Three Little Pavliks

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...

The deliciously gigantic meal we partook in upon our entry into Nampula. So much food!

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.

Camila's (to the right) visit, with my host brother, Avelino, to the left

Nathaniel making short work of a coconut. We had
to break it open to get the meat out so Mackenzie
could make coconut milk

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.

Mackenzie using a pilão to smash roasted peanuts for
out homemade peanut butter

Us paying a visit to Supermãe before she headed off to Pemba

Mackenzie sporting her new capulana pants. Capulana is the name for the local fabric
that can be found around all the markets

Me breaking into Santa's bag of treats!

The unfortunate circumstances in which we left Nathaniel
as Mackenzie and I went to hike in Ancuabe

The mountain to be sumitted...not as big by U.S. standards, but still an extremely
steep slope and roughly 1,000 foot climb

At the top of the mountain! 

You can see the town of Ancuabe in the middle of this photo

Just to get a small idea of the elevation difference...

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)

The Pavlik kids in their capulana attire. The dress was also an article Mackenzie commissioned during her time here!

Me showing the family Metoro's soccer field...In my hand are two stalks of sugarcane that were planned for dessert.

The sprawling (cough, cough) garden that we have started at SAAJ

SAAJ is the youth-centered branch of the hospital

The sunset our first evening in Pemba

Mackenzie contemplating the sunrise on our second morning. We had to get up at
4.15 to catch it!

Nathaniel capturing a photo of some of the marine life the same morning

Supermãe commissioned matching capulanas for Mackenzie and Nathaniel as a gift
to remind them of their family here in Metoro

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

The final sunset in Pemba. One of our four-legged friends accompanied us.

A few fisherman were walking on the beach and asked for a photo. I obliged and they immediately struck poses for the occasion.

The final view of a fantastic trip

The Strawberry Jam Too

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. 

Everyone finally reunited at Ruby Backpacker's hostel in Nampula the day of arrival. 

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

Mackenzie and Nathaniel's first clothes washing session in Mozambique: wash
buckets, rinse buckets, sun dry

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. 

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.

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)

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.

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.

The entire countryside is tea fields around Gurue and they are beautiful to
hike through!

View from atop the waterfall.

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!

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. 

The Pavlik kids all together in Zambezia, Mozambique...who would have thought!

Michelle giving us a tour of the health center where she works

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.

An imminent storm was enough to break up the soccer game going on

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. 

Three incredible individuals and a rainbow

Some home hair cutting ended up happening and I
entered the New Year a new man

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! 

Does Santa Come to Mozambique?

Happy holidays! Here we are on the 18th of December and you would never know that any sort of huge holiday is a mere seven days away. This is something that has been a little tough in some ways, but extremely thought-provoking as well. I would like to share some of these thoughts and reflections with you this holiday season, not with the intent to evoke any sort of guilt or defensiveness by any means, only with the hope to provide some space for further examination, questioning and a reaffirmation and return to the true heart of the season, which as I have gotten older I have come to realize is love and family.

One of the starkest realizations that one comes to when going through the holiday season in a very poor country is the inconspicuousness of it. I am used to seeing lights on houses, signs in stores, trees in living rooms and people talking about the big date everywhere I go. That doesn't exist here. None of it does. Nor does Christmas candy. Or special promotions and sales. Or Christmas carols playing on the radio or in the stores. In fact, this period of time as the rainy season just is beginning is often referred to as the "hunger time" because all the stores of crops from the last season are running out and the new ones haven't had time to grow and be harvested. In a season that I am used to celebrating by adding extra stuff, I find a crushing lack of the basic stuff here. Money. Food. Even more lacking than it normally is.

This being said, when I went to the market today to give one of the vendors there back the 40 meticais he had lent me yesterday, he and his two friends were sharing a lunch of a fish sauce and xima and they demanded that I come eat with them. The food wasn't going to fill the three of them up as it was, but they wanted me to be a part of it. There is a shortage of food at the moment, but they wanted to share what they had. Money is hard to come by, but here was a free lunch being thrust at me. I ended up politely refusing and mentioning that I had already started cooking something at home (which was true), but it still took a lot of convincing before they let me go.

This is one small example from the hundreds I have accumulated during my first 8 months in Mozambique of the love and familial bonds which are so prevalent here. If love and family are what are truly important during the holiday season, then the Mozambicans celebrate all year round!

This brings us to my last point. The important things in life don't lie in the eye-catching, expensive or complex things, they lie in the simple things. The everyday things. And when you take away the possibility and means of surrounding yourself with these flashier things, the simple things are all you are left with. I may not have my family here with me, but the love that my Mozambican family here, all of it from the market vendors to hospital employees, goes a very long way in demonstrating the essence of the Christmas spirit, if you will, that I have found myself looking for since roughly December 1st.

I want to finish by saying that I am in no way trying to say our Western Christmas traditions are bad at all. Quite the opposite! I would love to be sitting on the warm rug in front of a wood stove drinking some hot cocoa with my parents and playing a game of Banana Grms. A Christmas tree would be one of the most beautiful sights at the moment. Gifts from Santa the morning of the 25th sound like a dream. What I am saying is that it's extremely important to know why all of these different parts of Christmas and its traditions mean so much to us. It's important to ask. Is it because of family? Is it because of love? I think we will find that the vast majority of what we enjoy about the season will fall into one of these two categories. And THAT's the beautiful thing, to be able to slow down, set aside the distractions and the extra and to be able to take a moment to really and truly appreciate Christmas for what it is: a time filled with family, those closest to us and the incredible amount of love that bonds all of us together and makes it all worthwhile!

On that note, merry final days and enjoy the season; I know that I will be!

Maybe the closest thing to a Christmas tree I'll see during my time here in Mozambique, this
giant Baobab tree leaves quite the impression! 

