Happy Halloween!!!!

At least once a day, Peace Corps Volunteers lament how glorious American food (used loosely) is. Pretty much anything can bring it up: watching a movie and seeing a Taco Bell in the background, attempting to make favorite foods from home, talking about the weather, etc. It’s crazy. My point from this is that we talk about some pretty ridiculous things, and by ridiculous, I mean ridiculously boring. This is important because a couple of days ago, I found myself talking to Megan, my sitemate, about something completely absurd. It was so silly it deserves a blog.

So deodorant here is precious. The only d.o. you can come by is that roll on stuff that has an insane scent and doesn’t work. You can buy sticks of deodorant at Shoprite, but it is super expensive and way far away. Anyway, I’ve made it a point to have my mom send me a stick anytime I find myself about ¾ way through mine. I still get paranoid that I will run out of deodorant before that lifesaver of a package gets here. So, I’ve just started extending the lifetime of my sticks. You know when you get to the bottom of a stick and you start rubbing that plastic thing on your pit? That’s when I know I have about one more month left of deodorant. I pop that plastic thing out, use a pen to push each section of d.o. out and rub some on each morning. It has definitely led to some funny looks from Esther. A couple of days ago, Megan was over and, for some reason, I felt compelled to tell her about my new method of conserving deodorant. Where anyone else would look at me like a crazy person, she just nodded her head and gave me the most sincere “nice.”

Enough about that. Life’s great out here! This week is the last week of school and doesn’t involve giving any real lessons. I’m headed to Savane (rumored to be one of the prettiest beaches in Moz) on Thursday with some friends to celebrate the world’s best holiday!!! Should be a blast. Then, I’m going to return home for a couple of weeks before setting out on about two months of travelling! Soooooo exciting. Some things I’ll be doing: returning to Namaacha for training, Maputo, Ilha de Moz, Massinga, Cape Town, Kruger, more Maputo, more S.Africa, and the southern coast of Moz before heading home.

Miss you all. Hope you guys are celebrating Halloween in a way that would make me proud!!!!

<3 Von

Bruised and Battered, Far From Broken

Seeing as how tomorrow is the one year mark in Mozambique, I guess it’s the perfect time for a little reflection. If you asked me what I expected out of my Peace Corps service before I left the United States, I’m pretty sure my answers would have been pretty typical: learn a new language, experience a new culture, make new friends, travel, learn to cook, read some books, change the world, and so on.

I’d say for the most part, I’m right on track. Portuguese (more or less), check. Learning about Mozambican culture, check. New friends (Mozambican, American, and more), check. Read books, check. Learn to cook…..ehhhh….

As far as travelling goes, I definitely feel like I have experienced Mozambique. Two weekends ago, I had a whole new adventure on my way to Ribaue. The easiest/cheapest way to get there is via train. There were two options for tickets: 2nd and 3rd class. I’m sure you’re all asking the same thing I did, what happened to 1st class? I never got to the bottom of that question, just that it definitely doesn’t exist and hasn’t existed for a while. Anyway, wanting the true experience (or 2nd class being sold out, I don’t really remember) I rode 3rd class. I didn’t have to sit by any goats or anything so it really wasn’t all that bad. I just spent all my time in the dining cart snacking. Paying 25 Meticais (about 70 cents) for one of the best egg sandwiches to secure a place to sit is a price I will happily pay. My only question is, since there is no 1st class, why not call each class one higher? Add it to the list of things that just don’t make any sense. I just can’t wait to explore S. Africa in December!!!!

Change the world. Hmm, I just think that one was just a bit too ambitious. I think I’ve changed Esther’s world, so that’s a success, right?

