I promised you news, I vowed that there would be a next step and yep, it’s here! Actually it came together much more quickly and a whole lot easier than I had anticipated which of course has me a little hesitant about the next step BUT it’s forward motion and it’s an opportunity that the universe has thrown my way so I would be awfully foolish to not take it at this point.
There seem to be some suspiciously conspiring forces keeping me OUT of the Middle East (much to the joy of some friends and family) and in Africa right now. While looking for teaching positions in the Middle East the first time, I found the volunteer job in Tanzania. Attempt #2 for searching in the Middle East and I’ve found and accepted another African job. This one however, is paid (thankfully!) I was looking for positions for the fall and had planned to start travelling my way up north hoping to eventually end up somewhere around the Middle East, most likely broke, destitute, and desperate for work. Instead, I found a job that starts in April, keeps me in Africa, and should it all fall to pieces (which it won’t), leaves me maybe enough time to still find work somewhere else for the fall. I was needing to get a move on and now I’m feeling a little out of time. Don’t you love how when you just put it out there, to the gods or the universe or whatever spins the stars that something usually falls right in your lap? How it continues to come together for me, I will never understand but will be forever and ever grateful.
As of April 20th, I will be the new primary teacher for the British International School in Accra, Ghana. Sounds MUCH more prestigious than it is but I am super excited nonetheless. The interview was more or less, “Can you get to Ghana for April? Would you prefer to teach Infant or Primary students? You will be expected to teach British curriculum for core subjects, not English as a foreign language. Do you have any questions?” And then our telephone connection was cut off. A few frantic emails and I was assured that they had all of the necessary information and would be contacting me shortly but that I could send any questions that I had. Ummm…. Whaaaaa? How about a real interview please? I gathered that that wasn’t going to happen and that they either had zero interest in me or were maybe somewhat on the desperate side and considering I was already in Africa, I was top of the hiring list. I sent off a shopping list of questions about the job, the school, the students, and emphatically shared the fact that I have only taught ESL, not proper British curriculum. My questions were promptly answered followed by a job offer and a contract a couple of days later. Oh. My. Gosh.
I hummed and hawed, read the contract details until my head hurt, made Nicola read the offer over and over with me, sent a few more clarifying questions, made myself sick over how to talk to the owner of the dive shop about leaving in a month when I had told him I would stay until September, forced myself to think about what was best for me, not everyone else, and then with a bit of a stomachache, accepted the job. The leading up to it process is always so ridiculously and unnecessarily filled with anxiety for me but once the decision is made, the proverbial bandage ripped off, I become giddy with excitement over the prospects of my next big adventure. Folks… I am going to Ghana.
Details… I’m to arrive in Accra on April 20th so that I can get settled in and have a few days of orientation before 3rd term starts on April 27th. The pay is low, it’s Africa, but I’ve always been pretty good with living cheap cheap so I think I’ll be okay. There’s a “huge teacher house” that some of us will be sharing where we each have our own bedroom and bathroom but share the common area and kitchen (this is paid by the school) and I think we are provided transportation to and from the school as well. I’ll be assigned the grade that I’m teaching once I arrive and I’ll be responsible for educating these poor little buggers in History, Geography, Art, and Phys. Ed. Panicking about the Art part as I have zero creative ability, think I can probably swing History and Geography since I’ll simply be following a prescribed curriculum, and find it absolutely hilarious that I get to be a gym teacher. Wonder if they’ll provide the short shorts, tucked in t-shirt, tube socks pulled up to the knee, and shiny, silver whistle? Oh I can just see it now…. Not a pretty picture people, not at all.
And get THIS!.... I start 3rd term of British schooling so the kids are in class until the end of June, we have a week to do final reports, then we are off, on holidays, PAID until the last week of August. I work three months then get 6 wks off… PAID. Hello travel bug! I can cover a lot of ground in 6 weeks! I can either fall madly in love with it all and stay until my contract ends (July 6th, 2012) or I can hit the hills running looking for what’s next. I figure by the end of May I should know whether or not I want to stay so I either give them my 30 days I-want-out-of-here notice or start looking at travel routes. Either way, I’m unstuck from here and I am on the move. Really, this is coming together far too nicely.
