Well, Mackenzie and Nathaniel are now safe and sound back in the United States and boy do I miss them! It was such a treat to be able to have them visit from so far away and be able to spend these past couple weeks with them. Among other things, their visit has driven home the importance of family and love, something that many individuals are not fortunate enough to have and a painful circumstance not dependent on economic status (as can be seen in much of the loneliness found in the United States). In the end it all comes down to just that: love. And I am so blessed to have so many people who demonstrate their love and support to me on a daily basis. It truly does give me the strength to continue on some days!
After a 4 a.m. wake-up call, Mackenzie, Nathaniel and I left Michelle in Lioma and boarded a morning chapa to Gurue, the nearest town of any size and first step of a long series of transit destinations. We stopped at Pensão Gurue for a quick cup of tea and use of the running-water-real-flushing commode, before grabbing some snacks for the journey and beginning our attempt at catching a boleia (hitchhiking ride). We waited for roughly two hours, maybe even a little longer, before throwing in the towel and deciding to head back towards the station to pay for a ride. That day, we rolled into Nampula at 19.30, fifteen and a half long hours after waking up in Lioma. First stop was absolutely stuffing ourselves with Chinese food at a delicious restaurant on the main strip, before continuing on to our hostel. The next morning consisted of recuperating a little sleep, taking a little tour of Nampula and then boarding a Nagi bus that took us the rest of the way to Metoro; we arrived around 18.00, just as it was starting to get dark.
Our roughly three days in Metoro were eventful, to say the least. There was A LOT of passear-ing, Nathaniel had a bout of what might likely have been food poisoning, Mackenzie and I hiked a mountain by the district capital of Ancuabe (while Nathaniel was battling his sickness at home), we made homemade peanut butter, Mackenzie's friend, Daniel, from Gonzaga days visited from his nearby site, my friend and fellow PCV, Camila visited, we toured the hospital, we had a delicious t-bone steak dinner with Supermãe (yes, you read that correctly...I imagine that will never happen again during my time here and she had asked a friend to bring them back with her from Maputo), Mackenzie made capulana pants and a dress, we opened/unwrapped the goodie bag that Mackenzie and Nathaniel had brought with them and we spent hours of each day preparing food, the norm here.
To cap the trip off, we went to the coastal city of Pemba for a couple nights in a beach side bungalow. Actually, it was the same one we were hosted in for our Christmas group! We loved the fancy lifestyle and the break from it all, not to mention the gorgeous beach, incredible sparkling water, beautiful sunsets and even an early morning sunrise! Here is the proof of it all...
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| The deliciously gigantic meal we partook in upon our entry into Nampula. So much food! |
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Our setup in Metoro. As my bed is so small I had to
buy a second one for the siblings. It is in the local Makua
style and was just enough to take up all of the rest of the
space in my tiny room. |
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| Camila's (to the right) visit, with my host brother, Avelino, to the left |
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Nathaniel making short work of a coconut. We had
to break it open to get the meat out so Mackenzie
could make coconut milk |
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Daniel, Mackenzie's friend from Gonzaga days, during his quick visit to Metoro.
Mackenzie is relar-ing the coconut in this photo...which is to say grating the meat
out of the inside. |
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Mackenzie using a pilão to smash roasted peanuts for
out homemade peanut butter |
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| Us paying a visit to Supermãe before she headed off to Pemba |
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Mackenzie sporting her new capulana pants. Capulana is the name for the local fabric
that can be found around all the markets |
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| Me breaking into Santa's bag of treats! |
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The unfortunate circumstances in which we left Nathaniel
as Mackenzie and I went to hike in Ancuabe |
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The mountain to be sumitted...not as big by U.S. standards, but still an extremely
steep slope and roughly 1,000 foot climb |
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| At the top of the mountain! |
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| You can see the town of Ancuabe in the middle of this photo |
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| Just to get a small idea of the elevation difference... |
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| After the hike (we just beat the rain) we shared a delicious dinner with the PCV in Ancuabe, Dannia, and a couple, both doctors, who are stationed at the hospital there. They will be leaving at the beginning of February after 3 years here and are from Germany (Jonas, to the left) and England (Laura, to the right) |
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| The Pavlik kids in their capulana attire. The dress was also an article Mackenzie commissioned during her time here! |
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| Me showing the family Metoro's soccer field...In my hand are two stalks of sugarcane that were planned for dessert. |
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| The sprawling (cough, cough) garden that we have started at SAAJ |
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| SAAJ is the youth-centered branch of the hospital |
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| The sunset our first evening in Pemba |
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Mackenzie contemplating the sunrise on our second morning. We had to get up at
4.15 to catch it! |
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| Nathaniel capturing a photo of some of the marine life the same morning |
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Supermãe commissioned matching capulanas for Mackenzie and Nathaniel as a gift
to remind them of their family here in Metoro |
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| Nathaniel also had a surprise for us, as he brought me a korta, traditional garb in India. Mackenzie had also bought one there and so we of course needed to do a quick photoshoot |
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| The final sunset in Pemba. One of our four-legged friends accompanied us. |
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| A few fisherman were walking on the beach and asked for a photo. I obliged and they immediately struck poses for the occasion. |
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| The final view of a fantastic trip |
