I´ve been really impressed with the school overall. It seems well organized, has some books, and the teachers usually show up, which is a real problem at a lot of schools here. My director is organized, helpful, and really nice. I feel like in training I heard a lot of the volunteers that we talked to had some negative experiences with their schools, directors, other teachers, etc, but I feel like the other teachers respect, and they talk to me and stuff. I have learned that 7:00 means show up by 8:00, and so on, and optional means no one is coming, and stuff like that, but when school is actually in session most of the teachers and students come. We even have a ´teachers lounge´ which is a gazebo/pavilion type thing outside under the trees. Its actually really nice to relax there between classes.
Overall I really like my community, school, and everything about site. Except rats in my toilet and house. Traveling usually sucks, takes a while in crowded vehicles, get harassed as a tourist, whistled and yelled at etc, but at site, where I am most of the time, the people seem pretty excited about me being there. The most annoying thing is people who speak really bad English insisting on trying to have a conversation with me in English instead of Portuguese, which I hate, but it´s good that at least they´re trying and want to learn and stuff.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Back to school
Finally another post! To start, I just finished my first week of teaching! It has gone well, but the students have a much more basic level than what I was expecting. The national curriculum says they should be learning “I will be doing” and “I will have done” (future continuous and perfect), and they can’t even write in the simple past. We have a lot of work to do this year. Also, about 25% of my 11th grade students are my age or older. My oldest student is 65 years old, and has never studied English before because when he did 10th grade Mozambique wasn’t even a country yet. But for the most part the students are respectful, try hard, and seem to want to learn English, so that’s nice. The other teachers have been nice, about 75% of them are men but I don’t feel that they have a sexist attitude to us female teachers, as other Volunteers seem to have experienced.
I teach only in the morning, which is nice because it is either super hot, or rainy in the afternoon. The school is about a mile from my house, so I’m glad not to walk in either of those conditions. When I leave my house at 6:30, it’s amazing how hot it already is.
Everything that’s happened since my last post:
-I got mugged. Broad daylight, on a main road, three guys grabbed me and asked for my phone and money. I gave them my phone (I have since bought a new one), and they ran away while I was looking for money. I was alone at the time, but walking to meet some friends. This was in Nampula City, something like this would never happen where I live. I went back two weeks ago with two male volunteers. They tried to mug one of the guys when we were all together, but didn’t succeed.
-We had a nice xmas celebration, all 10 of us new volunteers here in Nampula province. We decorated with stockings, paper snow flakes, and I made a wreath out of acacia branches. We had a secret santa exchange and made cookies!
-There was a rat in my house. I hate rats. But luckily I have a guard, so I made him come in a beat it with a stick. There is a much longer story of knowing the rat was in my house/room and not being able to find it for a few days and sleepless nights. various plans for how to kill it, etc, but this will suffice.
-I no longer have electricity ever. The generator ran out of gas the beginning of the month, and they are not organized enough to figure out how to collect money and keep track of who has paid and who hasn’t. I have heard that it should start again February 1st, but I’m not counting on it.
-There is still pretty much no fresh produce at site, just mangos, onions, potatoes, limes, and sometimes tomatoes and pineapples. In about a month more should be ready. This lack of food options was not helped this past week by the fact that my gas tank for my stove ran out, so I’ve been eating a lot of peanut butter or tuna fish sandwiches since Tuesday.
Fun Facts:
-here the paper and binders have two holes, not three
-blue ink is the norm for official business, not black
-breast feeding in public is normal, as is leaving the breast hanging in the open so the kid can start feeding again at will
-false cognate: constipado. It means having a stuffy/runny nose, not being constipated, but caused a little awkwardness before I knew that
-I wash my clothes in basins. I don’t know why some many people in the US hate doing laundry, all it entails is throwing clothes in a machine and pushing buttons. Here I scrub each piece of clothing my hand and get blisters.
-It’s really really hot.
I might update more in a few minutes. We will see.
I teach only in the morning, which is nice because it is either super hot, or rainy in the afternoon. The school is about a mile from my house, so I’m glad not to walk in either of those conditions. When I leave my house at 6:30, it’s amazing how hot it already is.
