So I’d like to think that now that I’m a seasoned second year PCV, I know a thing or two about Mozambique. Don’t buy the bread on the top of the pile at the market. Don’t use your left hand to wave hi to people. Don’t accuse vendors of being racist when they try to make you pay more. Don’t convince yourself that you’re a surgeon and the PC doctor shouldn’t see you finger. And don’t stress out about how long it takes for full classes to actually start.
Now for all you new or aspiring PCV’s out there, this is not
a recommendation to skip the first days of class. When I first got to Alto
Molocue last year and found out that classes were starting, I was super excited
to get into the meat of my service. Of course, I was incredibly disappointed by
the lack of attendance and kept kicking myself for being the sucker who
actually showed up. Between students who didn’t know that classes had actually
started and a majority of my colleagues who weren’t back from vacation yet,
teaching an actual lesson was impossible. Though this made me incredibly
frustrated and antsy to get to work, I learned a lot about how the school operated
and was eased into teaching gently. Eventually classes did start, and by that
point I was already well on my way to becoming the jaded and skeptical professor I am today.
Louisa, Allison, and our local guides after we reached the top |
Myself, Eunice, Euclides, and Argentina at the meeting |
Eric, Dylan, and I with the mosquito netting team |
Though it was not the incredibly productive first week of school I had
hoped for, I was happy to have used my time effectively and avoid the disappointments
of last year. Here’s to a wise and wasteless 2013!