weekend has most definitely made me believe that even more. Both of my students and teacher want tee shirts of the conference. I'm scared there will mutiny if we don't get some for them so I think they are being made as I type. People where them with pride so maybe I will too.
Second, an last paragraph here. I've become a lot more patriotic since living here. Go ahead smile and laugh. But I didn't say patriotic to what. I'm saying patriotic to freedom of thought and speech and being taught to think for yourself. Something that I have noticed this week while listening to speeches and lectures about "thinking for yourself" and "thinking critically" stuff I have heard from middle school and yet it is all new ideas for my students. I'm going to try posting pictures into my online kodak album tomorrow, so, look here for t he web address.
Tchau
Second, an last paragraph here. I've become a lot more patriotic since living here. Go ahead smile and laugh. But I didn't say patriotic to what. I'm saying patriotic to freedom of thought and speech and being taught to think for yourself. Something that I have noticed this week while listening to speeches and lectures about "thinking for yourself" and "thinking critically" stuff I have heard from middle school and yet it is all new ideas for my students. I'm going to try posting pictures into my online kodak album tomorrow, so, look here for t he web address.
Tchau
Monday, April 03, 2006
A little old but funny
Hello Everyone, I found this when I was cleaning my house and since I've taken to writting out my blogs, I thought I would post this now that the internet is back. Remember, this is about 3 weeks ago. I was just coming out of malaria and the like.
anyway, here it is.
So, to keep you all up to date, Africa is slowly kicking my ass. I came down with malaria and spent a week in Maputo. I was healthy enough to come home to Homoine but seemed to have left some part of me in Maputo. That tend to be kind of important in this land of giant bugs and killer diseases... it's my immune system. Malaria ravages your insides, turns the inside out and leaves you gasping for air. But I made it through and am resolute to make it better. It is the African flu though and everyone gets it. The flu on steriods. I'm beginning to think the survival of the fittest theory is correct. We whites came from this continent but the heat, bugs and diseases got the best of us so we left! So, we are NOT all powerful and had to leave "the kitche" and we gutted it in the process. But I'm not turning into the bleeding heart, bitching about all the injustices we Europeans have done to our mother continent. They were done, now it is up to my generation to realise what need to be done to rectify it. I'm seeing people work at that every day. African exploration is over. They are seriously going to bite western civilisation on the ass if we don't help them out a bit more. Something I'm definitely learned over the past 6 months, is Africa changes you whetheryou like it or not. I'm sitting here with my improvised swamp-cooler (a wet rag draped over my fan) listening to the BBC crackling through from Bush House in London "directly" to Homoine. And I realise how foreign my life 4 miles north of that transmission house and my life in America now seem. Time in Africa is something that needs to be experienced, it cant be described. Days are longer than weeks and hours are like months yet time marches on to the steady beat of the morter and pestal, the size of a grandfather clock.
Africa also has a wicked sense of humour. My laptop and iPod were collecting dust in my house and now are collecting dust in someone else's house. So, any care packages that may come, through in a couple of CDs. Anykind of music would be great. My address is a few posts back if you guys want it. My family has it too.
So, I've cut my ties from the music (read very important) part of my life and now am ready to listen to Africa in all her sticky, sweet, spicy glory.
(Ok sue me, I think I may have been slightly feverish when I wrote this out!) Hope you enjoyed it.
anyway, here it is.
So, to keep you all up to date, Africa is slowly kicking my ass. I came down with malaria and spent a week in Maputo. I was healthy enough to come home to Homoine but seemed to have left some part of me in Maputo. That tend to be kind of important in this land of giant bugs and killer diseases... it's my immune system. Malaria ravages your insides, turns the inside out and leaves you gasping for air. But I made it through and am resolute to make it better. It is the African flu though and everyone gets it. The flu on steriods. I'm beginning to think the survival of the fittest theory is correct. We whites came from this continent but the heat, bugs and diseases got the best of us so we left! So, we are NOT all powerful and had to leave "the kitche" and we gutted it in the process. But I'm not turning into the bleeding heart, bitching about all the injustices we Europeans have done to our mother continent. They were done, now it is up to my generation to realise what need to be done to rectify it. I'm seeing people work at that every day. African exploration is over. They are seriously going to bite western civilisation on the ass if we don't help them out a bit more. Something I'm definitely learned over the past 6 months, is Africa changes you whetheryou like it or not. I'm sitting here with my improvised swamp-cooler (a wet rag draped over my fan) listening to the BBC crackling through from Bush House in London "directly" to Homoine. And I realise how foreign my life 4 miles north of that transmission house and my life in America now seem. Time in Africa is something that needs to be experienced, it cant be described. Days are longer than weeks and hours are like months yet time marches on to the steady beat of the morter and pestal, the size of a grandfather clock.
Africa also has a wicked sense of humour. My laptop and iPod were collecting dust in my house and now are collecting dust in someone else's house. So, any care packages that may come, through in a couple of CDs. Anykind of music would be great. My address is a few posts back if you guys want it. My family has it too.
So, I've cut my ties from the music (read very important) part of my life and now am ready to listen to Africa in all her sticky, sweet, spicy glory.
(Ok sue me, I think I may have been slightly feverish when I wrote this out!) Hope you enjoyed it.
Monday, March 27, 2006
Can I have a tee shirt with that?
Oh my god, I'm back from the dead. Sorry for the long absence but someone has seemed to press the fast forward button on my life here and the fact that 5 weeks have passed since my last post seems unreal. Anyway, right now I am waist deep in final exams of my 600 8th graders. True to Mozambican style, I got my class schedule changes about halfway through the trimester. Now I teach 600 8th graders 3 days a week and I teach my fellow coworks one day a week. It leaves me with free mondays, to travel, to relax, or to sit in my darkened house pretending I'm not home. Calm down, I'm joking. Anway, by some miracle, I don't get supremely bored grading papers. I just tune into Bush House in London and before I know it I've got one glass of 75 students in the corrected pile. It also helps time pass quickly. I'm going to be a guru in the art of time management by the time Africa is through with me.
