Chega!

Ok so chega means...Enough! I say it a lot! It is one of my favorite words, along with chiki (sp?), which means fancy! I am making more progress on my language and getting along well with my new family. I have learned how to prepare coconut from scratch and will be cooking with my mae (mom) this weekend. It has been super rainy here and I am not a fan. It gets so muddy but I did buy some chiki rain boots so those help. I have made a great Mozambican friend who speaks English really well. He took me to my first wedding last weekend which was cool to experience...lots of singing and dancing, which is one of my favorite parts about the culture. We also had a dance party of our own at my house after dinner. I needed that so bad. I have been frustrated with my language progress and it was nice to unwind and forget that my speaking is total crap. I am learning a lot every day and processing everything like crazy. A fellow trainee, also my neighbor, taught some of the kids the game Hot Hands, so I am swarmed by kids after training on my way home who want to play.

Lets see what else...Went to shopright last weekend. It is a huge market that is held on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Had fresh chicken with xima (think mash taters but thicker, not a fan!) and a salad. It was probably the best meal I have had so far. I bought some tomatoes for my mae. The food, though, has been great so far. It is a lot of rice, chicken, veggies and fish. My mae makes this amazing potato soup. I think I could do a blog post on just food alone which I will probably do once I get to site. We are half way through training already. We are being sworn in on December 3rd. I am looking forward to having my independence again. I got my skirt from the modista (seamstress) on Monday. It is great...very chiki! Heading to Inharrime, Inhambane next week to visit a current volunteer...stay tuned for a post on that adventure!

Check out my pics and other pages for more fun stuff!

You will see pics of Ngoma time. Once a week all 51 of us are together for training sessions on health and safety. At the end of the day we have what is called Ngoma time. Ngoma is a drum played here in Moz. It is a time where we share American culture with the Mozambicans and vice versa. It was one of my favorite parts of the week. We have done songs, dances, games, etc. and have learned about different Mozambican activities as well. We usually start off by singing the Mozambican national anthem and then the American national anthem. I always get a little choked up. It is a really proud moment for me, personally, to be apart of two great countries.

Thank you all for the support!

Bem Vindo Mocambique!

Ok...this is going to be a long post so bear with me. Check out my photo and video page for uploaded photos. The last 3 weeks have just flown by. This has already been a life changing experience and I haven't even started my actual service yet. I couldn't be more happy with the people I will be serving with. We all get along and enjoy hanging out together. The flight to get here was long and exhausting. I managed to watch about 7 movies. The country director and a current volunteer met us in the airport in Maputo to pick up and take us to the Hotel Cardosa, beautiful place with a great view. We enjoyed the food and running water while we had it. The chapa ride from Maputo to Namaacha was entertaining. It is just a completely different world here and really hard to describe when I am constantly trying to process it all. I think by the time I am done I will be able to better describe my experiences but for now they may seem lacking in some respect and I apologize. Once we arrived in Namaacha, the families we were going to be living with met us. My family's empregada (housekeeper) picked me up and took me home. I was actually surprised with my accommodations. The house was nice and the bathroom was inside! Granted the toilet didn't flush and I still had to take a bucket bath in the shower but I was expecting a lot worse. My family consisted of a mother, father, niece and granddaughter. Super nice people and very patient. It is hard going into a situation where you are not able to communicate well. We managed though. The first three weeks have consisted of intense language learning and mini seminars on teaching, skills, safety, health, etc. My house was right next to a bar...Hallelujah! A fellow PC trainee lived next door so it was nice to have someone in the same boat so close. The first weekend his brother and his brother's friends took us and another trainee to the Cascatas (waterfalls). They made it seem like it wasn't far. Well it was far...for me. I think it took about an hour or so to get there. It was cool but I was exhausted! I was recently moved to a different house because the health of my mother was not good. It was a scary and upsetting experience for me. I was finally connecting and getting used to my family. My new family is great though too. I live with a mom, son and grandmother and frequent family visitors. I am learning a lot more. I do have to take a bath and do my business outside but I am getting used it. The bugs and frogs taking a bath with me...not getting so used to but o well, welcome to Mozambique, right?!

I think I am going to end it here for now...Like I said I am still processing a lot and it really is hard to describe what I am feeling because it is a lot. I feel like I go through every emotion multiple times a day. I want to leave, I want to stay, I want some oreos, I am sick of eating rice, I am sick of peeing in a hole in the ground, I love the people, I love the other volunteers I am with, I wish I packed more clothes, I wish it would stop raining, I hate being woke up by roosters and turkeys every morning, I love eating the fruit here and I love me some Maria cookies. These are just a few things I deal with daily.

Check back for more photos, insights, inspiration, etc...Thank you for all your support as well!