Moz Moments

What News?

2009-05-05T14:14:20Z

So, I am really sorry that I haven't updated my blog since December. I just get really busy at work and plus I feel like I don't have that much to add. I have email access during the weekday, so please send me an email if you want to contact me.

My contract is suppose to end in June, but I am trying to extend my contract until December. I will stay and teach the second group of admitted students. I would teach English, math, and computers.

Things are going good here, I am just busy with the job.

I will try to update my photos soon.

Here are some Liberian expressions:

How's the body?    = How are you? How are things going?
Morning-o              =   Good morning.
I'm not getting you = I'm not understanding you
plum                         = mango
butter pear               = avocado
What news?           =   you reply to this by saying "no bad news"

Hello From Liberia!!!!!

2008-12-05T20:57:30Z

Well, I finally have access to internet to upload my blog and tell you somethings about Liberia. I have been in Liberia for about 6 weeks. It is a very interesting country and I feel like I have so much to learn about the history, culture, and people.

I teach English and mathematics at the school of nursing and midwifery. I have 38 female students and 1 male student. I teach at the nursing school Mondays and Wednesdays. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, I teach at the local high school. I teach 12th grade English grammar and composition. I have about 60 students in each high school class. So, I keep myself very busy grading 120 essays and the other work from the nursing school. When I am teaching, I spend my time at the office grading assignments, preparing lessons, or using the internet. We just got the internet at the nursing school, which is exciting. We are suppose to give our students assignments to do research on the internet. However, we first have to teach our students how to use computers and how to search the internet and how to find scholarly articles. Some of the students can use a computer already, which makes our job easier.

The food in Liberia is very spicy. People cook everything here with peppers. I am trying to build up my tolerance to peppers, but it has been an interesting experience so far. Once, I was eating some food at my friend's house and my eyes started to tear up and my nose started to run. I couldn't eat anymore of the food. In my town, I can buy dried fish, fresh fish, deer meat, monkey, and sometimes beef. I have tried the deer meet so far but I haven't tried the monkey yet.

We are entering the dry season in Liberia, which means that it is suppose to cool off.

Liberia is a very pretty country. There is so much green brush and trees everywhere. There are a lot of rubber trees here. I like to take long walks and see the scenery. However, none of the roads in my town are paved. I end up covered in red dust after I come back from walking. And every time a car drives by really fast, I usually end up feeling the dust in my mouth. Sometimes, I see people wearing bandannas over their mouths while they drive down the road.

Needless to say, I am enjoying my time so far in Liberia. I can't believe that I have been here for one month and that I am leaving in 7 months. I feel like 7 months is not enough time to learn many things about Liberia.

Well, this is the end of my rambling thoughts for now.

Back to Africa

2008-10-15T18:40:03Z

Hello. I am going back to great continent of Africa. However, I will be in West Africa this time.

I will be going to Liberia on October 25th. I will be teaching English and math for 8 months. My students will be enrolled in midwife classes, but still need to catch up on their English and math skills. I will be working and living with another volunteer that will be teaching the midwife classes. I think we will have only 20 or 30 students total.

This teaching assignment is through Peace Corps Response, which is a short term Peace Corps position. It is only for returned volunteers, meaning that all of the PCVs in LIberia would have already served 2 years in another country.

Peace Corps Response Liberia will have a few program areas, such as midwife training, teacher training, and business. I know that two other former volunteers from Mozambique will be going to Liberia too.

English is the official language of Liberia, but many people speak local languages or pidgin English, which is a mix of English, tribal languages, and other languages such as French and Portuguese. It will be interesting to learn the English spoken in Liberia.

I am excited to learn about Liberia and excited to experience West African culture.

Liberia actually has a very interesting history. Former ex-slaves or descendants of ex-slaves from America were sent to Liberia in the 1820s to form a colony in Africa. Many of the people sent to Liberia had never set foot on Africa. In turn, these people fought with the local tribal people in Liberia over land, etc. And the people that were sent to Liberia in the 1820s ended up ruling the local Indigenous people in Liberia. As a result, there have been many years of conflict between the colonizing people and the local Liberian people. I'm not a history person, so I'm sorry if I didn't explain this correctly. If you are interested in learning more, just google Liberia.

Yes, I Am Still Alive...

2008-08-06T00:14:06Z

So, I'm really sorry that I haven't updated my blog in forever. So, where do I start?

On April 18, 2008, I finished my Peace Corps Service in Mozambique. I extended 4 months to buy library books for the school with a grant we received. However, I did not receive the grant money until about 1 or 2 weeks before my last day with Peace Corps. But we were able to rush to the book stores and purchase the books. We received about $1000 and were able to buy 48 books for the school library.

I went to Maputo to do my final physical and dental exams and write my Peace Corps reports that are required for closure of service. After I finished my contract with Peace Corps, I I hung out in Mozambique for two months. Well, I really didn't hang out the whole time. I did more work in the library, meaning making an inventory list of the books and training the librarian how to use the books.

I was hoping to find a job in Mozambique, but that didn't work out. So, I decided it was time to go back to the USA because I hadn't seen most of my family in 1 and 1/2 years. I wanted to travel for a month before arriving in the states. So, I went to Victoria Falls, Egypt, and Poland.

Victoria Falls were cool. I took a microflight ride over the falls.

Egypt was awesome, the highlight of my trip. I spent 15 days in Egypt and I could have spent a few more months just traveling around or chilling out. I went to Cairo, Giza, Luxor, Aswan, Alexandria, Siwa Oasis, and one other oasis. The pyramids were cool, but not my favorite part of the trip. The problem is that I have too many favorite parts of the trip. I liked seeing the Mediterranean Sea, sleeping in the desert under the stars, exploring local markets, riding through the desert from one oasis to another, seeing all of the tombs, and eating local food. I ate so much falafas and swarmas and other local Egyptian food. Yummy!!!!!!

Then, I went to Poland for 8 days. My grandmother is Polish, so I have been raised eating pierogis, potato pancakes, cabbage and sausage rolls, and other yummy polish foods. Poland was cool too, very different than I expected it to be. I spent a few days in Warsaw and Krakow. I also visited Auschwitz for a day trip. I ate awesome pierogis everyday (meat filled, fruit filled, potato filled). I love pieriogis.

