Sun, Sun, and Sun!

Although it’s not a creative title, I had to do it after this week was just as sunny as last week was muddy! Namaacha is really gorgeous when the sun is out. Everything is so green because of the rain, and we are nestled on a peak between two beautiful mountain views. I’ve been here for 3 weeks now, but the view is still amazing each time I see it.

With each day here, I truly love it more. This morning I spent sitting out on my front porch listening to music and gossiping with my host sisters about the pregnant girl next door – probably the same thing I would be doing on a nice Saturday morning in America! My sisters are GREAT (I think I’ve said that before, but they really are). They both are in 11^th grade (and only 17 and 18, which is much more on track than a lot of what you’ll find in Moz) and both plan on going on to college afterwards, one to be an engineer and the other to be an architect. Quite impressive! I got to help them with their math homework the other night, and it really made me excited to be a teacher here. We’ve heard a lot about the frustrations that we will encounter, but I know they’ll be so many moments of accomplishment, too.

The PCVs training us this week gave us lots of good information about the various sites throughout Moz, which was exciting for us because we no longer get site visits as part of training. We still have 4 weeks before we find out where we’ll be, and we are all so anxious! Mozambique is a pretty big country, so all our sites will really vary. I’m glad I’m making friends that I can visit later on and see more of the country!

I am getting to know my host mother a lot better now. I cooked with her the other night and talked with her about her past a little bit. She went to the IFP (school for professors) in Namaacha, and has lived here ever since. I also found out that she just turned 40 this week! She told me the day after… I was so sad that there was no way I could have known that! It’s also one of my sister’s birthdays today, so I think next week we are celebrating them both. She told me she has another sister that is also a professor, and then another that is a police officer! I can see why her daughters are so ambitious- this is clearly a family that has high expectations for women! My sisters also told me that they had to learn Portuguese before they could learn the local dialect, which is opposite what happens in most households. I feel lucky to get to know a family that puts education as the priority!

They commented on how I am eating more lately, and it’s true! I am SO hungry all the time! I think it’s just because none of the food is that FILLING. I am getting plenty to eat, but my body just wants more! The food is tasty, but I am definitely anxious to get to site and start cooking for myself- most of my cravings I should be able to find some way to meet. Top on my list: CHEESE, spicy food, tomato-based sauces, and just snack food in general. I have been eating lots of vegetables, too, but all of them are dowsed in oil. I’m hoping once I get to site I will be able to improvise some other types of salad dressings!

The song for this post is “Getting Better” by the Beatles, because it truly is with each day. I’m sure there will be more low points to come, but I’m happy to just feel more and more excited as time goes on! I’d much rather have that than the opposite!

Hope all is going well in the States! I hope you noticed the pictures that I posted, and more will be added sometime before I leave training. Weather permitting, I’ll be doing some cool hikes this weekend, and I won’t forget my camera! Hope you all are having a beautiful fall!