December 18
Typing the date makes me realize it is a week until Christmas, but it sure does not feel like that here. The last time I updated this thing I was on my way to site – living the high life and taking showers in Maputo (living the high life in Mozambique = taking showers). The next day I got up early with the four other volunteers headed to Manica province and went to the airport. It turns out we were delayed for five hours because the King of Tanzania was arriving and the airport was closed – that was exciting, I did not even know Tanzania had a king (my research tells Tanzania is one of three monarchies remaining in Africa). Anyway, to get to the point we arrived in Chimoio (capital of Manica Province) Monday afternoon on a small 15-seat plane that bounced around like crazy. Chimoio is the fifth largest city in Mozambique and it is set about 200 km from the ocean and right at the edge of the Mountains that hug the Zimbabwe-Mozambique boarder. A Peace Corps employee met us at the airport and we headed to our site (Gondola), which is 16 km east (toward the ocean) of Chimoio.
Gondola is a town built around a road (the EN6) and a railroad that connect Zimbabwe and Zambia to the Mozambican port of Beira – it is (or at least was before Zimbabwe became a political and economic disaster) probably one of the busiest shipping routes in sub-Saharan Africa. It is evident that there was once a strong Portuguese presence here (my house, for instance was built by the Portuguese railroad company during the height of colonial times) there is also a bizarrely opulent sports club (now in ruins of course) with soccer and basketball stadium along with an Olympic sized pool. Somehow, a population of fish survives in the rainwater that collects in the deep end of the pool (I know because I talked to some kids fishing in the pool). I cannot figure out if it is an evolutionary miracle (that the population of fish evolved in the pool since the 1970s when the Portuguese left) or someone put someone fish in the pool (I will hazard to guess the later is the truth).
The good news (regarding my site), though, is that I am relatively close to “Shoprite” the South African Grocery store chain of which there are just four in Mozambique. If it is food and you can get it in Moz, shoprite has it. This means I am going to be able to eat things like cheese occasionally (I will also be able to eat meat – because I just met a guy who kills a goat everyday and brings it to the market five minutes from my house). So I am excited about my dining possibilities here in Gondola.
Back to my house… first of all it is huge. We (my roommate David and myself) have six large rooms with thirteen or fourteen foot ceilings, but there is absolutely nothing in it and there have not been any repairs or maintenance for at least 33 years since the Portuguese left. When I say nothing I mean nothing – no counters, no shelves, no sink, no running water, (we do have a few lights, but our electricity is terrible), definitely no kitchen, in many cases no window panes. The only things we do have are cockroaches and termites. We are trying to take care of the cockroaches with the nastiest looking chemical at shoprite and cleaning our floors with it (now our house smells like a gasoline spill), the termites are another story. So anyway, I have lots to do, but I also have lots of time (school doesn’t start until February and PC will not let me leave Manica Province until March).
December 27
Christmas came and went even in Mozambique. I went to Chimio and stayed at the apartment of two female health volunteers (there are health volunteers and education volunteers in Moz – I am an education volunteer) along with my roommate and three other girls. It is a pretty swanky apartment – it has running water, consistent electricity, and furniture. We had a nice Christmas, we spent a lot of time cooking American-style food and it all turned out really well. We ate until we felt sick and than we ate some more, than it was time for the secret santa gift exchange (the theme was housewarming gifts and the price limit was 200 meticais – about eight dollars). I received an estiera (a read mat) and a pilao (a wooden mortar and pestle-type device). Christmas was nice, but obviously it is a time when I miss my friends and family in the states.
After a straight week of rain my house in Gondola has developed a termite problem of biblical proportions. They are coming out of holes in the floor and actually building mounds inside the house. They also spawn these large flies with wings that are meant to spread the colony (at least this is what my roommate tells me – and he has watched his share of animal planet). Anyway, the flies come out at night and there are so many of them banging against things in our house that we actually mistook them for rain one night. The situation is even more bizarre because Mozambicans sweep up the flies in our house and eat them (I was offered, but declined). We are trying to remedy the situation as I type by pouring motor oil down the termite holes – to be followed by covering the holes with cement. Not too much else to report, I have been doing a whole lot of nothing recently (which is nice).
Oh yeah, I have a new address:
Polk Duffy - Peter Minchella
P.O Box 234
Chimio, Manica,
Mozambique
Africa
January 14, 2009
Hello friends, I realize it has been a while since I posted anything online, but I ask you (my readership) to bear with me as I try to find a consistent (and affordable internet connection). The other option (if you really like me/ want to correspond) is that you can email me at peter.minchella@gmail.com.
I really do not have much to report, my roommate and myself continue to try to integrate ourselves into the community and settle into our home. We have started playing basketball fairly often (the competition is less than stellar, but that makes me feel better about telling people that I should have recieved more playing time in college). I spend a lot of time cooking, reading, exercising, telling people I will not give them money, being stared at, and playing with the seemingly infinite numbers of children who show up in my yard.
You would be surprised what you can do (cooking-wise) with a stove in Mozambique.
Mangoes are also a big part of my life right now as we are in the midst of mango season. There are three or four large mango trees in my yard, but I generally let kids steal those and buy better ones at the market. Mangoes are unbelievably cheap (at the height of the season – which, sadly, at this point has passed) I was buying five high-quality mangoes for 1 metical (which is equivalent to about 4 cents). The result is that I eat a lot of mangoes (and put them in everything – I am sure that my Italian grandfather would be horrified to know that I made a delicious mango-tomato sauce and ate it with spaghetti). I am anxiously looking forward to avocado season (I also have a large avocado tree in my yard) and whatever else this semi-tropical climate brings me.
My roommate has a guitar, so I am starting to learn a little bit of guitar (everyone knows that chicks love guys who play guitar) so far it is not going well. The start of school looms closer everyday when my inadequate Portuguese (I talk to my roommate in English way to much) will manifest itself into a high school chemistry class.
I recently learned the stunning news that the Arizona Cardinals are in the NFC Championship (this is the kind of thing that makes me feel like I have been out of the country a lot longer than 4 months).