I’m optimistic, always hopeful about new adventure, but I’m no longer ridiculously naïve. The politics of my school in Thailand and the insanity of my life in Tanzania were all invaluable learning lessons. As always, as long as I have my passport and a credit card in hand, I am never, ever stuck. I’m pretty good at up & out in short notice in the cover of darkness. This is another reason why minimizing comes in so handy. Oh! And I’ve just received my new credit card and have submitted all of the necessary paperwork (along with highway robbery fees) for a brand new passport so I’m finally feeling a little more in control of my life at the moment. Shiny new passport should be in my eager little hands by the time I fly out of here, fingers crossed, somewhere around March 23rd.
Since I have a new credit card, the first two exciting purchases: a brand new, very cool camera, and a plane ticket to visit my parents before I start my new job. Natalia brought me back my first REAL camera from her visit home and I am currently in the process of trying to figure out all of the fancy pants features. And I am scouring the internet for affordable tickets to see my snowbird mom and dad in their winter home in Florida for a few weeks once I leave Mozambique. If anyone wants to come see me in the sunny citrus state, that’s where I’ll be, soaking up civilization, using all of the hot water for stupidly long showers, watching TV, and trying to remember how to drive. Yes mom & dad, I am driving EVERYWHERE!!! Wow, I really miss driving. ROAD TRIP! Yeah, maybe even a road trip. Think about it, dear readers, who knows when I’ll be back on North American soil again... this could be your one and only chance to see it, to see me … a misplaced, misguided Canadian soul’s last grasp at life in the Western world. If nothing else, I’m sure will be fairly comical. Most of my life has been just that so far.
Life is about to become very hectic here as I prepare to leave. I am moving out of my place Mar 1st so will be homeless and drifting for my last three weeks, I will need to help find and train my replacement at the dive shop (even though I haven’t really figured out what I’m actually doing yet!), I will be fretting over the last minute application and processing of my passport from a consulate that will most likely take their sweet-ass time, and I will be preparing to say goodbye to a place that is filled with so much and so many that I have come to love. How does it go from too much time to not enough time at all? Always seems to be the case for me. But probably for a reason as if I have time to spare, I think too much and that is never, ever a good thing. Rush, rush, rush and GO! I will be just fine.
That’s the news from Mozambique, from one adventure to the next. Will update you soon!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Mid - February... hmmmm....
Mid February and I think most of you are squirming to break free of Old Man Winter’s icy grips. While it’s the rough season here as well, the occasional burst of rain showers and the mighty impressive 4 metre waves barreling down on the shoreline makes things all the more fabulous in my mind. There’s nothing quite like an angry, dark, green-grey sky churning and swirling over the frothing and foamy sea just before sheets of hard, hot, horizontal rain are fiercely ripped free by a wind straight and strong, laced with a stinging, salty spray that flattens the landscape straight off the sea and sends every living creature screeching and squealing for cover. I love wild weather and being right here, right on the Indian Ocean, it never fails to disappoint. From sun shining so hotly it can blister newby white skin within minutes to electrical storms that shame the most elaborate fireworks display to rains that pour so heavily they flood streets, homes, and businesses in the blink of an eye. It’s incredible here. It’s Africa. There is magic in everything.
That being said, I’m desperate to be on the move. Desperate. It’s comfortable here. I know most people and places around town, most faces and features have settled into a sense of the familiar so it’s time for me to go. I had no intentions of coming here to settle but as is the case for so many of us here, it is far too easy to get stuck. I got sidelined, distracted, lost my way, but now that that has become clear, the push is on to get a move on. Being the planner that I can annoyingly be, I am hoping to secure some kind of work for a little bit down the road so that I have something I am moving forward to, but if nothing takes shape in the next few weeks or so, I think I’ll just have to go and let things sort themselves out along the way. I’ve seen so very little and done even less; it’s time to shake things up a bit. Suggestions are more than welcome folks… bring it on!