So, there are some things that have happened since I’ve been here that were completely unexpected. Being paired up with Esther has made “roughing it” in Mozambique a breeze. I honestly believe that if Peace Corps advertised our lives together absolutely everyone would join. Bad days are easy to weather when you’re in such great company. I also never thought I would be diagnosed with arthritis at the ripe age of 23. Shooting pain in my hips eventually made walking without a limp impossible. A couple of specialists and a cocktail of meds later I’m seeing some improvement. I’m even thinking about jumping on the exercise boat again. Don’t worry, Mom, I promise to ease back into it. Making new friends was a goal, but I don’t think anyone could anticipate meeting such winners. You know you’ve made some real friends when you’re willing to hitchhike 600km each way to spend a weekend celebrating someone’s birthday. And…becoming a godmother!!!! Woo hoo!!!! To my little (used loosely) Kellen Verners, I can’t wait for the second I get to squeeze those chubby chubby cheeks. Btw, I’m still waiting on that photoshopped pic Marti =).

The next class of Mozambique volunteers (Moz 15) arrived yesterday. They will be headed to Namaacha in a couple of days to start their three months of training. It’s so bizarre to think us 14ers are going to be the “experienced” ones here. Have we even learned that much? Could we possibly offer any good advice? I really hope the answer is yes. I’m heading down to training Thanksgiving week to help out and would really like to be able to offer some words of wisdom. Well, success or no success, at least we will all get to enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving meal together. =)

All's well...

So, apparently I waited waaay too long to write this blog. I don’t even know where to start.

Science Fair. My school’s science fair came and went and was a complete success. I had 7 participants, 3 judges, 2 counterparts, and a lot of fun. All of the kids that participated really got into the spirit of science and exceeded my expectations. Some of their projects were: testing different soils, dissolving Styrofoam into different kinds of fuel to make glue, using citrus to power a lightbulb, making different kinds of ointments, learning how to emit radiowaves using local materials, and learning the best way to start a fire without using matches. I had two neighboring volunteers come in to guest judge as well as one of my school’s directors. Two of my students won (I had absolutely no say in that!!!) and we are in Nampula at regionals as you’re reading!!! Anyway, some things that I will work hard to improve next year are: increasing the number of participants and improving community involvement.

Travelling. Since I was fortunate enough to get placed in such a gorgeous country, this is ALWAYS a highlight. During the break between 2nd and 3rd trimesters, I had a chance to head to Ilha de Mozambique and Pemba. They are both insanely beautiful beaches, and paired together with great company, turned out to be one of the greatest times in my service so far. Being the only people on the beach as far as you can see each way, reading books, eating delicious seafood, cold beers…let me tell you, life in the Peace Corps is tough.

Esther. Esther had the nerve to leave me for 2 weeks so she could meet her sister in Barcelona. Seeing as how I have only cooked about 3 meals beginning to end, I was worried about how I might survive without her. Luckily, a lot of my travelling was during that time, so I really only spent 3 nights home by myself. After a disastrous first meal, I still don’t get how I messed up boiling eggs, I figured it couldn’t get any worse. I sucked it up and attempted to make Mexican rice and I succeeded!!! Okay, the texture wasn’t all that, but the flavor was definitely on point…Mom, you can be proud. Anyway, one important thing I did while I was in Pemba was pick Esther up from the airport. Her sister was nice enough to cart a million requests from LA to Barcelona, so saying Esther had tons of baggage to bring home is an understatement. Among all the goodies (countless tv shows, movies, snacks, etc.) was a new camera (loaded with pics from home), external hard drive and stick of deodorant for me, jackpot.

Volleyball. I remember writing a long time ago about getting staff volleyball games going…well, it is finally happening! I’m super excited, minus our practices are at 5am on Saturdays. Crazy people.

December. Not only does December mean that my first year of teaching is over as well as half of my Peace Corps service, December means I get to see my Mom and Marti!!!! Wooo hooo!!!! They have booked their tickets and are my inspiration for pushing through the hard work.

Rats/Bats. Esther and I always knew we had a rat, but after our first big catch we figured our problem was over…so wrong. We have now caught 5 rats, and aren’t seeing an end in sight. Not good. We also used to get about 1 bat in the house each week, but then it kind of slowed down. Well, I’ve been waking up the past few nights hearing and seeing them flying around. I can’t tell if it’s a hallucination or not (side effect of the malaria meds), but I swear one is living under my bed. Also, not good.

Anyway, life is great over here in Moz, just miss the heck out of you all back home. Hope everything is amazing. Keep the emails coming, they are always highlights of my days.

