The Skys of Inhambane and Beyond

I'm signing in for the last time and taking note that I've posted 47 times since my arrival in Mozambique, a success considering the fact that I haven't written in a journal that many times...ever. The last six months have been some of the busiest of my life. Wrapping up a Peace Corps service is no light task. As I began to jot down a to-do list, I fell deeper and deeper into my chair. The race was on. November 13th was the finish line and it was me against my own goals.

My primary responsibilities were to prepare my grades and grade maps at both the secondary school and the university, annual grades for 500 students. As stated in the previous post my university students completed their final project and I was talked into scanning all of their work, which called for a midnight run to Massinga and a 5:00am return to teach classes the next morning. I also rushed to finish preparing all of our computers by installing encyclopedias, dictionaries and some last minute network adjustments. We took on the challenge of painting four murals, one of which was a world map; we decided to hand paint all geographic and political information. I then had to make repairs on my house which included lining my veranda with new cane. I wrote a site report with crucial information for the following volunteer.

After these and many other items I packed my bags and headed off for a two week stop in Namaacha where it all began in order to assist in the training of the fourteenth generation of volunteers for Peace Corps Mozambique. Five other volunteers and I worked with the training staff by attendeding language classes, administering classes and painting a picture of what their life is likely to be like for the next two years. My last week in Mozambique was spent in Maputo preparing for lift off. We completed the descriptions of our service and tended to the medical and administrative requirements. On the evening of November 12th we were dropped off at the border and bid farewell. After five hours in the dark and rain our bus arrived and we rode to Johannesburg, South Africa.

Patrick and I flew to Cape Town and spent ten days frollicking in the Western world. Sunny beaches, good food, art galleries, tasteful music and charming hosts all aided in our enjoyment of the Cape of Good Hope. Highlights included watching Patrick crash a scooter through my own rear-view mirror, eating the best scrambled-egg sandwich at a diner called La Superette in Woodstock (go there if you get a chance), and viewing the daunting cape as we cruised down the last of the Atlantic coast on scooters.

And now, after a suiting farewell to a beautiful life on a beautiful continent, I am here in Austin trying to turn the page of a seemingly never-ending chapter. It's hard to remember what all happened in the last two years and yet it's harder to forget. If you've at all enjoyed the story, there is an easy way to help other volunteers. Peace Corps Partnership offers a way to support various projects that volunteers across the world are trying to complete. If that doesn't interest you, there is always the Peace Corps itself. It's never too late to volunteer.

I look forward to returning home to Utah next week and that will bring my voyage full circle.

We had two weeks of touch-ups on this wall alone. Here is Belmira trying to do less damage than good.

This is a rogue painter. I don't know who gave her a brush.

In order to paint on the world map teacher Chase said that one had to get an A+ on the big wall. Here are some of the stars showing off their talent.

Pinas took a lot of pride in being one of the key artists on the project. That hat says a lot.

These are the two stars of the project. As a reward I gave them two small murals to do on their own. Here is the image on the front of the library.

Snazy!

A little home repair. I was so busy that I was bouncing between the mural and the repairs on my house every twenty minutes or so.

Paulove and I didn't do too bad.

We received funding from PEPFAR for the murals and in an effort to increase our impact on the community I asked all of my English students to complete a test on the global HIV prevelence rates. Here is a group trying to decipher the color coded map. As you can see in the picture, the nine countries with rates above 15% are all located in Southern Africa, one of them being Mozambique.

My posse and I decided to go look for a witchdoctor to bless my voyage home. It was a long evening of seeking. We finally found one and put him to the test.

Along the way we found some inviting coconut trees.

And a young boy selling lanha, an unripe fruit good for a snack. We purchased everything he had cut that day and ate them on the spot.

The remaining mess and stomachaches that insued.

Here is a the complete map mural.

And this is the final product now found on the front wall of our computer room.

With nothing more to say, I'm out.