Moving on to my title... it seems if you through a free tee shirt into the deal, you can get Mozambicans to do or come to anything. I mean I understand completely. Especially since I have started to recognise my students on the basis of the clothes they where - and there are no uniforms at my school. In January, my friend put together a concert for AIDS awareness and as soon as the word got out that there was going to be a free tee in the deal, we had a packed house. I'm going to be involved in a national boys conference in about 3 weeks. Again, my students found out that a tee is going to be thrown in and they signed the dotted line with gusto. Its just very interesting to see the values and what some people will do for something that Wal Mart sells in packs of three for $8. (Which is what most people make a month here)
Do you ever wonder that things lining up in your life and making perfect sense are the gods smiling down on you or the cosmos aligning in your favour? (Pick your belief) Well, the other day I was going to the store to pick up some food to bring to my site mates house to make dinner. The lady that runs the electricity board in town drove by and asked if I were going to Inhamussua, the neighborhood where my site mate lives, I said yes and jumped in with her. I noticed someone in the back of her car who I recognised to be one of my brightest students. I climbed into the truck confused but thankful I wouldn't have to take a bus. I find out the EDM lady is his mother and she wanted to talk to me about the conference I had invited her son to attend. I had met her my first week at site and never made the connection. But now I've got the connections in town and I dont think my electricity will be going out any time soon.
Ill keep you updated about the conference and promise it will be in less than 6 weeks.
Moving on to my title... it seems if you through a free tee shirt into the deal, you can get Mozambicans to do or come to anything. I mean I understand completely. Especially since I have started to recognise my students on the basis of the clothes they where - and there are no uniforms at my school. In January, my friend put together a concert for AIDS awareness and as soon as the word got out that there was going to be a free tee in the deal, we had a packed house. I'm going to be involved in a national boys conference in about 3 weeks. Again, my students found out that a tee is going to be thrown in and they signed the dotted line with gusto. Its just very interesting to see the values and what some people will do for something that Wal Mart sells in packs of three for $8. (Which is what most people make a month here)
Do you ever wonder that things lining up in your life and making perfect sense are the gods smiling down on you or the cosmos aligning in your favour? (Pick your belief) Well, the other day I was going to the store to pick up some food to bring to my site mates house to make dinner. The lady that runs the electricity board in town drove by and asked if I were going to Inhamussua, the neighborhood where my site mate lives, I said yes and jumped in with her. I noticed someone in the back of her car who I recognised to be one of my brightest students. I climbed into the truck confused but thankful I wouldn't have to take a bus. I find out the EDM lady is his mother and she wanted to talk to me about the conference I had invited her son to attend. I had met her my first week at site and never made the connection. But now I've got the connections in town and I dont think my electricity will be going out any time soon.
Ill keep you updated about the conference and promise it will be in less than 6 weeks.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
You never get Africa out of you!
Boy is that ever the truth. From the rythmic "thump...thunp" of a Mozambican mortar and pestal the size of a granfather clock, to the fireworks Africa sets off every night at sunset, she gets under your skin and stays there for life. She also has a few diseases to make sure you always remember her. Many of you have probably heard, I've got Malaria. I'm down in the Capital Maputo right now to get some tests and I went through the drug treatment already.
Let me tell you though, I have never felt so sick in my life. I hope to God that I never get arthritis because the joint pain I've experienced over the past week has been hell. But let me tell you how this first came on. I had been watching the superbowl with my friends Mike, Justin, LeeAnn, Josh and Meridith. We all gathered at a television for the one AM viewing. Some of them were from Pittsburgh so it made for a good party. I was on my way home and got sick on the way. Now I thought it was just because of lack of sleep. I then went home and tried to get some sleep but realised I have a 40 degree celcius fever. That is about 104! So I called the doctor and she had me go to the local hospital to get a malria test done. Taking ones own blood is not an easy task, yet somehow I've done it.
The symptoms of Malaria are a lot like the flu. But thank God it is so easily controlable and nothing really happens if you catch it early... if you are rich, white and working for the American Government.
See you all soon
Ian
Let me tell you though, I have never felt so sick in my life. I hope to God that I never get arthritis because the joint pain I've experienced over the past week has been hell. But let me tell you how this first came on. I had been watching the superbowl with my friends Mike, Justin, LeeAnn, Josh and Meridith. We all gathered at a television for the one AM viewing. Some of them were from Pittsburgh so it made for a good party. I was on my way home and got sick on the way. Now I thought it was just because of lack of sleep. I then went home and tried to get some sleep but realised I have a 40 degree celcius fever. That is about 104! So I called the doctor and she had me go to the local hospital to get a malria test done. Taking ones own blood is not an easy task, yet somehow I've done it.
The symptoms of Malaria are a lot like the flu. But thank God it is so easily controlable and nothing really happens if you catch it early... if you are rich, white and working for the American Government.
See you all soon
Ian
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Is this for real?
So, school is suppossedly starting tomorrow but we shall see if that actually come to pass because after all this is Mozambique. We had a week of meetings last week plus yesterday, Monday. I was told last week that I would be teaching 6 classes of 10th grade English a week. It is very good because it lets me have time for my secondary projects as well. But anyway, last week's first meeting was two hours late because the director couldn't get out of bed... dont know why. The next day he wasn't even there. Monday's meeting was basically me sitting around and reading (I'm going to be EXTREMELY WELL read by the end of these two years!) and getting to know my fellow teachers. I then escaped to the wonderfulness of the Bay of Inhambane.
