Saturday, June 28, 2014
Happy Sunday
The fact that I am posting this blog on Sunday is pretty ironic. I have never been one to religiously go to church and pray. In fact, religion and faith has been something I have struggled with for a long time. It was hard for me to believe in a higher power when there was so much hate and terrible things around the world. Why could a higher power make His people suffer so much if He had so much love for us? My experience here in Mozambique has really got me to stop and take a breath and reflect on my experiences. I think I talked about my experience in the catholic church my first weekend here at site. I took communion and it really was emotional experience for me. Here I was standing in line, a white girl from the midwest, with a bunch of Mozambicans taking communion. If you have been keeping up with my blog you will also know that we have had some major problems with safety and robbers. I think it was after the 4th time and a lot of our school administration were at our house well into the night supervising a guy reattaching the bars to my bedroom window. I had taken a call and left the yard to make my way to the front of the house. As I was talking with our Safety and Security person, the secretary of our school came out of the yard with a bucket of water. I had no idea what he was doing with our bucket. He then proceeded to take off his sandals and wash his hands and feet and began praying. This was my first up close experience with Islam. Living in the north part of Mozambique adds to the uniqueness of the PC experience. The northern part of Mozambique has a high population of Muslim. To be honest, it made me really nervous to know I was going to be living in such a high population of Muslim people, but watching that man pray for us right there on the spot opened my eyes and cleared my mind of a lot of the preconceived notions about Islam. It really was a beautiful moment despite the circumstances. One of our good friends here owns a shop that we frequent. He is from the middle east. His family is really wonderful. The family treats us like family and are very protective of us. I made a play date with the kids. The kids are super intelligent and unfortunately for them because of the school system, they are being severely held back and not really able to explore their potential. Fasal, the father, is trying to change that. He has a private tutor for them and has asked that Arden (my roommate) and I help out as well. They feed us soooooo well too. You have to roll us out their door and to our home. Fasal really believes in education and making sure his family gets the best. He even wants to go back to university and if his wife wants to go back to university then he wants to support her too. Arden was playing with the kids last weekend and it was getting time for them to pray. Arden politely asked if they would like her to leave. Fasal told her that it was no problem for her to stay. He told her that he respected all religions. We thought that was really great. Like I said his family is just great. We borrowed some books about Islam from him so that we could learn more about it. A friend of mine sent me some devotionals and they have really been aligning with my experiences here in Mozambique. Like I said before I haven't been able to really wrap my ahead around it all. Things are starting to become more clear for me though. I read a devotional recently that talked about the absence of God. It talked about the Katrina tragedy. "He said that God was invisibly present 'with the suffering and the dying. He was in the individuals, communities, churches, and schools that organized aid for the victims and took evacuees into their cities and homes. He was with the hundreds of thousands who showed compassion by prayer and financial assistance.'" This really resonated with me. I see some pretty bad things sometimes; people bed ridden with malaria, kids digging through trash piles, people with dirty, torn clothing. I read this passage a lot that day. Without the suffering and hardships, I would be out of a job. I wouldn't know the challenging, yet rewarding feeling of helping others, and in return, those suffering would not be able to experience the compassion of those who are helping. We don't know what the future holds, but if I can help someone and make a difference in a person's life, I will do it. I honestly think that He has been guiding for quite sometime now. I needed to figure this all out on my own time and in my own way. I still have a lot to work through and understand but I am on my way. "The storms of our life prove the strength of our Anchor." Thank you all for your continuous support!
Friday, May 30, 2014
Liupo...Hoye! Liupo....Hoye!
Hello everyone! Hope all is well wherever you are in the world. I do not post as frequently as I would like. I miss my laptop and I hate monopolizing my roommate's computer. I will continue to do my best.
Since my last blog, we have been slowly but surely settling into our new house. We have a puppy now. His name is Pavlov Batdog Hornickel-Caffrey. He is part German shepard and part of something else but not sure. He is sooooo cute when he isn't being a jerk ;-). School started back up. I am still teaching all of 9th grade English and one class of 8th grade English. It is still a tough job!
Club news...I will be opening my club up again next week! I really hope it does well. I am helping some other volunteers organize a club at their sites too! I will hopefully be collaborating with more people as the year goes on. I got in contact with an organization that gives books and such to start up little libraries and they would like to help me out. I will keep you all posted once I am up and running again!