<3 Von

É assim…

Sunset in Nacala
After too many fails this is what we ended up with.

Not too much has happened since my last post, just realizing that mid-trimester is full of work, work, and more work.
I have finally started the science fair project that I have been looking forward to for a long time. So far I have taught the kids the scientific method, had them choose their topics, develop their questions, and write their hypotheses. One of the best things I did was recruit two Mozambican science teachers to help me: Egas, a math and physics teacher, and Consula, a chemistry teacher. What I have learned so far is that even though my Portuguese is good enough to teach and converse, it is not good enough to know what some of the kid’s ideas are. Here’s a highlight from our last meeting: I asked a kid what he had in mind for his project, he responded using about 15 words I have never heard of, I nod trying to disguise my perplexed face, pass the idea on to Egas and Consula, and then add as many of those words I can remember to my ‘words to look up’ list. The goal is to hold our school science fair at the end of July and have the winners compete in a regional science fair in August. Some of their ideas are pretty impressive, and I can’t wait to see what they can do!
Esther has been giving Ana Paula, one of our colleagues, English lessons. She teaches French, has a real knack for languages, and has quickly become a good friend. She is ‘chique’ to the max and is somehow more in the loop with popular culture than we are. We invited her over for dinner one night and made a delicious Mexican meal. Fitting right? We made beef taquitos, chips and salsa, and Mexican rice, all from scratch! Those of you who know me know I’m useless in the kitchen. Thanks to Esther, this is slowly changing. I have officially mastered making tortillas and tortilla chips!!! Great skills to have.
A little over a week ago, I was really disappointed by one of my favorite 11th grade students. I had assigned my English class a dictionary project to do, he did it, and received a decent grade. Esther had also assigned her 9th graders a similar dictionary project. My 11th grader gave his dictionary to his 9th grade brother to turn in to Esther. Esther discovered my students work and gave her student a zero. I felt as though I had to make an example of this kind of cheating to my students. In the process of making an example out of one of my favorite kids, I ended up embarrassing him. I held him in after class, apologized for embarrassing him, and explained why I had to be so mean. He forgave me and we moved on. The next day, he gave me a letter he had written to apologize for his behavior. This letter confirmed why I think so highly of him. Here’s one of my favorite parts: “I like you too much, and your love is not compare with nobody. I never forget you because you are teaching good behavior, you’re affable and I say thanks.” Not sure I’ve ever been called affable before…
Here are few things I am looking forward to: Teaming up with a P.E. teacher to organize a teacher volleyball game. Some visitors: from America and other Moz volunteers. Another trip to Pemba? Esther returning from her vacation in Barcelona. Teaching my class the cha-cha slide. Mozambican teacher’s day trip to the beach. Science Fair. Starting a teacher English club.

Ehale

We don't know how to act around other Americans anymore =/

Taught the kids all about slang using Mo' Money, Mo' Problems. Turned into a full on dance party.

Going out in Chimoio, almost felt like home.