The local PCVs were invited to a concert organised with the help of the American Embassy and one of our fellow PCVs. It was of an American Man named Vinx who is a wonderful Jazz Singer and Drummer. He was accompanied by his friend Stewart who just happens to be the presenter of Mozambican Idol. They both are very good singers and the show was rocking. It was held in this old school building built by the Portuguese in 1922. An absolutely beautiful building. Anyway, after the show, the man representing the embassy comes to get me about some teaching materials he has for Inhambanian Teachers and that the guys want to meet the Americans and thank them for putting all this together. So we go up on Stage and talk. Pretty much the next moment we are all going out to the local bar, read trailer that sells beer, and having a blast. The guy who is presenting Mozambican Idol is named Stewart and we chatted for a good part of the night. Guys I dont know what I can say to stress how big this guy is here!!!! I was sitting next to him talking to him as if it were nothing. All of a sudden I have his cell phone number and email address in my phone and he's chatting about how the next time I come to Maputo I need to call him and we'll go out for coffee. Let's just say, I've never lived this good before!!! It was definitely not what I thought would be happening when I signed up for Peace Corps, but I'm not complaining. I think the funniest part though is my friend Kara and I were talking to Vinx, the American about how much we make per month here. $200 to be exact. Anyway, he was shocked and all of a sudden he is slipping $20 into my hand! He took care of the whole bill for the night as well! Now I've got to go email them a thank you......and sleep dreaming of the Fame that may come my way in Africa.
Who'da Thought?
Ian
The local PCVs were invited to a concert organised with the help of the American Embassy and one of our fellow PCVs. It was of an American Man named Vinx who is a wonderful Jazz Singer and Drummer. He was accompanied by his friend Stewart who just happens to be the presenter of Mozambican Idol. They both are very good singers and the show was rocking. It was held in this old school building built by the Portuguese in 1922. An absolutely beautiful building. Anyway, after the show, the man representing the embassy comes to get me about some teaching materials he has for Inhambanian Teachers and that the guys want to meet the Americans and thank them for putting all this together. So we go up on Stage and talk. Pretty much the next moment we are all going out to the local bar, read trailer that sells beer, and having a blast. The guy who is presenting Mozambican Idol is named Stewart and we chatted for a good part of the night. Guys I dont know what I can say to stress how big this guy is here!!!! I was sitting next to him talking to him as if it were nothing. All of a sudden I have his cell phone number and email address in my phone and he's chatting about how the next time I come to Maputo I need to call him and we'll go out for coffee. Let's just say, I've never lived this good before!!! It was definitely not what I thought would be happening when I signed up for Peace Corps, but I'm not complaining. I think the funniest part though is my friend Kara and I were talking to Vinx, the American about how much we make per month here. $200 to be exact. Anyway, he was shocked and all of a sudden he is slipping $20 into my hand! He took care of the whole bill for the night as well! Now I've got to go email them a thank you......and sleep dreaming of the Fame that may come my way in Africa.
Who'da Thought?
Ian
Friday, January 13, 2006
Boring old update
Nothing really interesting to update ya'll about here. The temperature peaked at 100 degrees Farenheit today. It was rough. But luckily the internet cafe has the AC cranked so I can cool off a little bit. OOOO Wait, I finally saw my school. But before I get into that, let me tell you about the boat trip I had last week. See, I live right near a bay. This bay seperates two great cities, Maxixe and Inhambane. Its only 2 KM across the bay or 60 KM by boat. So as a group of four of us are walking to the boat last week some girl tells us to get into a bus to go to Maxixe. Its about 20,000 Meticais more so - and an hour longer so we decided against it. We got in the boat and the waves started ROCKING. I think okay we can do this, we can do this, but the waves get bigger! The boat is not the most seaworthy of vehicles but we are allowed to go on it because its only a two kilometre distance. There is this sandbar around which all the waves were breaking. When we went through that area, I thought I was going to have to get out and swim! But we made it, the last boat to Maxixe that day. It's amazing how much people bond over experiences like that. Oh did I mention, a couple sharks live in the bay!
Anyway, very quickly. School starts in 3 weeks. I'm going to be teaching 10th grade. That constitutes people of 17-27 depending on how long it took them to get through school. But I should have only about 50 or 60 in a classroom. Some others up north have 100 pluse students in a classroom!!!!! The best thing, I will be teaching in a reed classroom, no windows, lots of desks and a chalkboard. Thats it. I wonder if I'll ever complain about lack of supplies again?
:O)
Anyway, very quickly. School starts in 3 weeks. I'm going to be teaching 10th grade. That constitutes people of 17-27 depending on how long it took them to get through school. But I should have only about 50 or 60 in a classroom. Some others up north have 100 pluse students in a classroom!!!!! The best thing, I will be teaching in a reed classroom, no windows, lots of desks and a chalkboard. Thats it. I wonder if I'll ever complain about lack of supplies again?
:O)
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Update from Xai-Xai in Gaza
So I am in the land of Gaza right now but it is a little bigger than a strip. I'm visiting my friends Mike and Justin from training. They are here in the provincial capital at a teacher's training college. Before I go into how things are here let me give you all my new address. Interestingly enough I am now Reverand Ian Hefele as far as the Mozambican postal service is concerned. Apparently, things get through a hell of a lot easier and quicker when they are addressed to the church folk. If you send me anything bigger than an envelope write some of the following phrases on it and it will get here very quickly.
CHRIST IS KING
LONG LIVE GOD
JESUS SAVES
GOD IS MY SAVIOUR......... you get the idea.
