14 Months and Going Strong!

    Do you ever have one of those breathtaking moments that just take you over? You are just filled with so many emotions and you literally lose your breath. It really is a great feeling. I have been able to experience these moments on more than one occasion here in Mozambique. These past 14 months have been filled with so many ups and downs that I can only compare to the largest roller coaster that has ever been conceived. A roller coaster, so large that it really is impossible to build. I think most, if not  all Peace Corps volunteers go into this experience a little naive, no matter how prepared they think they are. If you think about it we are committing to the unknown for 27 months. Twenty seven months that consist of learning new languages, integrating into completely different cultures, battling our know-it-all attitudes, fighting off unwanted advances from the men in our communities, trying to stay healthy, etc. etc. etc. The list really goes on and on and on and on...

    Now I just listed a few of the not-so-positive aspects of volunteer life (specifically for me; like I said the list goes on). Let me try and paint you a picture of the positive aspects of volunteer, specifically mine. I am typing this as I sit in the bar area of a  pensão (think bed and breakfast/hostel) drinking a Manica (Mozambican beer) with a view of the mountains, watching people prepare to receive the former president of Mozambique, Armando Guebuza. When I found out that my roommate and I were moving from our close-to-the-beach site to a more inland site, I was pretty devastated. I love the beaches here and even though we suffered 8 break ins, I still loved Liúpo (my old site). My roommate and I opened that site. They had never really seen a white person before and we thought the opportunities and possibilities were endless there (they still are!). We gained a group of friends and I achieved a part of my dream, which was to create a kids club for the local crianças (kids). A club that is similar to the Boys & Girls Clubs in America. I am so proud of that club because it took a lot to start it then have to close then reopen it with actual Mozambican people running. I am happy to stay that after I left, it is continuing to run without me being there. I remember walking into the club the first week it reopened and watched my students teaching the kids math and Portuguese and experienced one of those breathtaking moments. I sat there, eyes watering, just in awe of the group of students who volunteered to help these kids. It is a moment that will stay with me forever. I will do whatever I can to keep that club going! 

    The first Sunday that we were in Liúpo, we went to a service at the catholic mission. I am catholic but never went to church on a regular basis. Religion has always been a weird thing for me. I think that all religions have a little to offer everyone. We were really close to a family from Yemen and got a little taste of Muslim and our community was also populated with Muslim families. You will see a higher concentration of Muslim in Northern Mozambique. Islam is a really beautiful religion and I witnessed its beauty in our friends. Anywho, back to the church service. We walked into is elongated, single room, where people were sitting on benches or on the floor. It was a pretty plain room. The service was done in both Portuguese and the local language (Makua). There was a lot of singing. I took communion that day and I remember sitting down and tearing up. I'm tearing up as I speak. I remember thinking, 'I wish Grandma Kearney was still here so I could tell her all about it.' She passed away around 17 years ago. She was an amazing woman, so artistic and kind and loving. I do not remember everything about her but the memories I do have I will cherish forever. After that experience, I have thought of my grandmother often and I know that she is with me on this journey. She would have loved to hear about my experiences and I have dedicated my service to her memory. She has been having a profound effect on my service so far. I went to church for the first time here at my new site (Invinha) last Sunday. The church is called Diocese do Gurué. I had another breathtaking moment there. I went with our empregado, Fornelio. An empregado is someone who does household chores. The church is quite beautiful. There was dancing and singing and it was great. I was the only white person there but I didn't feel like it. I felt like I was a part of the community. I teared up a lot throughout the service. It was just so surreal. 

    Last week, we had visiting volunteers from Cabo Degado and Tete, Mozambique. We decided to celebrate Thanksgiving together a little early. We made pilgrim hats and Native American headbands out of construction paper, had a delicious meal and listened to A Charlie Brown Christmas. We ended the night with a drinking game....haha. We also did a little hiking. Like I might have mentioned in a previous post, I now live in the mountains. The are I live in now is known for the mountains and the tea fields. We hiked through the tea fields and up the one of the mountains to a waterfall (cue breathtaking moment). It was gorgeous and I am so happy I did it with friends! The sunburn was totally worth it! I will try and update my photos as soon as I can. 

    These are just a couple of my favorite moments. There are quite a few more but I don't want to bore you all. Thank you all for your continued support and Happy Holidays to you all!