Well, now I am back in Michigan. I arrived in the middle of July and have been back for 3 weeks. It is weird to be back, but life is suppose to be weird. I joined the Peace Corps Response, which is a short term program for returned Peace Corps volunteers. I applied to teach English and math to students in Liberia for 9 months. If everything goes good (meaning medical tests, etc), I will be leaving at the end of September. I know that Liberia is completely different than Mozambique, but it will be a new learning experience. I want to return to Mozambique, but it is hard to live there without a job because of visa requirements and money. So, maybe I will return to Mozambique in the future. I love you Mozambique!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope to upload pictures today of Mozambique, Victoria Falls, Egypt, and Poland.

indian26 @ 2008-04-01T14:05:00

2008-04-01T13:04:32Z

Well, I have been in this country for about 30 months. I left for Mozambique when I was 26 and now I am 28 years old. My final day with the Peace Corps is April 18th. I extended four months to work at the school library by buying books and training teachers and students to use them. However, I have not received the money yet and I have two weeks left as a Peace Corps Volunteer. However, I refuse to abandon this project, so I will stay a few extra weeks to finish the project, assuming that I will receive the money soon.

So, what have I been doing between the ages of 26 and 28 years old. I have been:

*learning Portuguese
*teaching English as a foreign language
*mentoring new teachers
*tutoring students
*walking in the bush
*riding in a mini van with 30 other people
*eating foreign food
*swimming in the Indian Ocean
*killing cockroaches, ants, spiders, bats, snakes, and mice that enter my house
*squatting over a hole to go to the bathroom
*taking two or three bucket baths a day
*hand washing my clothes
*reading 80 books my second year (and who knows how many books I read my first year)
*dancing in the market
*brushing my teeth outside in the front yard
*sitting on my veranda (front porch) and watching the view of the valley or the stars
*sleeping under a mosquito net
*cooking tomatoes and onions 100 different ways
*explaining that Michael Jackson is black (not white)

I still do not know when I am leaving Mozambique. I want to visit my family and friends in the states for a few weeks, and then return to work some more here, but not through the Peace Corps. I went to the Ministry of Education (Department of Education) today to ask about teaching here through the Mozambican government, but they told me that it was not a possibility. That is too bad because there is a need for teachers here, but what can I do. So now I am going to try to apply to NGOs, which are like non-profit groups or international relief organizations. Some NGOs you are probably familiar are World Vision and Save the Children. So, hopefully something will work out here. The problem is going to be obtaining a visa to stay here. I can obtain a visa on my own, but then I have to leave and reenter the country every month to get a new visa. This isn't really possible because of money and I live 6 hours away from the border. However, if I get a job through an organization, they will provide a visa for the length of my contract, so I do not have to leave the country all the time. Plus, I need a job to support myself financially. The longer I am here in Mozambique, the more I like it. I really like the lifestyle here.

Well, I have been dating this guy for a month. I have known him since I arrived and I have known his family for the two years too. My boyfriend's name is Chiquito, which is a nickname for Francisco (or Chico). It is pretty interesting dating someone from a different culture, but it is also a learning experience for both of us. Chiquito doesn't speak that much English, just a few sentences, so sometimes there are communication problems because I can't explain everything in Portuguese. But, I am helping him with his English and he is helping me with Portuguese. However, I think the communication problems are pretty minor. I made American food for him and his mom twice. The first time I made homemade tortillas, refried beans, and spanish rice. It took me over 3 hours, but they really enjoyed the food. Then I made oatmeal cookies, which I think I enjoyed more than they did. Chiquito has no siblings and his dad lives in South Africa. He only met his dad once, last year, so it is just Chiquito and his mom. I mean, he has many cousins and aunts and uncles, etc. Well, enough talk of Chiquito.

Well, I really don't know what else to write about.  I guess this is it until next time.

Time is Over Teacher (Almost)

2008-01-06T11:23:34Z

Well, dedicated readers, I have had some very exciting things happen lately. I was honored to host Michael Bolton and Tina Turner for three weeks. Now, you are probably wondering why Michael Bolton and Tina Turner took time out of their busy celebrity lives in America to come to Mozambique. I must admit, the real Michael Bolton and Tina Turner did not come out. I should say that I was honored to host my father and mother, A.K.A. Michael Bolton and Tina Turner.

My parents spent three weeks in Mozambique. We went to my house in Gaza province and met some of my colleagues, students, friends, and tomato people. There are about 5 ladies and one guy that sells tomatoes, onions, and sometimes cabbage and green peppers in my market. I just refer to them as my tomato people.

We also went to the local beach and spent time taking in the sun rays. My town has a local disco, which is pretty much a bar with a jukebox. So, we went down there with my colleagues to have a few drinks. The name of the bar is called Las Vegas, so my colleagues like to give everyone names of famous musicians. Hence, my mother ended up with the name Tina Turner and my dad got the name Michael Bolton. He was not too happy with the name, but I just explained that it is a compliment here because people like Michael Bolton's music.

My parents were not too thrilled with all of the bugs here, especially the huge cockroaches that live in my latrine (bathroom). My bathroom has cement walls and a cement floor. There is a rectangular hole where you have to aim to not make a mess. Once the latrine fills up, we just cover the hole up with cement and dig a new one. Since it is an open hole, there are tons of bugs down there. The cockroaches like to come out at night and when it is hot or muggy outside. So, the first night, I had to go with my mom and kill the cockroaches so she could go pee. I then had to hold the flashlight too so she could see and so she would not fall through the hole. The second night, I refused to kill the bugs and hold the light anymore. So, my parents went out as a team every night. One person would kill the bugs and hold the light as the other person went to the bathroom. It was so cute to see them go out together to the bathroom, a sign of true love.

My parents were obsessed with the new bakery in my town. They walked to the baker often to get fresh bread and to chat with the worker there. My parents also loved the fresh tomatoes in my market. They were constantly buying tomatoes to eat in a salad or just by itself.

I think my parents handled the money situation pretty good here too. I just had to explain a few times what the money was equal to and what the prices were of the local food. It was a good experience for my parents to go to the market on their own and buy food and speak with the local vendors.

I think my parents struggled here with the language difference, which is normal. I have been here two years and I still struggle with the language. However, they did attempt to say a few words in Portuguese, such as good morning, thank you, good bye, etc.

We spent a few days in the crazy city of Maputo. We went to the Jardim Dos Namorados (Lovers' Garden) for a picnic. While we were there, about five wedding parties passed through, singing and dancing in Portuguese and Shanguana (one of the local languages). We actually did not see the wedding ceremony because the couples do that at a church or a different location. They just go to the gardens to take pictures, sing, and dance.

My parents traveled twice to Maputo in a chapa. Each chapa ride was about 5 hours. I do not think my parents liked the chapa ride, but that's ok because I do not really like chapas either.

