Severe Flooding in Gaza

On Tuesday, I got a text that some of my colleagues in Chokwe and Guija had evacuated  to Macia because of potential flooding from the rain water. 

Wednesday afternoon, I sat with my landlady as she recounted stories of the floods of 2000. She assured me that the rains this year were not that bad as in the year 2000. That night, I got a text from Peace Corps to be on "standfast" in the event that they needed to evacuate all Peace Corps Volunteers in the area.

Thursday morning, I went to the hospital and continued to work, but started to ask other colleagues about the stories of 2000 and the probability of it happening this year. Around 11 a.m., I heard that Chokwe, a district capital along the Limpopo River about 110 km away from Chicumbane, was flooded. I received the call that Peace Corps cars had left from Maputo to pick up Peace Corps Volunteers throughout Gaza Province and evacuate us to Maputo. I couldn't understand why I had to leave because, while Chicumbane is located near the Limpopo River, it is on higher ground elevated above the river valley and there didn't seem to be a posing threat. One of the hospital nurses, Vovo Minda, told me that I had to go because I was not Mozambican and I wouldn't know how to handle the situation, but that they would be okay, they have been through this before. While they may have experienced this before, one can still never be ready to experience a humanitarian crisis such as this. We have been compiling up-to-date information on the situation on my friends' blog. 

Now, four days later, we have heard the water has filled the river valley area that connects Chicumbane and Xai-Xai. Chicumbane is dependent on Xai-Xai for access to food, banking and other amenities. The river waters have destroyed the two bridges along the national highway in the valley. And in Xai-Xai, the water level has risen into the city forcing thousands to evacuate. 

Chicumbane is lucky in its geographic location to avoid water entering the village, but there are several communities in Gaza that have experienced devastating flooding. And this flooding came without much warning and time to prepare. A hundred thousand people were displaced from Chokwe and Guija. Many were forced to seek refuge on the roofs of buildings and in the tops of trees stranded without food and water.

We are in the middle of the rainy season here in Mozambique. While it has rained for much of January, the rains in South Africa and Zimbabwe contributed to the flooding. South Africa was forced to open several dams in rivers that converge into the Limpopo releasing even more water causing the rivers to overflow. Already this time of year is known as "tempo de fome" (time of hunger) in Mozambique, but the recent flooding will further exacerbate this situation. I have already heard from my neighbor that a sack of flour, which is normally 240 meticais is up to 320 meticais. But this is just the beginning of what is predicted to get a lot worse. 

Since Thursday, I have been in Maputo with my fellow evacuated Peace Corps Volunteers. We have been trying to stay on top of the news and in touch with our friends, neighbors and colleagues back in our communities.  While the water is moving from Chokwe to Xai-Xai and eventually down the river out to the Indian Ocean, the effects of this humanitarian crisis are far from over. It is reported that aid  is being delivered to the port of Beira, located 800 kilometers away, and expected to be brought to the Xai-Xai area.

All of the evacuated Peace Corps Volunteers are expected to have a meeting tomorrow to learn more about the current situation. While we are all anxious and restless to help in any way that we can, we know that we need to wait and see where the greatest needs lie in our communities and how we can channel our energy to address them. 

Puppies!!!

Mel and the sinking latrine...

 Since I was about 10 years old, I have wanted a puppy. I wrote a persuasive letter to my parents in 3rd grade asking my parents for a dog. My teacher said if I didn’t get a dog she would be really surprised. When I gave the letter to my parents, they set several conditions: the dog had to be at least two years old, had to be house trained and it had to be relatively inexpensive. The first and second condition eliminated all dreams of having a puppy. But, there was an ad two weeks later in my dad’s work newsletter for a free two-year-old obedience school trained black Labrador. That’s when Fletch entered the family. There has been a dog in my parent’s house ever since. When Fletch passed away, we got Gus. Gus is a shitzu-terrier, which my little sister absolutely adores, but other family members have come to call a bedroom slipper. When I left for Mozambique, my family decided to finally get a puppy. They said it would be my substitute and they named it Mozi. I am not making this up. Right when I left, they finally got a puppy. Don’t ask me how they convinced my mom to give in to that. Anyway, it is only appropriate that I too now have puppies.