Everything that’s happened since my last post:
-I got mugged. Broad daylight, on a main road, three guys grabbed me and asked for my phone and money. I gave them my phone (I have since bought a new one), and they ran away while I was looking for money. I was alone at the time, but walking to meet some friends. This was in Nampula City, something like this would never happen where I live. I went back two weeks ago with two male volunteers. They tried to mug one of the guys when we were all together, but didn’t succeed.
-We had a nice xmas celebration, all 10 of us new volunteers here in Nampula province. We decorated with stockings, paper snow flakes, and I made a wreath out of acacia branches. We had a secret santa exchange and made cookies!
-There was a rat in my house. I hate rats. But luckily I have a guard, so I made him come in a beat it with a stick. There is a much longer story of knowing the rat was in my house/room and not being able to find it for a few days and sleepless nights. various plans for how to kill it, etc, but this will suffice.
-I no longer have electricity ever. The generator ran out of gas the beginning of the month, and they are not organized enough to figure out how to collect money and keep track of who has paid and who hasn’t. I have heard that it should start again February 1st, but I’m not counting on it.
-There is still pretty much no fresh produce at site, just mangos, onions, potatoes, limes, and sometimes tomatoes and pineapples. In about a month more should be ready. This lack of food options was not helped this past week by the fact that my gas tank for my stove ran out, so I’ve been eating a lot of peanut butter or tuna fish sandwiches since Tuesday.
Fun Facts:
-here the paper and binders have two holes, not three
-blue ink is the norm for official business, not black
-breast feeding in public is normal, as is leaving the breast hanging in the open so the kid can start feeding again at will
-false cognate: constipado. It means having a stuffy/runny nose, not being constipated, but caused a little awkwardness before I knew that
-I wash my clothes in basins. I don’t know why some many people in the US hate doing laundry, all it entails is throwing clothes in a machine and pushing buttons. Here I scrub each piece of clothing my hand and get blisters.
-It’s really really hot.
I might update more in a few minutes. We will see.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
First trip to Nampula City
[Written by mom and dad after speaking with Jess]
I had a nice Christmas visiting with other volunteers in Monopo, but I wasn’t able to blog from there because the internet café was closed for Christmas. So I asked my parents to update my blog. [Editor’s note: Jess’s dad has been rather slow to post this.]
I had an exciting time on my first trip to Nampula City. When I arrived, after a 3-hour chapa ride, I called the other volunteers that I had planned on meeting there. As I put my cell phone back in my pack, three guys suddenly surrounded me, telling me to give them my cell phone and my money. I handed over the phone, and they started saying “Hurry up! Give us your money!” I searched through my purse trying to find the money; the guys kept saying to hurry; I kept searching; and in a few seconds they ran away. I guess I was lucky that I didn’t find the money. It all happened so quickly that I didn't even have time to get scared.
After a couple of hours at the police station, reporting the robbery, I ran into the other volunteers and we did some shopping. First on my list was a new cell phone – I opted for a more basic (ie, cheaper) model than the one that had just been stolen. Next was food and household stuff. I didn’t buy as much as I planned to, because the merchants tried charging me prices way above what they were charging the local people. When I questioned this, the answer usually was “take it or leave it,” and in most cases, I left it. Overall, shopping in Nampula City was rather frustrating. But the day wasn’t over yet – I still had to get back home.
When I went to pay for the chapa ride going back to Nacaroa, they asked for a price much higher than what was reasonable. Again, their attitude was “take it or leave it.” And again, I wouldn’t pay the unfair prices that they wanted. Instead, I found a more economical, though less comfortable, means of transportation, crammed in like sardines with a bunch of other people. The woman next to me was holding a baby, sandwiched between us. It was kind of cute for a while, but unfortunately, the baby was facing my way when his/her bladder decided to relieve itself. Finally, I got back home, washed up, and began looking forward to the next day.
I am learning what it is like to stand out as an obvious non-local. In Nampula City, they charged me higher prices. Here in Nacaroa, everybody knows where I live and that I am the new
American teacher. I’ve had kids knock on my door and ask if I would hire them to do some work for me. The school provides a guard who watches the house overnight, sweeps the yard, and replenishes our water supply as needed. The other day he told me that he also is a good mechanic, and wanted a job fixing things.
