It's time for my first border run to renew my visa next week, and the timing is working out perfectly so that we can take a few extra days in South Africa to explore Kruger National Park. We're leaving this Friday and are going to spend four days camping in the park next week. It's a very last-minute plan and we're kind of flying by the seat of our pants, but I think that should make it even more fun. The big things are taken care of - transportation and campgrounds - and possibly most importantly a tent to sleep in. We debated what to do about procuring a tent, and finally decided to borrow from a couple other very generous volunteers. The only catch? They live four hours away. So, in what might be the most ridiculous display of thriftiness, we woke up early Friday morning to make our way up to Maphananie, four hours in a chappa, 30 minutes at their house, and we were back on the road home. We were thrilled, however, when we caught a ride with the first truck that passed by us - three Mozambiquan men heading home to Maxixe for the weekend and happy about selling their truck-full of potatoes in Vilankulos that day. Planning a celebration that night, they stopped several times along the way to see what deals they could find - in the end we were in the back with a crate of lobsters, two live chickens and firewood. At one point they almost added a gazelle, and a live goat, thankfully for us they passed on those two. Between our traveling companions and our windblown hair, we laughed the entire way back.

This is a still shot from a video, so it's hard to see, but we're thinking about sending the video into a shampoo company, I mean, who wouldn't want these windblown locks??

Apparently I was feeling extra tough hitch-hiking with aviators on?

Lightning Storm

The other night the sky was lit up from a lightning storm in the distance. There was no moon that night so the sky was totally pitch black, and then all of a sudden it would flash the brightest blues, greens and orange and light up all the coconut trees in a silhouette. It was a really eery feeling as we watched, knowing that we were feeling the calm before the storm hit here. And then the wind picked up and we ran home just before the ran started pounding on the tin roof at a deafening level and the power cut out. I'd like to think that the power going out had something to do with the storm, but since it and the water were both out for three days, I think there was something else at play. It was a really cool night, followed by a couple dark and smelly ones....

Finally Some Pictures

Jonathan's house

The road from Maxixe to Inhamussua

A very crowded chappa ride - that's one of Jonathan's peace corps friends on the right, in a row with three women and four children

The beach at Vilankulos during the day while the tide is out

First Impressions

It's funny how I felt like I might get the shakes of a technology-addict when I put away my computer and shut down my Iphone before I left, and now, over the course of the last two weeks I've almost forgotten what email and internet even is. So, sorry for the delayed communication - I really am still alive. The short version? I made it to Mozambique safely and without any delays, have been totally healthy so far (minus a chigger that lodged itself in my toe and required one of the Mozambiquan teachers to perform a very minor surgery using a tree thorn), and have been having so much fun I haven't even thought about sitting down to a computer to write about it. 

Now for a more detailed version….

Jonathan met me in Maputo and we spent Monday exploring the city - mastering official public transportation (15 passenger vans known as "chiappas" which would be roomy if there were ever only 15 passengers inside), and the unofficial public transportation: hitchhiking, or balea in Portuguese. The highlight of the day might have been eating lunch at the fish market, which is a covered market right on the coast which has every type of fish and shellfish you can imagine. You pick what you would like to eat, clear your mind of any thoughts about bacteria and food poisoning (or memories of Thai oysters gone bad), then a vendor cooks it up for you and serves it over a big plate of rice. It was delicious, and a wonderful experience to kick off the adventures ahead. 

Tuesday we spent nine hours on a mini-bus from Maputo to Inhamussua, Jonathan's site. I think I got lucky with a seat towards the front by myself, although that meant that I was surrounded by giant bags of rice, and spent the entire trip with my bag on my lap and my legs curled under me because I couldn't fit them between my seat and the one in front of me. Fortunately I was still a little jet-lagged, and my uncanny ability to sleep in absolutely any situation kicked in. We spent a couple days in Inhamussua while Jonathan finished his very rigorous teaching schedule for the week - four classes over two days, before heading to Vilankulos for the weekend.

Vil is a beach town about three hours from here and it was the agreed upon location for a peace corps reunion of sorts. About 40 volunteers came and hung out for the weekend. It was the first time that many of them had seen each other since training, and it was fun for me to get to meet many of the people I've been hearing about for so many months. The Mozambiquan coast offers quite a contrast to life in rural Inhamussua. It's kind of fun to spend the week surrounded by a forest of coconut trees and dirt roads, and then escape to idyllic undeveloped tropical beaches on the weekend. Seems to be the best of both worlds. 

This past weekend a couple of other volunteers came to stay on Friday night and then we were planning on going to Tofo beach together on Saturday. Unfortunately Jonathan found out on Friday that his school was hosting a meeting for the three agrarian schools in the southern province and would have to stay for the weekend. Tofo is also a beautiful beach, and only a couple of hours from here, but it feels like a different world since it is the go-to vacation destination for South Africans and a surfer's paradise. 

Life in Inhamussua is relaxing and fun. Jonathan teaches at a secondary agrarian school, so the students range in age from about 16 to 22. They all live at the school and work in the fields here, which makes me feel like I'm at summer camp mixed with a farm; complete with roosters and a bell to signal when it's time to wake up and go to bed. The kids wake up at 5am to work in the fields, have class all day, and then a handful of them hang out on Jonathan's front porch in the evening.  

The school was built by the Portuguese before the revolution, so the buildings are simple, but very cool colonial architecture. Jonathan's house on the other hand is all Mozambiquan - reed walls with a tin roof. But it is surrounded by citrus trees and has one of two water faucets on school property in the front yard, so there are plenty of people passing by. The front porch offers the perfect location for people watching and passing the day with Diods, the adopted peace corps dog at this site. The students are really friendly and always come up to say hi when they're getting water, so I am definitely not lacking in Portuguese tutors. I must say I've become well versed in "good morning, good afternoon, good evening" and "I'm fine thanks, how are you?" 

A few of his students have helped him plant a garden in the back - they definitely dreamed big, there are probably 50 tomato plants alone, not including the cucumbers, herbs, watermelon, peppers, beans, and kale. Luckily the students help with the watering, which means carrying buckets of water back and forth around the house. Although having fresh vegetables and fruit freshly picked off the tree makes it worth it. 

The internet is proving to be a little difficult for loading pictures, so this is the best I can do right now, but I will keep trying!