My dog, Mel, had puppies yesterday. It kind of came as a surprise. She has been pregnant since November, I think, and I was expecting the puppies to come next month. But, yesterday morning when I was looking for Mel, I found her giving birth in my latrine. My latrine, by the way, which is literally sinking as a result of all the rain we have had in the last week. Don’t worry, I have stopped using the latrine (Falling in a pit latrine is probably one of my biggest fears here in Moz). I found Mel huddled in the corner no more than a foot from where the sand was eroding and falling in. There were two puppies huddled underneath her and it looked like the third was on the way. Ahh. What to do? That morning I was supposed to go to a funeral. I was not expecting puppies. I immediately called one of my friends and asked her to look up some information about newborn puppies. Could I move her? Could I touch them this early on? I had no idea. I had never had a puppy before. I decided to grab my camera to at least document the event. The activista I was supposed to go to the funeral with then showed up. I took her back to the latrine and before I could even say I didn’t think I would be able to make it, she insisted that I stay with Mel. She said I had to make sure no puppies fell in. Ahh. My friend then called me back saying that yes, I could touch them, but it is best to move them before the mother really comes to after giving birth and realizes what is going on. I quickly ran to my landlady’s house to see if her grandson Antonio was there to help me move them and set them up in the empty kitchen that sits between Nelio and my house. My landlady has a dog, Xima, who just had puppies. Antonio and I then returned to my house, cleaned out the kitchen and grabbed a box to load the puppies up and move them in. The puppies were successfully relocated. Mel followed us right into the kitchen and set up a little space for her and her babies. The kitchen was not in the best condition, but Nelio and I spent the afternoon fixing it up. We took out all the trash, built a new reed wall and leveled out the floor with new sand. I set up a bed for Mel and the pups with a straw mat, a little rug and a few capalanas. This will be their home for the next eight weeks.

So far the pups have been really busy eating and sleeping. Mel has been a trooper eating and sleeping along with them. She is also on high alert. Usually there are anywhere from three to six dogs in my yard at any time, but since she has had the puppies, she has not allowed any other dogs to be anywhere near the yard. She runs out from the kitchen, attacks them and then literally chases them out. She then quickly resumes her spot on the bed. Considering this is her third litter, she is a pro at this by now. My family back home was really worried about how was I going to know what to do with puppies in Mozambique. The truth of the matter is, dogs here are way more self-sufficient. I never want to leave the house because that means I’ll have to leave them and I go rushing in every time I hear them cry. Even though I feel like a worried parent all the time, I know there is only so much I can do. Being a pet owner in Moz is worlds different from being a pet owner back in the states. That became extremely clear as I quickly researched newborn puppies on the Internet on my phone. Nothing really seemed to apply. For one thing, it talked a lot about having to have a heat source in order to keep the puppies at about 85 to 90 degrees F all the time. Not applicable here. The fact that it is summer in Moz makes it automatically at least 90 degrees. Even though my neighbor said they look like rats, they are pretty cute. See for yourself!

BIRTH!

Mel and the puppies after they had been relocated to the kitchen.

Mel and her puppies

All set up!

Boas Entradas

Our maiden voyage out to Ihla dos Porcos.

Happy New Year.Or as they say here in Mozambique, “Boas Entradas”.I spent the holidays in Inhambane at the beach with some of my Peace Corps colleagues. It was not exactly a white Christmas, but we spent it on the (almost) white sand beach of Tofo. I wasn’t able to bring my camera, but my friends Mike and Marisa did an awesome job documenting the week so I encourage you to check out their blog to see pictures from the week. It wasn’t until the holidays were all said and done and I am now alone back at site that it hit me… I missed the holidays at home. I hope that you all had the merriest of holidays and truly enjoyed the holiday season with family and friends. Know that I am definitely thinking about you all covered in snow as the temperature here continues to climb. The other day it was 35 deg. C, which is about 95 deg. F. Tem Calor. It is also now the rainy season. It has rained for the past four days with no sign of stopping. The rain at least cools things off a bit, but it comes with incredible force flooding my yard and the roads. As I write now, the rain pounds on my tin roof and I am surrounded by several buckets to collect the rain water that leaks in through my roof. My first introduction to the rainy season in Africa.

The view from my door the past few days...

The new year brings new plans for both of my organizations. Mozambicans may not take New Years Resolutions to the same extremes as Americans do, but with the beginning of a new year, they still make new goals and plans for the new year.Last Wednesday, I was supposed to do a nutrition palestra (informational talk) in the Children at Risk department of the hospital, meet with my EGPAF supervisor and have a 2013 planning meeting at CACHES. The palestra was cancelled, the supervisor meeting was cancelled and everyone showed up 30 minutes late to CACHES. So it goes.Take a step back. Relax.