I feel like I start every blog apologizing for how much time has passed since the last blog, so why change now? I’m sorry it has been so long since the last blog. I am now in my second trimester at school and time has been flying faster than before.
Between the first and second trimesters we had a nice little break from school. Esther and I took this opportunity to travel a bit around Mozambique. After all this travelling, my conclusion is this: There isn’t anything that Mozambique doesn’t have to offer. Mountains, beaches, friendly people, rivers, waterfalls, check, check, check, check, and check. Here are some of the highlights in no specific order:
1. Hike in Gorongosa. Gorongosa is in Central Mozambique and is mountainous, green, and absolutely beautiful. We hiked along a river with the hopes of ended up at a waterfall. It had been raining for a couple of days so the water in the river was really high. By hiking, I mean we waded along the river. Most parts were tame, but there were a couple of areas that were tricky to cross. We ended up at the waterfall, but because the water was so high, it wasn’t as defined as it normally is. Either way, between the perfect weather, gorgeous scenery, and great company, it was a day that won’t be forgotten.
2.Beach Olympics. Some brilliant person had the idea of getting a bunch of recent college graduates together for a day full of drinking games. The setting: Vilanculos, a beach city in Southern Mozambique. The ocean is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. The slope of the beach is so gradual you can walk about a minute out into the water and be only waist deep. Anyways, the day started with opening ceremonies, was followed by a shotgun race, flip cup, sloshball, dizzy bat, beer pong, and then ended with the closing ceremonies. There are two parts of the day that stick out in my mind. During the opening ceremonies, we all lined up and sang the National Anthem. This doesn’t sound like anything spectacular, but I can honestly say I have ever been so proud to be an American. As a teacher, I hear and participate in singing the Mozambican National Anthem two times each weekday. Since the song is about 5 minutes long, that means 10 minutes of each day spent hearing/singing the Patria Amada. That’s 50 minutes each week, 200 minutes a month, and 2400 minutes a year. Ridiculous. So, I guess my point is that after all the time spent singing about Mozambique, it was a great change in pace to get back to America. The second part of the day that sticks out in my mind is dizzy bat. This event includes chugging a beer, spinning around a bat 10 times, and then having to hit a ball. My epic performance during this event (along with Brian’s) put our team back in the competition. The north/central team eventually won the title.
3. The TCO bus. I’m pretty sure it stands for ‘The Classy Option.’ Travelling in Moz is a bit unpredictable. You can take chapas, buses, or hitchhike. All of these options can range from great to a really poor experience. Esther and I hitchhiked the majority of the time and had some sensational rides. But, one of our first rides of the trip, the Grupo Mecula bus, was so traumatizing we decided to splurge on our way home. We spent about 2 times the price of the awful bus to get home on the TCO. It was like a little bit of America here in Mozambique. The bus had a toilet, air conditioning, tvs, and served a meal!!! I did learn one lesson the hard way on the TCO: Even though there is a toilet, it does not mean you can go #2. The bus ride was 17 hours long, so I think the rule is ludicrous. Needless to say, I went on the bus. After I returned to my seat, the stewardess approached me and gave me an earful. After asking her what I could do about it at that point, she rolled her eyes, and walked away. Other than that, it was a lovely ride.
Getting back home meant returning to work. It was a new trimester and I was ready to get back. I decided to do one thing differently in my English class. Every Friday Esther and I choose a song to teach our classes. From the song, we teach vocabulary and a grammar point. It instantly became a hit. My kids have really opened up and we even had a dance party this last Friday. In the three weeks that we have been doing this I can already see my relationship with my students developing.
One last noteworthy thing happened recently, our house is officially rat free!!! My mom sent some of those sticky pads in her last package, and we caught Peter Pettigrew on night #1!!! Sweet success. Thanks mom.
Miss you all tons!!
<3 Von

6 Months!!!

Weekend at Ilha de Mozambique

9th graders...this is about 60% of the class. It was too big to get them all.