We also went to South Africa on a little safari to see wildlife. We saw lions, elephants, rhinos, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, monkeys, baboons, antelope, snakes, buffaloes, birds, and many more.

Overall, I think the trip went really good. I really enjoyed hosting my family and showing them my life here in Mozambique. I kind of felt like the roles were reversed here. Like I was the parent and they were the children because they had to rely on me for language translations, money, transportation, killing bugs, cooking food, etc.

I am really grateful that my parents took the time to come and visit me in Mozambique. Now, they can kind of understand some parts of my life here and now we have funny stories to share about our time in Africa together. I am also grateful for my parents always being there for me. Without them, there is no way that I would have ever went to college and joined the peace corps. I love you guys...

Michael Bolton and Tina Turner Visit Mozambique

2007-12-18T11:14:23Z

I Hear The Drums Echoing Tonight

2007-09-22T15:50:53Z

There are many songs that have become my Peace Corps theme songs. One of the songs that will always remind me of Mozambique, even when I am 100 years old, is Africa by Toto.

I do not know if Toto ever spent time in Mozambique, but it does not matter to me because his lyrics hit the spot. And I am sure that Toto’s interpretation of the song is completely different than mine, but that is the power of music. Here is the song:

I hear the drums echoing tonight
But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation
Shes coming in 12:30 flight
The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation
I stopped an old man along the way
Hoping to find some long forgotten words or ancient melodies
He turned to me as if to say, hurry boy, its waiting there for you

Chorus:
Its gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
Theres nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

The wild dogs cry out in the night
As they grow restless longing for some solitary company
I know that I must do whats right
Sure as kilimanjaro rises like olympus above the serengeti
I seek to cure whats deep inside, frightened of this thing that Ive become

Chorus

Hurry boy, shes waiting there for you

Its gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
Theres nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in africa, I bless the rains down in africa
I bless the rains down in africa, I bless the rains down in africa
I bless the rains down in africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

So, I am sure that most of you have heard of this song. If not, I recommend you find a copy of it and listen to the song. Let’s dissect the song.

I hear the drums echoing tonight
***I love sitting on my porch on Sunday mornings and hearing the drums from the local churches. Some churches actually have small drums and others use blocks of wood to make the sounds. And you can hear the ladies singing along with the drums. It’s awesome.***

The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation
***The stars here are amazing. It just feels so good to walk around town at night with no streetlights or car lights, just using the stars as a guide. Or imagine brushing your teeth under the stars in your front yard. Or taking a bath outside (in the outdoors bathroom) and looking up to see the stars. ***

I stopped an old man along the way
Hoping to find some long forgotten words or ancient melodies
He turned to me as if to say, hurry boy, its waiting there for you
***This part of the song reminds me of the open hospitality here and the sense of community. Everyone is so friendly and the older people are mostly willing to share their stories of life in Mozambique during the Portuguese rule and civil war. ***

Its gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
Theres nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had
***When I first arrived in Mozambique, this verse made me think of the rainy season in Mozambique. My sister had just sent me four new cds during my first month at site. I did not have electricity, but I did have a portable cd player. For 9 days, it rained nonstop. I had only been living in my house for a few weeks and was still having problems with the roofs. The two roofs were not connected, so the water would run down my wall inside my house every time it rained. I did not have a table or any furniture except two plastic chairs and my bed. So, my wall was like a waterfall for 9 days. And since my house was on a hill, the water would flow into my bedroom. So, I slept with my two suitcases on my bed for the 9 day period. And since it was raining nonstop, it was too muddy to venture out of the house. So, I laid in bed the whole time and listened to my new music, especially Africa by Toto. Now, 19 months later, I still remember those 9 days of laying in bed listening to music. Now, I am glad when it rains because we have such a water shortage in our town. The well is usually dried up, so we have to rely on rain water to fill up the well again. Every time it rains, we put tons of buckets outside to collect the valuable water.***

The wild dogs cry out in the night
As they grow restless longing for some solitary company
I know that I must do whats right
Sure as kilimanjaro rises like olympus above the serengeti
I seek to cure whats deep inside, frightened of this thing that Ive become
***I have no comments on this verse at this time. However, I know that this verse has meaning to me too, but I just cannot put it down in writing right now.***

Hurry boy, shes waiting there for you
***In the beginning, this verse made me think that Africa was waiting for me. All I had to do was step outside my house and be immersed into my African community. There were many things to be learned about Mozambique and Africa, such as language, culture, religion, social norms, and food. Now that I am nearing the end of my time in Mozambique, this sentence is taking on a different meaning. I think it still means that Africa is waiting for me, but its different now. Before, I felt that Africa was waiting for me to become part of its life line. Now, I am already part of the heartbeat of Africa. The blood of Africa is pumping through my veins right now and will continue to do so when I leave next year. And I am part of Africa’s blood and tears too. Now, I do not need to leave my house to be immersed into my African community. Every second, whether I am in my bedroom or in the classroom, I am part of Africa and Africa is part of me too. I know that this probably sounds cheesy to some of the readers, but Africa gets under your skin. It burrows deep inside you and refuses to let go of you. ***

The Wheels On The Bus Go Round And Round...

2007-08-07T08:29:06Z

O.k, so I bet you are wondering why I titled this blog entry after a children’s song. Well, I could not think of a more appropriate song to describe my bus trip across Mozambique. Wait, let’s back up....

The Mozambican government is holding a census, and as a result, has canceled school for one month to conduct the census. So, my fellow PCV and I decided to travel to northern Mozambique to see how different it is from the south. Since I am traveling on just my PC allowance, I could not afford to fly round trip. So, we decided to hitchhike, take buses, or any other form of transportation heading north. This may seem like an easy task, but it was very challenging at some times.

We started at my house in Gaza Province and got a ride up to Vilanculos in Inhambane Province. The trip only took 6 hours. We stayed with two PCVs for a few days. Vilanculos is the starting point for the Bazaruto Islands, so it is a heavy tourist spot in Mozambique. We just chilled out on the beach for a few days and enjoyed the breeze. It was too cold to go swimming.

We left my friend’s house at 3:30am to catch the bus that leaves at 4:30. Even though we had bought our bus tickets in advance, it was recommended to get their early to get a seat. The bus was packed when we got there, but luckily we were able to sit in the front row, next to the driver. There is more leg room up in the front. The bus didn’t leave until 5:30am and then it took us 7 hours to reach a junction in the road. We had to get out and transfer buses to travel the last hour to Chimoio. Again, we stayed with a PCV in Chimoio. The next morning, we woke up and caught a chapa (mini bus) to Manica city to hike the mountains and check out some ancient rock paintings. We then ate lunch and headed back to Chimoio.

