Posh Corps in Maputo

On Wednesday morning at 3 AM, half of our group took the first bus and I took the second bus with another group.  After a 15 hour plane ride from NY to Johannesburg, South Africa, my group and I waited about six hours for our plane to depart.  Meanwhile, the other group was swimming in the hotel pool and drinking pina coladas at the hotel because their flight was scheduled 5 hours sooner than mine.  I was too sleepy to take a nap at the airport even though I slept about seven hours on the plane.  Too fatigued to read a novel,  I observed people at the airport .  I observed a man who looked to be around sixty years old, charging and yelling to catch his flight as if he were running from wild zebras and giraffes.  I observed a young woman’s hips that swayed to slow beat.  They were the same hips that bore her baby who was protected in green and white cloth wrapped around her body like a cocoon.  People watching was very entertaining during the wait.  

When my group and I arrived to Maputo, Mozambique, we were separated into two vans and a Jeep .  I was in the Jeep and I watched a truck that contained a pile of our luggage and backpacks leading the way to our hotel.  The windows were down and I could smell the smell of burning trash and pollution and surprisingly, the new smell did not bother me. Suddenly, the vehicle turned onto a street that revealed a beautiful beach.  It was breathtaking. 

After my roommate and I dropped off our luggage in our room that overlooks the Indian Ocean, we completed paperwork, discussed how pre-service training would look, and we received a Meningitis shot and our first round of rabies shots. 

I will be posting pictures of my hotel room soon.  This doesn’t feel like the Peace Corps right now.  It feels more like “Posh” Corps because we are getting three delicious buffet meals per day and our hotel is simply gorgeous.  I’m taking advantage of this blissful scenery because the rest of my experience will not be nearly as lavish. 

This was a wonderful day.  I look forward to writing more soon.