The Art of Not Sleeping

Goodmorning! It is currently 5:20 am and I cannot sleep. I have been up since 2 am tossing and turning hoping that eventually I would drift off. No luck so far. Today we will be traveling an hour and a half to Namaacha to meet our host families. I will be living in neighborhood A with the other science teachers. I am very excited to meet my family, but quite nervous. My family does not speak English and I speak very little Portuguese, but this is the best way to learn- diving in with both feet.

We were warned yesterday that life would be very different while staying in Namaacha. Our families will be awake and the village will be alive by 4:30 in the morning. We are expected to help with household chores and will be tested on our skills during week 5. My mother will cook my breakfast, lunch, and dinner and will pack me a morning snack for school. According to Abby, a third year volunteer in Mozambique, the people in Namaacha will take at least two, maybe even three baths a day.

For the next ten weeks, my days will be packed with training. Language class starts at 7:30 most mornings and after four hours of language, cultural, and technical training, I will head home to spend time with my family.

Next weekend we will travel back to Maputo with our language teacher to apply what we have learned in our lessons. Our language teachers will take us to a cell phone store and help us buy phones. We will be responsible for doing the talking and buying- they are there only as guides. I am crossing my fingers hoping that my phone will work in Mozambique- if not, I will buy a new one next weekend.

Yesterday we had the privilege and honor to meet the U.S. Ambassador to Mozambique. She mentioned one program that is beginning in Mozambique that truly inspired me. Officials in Mozambique have selected some of the most promising high school students from the southern regions of Mozambique and are helping them prepare for college in the United States. Officials are registering the students for the ACT and SAT as well as finding scholarships which will make school much more affordable. I hope that I will be able to work with the ambassador on this program over the next two years.

I will try to update my blog as much as possible during training, but as mentioned before I will be extremely busy studying and adopting a new lifestyle.

For now, tchau (goodbye)!