We got up early again to head to the bus station to catch a bus headed to Caia. Caia is on the border of the Zambezi River. We decided to stay with another PCV in Caia for a few days. Caia is a really nice town. They have bike taxis that will take you down to the river or anywhere in town. You just sit on this metal shelf on the back of the bike, and put your legs over the back tire. It costs about 40 cents to go 1 mile. We didn’t take the bike taxi because we wanted to hike around. I really liked Caia because it seemed like a ªrealª African town. There were a lot of mud houses, dirt roads, bike taxis, and a big market. I really liked seeing the mud houses, especially the ones that were made with the really dark mud. In my province, there aren’t many mud houses. People either live in reed houses, grass houses, or cement houses. There are some people in my town that cover their reed houses in mud, but it isn’t that common.

So, we decided to keep heading up north along EN-1, which is the main road north through the whole country. My friend and I waited on the side of the road to get a ride to the river to cross it and then catch a bus to Mocuba. We were lucky to get a ride with some International Red Cross workers. We drove 10 minutes to the ferry and then had to wait four hours for the ferry to leave. It was very foggy out, so we had to wait for it to clear up before they could run the ferry. So, I spend four hours walking around the market and talking to random people. I met a returned PCV who is doing graduate research in Mozambique. He is a student at the University of Michigan. I was happy to meet someone from my home state.... Then, the ferry finally started to work. For safety reasons, they only allow the driver to be in the car on the ferry, so all passengers had to get off and wait. After two trips, we were finally allowed to board the ferry and had to stand behind all of the cars. It was only a two minute ferry ride across the Zambezi River. The ferry doesn’t totally reach the other shore, so we had to jump across or walk in the water. After I jumped across, this guy looks at me and says: Teacher Jill, how are you? I could not believe that I ran into someone from my town this far north. It was such a great feeling... After we got back into the Red Cross truck, we rode for two more hours to another junction. Then, we said goodbye to our Red Cross friends and got into another truck/bus for two more hours. We finally made it to Mocuba at 4pm.

Mocuba was a small city and easy to get around. Their are two PCVs in Mocuba and they were nice enough to show us around town and to take us to the local river.

After resting for two days in Mocuba, we got on another bus and traveled north to Murrupula, which is in Nampula Province. The two PCVs in Murrupula live in mud houses and grass roofs. Everyone in their town lives in mud houses. I slept two nights in a hammock outside, even though it was cold. We hiked out to the mountains in Murrupula.

The bus ride from Murrupula to Nampula City took a few hours because the bus was very slow. The bus was so crowded and I had to stand the whole way. Luckily, there was a bar to hang on to. Some times, there were so many people packed into the bus where I didn’t have to hold on to the bar because we were packed in like sardines. I know I should have been irritated because I was so crowded, but instead I found myself laughing at the situation. What an adventure...

After spending a few days in Nampula City, my PCV friend and I parted. She went to Malawi with other PCVs and I went to Ilha De Mozambique by myself. It was very stressful traveling with someone 24/7, so I was happy we went our own ways. I took a bus to Ilha and stayed at a hostel for two nights. The island is small, so it was easy to walk around and take pictures. I also read a lot. I would just find a bench, sit and read, and then move to another bench and sit and read more. It was very relaxing. Ilha is a really historical site in Mozambique and southern Africa. I could definitely see the Arab, Indian, and Portuguese influence on Ilha.

Now, I am flying back to Maputo and will head back to site soon. Now, I am flying back to Maputo and will head back to site soon. Overall, I have traveled 44 hours by bus, car, or chapa. That does not include the time I spent waiting for the bus to fill up and leave. Or it does not include the time I spent waiting on the side of the road for a car or chapa to go by.

I am glad that I traveled to northern Mozambique. It was different than the south. The roads are worse up here and take a really long time to travel. So, that is why our journey was 7 or 8 hour bus/truck rides. And sometimes there are not even buses up here, just trucks with benches in the back.

Seeking SM Who Can Provide Cheese and Chocolate, No Running Water Necessary

2007-07-13T11:59:26Z

So, I was on my way to the big city of Maputo today and do you know what I was excited about? Running water, no. Taking a shower, no. Using a toilet, no. Speaking English, no. Watching television, no. I was excited about buying some chocolate and cheese. What is my life coming to when I get more excited about chocolate and cheese than taking a 'real' shower or using a toilet instead of squatting. So, I decided to title this entry ****Seeking Single Male Who Can Provide Cheese and Chocolate, No Running Water Necessary****.

Speaking of men, one of my male students came to my house to hang out. He comes often to practice English, look at American magazines, listen to music, or just hang out. So, I did not think about it when he came to my porch. I am always telling my students about ABCD. A means abstinence, or not having sex. B means being faithful by having one boyfriend or girlfriend only. C means using condoms. D means delaying sex until you are older. So, a lady came to our school to test students for HIV/AIDS. The student came to my house to tell me that he got tested and he does not have HIV. Then, he started to tell me that he knows I do not want a guy who has HIV, so he told me that we could hook up because he does not have HIV. So, I had to politely tell my student that I am glad he practices safe sex, but I do not want to date my students or anyone that is 18 years old. It was a weird situation, but I think I handled it pretty good.

Speaking of students, I taught two of them to do some simple beadwork. I made them leather pouches to put tobacco in and they beaded the outside of them. They look good.

So, my empregada (lady we pay to haul water for us) had a baby about 6 weeks ago. She took about 2 weeks off to rest and take care of the baby. So, we hired a student to carry water for us one of the weeks. However, we ran out of water during the weekend. So, my two students (who I taught to do beadwork), two of my colleagues, and my roommate and I went and hauled water. It was nice of everyone to help us. It is hard carrying water up a sandy hill. I can not balance the water jug on my head.

So, I made oatmeal cookies a few weeks ago. My friend had an oven you plug in, so I took advantage of it. I gave a few cookies to my friend and she did not know what to make of them. She sniffed it and then poked it and then finally nibbled it. After she got over her fear of the cookie, she really enjoyed it. I also made banana pancakes for her too.

Another student of mine came to my house because he wanted to listen to music. He asked if I had Michael Jackson music. Then, he showed me a notebook that had a picture of Michael Jackson on it. My student asked if we had Black musicians in America. I said yes, we have Michael Jackson and many other musicians. My student got all confused and said that Michael Jackson was White, not Black. So, I had to explain that Michael Jackson was actually Black, even though he looked White in his picture. My student was shocked, like his world was coming to an end. I did not know how to explain in Portuguese that Michael Jackson had many surgeries that altered his appearance.