The school year will start soon. Teachers are supposed to arrive by Jan 11, and classes will start around Jan 18. It’s finally been decided that I will teach English, not Chemistry. I will have three sections of 11th grade English, which meets five days a week. I also will be Director of a quarter of the 11th grade students. I am looking forward to it.
I had a nice Christmas visiting with other volunteers in Monopo, but I wasn’t able to blog from there because the internet café was closed for Christmas. So I asked my parents to update my blog. [Editor’s note: Jess’s dad has been rather slow to post this.]
I had an exciting time on my first trip to Nampula City. When I arrived, after a 3-hour chapa ride, I called the other volunteers that I had planned on meeting there. As I put my cell phone back in my pack, three guys suddenly surrounded me, telling me to give them my cell phone and my money. I handed over the phone, and they started saying “Hurry up! Give us your money!” I searched through my purse trying to find the money; the guys kept saying to hurry; I kept searching; and in a few seconds they ran away. I guess I was lucky that I didn’t find the money. It all happened so quickly that I didn't even have time to get scared.
After a couple of hours at the police station, reporting the robbery, I ran into the other volunteers and we did some shopping. First on my list was a new cell phone – I opted for a more basic (ie, cheaper) model than the one that had just been stolen. Next was food and household stuff. I didn’t buy as much as I planned to, because the merchants tried charging me prices way above what they were charging the local people. When I questioned this, the answer usually was “take it or leave it,” and in most cases, I left it. Overall, shopping in Nampula City was rather frustrating. But the day wasn’t over yet – I still had to get back home.
When I went to pay for the chapa ride going back to Nacaroa, they asked for a price much higher than what was reasonable. Again, their attitude was “take it or leave it.” And again, I wouldn’t pay the unfair prices that they wanted. Instead, I found a more economical, though less comfortable, means of transportation, crammed in like sardines with a bunch of other people. The woman next to me was holding a baby, sandwiched between us. It was kind of cute for a while, but unfortunately, the baby was facing my way when his/her bladder decided to relieve itself. Finally, I got back home, washed up, and began looking forward to the next day.
I am learning what it is like to stand out as an obvious non-local. In Nampula City, they charged me higher prices. Here in Nacaroa, everybody knows where I live and that I am the new
American teacher. I’ve had kids knock on my door and ask if I would hire them to do some work for me. The school provides a guard who watches the house overnight, sweeps the yard, and replenishes our water supply as needed. The other day he told me that he also is a good mechanic, and wanted a job fixing things.
The school year will start soon. Teachers are supposed to arrive by Jan 11, and classes will start around Jan 18. It’s finally been decided that I will teach English, not Chemistry. I will have three sections of 11th grade English, which meets five days a week. I also will be Director of a quarter of the 11th grade students. I am looking forward to it.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Nacaroa
The first week in Nacaroa has been pretty good! I'm in Monopo now visiting some other volunteers and hanging out for the weekend. The market in Nacaroa is pretty small, and right now only has tomatoes, onions, mangos, small potatoes, and rice. And the tomatoes and onions are pretty puny. I was really excited to come here to stock up on food in the big city only to find that they have nothing else right now here either.
My house is really nice! It's pretty big, and it has a screened front porch and an open back porch. I have a large fenced-in yard, and there's a large canopy thing that's in the process of being built now but will be great for reading and lesson planning when it's finished. My director has been great about getting me furniture for my house beyond what Peace Corps requires, and the big news: the generator started working the day I got there, and my director got power lines run to my house on Wednesday, so I have electricity from 6-10 every night!! And next year there should be electricity 24/7, so then I can get a fridge!
I've met several people in the town so far, and have been getting some good Portuguese practice. There seems to be two populations of Nacaroa: the locals that are from there, who are mostly farmers; and the government workers since it's the district capital, who live there during the week but have families and homes elsewhere, mostly Nampula City, and leave on the weekends. World Vision, an American NGO, has an office there so I've met several people that work there. They have some of the few cars/trucks in the town, and I've been able to get rides to the market and elsewhere from them. And since they go home on the weekends I was able to get a ride part-way to Monopo from them in a nice, safe, air-conditioned truck instead of a crowded, sweaty, half-broken chapa. But the chapa driver who took me the rest of the way here was a really great, intelligent Rwandan guy and I had a lot of fun talking with him.
