A fate marked by unfettered attempts at understanding shall result in the enlightenment of the truly unknown.
But seriously, se eu fosse o arvore de conhecimento, hei-de saber que ninguem tomou nenhuma das minhas frutas. There's just no possible way, with how stupid and reckless and ignorant humankind really is.
So, that is basically what I told the Zimbabweana that was prank calling me last Sunday when I was out with my colleagues. She called me about six times in rapid succession and didn't say anything. Of course, it was a number I didn't know, but I don't know anyone else from Zimbabwe so it had to have been her.
In better news, I ate a lot of wild mushrooms in the past couple weeks. It's mushroom season and I do delight in adding their glory to my diet. I just read in a magazine that mushrooms provide protein. Really? Hmm...the name of the species of mushroom that I've been eating, in the local dialect, is "Dega Dega". I'm not sure what it means translated into English, but I like to think it means "Yum Yum".
I just found out last night that there is an animal reserve in the northern part of my province. That's exciting...I wonder if I'll ever have time to actually go there...
Oh yeah, I titled this entry "A peaceful resolve" but I didn't really get to the peaceful resolve part.
Actually, there is no real peaceful resolve...just an unhealthy lack of care about stuff in general. So...I'm starting to get the feeling that no matter what I do, nothing at my site will really change much. I've definitely learned and grown a lot...but I'm not sure that there is very much growth to be had in the coming 9 months or so...I could be wrong, as I know guesses usually are, but so far in the year I feel like things have pretty much been going the same as they did last year...I'm just used to everything now. Well, most things...you know...stuff like women carrying heavy, awkwardly bulky objects on their heads, speaking to everyone in portuguese, having every mozambican who sees me assume that I'm chinese, having to boil my water and then filter it before I can drink it, etc.
I guess I've just hit an emotional limbo of sorts...I thought I was chill before...but if I was chill before, I wonder what I am now?
I know I had other stuff to talk about, but now that I've finally found access to internet, I've totally forgotten what I wanted to write about. I've just been bsing random stuff this entire time.
Oh well...better than nothing, I guess...ha, done.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Valentine´s Day
So. My last Valentine´s Day in the beautiful country of Moçambique. Beautiful females all around, and yet I´m just hanging around...as lonely as a cashew in a bag of peanuts.
No worries though, at least this country isn´t packed with constant reminders of this particular holiday. Love happens every day, why would they need one particular day for...
Um..I have to go find a ride back to site. Ha, no time to write.
Tchau...
No worries though, at least this country isn´t packed with constant reminders of this particular holiday. Love happens every day, why would they need one particular day for...
Um..I have to go find a ride back to site. Ha, no time to write.
Tchau...
Monday, January 10, 2011
At this moment in time...
So...I know I donºt write in this thing very often. Iºm sure all my friends and family back at home wonder what life is like for me. So, let me tell you whatºs going on through my mind.
I am currently at the office of my partner international non government organization in the provincial capital. I came here to complete a bunch of errands, which add up over time since I only come here once a month. On my list of ten things to do, Iºve only done six, but that is a major accomplishment considering that I only had 5 hours to do them and usually it takes two or three hours to get anything done. It doesnºt really matter exactly what Iºm trying to do, itºs just the line or the slowness of each process which sucks up time like an angry singularity.
Anyway, what I really wanted to say was, Iºm lonely. The last group, moz 13ers, just left a couple months ago...and considering how close I got to them, Iºve been in a major slump. Going to the club or drinking beers just doesnºt have the same feeling. Even though I only saw them once a month or so, it was still better than never.
So, when I went to the seed store to buy seeds, for the permaculture lesson Iºm giving in a couple weeks, and the girl started flirting with me...I went along with it and got her number.
Now, Iºm not going to get into any particulars, but lets just say thatºs something I never do. Iºm one of those shy dudes that doesnºt talk to girls. I get all red in the face and whatnot when a cute girl merely bats her eyelashes at me. So, there is only one explanation for my deviation in character...loneliness. Iºm trying to reach out for someone new to talk to and fill in this empty void in my soul.