Even though everything did not go as planned last Wednesday. I met with my supervisor for over an hour on Thursday. CACHES met for about two hours on Thursday and another hour on Friday to begin the planning process for this year. And my nutritional talk and papas demonstratio was rescheduled for next Wednesday. And if the rain holds off it will hopefully take place. I started doing the papas demonstrations back in October with VovoMinda, the head nurse in the Children at Risk department of the hospital. Papas are basically like porridge, which we give to malnourished babies to help them gain weight and grow. So every Wednesday, we set up a mini cooking station outside and get mothers to help prepare the papas. By having them involved in the process they can then make it at home for their children. I started by just really observing the demonstration with VovoMinda, and then I started helping some of activistas who come to work at the hospital and now I take more active role in the demonstrations. One time when I was doing the demonstrations with a group of nursing students, they all did not know how to make papas so they looked to me for each step. I guided them through the process with my limited experience from just making it a couple times prior to that. I thought it turned out pretty well, but when we were serving the papas, Tininha, one of the assistants at the hospital, had a taste and told me that next time we need to crush the peanuts more. Oh well. The next week we made it, I made sure to give her taste and she said it tasted lot better. Since I have been helping out with the papaspalestra, I decided to write up the papas recipe on a poster to provide a visual for the mothers each week. Before I went on vacation for the holidays, I drew out the process on a poster.

Step 1. Pick out the bad peanuts

Step 2. Boil water

Step 3. Put the peanuts in a pan on the stove

Step 4. Take off the peanut shells

Step 5. Crush the peanuts

Some of the maes crushing peanuts for PAPAS

Step 6. Continue to crush the peanuts until it forms a peanut butter

Step 7. Put farinha (flour) in the boiling water

Step 8. Occasionally stir the farinha for the next ten minutes

Step 9. Put sugar and the peanut butter in the pot with the farinha

Step 10. Let boil more, stirring occasionally

Step 11. Serve and enjoy!

Candice, one of the nursing students, helping make PAPAS.

After I drew out the steps, I decided to ask my language tutor, Professora Teresa, to help me write out the step below each picture in Changana. She was thrilled to help, but said she was not entirely sure on the spelling of things in Changana. She brought me to her friend’s house in order to get the correct spelling. She was extremely helpful and together we wrote out all of the steps in Changana. When the poster was done, I brought it into the hospital to give to VovoMinda. She was overjoyed and decided we would go on a little show-and-tell walk around the hospital showing off the poster. At first, I was really embarrassed because the poster wasn’t really that great. I am not the best artist and so I was very critical of my drawings and was scared that the Changana was wrong. But that wasn’t important. VovoMinda was just so excited to have the poster to use. So I decided to let it go and continue to accompany her on our parade around the hospital.

When the following Wednesday came around, the poster was extremely helpful because it was just an activista from the organization Chukwaand I doing the palestra. The poster acted as a guide for us to follow. And this particular Wednesday, a father was there with his 5-month-old very malnourished baby. It is very unusual to see a dad bring his child to the hospital. Usually it is just the mothers and children. And this particular baby was seriously just skin and bones. Whatever pictures you have seen of malnourished children in Africa, that is what this baby looked like. While the father sat outside the hospital, I watched as several hospital staff asked him about the well-being of the baby. This baby’s condition was alarming to them as well.  The dad explained how the mother was very sick. He was very interested in learning how to make the papas. He got involved with the process as he wore the baby wrapped in a capalana on his back, just like all the mothers present. We gave his baby extra servings and then I copied down the recipe from the poster so he could bring it home with him and prepare for the baby. When the papas were done, we served all of the babies of those who helped prepare it. And then we served it to all of the children who are staying in the pediatric wing of the hospital with malnourishment. Professora Teresa, my tutor who helped make my poster, told me that she now also prepares papas at her house for her 9-month-old baby, KaKa.

The plan this year is to continue to do papas palestras on Wednesdays, but also maybe another day like Monday or Friday. Vovo Minda also asked me to continue to do more nutritional talks with each palestra. Last time, I spoke about the importance of including the various food groups in each meal. The plan for this past Wednesday was to talk about the importance of exclusively breastfeeding until six months and then slowly introducing new foods to the baby. So while it may not have happened this week, it doesn’t mean we won’t plan to do it next week.

The most wonderful time of year...

MANGO SEASON. That’s right. Mango season is in full swing and it is amazing. Well, if you like mangoes that is. I have yet to meet a Mozambican who doesn’t like mangoes. But, they will usually tell me why one type of mango is superior to another. And just as the song goes, “this is the wonderful time of year…” I can give you 10 reasons why yes, mango season is the best time of year.

