Welp I made it....

It's been a while since I have updated my blog but like I've said before I have been crazy busy. Also the last few weeks of training literally flew by quickly. We came back from site visits and then we were already on our last week of training and next thing I knew I was at the ambassadors house swearing in as an official PCV. 

So basically we had model school during these last two weeks which was awesome because we got to teach kids and make our lesson plans to practice. My first lesson was a struggle because I was teaching in Portuguese and my Portuguese was awful. Then the last two went so much better. After that we had a thanksgiving dinner that came out perfect. I couldn't be happier to spend time with the people that are my family now. Then we had our farewell party with our host families, which was a blast! Saying goodbye to my host family was actually really sad but I am glad I have a family that I can call and visit when I want to get out of site. I gave them goodbye gifts which were beautiful capulana's and they were so happy, even my mom cried a little bit.

Anyways, Crazy that training flew by quickly but sad that I won't be close to the people I became close friends with Except I was ready for site and excited to begin my life in Vanduzi Manica. I am in the central region of Mozambique. I arrived yesterday and it's been amazing. Everyone in the town are so friendly and as well as our neighbors. The area is beautiful. I also got an amazing dog named amendoim which means peanut. He is too cute and I have an awesome roommate. I am pretty happy with my site actually. I finally unpacked and got my room together, I even made a closet so I could hang my clothes (I am pretty proud of it). Other than that my life has been the same but now I finally get to integrate with my community and begin teaching in February. Also I finally get to live on my own and have my own room, no more living out of my suitcase. Being at a new site, maybe i will have more time to update my blog. We will see!

Don't forget to drink your chá

  Sorry I haven't updated my blog. I have been hectic busy from writing lesson plans, site visits, homework, language tests to hanging out with amazing people. We've been so busy just working on being professors and language. Then we got a break for site visits. This is were we can look at daily life of a pcv. My site visit was to xai-xai, it was amazing and I got to stay with an amazingly active and awesome volunteer. She was like superwoman. It was awesome. We went to an orphanage and we all got to spend time with the kids for a good two hours which was nice. We even got to experience sweet bread and cakes from xai-xai. I learned a lot during this visit especially riding in packed Chapas (look up Mozambique chapa if you don't know what it is). I got to see the wonderful ocean. Who would of thought I would miss the beach... But then again being from California I guess we take it or granted. We came back from site visits, and I missed my small town namaacha and realized I want a site like this. Also I missed my family and they missed me too. Especially my nephews which one came running up to me with no pants on yelling mana Telma. ( it's always no pants day at my house with them, it's so cute). A few days later we finally got out batas which is basically our uniform for professors'. It's an awesome lab coat. Pretty dope. Then we had our site interviews. I'm pretty sure my interviewer was laughing at me for the silly things I said like "I would like electricity because I don't like eating in the dark". Which makes sense cause I need to see my dinner and with the bugs here you'd want light too. I had him laughing the whole time. Then, today we finally found out where we will be placed for the next two years and I was put in Vanduzi Manica. I am more than excited it's a site I wanted and I get to be around fellow volunteers from my group. I'm going to miss the people I have gotten close to but it gives me a reason to travel. Other than that everything is awesome my language is actually starting to improve and I'm excited for these next two weeks of training. Soon I will be sent off to Manica for two years. Aghhh so exciting but tempo está passando muito rápido! Can't wait to continue on with this journey. 

Sleep tight don't forget to tuck in your mosquito net at night!

It's been a month now since I've been in Namaacha. Crazy how fast the month has gone by. My Portuguese is now improving and Spanish isn't getting in the way too much. So, this past month has been amazing. It's been nice being able to make conversation with locals when I am at the market. It's even better when I can bargain at the market so they can lower prices (which I am really good at thanks to my aunt). My mãe works at the market so one day I went to go pick her up when it closed with my sister and got to see the behind scenes. They basically load up all their stuff in one room and trust each other that they won't steal from each other. It's actually really cool and they lock it all up together. My mãe was pretty happy that I came and got her with my sister. We had a conversation on the way back. 

These people are all so friendly and really have each other's back when needed. Also they are full of love in the family, I've never seen a grandparent love their grandchild like how my mãe grabs hers and loves them. 

One of my nephews always plays with a bottle as a soccer ball, which is really cute cause he really tries playing and he is only a one year old. I love how happy a child could be with out a real ball. It's awesome to know the kids don't sit around to watch tv and play video games. They are always out and about. 

So it's raining season, which is good but bad. I love the cold but mannnn this mud is out of control especially since I live down a hill and have to walk up hill to go everywhere. It is so easy to slip in the crazy mud. 

I really am learning how to live like a mozambiquen though. I love it more and more. Especially the mozambiquen traditional dishes like matapa. Which is amazing and get to learn how to make. I am not a fan of coconut but majority Of the food takes coconut and it's amazing. Also I made my first piece of clothing with the traditional capulana which I love and I think it's starting a new addiction. And if you're wondering if I tuck in my mosquito net in at night yes I do haha. Hopefully I can upload pictures up soon. But I don't want to make the post so long 😁

This is my life..

