I’ve been in my new site, Meconta, for exactly two months. Situated in Nampula province, it’s only about 6 hours away from my old site, but the experience is entirely different. It’s the district capital, and one of the nearest towns to a major city, so there are shops, administrative buildings, and businesses (at my old site, everyone was a subsistence farmer). After living for so long without electricity, cell phone service, or internet access, the village of Meconta is basically a city.
Having electricity in our house is great, as we are no longer obliged to go to bed at 7 P.M. Our house is in an area where a lot of high-ranking officials live, and is therefore one of the nicest in town. Its only flaw is its diminutive size (little known fact: it was the inspiration for the classic Hobbit Hole), but Jamie and I are adjusting to living very closely with a puppy, a kitten, and each other. We still get our water carted in from a well, but enjoy warm bucket baths now, thanks to the magic of electricity.
We arrived in Meconta on the first day of school for the last trimester of 2013, and started teaching in the same week. I was assigned to teach 8th, 10th, and 12th grade chemistry, but all my classes are scheduled for Thursday and Friday mornings, leaving the rest of my week free. After only one week of this schedule, I was already going crazy, so I organized English classes for some of my fellow teachers. These went well for the first few weeks, until the school director got annoyed that teachers were missing their classes to attend English lessons. After that, attendance dropped off, but we’re hoping to resume these classes in the next school year.
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| Escola Secundaria de Meconta-Sede |
The Mozambican school year ends this week, and then my summer vacay begins! Next week, Jamie and I are flying up to meet my dad in Tanzania for a safari followed by a SCUBA trip. We are hosting Thanksgiving in Meconta, then spending December in South Africa and southern Mozambique.
It’s the time of year to say goodbye to friends who are completing their Peace Corps service. We’re also welcoming the next group of trainees to the Mozambique family, which sort of makes us the sage, all-knowing seniors. My first year of service has greatly exceeded my expectations, and I’m incredibly excited to see what changes the next year will bring (including more frequent blog updates).
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| Maluca |
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| Simba |
