I've been upstaged

So I just had a conversation with my father last night about how I am getting so used to my time in town. Things are just comfortable. If I don't show up at the local bar just even to do my work and watch the BBC world service, the ladies who run it are very worried about me. It gets interesting though because no matter how comfy I feel in town, it is still a fact that I am a foreignor. That is part of what has been bugging me of late. I feel finally that I have good friends here in town but I am still looked at as a dollar sign for them. I don't understand why. I mean I look at them and think how lucky THEY are to have their family and friends around. They look at me and think how lucky I am to have my iPod around. As much as I love Liza Minnelli (that's for you Ed and Marc) she can get old after a while.

A friend of mine came over recently and I was listening to my iPod. He surprised me, so I didn't have time to put my iPod away. Now his phone cost 10,000 Meticais... he told me that. Anyway, he wouldn't believe me that my iPod costs 7,000, even here in Maputo. What I have or touch turns to gold, and let me tell you, THAT GETS OLD!!! To think I wanted to be famous one day. Now that I am, god please make it go. :O)

Back to the title of this blog. I was not the best show in town this morning on my walk to school. I have to walk through a cow pasture, that's lined with palm trees but still a cow pasture, to get to my school. Well, the temp has done down so it is mating season. I say I wasn't the best show in town until I flinched at a bull jumping in my direction. I understood what was said about me in Xitswa and responded in Xitswa. Needless to say, I became the hit again. We'll see what happens next week though when the commander in chief of Mozambique comes riding in on a helicopter, yes, a helicopter to town.

You'll see pictures soon.

Ian

The visit of a....

So, sorry about being missing in action for so long. But please rest assured that it doesn't mean nothing has been happening. IT HAS!!!! I've just gotten so used to what is going on around me that I don't think anyone will be interested in it anymore. But I do want to tell you about a couple of things before I go have lunch.

My Larium dreams have been getting so crazy recently. I'm not complaining because they aren't bad they are just getting CRAZY. The most recent ones have had to do with heads of state or future ones for that matter. The most recent one I just had last night. I was moderating some sort of debate between Hillary and Barrack Obama. I don't remember what was being said (yet) but HIllary said something and all of a sudden I shouted "YOU'VE GOT MY VOTE!" Folks come on I think its time America has a different person than a white rich male in power. The other dream was a couple of weeks back. I was back in London with a friend of mine at the Banqueting Hall behind Buckingham Palace. (We were there for real back in 2003, for a party I won tickets to for Jerry Springer's Opera) Anyway, the queen all of a sudden comes in and comes straight to me and asks me to dance. We danced the night away. Just as I was about to leave, she asked me to stop and listen to something she wrote for me. So she played me a song jumping around the room... on her banjo. I know I'm weird but you guys read this blog to hear about strange and unusual things no?

Which brings me to the last bit of news. My town is in a frenzy right now because the president of the country is coming to visit. We are getting a face lift and a paint job. The potholes are getting filled in, the road is being resanded and the flags and bunting are being brought out. But I want to ask you all, what good will it do if the president comes to visit and he sees a Disneyland version of my town?

I won't complain about the waterworks being fixed though

Ian

Found something interesting

Back in Maputo for a weekend of Peace Corps meetings. But, I just wanted to through some things out here on my blog as I watch "Snakes and Lizards"beamed over from Brazil. All of you should check out this website www.malhanga.com/rufino/index.html It has amazing pictures of Maputo and www.malhanga.com has present day pictures of the city too. The website is in portuguese and english but its pretty self explanitory. I hope you enjoy it all and I hope it entices you all to come visit.

Ian

Drip Drip....Drip Drip

I originally planned this title to talk about the oppressive heat we've been having over the past couple of days but then I realized it could be a reference to a whole bunch of things. Let's talk about the heat first. Many of you guys may have heard about the Cyclone (read hurricane) Favio that roared through here about 10 days ago. It was very interesting. Luckily I was not in the direct path of his sweaty fury. It was 200 kilometers north of me that really got hit bad. I feel bad because in the resort town of Vilankulo, the World Bank just built a municipal market ground and a brand spanking new secondary school - both of which got leveled. It was an initiative to extend education and business in the area. That is the first drip drip.......drip drip. Development work moves along at that pace but when you finally get it moving, well you know. Favio came through and we were put on stand ready. I had to pack a bag and be ready to go. But we didn't have to go and I have very happy.