Here is the address
Rev. Ian Hefele, PCV
C.P. 31
Maxixe, Mozambique
So, where do I begin. I've been beach hopping down the coast for the past 10 days because there is really nothing else to be done - the country is on one major holiday. But I'm enjoying it immensely and when I finally get my act together, I'll post some pictures. :O) When I left Tofo beach to come down for christmas, I knew it was going to be an interesting ride. I love it because buses work here on a whole different level of absurdity than anywhere I've ever been. First of all, they are called matchibombos - which suggests the English word rambling. Boy do they ever do that. Xai Xai is about 250 kilometres from my home and that took me 5 hours. Which really isn't bad on Mozambican time!!!! We went down to the beach here, where my cousin has actually been. (That a strange concept, knowing family members have been to comepletely random spots in the world where you are now standing)
Now, I've got to love you all and leave you. Justin is waiting for his turn on the internet. For lunch today we are going to gorge ourselves on steak and Xima (mozambican mealie meal) for the grand total of 40,000 meticais...or $1.75!
Ianito
Oh yeah I went swimming on Christmas day too!
CHRIST IS KING
LONG LIVE GOD
JESUS SAVES
GOD IS MY SAVIOUR......... you get the idea.
Here is the address
Rev. Ian Hefele, PCV
C.P. 31
Maxixe, Mozambique
So, where do I begin. I've been beach hopping down the coast for the past 10 days because there is really nothing else to be done - the country is on one major holiday. But I'm enjoying it immensely and when I finally get my act together, I'll post some pictures. :O) When I left Tofo beach to come down for christmas, I knew it was going to be an interesting ride. I love it because buses work here on a whole different level of absurdity than anywhere I've ever been. First of all, they are called matchibombos - which suggests the English word rambling. Boy do they ever do that. Xai Xai is about 250 kilometres from my home and that took me 5 hours. Which really isn't bad on Mozambican time!!!! We went down to the beach here, where my cousin has actually been. (That a strange concept, knowing family members have been to comepletely random spots in the world where you are now standing)
Now, I've got to love you all and leave you. Justin is waiting for his turn on the internet. For lunch today we are going to gorge ourselves on steak and Xima (mozambican mealie meal) for the grand total of 40,000 meticais...or $1.75!
Ianito
Oh yeah I went swimming on Christmas day too!
Monday, December 19, 2005
Feliz Natal
I just wanted to write all of you very quickly and wish you a merry christmas and happy new year. I've found REALLY fast internet at the italian mission in Maxixe. I'm down here today to open a Post Office box get some things for my house and just chill by the water. I've got some PCVs from Namibia coming tomorrow. The three of them are doing a Cape Town to Cairo trek by land and I agreed to put them up for a couple of days. I got a call from them from Maputo (god that place seems like miles away) and they are excited to see the beach! So am I! But, I plan on going to Xai-Xai to visit my friends Justin and Mike for Natal. (Xmas) We are proabbly going to surprise, surprise go to the beach. The Bob Dylan song was not lying! :O)
HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!
Love ya
IAn
PS. Gaterade in powder and any sort of spices are wonderful stocking stuffers for xmas in July!
HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!
Love ya
IAn
PS. Gaterade in powder and any sort of spices are wonderful stocking stuffers for xmas in July!
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Moving day
So the day after tomorrow I move. I pack everything up and head Northward about 6 hours to move into the Terra da boa Gente or Land of Good People. We had our swearing in last night. Very good time and a very good party. Now I'm headed back to Boane to spend some time thinking and packing and saying goodbye to some people. But on Tuesday, your's truly will be living in Homoine, Inhambane Provine.
Wish me luck
Ian
Wish me luck
Ian
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Ndzi voluntari xa corpo da paz!
Gi Xile!
Ndzi Ian, ndzi voluntari xo corpo da paz. Ndza tira xicolweni 25 de Setembro xa Homione, Inhambane. Ndzi mugondzise xa xiguisa!
G'day everbody! Howzit? That is a little taste of the local dialect I have started learning. It is called Xitswa. The x is pronounce "sh" like in Xela, Guatemala, Julie's place. Anyway, drumroll please..... I am going to the beach in Inhambane Province about 6-7 hours away from Maputo the capital. I amm really excited because
1. I'm living alone.
2. I'm going to the TERRA DA BOA GENTE!
3. Here comes fluent portuguese and Chitswa
4. I'm going to get to mess with all the tourists who come to the beach, especially the afrikaners!
It was a little shock to the system that I would be living alone first, but honestly I think that is what I wanted. I was talking yesterday to a really good friend here, Justin, and what he said made me realise that YES it was what I wanted and YES I am going to rock up there! Besides, my closest neighbour is only a 20 minute chapa ride away and the first person I met in the group is only 40 minutes away in Maxixe. And she has a hot shower!!!!!!! :O) Its a nice little perk occaisionally but I'm diggin the bucket showers. I'm in the middle of a field of coconut trees. I will be learning to climb those trees and get the cocos. I've cell phone coverage, electricity and a pump really close to my house. I'm teaching in a reed hut, which the entire school is made out of and unless more funding comes through, will probably NOT have any desks for the first year though. Once I get there Ill be setting up a post office box, but until then keep the packages coming to the Peace Corps office here in Maputo!
Back to the whole language thing. I'm very excited to be able to have the opportunity to use 3 languages every single day and to be able to add a 4th language to that when I go the beach (Afrikaans.) I can just see the white tourists faces when I'm speaking dialect to some Mozambicans and then turn around and speak to them in there language....OOOOO thats gonna be FUN.
So, here is the low down. I had to get my toenail removed again. Its a regular occurance throughout PCVs here in Mozambique. Make a long story short, they lanced it, stitched it up and now I have to walk around in sandals for the rest of the time INCLUDING SWEARING IN CEREMONY! But I think the Ambassdor will understand. Speaking of her, we had a Thanksgiving dinner that she came to at school. She stayed for 2 and a half hours! She is one of the nicest diplomats I've ever met, she even danced with us! But now, things are winding down in training. We have a big party with our host families next week. That's tuesday. Then we go and meet our school directors, they are coming to Maputo. Apparently, according to the PCV I am replacing he is known as macaco velho or OLD MONKEY. Ill fill you in on that! :O) Next Friday is our swearing in ceremony and we spend that night at this beach resort on Costa do Sol! Saturday is our recoverday and Sunday or Monday I move to the land of good people - as Inhambane province is known!
com respeito e amor
Ianito
Ndzi Ian, ndzi voluntari xo corpo da paz. Ndza tira xicolweni 25 de Setembro xa Homione, Inhambane. Ndzi mugondzise xa xiguisa!
