Ahh the marketplace… rows of wooden stands all built right against each other going from the main road back until a line of trees and houses. To think such a paradise of inexpensive, quality fruits, veggies, and fish is but just a 3 minute walk from my house. Yet another reason to thank God daily. :)
As I mention in another blog, the market is just about a daily stop for me. Yes, I have to buy whatever ingredients I need any given day to make dinner, but I also go there specifically to enjoy some of the people that I have gotten to know over the past few months. There are the same shoppers who walk around the market when I do, the same kids playing while their parents work, and then of course there are the venders that work the stands themselves.
One of my favorite stands to visit is that of my friend Angelica. She’s a bit older, probably enough to be my grandma, and boy does she act like one towards me. I met her a few months ago when she called me over, recognizing me from my greeting the congregation in Church a few Sundays before. We got to chatting and next thing I know, I’m at her stand everyday and being spoiled rotten every time. It’s like she said one day to me right before I walked off, “Don’t be afraid to take bacelas. Your family is not here so you need other people to be your family here in Mozambique.” She smiled and as usual gave me a few free goodies in my satchel.
A bacela, for the non- Portuguese speaker or Mozambican, is at it sounds… a free item. And thankfully it’s not solely given away at the market near my house. As the general unspoken rules go, they are given when asked for by the customer, especially after buying lots of items. In other cases, however, when you shop at the same stand often and/or become friendly with a vender like Angelica, they are just offered. And what tastes better than a mango? You guessed it… a free one… :)
Meanwhile if somebody were in the mood to settle for a mere bargain, there’s also the option to haggle. Of course, while haggling is always a good way to get a decent price, there has to be a little bit of discernment involved. Is this person just trying to take advantage of the foreigner to get some extra spending money or is she (or) he simply trying to make ends meet? Maybe it’s best to not haggle unless the first situation is very apparent. Maybe it’s better to protect oneself regardless. Whatever side one may choose, I find that it’s better to give others the benefit of the doubt in most cases because you just cannot always know for sure.
Thankfully within my own marketplace there is a level of trust between myself and the women whose stands I go to. If the price has indeed gone up, they tell me and they always give me good quality. Meanwhile I return the favor by always going to them and buying lots of items from their stands everyday.
That said, the marketplace has become more to me than just a place to make transactions since I first arrived in December. The relationships, however basic they may be, have indeed been a great blessing to have at the end of a long day at work. Sometimes a smiling face and a talk about the weather is enough to both remind me that I belong here as well as to make some of the toughest days just a little bit better. Now that’s something to thank God for everyday, isn’t it?
Monday, March 2, 2009
What I Do
My job in its basic form is to collect the reports that schools and organizations hand in to ADECI every month and type up their numerical data on accomplished programs. Besides that I also work on computer maintenance (which is actually needed more often than one might think). . . Yeah, there’s not much to my current work day here.
It was my brother last week who said exactly what I have been thinking since I got here when he (James) bluntly asked, ‘So… when are you gonna…like… start helping people?’ Good question indeed little broski.
And my answer… the answer I’ve been reassuring myself with through this entire process is this:
time and patience.
Ok, so in the grand scheme of things I have roughly 21 or 22 months left here as I’ve already gone through just about 3 months at site. By now I am much more comfortable in my surrounding than before. I know people in my neighborhood better. I have a better idea of resources and needs in the area. I have ideas and I have friends and coworkers that are interested in these ideas. AND in just about a week or so I get training from Peace Corps on writing grant proposals (aka getting funding) and project planning. Things really feel like they are finally coming together.
Having said that, there are some potential challenges to overcome. First, I have to go around and make sure that, no, there are not other organizations doing the same or similar things as I am proposing to do. Second, in a country where jobs are scarce, working for NGO’s has become a popular profession for people whether dedicated or not. The simple fact is that people need to feed their families, so of course they will work somewhere even if their skills and talents don’t really match the job.
On the first point, I am sure that having other programs like mine isn’t going to be a huge issue. Granted I am still relatively new here, but I have been asking questions like crazy and have a good idea of what is going on in Maxixe. Still, I would like to visit these organizations to hear from their own mouths what they do and maybe even see what kind of resources they can potentially support me with. That’s what I will be doing this week and the week after in service training.
As for the second challenge, I have been blessed to find a great ally in the local Catholic university (Sagrada Familia). I have made friends with the President, the Deacon, and the head of Pastoral ministries and they have expressed great interest in having students help with some of my possible projects. And why not? Students volunteer there all the time not because they need the money but because it is simply what they love to do. If any of my programs are to succeed, it will be because of that fact.
