Saudacoes

I arrived in Nampula on Saturday. The airport in Maputo had a problem with their computers, and the entire process was unlike anything I've ever experienced when traveling before. The plane left about 2 hours late...and everyone was annoyed. We flew from Maputo to Beira, had a little break, then flew from Beira to Nampula. The trip was about 2 1/2 hours long total, but they served us a small meal on each leg of the flight. Once we arrived in Nampula, we headed to our hotels for our Supervisor's Conference. This is where we were to meet our counterparts/supervisors for a 2 day conference before we head off to our sites.

The first thing I noticed about Nampula was how diverse it is. I thought it was diverse in the south, but I was so shocked to see ALL TYPES of people...everywhere. Lots of them. Who is "them"? Everybody. Everybody you can think of....Asian (there's a HUGE Chinese community in Mozambique), White, Ambiguously Ethnic, people from various African countries, Indian, various Middle Eastern countries, European countries, etc. There's also a huge Muslim community in Northern Mozambique. Personally, I think Nampula is a beautiful city. Sure, there's trash on the ground in some places, and Nampula gets a bad rap for not being the safest city in Mozambique, but I really like it. A lot. I'm excited to come back and see more of it. It has a really nice vibe...And dont tell anybody I said this, but....I might like it more than Maputo. Maybe. :)

Plus, I saw an Asian man with a fro. Dunno how he did it, but it was amazing.

Sunday night we had dinner with all of the volunteers and the counterparts/supervisors. My supervisor was easy to spot. My supervisor showed up with an Estamos shirt and backpack, talking on his phone. For those of you that dont know, Estamos is the NGO I will be working for. It is well respected internationally, and is a highly successful NGO working in HIV/AIDS and water sanitation. He asked me how my Portuguese was. I told him it was coming along. He assured me that I would learn quickly, especially since there were a bunch of women at the organization waiting for me to arrive.

"Falam muito!!" he said.

I laughed. All women talk alot, so thats to be expected.

I also met another counterpart of one of my fellow PCVs.

"Es Americana tambem?" she asked me.
"Sim, sou Americana"
"Oh...todos Americanos nao sao brancos..."

And it begins. The question of "How can I be American if I'm black?" A lot of people here know that black people live in America. But a lot of people here havent had the chance to actually meet black people from America. Their vision of Americans is still that blonde, blue eyed, rich American. So when they see me, most people just think I'm Mozambican until I say something. Then they think I'm from some other country in Africa. Certainly not American. In Namaacha, the people were well aware that there were 70 Americans living among them, and the people I saw everyday pretty much got used to the fact that I looked like them...but I was still different. Now that I'm away from my Mozambican comfort zone, I'll have to be aware of the fact that people are going to be curious...and have questions.

One of the supervisors in the conference singled me out the next day, and in front of everyone, asked me a question about my race, why I'm in Africa, what I was trying to get out of being in Africa, and how I felt being the only black volunteer in the room. Of course, he didnt know that there are about 10 of us out of the 70 volunteers that just got sworn in, who are black. And he didnt know that I didnt even choose to be in Mozambique, or even Africa for that matter. Peace Corps decided to where to send me. I wasnt offended by his question...I was moreso amused. People are curious. I look like them...but I speak English. And I sit at the table with other Americans, who in my group of Northern Health Volunteers, just happen to all be white. And I relate more to them, because we're American and come from the same place...

I can see how that might be an anomaly to some Mozambicans.

Our group of Moz 15 volunteers is EXTREMELY diverse (I think the most diverse group Moz had ever had). So we're all having some interesting experiences with regards to the various characteristics that make us different, including our racial backgrouds. (One of my fellow volunteers is Taiwanese-American. She told someone she was American, and they told her "No. You're not American. You have slanty eyes, you're Chinese")

Anyway, yeah. After the session, I asked that man if he had anymore questions for me. he said he had LOTS (emphasis on the word LOTS). He has yet to ask me any. I found him just staring at me sometimes though...whatev.

The conference was interesting. Its always fascinating to watch battles of ego as they happen. And since most of the supervisors/counterparts are men...there's a lot of ego in the room. My counterpart is pretty awesome though. hes the right balance, Id say. I'd also say that we have similar personalities, so we get along well. At least...so far.

Anyway, tomorrow I have to leave at 6:30am to be driven to my site. Fun times...but once I get there, I'm at my home for the next two years. No more living out of a suitcase, or lugging around boxes and bags, packing and repacking....nope. The next 2 years, I will live there, in my little house, that according to multiple sources is "5 star". Not like 5 star with running water and lush surroundings, but apparently its a cute little house that people are positive that I will fall in love with.

Vamos ver....