Last September, I built a gutter on the building in front of me. I wanted it to catch the rain water so I didn't have to get ladies to go to the river for water. I've got a holding tank that is roughly 340 liters of water. Thanks to Favio I didn't have to get water for 10 days! Let me tell you 20 liters of water hurts on the head. That is the second drip drip... drip dip.

Now, I've finally gotten my secondary projects going. Two nights a week, I have a group of kids in the community come and we play and learn English in a less foreboding atmosphere than school. Four nights a week, I have the adults coming to learn English where they don't feel that the students are kicking them down because they can't speak English. I'm getting my mural club started up again from last year that floundered after my operation. Finally I am starting a theatre comp for the province of Inhambane. that is the third and final drip drip.. drip drip....

I finally feel like I am getting started here in Africa and I only have 9 months left.

More soon

Two months MIA

SO First off just want to apologize for slacking on the writing. But I think I've been busy. I'm teaching five classes of 9th grade English at the secondary school this year. 3 of my classes are taught under trees. The school exploded by about 2000 students this year. The roads are getting better so I think more and more people can come in from the countryside to my town to get to the school. We have almost 5000 students spread over three shifts. There is some group of people in the school from 6 am to 10 pm 5 days a week. So its a pretty busy place. They are building new rooms for the school but we shall see when they are finished.

Anyway, I want to tell you guys that I just found out about the flooding in Mozambique today. I saw it on the BBC website and thought. Hmmm, I live here and have not heard about it on the news yet. But its happening in a province called Zambezia which is where the Zambezi river drains out into the ocean. But north of the River Save, which is my province's northern border, it may as well be another country. But, all of us are safe. Even the volunteers up north are doing okay.

I'm putting some more photos from South Africa and vacation up on the internet. i'll send out the link and I hope you guys enjoy. KPlease feel free to make any comments. Before I post this though I want to tell you guys what happened last night. My friend Michael came up from Xai Xai to hang out before school started for him. He works at a Teacher Training School so starts later than us in the public school system. Anyway, we went out in town last night with some of my teacher friends. As per usual, a dance party gets started in the road after dark. Its what Mozambicans like to do. :O) But the Headmistress of the boarding school was out as well. She and I had been fighting but last night I asked her to dance in Xitswa and now things are behind us. She couldn't even remember what we were fighting about. I can but I didn't say. Trying to be diplomatic. I was just shocked about how music was able to make us friendly again.

Til next time

Ian

Kurinzela

Kurinzela is the newest edition to the Hefele household of Homoine in Inhambane Province, Mozambique. She is about 6 months old I would guess and such a little bundle of energy. I feel a little bit awkward that I have gotten a dog while my first little one is not even in the ground a month, but Africa operates on a different plane of existence. A colleague of mine brought her over the other day, after I spent some recoup time at the beach and burned myself for the first time in YEARS. She looks like a jack Russell terrier. Man, can she JUMP! That's why I'm thinking that she has some jack in her. My housekeeper is taking care of her right now and she and I had a long talk about "Kuri" coming into the household. I think I've achieved one of my goals in PC Moz because it was a Mozambican who brought me the dog. They realised how important Timisela was to me and realised that yes a dog can be part of the family too.

So now, I have a mountain of more little goals to get through and my PCV existence will be complete.

Ianito

PS. I put up Xmas lights the other day and shaped them as a Christmas tree. I'm very excited because I'll be at a family party of a good friend of mine. Kuri will be good company too.

