Boa tarde, Senhora Professora!

As I write this blog post, it’s hard to believe that I’ve been teaching for a month already. Whereas I have given and corrected my first biology test, I’m still working on the names of my students. That could have something to do with the fact that teaching 11 classes of eighth graders with 55 students each, I have about 600 students. But I have learned my favorite students’ names, which is a start. (It doesn’t help that I’m not terribly familiar with Portuguese names like Boaventura, Moisés, and Calado). The students only have biology twice a week, so I end up teaching the same two lessons 11 times each during the week. It’s nice that I don’t have to do much lesson-planning, but I start to feel a little crazy after teaching the osseo-muscular system for the eleventh time. And repeating myself over and over, I’ll be darned if I remember any biology vocabulary in English by the end of these two years.

Yet all in all, things are beginning to gel. I’m getting to know my colleagues a little better and getting to know the ropes. The living situation is challenging at times, being the odd person out in terms of culture and language (the roomies typically speak in Shangana to each other), but improving. I have begun doing my share of the cooking, and although black pepper is too spicy and vegetable skins are widely distrusted, French toast was a hit (syrup, however, is too sweet). You win some, you lose some.

My cat Bea is in good health and keeping me sane; I identify with him a lot, as we both share language and cultural barriers with our housemates. And although he has the habit of lying in the grass and ambushing my ankles while I’m walking back from the latrine or carting water (on my head, I might add), he’s a good cat.

My PCV sitemate is also a great help in maintaining my sanity. We are thinking of going to the beach this weekend for the first time since Christmas, and I think it will be a well-deserved break from school, Portuguese, awkward living situations, and… oh, so many more things that I don’t have the time or space to write about in this blog—things like marriage proposals, the surprising difficulty of procuring bread, days with precious little water—things to ask me about in two years. Or when you come visit me in Mozambique.

Então, ate já—passa bem, nada mão, e beijinhos!

Three's Company

Last Monday, I woke up early and was putzing around when I heard a knock at the door. It was a woman who introduced herself as a teacher at the school, Professora Arlete. I’ve met several neighbors and teachers who have dropped by to introduce themselves, chat, or practice English, so this was by no means an uncommon occurrence, even at 7 in the morning. As the small talk began to wrap up, Arlete said she was going to get her malas at the neighbor’s house. The word mala sounded awfully familiar, a Portuguese word I had once known but clearly forgotten, so I just smiled and thanked her for visiting. This was met by a confused look.

“No, no—the neighbor just lives over there, and I’m going to get my malas right now,” she said. It was my turn for the confused look. “I’m going to get my malas and come back to the house. I’m going to live with Professora Amelia.” And therefore, most importantly, me. At this point, I remembered what malas were: suitcases.

I tried my best to channel my shock into an overly enthusiastic offer to help with her malas, and tried to hide my expression of complete astonishment. I must have succeeded, because the friendly chatting resumed immediately. And that is how I met Arlete, Mozambican roommate #2.

Arlete is kind and warm, and lived in my house with Amelia last year. At first, I had reservations about being the odd person out and having to readjust to their existing routine, but I think it will work out well, and might actually be easier for everyone. Maybe not as easy as me moving in with my fellow PCV in Chimundo, but where’s the adventure in that?

P.S. Merry Christmas!

I keep on forgetting that Christmas is coming in 4 days.  It might have something to do with the 90 degree heat and lack of snow.  And since I have no electricity, when I want to listen to Christmas music, my best options are to sing or whistle it.  I think I will spend Christmas on Xai-xai beach, which, although is as antithetical to my typical midwestern Christmas as possible, will certainly be festive and memorable. 

I´ve had requests for my new mailing address and care package ideas.  The best mailing address will still be the Maputo address; mail sent there will eventually reach me, and as inefficient as that may sound, I believe it is the best option. 

Alycia Overbo

c/o Corpo da Paz

Av. do Zimbabwe No. 345

Maputo, Mozambique

As for care package ideas, I would be thrilled to receive anything, but I´d be especially happy to receive wasabi soy almonds (found at your local Kmart or Target), black licorice, instant pudding mix, stickers for students, ground coffee, granola bars, books, magazines, or maybe a new t-shirt or tanktop, as excessive sweating and handwashing are together killing my clothing.

