I really really cannot lie: I FREAKIN LOVE MY LIFE RIGHT NOW.
Yes, even when spiders like to hang over my head while I work. Yes, even when I fumble through conversations way above my language level. Yes, even when I realized the huge block of cheese I bought makes horrible mac and cheese. Yes, even after a colleague told me I would never make friends because I never drink and don’t dance(?!?!?!). And yes, even after I was assigned an annoying scattered class schedule PLUS an extra 12 hours of Prácticas Pedagógicas after I was PROMISED something completely different.
Okay, yea, its frustrating.
Especially the whole ’15 hours teaching+ 12 hours observation’ thing, making me go over the amount of work hours the other regular teachers teach and the number PC allows.
But, like, its whatever since the universe blesses me with little moments of euphoria!
Like when Silvia, my fave toddler criança, came over and just wanted to sit on my lap and watch Scandal while her siblings colored on the veranda. It was perfect.
Or when, after 1 hour of dealing with Movitel people treating me like a child and trying to push me to leave my laptop with them (aww heck naw), my modem started working again AND 2.5 GBs were added to my account when I bought my typical 1.5 package.
Or when I decided to give up fried food for Lent and went around frying everything I could- chicken, eggplant, potatoes, onions- and made honey mustard sauce and feasted on it for 2 glorious days AND DIDN’T GET SICK NOR GAIN AN EXTRA CHIN.
Or when I was stuck supervising my students at the school’s corn field and my crianças showed up and helped me sneak out only to led me to their houses where I met their families and was offered everything from grilled corn to gardening tools. I talked to all of them about school registration and made sure they had uniforms and supplies ready for the first day and the kids were so pumped to show me their rooms and bath buckets and laundry.
Or when late last night a student I tutored last month (and who had the previous volunteer as his IFP teacher) got his results back for a university entrance exam AND GOT INTO ONE OF THE BEST ENGLISH PROGRAMS IN THE COUNTRY. I gave him a duffle bag and school supplies and AHHH SO GOOD
Or like today, when stumbling on the church choir practice led me to met an angel. I walked to the Catholic church to check if they had an afternoon Mass today and walked into the big choir practice and sat in a room filled with the most beautiful music for 30-45 minutes followed by Mass (Ash Wednesday yo, every girl with bang’s worst school day)
After Mass I followed the mass of people taking over the main road, making my way to my street, when a women walking next to me asked if I worked at the IFP. There aren’t many non-Mozambicans around and my maxi skirt meant I was either a teacher or part of a missionary organization, ha! (Jean skirts=Christian Missionary. Peasant skirts=Christian Missionary. Any other style/fabric=80%PCV, 10% Missionary, but like, on a day off)
Maria, my new friend, is a jr high math teacher a few towns over. She went to school in Malawi but came back after the war and feared she lost her English so she wanted me to help her study it more. We got to a cross street and I asked which way she was walking and she point behind us- she had walked past her house just to keep talking! Mozambicans do that, its great. She invited me over and I felt the ‘OKAY!’ escape my mouth before I could even think.
Her house is painted blue and she has 2 dogs and 2 kids, plus a whole bunch of extended family staying with her while they attend the various schools in the area. We talked about family, school, religion, her marriage, my singleness (one of the few Moz women who told me to not marry until I was done living my life #dontworry), and her university program (only 2 years left!). We watched Carrossel and her daughter made us chima and the MOST AMAZING RED SAUCE OMG and she insisted on walking me down the main road leading to the IFP.
I walked down my little road alone, big goofy smile plastered on my face, staring at the stars when I heard a weird sucking noise…like piglets? Wait, there are pigs here? Nope. Better. PUPPIES. The momma was on the road so I tried going around when suddenly I see headlights and dramatically yelled for the car to stop while the mom ran to safety- but the puppies didn’t get the memo and just stared at the lights. Guys. Deer do that. Not you. So I ran and picked them up, hoping the mom dog wouldn’t attack me, and the car’s driver just laughed as this white girl, dramatically cradling a litter of puppies in her skirt, ran to the nearest open area. I was careful to put them down nicely, and waited as the mom smelled them to make sure they were all there… then she lightly growled.
Okay, fine, but when they get old enough you best pay me back by letting me cuddle one.
So yea, yesterday and today had me feeling like I lived a thousand lives with various highs and lows, but overall the highs make the lows worth it.
And I now have a lead on a possible future furry friend.
#blessed
Adios Ale 