Liupo is now its own district! It came as a surprise but no one tells us anything a lot of the time anyways. School was cancelled this past Thursday and Friday to celebrate and welcome our new Administradora, District Director of Education and Director of Saude. I have just seen the new Administradora but I have heard that the other Directors are women as well. GIRL POWER IN LIUPO! I have spent a lot of time out and about celebrating with the community...dancing, eating cow brain, helping make a reed rug, eating some more...It has been a good time!
We hired a student to come and help us around the house since we will be getting busy. He goes to the market for us and does are laundry and other odds and ends. It is soooooo worth the money. I hate doing laundry!
Things are looking up for us now. We are much safer and we appreciate everyone's support and encouragement. Until next time...
Since my last blog, we have been slowly but surely settling into our new house. We have a puppy now. His name is Pavlov Batdog Hornickel-Caffrey. He is part German shepard and part of something else but not sure. He is sooooo cute when he isn't being a jerk ;-). School started back up. I am still teaching all of 9th grade English and one class of 8th grade English. It is still a tough job!
Club news...I will be opening my club up again next week! I really hope it does well. I am helping some other volunteers organize a club at their sites too! I will hopefully be collaborating with more people as the year goes on. I got in contact with an organization that gives books and such to start up little libraries and they would like to help me out. I will keep you all posted once I am up and running again!
Liupo is now its own district! It came as a surprise but no one tells us anything a lot of the time anyways. School was cancelled this past Thursday and Friday to celebrate and welcome our new Administradora, District Director of Education and Director of Saude. I have just seen the new Administradora but I have heard that the other Directors are women as well. GIRL POWER IN LIUPO! I have spent a lot of time out and about celebrating with the community...dancing, eating cow brain, helping make a reed rug, eating some more...It has been a good time!
We hired a student to come and help us around the house since we will be getting busy. He goes to the market for us and does are laundry and other odds and ends. It is soooooo worth the money. I hate doing laundry!
Things are looking up for us now. We are much safer and we appreciate everyone's support and encouragement. Until next time...
Saturday, April 26, 2014
What Doesn't Kill Us Makes Us Stronger
Ok...I am just doing to give you a glimpse of what I will be talking about and then go right into explaining all that has been happening since last time.
Now on to splinter, the rat who decided to move in to our old house. He was huge and black with a long tail! He liked my room the best. Many nights I would see him scurry across the top of my mosquito net or the wooden beams supporting the roof. We also spent many a nights throwing shows and other objects when he would want to make an appearance in our living room. We set up two different traps but neither one worked. One night he ended up getting up on the sofa and running up my leg...it was the worse feeling ever. Needless to say that didn't help with my not sleeping.
I am on new malaria meds that I take daily now instead of once a week and hallelujah! My mood and attitude were so bad that even without the break ins I was wanting to go back to the states. My head is in a much better place now.
We still make our monthly trip to Angoche for the bank and have a lovely time with the volunteers there. We sure are going to miss them when they finish their service at the end of this year.
The police have been involved with trying to catch our robbers. I had to file a police report in Portuguese. The police chief was called to our house the 3rd time when the bars were ripped out. He said we were not safe and that if someone wanted to physically hurt us no one would be able to help because they wouldn't be able to hear us call for help. Lets just say and he was explaining that, in Portuguese by the way, Arden and I gave each other questioning looks. The 4th time he came back and left two armed officers to guard the house because a lot of people believed the robber was going to come back while we were there. Even though this has happened and it was terrible, I feel like a more resilient person. Our boss from Peace Corps came by the other day to check on us and told he would not have blamed us for leaving. Our school has also been really great through all of this. They are very protective of us. I will definitely be more appreciative of how we "safe" we have it back in the states compared to here. It is just a way of life here and that is a sad realization. We have gotten star treatment. Nothing would have been done if this was some other Mozambican.
Teaching is still difficult. We just finished our 1st trimester. I still can't believe kids don't know the alphabet and some can't even spell their names. It just blows my mind. At the end of the trimester we have provincial exams. The provincial exams for my 9th grade class had 3 or 4 errors in it, so I can imagine the other English classes had them too. How are kids expected to learn English when their teachers can't speak it or write it well.
Now the trimester is over, we are leaving for vacation tomorrow, 2 weeks of vacation. We are staying in Nampula City for 2 nights, then heading up to the province of Cabo Delgado to visit volunteers, then back to Nampula City of a Peace Corps conference, then to Ilha de Mocambique for my birthday and beer olympics...Don't worry next post I will talk about beer olympics.