Horizon Points - The Art of Capturing

Horizon points are arguably some of the most magnetic visions we experience on the day-to-day, always seeming to draw us in by a magnificent sunset, mountains in a distant fog or waves slowly lapping on the beach far away. That being said, we never actually arrive at them; there is always another horizon waiting when we get to the point we had earlier seen. This is one of the beautiful things about running here for me. Driving, taking a train and other means of transportation are great ways to chase the horizon, but running is an unmatched way to appreciate it.

The obvious reason for this (at least in my case) is that you are going so slow you have plenty of time to take in the same horizons as you slowly move within them. I shouldn't say "the same", because the other incredible thing about running is you are able to witness the horizons change with the lighting, days, seasons and weather. Metoro is situated in a more or less flat area of land, but to the north the elevation does go down enough to get a breathtaking view of the expansiveness of some of the Mozambican mato (bush). We have one mountain (term must be taken with a grain of salt) visible in the distance to the north and three mountains off a ways to the south. The rest is flat. What this translates into is a lot of visibility on my runs.

As you might already know, I am currently training for a marathon at Victoria Falls in July. I try to get out and run every other day. After roughly four months I am up to 12.5 kilometers, which means I'm able to get some good range on my routes. I was worried that the scenery would get boring, as my 'routes' are in fact just down and backs on a highway, but I have been pleasantly surprised by how organic and dynamic they have turned out. Here are some of the beautiful things I experience and see while I'm out there:

Smiling, waving, greeting residents on their front porches or at the wells for the first couple kilometers of my run as I slowly leave the limits of Metoro's housing. Little armies of goats crossing the road to get home. The mesmerizing glow of burning machamba (field for farming)-cleaning fires blazing off in the distance at dusk. The smell of dusty earth that has drank its fill of a recent rain. The cool drizzle of running in the rain as a giant, red sun sets in the west. Cicadas. The rustling wind through the bushes alongside the road, sliding the leaves and branches together. Women carrying large capulana (cloth) sacks full of mandioca (cassava), charcoal or bread on their heads to sell in Metoro. Men balancing tens of long, thin bamboo stalks on ancient bicycles as they creak their way into town. Many types of birds singing their unique songs to each other as the light begins to fade away. The pregnant first moments of a sunrise at 4.15 in the morning as the sky slowly begins to blush in the east. Shadows caused by the full moon. The whole expanse around Metoro leaving the brown, dry, desolation and unwrapping into a green paradise pulsing with new life and energy. Inter-city chapas (vans converted for public transport) whirring by with incomprehensible loads of baggage piled and tied onto their roofs. Stars escaping from the Milky Way and scattering into the night. A soft, humidity in the morning after a light rain the night before. Mango tree branches bowing with the weight of hundreds of dense green fruits as they begin to ripen. Acacia and Baobab trees towering over other flora in the distance while looking off to the side of the road. Three mountains climbing up from the horizon, towering over the rest of the flat, stretching landscape. A cool, flowing breeze over my face as I move towards the east and the Indian Ocean resting 88 kilometers away. A road that unravels ahead of me, twisting and turning, urging me to tack just one more kilometer onto my route today to explore around the next bend. The quiet, empty stillness of the night. The gentle, rolling waking of the world in the early morning. Serene silence with the only the tempo of your breath to guide your thoughts.

These are just a handful of the reasons to run here in Metoro, as if the idea of running a marathon around one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World next year weren't enough for motivation! Now, time to get to bed, as tomorrow I plan on trying to go for an early morning (4AM) run.

Money Makes the World Go 'Round

This post will be a quick one, just to share an impactful event that happened to me this week. Many times I think we know truths about the world or our environment, but we don't dedicate the time to actually utter them, then when someone actually does and we hear it, it comes as a little bit of a shock or surprise. Not in the way that it doesn't make sense or that we don't believe it, but in the way that we until that moment didn't quite realize exactly HOW much sense it made or didn't pinpoint the countless experiential evidences that lead us to know it is true. This happened to me this past Tuesday.

I've been waiting for about two weeks now to get electricity in my house and I am now beginning to actively call one of the people responsible for the area operations a couple times a day in an effort to annoy him into motion. However, when one of the nurses at the hospital overheard my conversation with an individual from the energy company she asked after I was done, "Was that about getting energy?" I responded, "Yes, I've been waiting two weeks so far." "Epá, energy, that can take months...just for them to show up." "But..." I started, before she cut me off, "Sabe, Zachy, o dineiro... (You know, Zach, money...)" She didn't have to finish her sentence. We all know how it ends. Money makes the world go around. Money speaks. Money is power. And a hundred other phrases to let you know that if you don't have the green, you won't be seen.

But I realized we don't know. We have no idea. Until you live in a country where money effectively doesn't exist for the majority of the population (and, if I'm honest with myself, until you are one of these individuals), you can't truly appreciate what any of these sayings mean. The nurse was right, money runs Mozambique. Rural citizens don't have it. Foreign companies take advantage of the nation to make it. International aid organizations and governments pump it into the country in order to try to advance their agendas. Individuals leave the country to find it. Children ask for it before they even know how to count it. Parents work their entire lives and never have enough of it to save up. People kill for it and people pray for it. Money.

This is not meant to be a discouraging post, only meant to make us think a bit. We talk about money all the time in the U.S., for example, and how those with the money have the power. This is just as true there as it is here, but here that reality manifests itself in a much more extreme and raw way. It's all a spectrum and it's easy to gape at those above us, but let's not forget those below us either.

The night after this happened, I was able to go on a gorgeous moonlit jog, the incredible beauty and freshness of the night reminding me that money is certainly not the only thing that matters in this world. Neither is electricity. I can wait. It can wait.

Late afternoon sun from the highway south of Metoro