G'day everbody! Howzit? That is a little taste of the local dialect I have started learning. It is called Xitswa. The x is pronounce "sh" like in Xela, Guatemala, Julie's place. Anyway, drumroll please..... I am going to the beach in Inhambane Province about 6-7 hours away from Maputo the capital. I amm really excited because
1. I'm living alone.
2. I'm going to the TERRA DA BOA GENTE!
3. Here comes fluent portuguese and Chitswa
4. I'm going to get to mess with all the tourists who come to the beach, especially the afrikaners!
It was a little shock to the system that I would be living alone first, but honestly I think that is what I wanted. I was talking yesterday to a really good friend here, Justin, and what he said made me realise that YES it was what I wanted and YES I am going to rock up there! Besides, my closest neighbour is only a 20 minute chapa ride away and the first person I met in the group is only 40 minutes away in Maxixe. And she has a hot shower!!!!!!! :O) Its a nice little perk occaisionally but I'm diggin the bucket showers. I'm in the middle of a field of coconut trees. I will be learning to climb those trees and get the cocos. I've cell phone coverage, electricity and a pump really close to my house. I'm teaching in a reed hut, which the entire school is made out of and unless more funding comes through, will probably NOT have any desks for the first year though. Once I get there Ill be setting up a post office box, but until then keep the packages coming to the Peace Corps office here in Maputo!
Back to the whole language thing. I'm very excited to be able to have the opportunity to use 3 languages every single day and to be able to add a 4th language to that when I go the beach (Afrikaans.) I can just see the white tourists faces when I'm speaking dialect to some Mozambicans and then turn around and speak to them in there language....OOOOO thats gonna be FUN.
So, here is the low down. I had to get my toenail removed again. Its a regular occurance throughout PCVs here in Mozambique. Make a long story short, they lanced it, stitched it up and now I have to walk around in sandals for the rest of the time INCLUDING SWEARING IN CEREMONY! But I think the Ambassdor will understand. Speaking of her, we had a Thanksgiving dinner that she came to at school. She stayed for 2 and a half hours! She is one of the nicest diplomats I've ever met, she even danced with us! But now, things are winding down in training. We have a big party with our host families next week. That's tuesday. Then we go and meet our school directors, they are coming to Maputo. Apparently, according to the PCV I am replacing he is known as macaco velho or OLD MONKEY. Ill fill you in on that! :O) Next Friday is our swearing in ceremony and we spend that night at this beach resort on Costa do Sol! Saturday is our recoverday and Sunday or Monday I move to the land of good people - as Inhambane province is known!
com respeito e amor
Ianito
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Feliz dia da gracas
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL!!!!! Sorry I didn't get to post this week, but I will soon. I think about you all and according to my friends here has pictures of all of you too! :O) I will have the info the next time I'm on the web as to where I will be for the next two years! ONE WEEK AND COUNTING!
Give me a call sometime
Ianito
Give me a call sometime
Ianito
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Massinga!\
Okay everybody, keep your fingers crossed. We have 3 weeks left of model school. This is some crazy Peace Corps practice where I get up in front of a "smallish" class of 45. I think after these two years when i get back to the States and really do start teaching (you all can laugh now as I know what you are thinking) I'm not going to know what to do. Ill have a class of 30 and wait five minutes asking where the other half of the class is! :O) But after model school, we will have a big Thanksgiving dinner celebration and figure out where we are going for the next two years. They sent us last week all over the southern Provinces of this country and I went to Inhambane Province to a town called Massinga. IT IS PARADISE. The volunteer lives in a reed hut on school grounds and it is just everything I have thought about Peace Corps and more. Portuguese is only spoken at school and through strangers at the market but this volunteer speaks Matswa pretty fluently. I cant wait to be able to start on the local language as well. Inhambane is the beach province of MOZ. It is beautiful as you guys will see very soon. I've got to get some pictures developed. But they will be up as soon as I can get them up!
Speaking of photos. Everyone go to Noel's website to see pictures of my beautiful little nephew. He is gorgeous and everyone, keep him in your prayers please! Everyone have a happy turkey day and a merry Christmas if I don't talk to you. I'm cooking a candied yam casserole for all of us and I hope it goes over well.
Con todo amor
Ian
ps. letters et al take at least two weeks to get here. Anything and everything from home is wonderfully appreciated!
Speaking of photos. Everyone go to Noel's website to see pictures of my beautiful little nephew. He is gorgeous and everyone, keep him in your prayers please! Everyone have a happy turkey day and a merry Christmas if I don't talk to you. I'm cooking a candied yam casserole for all of us and I hope it goes over well.
Con todo amor
Ian
ps. letters et al take at least two weeks to get here. Anything and everything from home is wonderfully appreciated!
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Oh the humanity
So here we go again guys, sorry about the typos in the last blog post. I realised that I had only 2 minutes left, so I started typing faster, than it just kept ticking and ticking away, so I just clicked send with out re-reading it. So anyway, let me apologise for the mass email. I've taken everyone off who wishes to be and will not send another one like that. I think I will stick to blogs. Gmail is a weird thing though. Every email that enters my mail box gets automatically entered into my address book. It could lead to trouble though too. :O) Won't do it again...
Now to the crazy news. I'm sitting here in Maputo (I love this city) at an internet cafe staying at Hotel Africa. I've just taken my first hot water shower in a month and nearly cried. I never thought it would make me so happy. Don't get me wrong, I love the bucket showers under the stars every night but sometimes, one is lazy. We have AC running today. Its 38 degrees outside and VERY humid. But, I'm loving life here. My Portuguese is coming along rapidly. I can already hold conversations with no difficulties. I did get highly confused witht he Spanish language but I've seen the pattern within the differences in the languages (Thank you German) and have even started picking up some Changana. the local african language.