It's been REALLY REALLY hot here. Like so hot I sweat all night and wake up dehydrated just from sleeping. I've been told that it gets "cold" here in the winter, but I have a feeling that there might be a cultural difference in what "cold" is, so I'm not getting my hopes up. But I'm really looking forward to March when it starts to get cooler, and slightly dreading January and February. The school has morning classes for half the students and afternoon classes for the other half because there's not enough classrooms. I'm not sure when I'll be teaching, but it's gonna be really hot there by 10am. The school is nice though. It's new, but there are only 8 real classrooms, and 4 or 5 makeshift ones. 4 or 5 more real ones are in the process of being built though.
I'll be back here for xmas, so I'll probably have another post up soon!
My house is really nice! It's pretty big, and it has a screened front porch and an open back porch. I have a large fenced-in yard, and there's a large canopy thing that's in the process of being built now but will be great for reading and lesson planning when it's finished. My director has been great about getting me furniture for my house beyond what Peace Corps requires, and the big news: the generator started working the day I got there, and my director got power lines run to my house on Wednesday, so I have electricity from 6-10 every night!! And next year there should be electricity 24/7, so then I can get a fridge!
I've met several people in the town so far, and have been getting some good Portuguese practice. There seems to be two populations of Nacaroa: the locals that are from there, who are mostly farmers; and the government workers since it's the district capital, who live there during the week but have families and homes elsewhere, mostly Nampula City, and leave on the weekends. World Vision, an American NGO, has an office there so I've met several people that work there. They have some of the few cars/trucks in the town, and I've been able to get rides to the market and elsewhere from them. And since they go home on the weekends I was able to get a ride part-way to Monopo from them in a nice, safe, air-conditioned truck instead of a crowded, sweaty, half-broken chapa. But the chapa driver who took me the rest of the way here was a really great, intelligent Rwandan guy and I had a lot of fun talking with him.
It's been REALLY REALLY hot here. Like so hot I sweat all night and wake up dehydrated just from sleeping. I've been told that it gets "cold" here in the winter, but I have a feeling that there might be a cultural difference in what "cold" is, so I'm not getting my hopes up. But I'm really looking forward to March when it starts to get cooler, and slightly dreading January and February. The school has morning classes for half the students and afternoon classes for the other half because there's not enough classrooms. I'm not sure when I'll be teaching, but it's gonna be really hot there by 10am. The school is nice though. It's new, but there are only 8 real classrooms, and 4 or 5 makeshift ones. 4 or 5 more real ones are in the process of being built though.
I'll be back here for xmas, so I'll probably have another post up soon!
Friday, December 11, 2009
Life as a PCV
Life as a PCV has been full of surprises. We were officially sworn in as Volunteers (before that we were Trainees) on Tuesday at the Charge's house in Maputo. After one last night in Namaacha, I said bye to my host family, promised to come back to visit next year, and headed to the airport to fly here to Nampula City on Wednesday.
We were put up in a really nice hotel, and my roommate and I were excited to find out there was a pool there. After dinner we decided to go for a swim, which was really refreshing. Since we arrived at night we hadn't been able to see what the pool looked like very well, and we joked about how funny it would be if we woke up and realized the pool was green, or had poop in it or something. Well, sure enough, we awoke to find out that the pool was VERY greeen (although hopefully feces free), and everyone was disgusted when we told them we went swimming.
Yesterday (Thursday) we had the regional conference for all the new volunteers here in the north and our supervisors. My first conversation with my director went something like this:
Me: So are there many other English teachers at the school?
Alexe: Yes, we have a lot of great English teachers. We are very excited for our new chemistry teacher.
Me: Your new chemistry teacher?
Alexe: Yes, you teach chemistry right?
Well apparently now I do. Which I'm actually kind of excited about cuz I'll get to teach in Portuguese.
That was surprise #1. Surprise #2 was this conversation:
Me: So what is my house like?
Alexe: It's very nice. It's big, it has a table, chairs, bed, etc. And when our district gets electricity next year we'll buy a small refridgerator for you.