RIP Timisela

So, my transition period to minha terra africana has been rough. But last weekend my dog got stolen from my yard. She was tied up for the night, just felt it was necessary. I tied her up loosely and in the morning she wasn't there. I didn't get too concerned because she had always gone through town before and always come back. I thought she must have just escaped. But anyway, I put the word out for people to keep looking for her. Tuesday morning of this week, I was sitting down to my cup of tea in the morning and got a beep from some one who had been on the look out for Timisela. She was found in the crossroads of the market behind the electricity building. Her throat was slit. she had been there for a couple of days I think because of the body was rigid. Anyway, i lost it. But people stepped out of the gawking crowd to help. Someone ran for a shovel. Others got some rope and a stick of bamboo to carry her back to my house. I was walking through my town crying my eyes out. But people were considerate and the woman that works at my house was AMAZING. They all worked together and got timisela burried in the field near my out house where she loved to play. She was a beautiful dog and will be remembered by this lonely PCV. But, if I get another dog, I have thought of another name. Kurinzela

HOPE

I'm feeling HOT HOT HOT

Back in Moz for a couple of days now and it is HOT HOT HOT. But that is most definitely how I like it. When I got back to my house, Julia was home but just went out to the market. Her sons were in the yard and so I went in. I was in my bedroom un packing when she came back into the yard. I was able to surprise her and she dropped the groceries and was REALLY happy to see me. Everyone was really happy to see me. I'm glad that I have this scar on my neck so I can actually get to show some physical evidence to people. Let me tell you my POrtuguese has expanded, really fast and turned really medical! :O) But since most things medical come from latin, its quite easy. Add an o, a or e and you've got portuguese. Thyroid is tyroide. Or at least that is how they pronounce it.

It is amazing though how some people don't change in there habbits. My school director is just as annoying and self righteous as ever. But now I've got a little more leverage because he sees and knows that I went home and came back BECAUSE I WANTED TO and like my site. One of my students also just sent a text saying he is really happy that I am back. It brought tears to my eyes. and made me realise why I am here.

Ian

back in Africa

Hello all

So this is the first post in a while I know. I have to apologize but most of you know what was wrong anyway. But after a long two day trip, I've made it back to Mozambique. I was so giddy on the plane today as I landed. Good thing I don't look suspicious. :O) But it was almost as if everything was suppossed to work out this way. As the plane was landing in Maputo, at the airport that anywhere else would be called an airstrip, it suddenly banked over the rest of the city and brought me over the Maputo Bay so I could get a good view of the skyline. After that we landed and I had a huge grin on my face. I'm so grateful I got to see all that I did get to see and for those I didn't I'll be seeing you soon. But hopefully that just means you will come and visit.

Tchau
Ianito in Maputo

An update

So, the shirt is exhibit A, the onion newspaper is exhibit B and the guy is going on trial tomorrow. I don't know what is going to happen. I was not told to show up there. I personally don't want to see that guy again but was told I can go recover exhibit A tomorrow afternoon.
I'll send you all another update soon

Ian

Peace Corps Believe it or NOT

First, let me tell you sorry about not posting in a long time but people who come visit me that my internet connection is a giraffe, elephant and african lady's head ride away from my house... no not really but let me tell you...Let me tell you what happened last weekend. It comes in the files of Believe it or not. I was walking around the big city in the area doing some errandswhen I decided to pass by the post office to check our mailbox. 5 volunteers in the area decided to share a box so it would come out as cheaper. Anyway, Jess has been texting me that a tee shirt and yankees hat were coming but I kept checking and it never came. So I'm walking by the p.o. and the guy working at the post office was wearing a pic of jess and felix on the tee shirt I was suppossed to be wearing. I didn't know what to do. First of all, I was alone, my portuguese doesn't stand up to emotion very well and I just didn't want to over react and kill him. So i called him over to where i was standing and let him have it. He said, the bastard, that he bought the shirt in the market! Jess could be making a mint if she can sell images of her son in african markets! So I told him to take me there but I was nervous that he was leading me into an ambush. So I ran into someone in the road I knew and she came with me. The woman who sold him the shirt in the market didn't show up that day, it was sunday. I said of course she didn't "bloody" show up, she lives in brooklyn!!!! Ooo I was so steamed. What was hysterical was two of my friends had been saying for a few months, we're not getting anything I think this guy is stealing. I thought they were crazy just because of time it takes to get from the USA to MOZ and the distance. But then I saw my damn nephew on a middle aged african's chest. The next day I went to the police with Peace Corps and with a collegue of mine who knows the story. We got a search warrent and searched his house. He has two (ish) one looks like a bombed out shell from Germany in WOrld war two. Found a recent national geographic but there was no address on it. At his house in the woods we found copies of the new york times, daily news, books in german and spanish, and the onion newspaper. Needless to say we got him. I didn't get anything but the tee shirt back but I think I'm only missing that package. But he gave me an amazing story that I will have for the rest of my life. ALso, my "greatest acheivement in Peace Corps" I threw a Mozambican in jail! you all who told me once that you were going to send something. Did you send it? I just want to keep track of what is coming my way. Unnfortunately there can be no surprises. But at least we got the guy so packages will be coming through again. Also, include a list in the package about what is in there. Let me give you my friend monique's address. I'm meeting her in South Africa in December and she has agreed to bring anything there from my family. Get it from my brother, my sister or my dad. They will have.

