I have always been in love with the risings and settings of
the sun. Florida. Ireland. Cape Cod. Santorini. You name it and I will usually
make people climb to the highest point just to catch a glimpse of a good
sunrise or sunset. So Mozambique would prove to be no different. I am generally
up before the sun rises because I run every morning. I run with three other
volunteers and one of their host brothers. We usually meet outside my house at
5:30 a.m. and run for about 40 minutes on the main road. While we would usually
see how the sky was brightening up with the sunrise we never really stopped to
watch the sunrise. I proposed to the group that one morning we should go down
to Shoprite, Namaacha’s open market, and watch it. Shoprite overlooks the
mountains to the east and on a clear day you can even see Maputo. We decided to
announce it to our whole training class that we would be going on Saturday.
On Saturday morning, just Sabrina and I showed up at 5:15
a.m. at our designated meeting place to go. A couple people said later that
they set alarms and wanted to go, but it was just too early. We walked down the
main road to Shoprite and chose the best viewing spot for our sunrise. We
definitely overestimated how long it would take us to get down to Shoprite, but
we got to see all of the maes carrying their goods on their heads to set up
what they would sell for the day. They carried everything on their heads: sacks
of rice, capalanas, bread, water jugs, you name it. There was a layer of haze
across the horizon so it took a while for the sun to break through. Leading up
to it, reds, pinks and oranges painted across the sky. I felt as if we were
watching the previews before a movie was about to start. Finally, the great
African sun broke through the haze and the feature presentation started to run.
Despite the wait for the sun to initially rise, it was on a fast track across
the sky. It was gorgeous. (Pictures to come at a later date.) We seemed to be the only ones taking it in as the
hustle and bustle of Shoprite moved around us. After our brief interlude we
decided to move along with the day’s course as well. But, we had one more stop.
We had heard about a German bakery in town, but because of our tight training
schedule, we had not yet had an opportunity to check it out. This was our
chance. We followed the directions we got and made our way to the bakery. They
had a selection of breads and cookies in the window. We decided to split the
raisin bread which was just 20 meticais, which is less than a dollar. $1 = 27
meticais. It was delicious. It had a light glaze icing and then was chocked
full of raisins and doughy goodness. What a treat! We devoured it on our way
home.
We got home with just a few minutes to spare before we had
to leave for training. For training we were going to visit the medico
tradicional. It was really interesting to visit the medico tradicional because
his house was “la” (which in Portuguese means “far”. Mozambicans love this
phrase when they are either giving directions or trying to describe to you
where something is.) It was also kind of down this rocky slope, so we were
trying to figure out how if someone is really sick they are going to get to the
medico tradicional in the first place. He showed us how he communicates with
the spirits through a conch shell and his supply of medicines and lion fat that
he uses to heal people. It was interesting to hear how often he does send
people to the hospital, especially if they come to him with HIV or
tuberculosis. When I got home from the visit, my mae was horrified that I had
not taken my bucket bath that morning. I didn’t have time. Eek. She made me
take one before I could eat lunch.
A couple weeks ago now, we had a very special visitor. The
U.S. Ambassador Leslie Rowe came to speak with us. I found out a couple days
before that because I lived so close to the HUB, where all of our trainings
are, the ambassador would be visiting my house after lunch. That morning when I
returned from my run, my mae asked to come into my room to see if it was clean
for the ambassador’s visit. I said it was clean, but then soon realized my
standard of clean and her standard were two very different things. She first
picked up all my shoes and threw them in a pile outside my room, then she moved
the chair and started to move the bed. I jumped in to help her. She then
grabbed the broom and started furiously sweeping my floor. I tried to help, but
she was on a mission. Then, she grabbed a bacia of water and a rag and started
scrubbing my floor. I told her I could help and finally she gave me the rag and
showed me how it was done. I followed her lead and thought I was doing it just
as she showed me. I should have known better. She told me I was doing it wrong
and demonstrated again. Then it was my turn to try. She seemed to be pleased
with my work. Then, she realized that it was getting late so I had to take my
bath before training. While I scurried off to the casa de banho, my mae stayed
cleaning in my room. When I returned, she was still cleaning. As I finished
getting ready, she was in and out making sure everything was just right. I left
with seconds to spare before I had to be at training.
When Ambassador Rowe
arrived at training, we had a great discussion about her role in Mozambique,
her experience in the U.S. Foreign Service and the current state of Mozambique.
Her post in Mozambique ends this month and she will return to D.C. After our
discussion, she ate lunch with us. Somehow I got to sit right across from her
and she asked all of us around her to tell her what we were doing before we
signed up for the Peace Corps. Her husband is an RPCV so she is really interested
in the Peace Corps. After lunch, Sabrina
and I walked with her and Peace Corps staff to visit our houses. When we got to
my house, I introduced her to my mae and then she thanked her for taking me in
as her daughter during training. They spoke for a little while and then the
ambassador gave my mae a pin with an American and Mozambican flag. My mae was
truly touched. We took a picture together and then went on to Sabrina’s house
next door to meet her family. When I got home from training that day, my mae
told me how nervous she was beforehand because she wasn’t sure if the
ambassador would like her or her house. In my broken Portuguese, I assured her
the ambassador liked her and was just happy to be a guest in her home. She
smiled and seemed to take comfort in that. The pin she received was set in a
place of honor on the table for a while.
That is so cool that you got to meet the Ambassador! Sounds like things are going really well for you Colleen!
ReplyDeleteThis is incredible! Love this story. I think it's amazing that you got to meet the Ambassador and share a glimpse of your currently life with her. One question...where can i get my hands on some of that healing lion fat? I need some. ;)
ReplyDeleteWow, what a cool experience! I am so happy for you Colleen :)
ReplyDelete