Week five!

So I’m on week 5 of training. So far so good, but it definitely has its ups and downs. I think we’re all looking forward to being on our own for a number of reasons. Living with a host family is an irreplaceable learning experience but it is tiring to have someone tell you when to take a bath… tell you not to wear those shoes because there’s a speck of mud on them or that shirt because it has a wrinkle… inquire as to whether you’ve made a bowel movement… ask why you came home late after school… ask why you want to be in your room and not watching Brazilian soap operas with them… tell you not to sit on the veranda because it’s cold… tell you not to go to school because it’s muddy outside… you get the idea. It’s sweet to have people looking out for you but the lack of autonomy and personal space is starting to get to me.

I’m also looking forward to cooking my own food and not having to eat excessive amounts of carbohydrates in the form of white rice, sticky white glop (aka xima), and bread. We had a two day training session on how to make permaculture vegetable gardens and I plan on starting one as soon as I get to site. Turns out you can grow plenty of fresh produce right next to your home in just about any kind of environment. We’ll see how successful I am. Sigh… I’m already dreaming about pumpkins, beans, lemongrass, carrots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, fresh greens…
Excitement! Saturday I finally get to leave the training village and go on a 5 day visit to the site of a current Peace Corps Volunteer. I´m headed 5-8 hours north of where I am now - a looong chapa ride, but I am thrilled to have a change of scenery and to get a glimpse of “the real deal.” After that we have two weeks of model school (I finally get to teach in a real Mozambican classroom!) and then a week of wrapping things up and I’m off to my permanent site (will find out where on Thanksgiving day). It’s nice to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel but also nerve wracking to think I don’t have all that much time left to learn all I need to know.

P.S. Thanks for the snail mail! It totally makes my day. I got a letter from Grandma and three Halloween cards. It’s a little tricky sending mail back the other way, but I’ll try to do that soon.

P.P.S. Is anybody reading this blog? Write some comments.