10/31/2016

Time to share some stories and experiences about the few weeks I have spent at my site in Namuno, Cabo Delgado! If you read nothing else in this post, please please at least scroll to the very bottom and read the quote from another director.

Executive Summary

-My site is in the middle of nowhere, in a relatively large farming town. It often feels like a paradox because Numuno is rural yet large. I’m in the “mato” but have excellent internet connection. It’s a 2-hr drive on a dirt road littered with potholes to the nearest city of Montepuez, which quickly turns to a 5+ hour drive from December through March because of rain. Despite the long drive and inaccessibility, there is constant transportation to Montepuez and I have almost all of the market items I want in my town (minus cheese and toilet paper). My future house will be one of the few in the town to have power. I will also have running water via an outdoor spigot, that is – whenever it works.

-I am the 4^th American to live in this town so needless to say I turn a lot of heads when I’m walking around or out on my morning run. Sometimes it’s very friendly looks and sometimes it’s very confused looks. One of my first morning runs I passed a young girl. She quickly ran inside, called for her parents, and came out pointing at me. I can only imagine her asking her parents, “Mommy what’s that over there? That thing running?”. At least, that’s how it feels sometimes. Most other times, people are fascinated to meet and greet me!

-Lastly, I will be learning Makua in addition to Portuguese. Portuguese is used in the schools and the other teachers all speak it well. However, most students dislike speaking Portuguese and speak in Makua whenever they have a choice. 

Story Time

-It’s been one of those two week stunts where a LOT has happened. Hopefully you enjoy as much as I have –

As with my first 36 hours in Namaacha, a lot can happen when you don’t know the local language. Especially when you don’t know the local language but still want to go out into the community and greet people. In Portuguese there’s this word – passear – it means to go for a stroll or to go for a walk. It’s not meant as a form of exercise but rather as a form of meeting people, seeing your neighbors, and building community. Hence, it’s essential to success community integration. One of my host brothers and I were out passear-ing greeting people and explaining who I am and where I’m from to anyone that asked. We passed a group of women sitting in the shade under the tree and one said something in Makua and extended her hand. Confusingly, I looked at my brother who translated her statement into something like “she wants to shake your hand”. So I shake her hand, no big deal right? 5 minutes later my host brother is explaining that I just agreed to make a child with her… Whelp. I wish he would’ve explained that along with the Makua -> Portuguese translation. Haven’t seen that women since, and I’m kind of hoping I can avoid an awkward explanation “No, I don’t actually want to father a child for you. It was a huge misunderstanding”

Along a similar train of thought, when I’m out walking around I get greeted as papa, father, or dad. The first day my host brother asked how old I was and after hearing I was 22 he belted a marvelous laugh and said everyone is going to think I’m lying. Regardless, even at 22, the majority of Mozambicans are married and have started a family. If you’re 22 and single in Mozambique, then something is probably wrong with you – or at least that’s the social image and the norm. As such, I also get asked how many children I have…

I’ve never turned so many heads in my life. Day 1 just walking through town with the Director of the school everyone is pausing their conversations to take a look at me. Because of my privilege and being an American, the Director of the school introduced me to all of the authorities in Namuno. I met the Director of Education for the District, the Governor of the District, and the Police Chief for the District. The second weekend in my town I attended the town’s local soccer game where about 700 people were in attendance. Upon walking into the soccer area, about ¾ of the stadium turned to stare at me. It’s not a judging stare but a jaw-dropping stare.

On one of my runs I passed a young girl whose jaw immediately dropped upon seeing me. She ran back inside, called for her parents, and brought them out and pointed to me. I can only imagine the young girl asking her parents, “Hey mom and dad, what’s that over there?”. On the same run I passed a man riding a bike – but here’s the catch, there was a goat (alive) strapped to the handle bars.

And now it’s time for the rapid fire stories:

-I was ralaring coco (shaving coco out of a coconut) and within 5 minutes my entire leg was crawling with ants. Still not sure how I did not notice them sooner or earlier…

-In Namaacha my bathroom is basically a hole in the ground with 4 walls. In Namuno my bathroom’s hole was at a slant for draining. So after dropping a #2, I had to grab a rock/cloth to push it down the drain. Oh, and Namuno does not have any Toilet Paper. As such, I learned to use my left hand and consequently I took the same number of bucket showers as poops…

-New record for most packed chapa!! Driving from Montepuez to Pemba (about 200 km). Reminder – a chapa is a 15 passenger van that seats 21 people. We packed 28 people in my Chapa, but to be fair 2 of those were babies and another 2 were children sitting on their parents’ laps.

-On the way back from one of my runs I saw papaya falling from one of the papaya trees. Low and behold, someone had climbed this 40ft papaya tree and was knocking down the fruit… No ladder, no tools, no nothing. Just climbed the tree barefooted.

-I did some tutoring at site which was both horrifying and invigorating. It took me 20 minutes to explain to a 10^th grader why 180 – 130 = 50. I tried to break it into 80-30 and then had to break it into: what is 8-3? Shortly after, I was tutoring a 12^th grader teaching integration! And the student was able to understand and solved several other integration problems I made for him.

-This last week has been test week for the trimester (school gets out in another week for summer break). One of the math professors asked me to help type up his math tests because I know how to type. Which was excellent practice for my Portuguese typing skills! And also, shout out to my Professors at Gonzaga who have helped me learn how to format mathematical documents. Two main things occurred during this period. First of all, another history teacher typing up a test had a bottle of whiskey and was “sneaking” sips while he made his test. Secondly, I found myself teaching explaining to the math teacher that 2 * sin(x) is much different than sin(2*x).