I will miss the home I’ve kinda created here. Tofo is a very special settlement nestled in what has to be one of the most beautiful places, here in Mozambique. The views never cease to take my breath away; the kindness of the Mozambican people I meet or interact with everyday is uplifting, and the comforts of a ready-made, easy, western style sense of community and camaraderie welcomes every newcomer who decides to unpack for a while. Of course it’s being developed at an alarming rate and those who have been here for some time are saddened by what they see as too much progress but what can you do? Isn’t that the case for most places on the planet? Trying to find the balance between economically improving the impoverished lives of those in the area with maintaining the rural “undiscovered” charm that first attracted those initial discoverers is a near impossibility. Whether I’ve come at the upswing or the downfall of this place is irrelevant; I continue to be thrilled and inspired and feel very, very blessed to have had the time I’ve had here. It still kinda feels like a dream.
And in that dream, I have redefined what I consider the bare minimums of existence and what has become a luxury. Here is a quick wish list of my blissful luxuries, most of which we’ve discussed before…
*Uninterrupted electricity. We have power cuts here on a regular basis, sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes for the day. It can be because it’s raining, it’s windy, maybe the sun is shining, the weather is too perfect, or sometimes for what seems to be no possible reason at all. More or less, there’s simply a murmured groan and a few curse words muttered in unison as either computer work is lost, the fans cut out, or business comes to a temporary halt then we shrug our shoulders and carry on with what we can. Temper tantrums over power cuts are reserved for the new-to-Africa tourists and we all tend to find this quite funny. Poor poshy pants.
*Proper hot water showers. Now, I do have the glorious ability to soak this up when I’m at work at the dive shop but it’s not an option for me at my house. So first thing in the morning or before crawling into bed after a day that has just been a bit on the miserable side still consists of a cold water stand up shower or a cup and bucket hot one. And those options are available only if there is water. Yes, we often run out of water as well.
*Washing machines. I wash all my laundry by hand and it takes forever and ever and ever and really never seems clean. Oh how I want a washing machine.
*Transportation in a vehicle where there is one bum to a seat and those bums belong to people, not animals, bags of produce, or other random packages of suspicious or smelly stuff.
*Sleeping without a mosquito net. While I insist that my superhuman power is that I am immune to malaria, I have a house full of mosquitoes so won’t take the chance. I want a big, comfy bed not covered in netting.
*A room, a space, a ledge, or a floor that’s not home to a variety of ants, flies, or some other lively bunch of creatures. It’s sad that for most of us, it’s quite normal to just brush a handful of bugs off of the countertop or couch or plate before continuing on with the task at hand. Seriously. I try not to think about it too much. I’m sure I’ve consumed a lifetime’s worth of protein through insects I’ve ingested being here. Gross.
*Really good peanut butter, soft toilet paper, effective deodorant, chewing gum that lasts more than three minutes, being able to communicate effectively (I am TERRIBLE for not having learned Portuguese!), and a few other randoms that I’m sure I’ve been surviving just fine without.
Things I love that you just can’t get at home:
*The freshest fruit you could ever imagine. Mangoes the size of my head, pineapples the size of a small child, bananas in every size, shape, and colour, passion fruit, papaya, and so much more sold on the street or out of baskets piled high on the heads of local women walking by. Colourful and so dripping good! Weird thing though… as cheap as the fruit is, the veg can be bizarrely expensive. Haven’t quite figured that out yet.
*Completely unspoiled beaches. Walking along the water you are hard pressed to run into very many people at all, even when it’s stupid busy tourist season. There’s just so much perfect coastline that there’s room for everyone to find their only little spot of heaven.
*Being able to say hello or chat up any random person and not be looked at like you’re out on a day pass from the local asylum. Tourists are friendly and locals are even better. Everyone says hello, everyone wants to visit – it’s so nice!
