One week in...

I have now been here for just over a week and can now find all my chappa stops on my own, and in the dark, a key turning point!

I started my first project this week, Infantaria da Matola. I have to get 2 chappas to work and I start at 8.30am so I leave my house at 6.30am ish. I'm working in Casa 3, which is home to the most disabled children in what is essentially, an orphanage. There are 12 children in the house and 10 of the children are in wheelchairs. I love them all already. I work until 12.30pm and spend the day playing with the children, talking to them in Portu-english and doing some minor physio with them. None of the children speak but lots of them understand exactly what I'm saying. I talk to Satchane, one of the boys, a lot, he understands everything and we laugh a lot. I spend a lot of time hiding behind a pillow and then popping out again and covering them with a sheet and pretending I can't find them, both of which they find hilarious! I am going to take some pictures this week and will upload them. I find it hard as the Mozambican 'tias' in the house spend very little time with the children and can be rough when feeding and moving them. Now it's getting hotter I am going to take them outside for walks. I try and do some basic physio, with the two boys that can walk, every day. We have exercise balls which I am going to use next week. The children can lie on them and it strengthens their muscles and helps their posture.
I've started a second project in the afternoons. It's called CEMO and it's a think tank for issues, which affect Mozambique. I am translating a back log of their documents from Portuguese into English. It’s interesting and hopefully it will help my language.

I went to my first African dance on Wednesday...today is the first day I can walk without a limp! It was so much fun but so hard. The first hour is more like an exercise class, every variety of lunge and squat imaginable. The teacher is amazingly good. The second half is the dancing part, not my forte. I’m going to try and go 3 times a week.

Friday was a really frustrating day. I still haven't started my original project, called ACCORD. No-one has ever heard of it or seems to know anything about it. I waited at the office for Sonia for 4 hours and she didn't turn up, or call. It meant I missed the morning at Matola and was just a waste of time. I understand its 'Mozambican time' but she is always always really late. She said she would be there soon, which meant I couldn't leave and do anything else.

But Friday night was good and made up for it. We all went out to Rua de Arte. It was free entry and a free whisky on entrance. It was playing Ocean-esque music and even Baywatch came on! On Saturday we went to Chris's house for a braii and pool party. It was the first warm day for a while so in my mind, summer has now started. Nick was too hungover to bbq a fish but he did manage to make some great caipiroskas. Again, it was good to meet lots of new people and again, everyone is so friendly.

I think we are going to the beach tomorrow afternoon and I’m going to see my friend from school, Kate, in Johannesburg in a few weeks time which is exciting!

I’m going to try and upload some pictures now…