In the end, given my progress thus far and the new opportunities that have arisen as of late, I am very confident in the direction that my service is heading at my site. All I have to do now is start with meeting local organizations and then take it from there. One day at a time. ‘Time and patience’ right? :)
It was my brother last week who said exactly what I have been thinking since I got here when he (James) bluntly asked, ‘So… when are you gonna…like… start helping people?’ Good question indeed little broski.
And my answer… the answer I’ve been reassuring myself with through this entire process is this:
time and patience.
Ok, so in the grand scheme of things I have roughly 21 or 22 months left here as I’ve already gone through just about 3 months at site. By now I am much more comfortable in my surrounding than before. I know people in my neighborhood better. I have a better idea of resources and needs in the area. I have ideas and I have friends and coworkers that are interested in these ideas. AND in just about a week or so I get training from Peace Corps on writing grant proposals (aka getting funding) and project planning. Things really feel like they are finally coming together.
Having said that, there are some potential challenges to overcome. First, I have to go around and make sure that, no, there are not other organizations doing the same or similar things as I am proposing to do. Second, in a country where jobs are scarce, working for NGO’s has become a popular profession for people whether dedicated or not. The simple fact is that people need to feed their families, so of course they will work somewhere even if their skills and talents don’t really match the job.
On the first point, I am sure that having other programs like mine isn’t going to be a huge issue. Granted I am still relatively new here, but I have been asking questions like crazy and have a good idea of what is going on in Maxixe. Still, I would like to visit these organizations to hear from their own mouths what they do and maybe even see what kind of resources they can potentially support me with. That’s what I will be doing this week and the week after in service training.
As for the second challenge, I have been blessed to find a great ally in the local Catholic university (Sagrada Familia). I have made friends with the President, the Deacon, and the head of Pastoral ministries and they have expressed great interest in having students help with some of my possible projects. And why not? Students volunteer there all the time not because they need the money but because it is simply what they love to do. If any of my programs are to succeed, it will be because of that fact.
In the end, given my progress thus far and the new opportunities that have arisen as of late, I am very confident in the direction that my service is heading at my site. All I have to do now is start with meeting local organizations and then take it from there. One day at a time. ‘Time and patience’ right? :)
ADECI
I work at a NGO (or non -governmental organization) called ADECI (in English- Association for the Development of the Community in Inhambane). Yeah… bureaucracies really love their acronyms. :)
The basic functions of my org. are as follows:
They are essentially the bank for other organizations and schools that want to promote health and HIV awareness in the community. In other words, ADECI (which receives money from USAID) provides funding to these groups in exchange for merely following through on proposed programs and writing/handing in monthly reports on all activities.
ADECI also has a program of its own called ‘Vida Sobre Rodas’ in which there are trained activists (usually teenaged since ADECI likes to work primarily with youth) hired within different communities outside of the city to perform door to door HIV testing and counseling.
Finally, there is Chapa da Malta, a once a month program that utilizes many of ADECI’s own activists in promoting HIV awareness through theater, debate, and other social events.
The basic functions of my org. are as follows:
They are essentially the bank for other organizations and schools that want to promote health and HIV awareness in the community. In other words, ADECI (which receives money from USAID) provides funding to these groups in exchange for merely following through on proposed programs and writing/handing in monthly reports on all activities.
ADECI also has a program of its own called ‘Vida Sobre Rodas’ in which there are trained activists (usually teenaged since ADECI likes to work primarily with youth) hired within different communities outside of the city to perform door to door HIV testing and counseling.
Finally, there is Chapa da Malta, a once a month program that utilizes many of ADECI’s own activists in promoting HIV awareness through theater, debate, and other social events.
A typical day
While it might not be so thrilling on my end of the spectrum at least, I figured some of you might be curious to learn how my life differs from the normal day to day in the states. And so, in the spirit of the third part of the Peace Corps Mission (‘to promote a better understanding of other people on the part of the American people’) here it is… Enjoy!
6:30am Wake up to my phone alarm. Most people in the neighborhood have already been up since sunrise an hour before, so I’m starting my day relatively later. While most people have already cooked breakfast and gotten dressed, I’m tying my mosquito net together and making my bed. NOTE- There aren’t many mosquitoes in the area, but I have the net because you never know what other ‘fun’ creatures could make their way onto my bed. (ie. Spiders, roaches and non poisonous scorpions…goo!)
6:35am Feed my dog the concoction of boiled shrimp and Xima (see previous blog) that I’d cooked the night before.
My dog’s name?, you ask. Let’s just say that if adventure had a dog, then its name would be…
… yeah, I went there.
