All She Wants To Do Is. . . Work, Work, Work?!?!

So, I figured it was about time to give you an update on my everyday life and more specifically what I do at work. To be honest with you, these past four weeks were really the first real work I have actually done so you have not missed anything exciting. The first five weeks I worked consisted of me reading hundreds (seriously 100+) pages of documents in Portuguese, other documents in English, reacquainting myself with Facebook, and online shopping (just ask Mastercard – they threatened to shut me down). Apparently when you are in Africa you cannot buy things online from the States because it makes it seem like a) you are no longer in Africa or b) someone stole your card. I personally think that they were being a little close minded. Just because I am in Mozambique does not mean that I cannot be a proud supporter of the U.S. economy.

Like I said before, I work at CARE International which is a big NGO (non-governmental organization). I work 8 – 5 Monday through Thursday with a one hour lunch break from 1 – 2 and 8 – 1:30 on Fridays. CARE's mission/vision is, in simple terms, to help women help themselves, their families, and the community at large. I am working/going to be working on three different projects. The first project is called Comprehensive Civil Society Responses to HIV/AIDS (COCISO) and is part of the broader OVC (orphans and vulnerable children) project. COCISO works with local CSOs (civil society organizations) to help them build their capacity to better serve their beneficiaries (or OVCs and their families or guardians). COCISO provides financial backing to help the CSOs implement sustainable programs that focus on prevention of HIV and impact mitigation. I will mostly be working with the M&E (monitoring and evaluation) supervisor to form the tools needed to monitor the number and types of activities that take place in each of the CSOs and later I will be helping crunch numbers in the evaluation process.

The second project I will be working on is the CDC funded Mais Vida (More Life) project. Mais Vida is a HIV and AIDS treatment program that focuses on ARV (Anti-retroviral) treatment in both adults and children, PMTCT (prevention of mother to child transmission), treatment of OIs (opportunistic infections) like TB and PCP (pneumocystis carinii pneumonia) that tend to come along with the onset of AIDS, and a community counseling and testing component. I have not officially begun my work with this project, but I am going to be involved in the community counseling and testing which I think is pretty exciting and challenging at the same time. Right now, I am helping re-write and edit the continuation application for funding from the CDC.

Finally, the project which has recently saved me from eternal boredom (internet surfing tends to get old if you can believe it) is called Crescer Bem (Grow Well) or Ku Kula Kuatsi in Xitswa (the local language in northern Inhambane). This project falls under the larger HIV/Education project that CARE is working on all over the world. So KKK (I know, I can’t believe it either. It needs a new name) or as I refer to it as the HIV/Educação project is going to be my main project. The HIV/Educação project focuses on keeping young girls in primary schools (focusing on girls in sixth and seventh grade, somewhere around 11 - 15 years old) especially those who have married young or are pregnant. The project will work in 20 EPC (Escola Primaria Completo – complete primary schools which are those that include sixth and seventh grade) in the Vilankulo district.

The first two weeks of “real work” I had were spent working on the baseline survey in seven of the twenty schools. Week one consisted of several days of training in interviewing skills for the group of eight men and women in their early to mid 20s hired to partake in the interviewing process. During this time all of the instruments (surveys) were translated into Xitswa. On Wednesday and Friday of week one, we went to two pilot schools (one rural and one urban) to test the instruments and get down a routine of how week two would work. During week two of the baseline survey, we went to a different EPC everyday (three rural and two urban schools). My primary role in the baseline survey was to help the consultant keep things running smoothly (she was American who spoke perfect Portuguese, which was pretty exciting because there are not that many Americans floating around in Moz or very many ex-pats in general are able to speak the local language). I was also able to take part in the classroom observations which was really fun and exciting. The main point of classroom observations is to try to get an idea of the gender relations in the classroom and how the teacher reacts depending on whether he or she is interacting with a boy or a girl. During the two weeks, I sat in on two math classes, one visual arts class, a class on natural fabrics vs. synthetic (?), a morality and civil duty class, one Portuguese class, and two English classes. My favorite classes to watch were definitely the English classes. I think it was so good for me in so many different ways. First of all, it gave me an idea of the pace and level the kids were learning English. Secondly, it was fun to watch and listen to the students interact with each other in English and to see them actually enjoying doing so. Finally, I realized that when people come up to me and begin every conversation with “my sista” (which really annoys me to no end) it is not because they are trying to speak some version of American slang to be cool, it is because it is what they learn in school. That was a needed reality check and is a huge relief (well kind of, except how many generations of Mozambicans will learn to call mulungu women “my sista?”).

