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!
Thursday, March 13, 2014
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!
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Muito Obrigada!
I have had such an overwhelming two weeks. It has been a very good overwhelming, though. Last week I started my little kids club. I guess I can't really say little, now, because I have 112 members ranging from babies to 16-17 year olds. My first day I had 29 kids and I thought that was great. Each day that number just kept getting bigger and bigger. It is amazing the support that I am literally getting from all over the world. I have friends in Australian taking donations, as well as, friends in Austria and Germany doing the same thing. New communities in the states are all rallying together to create care packages for myself and the Jordy's Club members. My parents are overwhelmed with all the support I am getting. I am really overwhelmed with it all as well. I wasn't expecting such a huge following but I sure do appreciate it. School will be starting next week so I am hoping to get even more kids involved, especially the older ones. I feel like I can utilize them to help me with the younger ones. This short post is dedicated to all those who have and are still continuing to support my adventures here in Mozambique and beyond. It is greatly appreciated and you all have a special place in my heart!
Thursday, January 23, 2014
93 and counting...
I can't really tell you how overwhelmed I am this week by all of the love and support I have been receiving from all over the world...literally. I am also overwhelmed with the amount of kids that have showed up to Clube de Jordy (Jordy's Club). Right now I am at 93! And let me tell you 93 rambunctious mozambican kids who barely speak Portuguese and no English and 1 Jordy who speaks weak Portuguese but a lot of English, makes for some interesting stories!
Back to my love and support. I have a lovely Aussie friend, Stacie, who is organizing a bunch of care packages for me and the kids! The support she is getting from her friends and family in Australia is just awesome. SO THANK YOU AUSSIES! My friends in Germany and Austria are also sending care packages, as well! Danke, danke, danke (especially if you are sending me the chocolate I requested...hahaha)! I am also getting more from the states so thank you to my friends and family in the states. I love you all dearly and am so honored and proud of you all!
Back to the 93 kids....day one I had 29...day 4...93....GOOD NEWS TRAVELS FAST! hahahahahahahaha....Here is what we did this week...drew....a lot....they love drawing. Played volleyball and soccer and I showed them some basketball moves....they were impressed! I made homemade checkers and tic tac toe. The checkers is catching on but its difficult for them to understand but we practice every day! I am teaching them English and right now we are going over the alphabet, numbers 1-20 and parts of the body. They are teaching me some Makua (local language) as well. There are a few trouble makers but I think I am handling the high volume and lack of Portuguese pretty well for doing it all solo.
My ultimate goal in my two years is to create a community center that will have a library, kids center, multipurpose sports field and classrooms for education, health, the arts, etc. for all community members. It's a big project but I am super excited to attempt it. I actually had parents bring kids and sign them up.
Again I thank you all for the support and check back for updates!
Back to my love and support. I have a lovely Aussie friend, Stacie, who is organizing a bunch of care packages for me and the kids! The support she is getting from her friends and family in Australia is just awesome. SO THANK YOU AUSSIES! My friends in Germany and Austria are also sending care packages, as well! Danke, danke, danke (especially if you are sending me the chocolate I requested...hahaha)! I am also getting more from the states so thank you to my friends and family in the states. I love you all dearly and am so honored and proud of you all!
Back to the 93 kids....day one I had 29...day 4...93....GOOD NEWS TRAVELS FAST! hahahahahahahaha....Here is what we did this week...drew....a lot....they love drawing. Played volleyball and soccer and I showed them some basketball moves....they were impressed! I made homemade checkers and tic tac toe. The checkers is catching on but its difficult for them to understand but we practice every day! I am teaching them English and right now we are going over the alphabet, numbers 1-20 and parts of the body. They are teaching me some Makua (local language) as well. There are a few trouble makers but I think I am handling the high volume and lack of Portuguese pretty well for doing it all solo.
My ultimate goal in my two years is to create a community center that will have a library, kids center, multipurpose sports field and classrooms for education, health, the arts, etc. for all community members. It's a big project but I am super excited to attempt it. I actually had parents bring kids and sign them up.