*Riding wild and free in the back of pickup trucks or motorbikes. One of my most very favourite things in the world. Hair whipping in the wind, dust stinging my face, feeling the world whizzing by... I usually choose the back of the truck even when there’s space in the cab – it’s just so freeing!
*Instant marriage proposals. Now, to be honest, we all know that it’s not me they really want, it’s the ticket outta here, but on those ugly days, when you just want to walk around with a bag over your head, it’s always good for a little ego boost. Funny, and ego boost.
*How free and unrestricted the children are. I remember being mortified initially, seeing kids more or less completely unsupervised in situations that I saw as imminently fatal or developmentally unrealistic until I stopped to really take a look. It’s very rare to see kids, of any age, crying or carrying on for any length of time. Everyone takes care of everyone, everyone knows everyone, and when you have very little, the happiness of just being a kid seems to come so easily. It’s fascinating to see toys made from discarded soda cans, games being played with a coconut husk, how just sitting together always erupts into giggles and fits of laughter, and how even when they’re working, selling bracelets or fruit or phone credit, they are still goofing around. The kids are HAPPY and they are kids. It’s absolutely gorgeous.
Mozambique, Africa in general, has been very good for me – I think I’ve become exceptionally easy to please. 10 minutes could mean a couple of hours, tomorrow could mean sometime next week, and now may mean never but what can you do? Yelling and screaming does nothing other than get you all hot and sweaty… there’s no point to being bothered. This, of course, has done wonders for allowing me to develop my sense of tolerance and patience while practicing my “roll with the punches”. Which again is why I am so ridiculously excited about getting a move on! The next time I write, I will have a plan. Okay, well, maybe not a PLAN, but I’ll have a next step, I promise. Check back in soon to see what my next big adventure is going to be, I think it’s going to be a good one.
That being said, I’m desperate to be on the move. Desperate. It’s comfortable here. I know most people and places around town, most faces and features have settled into a sense of the familiar so it’s time for me to go. I had no intentions of coming here to settle but as is the case for so many of us here, it is far too easy to get stuck. I got sidelined, distracted, lost my way, but now that that has become clear, the push is on to get a move on. Being the planner that I can annoyingly be, I am hoping to secure some kind of work for a little bit down the road so that I have something I am moving forward to, but if nothing takes shape in the next few weeks or so, I think I’ll just have to go and let things sort themselves out along the way. I’ve seen so very little and done even less; it’s time to shake things up a bit. Suggestions are more than welcome folks… bring it on!
I will miss the home I’ve kinda created here. Tofo is a very special settlement nestled in what has to be one of the most beautiful places, here in Mozambique. The views never cease to take my breath away; the kindness of the Mozambican people I meet or interact with everyday is uplifting, and the comforts of a ready-made, easy, western style sense of community and camaraderie welcomes every newcomer who decides to unpack for a while. Of course it’s being developed at an alarming rate and those who have been here for some time are saddened by what they see as too much progress but what can you do? Isn’t that the case for most places on the planet? Trying to find the balance between economically improving the impoverished lives of those in the area with maintaining the rural “undiscovered” charm that first attracted those initial discoverers is a near impossibility. Whether I’ve come at the upswing or the downfall of this place is irrelevant; I continue to be thrilled and inspired and feel very, very blessed to have had the time I’ve had here. It still kinda feels like a dream.
And in that dream, I have redefined what I consider the bare minimums of existence and what has become a luxury. Here is a quick wish list of my blissful luxuries, most of which we’ve discussed before…
*Uninterrupted electricity. We have power cuts here on a regular basis, sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes for the day. It can be because it’s raining, it’s windy, maybe the sun is shining, the weather is too perfect, or sometimes for what seems to be no possible reason at all. More or less, there’s simply a murmured groan and a few curse words muttered in unison as either computer work is lost, the fans cut out, or business comes to a temporary halt then we shrug our shoulders and carry on with what we can. Temper tantrums over power cuts are reserved for the new-to-Africa tourists and we all tend to find this quite funny. Poor poshy pants.