Now, I am off to write the first episode of CSI Mozambique

Ianito

The magical whitey of Homoine

So, being the only white person in a small town in the Peace Corps has some advantages. The locals really look out for you, they take care of your dog, they teach you Portuguese and Xitswa... you get the idea. But, they also come running when a family member is sick. This happened the other day when I was sitting on a mat in my yard correcting papers. My maid's son came running in asking me to come with him because his little brother was sick. My maid's family lived out in what is called the caniço or reed part of town. Its where the Mozambicans were usually forced to live by the Portuguese colonisers. Anyway, I grab some ibuprofen from my drawer and head out. When I get to the house, my maid is cradeling here son and crying cause he is burning up and REALLY sick. This is last Sunday, so the hospital was avaliable (yes they close on Sundays too) and I could tell from seeing this kid that it was Malaria. I didn't even have to touch him to feel the fever, you could just see the heat and the disease radiating off of this poor little 3 year old. Anyway, I gave some of the ibuprofen to the kid just to make him comfortable so he could sleep. That is really the best thing to do for Malaria besides get the medicines from the hospital. Anyway, my maid insisted I stay for some crab lunch that she had just cooked so she could thank me for coming to help. I stayed, barely able to stand upright in her house the size of my childhood bedroom and ate up. All of a sudden I just started shaking. Not crying or anything but just shaking. I had to stop eating because the fork kept banging against the tin plate and was making me really nervous. so I excused myself.

When I got home I just lost it. WHy? I thought I was roughing because I didn't have running water. Why? Three people live in her house and I have three rooms to myself.

I just don't get it.

Um pedido

Just a quick question for all you out there. I'm looking to outfit my house with the standard peace corps furniture - a hammock. But true to Mozambique fashion, I can't find one in this tropical country! :O) So, anyone that is in EMS or some store like that, can you price a light weight hammock for me so Monique can bring it for me in December, or if you want to use it as packing in a next package.

More soon
Ian

Viva Mocambique e Corpo da Paz

So this morning I have had a complete trip out. First it is the 4th of July... FELIZ DIA DA INDEPENDENCIA! Yes I am still in Maputo, things take longer to heal in the tropics. But I am slowly going crazy down here. It should be a day in the life. That may be what I change this blog too. Let me catch all of you up with what is going on here. Anyway, I am a Peace Corps Volunteer but am a millionare (YEAH BABY) but in the currency called meticais. There are now two currencies in the country (technically, in actuality there are four) and it goes as follows. The money that was here when I came was called METICAL or MZM and the exchange rate was 26,500 to the american dollar. Now we have NOVO METICAL or MTn and it is 26.50 to the dollar. So basically they just loped some zeros off. But I think it is all a big lie because all the banks are down, they have been since the first, and no one has seen more than a fleeting glance of these new bills. No idea how long the banks will be down until but hey the answer to all questions in this country is

ITS MOZAMBIQUE! :O)

So, going on I turn on the TV today and see the face of this kid called Robin Dejesus in this movie called CAMP. NOw I just never had the desire to see it because of many reasons, not the LEAST of me being bitter because I remember him as that little eighth grader who's first show EVER was a summer stock performance of Grease and now I am seeing him on a South African network in Mozambique. Little weird, besides the fact that I gave the kid rides home to Roodner Court area of Norwalk many times. Great singer but the acting, blame the script Ian blame the script... I made my friend Rhett watch it with me and needless to say she wasn't too impressed. Anyway, our friend Kelly comes into the room saying she say a really cool staff member of PC Mozambique and we bolt out of the room. Once we get out into the street, we see her in the car stopped at a light and we are in a really n ice area of town so she didn't have her car doors locked. It was hysterical because the three of us just pile right into her car and say we are kidnapping you. Who was driving??? But it's Mozambique. So we had some coffee and caught up. But she made us realise how cool what we are doing really is. She just came back form the States and was telling us how much respect she had gotten when she told people she works for Peace Corps. She speaks perfect English and sounds British (lived there for two years) so no one believes she is Moz.

