Beach day!

Thursday 10/21/2010

Today was another absolutely fantastic day, one of the best days I can even imagine! It was beach day for the kids, so after we served them Epap, we packed them all up and took them to the beach. The beach is only about a 5 minute walk from the preschool, but it seemed as though some of the kids rarely saw the sea. Swimming suits are clearly not common here. I’ve never seen so many cute little black bums running all over the beach. It was truly a priceless moment. I wish I had more pictures, but when I was in the moment I just had to take the time to enjoy it and dive on into the water with them. They were so much fun to take in the water, to splash back and forth with, and to toss like cannon balls. We saw lots of large crabs and the kids just snatched them up and played with them like toys; some even brought them home… and might even have had them for dinner.  Who knows!

So far all the children have been really well-behaved. Whenever we ask the children to do something, they follow our directions without protest.  I was amazed that we never even had to worry about them going beyond where they were capable in the water. They stayed close to an adult all the time. When it was time to go, they got out of the water and got dressed again (no whining). In my past, arguing and whining are normal kid misbehaviors. If I figure out why or how they avoid the basic limit pushing actions, I will be sure to write a book about it and make a fortune.

The weather was beautiful, but the heat was intense today. After applying my third layer of sunscreen (MOM), we continued our day outside. We planted an orchard of lemon, lime and mango trees. Then we continued building a hut for an older woman. I’m not going to lie, this afternoon was hard work, but so rewarding in the end.

I haven’t made my mind up about the food here yet. It is definitely tolerable, better than expected, and not always bad. Some of the volunteers actually really like it.  I’m not ready to admit that yet, but it does fill the hole. Most of what we eat is very repetitive. Whatever was made for dinner is bound to be eaten for the next few meals until it is all gone. That is very understandable; nothing is wasted in a place like this. But it does remind me, once again, how much we have and unfortunately how much we waste. 

If nothing else, be thankful every day for your health, your home, and your education. No matter how bad you think you have it, there is far worse here. If you are poor, you are in a country that can afford to give you support. If you’re hungry, you probably have a stove and can cook a meal. If it rains, you have a roof over your head. You have the opportunity for public education. And if you are reading this, you have access to a computer and internet, which is far more than can be said for most people here. So next time you wish you had more, just be grateful that you have the resources to know what more is.

New friends

Wednesday 10/20/2010

I started my day once again at the preschool. It was my day to water the garden. Mind you, I had to pump the water from a well. It was a fantastic workout and when I began to tire, all the children helped out. It felt a bit like child labor, but they enjoyed it.

This afternoon was charity hand-out day for all the donations that African Impact has been given. It was like “What Not to Wear” (show), watching the kids get new clothes that fit. We also put together vitamin packets, and bags of beans and rice for their families. The kids appreciate it so, but the parents are quite subdued. Some parents didn’t even bother to show up to receive their family donations, which is quite sad. The women amazed me though; as they left, they would put their 25-kilo (which is equal to 55 lbs) of rice, maybe two depending on the family size, on their heads, and walk the trek home whereever it may be.

The crew here is unbelievable. I couldn’t have asked for a better group. I am the only American with a Portuguese married couple, an Australian, two Norwegians, a Dutch, a Canadian, and a Brit along with our two British leaders. Everyone has a great sense of humor, is easy going and hard working. We all really enjoy learning about the others' cultures and get good laughs and good ideas from one another. We compare everything from the food we eat, things we have, hobbies we do to things we say (which we rapidly pick up). The best example of the day is Americans say “period (.)” Everyone else says “full stop” at the end of a sentence.

Our accommodations are better than I could ever have expected. Our living area is very clean and tidy (thank god). We have running water in our hut (hot and cold), and the opportunity to shower daily if we want. For those that know me well, I don’t really need to or choose to shower daily anywhere, and I had been practicing up for days before I left. ;) But it is nice to know that it is there.

So far the only thing I can say that I don’t like about Africa is that I hate sand in my shoes--I always have. The sand is never going away, so I think it’s time I get used to it! Then chalk up way more goods than bads at the end of the day.

New experiences

Tuesday 10/19/2010

I arrived safely at my final destination. Wow, words cannot describe where I am, but I will do my best. Tuesday 10/19, was my first full day here in Vicanculos, Mozambique. The days start with the sun rising at 4:45 a.m. We try to push off getting up a bit, but there isn’t much point so it’s early to rise… hopefully early to bed.

We start every day with preschool in the mornings. As we drive down the road the children are scattered about on their way to school.  They have great fun  chasing the truck we are in, trying to beat us, like in a race. We park when we can no longer drive on the  deep sandy paths. It takes only seconds to be mobbed by children.  They take no time to warm up to us; they are just so excited to have someone to play with. I am amazed with their clothing, though rugged and mismatched, there are lots of name brands and some are even fashionable. I’m guessing these were donated from other countries, maybe.

The first thing I wanted to do to them was clean up their little faces and wipe their noses. I had to get over that quickly because it isn’t going to happen. It’s the way they live, and an endless battle that would not be productive. I can honestly say that these kids are the happiest kids I have ever seen, and in some ways they have more than so many other wealthy cultures. They are all satisfied with what they have and appreciate everything that you give them. There is absolutely no status difference between any of them. These kids are tough; they do things that we would cringe at if we saw our little ones do. If they fall, they get right back up and do the same thing again.

We start first thing by serving them a vitamin porridge (called EPap), which looks like slop to me, but they seem to like it. There is a mango tree in the play yard. The kids eat unripe mangos like they are candy. They will shake the tree, throw things to make the mangos fall or beg you to lift them up high enough to get one. They bite off a chunk or two and then lick them to the end like a lolly pop ("how many licks does it take";)). We play for a bit before school starts. I found very quickly they love to play with hair. The girls must learn to braid each other's hair at a very young age. All of a sudden I had 5 little girls pulling strands in all different directions, thinking it was no big deal until it really hurt. I yelped “Ouch, ouch!” Since they only speak Portuguese, they just mocked me and laughed (not having a clue what I meant). I still had to laugh until I went to put my hair back in a ponytail and I had nappy weaves in so tight that they weren’t coming out anytime soon!!!

Overall I had a great first  morning with the kids singing songs and working on the number 12, writing it, counting out 12 beads, and drawing 12 circles. Then we served them a small bowl of rice for lunch before we go for the day. When they are done, they are free to toddle off to whereever they may go….

Then we got lunch! A 3 hour lunch break… by the beach! Our little hut is right on the beach and everyone has free time to do as they like. You all know how much I hate to lie at the beach, but I will cope somehow. ;) The teal blue, 80 degree water, and soft white sand help a bit. I think life is going to be OK here.