6:37am Sweep my yard. This was one of the things that caught me off guard when I came here since… well… people here are essentially sweeping a yard of dirt and sand. Many Mozambicans take pride in having a neat looking yard though, which includes making sure that the sand has a combed over appearance and is free of leaves and other garbage.
6:40am Iron my clothes for the day and clean my shoes. I plug in my iron (I have electricity as many people do here) and brush off the dirt and sand from my shoes as I wait for the iron to heat up. Like I said… Mozambicans like neatness and if somebody shows up somewhere wrinkled and with tons of crap on their shoes (even though there is dirt and sand almost everywhere), they are not afraid to call you out. This actually happened to me once before. It’s not fun. Lol
6:55am Breakfast time! Fresh bread I bought at the market the evening before that I store in my trusty zip lock bag and South African peanut butter (optional banana and/or mango). Yeah… the peanut butter here (Black Cat) is A-mazing! My dog Indiana seems to like it too. :)
7:00am Shower time. So my shower is essentially a massive blue bucket (as tall as my waist and about a meter wide) in which I store water every Saturday for the week. How this works is you crouch down (still standing) and with another smaller bucket, pour water on the hair, back, chest, legs, and shoulders/armpits. Then you scrub with whatever shampoo and soap you have (Old Spice body wash/ shampoo, how I miss thee!) and repeat pouring with the bucket after you’re done. It’s very simple. And the water all drains off to the small hole in the wall off to the side. Important to note is that this is a room located outside which is separate from my house and is right next door to my concrete hole-in-the-ground bathroom.
7:15am Get dressed and brush teeth.
7:35am Start walking to work. The walk is about 20 minutes long and follows a series of winding roads through the trees which are made up of sand, dirt, tree brush, and the occasional garbage. By now I have taken the same route so many times that people and faces have become very familiar. And while the series of ‘good mornings’ and attempts at English greetings by others collectively make it a pleasant walk; the heat makes it a sweaty one. Let the countdown commence until Winter! :)
7:55am Run into the store near my work to buy ‘Maria’ crackers. ‘Maria’ crackers are essentially pseudo-graham crackers, but way better. They’re relatively inexpensive and serve as a good snack in between breakfast and lunch break.
8am- 1pm (or 13h); 2pm-4pm Work at ADECI (See ‘What I Do’ blog)
1pm-2pm Lunch Break. I walk from the ADECI building to the post office, which is a few blocks away, to check for mail at my PO Box. Then I trudge over to the ‘heart of the city’ as I like to call it (where traffic of people and cars is at its height) to a somewhat secluded spot off to the side under a big tree.
I like to go there because I can always find Mozambican women walking around the chapa stops and selling lanha (‘baby coconuts’). They carry the basin full of coconuts on their head and per request they pull out a machete and cut open the top of the coconut for me to drink. Then once I’m finished, they chop it in half and give me a spoon fashioned from another part of the coconut to scrape out the meat. SUCH a good snack!
Now its chill time under the tree until the end of break in which I usually am reading mail or a book. (Right now it’s ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’… highly recommended’)
4pm-5pm Very up in the air. But depending on what I did during lunch it either includes post office trip, reading once again, or just walking around for a bit. Regardless of the day I walk into the ‘heart of the city’ to buy what is in my opinion the freshest bread in all of Maxixe. It’s warm, it’s fluffy, and it’s D-licious!
5pm-6pm I make my trek up the dirt road back towards home which can include a stop to get samousas from the nice ‘samousa lady’ (as I call her) and/or the occasional visit to Anne’s (another Peace Corps Volunteer who lives by me). Whatever the case, I always like to stop by the marketplace by my house to buy the night’s groceries. (See marketplace blog)
6pm-7pm I come home and wash the dishes from the night before, straighten up my house a little bit then start dinner.
Cooking dinner, as I’ve mentioned before, has become one of my favorite things to do… always with either some classic rock or the blues playing. TO give you an idea, I have my share of pasta nights but I also make things like sushi, fried eggplant, and Spanish tortilla (French fried potatoes mixed in beaten eggs and cooked like a pancake) topped with bruschetta. Afterwards I make the dog her food, serve half and then save the rest for the next morning.
8-10pm Either hanging out with my neighbor Vaz, reading, writing letters, or watching something on my computer.
10-10:30ish Set up the fan and mosquito net in my room and go to bed.
Just another day in Maxixe!
6:30am Wake up to my phone alarm. Most people in the neighborhood have already been up since sunrise an hour before, so I’m starting my day relatively later. While most people have already cooked breakfast and gotten dressed, I’m tying my mosquito net together and making my bed. NOTE- There aren’t many mosquitoes in the area, but I have the net because you never know what other ‘fun’ creatures could make their way onto my bed. (ie. Spiders, roaches and non poisonous scorpions…goo!)