Again I thank you all for the support and check back for updates!
Monday, January 20, 2014
Jordy's Club is Open!
So yesterday was the first day I had Jordy's Club open. I was expecting 5 or 6 kids to be honest. At the end of the day I had 29. I was super happy and a little overwhelmed. It is going to be a lot of work. I am very interested in seeing what my numbers will be today. I had a lot of fun but had some frustrations as well.
Frustration #1: The kids do not speak Portuguese very well.
Frustration #2: The kids do not know how to read or write well. A lot of them cannot even write their names.
Frustration #3: I do not have a lot of materials/resources. I made tic tac toe boards and a checkers board out of cardboard. I do not have enough tables for the kids to work on. I want books in English and Portuguese. I want more balls (basketballs, volleyballs, soccer balls, etc.).
Frustration #4: I want to know how to speak the local language and I want to know how...yesterday!
Fun #1: 14 kids showed up in the morning. I had to kick out 29 kids in the afternoon. They didn't want to leave.
Fun #2: Taught the kids to play tic tac toe.
Fun #3: Played soccer and showed the kids some of my basketball moves...with a soccer ball. They love when I spin the ball on my finger.
Fun #4: Kids love to draw. I think they are just excited to have paper and pencils.
Fun #5: The kids are super polite and nice and sweet and will have a special place in my heart because they were my first "club kids"!
My goal is to keep an attendance sheet everyday and hopefully use that information in my proposal for a community center in Liupo. I started out by wanting just a place for kids but I really think that this community can benefit from a place that is for everyone. This community center will have a library and rooms for both the kids and adults in the community. I will have programs for education, health, art, community service, sports, etc. I am really excited about pursuing this venture but it will be a lot of work and trying to create something sustainable is super difficult here.
In other news, Arden and I were asked about teaching English. Arden said she would prefer to stick with her science and I offered to teach English if they needed me. It is frustrating talking to my colleagues who teach English and they do not speak it properly. How can they teach it then? Welcome to the education system in Mozambique and to what I am assuming most education systems in Africa. I think we find out on the 28th what we will be teaching. I am super excited to get school started and to get more kids to the club.
Frustration #1: The kids do not speak Portuguese very well.
Frustration #2: The kids do not know how to read or write well. A lot of them cannot even write their names.
Frustration #3: I do not have a lot of materials/resources. I made tic tac toe boards and a checkers board out of cardboard. I do not have enough tables for the kids to work on. I want books in English and Portuguese. I want more balls (basketballs, volleyballs, soccer balls, etc.).
Frustration #4: I want to know how to speak the local language and I want to know how...yesterday!
Fun #1: 14 kids showed up in the morning. I had to kick out 29 kids in the afternoon. They didn't want to leave.
Fun #2: Taught the kids to play tic tac toe.
Fun #3: Played soccer and showed the kids some of my basketball moves...with a soccer ball. They love when I spin the ball on my finger.
Fun #4: Kids love to draw. I think they are just excited to have paper and pencils.
Fun #5: The kids are super polite and nice and sweet and will have a special place in my heart because they were my first "club kids"!
My goal is to keep an attendance sheet everyday and hopefully use that information in my proposal for a community center in Liupo. I started out by wanting just a place for kids but I really think that this community can benefit from a place that is for everyone. This community center will have a library and rooms for both the kids and adults in the community. I will have programs for education, health, art, community service, sports, etc. I am really excited about pursuing this venture but it will be a lot of work and trying to create something sustainable is super difficult here.
In other news, Arden and I were asked about teaching English. Arden said she would prefer to stick with her science and I offered to teach English if they needed me. It is frustrating talking to my colleagues who teach English and they do not speak it properly. How can they teach it then? Welcome to the education system in Mozambique and to what I am assuming most education systems in Africa. I think we find out on the 28th what we will be teaching. I am super excited to get school started and to get more kids to the club.
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