Last week was the highlight of my time here so far I think. My Portuguese instructor is a regular Mister Rogers here on Mozambique. he has a regular Sunday morning LIVE show every week. Last week my friend Rhett and I were featured guests. A bunch of us from training took the Chapa(that is a whole 'nother topic) into the capital and then got picked up by the "studio" car for the ride to the TV studio. We come in and our introduced. eight of us dance the macarena and have a blast. There was a monitor on the wall behind us and I looked up once to see the camerazoomed in on my and Rhett's naldegas and show us shake it like they do. My teacher says we did him proud because I swear here in Moz, they learn how to shake their prosterior before they walk and long before they learn how to speak Portuguese! So then we are brought back stage to the "tan" room. We are handed cameras and told to act like tourists. So my friend Rhett and I are running around the studio acting like complete idiots (surprise surprise). Then the music stops and we're brought to the centre of the stage. Didinho then tells the audience that we like to learn how to dance like the Mozambicans. Music starts and we start dancing. We are up there with them clapping and hooting and hollaring for 5 or 6 minutes. When we got back to our seats, my friends asked us if we knew whether or not we would have to dance. We didn't. they were amazed, because they said it looked like it was coreographed!
On the way back to teh Chapa terminal, a man stops Rhett and me on the street. He congratulates us on our "bonito" debut on Mozambican TV!!!! It was crazy! The white community is not that big here so I wasn't surprised, but Rhett and I are seriously rockstars now. We cannot leave our houses without getting at least one kid running up to us for a hug. Its really cute and all of you definitely know that I'm lapping up every minute of it.
I'm excited for tomorrow because I am going to Massinga with my friend Justin. Its in Inhambane Province, about 9 hours from here. I get my own seat on the bus and everything! Those of you who have been to Latin America know what I am talking about. Inhambane Province has the best surfing and diving on the African Indian Coast so I will scope things out for those of you that would like to come and visit. Remember though my school year in January to October, so come and visit mid November-December to escape the snow!
Some side notes, everyone please keep my friends in Guatemala in your thoughts. They were destroyed by the latest hurricane to hit the coast and need all the help they can get. Keep on sending the emails and letters. I have gotten stuff from Monique, Mag and Margaret Cavanagh. It seems to take 2 weeks. Here are some thoughts for care packages if anyone wants to.
Film
Duct Tape
Gallon Freezer Bags~
Hand Sanitiser
Please please please send me text messages! It only costs a quarter. My wonderful siblings have my cell phone number and notes from home brighten my day. Thanks Kris!
I am saving all your emails and once I get to site, I will be replying.
Com tudo minha coração
Mano Ian
Now to the crazy news. I'm sitting here in Maputo (I love this city) at an internet cafe staying at Hotel Africa. I've just taken my first hot water shower in a month and nearly cried. I never thought it would make me so happy. Don't get me wrong, I love the bucket showers under the stars every night but sometimes, one is lazy. We have AC running today. Its 38 degrees outside and VERY humid. But, I'm loving life here. My Portuguese is coming along rapidly. I can already hold conversations with no difficulties. I did get highly confused witht he Spanish language but I've seen the pattern within the differences in the languages (Thank you German) and have even started picking up some Changana. the local african language.
Last week was the highlight of my time here so far I think. My Portuguese instructor is a regular Mister Rogers here on Mozambique. he has a regular Sunday morning LIVE show every week. Last week my friend Rhett and I were featured guests. A bunch of us from training took the Chapa(that is a whole 'nother topic) into the capital and then got picked up by the "studio" car for the ride to the TV studio. We come in and our introduced. eight of us dance the macarena and have a blast. There was a monitor on the wall behind us and I looked up once to see the camerazoomed in on my and Rhett's naldegas and show us shake it like they do. My teacher says we did him proud because I swear here in Moz, they learn how to shake their prosterior before they walk and long before they learn how to speak Portuguese! So then we are brought back stage to the "tan" room. We are handed cameras and told to act like tourists. So my friend Rhett and I are running around the studio acting like complete idiots (surprise surprise). Then the music stops and we're brought to the centre of the stage. Didinho then tells the audience that we like to learn how to dance like the Mozambicans. Music starts and we start dancing. We are up there with them clapping and hooting and hollaring for 5 or 6 minutes. When we got back to our seats, my friends asked us if we knew whether or not we would have to dance. We didn't. they were amazed, because they said it looked like it was coreographed!
On the way back to teh Chapa terminal, a man stops Rhett and me on the street. He congratulates us on our "bonito" debut on Mozambican TV!!!! It was crazy! The white community is not that big here so I wasn't surprised, but Rhett and I are seriously rockstars now. We cannot leave our houses without getting at least one kid running up to us for a hug. Its really cute and all of you definitely know that I'm lapping up every minute of it.
I'm excited for tomorrow because I am going to Massinga with my friend Justin. Its in Inhambane Province, about 9 hours from here. I get my own seat on the bus and everything! Those of you who have been to Latin America know what I am talking about. Inhambane Province has the best surfing and diving on the African Indian Coast so I will scope things out for those of you that would like to come and visit. Remember though my school year in January to October, so come and visit mid November-December to escape the snow!
Some side notes, everyone please keep my friends in Guatemala in your thoughts. They were destroyed by the latest hurricane to hit the coast and need all the help they can get. Keep on sending the emails and letters. I have gotten stuff from Monique, Mag and Margaret Cavanagh. It seems to take 2 weeks. Here are some thoughts for care packages if anyone wants to.
