After a more-than-brief hiatus I am back! The good news is that there is so much good news it will be hard to remember to put it all in this post. The best news is that my brother and sister, Mackenzie and Nathaniel are currently here in Mozambique for a quick visit before returning to the U.S.! The side note good news is that photo quality (really just photos in general) will be back on the blog, as my siblings have brought my camera with them AND Michelle's mother has been so kind as to offer me an old iPhone to use while here for the more day-to-day moment capturing. If there has been one common theme this holiday season it is being immeasurably thankful for the unbelievable people in my life and the love they share.
Mackenzie and Nathaniel arrived from Bangaluru, India on the 29th of December and Michelle and I were there to pick them up from the Nampula airport. Nathaniel had been studying abroad in India the past semester and decided why not swing by Mozambique on his way home? Mackenzie jumped on board and took advantage of scattered siblings to visit Nathaniel for a couple weeks in India before syncing itineraries and continuing on to northern Mozambique. It has been FANTASTIC to see the family again after 8 months and we have crammed a lot into the time they have had here. From Nampula we first went to Michelle's site in the district of Gurue, Zambezia.
We all had an absolute blast spending time in Lioma with Michelle and I think we are all in agreement when I say her site is gorgeous and a very comfortable place to pass time. Michelle was such a gracious host and I can't think of a better way or place to spend my siblings' first four days in Mozambique. The longer I am away from the family, friends and environment I am used to in the United States, the stronger my ability to appreciate has become. Appreciation for shared experiences with those you care about and appreciation for all the small things that make life easier. I appreciated all the time Mackenzie, Nathaniel, Michelle and I were able to spend together cooking, hiking, exploring and going through daily routines together. I appreciated the Mozambicans we met who were so kind and interested in our lives. I appreciated the gorgeous environment and beautiful weather we had while there. I appreciated Mackenzie and Nathaniel's willingness to enter the flow of life in Mozambique. I appreciated all of the great conversation we had. I appreciated the strawberry jam too, a seemingly everyday condiment that Michelle quietly allowed us to eat all of, when in all actuality, it likely came from Nampula, a day's journey away and therefore was a long time from being replaced.
This was also my first trip to Michelle's site and, in comparison to my site in Metoro, what struck me was the lushness of the vegetation, the widespread-ness of the color green and the mountains that surround her village. I hadn't realized how fond I was of mountains until I arrived here in Mozambique and didn't have access to any real mountains. Lioma was a nice place to get my fix of mountains (although still not 'true' mountains, when viewed by someone used to the Rockies) and she took us on two hikes during our time there. One was halfway up one of the mountains right outside of town and the other was to a waterfall outside of the famous tourist-y town of Gurue to the south, internationally known for it's sprawling tea fields.
Consider this the first installment of two posts chronicling Mackenzie and Nathaniel's time here. Here are some of the photos from our time with Michelle.
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| Everyone finally reunited at Ruby Backpacker's hostel in Nampula the day of arrival. |
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Our first breakfast at Michelle's site: a hearty meal of eggs, veggies and
some fresh fruit on the side...complete with some fancy real coffee in a
French press |
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Mackenzie and Nathaniel's first clothes washing session in Mozambique: wash
buckets, rinse buckets, sun dry |
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| Peeling the fiber out of squash leaves for a traditional Mozambican meal of matapa. The leaves get stewed with coconut milk, peanut flour and whatever other ingredients you might fancy. It is then served over rice usually. |
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Nathaniel became Master of the Pineapple when, on
the road to Gurue, street vendors swarmed our vehicle
trying to sell the fresh fruit. 50 meticais later, he was
sitting with three huge, delicious pineapples on his lap.
They ended up being the perfect snack during our time
in Lioma to fight off the hanger. |
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Hike one: off to a mid-point on the local mountain. To get there we traversed a lot of
local machambas (fields) that were filled with mandioca (cassava) and milho (corn) |
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| The expedition named this flora the Sausage Tree, for the large sausage-esque pods hanging from its branches. One of the most interesting things about my life here so far is all of the different vegetation and animals that I have experienced on the daily. Sometimes the critters are even experienced a little too close! I.e. in my house. |
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Hike number two was through the tea fields of Gurue to a waterfall. This is a
tractor we saw as we were on our way up taking a load of tea down into town. |
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The entire countryside is tea fields around Gurue and they are beautiful to
hike through! |
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| View from atop the waterfall. |
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There was a pool (not near the edge mom) that ended up being a perfect place
for a dip. The way the water fell ended up creating a neat little jacuzzi effect
as well, just like the good old days in the hot tub at home! |
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| Our fearless leader (Michelle) knew that the way to go was to get takeaway down in town and carry it up for a picnic on top. All of us very much enjoyed our chicken and fries from the top of the falls, especially after the long, hot ascent. |
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| The Pavlik kids all together in Zambezia, Mozambique...who would have thought! |
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| Michelle giving us a tour of the health center where she works |
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| Our last day in Lioma the clouds rolled in and we were finally able to get a taste of the rain that had been hitting the area during this wet season. |
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| An imminent storm was enough to break up the soccer game going on |
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| We got a tour of the orphanage where Michelle volunteers and also gives English lessons. The sisters there were extremely kind and even prepared a little lanche (snack) for us before we went on our way. |
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| Three incredible individuals and a rainbow |
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Some home hair cutting ended up happening and I
entered the New Year a new man |
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| One of the ever-present questions in Mozambique is: Who is going to do the dishes? Knowing that this is no task to be taken lightly, Nathaniel got down to business one evening! |