Here are a few pictures of some of the schools I visited over the past two weeks. I have even included a little multiple choice question for the end in case you are losing interest.

Which of these classrooms is the most suitable for a group of 40-90 Mozambican students?

A)

B)

C)

D)

Correct Answer: D

Not only is this building material (wood and canhiso) much cheaper than the concrete fancy classrooms, it is 100% cooler. The temperature in week two hovered right around the 40°C (104°F) mark. Granted, these classrooms will have to be replaced sooner than the concrete ones, but I easily would trade 50 minutes of intense sweating (the kind where sweat rolls down from your forehead, into your eyes, down your nose, and onto your notebook where you are trying to listen and take notes, but all you can think about is escaping the hot oven you are being forced to sit in all day) for one week of rebuilding a classroom. No contest.

p.s. February 2nd was my five month anniversary of my arrival in Moz.

Vilankulo (my new home)

My Hut/Home

The top of the grassy hill in my compound

(my "front yard") and my colleague´s house

The Beachgate

(there is a coral patch right in front, but there is a swimming area about a two minute walk from my house)

Photo by Courtney Alev

(she also took the photo in my blog headline at sunrise)

Simba

Christmas Dinner

(From left back to right: Vic, Anthony, Courtney, and Emily)

PST Pictures

My house in Namaacha where I spent the first ten weeks of my life here in Moz


Casa de Banho

My "Toilet" (which I secretly loved)

My mãe, Brigeta, in the sala (living room/dining room)

My brother Chris, his wife Zelia, and their children Wilson (5) and Sarah (1mo)

Sarah (or as I like to call her Sarita)

Zelia and Sarah

Tia e sobrinha

My family

(they insisted that the wheelbarrow I bought them be in the picture)

Bettie (one of my favorite Bairro 25 de Septembre kids)

Casa Dos Dois - our favorite hangout spot after "school"

Swearing In

Abby, Gracey and I with our two language teachers: Carlos and Emidio

Courtney (my roommate), me, Michelle, Laura (my sitemate), Caitlin, Abby

(bottom row) Liz G., Little Liz, Gracey, Charlotte

What Happens When You Get Exactly What You Want

So you are probably wondering “what does happen when you get exactly what you want?” Well, I now have the highest authority to answer this pressing question for you . . . you get mugged. Yes, that’s right, you get mugged. Before I indulge you with the dirty details of this incident, let me back up three weeks. Like I said before, on November 22, a beautiful baby girl was named after me. Crazy right? I am so lucky. Then on our pseudo-Thanksgiving on Wednesday November 26 (weird right? Why couldn’t we have it on Thursday?), I found out I get to live in paradise (not even my own word for it) for the next two years. Again, I am super lucky. So, as you can probably tell, training had been going really well for me so far. Then, on the night of our huge homestay party, it happened. It was a dark and rainy moonless night and one of my friends and I were walking back home around 8 p.m. I was using my cell phone as a flashlight because we couldn’t see anything and our walk home is down a rocky dirt path. When I say we couldn’t see anything, I totally mean it. All of the billions of light bulbs and streetlights in the States have ruined my night vision. To top it all off, I was wearing my Rainbows (leather flip flops) which are the most useless shoes when it rains even on paved roads. So we were about ten minutes away from my house when a guy wearing a jacket with the hood pulled up (typical right?) walked past us going up the hill. I glanced over my shoulder and watched the guy turn around. As this point, I pretty much knew what was coming. All of a sudden, he grabs me and I, like any other sister who use to wrestle constantly with my brother, tucked my cell phone under the crook of my arm and rolled to the ground. We struggled for about a minute before I had the rational idea to just let go because he obviously wasn’t going to and my cell phone was really crappy and not worth all of the trouble. Probably the funniest thing about the situation was that I was screaming my favorite choice words to this guy in English (really helpful, I know) and my friend was slapping him across the back and yelling “deixa, deixa” or “leave it, leave it” at the top of her lungs. Afterwards, she looked really freaked out and I stood up, wiped the mud off the left side of my body, and was suddenly pissed off because instead of hand washing my clothes the next day, I had to go to Maputo and buy a new cell phone. Really rational thinking, I know.