Film
Duct Tape
Gallon Freezer Bags~
Hand Sanitiser
Please please please send me text messages! It only costs a quarter. My wonderful siblings have my cell phone number and notes from home brighten my day. Thanks Kris!
I am saving all your emails and once I get to site, I will be replying.
Com tudo minha coração
Mano Ian
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Muitas Coisas
Bom Dia do Maputo@!
First of all thank you all so much for your wonderful thoughts, emails and prayers. Unfortunately I won't be able to answer all the emails for some time to come. Email is slow! As the general pace of life is down here. Yet some how it manages to be manic as well. In case some of you have not heard yet. Felix Paul Alexis was born Oct 3rd and he is a LIBRA! He was very early but is doing okay. Everyone just keep him in your prayers. I'll teach him Changanna when I come back. So some amazing stories.
Let's see, the alarm clock I bought is totally useless because of the roosters that wake me up in the morning. I had to kill one the other day for my birthday feast. We made an offering to our ancestors, of which Mom was included. I wasn't allowed to spill any blood so I had to club the thing with a stick. It was suprisingly easy. I also hit it in the direction of the sun so it will bring me good luck and my ancestors "approve" of what I am doing.
I have made a reputation for myself as someone not to be messed with. The hawlkers are unbelievable and will try to sell you anything. so the other day I took a tampom out of my friends purse and tried to sell it to them!!!!
Com amor
Ianito
First of all thank you all so much for your wonderful thoughts, emails and prayers. Unfortunately I won't be able to answer all the emails for some time to come. Email is slow! As the general pace of life is down here. Yet some how it manages to be manic as well. In case some of you have not heard yet. Felix Paul Alexis was born Oct 3rd and he is a LIBRA! He was very early but is doing okay. Everyone just keep him in your prayers. I'll teach him Changanna when I come back. So some amazing stories.
Let's see, the alarm clock I bought is totally useless because of the roosters that wake me up in the morning. I had to kill one the other day for my birthday feast. We made an offering to our ancestors, of which Mom was included. I wasn't allowed to spill any blood so I had to club the thing with a stick. It was suprisingly easy. I also hit it in the direction of the sun so it will bring me good luck and my ancestors "approve" of what I am doing.
I have made a reputation for myself as someone not to be messed with. The hawlkers are unbelievable and will try to sell you anything. so the other day I took a tampom out of my friends purse and tried to sell it to them!!!!
Com amor
Ianito
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
so...
So I get bitched at for not updating my blog and then I update it frequently with almost the EXACT same post. Oops. Anyway ya'll check out this website. go to useful prices
www.mozguide.com it should be very funny. I'm so excited, I can buy a live chicken for Mt.50,000 (Meticais) thats $2.10
HA!
www.mozguide.com it should be very funny. I'm so excited, I can buy a live chicken for Mt.50,000 (Meticais) thats $2.10
HA!
interesting and annoying stuff
Hey You Guys!
Ya know, I've never actually seen that movie, yet that term rings in my head. I guess the movie achieved its purpose - almost twenty years later, someone who's never seen the movie still "quotes" it.
Moving on, I think Fate may be against me or something. I think I told you guys about my glasses getting lost in the ocean. Well, this week my USB port was acting up. It starting popping up with warnings that there are "power surges" on the port. I freak out only when my iPod doesn't get recognised. Then all of a sudden I try to print something and I notice a pin is bent inside. In a panic I run off to Best Buy and Circuit City looking for some sort of saving piece of technology. I find it in a PCMIA card $55! I have this strange feeling that I am repeating myself but I will only see once I publish this blog... oh well gotta go pack and enjoy the last day on the beach!
RIP Ami Jusitice
Ya know, I've never actually seen that movie, yet that term rings in my head. I guess the movie achieved its purpose - almost twenty years later, someone who's never seen the movie still "quotes" it.
Moving on, I think Fate may be against me or something. I think I told you guys about my glasses getting lost in the ocean. Well, this week my USB port was acting up. It starting popping up with warnings that there are "power surges" on the port. I freak out only when my iPod doesn't get recognised. Then all of a sudden I try to print something and I notice a pin is bent inside. In a panic I run off to Best Buy and Circuit City looking for some sort of saving piece of technology. I find it in a PCMIA card $55! I have this strange feeling that I am repeating myself but I will only see once I publish this blog... oh well gotta go pack and enjoy the last day on the beach!
RIP Ami Jusitice
Monday, September 05, 2005
oh the humanity!!!!
So, get this, it is less than three weeks until I 'ship off' to Africa and my USB port on my laptop breaks!!!!! Now, in perfect form of my stupidity, my computer is old (2002 model) so I have only one USB port. The list is endless what runs out of there though. Digital Camera, iPod, USB stick... It would not be adventageous for me not to have a USB whilst in Mozambique. So in a frenzy I call my brother. He seems to be my computer whiz, good to have one that doesn't charge you an arm and a leg! He was asking me about the ports on the back of my computer and I had a PS2 port that you plug a mouse into, parrallel port etc. He says I could buy a little convertor to change that to USB. So I go to look for one and get laughed at. Then its off to Circuit City, no luck, but I know what I need now at least, back to Best Buy and I find a PCMIA Card with two USB ports in it. $55 later, my computer is fixed.
Speaking of brothers, when he and his VERY nice girlfriend came up to New Hampshire to visit ten days ago, we went kayaking. Believe it or not, it was the first time I have kayaked all summer. Its also the last because I'm leaving for Rhode Island on Thursday! Anyway, my dumbass went out kayaking with my glasses on. Everything is working perfectly until I start coming back in. Suddenly this big wave comes along, the ONLY big friggin' wave of the day, and I'm down. Noel is in the tandem kayak with Samantha and they laugh. I admit it was very funny but I lost my glasses. I have to go to Peace Corps with two pairs of glasses! ARGH Does fate not want me to leave this country?
