So you can put faces to the names...

Silje and I

 Nick and I

 Chris and Nick

 Bito and Silje

 Nick, Chris and I

 Matt and I

Hanna, Nastasia and I

 Jan, Mario, Nick, Bito and I

 Mario and I

Jan and I

Some pictures of Maputo...

Some pictures from Tofo...

Tofo...

For the interest of all concerned...this blog has been edited and reclassified PG.

Wow, what a weekend! It was a public holiday on Sunday and in Mozambican style, so was Monday (they love their holidays; there have been 2 already and there’s another on 4^th October), so a big group of us took a long weekend break to Tofo, which is about 8 hours north of Maputo in a car and 10 in a chapa. 

Tofo is beautiful! Such a change from Maputo which now seems pretty dirty in comparison! As it’s low season, despite the amazing weather, Tofo was really quiet. We stayed at Fatima’s Nest, a huge backpacker’s hostel which is right on the beach and at the moment, fairly empty. I hadn’t felt well all of last week and I was exhausted so the weekend was going to be a perfect rest for me...

Think again...

We arrived on Friday afternoon and I was marched straight to the beach by Silje who informed me that we weren’t going to move all weekend. Oh how little I knew... In the evening, we had dinner at Tofo Tofo and then went back to the campsite. Then commenced, after a few rounds of Jungle Jam, a card game that Jan makes us play because he always wins, one of the funniest games of Ring of Fire I have ever played. Mario, Jan, Nick, Bito and I played and just thinking of it now makes me laugh. 

Later on we went to Dino’s Beach Bar, which is a 2 minute walk along the beach. Bito had been sent to clean his teeth by Silje and on the way to the bathroom, had been kidnapped by the boys and therefore turned up to Dino’s with his toothbrush. Gabby had also decided to come at the last minute, and so she too, had her toothbrush. I nearly died at the sight of them both, toothbrushes tucked behind their ears. Bito had managed to lose his toothpaste somewhere along the way and spent the majority of the night asking “Where’s my Colgate?”

Just to make the already bizarre night more interesting, for some unknown reason, Mario forced Jan and I into a plank competition (who could hold a plank the longest) in the middle of the bar! I won; my abs of steel are still strong at 3am. 

After a 4am swim, a lengthy conversation about the sunrise, a missed sunrise and Doritos, bed was calling. Back in the tent, Jan was smugly blowing up his ‘self-inflating’ mattress. Mario and I nearly died laughing, when, immediately after lying on it, it popped and slowly deflated. Jan refused to acknowledge us and just lay there as if nothing had happened. I truly haven’t laughed that hard for a while. 

We spent Saturday on the beach, playing in the sea with a lilo and body boards. I managed to fall asleep in the sun and burnt my right bum cheek, the back of my left knee and my right calf. A great look I can assure you.

We went to Tofo Tofo again in the evening, as the restaurants in the market couldn’t accommodate the vegetarians. Our drink of choice was Tipo Tinto, a 41%, sweet rum. It’s not that pleasant but at less than £1.25 for a 500ml bottle, you can’t really complain...until the next morning, when the hangover kicks in! 

Later on, we went to a music festival at Mango Beach, which is further down the beach. We were shuttled to the party in the back of a pick-up truck and my burnt bum cheek took a battering. There was a really good live band and then a DJ. They had canvas screens which you could paint so obviously the boys came home with painted toenails, ears and backs. 

We went snorkelling on Sunday, as September is a good time to see whale sharks and humpback whales. It was really choppy and the boat ride was horrific! The waves were huge. I was picturing flat seas and plenty of fish but no, it was huge waves and jellyfish. There were hundreds of different types and it would have been amazing had they not been stinging me. Actually, it was still amazing, just a little more painful than imagined. The boat stops whenever the guys on board see a whale shark and then they scream “Go, go, go” and you jump in! The first time I jumped in, I had no idea where the whale shark was and as I was slowly drowning in the waves, I looked down and the whale shark was directly below me! I nearly had a heart attack. We saw two, what I thought were huge whale sharks, but were apparently only small, and swam with them for about 30 minutes. I loved it but will be a little more wary of the conditions next time! I have blisters on my hands from clinging on the boat for dear life. My only sightings of humpback whales were from the beach; you can see them blowing water through their blow holes.

