Maryangela's Venture to Mozambique

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Dear Viewers,
I am asking for some feedback on viewing blogs. Can you please comment on what interested topics you are seeking? Thanks, I look forward to reading your reply.

Warm Regards, Maryangela

Saturday, September 17, 2016

Youth Promoting Social Change in Gender Equality

Last Saturday one of my secondary projects, as Province Coordinator English Theater Network, was completed with delight of one hundred high school students performing a skit in English. Funded by Peace Corps, volunteers in each of the ten Providences in Mozambique, organize a contest to promote learning the English language while understanding social issues that affect progress in this country.

I had the awesome opportunity to visit other districts and meet these motivated groups. Each student has their own aspirations to learn English, from studying abroad or working here in Mozambique, and these students who organize exudes motivation to learn.

The powerful theme of the show was “Empowering Girls –Empowering the Future”, and each group displayed social awareness of the disparity between genders here in Mozambique. Examples of scripts were common situations here: daughter’s husbands selected be the father for dowries, girls marry at in their early teens; funds for school are invested in the boys and girls drop out after primary school; girl’s future is limited to housewife and mother; and domestic violence. These common scenarios were presented along with a solution – showing us that this generation could be the ice-breakers for reform in gender equality.

Here is a glimpse of the contest, imagine the skilled performance of these teenagers!

Sunday, September 4, 2016

Summer returns

It’s the first weekend in September and I welcomed a friend from the city to come visit rural life at my site in southern Mozambique. Unfortunately, the first hot days of the summer season came as well. We spent the morning touring the hospital, schools, and the main street and then we took a ride out to the “mata” – the bush.

The pictures below narrate the settings just 10 miles / 22 kilometers from the main village. The smiles overcome the dry, hot, dusty roads, hoping that the 2 year drought will be broken and the gardens will produce essential food.

Never too warm to play soccer

The bush just 10 miles from the village

Genuine smiles

Going to move the cows

Look on the road buddy!

Homestead

Working and playing together

Water supply

So cute

Quaint

Sunny dusty necessary walk

Perfect posture

Selling baked goods

Daily laundry

Hitch hikers

Getting water

I caught this boy in an embarrassing moment - look close!

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Solutions come one step at a time.

For the past sixteen months I have been posting my experiences in Mozambique to viewers around the world to take a glimpse of my life here in my host country. This past month I have had writer’s block about a new subject matter. Daily past times and news are now part of my normal – the ecstasy of the different way of life and customs have dimmed.

Until one morning at the hospital I met this boy picking up medicine with his mother. Such an acute case of toe in-gait (pigeon toed) was startling. Wheels of questions and possibilities start to blurt out of my mouth and resulted in an appointment to the major hospital in the city, unfortunately to no avail.

This boy, who happens to be so sweet, is 15 years old and was born with this deformity. Here in Mozambique braces are used or in extreme cases surgery can be done – I’m not sure if 15 years ago this was practiced- but right now he is turned away because of his age.

I can see the sparkle of hope in this boy’s eyes, and now I too am contaminated. Isn’t there a solution somewhere? As unrealistic as it is here, I think that this is not impossible globally. I have made a few contacts to global-heath institutions and await replies; even my family at home is reaching out to contacts. So now I ask you -friend or stranger- any ideas?

Please contact me by making a comment. One step at a time …..

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Mid-Term, What's Ahead?

It’s Sunday and I sit here in my house, usually I’m just thinking of going to the market to buy food, but today I’m consumed with the completion of my first year in my village. I have just returned from my Mid-Service Conference with the other volunteers, which points our half-way mark. At this point on the journey it is bitter sweet, I feel relieved that it is half done and stressed that I only have a year left.

The first year was slow; much time was spent trying to understand, be trusted, build relationships, and advocate for change. Despite my capacity and motivation, my time here is very short. It is said “what takes a day in the USA takes a week in Africa, what takes a week in the USA takes a month in Africa; what takes a month in the USA takes a year in Africa”. I will admit that is very true.

I think about the monitoring the projects that have started ; Is this project going well? Should this be dropped, changed, started? Questions haunt me - Is my contribution to this village going to make an impact? Will these projects enriching their lives? Will they continue when I leave? The questions are daunting, and the answer kicks my ego: I am not the messiah.

So with that realized, I will continue with more humility and gratitude, but I will keep trying of the sole reason that these good people unfortunately drew a short straw.

Monday, August 1, 2016

One Year Anniversary as a Peace Corps Volunteer

August 1^st, 2016 marks my year anniversary of being a Peace Corps volunteer. I’ve settled into a different cultural with both exciting opportunities and challenges in the work I do, but most of all it has deepened my appreciation of this experience.

This blog has given me the chance to share this journey with thousands of friends and strangers; I hope that you too will continue to join me for another year in Mozambique.