10.  You floss more. Yes, it can be annoying with all those mango fibers, but your pearly whites will thank you later on.  The dreaded chore becomes absolutely necessary daily and you find yourself flossing once, even twice a day depending on how many mangoes you can eat.

9. There are several different kinds of mangoes. Who knew? The fat green ones, the red ones, the orange slender ones and I have yet to try the purple ones—they aren’t ripe yet. I am sure they have more scientific names, but I have yet to learn them. Everyone has their preference, what’s yours?

8. I have found a new hobby trying to knock them down out of trees or using a large pole to knock them down. It is so satisfying when you hit it down on the first try. But, trust me, it takes practice.

7. Anytime you are hungry you can literally just walk outside and pick a mango off a tree. How’s that when you have a snack attack?

6. Neighbors will stop you on your way to work and tell you to take a mango from the pile they have collected. Or children will yell, “Mana Cao” and then throw a mango down to you from where they are perched in the tree. You take one and thank them kindly, but they insist. “Mais, mais.” More. More. There is an abundance of mangoes.

5. You can spend an entire afternoon filling basins with mangoes. And then just sit around with friends eating them. It doesn’t get much better than that.

The mangoes Nelio and I collected one afternoon.

Nelio with our prize mangoes!

4. Mango crisp. Think apple crisp, but sweeter and gooier.

3. Mango salsa. Add mangoes, sugar, tomatoes, onions, limes, salt and pepper. Grab some crackers or make your own tortilla chips. I think I have made this seven times already in the last four weeks. It is just the perfect combination of sweet and salty, nutritious and delicious. 

2.     You can practice English with conversations like:

Me: How was your day today?

Beto: It was good.

Me: What did you do?

Beto: I listened to music and ate mangoes.

Me: How many mangoes did you eat today?

Beto: Eleven.

You don’t hear that very often in the states.

And the number one reason why mango season is the most wonderful time of year: As the expression goes around here, “No one goes hungry during mango season.”

Now, there are a few things to keep in mind as you dive into the splendor of the season. Do be careful of eating too many. It is possible and they will cause some unfortunate GI issues. Mangoes tend to litter the ground—the peels, the pits, the fallen fruit. They are all over. Sometimes if you step on one it can be as slippery as a banana peel and you’ll find yourself flat out. And you have to be careful sleeping under a mango tree either in a hammock or on a straw mat because they can easily fall on your head. Eek. At the beginning of mango season when just the first few trees are ripe, you have to be careful of people who are just collecting mangoes to sell in Maputo. When I was away one weekend, someone came and took pretty much all the mangoes off one of my trees. Luckily, I am able to enjoy the mangoes from the three other trees in my yard, but I was pretty baffled when I came home and there were just a few left scattered on the tree. My neighbor tried to lead a small investigation, but was inconclusive. I had heard how amazing mango season is, but had never experienced it before this year. Now that we are in the thick of it, I can fully understand the hype. I hope to freeze mangoes to keep the season alive a little longer. And after mango season we dive into pineapple season. And then before you know it, it will be avocado season again. And you know what that means…GUACAMOLE! But let's not rush it. For now, I will continue to enjoy my mangoes.

 

World AIDS Day

For many, World AIDS Day is a once-a-year reminder of the global effect AIDS has on people around the world. Some can go day-to-day not having to give much thought to the virus that affects so many. But, on December 1, the world stops to remember and raise awareness. In the past I honored World AIDS Day by: attending presentations, candlelight vigils and movie screenings to recognize the effect AIDS has had on so many people who I had never met. While I knew AIDS existed in the states I still felt removed from the topic. However World AIDS Day stood as a call to attention and a way to raise awareness for people who may not have otherwise known about the effects of the infection.

This year was a little different. I am surrounded by the virus and people affected by it. It is something I work with every day. Here in Mozambique, World AIDS Day is not just the one day where people stop to think about HIV, but rather an occasion to recognize the fight that continues. In the past, CACHES has had all-day events with different cultural groups presenting, lunch and hospital staff present to do HIV tests. However, this year, CACHES lacks funding so we planned something a little different. We had several brainstorming meetings and finally the activistas decided that we would do an exercises in the morning with the criancas at the CACHES, then a march through Chicumbane and end with a soccer game and palestra for the jovens of Chicumbane. We also decided that we would write a pedido to the hospital, a letter requesting condoms to distribute. CACHES already had several magazines and brochures in Changana and Portuguese that we could distribute as well.