*Proper hot water showers. Now, I do have the glorious ability to soak this up when I’m at work at the dive shop but it’s not an option for me at my house. So first thing in the morning or before crawling into bed after a day that has just been a bit on the miserable side still consists of a cold water stand up shower or a cup and bucket hot one. And those options are available only if there is water. Yes, we often run out of water as well.
*Washing machines. I wash all my laundry by hand and it takes forever and ever and ever and really never seems clean. Oh how I want a washing machine.
*Transportation in a vehicle where there is one bum to a seat and those bums belong to people, not animals, bags of produce, or other random packages of suspicious or smelly stuff.
*Sleeping without a mosquito net. While I insist that my superhuman power is that I am immune to malaria, I have a house full of mosquitoes so won’t take the chance. I want a big, comfy bed not covered in netting.
*A room, a space, a ledge, or a floor that’s not home to a variety of ants, flies, or some other lively bunch of creatures. It’s sad that for most of us, it’s quite normal to just brush a handful of bugs off of the countertop or couch or plate before continuing on with the task at hand. Seriously. I try not to think about it too much. I’m sure I’ve consumed a lifetime’s worth of protein through insects I’ve ingested being here. Gross.
*Really good peanut butter, soft toilet paper, effective deodorant, chewing gum that lasts more than three minutes, being able to communicate effectively (I am TERRIBLE for not having learned Portuguese!), and a few other randoms that I’m sure I’ve been surviving just fine without.
Things I love that you just can’t get at home:
*The freshest fruit you could ever imagine. Mangoes the size of my head, pineapples the size of a small child, bananas in every size, shape, and colour, passion fruit, papaya, and so much more sold on the street or out of baskets piled high on the heads of local women walking by. Colourful and so dripping good! Weird thing though… as cheap as the fruit is, the veg can be bizarrely expensive. Haven’t quite figured that out yet.
*Completely unspoiled beaches. Walking along the water you are hard pressed to run into very many people at all, even when it’s stupid busy tourist season. There’s just so much perfect coastline that there’s room for everyone to find their only little spot of heaven.
*Being able to say hello or chat up any random person and not be looked at like you’re out on a day pass from the local asylum. Tourists are friendly and locals are even better. Everyone says hello, everyone wants to visit – it’s so nice!
*Riding wild and free in the back of pickup trucks or motorbikes. One of my most very favourite things in the world. Hair whipping in the wind, dust stinging my face, feeling the world whizzing by... I usually choose the back of the truck even when there’s space in the cab – it’s just so freeing!
*Instant marriage proposals. Now, to be honest, we all know that it’s not me they really want, it’s the ticket outta here, but on those ugly days, when you just want to walk around with a bag over your head, it’s always good for a little ego boost. Funny, and ego boost.
*How free and unrestricted the children are. I remember being mortified initially, seeing kids more or less completely unsupervised in situations that I saw as imminently fatal or developmentally unrealistic until I stopped to really take a look. It’s very rare to see kids, of any age, crying or carrying on for any length of time. Everyone takes care of everyone, everyone knows everyone, and when you have very little, the happiness of just being a kid seems to come so easily. It’s fascinating to see toys made from discarded soda cans, games being played with a coconut husk, how just sitting together always erupts into giggles and fits of laughter, and how even when they’re working, selling bracelets or fruit or phone credit, they are still goofing around. The kids are HAPPY and they are kids. It’s absolutely gorgeous.
Mozambique, Africa in general, has been very good for me – I think I’ve become exceptionally easy to please. 10 minutes could mean a couple of hours, tomorrow could mean sometime next week, and now may mean never but what can you do? Yelling and screaming does nothing other than get you all hot and sweaty… there’s no point to being bothered. This, of course, has done wonders for allowing me to develop my sense of tolerance and patience while practicing my “roll with the punches”. Which again is why I am so ridiculously excited about getting a move on! The next time I write, I will have a plan. Okay, well, maybe not a PLAN, but I’ll have a next step, I promise. Check back in soon to see what my next big adventure is going to be, I think it’s going to be a good one.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
2011 is going to be incredible!
Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I thought I had already posted this but just found it on my computer, sitting quietly, waiting for its turn to be made public. I had this ready to go the first bit of January... oops! Well, catch up for now and I'll start writing more!
Happy New Year! As is the norm no matter where you are in the world, the holiday season has zipped by leaving a sparkling mess of exhausted, contented smiles and fuzzy, fabulous memories. There wasn’t the typical hustle & bustle of endless functions to attend, shopping to do, or treats to bake but for some reason, it came and went as quickly as chocolate placed in front of me. Holiday season in a tourist destination of course means days overrun with chaos and ridiculous hours that blur one set of 24 hours into the next without the chance of coming up for air to check what day it actually is. Tofo, Mozambique is evidently a South African’s dream destination. Every single one of them and their dog arrived simultaneously in diesel belching bakkies hauling quads, jetskis, kayaks, and frozen sides of a variety of edible animals with which to braai endlessly as they chain smoked cheap Pall Malls and chugged back oversized 2M beers in bottles bought for insanely inflated prices that only a holidayer would pay. Tofo was a rockin and we were in the middle of it all.
Despite the holiday craziness, wow, Christmas in Africa with some very dear friends… how do I share a western experience on the Dark Continent? Unique? Indeed. Fabulously unique. Despite floating aimlessly and somedays, hopelessly, through my life, I continue to have some incredibly beautiful experiences. While everyone else was still sleeping, I wrote a little bit as I sat and soaked in my blessedly strange string of events that led me to Christmas in Mozambique. Didn’t get much done but here’s what I did write before the rest of the eager beavers woke up and we started our Christmas Day in Africa…
Merry Christmas from Mozambique! It’s a hot, sunny day already here, bright and early on the southern coast of Africa. A house full of bodies are still dozing off the remnants of far too much incredibly good food and holiday cheer. I’ve been up for a while now… it’s Christmas for crying out loud! Looking out over palm trees, thatched roofs, a shining blue sea, and the bustling burst of African life it’s definitely not the Christmas of story books and Hollywood movies but oh my goodness, it really could be. Christmas in Africa. How did I get here?
My fabulous good fortune continues as I count my blessings thankful for the people I meet along my way. Nicola, another instructor who works at Diversity and who has become the dearest friend, invited us to spend Christmas Eve at her boyfriend’s family’s guesthouse in Barra, a town about a half an hour away. When I say “guesthouse”, I’m at a loss because there’s really no way to explain their place. Bela Vista lodge is one of the most beautiful properties I have ever seen. Truly. Three separate, massive, open plan natural material house designed to sleep up to 20 with each area leading to an outside common area and every little luxury I could ever need (running hot water, proper kitchen, soft comfy furniture). The family has one as their own home and the others are all for rent. I’ll try to get some photos but it’s just too beautiful for words.
ANYWAY! The point of that ramble was Christmas Eve. After work, we packed ourselves into the back of one of the family member’s pickup truck and made our way here; hot, stinky, sweating, and so looking forward to being out of work. The night was just perfect. The family is so warm and generous, so funny and entertaining. We cooked, ate til we were ready to burst, and had such a perfect time just hanging out and being together. Really, the most Christmasy Christmas I could possibly ever imagine being so far away from home and in freaking Africa for crying out loud! There were moments where I had to step back and just look around; my grand good fortune continues on and on.
And that was all I got done before we carried on with our Christmas Day.