It was so tempting to stay for longer and I now can’t wait for my next beach trip (Inhaca and Bilene in October and Ponta D’Ouro in November).It was a brilliant but exhausting weekend and I now feel like I need another holiday to recover from this one! My patchy sunburn is slightly tender painful and the chapas don’t help! 

I’ve had two really good days at the Infantario this week. The children all smile and laugh when I walk into the house in the morning, which makes me so happy. They make me laugh constantly. I feel like a proud parent, whenever they laugh I feel the need to photograph or film it and I am always trying to show the pictures/videos to people! Sadly the Portuguese Sisters are leaving on Friday. We will have to see what happens when they are gone..

.

I have decided that I need to join a gym here. I was doing ok but since befriending the boys, their eating and drinking habits are having a terrible effect on me. Exercise and lots of it is needed. I have found one that is basic but perfectly adequate; however, air conditioning is unconfirmed.... 

I will try and upload some pictures tomorrow. I have lots, uploads just take forever!

6 weeks in...

The first blog for a while…I seem to have been busy but I can’t really remember what I’ve been doing! This is either a sign of impending old age or a sign that I’ve settled into a Mozambican routine. I have now been here for nearly 6 weeks but it seems so much longer. I can’t believe it’s now mid-September and a month until my 23rd birthday! 

My host mum and Nasti have both left for 10 days so I am currently home alone. I don’t like being on my own and this morning, my plug and the water stopped working so I am relocating for a few days.

I haven’t felt great all week. I think it’s a combo of the water which is bleached in order to make it drinkable and can’t be that good for you, and the heat, which I am most definitely not designed for, and the huge amounts of carbs consumed on a daily basis! 

So, news from the last week…
I’ve had a few birthday celebrations recently. It was Silje’s birthday the week before last and Lea’s birthday on Wednesday. I’m getting excited about my birthday now and I’m planning about 4 different events. Some of the girls made Lea amazing pancakes…fingers crossed for mine!

On Wednesday afternoon, we attempted to finally watch some of the African Games. We turned up expecting basketball and were greeted with Taekwondo. I am not sure I completely get the point of it but some of the Matrix style kicks were quite cool and it was free, so we stayed. 

On Thursday, I finally taught my first lesson! There may have only been 2 students but the fact I had any at all was good enough for me. It was just a basic introduction lesson, to give me a chance to try and gauge the level. I found it really hard to only speak English as I am used to only speaking Portuguese at work. I answered the first few questions in Portuguese and had to really concentrate to not simply explain in Portuguese when they didn’t understand something. I suppose it must be a good sign though. 

On Thursday, I went to Xipamanine market. For future reference, this is probably not advisable at mid-day in 35 degree heat...an absolute sweat fest! The market is huge and sells EVERYTHING. If you can think of it, you can buy it…and more. One of the old German volunteers had her passport stolen, visited Xipamanine and promptly bought it back! We were second-hand clothes shopping and I was escorted in by a friendly woman from my chapa who took it upon herself to help me find some new clothes. She was more friendly than helpful and some of the clothes she picked out for me were delightful! Her face fell every time I turned down a cropped string vest…she was determined that I would buy some form of crop top. I was saved by Nasti and Katinka and we ventured into the rat run at the centre. Overwhelming is an understatement…there are thousands of clothes and it takes some work to find the good ones. For someone that hates sales, it was exhausting but I did eventually manage to buy 2 really nice dresses for 5.50pounds!

In the afternoon, we went to watch the basketball. It cost 50 mts to get in which is about 1.25pounds. It was Nigeria v. Egypt. We were sitting next to the Nigerian women’s team so it was a good atmosphere despite the fact that it was almost empty. 

On Friday, we went to watch Mozambique in the semi final. The queue for the tickets was huge so we bought some of the street, which were clearly fake, but we decided to give it a go. We got in without a problem, despite the security guard checking the ticket. Once inside it turned out we had been allowed in using tickets from women’s basketball 2006! The floor was littered with them, so evidently, others had too! Only Mozambique! I also had my first Mozambican Chinese food which was actually really good. Next time, Thai. 