I realize that this entry probably sounds hella stupid. It is pretty stupid. And, it probably doesnºt give the proper insight into my actual love life (which has actually been more than a little complex and overbearing than Iºm sure anyone can fathom...unless youºre really into those fake ass soap operas). But, I suppose I just needed to take this chance to vent. Iºve been mourning the loss of my colleagues for the past month and a half, and I really just need to let go and get on with my service. Of course, I am still waiting for all the students and teachers to return from their two month summer break (which occurs mid nov to mid jan) for the majority of my projects to start up again...so that makes it a little difficult to focus on the non'existent work load. And Iºm sick of this stupid keyboard setup which doesnºt give me the right symbols even when the key marks that symbol. Ugh. So, with that, I finish this entry.
Tchau.
Ha, eu menti (I lied). I have time to kill, since Iºm waiting for my boleia (free ride) to head back to my village, and access to this blog so I may as well continue writing.
Eh...oh, I know, Iºll type out the dialogue that occurred with the girl at the seed shop.
(Translated from Portuguese)
Me« Good morning.
Her« Good morning. Yes?
Me« Iºm looking for seeds. How much are they?
Her« Depends. What kind of seeds?
(Blah blah, discussed types of seeds and prices. Then she busted out some corn seeds covered in anti fungal powder)
Her« These arenºt to eat right?
Me« Oh no, Iºm teaching a permaculture lesson in my village.
Her« Oh, for the people living there?
Me« Yeah, Iºm a health volunteer.
Her« So you left your country to live in the bush?
Me« Yeah, I left the United States to volunteer in my village.
Her« The United States? Wow! Thatºs really far away. I thought everyone who looked like you was from China. (By the way, if I had a metical for every time someone asked me if I was from China, Iºd be freaking loaded)
Me« Yeah...nope.
Her« So isnºt it tough to live in the bush when youºre from the States?
Me« Yeah, but itºs worth it. I like what I do there.
Her« So, how long are you here for?
Me« Two years, but Iºve already been here for a year.
Her« And you already speak portuguese? Geez, you better be careful. You might end up marrying here.
...
Ok, I just realized that I donºt want to finish typing up the rest of that conversation. Itºs more private than I thought. Iºll just finish it with, she asked me to call her when I got back into the bush safely.
Alright, my buddy just asked me to come out to lunch with him. Guess thatºs my cue to head out.
Ate nunca, a pessoal.
I am currently at the office of my partner international non government organization in the provincial capital. I came here to complete a bunch of errands, which add up over time since I only come here once a month. On my list of ten things to do, Iºve only done six, but that is a major accomplishment considering that I only had 5 hours to do them and usually it takes two or three hours to get anything done. It doesnºt really matter exactly what Iºm trying to do, itºs just the line or the slowness of each process which sucks up time like an angry singularity.
Anyway, what I really wanted to say was, Iºm lonely. The last group, moz 13ers, just left a couple months ago...and considering how close I got to them, Iºve been in a major slump. Going to the club or drinking beers just doesnºt have the same feeling. Even though I only saw them once a month or so, it was still better than never.
So, when I went to the seed store to buy seeds, for the permaculture lesson Iºm giving in a couple weeks, and the girl started flirting with me...I went along with it and got her number.
Now, Iºm not going to get into any particulars, but lets just say thatºs something I never do. Iºm one of those shy dudes that doesnºt talk to girls. I get all red in the face and whatnot when a cute girl merely bats her eyelashes at me. So, there is only one explanation for my deviation in character...loneliness. Iºm trying to reach out for someone new to talk to and fill in this empty void in my soul.
I realize that this entry probably sounds hella stupid. It is pretty stupid. And, it probably doesnºt give the proper insight into my actual love life (which has actually been more than a little complex and overbearing than Iºm sure anyone can fathom...unless youºre really into those fake ass soap operas). But, I suppose I just needed to take this chance to vent. Iºve been mourning the loss of my colleagues for the past month and a half, and I really just need to let go and get on with my service. Of course, I am still waiting for all the students and teachers to return from their two month summer break (which occurs mid nov to mid jan) for the majority of my projects to start up again...so that makes it a little difficult to focus on the non'existent work load. And Iºm sick of this stupid keyboard setup which doesnºt give me the right symbols even when the key marks that symbol. Ugh. So, with that, I finish this entry.
Tchau.
Ha, eu menti (I lied). I have time to kill, since Iºm waiting for my boleia (free ride) to head back to my village, and access to this blog so I may as well continue writing.
Eh...oh, I know, Iºll type out the dialogue that occurred with the girl at the seed shop.