Not much writing done early Christmas morn but enough that you got a glimpse of the bittersweet holiday experiences I am having over here. So carrying on… Christmas day was brilliant. Nicola, her boyfriend, his two brothers, their two cousins, and lucky me all rented kayaks and paddled our happy little butts out to “Pansy Island”. Kayaks were loaded up and Nicola and I were paddle buddies… needless to say there was more chatting and goofing than paddling so we tended to bring up the rear. Pansy Island is actually a massive sand bar that disappears at high tide but it was Christmas day, life was good, and we had a big, sandy island all to ourselves as we set up shelter, spread out blankets, ate, drank, then donned snorkel gear in search of shells. The sun, the beach, the warm Indian Ocean… what a way to spend Christmas day. The tides didn’t start reclaiming our own private island until late in the afternoon so there were a few red shoulders and tips of noses as we repacked our kayaks and began the journey back. Salty, sweaty, smiling the whole way. Life is very, very good.
I had planned to go back to Tofo that night but was having such a nice time. An invitation was extended, I politely asked the parents’ permission, and I stayed one more night. We made a bonfire on the beach and had a most chilled evening of chatting around the fire. Again, impossible to describe, perfect to experience. What a way to spend Christmas day. Seriously.
Now remember, at this point, I am now homeless. My last night in my house was the 22nd so I was bed hopping in the most innocent of ways. I was never without a place to lay my head and so as to continue to be on the good favour side of karma, when it was just about time to move back into my home, on the 5th of Jan, I agreed to house sit for friends until 14th. A couple of nights back in my house, 4 to be exact, and I’ve been asked to house sit for other friends once again, this time just for two nights. I think word is spreading quickly that I have a hard time saying no. It will have been almost a full month that I’ve been out of my home until I will properly move back into it… rent paid unfortunately. But again, want to stay on the up side of karma so I will kindly thank those who took me in and graciously agree to help out where I can when asked. Unsettled is as unsettled does, I guess. It suits me.
Hmmm… I missed something in there, didn’t I? Yep. Sure did. New Year’s. Typical in the ways of mad rushes to get ready straight after work and a lovely dinner with the closest of friends but then 11pm rolled around and we booked it for the beach. Massive beach, massive beach party. Thousands of people, Mozambique locals, us locals, tourists, everyone, dancing, drinking, visiting up and down as music thumped from a local bar and the frenzy of midnight approaching lit up the night. Champagne, kisses and hugs, well wishes, and celebrations brought in 2011 the same ways as home, but I was on the beach in Mozambique. And my beach party lasted until almost 8am. This new year is going to be a great one.
The days continue to fly by and I am starting to look at what’s next for me. Eagerly. I’ve been ready to go for a while now, been here almost 8 months, it’s time to move, move, move. But I’m terrible with decisions. Too many things to see and do. I could be in Africa for the rest of my life and not even scratch the surface but yeah, it’s definitely time to at least start trying. So as travelers come and go and I stay connected with those who have moved on, I’m asking questions, asking for suggestions, looking at what to do where. The must see of here and now. But really, that list is endless… Why did it take me so long to get here?!
Okay, that’s the quick wrap up of a wild and wonderful holiday homeless season. I will keep updating as hopefully plans come together and remember, you want me to be on the move… my blogs are always so much more entertaining when I’m travelling because I usually seem to find myself in some kind of mess. It’s what makes life fun though, isn’t it?
Hope everyone had a jolly Christmas and festive a New Year with very little recovery time needed. Wishing all of you at least a little bit of adventure in 2011. Lots of love! xo
Happy New Year! As is the norm no matter where you are in the world, the holiday season has zipped by leaving a sparkling mess of exhausted, contented smiles and fuzzy, fabulous memories. There wasn’t the typical hustle & bustle of endless functions to attend, shopping to do, or treats to bake but for some reason, it came and went as quickly as chocolate placed in front of me. Holiday season in a tourist destination of course means days overrun with chaos and ridiculous hours that blur one set of 24 hours into the next without the chance of coming up for air to check what day it actually is. Tofo, Mozambique is evidently a South African’s dream destination. Every single one of them and their dog arrived simultaneously in diesel belching bakkies hauling quads, jetskis, kayaks, and frozen sides of a variety of edible animals with which to braai endlessly as they chain smoked cheap Pall Malls and chugged back oversized 2M beers in bottles bought for insanely inflated prices that only a holidayer would pay. Tofo was a rockin and we were in the middle of it all.
