The Peace Corps Mozambique Changed My Life (10 Years Later- Life Update)

 

Long time no talk! I hope you're doing well. I wanted to check in since I haven't blogged in forever. It's been 10 years since I returned to the U.S. after living in Mozambique for two years. Since moving back to the U.S., I've been a counselor, a teacher, and an astrologer and I've been through ups and downs. I feel like the extremes I experienced in the Peace Corps has helped me persevere and be strong through life's burdens. Even though I'm at a different place in my life these days and I'm not as much of an adventure/travel junkie, there has been no experience comparable to that of Mozambique, so far. The Peace Corps' motto was right, "It's the toughest job you'll ever love." If you feel called to join the Peace Corps, do it! It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet people from a different culture, possibly learn a new language, and make a difference in your new community. Best of all, you can learn a lot about yourself in the process.

After my return to the States, I thought, “Did I do anything that actually helped the kids I taught?” I still wonder about all the students I’ve taught and counseled over the years. I don't know for sure if I did, but every single one of them has made my life more fulfilling and I've learned a lot from them.

Yesterday, one of my former high school students named Delcio sent me this video of his 12th-grade students singing, “We Are The World”. I couldn’t believe that he teaches at the same school he graduated from, which is where I also taught! This video brought tears to my eyes because not only is it a moving song, but it reminded me of when I taught my students songs in English. 

I’m not sure how much of an impact I had in Delcio’s or the other students' lives, but I’m grateful to have been able to have an immersive cultural exchange and learn lots of tough life lessons. I’ll never forget this pivotal time of my life. 

Thank you so much for following my journey in Mozambique! Let's keep in touch mozampaz@gmail.com

The views expressed on this page are of that of my own and have nothing to do with the Peace Corps as an entity.

A Despedida. The Goodbye.

The basketball team and I had a goodbye party.  Here are some of the girls dancing.

They're watching "Love and Basketball" with Portuguese subtitles

Some of the girls and I

They're so goofy.  I miss them so much!

We watched a slideshow of the past two years 

Rochaela had her birthday party at her preschool

Aren't the kids so adorable in their little uniforms?

The girls playing outside

This was student's day where students across the nation celebrate.  I was supervising this class.

My goodbye party with some of my students from the English Club

I'll be posting a a final entry soon about my overall Peace Corps experiences.  If you have any specific questions you want me to answer, email me at Mozampaz@gmail.com.  Oh, and Happy New Year! Até logo!

Hey, everyone! I haven't forgotten about you all or my blog.  I safely made it home and had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my friends and family.  I will write my final posts soon on my reflections of my two years in Mozambique.

Sports Mural

Another project that I spearheaded was the sports mural project that began about a month ago.  I received the money for the paint and brushes from the sports grant that I wrote.  Three dedicated volunteers from my high school drew and painted a sports mural promoting HIV/AIDS education on the gymnasium wall.  The purpose of doing the mural alongside the sports camp, was to continue encouraging conversations about HIV/AIDS in the community using colorful illustrations. Take a look at their work awesome. 

Translation: "Kick out HIV.  Use condoms"

Translation Bottom: "You can hug people living with HIV/AIDS"

Title Translation: "Athletes Playing Against HIV"

Translation: Forms of HIV Transmission:  Sexual relations, contact with infected blood, and from breast milk. I guess we could have said by semen and vaginal fluids instead of "sexual relations".  But I'm really happy with their work.

The artists (from left to right): Sequerito, Velasco, and Wiler.  I gave them certificates for executing the project.

I'm so proud of these guys! I wish them well on their creative path. 

20 Things That I'll Miss About Mozambique

With less than two weeks left in Mozambique, I'm left ruminating over the things that I'll miss about this country.  Since I left the States in September 2012, I salivate every time I think about bean burritos stuffed with crunchy veggies and guacamole.  I've been daydreaming about living in an apartment by myself where I don't have to explain to my neighbors why after work I only want to watch TV shows.  How great will it be to go to only one store, such as Target, and buy most of what I need for a month? But here, I have to travel two-hours away just to buy grapes, pears, and soy sauce.

However, I know once I'm back in the U.S., I'm going to miss a lot about Mozambique.  Here are the top 20 things that I predict that I'll miss about Mozambique.

1. Traveling to different sites in Mozambique and other African countries.  Who doesn't like exploring different cultures, food, languages, beaches, and cities?

2.  Even though I don't make a lot of money as a volunteer, I've learned how to survive on less than $250/month. Moreover, I don't have to worry about paying rent or other bills. I'm going to miss not having to pay bills. Ahhh!