During the week leading up to the event, we wrote the pedido to the hospital. And then we also wrote up a flyer outlining the events of the day. The activistas made glue and put the flyers up around Chicumbane a few days beforehand.

I brought the pedido to the hospital and they approved the request. On Friday, when I went to the hospital, I picked up the condoms from Enfermeiro Ricardo. He originally gave me 200. When my supervisor from EGPAF, Louis, saw that he only gave me 200, he said that I needed more so he asked Ricardo to get some more. This led to a bit of a problem because then we had to go talk to the Enfermeira Chefe (Boss) who then gave me a talking to on how could we plan an event about health without including a representative from the health field. She wanted to know who would be giving all of the statistics about why it is so important to get tested in Gaza. She was insistent that a technician from the hospital had to be present in order to give more information than any activista could give. She then asked me to leave the room while she spoke with Enfermeiro Ricardo. I am not sure what they continued to talk about, but after about 15 minutes, Ricardo came out and together we went to get 800 more condoms and then he said that the Director of CACHES would have to come down to the hospital to speak with him. I called Sam and he came down that morning. When he arrived, we spoke with Enfermeiro Ricardo, who explained that a technician from the hospital would go to CACHES in the morning to help with the event. Sam and I both apologized for the confusion and the conversation ended with all of us on the same page. Estamos juntos.

The schedule that the activistas had made for the day said it would start at 6 am. Knowing better after being here in Mozambique for six months, I showed up at 7 am and they were still just kicking around a soccer ball. I joined in and then around 7:30 am we started with the first thing on the agenda: exercises. I led the group for about 30 minutes doing a variety of exercises mostly from my P90x videos. We did lunges, squats, push-ups and sit-ups all separated with an interval of jumping jacks or jumping rope. And then Calvino took over leading a few exercises for another 30 minutes or so. And after the whole discussion at the hospital the day before about needing a technician, insisting on having a technician, no one showed up. And so it goes.

At about 8:30 am, we assembled the group distributing condoms and magazines to the kids and jovens who would participate in the march. We also took down some of the banners inside CACHES to carry as we marched. At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about some of the really young kids carrying boxes of condoms to distribute. But, when I asked them if they knew what they were, they responded “proteccao.” Bom. It’s a good start. And then, I wondered if HIV is so widespread, is it ever too early to start prevention? We set out on our march, through Chicumbane walking down Avenida de Zongone, down to the market area, on to the hospital and then to the soccer field. As we walked the kids sang about HIV prevention and distributed materials to people we passed. They passed out just the magazines to kids, but condoms and magazines to adults. People joined in walking with us, and all welcomed the materials.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, I had to leave when we reached the soccer field because I had to go to the wedding of one of my colleagues from the hospital. I heard later from the activistas that the soccer game and palestra went really well. They said they had so many jovens that they had to set up two soccer games. They distributed 500 condoms.

The wedding was a lot of fun as well. It was really neat to see how they transformed the yard into a banquet hall, setting up tarps with estocas (big posts) and several tables with decorated chairs along with buffet tables. There were probably about 200 people in attendance. And I know all the neighbors and family had been preparing for days. They had so much food: xima, rice, salad, potato salad, cucumber salad, cabbage and an array of meat: cow, pork and chicken. When I left with my colleague, Tininha, that morning I was under the impression that we would be going to the registry and the church ceremony part, but as it turned out we just went to the party. It was fun to spend time with my colleagues from the hospital outside of work. I didn’t recognize some of them because they were out of their hospital uniforms and all dressed up for the occasion. We enjoyed the afternoon eating, drinking, talking and dancing. And one of my favorite parts of the wedding is how they do the gifts. Instead of just setting gifts on a table in the corner, like we do in the United States, each person has to present their gift to the couple singing and dancing. I joined my collegues from the hospital in their presentation. It was a joyous way to spend World AIDS Day when my collegues work so closely with the disease and those affected by it every day. I traveled home with Tininha around 7 pm. On Monday morning, when I asked Louis how the rest of the party went, he said he left shortly after us because the beer had run out. And then he said, “In Mozambique, when the beer runs out, the party ends.” I said that isn’t just in Mozambique, but usually the case in the United States as well.