Me: There's not electricity?
Alexe: No, the whole district of Nacaroa doesn't have electricity, but I think we will get it next year.
So I have no electricity. The school has no electricity, although it recently got running water. But with no electricity I'll have no way to charge my phone. But since the market in my village sells primarily rice, peanuts, some beans, and a few canned vegetables and fruits, I'll have to make frequent trips to neighboring towns, and hopefully I'll be able to charge it then.
One final surprise: My house isn't ready, so I'll be staying in a Guesthouse or something for the first week or so. Of my various surprises this is the most annoying, even though it sounds like the least significant. But I really wanted to get settled into my house, see what else I need to buy, get organized, etc. Hopefully it will be ready before xmas.
Me and one other volunteer are both opening extremely rural sites, so while everyone else headed out to site today, we got to stay here in Nampula to do some shopping. We managed to buy matresses, stoves, gas tanks and gas, pots, dishes, etc all today, without a car, in a foreign city we didn't know at all, and transport them all back to the PC office here. We also went for another swim in the green pool, since there were no adverse side effects from my first swim.
My school director seems really organized and on top of things. He was brought to Nacaroa in 2006, which was when the district first got a secondary school. Before that, students didn't really have the opportunity to go past 7th grade unless they moved away to another city. This is the first year that there will be an 11th grade, and next year right before I leave the first 12th grade class will graduate, which will be really exciting to see that happen. The school building is apparently rather new, but there are not enough classrooms to accomodate all of the students now, but they are building more now. My director used to work in Nacala, and there were PCVs at his school there, so he's familiar with PC and stuff, but I'll be a new experience for Nacaroa.
I still haven't found out much more about my roommate. He said she will probably be the new French teacher they will be getting, but she hasn't been assigned yet. Since teachers are government workers they really don't have much choice about where they teach, and they get assigned to schools, usually somewhat near their homes. Teachers have to be at school starting Jan 8th, so with moving, xmas, and new years, I think I'll be pretty busy. I also found some cheap books in Portuguese on the street today, so I'm excited to start reading them, if I have much free time.
I'm really excited for our Xmas celebration here. We have to stay in our Provinces, but there are 10 new volunteers in Nampula, so we're all getting together. We drew names for a secret santa, and two of the PCVs have sewing machines, so they are going to make stockings, and the rest of us are going to bring little stocking stuffers for everyone. These two PCVs also have a ridiculous amount of games, so we will have plenty to keep us busy. Hopefully I'll be able to post again around xmas. Happy holidays!
We were put up in a really nice hotel, and my roommate and I were excited to find out there was a pool there. After dinner we decided to go for a swim, which was really refreshing. Since we arrived at night we hadn't been able to see what the pool looked like very well, and we joked about how funny it would be if we woke up and realized the pool was green, or had poop in it or something. Well, sure enough, we awoke to find out that the pool was VERY greeen (although hopefully feces free), and everyone was disgusted when we told them we went swimming.
Yesterday (Thursday) we had the regional conference for all the new volunteers here in the north and our supervisors. My first conversation with my director went something like this:
Me: So are there many other English teachers at the school?
Alexe: Yes, we have a lot of great English teachers. We are very excited for our new chemistry teacher.
Me: Your new chemistry teacher?
Alexe: Yes, you teach chemistry right?
Well apparently now I do. Which I'm actually kind of excited about cuz I'll get to teach in Portuguese.
That was surprise #1. Surprise #2 was this conversation:
Me: So what is my house like?
Alexe: It's very nice. It's big, it has a table, chairs, bed, etc. And when our district gets electricity next year we'll buy a small refridgerator for you.
Me: There's not electricity?
Alexe: No, the whole district of Nacaroa doesn't have electricity, but I think we will get it next year.
So I have no electricity. The school has no electricity, although it recently got running water. But with no electricity I'll have no way to charge my phone. But since the market in my village sells primarily rice, peanuts, some beans, and a few canned vegetables and fruits, I'll have to make frequent trips to neighboring towns, and hopefully I'll be able to charge it then.