6:35am Feed my dog the concoction of boiled shrimp and Xima (see previous blog) that I’d cooked the night before.
My dog’s name?, you ask. Let’s just say that if adventure had a dog, then its name would be…
… yeah, I went there.
6:37am Sweep my yard. This was one of the things that caught me off guard when I came here since… well… people here are essentially sweeping a yard of dirt and sand. Many Mozambicans take pride in having a neat looking yard though, which includes making sure that the sand has a combed over appearance and is free of leaves and other garbage.
6:40am Iron my clothes for the day and clean my shoes. I plug in my iron (I have electricity as many people do here) and brush off the dirt and sand from my shoes as I wait for the iron to heat up. Like I said… Mozambicans like neatness and if somebody shows up somewhere wrinkled and with tons of crap on their shoes (even though there is dirt and sand almost everywhere), they are not afraid to call you out. This actually happened to me once before. It’s not fun. Lol
6:55am Breakfast time! Fresh bread I bought at the market the evening before that I store in my trusty zip lock bag and South African peanut butter (optional banana and/or mango). Yeah… the peanut butter here (Black Cat) is A-mazing! My dog Indiana seems to like it too. :)
7:00am Shower time. So my shower is essentially a massive blue bucket (as tall as my waist and about a meter wide) in which I store water every Saturday for the week. How this works is you crouch down (still standing) and with another smaller bucket, pour water on the hair, back, chest, legs, and shoulders/armpits. Then you scrub with whatever shampoo and soap you have (Old Spice body wash/ shampoo, how I miss thee!) and repeat pouring with the bucket after you’re done. It’s very simple. And the water all drains off to the small hole in the wall off to the side. Important to note is that this is a room located outside which is separate from my house and is right next door to my concrete hole-in-the-ground bathroom.
7:15am Get dressed and brush teeth.
7:35am Start walking to work. The walk is about 20 minutes long and follows a series of winding roads through the trees which are made up of sand, dirt, tree brush, and the occasional garbage. By now I have taken the same route so many times that people and faces have become very familiar. And while the series of ‘good mornings’ and attempts at English greetings by others collectively make it a pleasant walk; the heat makes it a sweaty one. Let the countdown commence until Winter! :)
7:55am Run into the store near my work to buy ‘Maria’ crackers. ‘Maria’ crackers are essentially pseudo-graham crackers, but way better. They’re relatively inexpensive and serve as a good snack in between breakfast and lunch break.
8am- 1pm (or 13h); 2pm-4pm Work at ADECI (See ‘What I Do’ blog)
1pm-2pm Lunch Break. I walk from the ADECI building to the post office, which is a few blocks away, to check for mail at my PO Box. Then I trudge over to the ‘heart of the city’ as I like to call it (where traffic of people and cars is at its height) to a somewhat secluded spot off to the side under a big tree.
I like to go there because I can always find Mozambican women walking around the chapa stops and selling lanha (‘baby coconuts’). They carry the basin full of coconuts on their head and per request they pull out a machete and cut open the top of the coconut for me to drink. Then once I’m finished, they chop it in half and give me a spoon fashioned from another part of the coconut to scrape out the meat. SUCH a good snack!
Now its chill time under the tree until the end of break in which I usually am reading mail or a book. (Right now it’s ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’… highly recommended’)
4pm-5pm Very up in the air. But depending on what I did during lunch it either includes post office trip, reading once again, or just walking around for a bit. Regardless of the day I walk into the ‘heart of the city’ to buy what is in my opinion the freshest bread in all of Maxixe. It’s warm, it’s fluffy, and it’s D-licious!
5pm-6pm I make my trek up the dirt road back towards home which can include a stop to get samousas from the nice ‘samousa lady’ (as I call her) and/or the occasional visit to Anne’s (another Peace Corps Volunteer who lives by me). Whatever the case, I always like to stop by the marketplace by my house to buy the night’s groceries. (See marketplace blog)
6pm-7pm I come home and wash the dishes from the night before, straighten up my house a little bit then start dinner.
Cooking dinner, as I’ve mentioned before, has become one of my favorite things to do… always with either some classic rock or the blues playing. TO give you an idea, I have my share of pasta nights but I also make things like sushi, fried eggplant, and Spanish tortilla (French fried potatoes mixed in beaten eggs and cooked like a pancake) topped with bruschetta. Afterwards I make the dog her food, serve half and then save the rest for the next morning.
8-10pm Either hanging out with my neighbor Vaz, reading, writing letters, or watching something on my computer.
10-10:30ish Set up the fan and mosquito net in my room and go to bed.
Just another day in Maxixe!
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