So I have been living in Mozambique, Africa for 22 months now. I can hardly believe it myself. I remember arriving in Mozambique and thinking that time was going to drag and it would feel like I would be living here forever. Today, that is not so true. Don't get me wrong. I believe we all have days here where we want to jump on the next plane out of here, but for me, I have a lot of moments where it will be very hard to leave.
My first year, I was ready to leave this place. Getting terrorized for 8 months can do that to a person; but I will always love the site I started out in. My roommate and I were the first volunteers at the site so it was really cool, but we didn't realize the hardships that came with that. I created a boys and girls club there that is still operating today without me and I couldn't be more proud. It is the main reason I have been trying to stay, but safe housing has been an obstacle. I would love to go back and really try and develop this club. I worked with Boys & Girls Club of the East Valley in Arizona before I came to Mozambique and it was the most life changing experience. Until that point, I didn't realize the effect I had on kids and teens. I know I wasn't the only one who was changing attitudes of kids in the club but I knew I was a part of something big. I loved seeing kids who were uninterested in things, suddenly participate and enjoy activities and really get something out of that activity.
I could honestly complain on and on about the education system here in Mozambique and honestly I am tired of complaining to myself about how much I dislike the system here, but I started to realize recently, that it is just not about the information I am giving the class, but about how I present the information and just my presence, in general, in the classroom. In my opinion the typical Mozambican classroom is very stiff and uninviting. I may not be the best teacher but I try and make my classes inviting and fun. I don't want them to be afraid of making mistakes and then be insulted about it. I try and make it fun and open and safe! I think kids thrive more on that freedom! I experienced it a lot while working with Boys & Girls Club! I love the freedom I have when it comes to influencing kids positively. I have four months left here in Mozambique and honestly I am ready to head back to the U.S. and just lay everything I have learned out there, but there is always going to be a part of me that stays here in Mozambique with my students and my friends that I met along the way. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity that I have been given and I hope that I can share that opportunity with everyone that is interested.
Thank you again for all of your support and encouragement! Please check out bgca.org on ways you can help out your community! Cheers!
E putugal que do que? E o mesma merda e pior povo no mundo! E verdade e verdade amigos! Ler meu blog pa mais informaciao, obrigado amigos meus (L)(L)(L)
ReplyDeleteAhhhh putugal, putugal, putugal! Sempre, sempre, sempre chorando e chorando e chorando e chorando por tudo, sempre! Tudo mundo sabe que putugal e o pior merda no mundo, tudos! E mais na palavra "luso' e uma invencao! Tudo nossa historia e fenotipo e Cigano e Arabe. Nao somos lusos. E mais, e melhor que tudo putugal sei uma provincia do Espanha e pronto!
E nao trabalhos, sempre ficar nas sopas dos pobres tudos dias. Putugal e em estado do merda e nao fix. E verdade e verdade amigos. Esperamos que um tipo de mudança positiva aconteça em Putugal, pois mais de 50% da população, por necessidade, tem que ir às sopas dos pobres para comer. E também, uma melhora no crescimento dos empregos, já que eles estão no país. Por esta razão, muitas pessoas já vão para suas ex-colônias para buscar uma vida melhor e não retornam. Putugal está realmente atolado na merda e ninguém quer fazer nada sobre o assunto. Eles preferem viver em mentiras, o que é isso?
*Portugal started the Slave trade in 1441 and killed millions of blacks and enslaved the rest. Don't do business with portugal, don't visit there. It is NOT safe for black people. Be careful friends!