(Translated from Portuguese)
Me« Good morning.
Her« Good morning. Yes?
Me« Iºm looking for seeds. How much are they?
Her« Depends. What kind of seeds?
(Blah blah, discussed types of seeds and prices. Then she busted out some corn seeds covered in anti fungal powder)
Her« These arenºt to eat right?
Me« Oh no, Iºm teaching a permaculture lesson in my village.
Her« Oh, for the people living there?
Me« Yeah, Iºm a health volunteer.
Her« So you left your country to live in the bush?
Me« Yeah, I left the United States to volunteer in my village.
Her« The United States? Wow! Thatºs really far away. I thought everyone who looked like you was from China. (By the way, if I had a metical for every time someone asked me if I was from China, Iºd be freaking loaded)
Me« Yeah...nope.
Her« So isnºt it tough to live in the bush when youºre from the States?
Me« Yeah, but itºs worth it. I like what I do there.
Her« So, how long are you here for?
Me« Two years, but Iºve already been here for a year.
Her« And you already speak portuguese? Geez, you better be careful. You might end up marrying here.
...
Ok, I just realized that I donºt want to finish typing up the rest of that conversation. Itºs more private than I thought. Iºll just finish it with, she asked me to call her when I got back into the bush safely.
Alright, my buddy just asked me to come out to lunch with him. Guess thatºs my cue to head out.
Ate nunca, a pessoal.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Almost a year under my belt...
Wow. So, I've been away from home for almost 14 months now, but I've only been at site for about 11 months. And I know I haven't been writing in my blog very religiously, so I guess it'd be nice of me to write a brief update of the past year.
Well...honestly, most of the stuff I've been doing here has just been getting over the culture shock. After having spent my entire life in California and then arriving in my tiny, impoverished village and being surrounded by strange languages and cultural practices...it did take a while for me to just start to comprehend the situation in which the locals live.
That being said, the local community based organization (CBO) that I work with finally recieved their legalization document this past month. I spent a lot of time trying to get that done with the limited resources which we have in our village, so it was a major relief when we finally got it. The local "capoeira" group has lost interest in capoeira and now practice karate. For some reason they've made me the grandmaster, even though I hardly ever come and I haven't practiced martial arts in over 13 years. They have a local (he's originally from the city 3 hours away, but studying at the highschool in my village) master who teaches them on a regular basis. Sometimes I practice capoeira in my yard, but I'm usually busy doing other stuff.
I have a new site mate who's pretty cool. He's a few years older than me, and he's actually a peace corps response volunteer (he already served his two year term about 8 years ago) who is working a 9 month agriculture project in my village. He's been helping me out with my guitar playing, so that's been fun. It totally changes the feel of my site too, knowing that I'm not the only American here. I definitely feel more comfortable in my skin. I have no idea how I survived last year all by myself, with no one to speak English to or who understood what life is like back in the states. There's just a huge gap in the type of stuff that we think about...you're probably wondering "like what?"
Well...for example, on a daily basis in the states we might think stuff like "oh, today I need to go buy milk at the supermarket after work, then drop by my buddy's house to play some video games, and then plan out my schedule for the month." On a daily basis in my village, it kind of goes like "Desejo que vai chover amanha, eu preciso de isso para minha machamba produzir muitas vegetais. Talvez eu vou pilar amendoim, ralar coco e vervir isso para ter leite de coco, e depois apanhar algums folhas de mandioca para fazer matapa para a comida nossas hoje (translation: I hope it rains tomorrow so that my farm will produce many vegetables. Maybe I'll pound some peanuts then shave a coconut and boil it to make some coconut milk and then light a some coals (using a plastic bag to start the fire) to cook that mixture with some leaves from my yard to make today's meal for my family)". I remember when I was learning how to make matapa, it took about four hours to make.
I could write more stuff about that, but I'm getting lazy.
Most of the kids/highschoolers that I work with are on vacation now (their Summer break is from November to January) so I'm working more with my CBO this month and next instead of with the students.
I've been eating a lot of coconuts recently. I'm getting better at choosing which coconuts are better to eat (sweeter and more tender) and at opening them with my knife (hacking at it to open it up and drink the juice then hacking it in half to be able to scoop out the meat). Melissa doesn't have lanhas at her site, so I'm suffering right now. Oh yeah, I should've mentioned, I'm at Melissa's site because she's having her despedida (going away party) today. I can't believe she's going to cos in less than two weeks.
