A normal day in my life

Way back in 8th grade I interviewed one of my dad's aunts about life during WWII. Recently she just sent me a message asking about life in Mozambique for an article to be published in a newsletter. I figured I'd post it here too.

On a typical weekday I wake up between 5:00 and 6:00. In the summer it gets light at about 4:30, which makes sleeping even until 5:00 difficult. And in the winter it's still dark at 5:45, which makes waking up difficult, since I have no electricity. I almost always eat an egg sandwich for breakfast, and then head to work. Nacaroa Secondary School is about a mile from my house-a pleasant walk in the early morning and cold season, but dreadfully hot in the afternoon and hot season. On my way to work the children love to run out of their houses and yards to greet me. Even after being here a year the kids still get really excited when I pass by, even though it happens at least twice a day. The mothers call to their children, and the children call to their friends so that no one misses out on greeting me.

The school is new, which has pros and cons. The classrooms are in good conditions, there are enough desks for all the students, the blackboards aren't falling a part, and the courtyard is pretty. But before this secondary school, which was started in 2006, there wasn't a secondary in Nacaroa District. This means that many of the students come from families in which their parents have, at most, completed 7th grade, and therefore have jobs that don't require being able to read, write, or speak Portuguese. Therefore, many students skip school a lot and aren't motivated to learn because they plan on being farmers like their parents, and think that school is just to pass the time.

I teach English in 11th grade, which is the highest grade at the school this year. Next year will be the first year for 12th grade, and the first students will officially graduate from the least developed district of Nampula Province in Northern Mozambique. The students are very well-behaved compared to American students. Most classes have about 70-90 students. They are never overtly disrespectful, the only behavior issue is too much talking, but that happens all the time in classes of 20 in the US. Morning classes start at 7:00 and end at 12:05, and afternoon classes are from 12:30-5:35. Because of a shortage of classrooms and teachers, students study only in the morning, or only in the afternoon, depending on what grade they're in.

Between classes the teachers hang out in a small pavilion, which serves as the teachers' lounge. My colleagues often like to try to speak a little English with me, or get me to speak Macua, the native language of the region. I have learned to speak Portuguese fairly well, knowing Spanish before coming really helped! But when I have difficulties saying something in Portuguese my colleagues are much more patient with me than I imagine most Americans are with people who are learning English.

I teach only in the morning, so when I'm done for the day I go home and make lunch. The most common meals I prepare for lunch or dinner are rice with some sort of vegetable mixture, pasta, French fries with salad, or soup. One of my favorite rice toppings is okra with tomatoes and onions. But here my diet varies greatly depending on the season. In the hot season there isn't much produce in the market, just mangos, onions, and potatoes. When the hot season starts to pass, sweet corn, okra and tomatoes come. Then oranges, green peppers, chives, lettuce, cabbage, green beans, other leafy greens, bananas, and sweet potatoes come into season.

In the afternoons I plan my lessons, grade homework or tests, and have English club a few times a week. When I don't have work related things to do, I like to visit my colleagues and other friends, play cards, or read. Despite not having a TV, a mall, or any sort of American-style entertainment, I rarely find myself bored. I often wish that I had more time to read or keep my journal, but I often choose to spend time with people instead.

The town generator comes on from 6:00-10:00pm every night. The first seven months I lived here it was broken, so I lived with absolutely no electricity. I used to charge my phone once a week using a solar panel in the building I used for English club. My iPod and computer were never charged, and I had to do anything requiring good light before 5:00 at night. It's amazing how much difference just four hours a day can make! I feel almost like I'm in the US at night!

The market is about a 10-minute walk away, and without a refrigerator I end up going almost every day. I usually time it so I go to the market, get home, take a bath, and get dressed just as the generator turns on. Otherwise I'll just sit at home after about 5:30 waiting for the generator and not doing anything useful.

I've gotten pretty used to bathing and washing dishes without running water. I've hired someone to cart water from the pump to my house. The Mozambican women are amazingly strong and can carry large quantities of water on their heads, but compressing my vertebrae is one thing that I don’t plan to attempt while here. I have a large water basin in my bathroom, which is a separate structure from my house, and two large water basins in my house. Whenever the water gets low, I just ask my water-carter to cart more. To take a bath in the hot season I just go to my bathroom and pour cups of cold water from the basin over my body, lather, and rinse. When it’s really hot, that can be the most pleasant part of the day. In the cold season, I like to heat my bathwater and carry it to my bathroom in a smaller basin.

Once the generator comes on, I cook dinner, usually using charcoal. I have a gas stove that I use for quick things, but gas is expensive, and it’s hard to get the tank refilled, so I like to use charcoal when I have time. After dinner I usually wash the dishes, using two small basins of water, as if they were the two sides of a sink. Then I hang out with my boyfriend, play cards, listen to music, read, use my computer, or go to bed. Since I wake up early, 8 or 9 at night is usually my bedtime.