This week, we had final exams because the trimester was ending. These exams, called ACPs, are 50 percent of the students´ trimester grades. The students copy a lot and use little cheat sheets. So, I have to walk around and try to find students cheating and take their exam away. I found three students cheating total. One student had a cheat sheet hidden under her shoe. She kept leaning over and when I asked her what was wrong, she said she was sick. So, I finally saw the piece of paper under her shoe. And then another student was cheating with a piece of paper between her knees. I did not want to grab between her knees, so I made her stand up. She then told me in Portuguese that she did not have any paper. I bent down to the ground and picked up the piece of paper. The other student that I caught cheating had a cheat sheet under his exam. I was just randomly picking up tests to check under them for cheating and I found his. The teachers always laugh because I am pretty good at finding students cheating.

So, I have about a month off of school now. Hopefully, I will go up to Nampula or somewhere else in Mozambique. Ta ta (goodbye).

Do You Want Condoms With That?

2007-04-22T12:47:55Z

So, lets talk about ABCD. Part of my job as a volunteer is to educate my students about HIV and AIDS. Even if it wasn't part of my job, I think HIV education is very important here and everywhere else in the world. I talk about ABCD with my students in English and Portuguese. Here is what it means:

A- Abstain (Do not have sex)
B- Be Faithful (Have one boyfriend or girlfriend only, do not have multiple partners)
C- Condoms (Use condoms every time you have sex)
D- Delay (Wait to have sex until you are older).

In my opinion, it is very unrealistic to just talk about abstinence with my students. So, I try to approach the topic as my students have four choices when it comes to sex: ABCD. I try to educate them about each option so that they can make the best decision for themselves. I tell them that having sex without a condom is not an option/risk that they should take.

Well, after talking about ABCD frequently last year and this year, I decided to actually see if my students knew how to use condoms properly. My sitemate from last year had a penis model made for condom demonstrations. So, I bought some condoms in the market and did a lesson on the correct way to use a condom.

I started off the lesson by introducing Mr. Condom. Mr. Condom is a figure made out of cardboard, shaped like a condom, with arms, legs, eyes, mouth, and nose. I posted a question to Mr. Condom on the board about why people should use condoms and the importance of ABCD. Then, I set the wooden penis on the desk and waited as all of my students laughed and joked with each other in Portuguese and their local languages. (Most of my students are between 14-19 years old.) Then, I called up one student to put the condom on the wooden penis correctly. Out of my five classes, three of the student volunteers could put the condom on correctly. Then, I passed the penis around so each student could see the condom on correctly.

Honestly, I was a little nervous the first time I did this lesson with my students. Condoms is not an easy topic to talk about, especially in a foreign language and with 45 teenagers staring at me. But, I think it was very important to do the demonstration so that my students know how to use a condom correctly.

Swaziland

2007-04-20T16:13:21Z

So, I just came back from Swaziland today. I had a week off of school and decided to visit Swaziland for a little bit. Swaziland is in the mountains, so the weather was cooler. I was actually a little colder there. Swaziland has two official languages: SiSwati and English. We happened to be there when it was King Mswati III's birthday. Swaziland is such a small country, you can cross from one end to the other end in just 3 hours.

Here are some differences that I noticed between Mozambique and Swaziland. (I did not spend that much time in the rural areas, so my experiences are based on the cities).

1) the Kombies (mini buses) only carry 15 passengers, compared to the Mozambican chapas (same sized mini buses) that carry about 23 people.

2)The people seemed more dressed up. I didn't see that many women wear capulanas (wraps) and bandannas.

3) There are shopping malls in Swaziland.

4) Most of the people speak English in Swaziland, which makes sense because English is one of the official languages.

5) It seemed like Swazis were more used to "foreign" people and didn't stare as much.

6) Swazis are more quieter. However, I do like how social Mozambicans are and how they like to talk a lot or sing to music or laugh at everything.

7) There are tons of billboards about HIV and AIDS in Swaziland and ways to prevent transmission of the virus.

Overall, I enjoyed my trip to Swaziland. The people were nice, the food was good, and the scenery was awesome. I went to this park and hiked in the middle of nowhere to reach this waterfall. I saw zebras on my hike. However, I am happy to be back in Mozambique and am happy to get back to school and my students.

Tommorow's the Day

2007-03-09T08:02:34Z

So, a few popular English sayings are:
*Tomorrow's the day; This pretty much means that I'll see you tomorrow, but it sounds so wise and clever when Mozambicans say it.
*Time is over; My students like to say this sarcastically when class starts, but it just means that time is up or that class is over.
*We're together; This expression is from the popular Portuguese "Estamos Juntos" expression which pretty much explains the way of life in Mozambique and the sense of community here. It's common to say Estamos Juntos when ending a conversation, etc.

I just finished oral ACSs. This time, I had two students do it at a time. The first student read two questions in English and the other student responded to the questions. Then, they switched roles. It went pretty good and most of my scores were higher than 12. The grading scale here is from 0 to 20, with 10 being the passing level. The students have to read during the oral English exam in tenth grade, so this was good practice for them.

Earlier in the trimester, I had collected all of my students' notebooks to make sure they were copying the information correctly and doing their TPC (homework). In one exercise, students had to write sentences in present continuous, using the verbs I gave them. So, they had to write a sentence about using condoms and one student wrote: I am condoming..... Another funny sentence was: He is Englishing. The sentences should have read: I am using a condom and He is speaking English. But, you have to give my students for trying, even though they are way off sometimes.

My school has just opened 7 new classrooms, teacher room, and library. The thing is that we do not have any books for the library, just a few old textbooks. And my students do not have textbooks at all. So, I have decided to write a grant to request money for English dictionaries, grammar books, and other books in Portuguese. It is hard to write a grant, but I'm sure I will figure it out. If you want to help by donating money, let me or my sister know.

The Face Off Between Present Simple And Present Continous

2007-02-09T11:43:11Z

So, classes started again. I have 9th grade this year, so I know most of the students from last year (when I had 8th grade). So far, I have only 5 classes and each class meets three times a week. We are just reviewing material from last year.

Ok, here is a test for all of you native English speakers. This is all material that I am suppose to teach my 9th grade students (ages range from 14 to 21).