So I am almost done with my first trimester!!! Time really flies when school is in session. A couple of weeks ago, the volunteers from Moz 14 had our first reconnect. The in service training’s focus was evaluating our service thus far, forms, and problem solving. It was a helpful conference, but the highlights were not informational. To me, the best parts were seeing everyone, air conditioning, running water, hot showers, and delicious food for 5 days!!!!
Returning to school the next week was hard. Gathering the motivation to make 10 lesson plans a week, attend class in the pouring rain, etc. proved to be really difficult. But, I did it, and am officially back in the swing of things. =)
Okay, I’m about to make a big generalization, but according to my observations, it is not that far off. Mozambicans have an irrational fear of rain and snakes. Anyone who knows me knows how much I LOVE rain. My love has only grown exponentially since I’ve been here. Rain is absolutely lovely: it cools the hottest days, it lands in buckets and can be used for every need, it acts as a mini shower, etc. At the slightest sprinkle, Mozambicans feel it necessary to ‘fugir.’ I think people who don’t speak Portuguese can accurately guess what this word means. It doesn’t matter if they are in class, selling things at the market, or just walking down the street, after the first drop lands, they’re off in the sprint. I’ve been perceived to be a crazy person because I will walk home at a normal pace. Actually, I’ll walk home a bit faster so I can get my buckets out to collect water.
With the rain comes a rapidly growing yard. It never fails to have anyone who is visiting our house tell us to cut everything down so we don’t get snakes. No, I am not talking anacondas or boa constrictors, I am talking about little baby garden snakes (1-1.5ft long). Once any green is visible in the yard, even 2 inch long patchy weeds, we are in danger. It’s absolutely crazy. To me, the bigger threat is the crocodile that lives across the street that occasionally breaks loose. A close second are the million malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
I’ve discovered that I am one strict teacher. Some of the stories that stem from this are definitely blog worthy. Instead of bog you guys down with them all at one time, I’ll wrap up each blog with a fun story. Cell phones are a problem. They are constantly ringing, kids have them out all the time, and kids charge them in the class because their houses don’t have electricity. During one lesson, I heard a phone ring. I asked whose it was, and of course, no one owned up to it. I figured it would ring again, and was ready to pinpoint the source when it did. It rang again, and I found it. All Mozambican cell phones use the pay-as-you-go policy. I asked the students what the code is to send a designated amount of credit to another phone (my plan was to send my phone 5 Meticais worth of credit from his phone). Again, no one owned up to the code. I was upset. So, I did the next logical thing. I called my phone from his phone, answered the call, and left both phones connected for the rest of the class. Don’t worry; he only had 10 Meticais of credit on his phone (about 30 cents). Needless to say, phones haven’t been as bad in that class since then. Sweet success.
<3 Von

Mocambique Nossa Terra Gloriosa...

My school. 9 classrooms. 3000 students.

We are now PROS at collecting water.

Bat on sharpies.

Different bat in our dish washing bucket =/

Since the last time I’ve had a chance to write, the biggest change over here in Mozambique is that school has started. I knew I was coming to teach biology, what I didn’t know was that it was only going to be a sliver of my work load. I am spending most of my time teaching physics and English.
I agreed to teach English because I figured, ‘hey, I speak that language and I was teaching kids to read English before I came, how hard can it be?’ It has proven to be waaay harder than I could have imagined. Teaching kids English as a second language is tough. It requires a certain level of patience that I just don’t have. Honestly, without my experience before coming to the Peace Corps, I don’t think I would have been very effective. Luckily, I learned some tricks at the Cullinan Education Center that have turned out to be life savers.
Physics is by far the biggest challenge. The main reason is because I have zero physics supplies. The only thing the school supplies is chalk. I bought a textbook in Nampula City so I could at least know physics words in Portuguese. This may sound helpful, but Mozambican textbooks are loaded with wrong information, misspelled words, and are extremely disorganized. My lifeline has been Portuguese Wikipedia, which really just makes me laugh. Another challenge is trying teach topics that require calculations to kids that don’t have a solid foundation in basic math. To be fair, this is a generalization, but because of it I have spent too much class time reteaching decimals. (It has kind of been a blessing in disguise because it has helped me clear up one very important thing in my mind. They use periods were we put commas and vice versa, and it took a little bit of time before it started to look correct).
Teaching biology is lovely. I am teaching 11th grade, which is the grade where kids can either choose to do arts or science. The students in my class are serious and love science. They participate, ask great questions, and are a breath of fresh air on a long day. As a secondary project, I am going to do the science fair. I can’t wait to get them all involved and see what they are really capable of!!!
We just finished week 5 of school, and our first round of tests. My English scores were all over the place. I am absolutely thrilled, though, because the average suggests that I may actually be doing a good job! =) Biology went even better! They are understanding the information and me!!! I guess that is the best part. I am able to convey what I want to about biology in Portuguese!! Woo hoo! I have no idea how my physics students did yet, because their ungraded tests are sitting in a pile on my chair. I’m scared for two reasons: 1. I have no idea if they understood a word I said and 2. I have 4 classes of 100+ students to grade (it’s a BIG pile).
On a completely different note, Esther and I seem to have a big problem with anything that ends in –at. At least two times each week, we get bats in our house at night. They come in through this chimney-ish opening in our back room. We open the doors and wait outside for them to leave. It’s not so bad, minus we get bit to death by mosquitos while we are out there. Bats also looove to hang out in our latrine hole. Going to the bathroom at night when they are flying around has become too difficult. We have resorted to going outside after dark. Our other problem is with a gigantic rat. It loves our veggies, spices, bread, etc. We are looking into getting a cat to help us with this problem.
My roommate Esther is wonderful. It is seriously like the Peace Corps did extensive research before they put us together. She cooks, I clean. We both LOVE games: board, dice, cards, etc. We are both obsessed with the same TV shows. The list goes on and on. She has started teaching me Korean, and it is amazing!!! I have mastered the vowels and consonants and have set a goal for myself: if I can master reading and conversational Korean by the time I am done here, I want to move to Korea for a year!!!
I miss you all like crazy!! Keep writing, it is always great to hear from all of you! I keep getting called “popular” because you guys are great at writing, but I just don’t think anyone understands how big my family is and how wonderful my friends are!! =)
Beijitos, Vonnie