Alright, gotta go, tchau tchau.
Well...honestly, most of the stuff I've been doing here has just been getting over the culture shock. After having spent my entire life in California and then arriving in my tiny, impoverished village and being surrounded by strange languages and cultural practices...it did take a while for me to just start to comprehend the situation in which the locals live.
That being said, the local community based organization (CBO) that I work with finally recieved their legalization document this past month. I spent a lot of time trying to get that done with the limited resources which we have in our village, so it was a major relief when we finally got it. The local "capoeira" group has lost interest in capoeira and now practice karate. For some reason they've made me the grandmaster, even though I hardly ever come and I haven't practiced martial arts in over 13 years. They have a local (he's originally from the city 3 hours away, but studying at the highschool in my village) master who teaches them on a regular basis. Sometimes I practice capoeira in my yard, but I'm usually busy doing other stuff.
I have a new site mate who's pretty cool. He's a few years older than me, and he's actually a peace corps response volunteer (he already served his two year term about 8 years ago) who is working a 9 month agriculture project in my village. He's been helping me out with my guitar playing, so that's been fun. It totally changes the feel of my site too, knowing that I'm not the only American here. I definitely feel more comfortable in my skin. I have no idea how I survived last year all by myself, with no one to speak English to or who understood what life is like back in the states. There's just a huge gap in the type of stuff that we think about...you're probably wondering "like what?"
Well...for example, on a daily basis in the states we might think stuff like "oh, today I need to go buy milk at the supermarket after work, then drop by my buddy's house to play some video games, and then plan out my schedule for the month." On a daily basis in my village, it kind of goes like "Desejo que vai chover amanha, eu preciso de isso para minha machamba produzir muitas vegetais. Talvez eu vou pilar amendoim, ralar coco e vervir isso para ter leite de coco, e depois apanhar algums folhas de mandioca para fazer matapa para a comida nossas hoje (translation: I hope it rains tomorrow so that my farm will produce many vegetables. Maybe I'll pound some peanuts then shave a coconut and boil it to make some coconut milk and then light a some coals (using a plastic bag to start the fire) to cook that mixture with some leaves from my yard to make today's meal for my family)". I remember when I was learning how to make matapa, it took about four hours to make.
I could write more stuff about that, but I'm getting lazy.
Most of the kids/highschoolers that I work with are on vacation now (their Summer break is from November to January) so I'm working more with my CBO this month and next instead of with the students.
I've been eating a lot of coconuts recently. I'm getting better at choosing which coconuts are better to eat (sweeter and more tender) and at opening them with my knife (hacking at it to open it up and drink the juice then hacking it in half to be able to scoop out the meat). Melissa doesn't have lanhas at her site, so I'm suffering right now. Oh yeah, I should've mentioned, I'm at Melissa's site because she's having her despedida (going away party) today. I can't believe she's going to cos in less than two weeks.
Alright, gotta go, tchau tchau.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Oh yeah...
So...work is picking up. It's nice. I have lot of sweet little projects: have a journalism group at the secondary school, a music group with kids 13-15 (a bunch of them are orphans), a capoira group that wants to do theatre plays and shows in the community, I helped my local CBO (community based organization) restructure their leadership and am still currently helping them develop, and I'm trying help a bunch of orphans get registered so that they can receive financial aid. I think I might start a permaculture project in the near future too...maybe little income generating project with orphans or with the cbo too...we'll see...yeah...life is getting better.
Ok. Nao ha mais coisas para dizer. Ou talvez tenho, mais aqui nao e um bom sitio para falar.
Tchau. =)
Ok. Nao ha mais coisas para dizer. Ou talvez tenho, mais aqui nao e um bom sitio para falar.
Tchau. =)
Sunday, October 10, 2010
A return to reality?
So...I know I haven't written an entry in a really long time...but I seriously just didn't have the time or the patience before.
So...updates:
...
On second thought, I don't really feel like making anything that's happened public to the world back there. I'll just keep it as PC Moz fofoca. Sorry ya'all...
Well, maybe I can share that I can finally do an aerial (thank you mr. Mau Mau and the other capoeristas).
Ok...done.
Oh wait, I would like to say that I a couple days ago I hitch-hiked by myself for about 12 hours. Heading back to site tomorrow.
