Capulamikas

For the past couple weeks I have been trying, unsuccessfully, to find the common thread between the sinking of the titanic, the declaration of the emancipation proclamation, an IRS deadline, and Alto Molocuean Passover. Water related deaths cover the titanic and Passover, but not the others. The federal government put the IRS and emancipation proclamation together, but again left two in the cold. Day of freedom could bring together all but the titatnic, unless you have a philosophical view of death. Try as I might, these 4 events shared only one strangely coincidental thread: April 15^th. 

Ellen, Myself, Arielle and Dylan at the seder

Though the date commonly recognized as the time for the 5000-year-old-escaping-slavery -victory-party was more than a week before, Eliahu got to Alto Molocue a little late this year. Maybe it has something to do with the lack of Jews (10 in Peace Corps by my counting). Maybe it has something to do with the lack of matzah (only available if you make your own). Maybe it has something to do with the uncomfortable proximity to Gaza (province). Or maybe it has something to do with exam week falling on the same week as Passover. Whatever the reason, I spent global Passover eating 4 delicious egg, ketchup, and cheese (newly arrived to Alto Molocue!) sandwiches, but April 15^th and 16^th eating flavorless crackers.

On day before AMP (Alto Molocuean Passover) I left the breathtakingly beautiful Gurue, which I had come to for a JUNTOS (Peace Corps journalism group) conference, and made my way back to Alto Molocue in the company of Moz 17er Zackaria and Moz 16er Vincente. Sitting in the back of a pickup truck with about 20 other travelers, 2 chickens, 4 sacks of cement, 2 window frames, and a large piece of zinc roofing we made our way up the bumpy winding road. Due to the previous night's rain, the mud along the dirt road was quite bad. On two occasions the road was so slippery that everyone had to get out and push to make it up a hill. 2 sore ass cheeks latter, we arrived in Alto Molocue and made a brisk shopping trip (tomatoes, eggs, bread, sugar cane, and light bulbs) to prepare for the inundation of visitors from Cabo del Gado and Nampula provinces.

As this was the first time I was going to have a large group of volunteers at my house, I was quite nervous. Beyond the unusual jitters that come with being a host (clear directions, sufficient food, room to sleep, ect…) being a PCV adds a few more layers of stress. First, there is the problem of water. Where as in the US water is an effortless resource, any water I have here either requires a heavy rain or an exhausting trip to the pump. Hoping to avoid having to get water during the 3 days of visits, I had bought and filled an 80 litter balde (bucket) to supplement my already existing 150 litters of storage. Even so, 7 people drinking water, taking bucket baths, flushing toilets, cooking food, and washing plates used most of it up in a little over 24 hours. Luckily, I have the amazing Tojo to keep water in my house and my calm in my mind.

I'm a lumberjack and I'm ok,

I sleep all night and  I work all day

Another added stress is security. It is well known among PCVs that most security incidents happen when a large group of volunteers are together. Though I normally feel very safe at site, all the added attention that comes with having 6 more Americans in my house does change things. Hoping to avoid any incidents, I had spent the week before upgrading the security measures on my house. Knowing that a crocodile filled moat around my yard might make community integration a little difficult, I had to settle with putting up gates on the doors of my quintal, re-cementing the gelhas on my windows and doors, and making sure Coco was comfortable sleeping outside. Though these measures may not have done much in the event of an actual burglary, it put my mind at ease.

Harroset!

Feeling as prepared as I could be, I started walking up towards the paragem to welcome my guests to Alto Molocue. As if I had planned it, Ariel, Ellen, Patrick, Leah, and Christina all showed up just as I reached the highway. After allowing them to sample some off the finner things in Alto Molocue (soft serve ice cream) and taking them on a leisurely stroll through town (hike up a 10% grade hill with big bags), I brought them home. As requested, each guest had brought with them an ingredient for Passover, which they presented before our quick and easy dinner of spaghetti with sauce. After a couple round of beers from a local bar, we pushed furniture to the walls, turned the bed-sofa into a bed, and went to sleep.

Chicken's out of Coco's grasp

Monday found us awake and excited to start what would be the gross majority of our merry band’s first Passover (10 attendees, 3 Jews). To get all the ingredients for our feast, I went out with a small foraging party. Upon our triumphal return, we began cooking a Passover spread that would have made any Jewish mother proud. Chicken (first kills for Cristina and Ariel), matzah ball soup, harroset, homemade matzah, cacana (bitter herb), apple crisp, and friend rice alongside a giant balde of sangria to ensure that we all met the 4 drink minimum (check your hagada).

My fellow Jews Arielle and Ellen with their Capula

After distributing the capulamikas (capulana yamikas), everyone sat down and we began the seder. You should know that this wasn’t your grandfather's everything-in-hebrew-no-skipping-pages-wish-I’d-just-watched-the-rugrats-episode seder. This was a Sam Bar seder. And if you know anything about Sam Bar, you know he’s fast, and likes to talk in the third person. Though I would like to show you how it’s done, the extensive video recording system I set up never worked, so here are the highlights:

1) Tell the Passover story
     a. Jews building pyramids
     b. Moses to Pharaoh "Let my people go!"
     c. 10 plagues (voting is required)
     d. Pharaoh to Moses "I'm letting your people go"
     e. Pharaoh to himself "I shouldn't have let his people go"
     f. Chariot chase ends in Red Sea
     g. Moses to himself "Where should my people go?"
2) Four Questions
     a. Flavorless crackers
     b. Bitter herbs
     c. Condiments are awesome!
     d. Chillax the night away
3) Seder Plate
     a.  Egg
     b. Cacana (bitter herb)
     c. Dried Parsley
     d. Harroset
     e. Chicken Bone
     f. Wasabi (horse radish)
4) Drink wine and eat food

Despite the little mishap with the afikoman (one of the guests didn't understand that it was to be eaten latter, so they hid it in the toilet), everyone finished the night stuffed full of food and a little drunk on sangria. The next morning, we all packed our bags and headed to Nampula for the conference which takes place after 4 months at site for volunteers to compare notes and integration strategies, known as Reconnect. It’s also a great excuse to go shopping in Nampula for life’s essentials (peanut butter and duct tape).

Happy Belated Passover!

PS: I was unable to take any pictures of the Seder. Luckily, Ellen was snapping away and once I get the pictures from her, I will add them to the post.