1)Write one sentence in present simple (affirmative).
2)Write one sentence in present simple (negative).
3)Write one sentence in present continuous (affirmative).
4)Write one sentence in present continuous (negative).
5)List three prepositions of time.
6)List one comparative adjective and one superlative adjective.

Ok, did you pass the test or do you have to repeat 9th grade again? Here are the answers:

1)I eat bread.
2)He does not eat Matapa (local Mozambican dish).
3)She is washing clothes.
4)We are not sleeping.
5)at, in, on
Examples: I sleep at night.
I went to America in August.
He went to Maputo on Thursday.
6)taller, tallest
Example: Anita is taller than Arlindo.
Anita is the tallest.

It is boring to teach this dry grammar, so I try to substitute fun activities once in a while. For example, I like to teach my students a song or teach them American slang.

Well, I moved houses and now I live at the school. I moved because there were 9 teachers living in a two bedroom house. So, I live with another PCV and we each have our own bedrooms. My new house is cement and does not have water problems (my old house leaked when it rained). I do not have a toilet now, but just a hole in the ground. So, I have to squat when I go to the bathroom. It is hard to do that!!!! My house is on the school property, so I live right next to the director (principal) and pedagogical directors (assistant principals).

I only have 10 more months here. The time has flown by...

Back to Work

2007-01-27T10:29:59Z

Well, my sister and I went to Kruger National Park in South Africa. We went on a 4 day budget safari trip. It was fun. We saw elephants, giraffes, monkeys, baboons, zebras, and impalas up close. We also saw hippos and one lion far away.

It was fun to ride around in a safari truck and look for animals. Sometimes we had to use our binoculars to see the animals (the lion) and other times there would be animals right there when we turned the corner (elephants, giraffes).

We also hung out in Nelspruit for two days. Nelspruit is the closest city to the Mozambican border. Nelspruit has shopping malls, fast food, and movie theaters.

We took a bus from Maputo to Nelspruit. The border crossing took 1.5 hours on the way to South Africa. When we returned to Mozambique, the border took about 1/2 hour.

Judy is leaving today. I am going to miss her. It was nice to a visitor here. I am going back to my house tomorrow because school starts on Tuesday. The first trimester runs from February to the middle of April. Then, I will have a two week break (only 1 week break because I have to finish grades). The second trimester starts in May.

Three Stool Samples Please

2007-01-17T14:51:20Z

So, I finally made it back to Mozambique. My sister and I traveled back and spent a few days in Maputo. She was sick and our luggage was lost for three days. We ended up going to the local hospital/clinic because Judy was still sick. She got to experience the local health care at its finest.

Then, we went to my town for a few days and then up to Barra Beach, about 5 hours away. Barra beach is so pretty. We then went back to my house. Judy really liked my market and hanging out with the locals.

We are in Maputo right now for a conference on HIV. We are planning a trip to South Africa next week. Then, it's back to the grind of teaching.

Since I have been in Mozambique for one year, I had to do a mid-service checkup. This consists of a dental cleaning, blood pressure, PAP, and three stool samples. Three!!!!!! The PC doctor has to check our stools for parasites. Yikes!!!! I hope I didn't lose all that weight because I had a parasite...... I thought it was all the walking I do and the tomato and onion diet, but it might be a parasite eating away at my fat. Anyways, Judy is trying to assist me in doing my stool samples, but I think I can manage it on my own. The stool sample cups are a little bigger than a film canister.

So, I only have one bed in my house, which means that Judy and I have to rotate sleeping on the floor. After I was sleeping on the floor for three nights, I made Judy sleep on it (under a mosquito net). So, I was almost asleep one night and Judy starts FREAKING OUT because there were two small bugs on the net. So, I climbed out of my net and killed the bugs. Then, there was a praying mantis (walking stick) on the mosquito net. So, Judy refused to sleep on the floor and I refused too (because my back hurt). Judy crawled over me and ended up sleeping in my twin size bed with me for two nights!!!!!!!!

We walked to the lighthouse in my town, which is about 5 miles one way. It was so hot, the sun was a killer, and Judy got all these blisters on her feet. She kept telling me that I was walking too fast.

We visited my school, church, and the local market in my town. The people in my town kept asking why Judy was younger than me and married. They didn't understand how I could be the older sibling and unmarried. And then this lady kept trying to give us a chicken to eat, but Judy and I didn't want to kill it ourselves.

Judy helped wash clothes and dishes in small buckets. Once, I gave a bucket of water for her to take a bath. When she was done, about 3/4ths of the bucket was still full. I asked Judy how she took a bath if the water was still there. I guess she just washed herself all over with a wash cloth. So, I taught her the "correct" way to take a bath using all of the water and no wash cloth.

Well, hopefully I will have more stories to share after we return from South Africa. Judy will have lots of pictures to show everyone.

Ate ja (until then)
Judy and Jill

More Moz Pictures

2006-12-19T16:37:53Z

Hello to my fellow groupies...

I finally sat down and uploaded pictures for everyone to see. I also included a description of the pictures.

To see the pictures, follow the following instructions:
1) Click on "User Info", which is on left side of screen;
2) Click on "Over 20 Upload", which is right next to Pictures in bold;
3) Click on the picture to open the album;
4) You can click on any picture to make it larger and read the description.

I hope you enjoy! I will update my journal again before I head back to Mozambique.

Will I Be Different When I Go Back To The States

2006-11-11T08:23:30Z

As you know, I am going back to the states in a few weeks to visit my family and friends for Christmas. So, this is a question that I have been thinking about and a few people have asked me: Will I be different when I go back to the states? Eu nao sei (I do not know).

Some noticeable and not-so-noticeable differences are:
* I will be 50 pounds lighter
* My hair is thinner , thanks to Malaria meds
* I can somewhat speak Portuguese
* I have a tan from being in the African sun 24/7
* I wear skirts a lot now
* I go to bed at 20:00 (8pm) here, but sometimes I on the edge and go to bed around 21:30
* I walk slower (Mozambicans just like to passear and walk slow)
* I can squat over a hole and pee
* I can take a bath and wash my hair with a bucket full of water, I forgot what a shower is!!!!
* I can make homemade spaghetti sauce, tomato soup, beans and rice
* I can peel an orange with a knife (Mozambicans do not use their fingers to peel an orange)
* I can dance the Passada
* I can say a few words in two local Indigenous languages
* I can have a whole conversation by just using my hands (you learn to do hand signals for a lot of things here, especially since my Portuguese is bad)
* I can hand wash my clothes

So, lets talk about school for a while. Classes finished up about three weeks ago. We then had to proctor national exams for the 10th graders. They have to take national written exams in all subject areas in order to pass 10th grade. They also have to take oral exams in Portuguese and English. So, I have been busy grading written English exams and then giving oral English exams. The oral exam consists of four parts: students read a text outloud and then I ask them questions about it, students write a sentence on the board using different grammar structures, students conjugate verbs into different tenses, and then students have a short conversation with me about their family or friends or chores. So, we just finished up all the testing yesterday. Now, we have to combine the written scores with the oral scores. If students received less than 10 (out of 20), then they have to redo the exams in December. Most students finish school after 10th grade. Some lucky students go to 11th and 12th grade in order to go to an university or to get a better job. You do not have to go to the university to be a teacher here, you just need a certain amount of training, which depends on the grade level you are going to teach.

