October 5th,
2018
 |
| A group of Mozambique Returned Peace Corps Volunteers |
I did the
craziest thing last weekend! I was walking down the street like any normal day.
Well, except there’s only concrete everywhere and I cannot for the life of me
find some normal sand or dirt to walk on. It’s just row after row after row of
concreted/asphalted ground – disconnected from the life and planet that lives
beneath us. Anyway, walking down the street I pass a 7-Eleven. Pausing for a
moment, I have a genius idea – I walk in and BUY A DONUT. MIND BLOWN. Like
seriously BLOWN. I bought a donut. No rhyme or reason or anything. I just
bought a donut. And it was delicious and filled with sugar and disgusting and
sweat and everything I could have ever dreamed it would be. Arriving at home, I
stepped up my game – I called a local pizza store and ORDERED A PIZZZZZZAA!!!!!!
And it gets better – there was customer service, a patient gentleman taking my
call helping me decide what kind of pizza I wanted. Then, the pizza CAME TO ME
in a timely manner and it was still hot when it arrived. Man. Boy oh boy. Unlike
anything I’ve had in a long time. The simple comforts of being able to buy a
donut off the street or order a pizza and not have to leave the apartment.
Being back
is weird. It’s harder for me to be back than it was for me to leave. Sometimes
I struggle to explain the difference – life is fundamentally different in
Mozambique. My colleagues and neighbours in Mozambique fight to survive yet are
often happy and sometimes sad/tired. They go for walks and enjoy spending time
with others. I integrated myself into their culture and adapted it, in-part, as
my own. I would lose track of time and go for long walks. I would get lost in a
book for hours or days on end.
Here’s the
big difference as bet I can define it: the standard of living in the US is
higher: access to clean water, food, sanitation, formal jobs, etcetera. The
lifestyle in the US is more stressful: what are you doing with your life? How
much money do you make? Where is your career going? Why aren’t you doing
anything productive right now? Are you good enough of a person? Once all of
those aspects are taken care of, only then can you take a break from the work
grind and relax/play.
In Mozambique, your concerns are more basic because you focus on food, water, housing, education. Once those aspects of your day are covered, you spend time with friends and family chatting, relaxing, and playing. Spending time with the people around you is highly valued – even if you don’t know them!!
It used to
be socially acceptable for me to start a conversation with anyone – on the bus,
sidewalk, or in a store. Now, I’m supposed to sit close on the subway and put
in headphones and try hard not to make eye-contact with anyone. Be quiet. Be
still. Don’t disturb anyone around you. I’ve never been good at following the
rules; I start random conversations with strangers and get to know them. I have
less social anxiety about conversing with the cute girl taking her dog for a
walk in the park or the Haitian gentleman driving my subway.
All-in-all,
I am adjusting but some things I hope I never adjust to. I hope I never get
used to walking on concrete or striking up conversations with strangers. If you’ve
read my blogs, you know how the concept of heated, pressurized, and potable
water at any spigot/facet is INSANE. It’s also amazing and makes my life much
easier. The ironic part of being back is I spend less time fetching water,
cleaning dishes, and washing clothes yet I some how have less free time in my
day-to-day life. Seems legit?
Every day I
am still processing the last 2 years of my life. I’ve had some close encounters.
Like an open-back vehicle without functioning brakes and the engine died on the
way up a hill. I had to bail because it started to roll backwards, and the
driver decided to take it into a ditch risking a roll-over instead of coasting
down the hill. Or the time a 4-foot-deep river formed and washed out the road
between my town and Montepuez making it much more challenging to get my monthly
salary…
I’ve had some heart-breaking experiences. Like when my house was broken into and the thieves stole things from my room and I did not wake up. It took me a few months after that to sleep normally through the night. Or the time a fellow teacher manipulated his students and tried to force them to pay him a bribe. Or the moment I realized that the Millennium Development Goals (and other United Nations programs/initiatives) in many cases are reinforcing humanitarian crimes. Basically the “statistic-driven evaluation” forces countries to fake development further reinforcing a broken system. Bribery and rape in the high schools gets reinforced because of the pressure to have x% of students pass an elevated curriculum so that on paper it looks like within y years Mozambique’s education system will be equivalent to the international standard.
I’ve had
heart-warming experiences. Like my neighbours who brought me food and money
after my house was broken into, or the neighbourhood kids who led more of an
investigation into the thieves than the actual police (I’m currently laughing at
how ridiculous this is: a group of 4-to-14-year-olds led a better investigation
than the police chief). Or the time a student came over to practice math – I did
not have time to help him so I gave him some toys and colouring supplies. He
wrote me a letter saying, “Daniel you know I did not come to play. Today I came
to learn.” You can bet I was never too busy for a student again. Or my 9th
graders who became tutors and helped teach my 8th graders how to
add, subtract, multiply, and divide. In Montepuez I received a warm-welcoming
by the American families who work on bible translations and pastoral
development. Richard and Caroline repeatedly welcomed me into their house. They
fed me, had my clothes washed in a washing machine, and lifted my spirits. In
Namuno, Eusebia constantly offered her advice, knowledge, and protection. She
welcomed me into her family. The director invited me over for meals and loved
discussing math. The French teacher practiced coding skills with me and wants
to start a chicken farm! Lino and Samuel helped with all household chores, so
they could earn simple things like a cheap phone.
I am deeply
honoured and humbled to have had the opportunity to serve in the Peace Corps
and in Mozambique.
I’m
currently living in Boston until Mid-November when I have some client visits,
Thanksgiving, more client visits, and then back to Mozambique by early
December. I have a long list of things I aim to do, many of which I’ve already
crossed off: hiking, order a pizza, go to the top 30 coffee shops in Boston, salsa
dancing, see a movie in a theatre, drink all the beers, and many other random-ish
things. It’s a much-needed reprieve. I’m catching my breath and preparing for
the oncoming challenges – the uphill battle of starting my own company and having
financial responsibilities to my employees and their families. I have some part-time
work, so I don’t dip into my savings while in Boston. Most other moments are me
buying donuts from 7-Elevens or making connections and expanding my network for
our agriculture company in Mozambique (check-out our website:
NKAgSolutions.com).
For many,
Peace Corps is the highest highs and lowest lows. Not only that, but it has
been a humbling experience full of growth, sadness, and strength. Everything I
wanted out of my Peace Corps experience I’ve been given (challenge, growth,
adapting a 2nd culture/language). Now it’s my turn to give back.
With all my
heart,
Daniel
Bladow
P.S. I will
continue to write my blog posts! I have plenty of content I still want to write
but already recognize my posts are generally on the longer side anyway.
