November 18, 2010
It's the end of week seven and also the first week of model school. Model school is where we have kids from all over Namaacha come to watch us teach practice lessons in Portuguese: full 45 minute chemistry lessons just like we would teach in schools here. We're going to learn about site placement this afternoon and I have to admit I'm
really nervous. It's not that I care so much where in the country I am, but I really care about who is around me. We've been told by other volunteers that no matter who you might have befriended during training, if you aren't near them in the country once you are permanently assigned, you probably won't see them for the whole two years you're here. That really sucks because I've become friends with some really cool people and definitely want to be near enough so that we can visit each other. I guess we'll see.
Later...
So I am pretty happy about my site placement. I'm in one of the
northern provinces, Nampula, in the city of Angoche. A lot of people
are jealous of me because I'm going to be living basically on the
beach. I'm excited more because I'm living with a really awesome girl
named Audie. She's an English teacher and apparently I will be
teaching math. Yeah, math. I have to admit I think I'll be able to
relate math more to my kids day-to-day lives, but I will also make sure
to tell the school I can teach chemistry as well. A lot of the science
teachers got switched to teach other subjects. A lot of them are now
going to be teaching English.
My town is pretty remote but also fairly safe, according to the girl
who lives there now and who is leaving a week after my roommate and I
arrive in December. I'm glad she'll be around to show us the ropes a
little, even if only for a week. The only downside I can see to being
where I am is that a lot of PC people will be in the Southern regions of
Mozambique and chances are I won't see any of them at all for the next
two years once training is over. :-( There are a couple people I will
really be upset not to be near, but I'm definitely going to make the
best of the situation and just do my best. And the beach can't be a
bad thing, right? Oh, and I'll have electricity, some measure of
running water, and if I'm willing to shell out over 2000 Meticals a
month, I can have internet in my apartment. But my roommate and I will have to
decide on that once we get there and can assess the situation
ourselves. It might not seem like a lot (it's about $65) but that is still
about 1/5 of my monthly income.
Okay, I have to go to bed because we are going to a beach in a town
called Bilene in Inhambane Province early in the morning for the
weekend. Party! I have a feeling it is going to get really crazy
because a lot of people are really emotional (for obvious reasons)
about their sites and who they may or may not be near. Whew. What a
week.
Miss you all!
November 22, 2010
So the weekend in Bilene was amazing. The beach there was gorgeous
and everyone had so much fun. We ate, drank, danced, played cards,
swam in the ocean (at one point there might have been some midnight
skinny dipping) and just generally had an amazing time. It was super
relaxing and just the break we needed after seven straight weeks of fully
planned days where we had little free time for anything. We stopped at
a Shoprite (think South African version of Wal-Mart) on the way back,
and I bought cheese and crackers, dark chocolate and a few other rare
items we can't find here in Namaacha. Overall, a very successful three
days.
This week is our second and last week of model school. I am still
teaching chemistry, even though I will most likely be teaching math
once I get to my site. However, any teaching is good experience and
teaching in Portuguese even more so. I think I might make my next
lesson a math-heavy chem session so I'm at least getting some math
practice. There is also a good chance that I could be teaching other
things in addition to math at site, and maybe not even math. It
changes a lot because the schools don't get a final list of what
teachers they are going to have until a couple of weeks before the
year starts, and depending on who they get, they might need me to teach
different things. I'm pretty flexible on this front and told the PC
I'd be willing to teach English, Math, Biology, Chemistry, or IT
(computers). So I guess I'll just wait and see what they need at the
school.
We also just started getting lessons in our regional local language,
which is awesome. So I'll be able to speak Makua and Koti
when I get back, in addition to Portuguese. Makua is what we are
learning now and what is spoken throughout Nampula province, and Koti is a
language spoken exclusively in the city where I will be living as well
as the surrounding islands. Apparently its roots are a mix of Swahili
and Arabic. Crazy, huh?
November 25, 2010
I can't believe that next week is our last week in Namaacha before we
swear in as official PC volunteers. I'm so excited! Okay, dinnertime now,
but I'll probably write one more time before I send my next email.
Oh, and HAPPY THANKSGIVING! We're having a huge potluck with all the
traniees tonight and it's going to be awesome.
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