Soooo after the many break-ins and me being unhappy, the school decided to let me clean an unused classroom where I can have my club activities so I will be starting my club back up 2nd trimester.
Thank you all for the continued support and encouragement. It DOES NOT go unnoticed.
- Robbery
- Rat
- Malaria Meds
- Angoche
- Police
- School
- Vacation
- Club
Now on to splinter, the rat who decided to move in to our old house. He was huge and black with a long tail! He liked my room the best. Many nights I would see him scurry across the top of my mosquito net or the wooden beams supporting the roof. We also spent many a nights throwing shows and other objects when he would want to make an appearance in our living room. We set up two different traps but neither one worked. One night he ended up getting up on the sofa and running up my leg...it was the worse feeling ever. Needless to say that didn't help with my not sleeping.
I am on new malaria meds that I take daily now instead of once a week and hallelujah! My mood and attitude were so bad that even without the break ins I was wanting to go back to the states. My head is in a much better place now.
We still make our monthly trip to Angoche for the bank and have a lovely time with the volunteers there. We sure are going to miss them when they finish their service at the end of this year.
The police have been involved with trying to catch our robbers. I had to file a police report in Portuguese. The police chief was called to our house the 3rd time when the bars were ripped out. He said we were not safe and that if someone wanted to physically hurt us no one would be able to help because they wouldn't be able to hear us call for help. Lets just say and he was explaining that, in Portuguese by the way, Arden and I gave each other questioning looks. The 4th time he came back and left two armed officers to guard the house because a lot of people believed the robber was going to come back while we were there. Even though this has happened and it was terrible, I feel like a more resilient person. Our boss from Peace Corps came by the other day to check on us and told he would not have blamed us for leaving. Our school has also been really great through all of this. They are very protective of us. I will definitely be more appreciative of how we "safe" we have it back in the states compared to here. It is just a way of life here and that is a sad realization. We have gotten star treatment. Nothing would have been done if this was some other Mozambican.
Teaching is still difficult. We just finished our 1st trimester. I still can't believe kids don't know the alphabet and some can't even spell their names. It just blows my mind. At the end of the trimester we have provincial exams. The provincial exams for my 9th grade class had 3 or 4 errors in it, so I can imagine the other English classes had them too. How are kids expected to learn English when their teachers can't speak it or write it well.
Now the trimester is over, we are leaving for vacation tomorrow, 2 weeks of vacation. We are staying in Nampula City for 2 nights, then heading up to the province of Cabo Delgado to visit volunteers, then back to Nampula City of a Peace Corps conference, then to Ilha de Mocambique for my birthday and beer olympics...Don't worry next post I will talk about beer olympics.
Soooo after the many break-ins and me being unhappy, the school decided to let me clean an unused classroom where I can have my club activities so I will be starting my club back up 2nd trimester.
Thank you all for the continued support and encouragement. It DOES NOT go unnoticed.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Estou pedir....
Soooooo...estou pedir...what a lovely phrase...NOT! Estou pedir...means I am asking for blah blah blah. We get this a lot. We get asked for water, money, food, paper, soccer balls, pencil, pens, notebooks, markers, clothes, etc. etc. etc. You name it and it has probably been asked for. It gets irritating. The people here don't realize that we don't get paid for what we do. We get allowance that allows us to buy food and other necessities but that is it. A peace corps volunteer literally works 24/7 and we do not get paid to do it. We do it because we want to help and make a difference. I am by no means complaining about not getting paid. I love what I do and I love the opportunities this experience is providing and will provide for me. I am learning a lot about myself and a lot of life in general.
School news...teaching English is getting a little better. It is still frustrating but I am working through the frustration. I gave my first quiz this week. Some kids did great and others not so great. It bothers me when the kids I know try hard and pay attention don't do well. I hope they take advantage of all the opportunities that I give them to improve their grades. I want them to talk more but they are so scared to do it. I try and talk to them more in Portuguese to show them that I am trying a different language and the only way I will get better is if I talk. Oh Portuguese! I feel like I am losing my Portuguese just because I have to speak more English. I still speak it with colleagues and what not but a majority of the time I am talking to kids so I am speaking English. I think I might get a tutor or go back to studying at home.
