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