It all feels like a dream, I constantly step back, smile and say "this is my life". From bucket baths, power goes in and out, drinking tea with my family and cooking with my family.  I walk dirt roads to get to my language class, tech classes and home (def my workout) , constantly being greeted "bom dia, boa tarde, boa noite". I love every second of it. Everyone just seems so happy here, and they sing and dance constantly. The best part is when you see them singing they sing their heart out and it just make you happy. It does get tough out here but  I said it before what job doesn't have it's ups and downs.

 I finally know 3 path ways to get to my homestay family house which is awesome for ending week three. I wish I had a computer with Internet to post pictures but I at least have my phone. 

Today I spent the whole day with my sister in law and nephews. These two boys are the cutest things ever. I taught them my name so they always say bye and hi Telma or call my auntie. They get so excited when I arrive home.

 Anyways today we had a crazy thunderstorm that was so loud and energy went out (of course Africa) and my 2 year old nephew was petrified of lightening. I decided to get my head lamp out and I fit it to his head so everywhere he walked there was light. It was the cutest thing ever and he smiled the whole time. Once it reached his bed time he came and layed in my arms and feel asleep quickly. It was too cute. 

This past week a lot has happened, I got to learn a mozambiquen dish and show them American dishes. We made chili which came out amazing. I made my first lesson plan in Portuguese which was tough yet easy. Language is improving though so I'm happy about that. And I learned the traditional dance here which was so much fun I wish I could sing the words. A lot of the songs they sing is to send out messages about your health and it's an amazing way to do it. 

Well that's all I have for now hopefully I can make this blog a little but more interesting later. 

Well hello there!

Yes hello there 😁 sorry for not posting in a really long time, but then again I just recently purchased Internet. Where do I even begin. Well training has being going good yes there are the up and downs but what job doesn't have that. The flight was a little rough but i got to sit next to an awesome woman and we conversated the whole way. The first day I arrived at namaacha was amazing my mãe (mom) grabbed my hand and gave me so much love. Walking back to her home which is now minha casa also was very very nerve wrecking. For one, I didn't know if my portuguese was good enough to have a conversation with the rest of the family and two whats my living situation looking like. Everyone in the household welcomed me with open arms and i love my
Little home.  Everyone here is happy and extremely friendly. Every day I at least talk to 3 locals with short conversation or say good morning, evening and night to over 30. Sorry I got off topic. 

My host family is my mãe, sister, sister in law and my two nephews who are 2 and 1. They are the cutest things. This is my 17 year old sister who takes me walking places.  We were cleaning the secondaría escola for professor's day. She is very sweet But very quiet. My house is perfect, it definetly was something i didnt expect. I'm really enjoying my life out here and hopefully it keeps getting better. I'll try to post a new post tomorrow! Sorry for the lag 

It is finally here...

I finished my first day of staging in philidelphia, it was awesome. It made me realize that I am so much more ready than I thought I was.My group just seems so amazing and full of awesome volunteers. I was able to connect with a lot of them. We all are so ready and excited to go. I do leave from philidelphia early morning 😞 and then we all finally fly out to Africa! So crazy, it feels unreal. I can't wait to start this new, crazy, unpredictable adventure. Até logo! 

Packing?

So it's crazy to think, I will be training soon for the hardest job that I will love. September 23 is just around the corner. I keep thinking the 15 hour flight to Mozambique might be a little rough. I was thinking I can catch up on some reading, I have some books I've been dying to read but never had the time to read them. 

My packing has literally been put on pause, it's so hard to pack my life for the next two years, ha let me tell you! Luggage weight limits suck!!! I've been so busy spending time with my family, my boyfriend and friends.  I know I will miss them dearly but I'm ready to go, start my new job and meet new people. I'm definitely excited yet so nervous. My mind is going crazy like what if I forget something, what can I bring for my host family ( I know they don't expect anything but still), what will my secondary project be, and so on. A lot of the PCV that are in Mozambique have been helping with my packing list, and what to prepare for. They are really really helpful! I also get more excited talking to them, seeing their pictures, and hearing their stories.

    Even though my packing is on pause, I can say I have been preparing for hopefully my biology students (Since they can move me to teach Math or English). I looked up easy low budget experiments and thinking of cool lesson plans. Talk about exciting, well for my science nerd heart it's super exciting.  

I love learning Portuguese, I think I'm driving my family crazy by practicing aloud. I am pretty nervous about teaching in the language but i'll accept the challenge. As long as I can say cells which is cèlula and lizard which is lagarto for a huge one or largartixa for a small one I think I will be solid. (Got to love herpetology) I just need to practice more. 

Man oh man I'm sure these last two weeks are going to fly by I better start packing....at least I can say I have everything I need to pack. 

How it all started.....

I know many of you that are applying to Peace Corp are looking everywhere for answers, how is the life like, how long is the process to apply, or why have I not heard back from them yet. Trust me I was in the same boat. When they said it is a yearlong process…. it really was.  I applied to Peace Corp the end of my College Junior year in 2012. I received my official invitation to Peace Corp as a Biology Teacher in Mozambique April 2013. I will be departing September 23 2013 to begin my two-year journey to Mozambique. As the day is creeping up closer and closer I get more excited and a little nervous.