This and that ....

Monday-weds and friday there are classes of traditional dance in the big building down the street from Mimos with a sadist demotivating girl for the choreography and a guy with a back made of rubber for the warm-up. all + 7 percussionists with drums so juicy it makes my mouth run over with water!!!!

Monday weds and friday last week I was honoring the sacredness of the siesta after sweaty walks to and from the office, and 8 hours lots of writing, uploading, translating, drinking coffee, drinking Ricoffee, drinking chocolate, editing photos, trying to find out who kidnapped the remote to the aircon, trying to get ppl to give me stuff for the newsletter, changing the cord with Silvestre every hour because my laptop cord got stolen from my bosses checked in luggage last week and "other ad hoc tasks" xD

I finally feel like I settled in in the job, and I dont even need a nap...  mh. I mean map! (but I want another nap) I dont even need a map to find my way, and even be on time. I finally learned ppls names, and manage to remember what they do (ok more or less, but enough to avoid most aquard scenesxD).

In the weekend I went out dancing with Salma and Agata, which are these two really nice girls I met really randomly at a concert, and who live close to me.. we went to a wonderful pop disco, and yes: Maputo's got kuduroooooooooooo!!!!!!!! but the first song they were playing when we came was.... MEDINA !

The girls show up practically naked, or in amazing dresses - Im constantly feeling underdressed in this country xD - and the guys actually behave themselves very well... apart from this, there is this wonderful concept of bar-with-food (just like in nosso querido brasil) so u dont need to get low on energy when ur dancing ... chorizo is always near <3

We got a ride with a random guy in the morning and drow by the beach when the sun was rising from the ocean, behind the palmtrees...  xD maningue niiiiiiiiiiice

(Photo: Salma, Agata and m(i)e^^)

sunday I went to Swaziland with Kat, in a one of these small crammed vans, where u have to change who gets to lean back and relax the back, since everybody has this multiple entry visa that exides u leaving the country every 30 days.... we got our stamps, and more than a few wedding offers on the way - including from the boarder guards who insisted on getting our phone numbers, but since my housband doesnt let me have male friends and Kats boyfriend is very "nervoso" can can explode any minute, we had to let them down..

 

(Photo: Prohibited to pee )

my goal for this week are as follows: tonight: sleeeep. and: as soon as water returns to our building: have shower. then make salmorejo (this is a priority!!!), stay awake at work tues weds thurs and friday while uploading english webpage, get my butt to danceclass and make some more friends, friday Im going to the baixa (which is more like a real city center than the place we live were evrything is very clean and expensive) to buy clothes and shoes (urgent need for sandals, preferably with glitter!!!) and food and eat (special emphasis is given to this last part). Hopefully something fun will come up for the weekend...


(Photo: 05.50 from my window)

Alto Molócuè

Allready in my first week at IBIS we went on a field-visit to one of our projects  in the North  in the province of Zambezia. The landscape is extreemly wide and wast, and since we came in the rainy season: green green and more green, with blue mountains in the horizon. it was really beautiful... and like Clovis from the office said to me "You see Mie, we have a lot to space to live on here in Mozambique".

In Alto Molócuè IBIS works with education and strengthening of civil society, and we went to participate in a ceremony to hand over some lapdesks and other different school materials ....

several things apart from the wonderful landscape  impressed me on this trip, like - how long it can take to drive 15 km when the road has almost rained away (and how tired ou get from bumping around inside a car), how many orphans who get by on less than nothing, both concerning material goods but certainly also

affection and support from adults.

(above photos: teachers being capacitated in HIV/Aids prevention)

(Photo: kids in front of the school)

(Photos: Women at a IBIS supported Community development center, where u can come and learn different practical skills such as painting, knitting, sowing, or computer skills etc.)

Polana, my first night out & the first day at the office...

During the day Sunday I walked around a little bit (a lot!!) to try and get to know the city. I had a long walk to a cathedral, which in the end was closed, but at least I got to talk to a lot of random people in the street while looking for it, and this was a lot of fun!

                      (Photo: wonderful view just down the street from my house)

 (Photo: "Prove your love, do the HIV test with me")

I'm sharing the wonderful oceanview of our apartment with a german girl Katarina and our landlady Brazilian Luciana (who I didnt actually meet yet since she is in Europe). In the evening Kat took my out to a really cool place close to our house called Núcleo da Arte - its like an integrated bar/music venue/gallery/atallie.... On sundays there is live music and the artists who paint here, also paint during the shows, so u can walk around enjoying the music while watching art being born

                      (Photo: Chanchan with one of his paintings).


Today was first day at the office at Ibis, and I mostly spent the day receiving informations about Maputo, my work schedule and about the organisation of Ibis in Mozambique... Wednessday we are going to make a field visit to hand over some lap-desks (which is basically a board which you can use for a desk, and which are handed out to schools who lend them to the children, so they can take them home and have an easier time doing homework) in one of the Northern provinses - I am going to be the lady behind the camera, and should also write a little story about it - this should be exiting :-)


And.... last but not least important news of the day: u get fresh maracujá (I have been dreaming about this fruit since I left Brazil 1½ years ago xDDD) !!!!

Home in Maputo

My expectations about the arrival to Maputo were not quite met. I guess I expected to be met by a suffocating humid heat,deafening noise  and a miscelaneous crowd of beggars, venders, pick-pocketers, and pushy or clandestine taxi-drivers pulling your sleave on the exit -

Instead I saw a tidy and modern airport with neatly dressed, polite and quiet people. Immigration was fast and in the arrival section of the airport were only a few people waiting. Otherwise the aiport and the area outside was empty and completely quiet; I took out some Meticais from a cashmachine and sat down on a bench to call my contact, as a guy from one of the hotels very politely offered a ride to the center for a reasonable price - I took it !

The climate was extreemly pleasant, around 25 degrees and a fresh wind, and the way into the concrete center of Maputo was filled with colour:  lush green trees with flowers by the road side, blue sunny sky and orange-red dust. The entrance to my house is  a wee hole sqeezed in between two walls, and once you reach the 19th floor where I am staying you have a wonderful panorama view of tree-tops, tall buildings and lots and lots of blue-greyish ocean.

I spent most of my day with the maid; going to the market, chit-chatting, and trying to make my cellphone work on a Mozambiquean chip. The people I've talked to have been  warm and welcoming though much less talkative than I expected....

I thought I would be somewhat overwhelmed by Maputo, but instead I have had a peacefull experience of arrival in a beautiful city, full of trees, good manners and a realxing atmosphere (and compared to a city like Salvador, impressively quiet!!!) - that being said, I am looking forward to knowing more parts of the city as I am aware that I only saw one tiny part of an upscale neighbourhood so far...