Ok...maybe I'm not done.
Summer is coming back! Starting to get hot again.
I'm trying to decide what to do about my hair. Cut it, braid it, or just leave it...decisions decisions...
Beach day was glorious...
Ok...now I'm done.
So...updates:
...
On second thought, I don't really feel like making anything that's happened public to the world back there. I'll just keep it as PC Moz fofoca. Sorry ya'all...
Well, maybe I can share that I can finally do an aerial (thank you mr. Mau Mau and the other capoeristas).
Ok...done.
Oh wait, I would like to say that I a couple days ago I hitch-hiked by myself for about 12 hours. Heading back to site tomorrow.
Ok...maybe I'm not done.
Summer is coming back! Starting to get hot again.
I'm trying to decide what to do about my hair. Cut it, braid it, or just leave it...decisions decisions...
Beach day was glorious...
Ok...now I'm done.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Chance encounter...
One day, I was coerced into attending a parade in my village. At the town square, while people paid their respects to a famous dead woman, a group of boys approached me. They said that they would teach me what they knew of capoeira if I would teach them what I knew of martial arts. Apparently, I "looked like" I knew how to fight...I'm not sure if that's because of the way I walked (which is actually quite awkward) or because I'm asian. Either way, sadly, they were kinda right...even though I stopped studying martial arts 13 years ago.
So...I started trying out capoeira. And then I realized something very obvious...I'm not as flexible as I was 13 years ago.
But it's still fun.
Peanuts?
So...I started trying out capoeira. And then I realized something very obvious...I'm not as flexible as I was 13 years ago.
But it's still fun.
Peanuts?
Friday, March 26, 2010
Back at Home
Okay, imagine everything you know about the possible evolution of dinosaurs into modern day birds...got it? Okay, now imagine that all that happened to me in the past three months.
Yes, I now have wings, feathers, and can lay eggs. Sweet, right?
Ha, just kidding.
That is what I feel like, though. I seriously can't believe the stuff that's been happening to me...and it just comes non-stop, every day. Well, something big happens at least once a week.
Like, for example, a few days ago I was in a major city for a conference and a bunch of PCV's were robbed. I was walking back with an amigo and an amiga from a...place of dancing (which happened to be less than a block away from our hotel)...when four dudes jumped us. One had a knife, another had a broken bottle, and a third had...a coconut. The dude with the coconut was the one closest to me. The fourth thug grabbed my amiga and took some stuff from her. Just when things were looking very bleak, a car pulled up and the four ladrões jumped over a wall and sped off into the night. My buddy thanked the car and we hurried off to our hotel.
After the conference I was heading back home with a boleia, and the tire blew out. Of course, we were in the middle of nowhere, so we had to wait four hours for our driver to catch a boleia himself and fix the spare in the closest town. Not a big deal really. Kinda lame, thinking about it now, but I guess I'll just leave that there.
So...after a month filled with lots of viagems, I'm finally back at site. I have lots of ideas and lots of things to accomplish, but first I'm going to go for a run with my kids, cut my buddy's hair, and watch my clothes hang dry.
Yes, I now have wings, feathers, and can lay eggs. Sweet, right?
Ha, just kidding.
That is what I feel like, though. I seriously can't believe the stuff that's been happening to me...and it just comes non-stop, every day. Well, something big happens at least once a week.
Like, for example, a few days ago I was in a major city for a conference and a bunch of PCV's were robbed. I was walking back with an amigo and an amiga from a...place of dancing (which happened to be less than a block away from our hotel)...when four dudes jumped us. One had a knife, another had a broken bottle, and a third had...a coconut. The dude with the coconut was the one closest to me. The fourth thug grabbed my amiga and took some stuff from her. Just when things were looking very bleak, a car pulled up and the four ladrões jumped over a wall and sped off into the night. My buddy thanked the car and we hurried off to our hotel.
After the conference I was heading back home with a boleia, and the tire blew out. Of course, we were in the middle of nowhere, so we had to wait four hours for our driver to catch a boleia himself and fix the spare in the closest town. Not a big deal really. Kinda lame, thinking about it now, but I guess I'll just leave that there.
So...after a month filled with lots of viagems, I'm finally back at site. I have lots of ideas and lots of things to accomplish, but first I'm going to go for a run with my kids, cut my buddy's hair, and watch my clothes hang dry.
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