Thanksgiving in Mozambique

I have enough Christmas socks to last me the month of December. And I love sending out snail mail valentines to my friends across the country. And who doesn’t love mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole and pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving? When I was little, I always used to ask for a holiday sweater. Not just a holiday sweater for Christmas, but I wanted one that had all the holidays—Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Fourth of July-- on it so I could just wear that sweater for every holiday. Yeah, I was THAT cool. Well, I never got the sweater. I don’t know if something like that even exists, but last Christmas my mom did give me a set of pins. Each one decorated for each holiday: a heart for Valentine’s Day, a turkey for Thanksgiving, Frankenstein for Halloween, a snowman for Christmas, etc. And, yes, they made it to Mozambique.

Yesterday, I proudly wore my turkey pin as I introduced the criancas at CACHES about Thanksgiving, Dia de Acao de Gracas. I did a brief lesson on Thanksgiving explaining how it was the first meal between the pilgrims (peregrinos) and Native Americans dating back to Plymouth 1621. I then explained how it is now celebrated the fourth Thursday of November by eating a large meal with family and friends. I translated some of the foods into English including turkey, potatoes, corn and stuffing. We then made turkey hats.

After, I explained to the kids how this day is an opportunity to take a step back and be thankful for all the things in our lives. We then, wrote out something we wanted to say “thank you” or “kanimambo” for. The kids generated a list including: life, family, friends, CACHES, health, security, religion, avocados and food. They each wrote out one thing they were thankful for and then painted a turkey. We used finger-paints I received in a care package. They loved it! A special thank you goes out to Donna for supplying the paints! Some of the kids hung up their pictures in the art gallery that already exists on walls of CACHES. And everyone continued to wear their turkey hats the rest of the night.

 

As for my turkey hat, I will wear it today when I go to my friends Mike and Marisa’s house to have our own Thanksgiving celebration. There are about 10 PCVs who will get together today to do some cooking and then we will travel to Guija tomorrow to celebrate with some more PCVs. Just like Thanksgiving in the states, there will be cooking, eating, drinking and lots of fun amongst our new PCV family abroad.

I want to take a moment, in thanksgiving, to say “thank you” or “kanimambo” for all of the blessings in my life. I am reminded of how fortunate I am to have the education and upbringing I had. Without this education, I wouldn’t be able to dedicate these two years of my life to the work I am doing. Thank you also to my new PCV family here in Mozambique. We may have become family by default, but over the next two years our bonds will continue to grow as we lean on each other. Thank you to Peace Corps for giving me the opportunity to embark on this adventure. And Kanimambo to CACHES, the Rural Hospital of Chicumbane and the community here in Bairro 1 of Chicumbane. Thank you for being patient, understanding and so warm throughout my first few months here. I am so excited about working and living alongside all of you for the next two years.

And while I may be thousands of miles away from my family and friends, to you, I want to say “KANIMAMBO!”  I am constantly reminded of how much you have shaped and continue to be a part of my life. While we may not be able to be together today or for the foreseeable future, I have all your emails, care packages, and messages to keep me going. Keep ‘em coming! Thank you for your endless love and support. I know I wouldn’t be here without it.

So wherever you are this Thanksgiving, take a moment to say, “Kanimambo.” And eat an extra helping of pumpkin pie for me!  J

Terra de Boa Gente

First three months at site. Check. The end of the first three months also marks the end of our travel restriction. For the first three months, we are not allowed to leave our province. So for me, I couldn't travel outside of Gaza. So to mark the end of this restriction, my friend Alden, a fellow Gazan, and I took a trip to Inhambane, "Terra de Boa Gente" (Land of Good People), the province north of Gaza.  First, we visited Adela in Inhambane City and then the three of us went to visit our friend Lisa in Vilankulos. It was absolutely beautiful. But, you don't need me to tell you that, check out the pictures below.

The view from the pier at Inhambane City looking at Maxixe.

Sunrise at Vilankulos

Sunrise

Sunrise on the beach in front of Lisa's house in Vil. We made friends with some of the local dogs who were up early as well. 

Our view from lunch at in Vilankulos

Adela, Alden and me in Vil!

Lisa, Adela and me in Vil!

Vilankulos

The Catch of the Day down on the beach in Vilankulos.

The view of the islands off the coast of Vilankulos. You can take a boat to visit them and then spend the day out there, but unfortunately this wasn't in our budget as Peace Corps Volunteers.

Tofo, Inhambane 

Tofinho, Inhambane

Sunset over the bay in Inhambane City.

Better yet, come see for yourself! Before I left the United States, I know a lot of you said you were interested in taking a trip to the 'bique. Well, consider yourself invited. Now accepting reservations from now until August 2014. Just send me an email with potential dates and we will work out the details from there.