Orphanage/Center for Kids news...I had another meeting last night with my colleague. I think a lot of things are going to start happening in the next few weeks so check back here for updates. I got some lovely care packages from back home that I will be donating to the center. I have decided to focus on this project and hopefully I will be able to expand this project into my kids club project. The potential is there so we shall see.
Lenny news...Lenny thought it would be nice to have some cuddle time last night. The bugs were really bad last night so I went to hide under my net early and as I am getting a movie ready to be watched I see movement at the end of my bed. It was Lenny saying hello. I screamed for my roommate and she came in valiantly with a bucket and got him out of my hair. Needless to say, I tucked my net in extra tight last night.
I hope everyone is doing well wherever you are and I really appreciate all of your support and encouragement!
School news...teaching English is getting a little better. It is still frustrating but I am working through the frustration. I gave my first quiz this week. Some kids did great and others not so great. It bothers me when the kids I know try hard and pay attention don't do well. I hope they take advantage of all the opportunities that I give them to improve their grades. I want them to talk more but they are so scared to do it. I try and talk to them more in Portuguese to show them that I am trying a different language and the only way I will get better is if I talk. Oh Portuguese! I feel like I am losing my Portuguese just because I have to speak more English. I still speak it with colleagues and what not but a majority of the time I am talking to kids so I am speaking English. I think I might get a tutor or go back to studying at home.
Orphanage/Center for Kids news...I had another meeting last night with my colleague. I think a lot of things are going to start happening in the next few weeks so check back here for updates. I got some lovely care packages from back home that I will be donating to the center. I have decided to focus on this project and hopefully I will be able to expand this project into my kids club project. The potential is there so we shall see.
Lenny news...Lenny thought it would be nice to have some cuddle time last night. The bugs were really bad last night so I went to hide under my net early and as I am getting a movie ready to be watched I see movement at the end of my bed. It was Lenny saying hello. I screamed for my roommate and she came in valiantly with a bucket and got him out of my hair. Needless to say, I tucked my net in extra tight last night.
I hope everyone is doing well wherever you are and I really appreciate all of your support and encouragement!
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Home Is Where The Heart Is...
School is in full swing now. I started out teaching Chemistry for the 8th grade and a couple of the 9th grade classes but by end of week one I was asked to teach all of the 9th grade English classes. They had no teacher. Teaching English to non-English speakers is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. They are not really taught properly to begin with so then they really are lost when they come across a fluent speaker. Here are the frustrations I want to share with the education here at site:
-Professors don't show up so the kids leave even if they have other classes.
-A lot of professors do not care and therefore the kids don't care.
-The kids do not have textbooks.
-As a professor, I have no resources to help teach. A piece of chalk, a chalkboard, a notebook to write my plans in and an old textbook that is poorly written.
-I am only to speak English to people who DON'T understand English...I am teaching English in Portuguese anyways because the kids are responding more to it.
Club update: WE ARE CLOSED until further notice. Arden and I went to Angoche to visit friends for the weekend and came home to my screen torn away from my window, blue marker on our living room wall, Arden's bedroom lock was tampered with, but nothing of value was missing. Until I can get a new place, I will not be having kids over to our house anymore. I do plan on continuing with my plan, it is just going to take a little longer.
Health update: I am sick, which I have been quite a bit since I got to Liupo. My body is just not cooperating with my Mozambican lifestyle. I have a bad infection in one of my legs and feet. My legs got trapped under a motorcycle during a trip from Nampula City to Liupo and cut up my legs and feet. Those wounds are not infected. I got the meds I need and an awesome roommate to help me out so I should be as good as new soon.
Thank you all for your continued support!
-Professors don't show up so the kids leave even if they have other classes.
-A lot of professors do not care and therefore the kids don't care.
-The kids do not have textbooks.
-As a professor, I have no resources to help teach. A piece of chalk, a chalkboard, a notebook to write my plans in and an old textbook that is poorly written.
-I am only to speak English to people who DON'T understand English...I am teaching English in Portuguese anyways because the kids are responding more to it.
Club update: WE ARE CLOSED until further notice. Arden and I went to Angoche to visit friends for the weekend and came home to my screen torn away from my window, blue marker on our living room wall, Arden's bedroom lock was tampered with, but nothing of value was missing. Until I can get a new place, I will not be having kids over to our house anymore. I do plan on continuing with my plan, it is just going to take a little longer.