So, students are officially on summer break until February. However, the teachers have to work until the second week of December and then have about 4 or 5 weeks off before they have to return to school to prepare for the next year.

My sitemate is done with his contract here and is returning to California for good. So, I will get a new sitemate in December. There are 55 Americans living around Maputo right now and are going through PC training. One of them will be my future sitemate. I went down to help with training a few times. It is a good experience to help the new trainees because it makes you reflect on your own experiences here. However, I had a hard time talking to the new trainees. Its just weird because I spend a lot of my time with Portuguese speaking people and a lot of time with men (not many female teachers, etc). So, it was weird for me to be around so many white Americans who are speaking English and who were just emerged in the American culture and who are female. It was overwhelming at one point. However, it was better for me to talk to them in small groups.

So, I guess I am warning you all and please be patient with me if I seem a little weird when I come back. Ta ta.

One Year Thoughts

2006-09-27T10:41:11Z

Well, I have been in Mozambique for almost one year. The time is flying by here. I am on my way to Maputo to greet Moz 11, which is a group of 55 new Americans that will be Peace Corps volunteers here for the next two years. I celebrated my first birthday in Africa by eating an oatmeal dinner (with bananas) and going to bed at 8:30pm. Hey, I know that I sound pathetic and that I should have had a big party for my 27th birthday, but I was tired. It was in the middle of exam week and I had been giving oral exams to over 300 students. It gets tiring asking the same four questions over and over and over and over. However, I did receive some funny answers to the questions, such as:

Q: What is the weather?
A: It is normalage.

Q: How old is your mother?
A: Red.

Q: What is the date?
A: Speak in Portuguese, teacher (she did not understand the question, so wanted me to ask her in Portuguese).

I had a few students pick their nose during the exam, which was very distracting for me. Remember, it is acceptable here to pick your nose. And I did have one student that answered every question with a color and then she did not understand why her score was low.

Needless to say, giving oral exams is an interesting experience. And, I did have a cake that weekend to celebrate my birthday.

I finally fished my palm leaf basket that turned out to be a purse instead. My helper/instructor said that the purse is easier to make, so that is what I made. It looks okay for my first one. I added beads to it to give it a mix of Mozambican and Ojibwe style. I plan to make another one next year, maybe a basket or something different.

The third trimester is almost over. Students have exams in a few weeks and then we debate their grades. Then, the 10th grade students have national exams during the month of November, which I have to help facilitate and grade.

A few weeks ago, my mom asked me a very simple question: Do you think you made the right decision in going to Mozambique? Well, it seems like an easy question, but I could not answer it. It is hard to explain the Peace Corps life to someone who is not in Mozambique right now. Yes, I am happy that I came to Mozambique and that I am experiencing new things in life. And at the same time, I feel that I am 27 years old and that I should be home in the States raising a family, owning a house, or going to grad school. But honestly, I could care less about owning a house right now (Sorry Judy). I am glad that I am not working 40 or 50 hours a week to pay off a house mortgage. Sometimes I think I should get a job back in the states that pays more than 6 bucks a day, but I have really never been the materialistic type and my job here in Mozambique has some awesome awards. During my time here, I have the chance to learn a new language, meet new people, travel, hang out at the beach, read, try new foods, and get in shape. I never thought that I would have so much free time here to read, walk around, swim, or just hang out with locals and other Americans. I mean, in two weeks, I read 7 books....(Now, I am taking a break from reading, maybe I'll start again next week). And I really do not care about grad school right now. Nothing interests me that much to go back to the university for a few more years. Maybe after my PC experience, I will think about grad school. And I guess I have time to settle down and raise a family.

Sometimes I wonder what I am missing while I am in Mozambique. I mean, my little siblings are growing up, my friends are getting engaged, my sister is planning to start having kids, etc. But at the same time, I think I am creating so many memories and experiences that I will never forget. Maybe 20 or 30 years down the line, I will be sharing stories about when I used to hand wash my clothes, carry water, wash my hair in the ocean, make baskets, eat matapa, ride in a chapa, walk through the African bush, sing with my students, etc. I know that it seems like I am rambling a lot, and that is true. I just have a lot of time here in Mozambique, which means that I have a lot of time to sit around and think about things. Sometimes I think too much, but that is a whole different story. So, I guess my point of this whole rambling blog entry is that I don't know if I made the right decision in coming to Mozambique. Some moments, I think I made the right decision and other times I ask Why am I in Mozambique. I guess that I will not see the answer to this question for years to come.

Baskets

2006-09-03T10:28:45Z

So, I have been learning how to make a basket out of palm leaves. It's not that difficult so far, just takes a lot of time. And I made it really loose, but it's my first one, so oh well. The guy who is teaching me is a neighbor and friend of the other American. He is patient with me, which is good because I'm a really slow basket maker. And his son is in my class.

Well, I just got back from a Peace Corps meeting in Gaza. Fifty-two new Americans will be coming to Mozambique at the end of the month to start their PC service. Twelve will be working with health (HIV, AIDS, orphans) and the other 40 will be English or Biology teachers. I will be greeting them when they get off the plane and then spending a week with them in training too. It will be exciting. So, I've been here for almost one year. I just found out that two of my friends from America are engaged and soon to be married, which is exciting.

Funny Moments

2006-08-12T10:45:57Z

So, being in the PC is like being on the roller coaster. One minute you are really happy and enjoying the moments here. And then a minute later you are hanging over the cliff of a hill and feel like screaming to let the tension out. O.k, maybe that example is a little dramatic, but you get the picture. So I decided to make a list of all the funny things here that make me laugh. These things make me laugh because they are normal here in Mozambique, but not in the states.