Since then, I have moved into my very African-looking large canhiso hut, equipped with electricity and running water (including a shower with good water pressure) and celebrated Christmas on the beach with some of my new friends. It was a very merry Christmas, although it did not really feel like Christmas.

Although it may not seem like it, I am trying really hard to post pictures, but I emailed my parents two pictures and it took 40 minutes. Needless to say, internet is expensive and I am not exactly high-rollin’ right now, but I am hoping to upload some pictures at my office within the next few weeks.

Hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

My new address for the next two years:
Sarah Hedges
Corpo da Paz
Vilankulo
Mozambique

Dar A Luz - to give to the light (a beautiful name for such an intense experience)

On November 22 in Namaacha Mozambique, a beautiful baby girl with the longest curly hair I have ever seen on a newborn was born with the fabulous (albeit slightly overused) name Sarah. She weighs just under 4 kilos, which I am told is really good, and has big beautiful brown eyes. It is such an incredible honor that my family named their newest bundle of joy after me even though it has only been a little over two months since they have known me. It's amazing that it only takes two months and a lot of laughing through awkward miscommunications to really feel like part of a family. It is also really funny to think that I am an "aunt" and that my 21 year old brother was the one who made me one!! Obviously, this is not Jeff, my 21 year old brother in the States, but Chris, my brother here. And no, in case you were wondering, my biological clock is not ticking any faster. I am content with playing the "hold her when she is happy and give her back to mommy when she a. cries or b. fazer xixi (makes pee)." So needless to say, my homestay family experience has been extremely successful and I don't think I could have ever been placed with a more loving or generous family.


P.S. I have a new address coming in the next week or two that will be my permanent address for the next two years! My future site/home is in Vilankulos in the Inhambane Province. I will be working for CARE (yay!!) and my backyard is the beach!!! I swear-in as a real PCV(olunteer) on Wednesday and move into my new home with my new roommate, Courtney, next Monday!

The "Skinny" on Africa

I cannot believe it has been over a month since I have arrived in Africa and moved in with my homestay family. So much has happened since then. October was probably the longest month of my life because everything I did and said (because it was in Portuguese) was new and some days seemed to just creep by. Speaking of Portuguese, I have a correction to make from my last blog entry. I did not, in fact, bomb my language test like I thought I did. Apparently, four and a half year old Spanish (I haven't taken it since my first semester freshman year of college) and a half-ass attempt at Rosetta Stone is enough to place me into the intermediate Portuguese class. Another really exciting fact is that I am now proficient enough in Portuguese to become an official Peace Corps Volunteer instead of just a Trainee and can begin to take a local language class. So once again, so far so good.

Over the past four weeks that I have been living in Namaacha, I have learned a few simple truths that I would like to share with you.

1. "Lanche" is not a cute word for lunch.

The very first day of school my sister-in-law (25 years old, 9 months pregnant, and married to my 21 year old brother - they have a five year old son) packed me a banana, a fried egg, french fries, and a juice box for lanche. So, like any rational human being (or so I thought), I assumed that this was my lunch because it was so much food. At noon, however, my brother showed up at school with a picnic basket full of rice, chicken, and bread. Needless to say, I felt so guilty when I sent him home with all of the food after he walked thirty minutes uphill to bring it to me.

2. Pouco janta means just that, "little dinner."

So once again, I made another food faux pas. In my experience (two very key words), going hungry in Africa is not something that I will be experiencing (Peace Corps pays our families extremely well so that they can turn us into healthy "um pouco forte" adults). The second day of school, I came home and "ate dinner" with my dad. We had tea, salad, potatoes, bread, and an egg. I was a little confused why only the two of us were eating, but I figured that everyone else was either busy or not at home (but, my mãe and sister-in-law were at home so I was even more confused). After dinner, I got up to go outside and brush my teeth and my family was staring at me like I was crazy. Eventually, after they stopped laughing, they explained to me that I had not just eaten dinner, but the snack that comes before dinner. Luckily, I did not have to sit down and eat actual dinner, but ever since then I have been extremely careful not to eat anything substantial before dinner.