I had wanted to go to Ponta D’Ouro this weekend just gone but it fell through when no-one else did. This is the downfall of, although having lots of other people around, travelling on your own. You become rather dependant on what the majority decision is. Plus, as I love planning, the fact that any plans fall through is always a little stressful for me. However, I actually had one of the best weekends yet, so maybe I should listen to James when he says “Plans change”. I can’t see it happening any time soon though; you can’t beat a well thought out plan :)

Friday night was a hilarious night! Thank you Nick, Mario, Jan and Bito…”I have never ever ever ever ever…” was too funny. I went to Gil Vincente, a bar with live music, for the first time and I think it’s now my favourite Maputo bar. They have karaoke on a Tuesday so I’m going to start practicing ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ and wow the crowds. Saturday was a struggle and I was only saved by a double cheese burger from Mundo’s, the best burger I’ve ever had! 

We have a pub quiz at the Hash tomorrow and fingers crossed, the dream team of Nick, Chris, Chris and I will triumph! I think we are going to Tofu on Thursday which will be good as I am in need of some sun! It’s not the same in the city, just sweaty and dusty. I’m sporting some fantastic mosquito bites and the combination of pale legs and huge red bites is a treat.

I struggled with this blog a bit; it is more a tedious break-down of events than anything else. I’ll try harder next time!

A month today....

A mammoth post…

I have now been in Mozambique for a month and I am still having a great time, although I haven't been feeling 100% for the last few days.

Backtracking to the weekend…on Friday, in true Mozambican style, we turned up to a drum concert late…to find out it was over! This was a not a problem and we simply continued elsewhere…and so began an exhausting but good weekend.  

Saturday was my first experience of the Maputo Hash House Harriers. As their Facebook page states, it is a ‘drinking club with a running problem’. Every Saturday they meet and either run or walk 8-10kms around Maputo. I like to say, ‘I am going running now’ but I am most definitely part of the walking group for the moment.  Saturday was the 1400^th Hash so they had a party in the evening with paella and a singer from Zimbabwe, both amazing. As a newcomer, I had to stand at the front with the other newbies, introduce myself and down a beer, amid chants. The rest of the evening included lots of downing, chanting, nicknames like ‘Dirty Pussy’ and long-arming…exactly like University/hockey tour…except everyone is about 30 years older! A little surreal in the middle of Maputo, but such a good night. Every one is lovely and it’s a good way to see Maputo. 

On Sunday we went to a braii at Karen and Grant’s. Myself, Nick and Chris arrived, positioned ourselves in a rather antisocial line, in the shade and stayed there for the remainder of the afternoon…straying occasionally to get food. I may have been a tad hungover, and hence a little whingy so Chris, the comedy genius that he is, decided to nickname me Rusty as apparently, ‘I whinge like a rusty hinge’. It’s the price I pay for making friends with boys that still play ‘Yellow car’!

Wednesday was a public holiday, and instead of going to the beach, Nastasia and I spent the day, hiding indoors, complaining about the heat, watching films and sleeping…I’m clearly adjusting to Mozambican life well! 

On another note, Mozambican men are nothing if not persistent. Single girls, don’t bother with the dating websites, get yourself to Maputo and your problems will be solved. You could have a different man for every day of the week. 

I am sometimes told that I am beautiful. I don’t mention this in a moment of arrogance, I have simply come to the conclusion that I could be 75 and look like the back end of a bus and I would still receive more than my fair share of compliments and marriage proposals, purely because I am blonde and pale and different.

The line, ‘I have a boyfriend in England (tenho um enamorado na inglaterra)’ is met with, ‘But do you have a boyfriend here, a Mozambican boyfriend?’ The two are by no means mutually exclusive. I tried the line ‘But I am married with children’ (don’t panic James!) but as I don’t have a Mozambican husband, this is again, no problem. You have to laugh, as they are entirely serious.

Flattering as some may find it, it is exhausting! However, do not fear, I have plenty of male friends who don’t want to date me in the slightest! As I was told by the Nick, ‘You’re not a real girl; you’re like a boy’. Charming…but reminiscent of comments made by B, Bryn, Eddie etc. to Tory and I on a frequent basis so it made me laugh. 