* Women walk around with curlers in their hair all the time
* Once in a while, a person will be drinking a beer while riding his bike (bikes are a very popular form of transportation here)
* A bunch of grown men hang out on their bicycles by the market
* Goats are sometimes tied to the top of a chapa (local bus)
* Picking your nose is acceptable here (my older brother would fit in here)

10 Months in Mozambique

2006-07-29T09:22:13Z

Hello again. Well, I have been in Mozambique for 10 months now. We start our third trimester on Monday. The school year ends in October and the month of November are national exams for 10th graders. Then, in December I'll be on a plane home for a 3-week visit.

We just had two weeks off between trimesters. I traveled around southern Mozambique and saw other sites. I went to Namaacha, which is on the border of Swaziland. It is in the mountains and very pretty. I then went to Catembe, which is a 5-minute ferry ride from Maputo. Then, I went to Inhaca Island, which is a 3-hour ferry ride from Maputo. Inhaca Island is so pretty and has the feeling of a tropical island.

I think the next four months will go by really quick. I am planning to do some repair work on my house and maybe even paint my walls.

It is warming up here and soon the hot summer days and nights will return.

Village Life

2006-07-15T12:40:44Z

Well, we just finished the second trimester and have to do grades next week. Then, the teachers have a week off before the third and last trimester starts. Things have been going pretty good at site. Everywhere I go, people call out "teacher" or "Jill" or "Teacher Jill". I like that people in my town know me, but it's exhausting to always be in the spotlight. So, I decided to get away from my small town for a few days and therefore am spending time in Maputo. I am not a huge fan of Maputo, mainly because I don't care for cities, but it's nice to get a way for a while.

I bought my plane ticket home for December. I will be home for about 3 weeks and then my sister is returning to Mozambique with me. She will be here for about 3 weeks and get to see my house, school, beach, and town.

I am starting to understand more Portuguese. I think I can understand it better than I can speak it. I am also starting to understand a few words in the local tribal language. And I've been starting to use more of the local language to greet people, but only if I am in the mood for it.

The weather has been warming up here. I finally was able to put my sleeping bag away for a few days. I think the cold winter nights are over and it's going to get really hot now.

I walk all over my town and have been losing weight. And my arm muscles are getting refined from washing clothes and hauling water.

I have been in Mozambique for almost 10 months and at my house for about 7 months. My sitemate and I have been having a lot of fun together lately. We have been walking on the backtrails in the bush or writing rap songs together. You have to provide your own entertainment here.

It is almost the mango season here. I never really ate mangos back in the states, but I fell in love with them here. I could eat mangos all day.

Well, I really don't know what else to write about right now. Take care everyone and thanks for reading my blog and responding to it. I do read the comments, but really never have time to respond to them. Sorry.

Passing Time in Mozambique

2006-06-04T08:21:19Z

So, I am sure that some people are curious about what I do in my free time here. Well, let me tell you that there are some days where I have too much free time and other days where I have a lot of exams to grade. A typical weekend for me depends on if I go to the provincial capital or if I stay at site. If I got to the provincial capital, I hit the stores to stock up on peanut butter and oatmeal. And then I usually meet up with another volunteer for lunch or I try to use the internet. And then I go to the market to buy fresh food, such as carrots and green beans.

If I stay at site, I either head to the beach to go for a swim, head to the lake to chill out, or walk around and talk to people. My site has many trails and there are many families that live in the bush and it is nice to visit them when I am hiking around. Sometimes I head to a friend's house because he has a tv and dvd player and lets us watch movies. I also read a lot, listen to music, and do crafty things to keep myself occupied. On Fridays, I like to hang out at this one shop and sit on the porch. I like to watch all the tourists driving by to get to the beach. Mainly they are South Africans with huge fishing boats. When I see the tourists drive through my town, I am always glad that I live here and that I am not a tourist.

There are some days when I do not feel like talking to people in Portuguese or I just want to be by myself. Most Mozambicans are very social and like to be around other people a lot. So, a few people think its weird that I am not social all the time, but its exhausting. Its hard to function in another language every day. A fellow PCV said that being a volunteer is like being a rock star. I can kind of see the similarities: everyone definitely knows us in our village, we have no privacy here because people are always watching us, and people always yell out our names when we walk by. I have never been so popular until I came to Mozambique.

Ojibwe Teacher

2006-06-03T14:23:55Z

So, I have a few nicknames here in Mozambique. During training, one of the language teachers had a hard time pronouncing my name, so Jill sounded like Jail. So, some of the other PCVs call me Jail or Jail Bird. And I also got the nickname Feathers because another PCV said I was the type of Indian with feathers, not dots. Now, my one turma likes to call me Ojibwe because I taught them about Ojibwe Indians and a little of my heritage.

I did one lesson on traditional medicines I use, such as tobacco, sweetgrass, and sage. I started the lesson by explaining that I was Indian and taught them a few words in Ojibwe. Then I showed the traditional medicines and explained how I use them. Then, we made tobacco ties. I had some very weird reactions when the students saw me passing out tobacco. However, I was determined so I showed them how to make a tobacco tie and explained how to use it.

The next day, I taught them two powwow dances. We did a round dance and an intertribal. I think the kids really liked the dance, the music, and they liked to see me dance. I even showed them pictures of the big drum and pictures of me in regalia. A few of the students say Aanii to me and a few of them carry their tobacco ties with them to class everyday.

Our school anniversary is on June 7th, so I am planning to do a round dance with some of my students and fellow teachers. And my Portuguese tutor and I have been having discussions about Indian people and how similar some things are to Mozambique.

I also finished teaching a 2-week unit on HIV and AIDS. I explained what HIV is, how it affects the body, hot people can transmit or not transmit it, how to prevent getting HIV, and testing for HIV. I taught a lot of it in Portuguese because I really wanted my students to understand what the virus is and how it actually works. Then, the students had to make a poster about HIV in English for their assessment. I think they enjoyed it and I think it was worthwhile. However, it is hard to talk about that stuff in Portuguese, let alone English. I just felt it was important to talk about HIV because it is very prevalent in Mozambique and Southern Africa. I know that the media portrays Africa as a continent weighed down with AIDS. Don't get me wrong, Southern Africa has one of the highest rates of HIV in the world, but there are so many positive things here too. Sometimes I wish the media would talk about the good things in Africa, such as the strength of the people here and the will to survive. I have met some people here that have been through so much during the Independence from Portugal and then the civil war.

I just have so much respect for the women here. I see some of the ladies in my town hauling water on their heads when they have a baby tied to their back. Or they are washing clothes, pillaring (pounding food) and farming while their baby or sometimes toddler is on their backs. I haul water here sometimes and it is very hard. I can't imagine doing it with a kid on my back.