Health update: I am sick, which I have been quite a bit since I got to Liupo. My body is just not cooperating with my Mozambican lifestyle. I have a bad infection in one of my legs and feet. My legs got trapped under a motorcycle during a trip from Nampula City to Liupo and cut up my legs and feet. Those wounds are not infected. I got the meds I need and an awesome roommate to help me out so I should be as good as new soon.
Thank you all for your continued support!
Saturday, February 8, 2014
O que?!
O que? Is the equivalent of saying "What?!" I say it a lot...hahahaha. Sooooo I just finished my first week of teaching and I am already frustrated. I am teaching 5 8th grade classes and 2 9th grade classes in the the afternoon and then an 8th grade night class and 9th grade night class. That is not the frustrating part. The frustrating part is showing up to teach and not having any students because the previous professors never showed up to teach. I can't believe these people are getting paid to NOT teach. I don't care if it is the first week. For a culture that takes professionalism seriously, they suck at it in this case. Ok rant is over...ugh!
I went to a town meeting last night where the mayor presented my club to the people that were present, including some people from Portugal who are helping fund some projects in the community. I really hope this starts something really great so we shall see. I have over 160 kids now. I am getting more kids from my classes which is great. I look forward to getting more kids involved. I am still working alone for the most part so I am hoping that the mayor's acknowledgement will spark something.
What else? We finally have sofas and a freezer. I feel like we are living like the rich and famous here! Lenny is still ever so present in my life. I really really really dislike all the bugs. I wish Lenny would do his job and eat them all.
That is all for now. Thank you all for your continuous support! It really means a lot to me and I know it means a lot to the kids I interact with on a daily basis.
I went to a town meeting last night where the mayor presented my club to the people that were present, including some people from Portugal who are helping fund some projects in the community. I really hope this starts something really great so we shall see. I have over 160 kids now. I am getting more kids from my classes which is great. I look forward to getting more kids involved. I am still working alone for the most part so I am hoping that the mayor's acknowledgement will spark something.
What else? We finally have sofas and a freezer. I feel like we are living like the rich and famous here! Lenny is still ever so present in my life. I really really really dislike all the bugs. I wish Lenny would do his job and eat them all.
That is all for now. Thank you all for your continuous support! It really means a lot to me and I know it means a lot to the kids I interact with on a daily basis.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Every Day Is An Adventure!
Ok first off just want to thank everyone again for their continued support. It is greatly appreciated! The club is going well and I love seeing new kids every time! I think we are close to 120 members now! Keep on showing that support. I love hearing from people! We had our school opening on the 31st. We had two mango trees planted in our backyard to commemorate the first volunteers to help out in Liupo. It was kind of an emotional experience for me. I love this community.
Yesterday Arden and I went to Nampula City to buy a fridge and some foam pads for couches she is making. The ride there wasn't too bad. I got a little sun burnt. I did however have a problem with the chickens. I don't normally have a problem with my riding companions but yesterday they thought my toes were food and were constantly pecking them...RUDE! The gentleman holding them finally got the hint after I kicked them in the head a few times and moved. He moved to stand so that he had them laying on the roof of the truck we were in. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to come up with songs for these chickens as they were freaking out and trying to fly away. I came up with "Fly Like An Eagle", "I Believe I Can Fly", and "You Are the Wind Beneath My Wings". Arden got a kick out of it! Right before you get into the city there is a police checkpoint. I haven't had any issues with police checkpoints until now. The cops can be jerks. These guys were ok but annoying. They kept asking why we weren't married and what not. They asked for identification and what not. We told them we were professors, etc. etc. They just talked a bit and then let us on our way. This situation definitely could have been worse but nonetheless it still bothers me. I just don't like the inequality with genders here. Once we got to Nampula, we went straight to Shoprite (grocery store). You can pretty much find anything in this place. It is one of my favorite places in Mozambique! We met a a guy from Holland while waiting in line who works for a farming company. He gave us some information about finding a dog. We want one desperately! We got some groceries and then headed back to our PC office to drop it off. Next up was buying some foam pads for our couches. We felt very Mozambican carrying the mattresses on our heads back to the office. We had a close call when a kid tried pick pocketing Arden but he didn't get anything. It was just a small hiccup. We still love you Mozambique! Then we went to get a fridge, our most prized purchase. We are so excited about it! We waste a lot of food because it goes bad far too quickly here. The gentleman that manages the store was super nice and drove us and fridge back to the office. We like making new friends! Now this is where things get interesting....the ride back to Liupo. We managed to find a chapa and I was able to get a seat in front. I was pretty burnt by this time. I started getting nervous when guys were working on the truck. The brakes were not working properly. They apparently got everything in order and then we were off. Once we got about 30 minutes out of town, the chapa gets two flat tires. No one was hurt. I didn't even knew it happened until the people in the back told the driver to stop. We ended up sitting on the side of the rode for about 30 minutes until another chapa, who wasn't even going to help out and take some of us, stopped. It was a big truck. I had no idea how we were going to get in the thing. We managed to get in with all of our groceries. These guys didn't mess around. They were driving pretty fast. Let me tell you now that transportation here is not safe. That is the reality of the situation, especially in northern Mozambique. The roads are crap, the vehicles are crap, etc. We very rarely get to ride in something that is enclosed. It is always open back trucks. The roads become really dangerous during raining season (now) because the rain washes the roads out. Make a long story short we made it home after 7 and a half hours. It usually only takes about 3 hours to get from Nampula to Liupo. I always am so relieved to be home. I love that feeling and I love that feeling even more here.
