June 15, 2011
Well, so much for the internet coming back on quickly. Finally, over a month and a half later it has started to work again (sporadically). However, as frustrating as it was to be without internet for so long, in some ways it was also kind of nice. Sometimes I feel that when the internet is working, I spend too much time in my room instead of experiencing everything around me. I'm only going to be here in Mozambique for two years and I feel like I need to experience everything I can while I have the time.
Not that I have all that much time. I've already been in Angoche for six months, in Mozambique for almost nine -- that means I have 18 months left, which really isn't that many. Every weekend between now and the end of the second trimester, I have something big happening. This coming weekend we have an experienced artist coming to teach our art group some new techniques and help them paint another part of the wall they painted earlier in the year. The topic this time is gender equality. The pictures the boys drew are really amazing, so I'll be sure to take pictures so you can all see their great work.
The next weekend is Mozambican Independence Day, June 25th. This is a huge holiday and there will be tons of partying and celebrating here in Angoche. A bunch of volunteers from all over the country are coming to experience one of Angoche's famous beach parties. It should be a lot of fun. Again I will try to remember to take lots of pictures so you can all see how people party it up here in Mozambique.
The weekend after that, the first weekend in July, is the Angoche Science Fair, which I am organizing. We have had three meetings already and I've spoken with a few other professors who will help, as well as local scientists who will help judge the projects. The students all seem really excited. I think I will probably end up with about 30 participants. Four will be chosen as winners, two girls and two boys, one each from 8-10th grade and 11-12th grade. Those four winners, a fellow professor, and I will then travel the following weekend to Nampula for a regional science fair. This science fair will include winners from the four northern provinces of Mozambique and will also have regional winners. Maybe some of my kids will be among them. We'll see!
Following the science fairs, the next weekend is the weekend of training for our REDES conference. REDES stands for Raparigas em Desemvolvimento, Educação, e Saude (Girls in Development, Education, and Health). Every year each region in Mozambique (North, South, and Central) have a conference for each REDES group in the region. We will have guest speakers and five full days of activities for the girls to participate in. This year the conference is being held in a place called Naoela in Zambezia province. Each of the 15 REDES groups in the North will bring two girls, one counterpart (a Mozambican woman who helps with the group), and a volunteer to the conference. Our group will actually have two volunteers, my sitemate Margaret and I.
After the weekend of preparation and training for the conference, it is our last week of school for the trimester which means I will be giving a final and finishing up grades. After I turn in my grades, I will be traveling again to Nampula for the weekend. This time I will be attending PDM (project design and management) training from the Peace Corps. This is where we learn how to write all different kinds of grants to fund our secondary projects like our youth center, girl's group, etc. We are taking our counterpart for the youth center, Mussa, who is quite possibly my favorite Mozambican. He is so nice, speaks wonderful English, works very hard, and never tries to hit on or sleep with any of us volunteers which makes him unique of all the Mozambicans I've met so far.
After the PDM conference, I have a week off where I think I will be traveling somewhere (the destination is still TBD). After that week of traveling I will head back to site to pick up the two girls from our REDES group to head to the conference which is the first week of August. After the conference I will head back to site for a few days to wait impatiently for my mom to arrive in Mozambique on the 11th! She will be staying for 11 days and I am SO excited for her to visit. We will visit Mozambique Island, Ribaue, Nampula, and my site of Angoche. Hopefully she will return to the States with plenty of interesting stories and pictures to share with you all.
And now I have to teach at the youth center so that is all I can write today. I hope you are all well. I miss you all so much!
Amo-vos,
Alissa
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