The Simple Life

(Family photo at our going away party. Sometimes it's hard to get everyone looking at the same spot)

12/1/16

As of yesterday, I am an official Peace Corps Volunteer!! (During training, we are called Peace Corps Trainees). We had a ceremony at the Ministry of Education in Maputo and now I am on my way to my site Namuno, province of Cabo Delgado. So, my two years of service officially start now!! I have passed my proficiency test in Portuguese, received an introduction to my local language (Makua), and will spend the next weekend making my house into my home.

To wrap up our time in Namaacha with our host families, we had a despedida party (going away party). I would like to take a moment to reflect on some of the differences between parties and celebrations in Mozambique versus my experience in the United States. In the US, there are usually leftovers after a big party and everyone has their fill. Celebrations are typically with family and close friends. The cake is large and everyone gets a piece. The only time I have seen people sing when cutting a cake is for birthday celebrations.

So far, my experience in Mozambique has been quite different. There aren’t always a ton of leftovers, but there is always enough food for everyone to fill up on something more than rice and xima (xima is made from water and ground corn). With our families in Namaacha we had chicken, pork, and potato dishes which are all significantly more expensive items (brief side note – potatoes in Namaacha are fairly expensive as compared to my site in Namuno). There was one bottle of soda for every family. Normally, celebrations tend to be neighborhood events. Your neighbors tend to be your closest friends or your family members. Most houses aren’t split by distinct property lines or fences. Oftentimes walking paths cut through someone’s “backyard” or right by their bathroom. And cake is treated 1000 times different! For my neighborhood, we had two cakes (the size of a round cake pan) to split between 12 families. Before even cutting into the cut, we were singing, dancing, and clapping. I love cake – but I had never experienced so much excitement focused on having cake before that party. Eventually, two people took a fork full of each cake and held it in the air. The singing and dancing grew louder as we began to break into the cake. Every family received one slice from each cake and the families divided those slices amongst themselves.

For me, the past 3 months have been a simple reminder of the simple things in life. We talk about how easy it is to take things for granted. We do it all the time, oftentimes without even realizing it. We grow accustomed to our lifestyles. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with taking food for granted. Having food and water is a basic necessity that is a basic human right. However, I find myself extremely happy living a simpler lifestyle thus far. On a typically day, my biggest worries include:

-When do I need to go shopping next?

-Do we have enough food for dinner? When do we need to start cooking dinner so it’s ready before 8 PM?

-Do we have enough water for the next week or do we need to go get more?

-When do I need to wash my clothes next?

Being a Peace Corps Volunteer, I am fortunate to have all of my basic necessities covered. Looking at my list above, none of my concerns are related to money. I have enough money to buy food and to eat out every now and then. I have enough money to buy drinking water when I don’t have enough water currently filtered. I have enough money to pay for my phone credit and electricity. I have enough time in my day to go for a run every morning and to go for a walk every afternoon. I wake up and go to bed shortly before and after the sun rises and sets. I am able to take the time and celebrate the small things in life. And when something occurs that warrants a cake, I am able to join my neighbors and friends in song, dance, and celebration.

To further put my life in perspective, I was able to pack up everything I own within an hour and a half. Today I took my last shower with running and hot water that I’ll probably have access to until May. Life is simple.

- Daniel -

 “Happiness is in the present moment – which is the only moment in which we are alive”

P.S.  At the end of December I plan on writing a post to compare prices of food and the social value of money as well! Hopefully that can help place my experience into a different perspective.