I hope you all appreciate everything you have. I know times get rough but I can assure you that things are a lot worse other places and for other people. Count your blessings and be thankful!
Yesterday Arden and I went to Nampula City to buy a fridge and some foam pads for couches she is making. The ride there wasn't too bad. I got a little sun burnt. I did however have a problem with the chickens. I don't normally have a problem with my riding companions but yesterday they thought my toes were food and were constantly pecking them...RUDE! The gentleman holding them finally got the hint after I kicked them in the head a few times and moved. He moved to stand so that he had them laying on the roof of the truck we were in. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to come up with songs for these chickens as they were freaking out and trying to fly away. I came up with "Fly Like An Eagle", "I Believe I Can Fly", and "You Are the Wind Beneath My Wings". Arden got a kick out of it! Right before you get into the city there is a police checkpoint. I haven't had any issues with police checkpoints until now. The cops can be jerks. These guys were ok but annoying. They kept asking why we weren't married and what not. They asked for identification and what not. We told them we were professors, etc. etc. They just talked a bit and then let us on our way. This situation definitely could have been worse but nonetheless it still bothers me. I just don't like the inequality with genders here. Once we got to Nampula, we went straight to Shoprite (grocery store). You can pretty much find anything in this place. It is one of my favorite places in Mozambique! We met a a guy from Holland while waiting in line who works for a farming company. He gave us some information about finding a dog. We want one desperately! We got some groceries and then headed back to our PC office to drop it off. Next up was buying some foam pads for our couches. We felt very Mozambican carrying the mattresses on our heads back to the office. We had a close call when a kid tried pick pocketing Arden but he didn't get anything. It was just a small hiccup. We still love you Mozambique! Then we went to get a fridge, our most prized purchase. We are so excited about it! We waste a lot of food because it goes bad far too quickly here. The gentleman that manages the store was super nice and drove us and fridge back to the office. We like making new friends! Now this is where things get interesting....the ride back to Liupo. We managed to find a chapa and I was able to get a seat in front. I was pretty burnt by this time. I started getting nervous when guys were working on the truck. The brakes were not working properly. They apparently got everything in order and then we were off. Once we got about 30 minutes out of town, the chapa gets two flat tires. No one was hurt. I didn't even knew it happened until the people in the back told the driver to stop. We ended up sitting on the side of the rode for about 30 minutes until another chapa, who wasn't even going to help out and take some of us, stopped. It was a big truck. I had no idea how we were going to get in the thing. We managed to get in with all of our groceries. These guys didn't mess around. They were driving pretty fast. Let me tell you now that transportation here is not safe. That is the reality of the situation, especially in northern Mozambique. The roads are crap, the vehicles are crap, etc. We very rarely get to ride in something that is enclosed. It is always open back trucks. The roads become really dangerous during raining season (now) because the rain washes the roads out. Make a long story short we made it home after 7 and a half hours. It usually only takes about 3 hours to get from Nampula to Liupo. I always am so relieved to be home. I love that feeling and I love that feeling even more here.
I hope you all appreciate everything you have. I know times get rough but I can assure you that things are a lot worse other places and for other people. Count your blessings and be thankful!
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