My first English lesson on Tuesday was not the huge success I envisioned, for a start…no one turned up, despite an office full of people, who supposedly, want to take the lessons. I gathered this from the fact that they kept asking, ‘When will you start teaching?’ My response, at 12pm… ‘9am this morning!’ The morning is not convenient I was then told, despite deciding on 9am the previous week! I was then asked ‘Would you prefer to teach for 1 or 2 hours?’ I said ‘2’ and was then told, ‘Ok, I think 1 hour will be best’. It was around this point that I decided to take my lunch break! However, in the afternoon, I did manage some translation and fingers crossed; the lessons will start on Tuesday!

I went to sleep on Tuesday and woke up on Wednesday with a face full of mosquito bites. Not a great look. So far, everyone I have met today has pointed at my face and asked ‘Do you not have a mosquito net and spray?’ Yes, yes I do…but 50% Deet is nothing when you have blood as tasty as mine! I am covered from head to toe in bites and there seems to be nothing I can do to stop them!

I went to Moamba today to take part in the session on ‘Gender, HIV and AIDS’. We split into 3 groups and in mine we discussed ‘How do you define gender?’ and ‘What qualities characterize the different genders?’ a question I thought was hard to answer. My group decided on, ‘Women look after the children and the house and men work to look after the family’, quite simple after all! It was am interesting session. It aims to encourage men to take more responsibility for HIV as many just label it as a woman’s problem and not as a collective issue. We discussed who is most affected (women and young people aged 14-24) and the differences between men and women and gender equality. I understood most of the discussions, in rapid Portuguese, which is encouraging, although, it is a lot easier when conversation is based around a particular topic.

Sorry for yet another essay! I’ll try and cut them down in future…a blog is a great excuse for my inane ramblings.

ACOORD...

I went to my original project today, ACOORD (Associação de Cooperação Para o Desenvolvimiento). Everyone is so friendly, it’s a lovely atmosphere. I spent the morning planning my timetable for September (the most organisation I’ve seen yet in Mozambique) with Calisto, the director. 

I am going to work Tuesdays and Thursdays and I will teach 10 of the members English from 9-11. Unlike my CELTA course I have no interactive white board, no library full of resources and no course book; I do however have an American Language course book meant for teaching soldiers English. Lesson 2, to teach ‘should’ is titled, ‘Should I go and help Sgt. So and So fix the tank?’ This could be interesting… 

In the afternoons I will translate documents and work on fundraising strategies for the project. They asked if I had any fundraising experience and I told them, ‘Yes, a little’. I was then introduced to the office as not only their new English teacher and translator but also their new fundraising guru.

As I was a bit worried that I would simply be working in the office, I asked if I could go and visit some of their projects. ACOORD works in both Maputo Province and Inhambane Province, as they believe that although there is great poverty in the city, there are areas of Mozambique where help and opportunities are less readily available, in the north for example. Much of the agricultural land in the north receives little to no rain every year and the roads are not good so access to the south or the larger cities is not easy; ACOORD therefore believe it is important to take the help to these areas. 

Next week I am going to Moamba, about an hour south of Maputo, to attend a session on ‘Gender, HIV and AIDS’ and on the 27^th I will attend another session on ‘Negative cultural practices and Kutchinga’. Kutchinga is a Mozambican cultural tradition that means if the husband of a married woman dies, his brother has the right to marry her which can often lead to the transmission of HIV. I am really glad I can attend some of the sessions as it will allow me to see what the project is actually involved with. I can also go with Calisto when he goes north to Inhambane and visit one of the agricultural projects. So all in all, I’m much happier about starting. 

On another note, I have compiled a useful list of things ‘I wish I had brought with me’ that I haven’t so I will be even more prepared for Honduras. I have also compiled a list of the most useful/my favourite items. For anyone that is interested, they are: my child’s Timex watch, my Kindle, my Netbook, my Travelex Cash Passport card (no link to your bank account), my vitamins, my perfume (I left this behind when I went to South America and regretted it) and my Toms. 

Finally, I have started to plan my trips out of the city and I have scheduled so far (everyone laughs as this is not the Mozambican way, but a girl can only change so much): Ponta D’Ouro, Tofo, Jo’Burg and I am very excited. I am not sure how everyone else feels about my organised fun but if they want any peace, they will have to accept my highlighted itinerary with huge enthusiasm. 

Sorry for the lack of pictures, I will try harder to add more and try to cut down on the essays!