One final surprise: My house isn't ready, so I'll be staying in a Guesthouse or something for the first week or so. Of my various surprises this is the most annoying, even though it sounds like the least significant. But I really wanted to get settled into my house, see what else I need to buy, get organized, etc. Hopefully it will be ready before xmas.
Me and one other volunteer are both opening extremely rural sites, so while everyone else headed out to site today, we got to stay here in Nampula to do some shopping. We managed to buy matresses, stoves, gas tanks and gas, pots, dishes, etc all today, without a car, in a foreign city we didn't know at all, and transport them all back to the PC office here. We also went for another swim in the green pool, since there were no adverse side effects from my first swim.
My school director seems really organized and on top of things. He was brought to Nacaroa in 2006, which was when the district first got a secondary school. Before that, students didn't really have the opportunity to go past 7th grade unless they moved away to another city. This is the first year that there will be an 11th grade, and next year right before I leave the first 12th grade class will graduate, which will be really exciting to see that happen. The school building is apparently rather new, but there are not enough classrooms to accomodate all of the students now, but they are building more now. My director used to work in Nacala, and there were PCVs at his school there, so he's familiar with PC and stuff, but I'll be a new experience for Nacaroa.
I still haven't found out much more about my roommate. He said she will probably be the new French teacher they will be getting, but she hasn't been assigned yet. Since teachers are government workers they really don't have much choice about where they teach, and they get assigned to schools, usually somewhat near their homes. Teachers have to be at school starting Jan 8th, so with moving, xmas, and new years, I think I'll be pretty busy. I also found some cheap books in Portuguese on the street today, so I'm excited to start reading them, if I have much free time.
I'm really excited for our Xmas celebration here. We have to stay in our Provinces, but there are 10 new volunteers in Nampula, so we're all getting together. We drew names for a secret santa, and two of the PCVs have sewing machines, so they are going to make stockings, and the rest of us are going to bring little stocking stuffers for everyone. These two PCVs also have a ridiculous amount of games, so we will have plenty to keep us busy. Hopefully I'll be able to post again around xmas. Happy holidays!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Probably the last post from Namaacha
So I guess you can see my parents post below and you all know where I´ll be going for the next two years. Our Model School here went well, our students were really great and gave us hugs and stuff the last day. Yesterday I went with some friends to hike a mountain nearby where Mozambique, Swaziland, and South Africa all meet. It was a pretty intense climb, and it unfortunately rained a bit so the pictures aren´t as great as they could have been. Tomorrow a bunch of us are hiking to a nearby waterfall that is supposed to be really beautiful. There is really only one week left here in Namaacha, and all of us are pretty much ready to go to site now that we know where we will be going. This last week of training is going to last forever!
I´m also really excited about the other volunteers who will also be in Nampula province with me. Apparently several of us have September birthdays, so we are already planning a big party, as well as a christmas party for this year. We need to stay at site for either xmas or new year, and we can go away for two weekends per month, within our province, for the first three months. And I know Moz is incredibly far away, but if anyone wants to come visit you´re more than welcome!!
I have had nothing stolen here so far, which really reflects the awesomeness of the people here rather than the security of the houses. On Tuesday I went home for lunch to find my house locked and no one there. I debated going across the street to my friend´s house, or texting one of my brothers to come let me in, but in the end i decided to break in by climbing up on a bucket and jumping in through the open window, which was remarkably easy. About 10 minutes later I got a text from my brother telling me where the keys were.
Peace Corps had a great thanksgiving dinner for us, and we had a big American football game too, which was a lot of fun. That was also the day we got our site placements! Some people will be living in mud huts without electricity (and requested such sites), while others have hot running water. But since everyone wanted different things, most people were happy with what they got.
My house here is rather empty now, since it is summer and several family members have gone away for the holidays. Right now it´s just me, Mama, and my two brothers Zinho and Samito.
And a quick update on Mike: He moved to Vale, Colorado for the skiing season and has a job with Vale Mountain and gets to ski a lot!
I´m also really excited about the other volunteers who will also be in Nampula province with me. Apparently several of us have September birthdays, so we are already planning a big party, as well as a christmas party for this year. We need to stay at site for either xmas or new year, and we can go away for two weekends per month, within our province, for the first three months. And I know Moz is incredibly far away, but if anyone wants to come visit you´re more than welcome!!