Lots of love to you all, and best wishes for your holiday season!

Chapter V: And Then I Smuggled a Cat into Gaza

Life in Mozambique thus far has been fairly eventful (to say the least), but the last two weeks have been particularly noteworthy. On Tuesday Dec. 8, we trainees went to Maputo to be officially sworn in as Peace Corps Volunteers and on Wednesday, we packed up and left Namaacha. It was sad to say goodbye to my PCV friends and host family, but after 10 weeks of Portuguese classes, medical sessions, and culture lectures, it was time for a change.

And what a change it is; after a short conference in Xai-xai to meet our supervisors, I traveled to Chimundo, Gaza province, which will be my site and my home for the next 2 years. I arrived that Friday morning with my supervisor, my bags and, much to the surprise of my supervisor, my kitten Bea, whom I successfully concealed throughout the entire trip from Namaacha. Bea and I were dropped off at the school and made a short trek to our new home, which is on school grounds. My first impressions of the house were very positive; it is quaint, with a grass bathhouse, outdoor latrine, two bedrooms, and sizeable main room. My second impressions were a little overwhelming; I quickly saw that the only furniture in the house was my bed, a small plastic shelf, and two plastic chairs. Also, the house has no electricity. However, my house has a kerosene lamp, a gas burner, dishes, and notably, a Mozambican roommate, Amelia, who is a fellow teacher at my school. Amelia has been very patient and helpful in the last week, showing me where to get rides to the nearby city of Chibuto, cooking for us, and introducing me to her family in Chibuto. Bea and I have a standing invitation there to wash clothes and take advantage of their electricity, and I fully intend to take them up on that, especially since Amelia and my other colleagues are leaving Chimundo for the holidays. Thankfully, there is another volunteer who lives in Chimundo, so I can easily visit her and her electricity oasis. Meanwhile, since school doesn’t start for another month, Bea and I will start working on furniture acquisition and try our hand at Mozambican foods. We should have plenty to keep ourselves occupied.

November Rain, November Sun, November Gone

So… November! I’ve come to the conclusion that November is the universal month of crummy weather. For every day of sun in Namaacha, we have had five days of rain, and weeks of continuous mud. I think I’m getting all of my cold and rainy days in Mozambique upfront, so I’m trying to embrace it.

Anyway, while I was waiting for my laundry and the cement walls of my room to dry in the perennial humidity, November sneakily flew past me. In mid-November, we went to different cities in Mozambique to visit current volunteers. I traveled to northern Mozambique to visit a volunteer who coincidentally stayed with my family two years ago during training. The family was overjoyed that I was going to visit her, and gave me a bag full of cake, fruit, and special Namaacha bread for her, which I dutifully dragged onto the airplane and chapas (overcrowded mini-buses) throughout my journey across Mozambique. She was a great hostess, so my ill feelings about lugging the large plastic bag of food quickly dissipated. We traveled around the area a little bit, seeing Ile de Mocambique and Chokis, the most perfect beach I have ever seen in my life. It was informative to see another site and meet current volunteers, but it was effectively like a Peace Corps-sponsored vacation. It was fantastic, and I’d like to think, well-deserved.

It’s a good thing we had that break, because upon returning to Namaacha, there was an explosion of activity with preparations for model school. We have been teaching students biology, chemistry, and English from 7:30 AM until 11 AM for the last two weeks. School is out of session right now, so the students are volunteers who are motivated by either certificates, free school supplies, cookies, or learning. I had a particularly energetic class, which was a blessing and a curse, but a good no-stakes crash-course in classroom management before going to site. They did well on our test and were excited to receive their treats and certificates, especially because I took photos of all of them receiving the certificates. This is a huge reward here; even though the students don’t receive photos, getting to see their photo and imagining me showing people in America is “ultimo”. The students were pretty adorable today, and a few asked for autographs. I even got to sign the backpack of one of my favorite students. Aww. At times, the idea of teaching biology in Portuguese every day for the next two years is daunting, but things like that are great perks.