Letter to a Fellow PCV

Started writing this as an email to a fellow PCV who’s finishing his 2^nd year in Romania (Hey Marco), but then the internet cut out and I decide to turn it into a blog post:

Hey dude, sorry I haven't gotten to it sooner, but I imagine you know how it is. So, this is what Peace Corps is like. When I was getting ready to leave the US I had all the ideas and thoughts and expectations about what it would be like. How weird, strange, and different it would feel. But you know what? Today I forgot I was a PCV in Mozambique.

I didn't notice it until I was walking back from my sitemate’s house and snapped back into reality, but for a short time there I wasn't a PCV in Mozambique. I was just in Mozambique. After snapping back to reality, I was both excited and afraid. On one hand, it's great to finally be so fully immersed. After hearing so much about the importance of "cultural integration" and second goal activities, to finally not be worrying about it for a few hours was a relief. But, then the fear of losing myself came on, and the unknown territory that accompanies it.

What happens when I'm not sure if I'm a PCV in Mozambique? So much of my existence for the past 6 months, nay past 9 months, nay past 3 years, (when I first announced I wanted to become a PCV) was tied up in what a “Peace Corps Volunteer” symbolized. But today, I felt what it would be like to be without that cloak. Just like any other time you take off clothes, you feel at first naked and then liberated. Just in writing this note, I have gone from being scared of not knowing to who I am, to being excited about the opportunity to figure it out again.

Well here’s to the joy of discovery

Hope to hear from you soon,

Sam

Sitting Outside, Watching Clouds

7:45 – Wakeup, put on pants, and go to kitchen. Put water in kettle and press button, no light turns on. Shit, there’s no power

8:15 – Laptop screen goes dark, then computer goes into sleep mode, I probably should have charged it yesterday

8:20 – Try light switch, still no power

8:49 – Send text to Dylan “Do you have power?”

8:50 – Receive text from Dylan “Nope. Should be on in a few hours”

9:35 – Try light switch, still no power

9:36 – Try different light switch, just in case. Still no power

10:10 – Get tired of reading inside, move to hammock

10:15 – Get tired of reading outside, move back inside

10:55 – Go to visit Vena and family at their house, sit outside and watch clouds

11:00 – Sit outside and watch clouds

11:20 – Sit outside and watch clouds

11:40 – Sit outside and watch clouds

12:00 – Sit outside and watch clouds

12:10 – “Sam, when is your birthday?” “July 3^rd” “You should invite all of your pretty students to your party” “Umm, ok”

12:20 – Sit outside and watch clouds

12:40 – Sit outside and watch clouds

13:00 - Sit outside and watch clouds

13:15 – Lunch is ready. Cove and Xima. Yumm

14:10 - Lunch is done. Go home, check power. Still nothing

14:30 – Go to visit co-worker Freitas at his home, not there. He’s at his bar

14:40 – Find Freitas at his bar, drink warm beer with him and his friend

16:10 – Start talking to parents on cellphone. Good thing I charged it.

16:40 – End talking to parents, with plenty of battery to spare. Skillz

16:41 – Check both light switches, still nothing.

16:55 – Go outside to watch sunset, which is particularly beautiful. Take Picture

16:55 – Arrive at Dylan’s house, light charcoal stove for dinner.

17:20 – Add more charcoal

17:25 – See neighbor has lights on, run inside to check. Still nothing. Well aren’t they chique with their generator at all.

17:40 - Add more charcoal

18:00 - Add more charcoal

18:15 – Dinner’s ready. Egg fried rice and chocolate-covered-pancakecake. Double Yumm

18:22 – Hear noise from outside, go to investigate.

18:23 – Loud cheering from all the neighborhood children and booming Mozambiquean pop hits indicate one thing: power’s back on!

18:39 – Power’s back off

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This past week was the 6 months anniversary of when I actually started my Peace Corps service here in Alto Molocue. In commemoration of this milestone, I’ve used the wondrous powers of Picasa to make this collage of important people, places, moments, and things that have defined the first quarter of my service.

What's Your Favorite?

Recently I’ve been feeling that my French lessons have been lacking that little “pizzaz” that made them an authentic Samuel Bar lesson.

The reasons are numerous.

1.       Second Semester Slump
2.          Rigorous’ french curriculum given to us by the provincial ministry of education
3.         The now 2 weeks closer exams based off the curriculum given to us by the provincial ministry of education
4.         Secondary Projects Exhaustion
5.       Ran out of Nutela and coming down to the last box of mac-and-cheese

But the effect is the same; I have been more tired during lessons, which entertains the students less, which entertains me less, which makes me more tired for the next lesson, and so on. It’s been a depressing few days of classes, and distressingly the dread of having to go to teach has regularly preceded the past few days.

Then I asked for my students favorites as part of an activity about giving your opinion, and not only did the “pizzaz” come back, but I learned some interesting things about Mozambiquean 11^th grade day and night class students:

2 in 6 turmas (classrooms) had Chris Brown as their favorite singer

2 in 6 turmas had Porto as their favorite sports team

2 in 6 turmas had Chelsea as their favorite sports team

3 in 6 turmas had Filiosofia as their favorite subject in school, if not for French of course

3 in 6 turmas had Killer Bean as their favorite movie, which I’ve never heard of

5 in 6 turmas had arroz con feijao (rice with beans) as their favorite meal, which I’d agree, is pretty good

The next day I asked for their least favorites

1 in 6  turmas had Pornographic films as the worst type of movies

1 in 6  turmas had Rato (Rat) as the worst type of food

1 in 6  turmas had Cabanga (fermented maize flour liquor) as the worst drink

2 in 6  turmas had Cacana (bitter herb) as the worst type of food

3 in 6  turmas had Tentacao (cheap and shitty gin, equally usable for killing brain cells and degreasing engines) as the worst drink

3 in 6  turmas had Terror films as the worst type of movies

3 in 6  turmas had Dalmacio as the worst singer

5 in 6  turmas had Mambas as the worst sports team

Now I don’t know what that this means beyond me being a very poor pollster. But if you figure it out let me know.