Site Visits

Last Sunday we left Namaacha to go out and see Mozambique and visit different volunteers at their sites.  It was a chance to see what different sites were like and to have a break from Namaacha and training.  I went to Homoine in Inhambane province with 3 other PCTs. 

            So Sunday we met left bright and early (well I guess it was still dark out so ignore the bright part) at 4:30 am to drive to Maputo where we got on a chapa.  My group and another group were headed a little further to Tofo in Inhambane, there we were headed to the BEACH for a night!  So we found a chapa to Tofo (with help from some of the language professors.) ok I’ll be honest they basically did everything for us… in training they really baby us and make sure we get to where we need to be (at least in the beginning on the trip).  So we got on the chapa at about 7am and got to Tofo around 2 I think.  Now this wasn’t your typical Mozambican chapa, it was basically a malongo bus (malongo is the local language word for white person).  There were the 7 of us PCTs, a Moz 11er, a South African guy, an English woman, 2 women from Holland, and about 4 other malongos and probably only 7 Mozambicans.  But then again we were going to Tofo a very touristy beach.  When we finally got to the beach we checked into the hostel, changed, and headed to the beach (which was right outside), and then walked along the beach to a restaurant.  I had a salad and a sandwich, both with cheese.  Then we just hung out on the beach and at the restaurant and talked with the volunteers we were visiting. 

            Monday I woke up early walked along the beach, had breakfast on the beach and had some good coffee!  Then I got to cross another ocean off the list because I swam in the Indian Ocean all morning!  It was amazing.  The water was the perfect temperature and the beach was great.  We hung out there until about 11 then headed out.  We got 30 minute or so chapa to Inhambane city, then a boat chapa across the bay to (probably another 30 minutes) Maxixe (pronounced Ma-shi-sh).  This is where 3 of the PCTs were going to visit a volunteer so we ate lunch here met up with the Volunteer and then my group got some groceries and headed out to get one last (45 minute) chapa to Homoine. We were staying at the IFP (the teacher training school) which is about a 30 minute walk outside of the village. 

            While we were in Homoine, we got to sit in on one of the volunteers classes, help the other volunteer teach an English class to her colleagues, talk with the director of the school, I played volleyball with some of the students and professors, tour the hospital in town, see the library one of the volunteers opened, walk around town, eat lots of great food (including Mac & Cheese, and Calzones… YUM!), play lots of cards (I’ve now learned how to play rummy), and explore Homoine.  Then on Thursday morning at 430am our chapa picked us up outside of the IFP and we headed back to Maputo and then back to Namaacha.  This time we were on our own and I think it was the PC’s way of testing us to see if we had learned anything and could get ourselves back by ourselves haha.  We did… after about 12 hours of travel, one frango and arroz meal, several people trying to ripe us off in Maputo, some very helpful and kind Mozambicans showing us where the chapas were and helping us get the people who were trying to ripe us off away (yes people we know it shouldn't cost us 100 mets a person to get downtown Maputo, when it only costs 70 to get to Namaacha… back off! Especially when we just get off an 8 hr chapa ride without eating a lot on it.  Let’s just say when I got back home I tomar’d banho (took a bath), then took a long nap (which was interrupted for dinner and a brief chat with the family about my trip) and then back to bed.  Travel is exhausting but it was great to see some more of this beautiful country!