-During test week I was sitting under the big tree with other teachers just chatting. Casually the history teacher (a different one than the previous whiskey drinking teacher) said he’ll be right back because he needs to go collect the tests his students are taking… After speaking with other Peace Corp Volunteers, cheating is highly prevalent and teachers do not do a lot to stop it (normally and at least in many of our experiences. Also recognize that most PCVs are placed in rural sites so the larger cities do have a better education system). Also, 50% is considered a passing grade.

-I’ve been living with the pedagogical director of the secondary school. Three of his nephews live with him so they can attend school. They do all of the cooking, cleaning, and household chores. When I tried to wash my own laundry the mae even yelled at them to help me… I’ll tip my hat to them for breaking conventional gender norms!! At the same time, they do the household chores as payment for living and eating there. Oh, and their hands are made of steel or something. They are able to grab boiling pots and lids with their bare hands.

-I was walking back from the soccer game and a white car that looked that a Peace Corps car passed me. It stopped and starting reversing! A little weird especially because the closest Peace Corps Staff is 8-ish hours away from me and the closest PCV was 2 hours away. Turns out it was an American family living in the city of Montepuez!! They’re currently on an aid project of some kind and even invited me to their house for Thanksgiving!!! Unfortunately, I won’t be able to join them because I’ll be back Namaacha for Thanksgiving. On the up side, the Country Director of Mozambique does host us for a Thanksgiving dinner!

-Several of the students asked me to coach/train their soccer team. I suppose it’s time to learn how to seriously play soccer!

-I have a basketball court in my town but there are no hoops – just the concrete floor.

-I made mashed potatoes for my host family and the brothers called it candy

-A 29yr old teacher at the EP2 school (like a middle school) passed away while I was in town. No one knew what he died from, but statistical it is most likely he had HIV and died from tuberculosis. I was invited to attend the funeral service which was an enlightening cultural experience. After the funeral, the immediate family does not leave their house for 3 days. Friends and extended family spend the majority of their time just sitting at the house with the immediate family.  

Fears/Challenges

Looking toward the future, I now see the struggles I will face in teaching high school Math, Physics, and English. The majority of students struggle with basic arithmetic. Negative numbers are impossible: 3-7 is nearly impossible for students to solve. Multiplication and division? Not happening. However, the curriculum is basically just as fast as the rest of the world. It is quite similar to the US curriculum. As such, I will have to plan classes that also teach the basic arithmetic to mathematics. Some students will be motivated and some will not be. My hope is to share passion and a love for learning and hopefully a few students will be able to connect. I want students to know that their learning is their responsibility – learning is not a passive action that occurs when a teacher writes something on the board. Learning requires active action and intentional time spent studying or practicing.

Adjusting/Learning

There are two things I would like to share in this space. Passear-ing & the lack of stress. First of all, the verb passear means to stroll or go for a walk. Passear-ing is how my community stays so strongly connected. It is normal to just passear to a neighbor’s house, pull out a chair, and sit and chat for a bit and then continue your passear. The point is not to get exercise or to be active. The purpose is to pass time walking and interacting with the community. While at site, I passear-ed daily. I introduced myself to people. I admired the amazing trees with massive trunks that cast shadows providing relief from the midday sun. I watched people in the market play games I’ve never seen before. I even found a cashew tree!! (before a month ago I did not even know that cashews grew on trees and that there are things called “cashew fruits” and that our cashew nuts grow at the bottom of the fruit).

I was talking to a friend back home about what I’ve learned about myself. Overall, I do not have any deep profound insights that are life changing or prophetic. But, I am happy here. I was explaining to my friend that I do not even remember the last time I felt stressed. Which is funny because I have plenty of things that should rightly stress me out. My chapa from Montepuez to Pemba was stopped 3 times by the police to check my ID and so the driver could pay the cops (technically 21 people in a chapa is illegal so there is an agreed upon fee drivers pay cops instead of being fined a ticket…). I haven’t had or seen toilet paper in weeks. The ATM ate 3,000 mets which is about $45 USD (fortunately I filled a report and now have my money back). I do not speak Makua and that’s the main language of my town. I speak enough Portuguese to get around. Before arriving in Pemba, I had not seen another PCV or American for 2 weeks. I had 3 conversations in English, 2 of which were from friends back home and the other with an English teacher at my school. It gets reaaaal hawt in Cabo. Not quite as hot as the province of Tete, but it’s hawt. My future students don’t know simple mathematic arithmetic. I will have a roommate who I have just now met. We will be friends because we have to be friends. I’ve accidentally said I was married, and accidentally agreed to father a child with someone. I believe I’ve witnessed students paying for higher grades. I’ve seen a teacher drinking in the teacher’s lounge while making a test. 6 hours is now considered a short trip for me. I rarely get to drink a cup of coffee.

With all of that said, I am incredibly happy. My intention is not to end with a vent, but to end with the explanation that I’m deeply content with my life here. Easy? NO. Without challenge? HEEEEECK NO. Toilet Paper? Think again. But, right now, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Mozambique is beyond amazing.

Logistics

I have one more month in Namaacha and then we head to Maputo to “swear in” at the Ministry of Education. After that, I head to Cabo Delgado in early December. I’ll probably spend a few days at the beach of Pemba and then head to my site. Summer break goes until January 20^th so I have time to adjust to my community and begin the Makua learning.

I want to end with a speech by another director given to the volunteer headed to Moma, province of Nampula. While this was not my director giving this speech to my community, it heavily resembles my experience living in Mozambique.

(original speech was given in Portuguese)

“He is here without a father. Without a mother. Without uncles, brothers, sisters, or friends. He does not speak our language, he does not know our land, or our ways. And yet he has come. So your fathers will be his fathers. Your mothers his mothers. Your homes will be his. You are his brothers and sisters. His protection, his happiness. These are our responsibilities and he is welcome here”

- Daniel –