A good friend of mine in Germany once told me that I shouldn't leave the States to relocate to Europe. Her reasoning was that this country needs people to show the general populace that a world exists outside of our borders. I mean only 45% of this country has a passport!!! In Europe a passport is an accepted fact of life! :O) Also, it helped to get out of said country if a war were to break out, which tended to happen often. So maybe I should stay?
NAAHHHH!!!!
There is one good piece of news within all the doom and gloom of the last week. Chief Justice, William Renquist's likely successor will be more moderate than himself. But I just warn you oh faithful readers, keep your passport updated. NOEL!
Speaking of brothers, when he and his VERY nice girlfriend came up to New Hampshire to visit ten days ago, we went kayaking. Believe it or not, it was the first time I have kayaked all summer. Its also the last because I'm leaving for Rhode Island on Thursday! Anyway, my dumbass went out kayaking with my glasses on. Everything is working perfectly until I start coming back in. Suddenly this big wave comes along, the ONLY big friggin' wave of the day, and I'm down. Noel is in the tandem kayak with Samantha and they laugh. I admit it was very funny but I lost my glasses. I have to go to Peace Corps with two pairs of glasses! ARGH Does fate not want me to leave this country?
A good friend of mine in Germany once told me that I shouldn't leave the States to relocate to Europe. Her reasoning was that this country needs people to show the general populace that a world exists outside of our borders. I mean only 45% of this country has a passport!!! In Europe a passport is an accepted fact of life! :O) Also, it helped to get out of said country if a war were to break out, which tended to happen often. So maybe I should stay?
NAAHHHH!!!!
There is one good piece of news within all the doom and gloom of the last week. Chief Justice, William Renquist's likely successor will be more moderate than himself. But I just warn you oh faithful readers, keep your passport updated. NOEL!
Friday, September 02, 2005
Just think of the time gone by
And I get friggin scared. Well, really not scared just excited and well yeah, SCARED. Its a scary thought to think that I will be calling Mozambique home for two years. True to my form I will get to feel more comfortable there and then not want to come back. I've got to stop doing this to myself. But I love it. Anyway, I know I am going to come back and think "Oh wow a bottle of Coke only costs 1 Metical! That is cheaper than 5,000 Meticais. But then it will dawn on me that 5,000 Meticais is 20 American cents.
I think the things that are bothering me the most is this summer did not work out as planned. I had hoped that my father would come up to visit. No go. I saw my brother and sister and one of my oldest and best friends but didn't see Mag nearly as much as I wanted to. I will spend some time with her before I go. Let me tell you guys, staying at her place is better than the Ritz. I woke up one morning to fresh cookies and the morning paper at my door. The night before I had gone in and my bed was turned down. I thought it was really cute!
The list of things I will have to get while i n CT just keeps growing and growing and growing. I think a lot of it has to do with the anxiety of not knowing where I will be living. I can't picture where it is I'll be staying and therefore don't really have an idea of how I have to pack. People let's get a fact straight here. I'm only allowed to bring 80 pounds with me. I've got to put my life into 80 POUNDS! That roughly 45 kilos for all you non-english mesures people. Like I dont know if I'll have to get a rain cover for my back pack, bring large freezer bags (good to store things in in the rainy season) my books, film, camera batteries, my god, the list just goes ON!!!! I will have help with my friend Annemarie though. She's going to bring me around to set up for the party and to pack up my life before I leave. I'm off to the clothing drop tomorrow to get rid of some clothes that Noel decided not to take!
Ianito signing off
I think the things that are bothering me the most is this summer did not work out as planned. I had hoped that my father would come up to visit. No go. I saw my brother and sister and one of my oldest and best friends but didn't see Mag nearly as much as I wanted to. I will spend some time with her before I go. Let me tell you guys, staying at her place is better than the Ritz. I woke up one morning to fresh cookies and the morning paper at my door. The night before I had gone in and my bed was turned down. I thought it was really cute!
The list of things I will have to get while i n CT just keeps growing and growing and growing. I think a lot of it has to do with the anxiety of not knowing where I will be living. I can't picture where it is I'll be staying and therefore don't really have an idea of how I have to pack. People let's get a fact straight here. I'm only allowed to bring 80 pounds with me. I've got to put my life into 80 POUNDS! That roughly 45 kilos for all you non-english mesures people. Like I dont know if I'll have to get a rain cover for my back pack, bring large freezer bags (good to store things in in the rainy season) my books, film, camera batteries, my god, the list just goes ON!!!! I will have help with my friend Annemarie though. She's going to bring me around to set up for the party and to pack up my life before I leave. I'm off to the clothing drop tomorrow to get rid of some clothes that Noel decided not to take!
Ianito signing off
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Ticking time
Wow time is moving by very fast. I can't believe that its been that long since I've made any sort of comment on my blog. Sorry about that but I don't want to be the dorky boy who always writes on his blog, I did this and I did that. Guess what I've been sick for the past week, so I haven't done much. Anyway, 3 weeks from today I am leaving New Hampshire and 6 weeks from today I am leaving the States for Mozambique. Mozambique!!! This country is so foreign to everything I know except for the fact they speak Portuguese there. I have to be speaking this language very soon, anyone out there speak it who is reading this blog? I guess it hasn't sunk in yet. But I've got other things to talk about.
My sister is having a baby boy in January. I'm not going to be seeing him for two years though. She is thinking of Elijah as a name possibly. But the best news is that the blood clot that she told us the doctor's discovered in the baby's brain is only in the emniotic fluid and therefore will pass!
Tick tick tick time is going by and pretty soon I'll be coming back to start my life anew.
My sister is having a baby boy in January. I'm not going to be seeing him for two years though. She is thinking of Elijah as a name possibly. But the best news is that the blood clot that she told us the doctor's discovered in the baby's brain is only in the emniotic fluid and therefore will pass!
Tick tick tick time is going by and pretty soon I'll be coming back to start my life anew.
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