"Novedades?"—What news? A common greeting in Mozambique, and one to which I rarely have a good answer. I hesitate to share news of my own life, if only because on a day to day basis nothing really happens. It's only looking back over weeks or months that I notice how much has changed. I've been…Read more News
Mozambique
Estamos Juntos
Juntos. "Together", in Portuguese. Estamos. "We are", from the same. In Mozambican Portuguese, "Estamos juntos" - we are together - is a catchall phrase that crops up everywhere. As an expression of solidarity: "Estamos juntos." To check understanding: "Estamos juntos?" To validate a partnership: "Estamos juntos." When you imagine a Peace Corps volunteer, the…Read more Estamos Juntos
A Mouse Tale
I recently came across a collection of half-finished blog posts and short stories, mostly from my first six months of service. I assume I intended to publish them, but never got around to it. At my mother's insistence, and possibly against my better judgment, I've decided to share them over the next few weeks. * …Read more A Mouse Tale
A Taste of Things to Come
Integration. The process of becoming a part of a new community through introductions, interactions, and involvement in new things. A buzzword in the Peace Corps, usually said with a capital I.These last three weeks I have spent in my home-to-be for the next two years, taking the first baby steps in this process of integration. I've been…Read more A Taste of Things to Come
Next to Godliness
Or the fine art of the bucket bath Mozambicans are very clean people. It is not uncommon to take two baths per day, when the water situation allows. I enjoy the new bathing schedule: a brisk bucket of cold water first thing in the morning wakes a person right up, and few things are…Read more Next to Godliness