I have had nothing stolen here so far, which really reflects the awesomeness of the people here rather than the security of the houses. On Tuesday I went home for lunch to find my house locked and no one there. I debated going across the street to my friend´s house, or texting one of my brothers to come let me in, but in the end i decided to break in by climbing up on a bucket and jumping in through the open window, which was remarkably easy. About 10 minutes later I got a text from my brother telling me where the keys were.
Peace Corps had a great thanksgiving dinner for us, and we had a big American football game too, which was a lot of fun. That was also the day we got our site placements! Some people will be living in mud huts without electricity (and requested such sites), while others have hot running water. But since everyone wanted different things, most people were happy with what they got.
My house here is rather empty now, since it is summer and several family members have gone away for the holidays. Right now it´s just me, Mama, and my two brothers Zinho and Samito.
And a quick update on Mike: He moved to Vale, Colorado for the skiing season and has a job with Vale Mountain and gets to ski a lot!
The 1st PC Volunteer in Nacaroa
[Written by mom and dad after speaking with Jess on Thanksgiving]
I found out yesterday that my service site for the next two years is in Nacaroa, a rural district in the province of Nampula, in northern Mozambique. I will teach English to students in 8th to 10th grade, probably seven classes with about 70 students per class.
I will be the only Peace Corps Volunteer in Nacaroa, and the first one ever to serve there. This is exactly the type of setting that I was hoping for, so I am really excited about it! I want to become part of the local community and culture, speaking Portuguese as much as possible, so I like the idea of being the only Volunteer there. Other Volunteers from my training group have been assigned to nearby districts in Nampula province, close enough that we should be able to visit each other occasionally. Nampula city, the capital of the province, is about 3-4 hours from Nacaroa. Nampula is the third largest city in Mozambique and is known as a business center.
I will not see my living quarters until I move there on Dec 10, but here is what I have heard about it: I will have a Mozambiquan roommate, probably a teacher from the school where I will teach. The main living quarters has two bedrooms and a common living room. The kitchen is in a hut outside the main living area, and the bathroom also is outside. There is no running water. The nearest water source is about 600 meters away, so I probably will pay someone to carry water for me. There is electricity, but it is only on from 6:00 -10:00 PM. I don’t know what we do for food storage – with only four hours per day of electricity, we won’t have a refrigerator. There is cell phone reception in the area, but I don’t know how good the reception will be at my house and school. I don’t know if there is internet access at the school or anyplace nearby.
I can’t wait until training is finished and I head to Nacaroa! I am sooo… looking forward to seeing my new home, meeting my roommate, and becoming part of Nacaroa!
I found out yesterday that my service site for the next two years is in Nacaroa, a rural district in the province of Nampula, in northern Mozambique. I will teach English to students in 8th to 10th grade, probably seven classes with about 70 students per class.
I will be the only Peace Corps Volunteer in Nacaroa, and the first one ever to serve there. This is exactly the type of setting that I was hoping for, so I am really excited about it! I want to become part of the local community and culture, speaking Portuguese as much as possible, so I like the idea of being the only Volunteer there. Other Volunteers from my training group have been assigned to nearby districts in Nampula province, close enough that we should be able to visit each other occasionally. Nampula city, the capital of the province, is about 3-4 hours from Nacaroa. Nampula is the third largest city in Mozambique and is known as a business center.
I will not see my living quarters until I move there on Dec 10, but here is what I have heard about it: I will have a Mozambiquan roommate, probably a teacher from the school where I will teach. The main living quarters has two bedrooms and a common living room. The kitchen is in a hut outside the main living area, and the bathroom also is outside. There is no running water. The nearest water source is about 600 meters away, so I probably will pay someone to carry water for me. There is electricity, but it is only on from 6:00 -10:00 PM. I don’t know what we do for food storage – with only four hours per day of electricity, we won’t have a refrigerator. There is cell phone reception in the area, but I don’t know how good the reception will be at my house and school. I don’t know if there is internet access at the school or anyplace nearby.
I can’t wait until training is finished and I head to Nacaroa! I am sooo… looking forward to seeing my new home, meeting my roommate, and becoming part of Nacaroa!
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