My life according to the BRATT diet.

Since arriving to site, Esther and I were lucky enough to have Amanda stay with us for a couple of weeks because her house wasn't ready. We got to work on our house, made a few renovations, and watched A LOT of tv. We cleaned our place from top to bottom, constructed a kitchen counter, and made some necessary purchases (my favorite being our lovely refrigerator).

It was a bittersweet Christmas. It was my first time celebrating away from family and friends and proved tobe a lot harder than I thought it would be. Somehow, I managed to have a roommate who truly believes that the "best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear." She has the most extensive Christmas music/movies collection on her computer that I have EVER seen. We spent most of December listening to Cmas music, watching Cmas movies, and making Cmas decorations. We hosted the Nampula province Christmas get-together and had ten volunteers staying at our site. We did secret santa, made stockings, played flip cup, made jell-o shots, and had some delicous meals (some even had meat!!!).

For New Years, we headed to the beach for a few days. It took an exhausting 11 hours to travel each way, but was definitely worth it. We were able to see more friends, a ton of Mozambique, eat AMAZING food, and ring in the new decade. We were so proud to stay up until midnight since we are all used to falling asleep before nine each night. Eating soft serves at the beach is undeniably one of my favorite times in Moz so far.

We only have one more week before school starts, so we have been pretty lazy the last few days. This has been especially easy since I have been pretty sick for about a week now. I can't seem to shake this cough/congestion/allergy medley. I'm just hoping for it to pass before I start working. Once school starts, my days of reading, watching tv and movies, and playing games are going to shift into Portuguese only lesson planning. Call me crazy, but I can't wait.

I've realized that it's really hard to write these blogs trying to recap everything that has happened since the last blog. I think from now on, I'll just focus on one or two events in particular to write about. Something I'd like to write about in this blog is my love of collecting rainwater. I think I discovered this love after realizing how hard it is to cart water. Now, anytime I see rain clouds in the distance, I do a rain dance, put out every bucket and pan we have, and wait. My smile gets bigger and bigger with every drop that lands in them. All I can think about is how many trips of carting water it is eliminating. It is seriously one of the greatest feelings in the world!!!

So, of course, mail is still appreciated. Anytime you guys are feeling bored and don't know what to do, write a letter! You can either email me at voncontreras@gmail.com or write me at

Yvonne Contreras, PCV

Rua dos Continuadores #24A

C.P. 526

Cidade de Nampula, Nampula

Mozambique

This address is slightly different than the one in the last blog. Things will still get to me with the other address, but this one is a bit more correct. For packages, please remember to put Jesus saves, praise the Lord, etc. on them. Also, not claiming exactly what is in the package or their true value is a great idea to cut down on theft. If you're going to mail a postcard, please put it in a envelope. Moz is notorious for keeping postcards and putting them up in the post office.

This is getting lengthy, so I'd like to end with a huge congrats to cousin Steph and Brandon!!! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a little baby girl, but keep me updated!! Another congrats to cousins Teresa and Brisa on the weddings! I'm so bummed to be missing out on all the excitement =(. RIP my little Yoti-bear.

<3 Von