3. I enjoy hearing cheerful songs on the radio almost everyday or the ones that my community members sing in their local language.  Also, it's fun to randomly dance with friends in the neighborhood. 

4. I can buy a plastic bag full of mangoes that were picked from the tree that day for a dollar or three coconuts for the same price.

5.Maybe I'm a complete nerd but I love learning new languages.  I'm a fluent Portuguese speaker now because I talk to students, teachers, community members every day.  I'm going to miss the constant exposure to the language, but I plan to continue practicing it in the States.

6. My schedule got busy during the school year.  Having someone help hand-wash clothes, clean the dishes and the bathroom helps to alleviate stress. I'll definitely miss having some extra help around the house.

7. I'll miss how many of my activities took place outdoors. It was nice to cook my meals outside, take afternoon naps on a mat, or even feeling the cool breeze as I Skyped with my mom underneath the stars.

8. I've been able to travel to many provinces in this massive country.  It's been great meeting new people on the way to the beautiful beaches and mountain sites.

9. If you've been away from your home for at least two years in a country that may have intermittent internet, electric power, and water, then you know how challenging it can be for many Peace Corps volunteers.  At the same time, the cultural differences and language barriers forces us to adapt in ways we never imagined. I'm grateful for how much personal growth I've accomplished in just two years.

Ilha de Mocambique

10. I enjoy reading in my free time.  My first year in the Peace Corps, I had plenty of down time to read a lot of books.  Some of the books I've read this year and the previous one, have been pivotal in shaping my world view and growing experience here.

11. Overall, I have had little stress here. I don't really have deadlines or a boss emailing me to remind me to turn in a proposal.  Contrarily, I usually leave my site once a month and I visit the beach often enough. 

12. The 8th graders loved to learn new songs in English while I played the ukulele. Most of my students are motivated to learn English because they know how important it is to know the language.  I'll definitely miss their enthusiasm! 

Blessing and Me

13.  It's going to be hard to say goodbye to some of the people I've met in Mozambique such as, Mana Sonia, Blessing, Peace Corps friends, and the faculty at the secondary school. 

14. Hearing new Afro-House music.  Although it's annoying listening to it blasting at 4 AM, I'm going to miss the fusion of African drums and upbeat house music.

15. I'm going to miss the wide selection of capulanas (the African-designed cloth comes in countless colors and patterns, aka dashiki) and seeing people wearing pants, dresses, shorts, and skirts made out of the material.

16. The food here is influenced by Indian recipes and ingredients.  Even though I'll miss the coconut curry dishes, I'll be bringing some of the recipes back to the States.

Boabab Tree in Malawi

17. The beautiful landscape.  When I ride on a bus, I can't believe how green and breath-taking the never-ending hills are when I look out the window.  Also, I'm going to miss the Baobab trees.

18.Getting my hair braided is really cheap here in Mozambique.  There's a huge difference between paying $2 USD and $100 USD for braids. Will I ever pay to get my hair braided again in the States?  We'll see about that!

8th grade basketball team 2013

19. Sitting out on the veranda (porch) reading a book or cooking lunch with little to no stress.

20.  Remember how in the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy turns to the scarecrow and says, "I think I'm going to miss you the most"? Well, this is how I feel about my girls basketball team.  I'll miss them the most.

 I don't know when I'll see you again, but you'll always be in my heart, Mozambique.

Sports Camp 2.3

October 18th

Saturday morning stretches

How is every single one of them so flexible?  

Isn't she adorable?

I brought dodge ball to my community and they LOVED it!

Grassroot Soccer Activity

One person represents the human body, another is the immune system, and the other is HIV

The game starts with the immune system protecting the human body from getting attacked by diseases such as malaria and the flu

The objective is to demonstrate that it's easier for the immune system to protect the body when it doesn't have HIV than when it does have HIV.

One last game of dodge ball, but this time it was with two balls!

October 25th

Interesting way of warming up, lol! 

I love it when I see the girls having fun

"Lay-up Alphabet Game"

In this game, the girls sang the alphabet in Portuguese while passing around two basketballs.  The girls holding the ball on the letter "z", try to make a lay-up.  Those who miss the shot sit in the middle of the circle.

The girls having fun during a wheelbarrow race 

Songs and dancing to end the day

Unfortunately, this Saturday coming up (November 8th) will be the last day of the sports camp. I'm really going to miss training with all the girls and young women.  Also, my last day in my community as a Peace Corps Volunteer will be November 15th.  Stay tuned for my final blog entries.  It's been a great two years!