Sights and Sounds

I am sitting in the dining room of a house located on the OMS compound outside the city of Maputo as an OMS meeting is going on in the next room, and can't help but reflect on the amazing impact that Africa has on one's senses. There is a lovely breeze coming through the open door; it is almost cold but quite refreshing. It is also causing the trees to make the most comforting rustling sound. I can hear children playing in the distance, and though they are yelling in a language that I do not understand, they sound like any other children I've ever heard. The subtle bass from someone's stereo is quite a contrast from the rooster that keeps crowing outside! When I look out the window, the peaceful glow of the setting sun is illuminating the huge tree right outside, the palm trees in the distance, as well as the loops of razor wire which loops around the fence encircling the yard. The smell of campfire coming in with the breeze is such a great smell and is starting to make me hungry! The combination of these sounds, smells, and feelings is making me feel as though I could fall asleep right here...if it weren't for the mound of sand stuck in my shoe from walking across the driveway!

My first week has been going very well. I absolutely love the kids in my class and am excited to have the next seven weeks to get to know them all. Susan and Larry are great and are a lot of fun to spend time with! We went out to Spicy Thai for dinner the other night, which was delicious, and I've been enjoying leftovers the past few days :)

Having a little time to sit back and think about the past few days since I got here has brought to mind many ways that we are all so alike, yet so different. The Mozambican people are people just like Americans. We are all basically the same. But at the same time, we are so entirely different. There are many things that are normal in this culture that just make me smile when I compare them to what is "normal" for me. I am not saying that there is anything wrong with the way things are done here, or the way things are done at home, I just find it interesting to think about. For example, driving. I don't think I will ever say that driving in NYC is crazy after what I have seen here! Yes, there are stoplights, but they do not always work...and even if they do work, hardly anyone follows them. You have to be extremely pushy with your car, or you will never get into the flow of traffic. Sometimes it is hard to tell who is going where or what side of the road they are supposed to be on. And pedestrians definitely do NOT have the right of way (unless they get hit)...so walking home from school is an adventure!

A lot of the houses and buildings where I'm staying have huge metal gates, padlocks, guards, and sometimes dogs. CAM (the school I'm teaching at) has a pitbull names Molly chained out front. It is very amusing to see her looking down at us through the window of our lower level classroom throughout the day! Speaking of school, it is beautiful! It is fairly small and many of the classrooms are separated into two to make room for K-12. Every day I laugh when one of the kids has to heat up their snack or lunch because we have to turn off the lights in our classroom in order to run the microwave! All the kids cheer when the lights come back on haha. It is also interesting to hear the Muslim prayers coming over the loudspeakers each evening....it is such a diverse place. I am excited to have more opportunities to experience the culture here - it really is a beautiful place.