Maryangela's Venture to Mozambique: Lentil & Rice for Thanksgiving.

I am surprised that it is close to the end of November! I sit here eating lentils and rice, and am thinking of my family and friends enjoying the holiday of Thanksgiving. Giving thanks is something that has new meaning for me – being so far from my home in a very different culture, communicating differently, meeting new people, working in a different environment, even wondering what I can make for dinner. At home these things were easy to do or could even be avoided, but being away situations in life need to be absorbed with gratitude.

I am thankful for experiencing the wonders of Mozambique. I just completed six months of residing here; my Portuguese is better; I have a nice group of friends; and some projects are already underway at the hospital. Even as I do the analysis of my Community Needs Assessment I look forward to possible new projects in the area of nutrition, child development, and starting a HIV support group, so the next six months will be interesting.

I take my working here pretty serious - a bit too serious - having a weekend getaway made me realize that even my blog post can relax seeing the beauty of the beaches on the Indian Ocean coastline. So sit back, grab a drink, and see the awesome terrain of Bilene, Inhambane (approx. 1 ½ hrs from my site).

After a conference in Maputo, a group of us rented a van with driver and went three hours north. I was so excited after hearing the popularity of this beach, but more and more curious as we got near because it was rather scarce of beach views. "Are we there yet?",.

The van dropped us off before our lodging because it did not have 4x4. After an hour or so we arrived, despite the name of the lodge.

Right this way…. Wow!

The lodge is on a lagoon but a walk up a hill - I mean sand dune - would get us to the ocean. I have never imagined that sand dunes could be like this! I felt like I was in the Middle East rather than Africa! What an awesome hike this was.