Another friend of mine just got back to the States after finishing up her time here. She was coming back into the states with her dog and the customs official was an RPCV and let her right through. I love this place

Ianinho

Things that make you go WHAT THE!?!?!?!?!?!?!

So many of you I'm sure have been watching the football/soccer world cup on television. Or if you are in Germany in person. But anyway, a few nights ago Portugal trounced the other team in the quearter finals of the FIFA world cup. I just left the movie theatre here in Maputo and the city was in chaos. Horns were going off, lights were flashing, people were leaning out of there high rise apartment windows, there were cries of VIVA PORTUGAL punctuated by the chants of COLONIALISTA...COLONIALISTA from some drunk Mozambicans that just came out of the bar across the street. My question is, Portugal seriously messed up this country, largely within living history, yet the language ties are so strong that Mozambicans will root for them in the world cup?

HUH?!?!?!?!

Now if Portugal wins.....uh oh

We shall see if this works

Howdy ya'll,

Howzit? I've been MIA for awhile but as they say, no news is good news or it just means I am damn lazy. But anyway, things are great. I'm down in Maputo right now on some Peace Corps business. I'm planning a boys leadership conference with some other PCVs from older groups. I think I'm basically there so they can pass the torch to someone for next year's conference when none of them will be here. I heard a crack in my mouth while I've been down here so I made a dentist appointment to just to make sure everything is okay. Keep your fingers crossed.

Quick announcement, my friend Monique is coming in about 5 months for a month long visit. I'm going to be meeting her in South Africa and we are travelling around SA and MOZ together for my summer break, which includes christmas and new years!!! Anyway, she is more than happy to bring stuff from all of you for me. I don't want to put her contact info up here but just email me and I will send you her address. REmember even packets of kool aid make me happy. She lives in New York so it should be easy for ya'll to get stuff to her.

So the title of this entry is in reference to trying to put up a video I made to either this website or my kodak online gallery. I think what may be happening is that I copy a bunch of stuff to a disk and send it to noel. We will see, "but, in Africa there is always time" and I hope you guys have all been enjoying what you have been seeing. Remember, visits are always welcome and I will pick you up anywhere in South Africa or Mozambique.

Where to begin... this past trimestre at work has been interesting. I've certainly seen a broad spectrum of Mozambican life that has shocked me and endeared me to the crazy life of being caucasian in Africa. My students "por fim" are finally used to me and I have been stopped on random occaisions about how some of my students really like my English class and look forward to it during the school day. Let me give you a mental image which I think you will find funny. The standard Mozambican way of teaching is very rote learning. The teacher usually stands by the board droning oout facts, writing it on the board and the students copy it into their notebooks. I, on the other hand am jummping around the room, standing on desks, crawling o n the floor, and running through the students... all to illustrate English vocabulary, now there is passion for your work...and I'm doing this is Portuguese.

Moving on, last month PC MOZ said goodbye to a group of volunteers that came in 2004. I got really close to one who lived in my local big city. So, I decided to come down with that friend to help say goodbye. That was my last blog I think. So anyway, the Peace Corps "godfather" hooked up a car rental for some visiting friends. Well, this car was pimped out. There was a sun roof!!!! But, it died about half way down the EN1 to Maputo. We then don't know how to get to Maputo, it is getting dark and we NEED to get Maputo. So I'm running around the town of Xai Xai to get a Chapa to drive us down. To make a long story short, we rent a chapa for 2.000.000 Meticais and get the private phone line of the police chief of the province of Gaza.

But, I am loving life up in Homoine and have outfitted my house to make it look really nice. I did it all from the camping section of the department store!

More later remember send me stuff!

Love ya'll

ian

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.

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....