3. My open air banho is a nice place for reflection and my replacement weather channel.

Every morning in the States, I love to get up and turn on the weather channel so that I can dress appropriately. If you have ever lived in New Orleans, you will understand why it is so important. Sometimes, I would even do the significantly less trustworthy, hand against the window test. I feel infinitely lucky (and sometimes unlucky when it is cold out) to have a roofless casa de banho where I take my bucket baths. I have gotten really good at determining whether it is going to be a cold and windy day, when it will rain, or when it is going to be extremely hot. I also have this incredible view over the valley and across the Swaziland border to keep me occupied. There is a downside, however, that I try not to think about too much when I am banho-ing. I can see one of the other volunteer’s front doors when I look out to the right over the top of my casa de banho. Every time one of her family members (who happen to be my family too technically) walks outside, I get a pretty good look of exactly who it is. I keep hoping that my slightly bronzed farmer's tan keeps me from becoming a bright white beacon of light (keep you fingers crossed for me!).

4. One verb can change everything.

One day in class we learned this verb that I knew held great potential for the future. The verb, acostumar, means "to become accustomed to" or "to get use to." One thing that I have not yet become entirely accustomed to is waking up before 6:30 am every day of the week. The second weekend at my homestay family, my mãe woke me up at 5:30 am to help with some of the household chores. When she first knocked on the door, I thought that it must have been a mistake because it was way too early to get up on a Saturday and I didn't even have class until 7:30. So about five minutes later she knocked again and I grudgingly got out of bed. That afternoon, I decided to take action and try to get a little extra sleep on the weekends (especially on Sunday when I don't have class). So I went home and told my mom that "in America it is customary to sleep in on Sunday mornings until right before church starts." The results exceeded my every expectation. That night, my mãe asked me what time I wanted to be woken up the next morning and I said "9:30." She laughed and was probably thinking that she must have gotten the laziest PC trainee ever, but did not knock on my door at all the next morning. I ended up waking up before 8 am and helping around the house, but ever Sunday since, I have gotten to "sleep-in" as late as I want.

5. Sex Ed. is funny in every language.

You know that TV show "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" I've only seen it once, but always felt really sorry for the "professional" adults who were, in fact, not as smart as a fifth grader. Recently, I have had my own similar experience. I really like to think that I am a lot more mature than I used to be in 7th grade when I had my first sex education class, but now, unfortunately I am not so sure. I remember when they split us into boys and girls and we all were sitting there trying not to giggle or feel too embarrassed. Of course, I had both giggled uncontrollably and felt super embarrassed. So 10 years later, I find myself once again in the same situation (minus the embarrassment) and I am, once again, giggling uncontrollably. In my defense, having sex ed in Portuguese is different than in English because of the extra spice that comes with every romance languages´ accent. But, the icing on the cake has to be the fact that our book concluded with this sentence: "A vagina e magico." Enough said.

Here's my phone number in case you ever want to call or text me: 011-258-82-819-8138

p.s. it would be really great to know who the new president is exactly when it happens since today is the first day I have seen CNN or any other U.S. news on TV and I am a election junkie

Arkansas in Africa?!?!

The strangest thing happened yesterday on the bus ride from the airport in Maputo (the capital of Mozambique) to the hotel we are staying in. I notice this kid walking down the street with a couple of his friends wearing a Razorback red shirt that said "Go Hogs!" So I, of course, being the spirited fan that I am, stood up on the bus, pointed out the window, and started calling the Hogs. It was pretty amazing.

So, as you probably guessed, I made it to Africa and even to Mozambique. So far everything is pretty much how I expected it to be. I have had a couple of shots (fortunately a lot less than most people), failed my language test miserably, and made some new friends. So far so good. Sunday, we move into our host family's home which should be really interesting and challenging. Then, ten intense weeks of cramming as much new information into my brain as possible. Should be pretty exciting!