Despite the holiday craziness, wow, Christmas in Africa with some very dear friends… how do I share a western experience on the Dark Continent? Unique? Indeed. Fabulously unique. Despite floating aimlessly and somedays, hopelessly, through my life, I continue to have some incredibly beautiful experiences. While everyone else was still sleeping, I wrote a little bit as I sat and soaked in my blessedly strange string of events that led me to Christmas in Mozambique. Didn’t get much done but here’s what I did write before the rest of the eager beavers woke up and we started our Christmas Day in Africa…
Merry Christmas from Mozambique! It’s a hot, sunny day already here, bright and early on the southern coast of Africa. A house full of bodies are still dozing off the remnants of far too much incredibly good food and holiday cheer. I’ve been up for a while now… it’s Christmas for crying out loud! Looking out over palm trees, thatched roofs, a shining blue sea, and the bustling burst of African life it’s definitely not the Christmas of story books and Hollywood movies but oh my goodness, it really could be. Christmas in Africa. How did I get here?
My fabulous good fortune continues as I count my blessings thankful for the people I meet along my way. Nicola, another instructor who works at Diversity and who has become the dearest friend, invited us to spend Christmas Eve at her boyfriend’s family’s guesthouse in Barra, a town about a half an hour away. When I say “guesthouse”, I’m at a loss because there’s really no way to explain their place. Bela Vista lodge is one of the most beautiful properties I have ever seen. Truly. Three separate, massive, open plan natural material house designed to sleep up to 20 with each area leading to an outside common area and every little luxury I could ever need (running hot water, proper kitchen, soft comfy furniture). The family has one as their own home and the others are all for rent. I’ll try to get some photos but it’s just too beautiful for words.
ANYWAY! The point of that ramble was Christmas Eve. After work, we packed ourselves into the back of one of the family member’s pickup truck and made our way here; hot, stinky, sweating, and so looking forward to being out of work. The night was just perfect. The family is so warm and generous, so funny and entertaining. We cooked, ate til we were ready to burst, and had such a perfect time just hanging out and being together. Really, the most Christmasy Christmas I could possibly ever imagine being so far away from home and in freaking Africa for crying out loud! There were moments where I had to step back and just look around; my grand good fortune continues on and on.
And that was all I got done before we carried on with our Christmas Day.
Not much writing done early Christmas morn but enough that you got a glimpse of the bittersweet holiday experiences I am having over here. So carrying on… Christmas day was brilliant. Nicola, her boyfriend, his two brothers, their two cousins, and lucky me all rented kayaks and paddled our happy little butts out to “Pansy Island”. Kayaks were loaded up and Nicola and I were paddle buddies… needless to say there was more chatting and goofing than paddling so we tended to bring up the rear. Pansy Island is actually a massive sand bar that disappears at high tide but it was Christmas day, life was good, and we had a big, sandy island all to ourselves as we set up shelter, spread out blankets, ate, drank, then donned snorkel gear in search of shells. The sun, the beach, the warm Indian Ocean… what a way to spend Christmas day. The tides didn’t start reclaiming our own private island until late in the afternoon so there were a few red shoulders and tips of noses as we repacked our kayaks and began the journey back. Salty, sweaty, smiling the whole way. Life is very, very good.
I had planned to go back to Tofo that night but was having such a nice time. An invitation was extended, I politely asked the parents’ permission, and I stayed one more night. We made a bonfire on the beach and had a most chilled evening of chatting around the fire. Again, impossible to describe, perfect to experience. What a way to spend Christmas day. Seriously.
Now remember, at this point, I am now homeless. My last night in my house was the 22nd so I was bed hopping in the most innocent of ways. I was never without a place to lay my head and so as to continue to be on the good favour side of karma, when it was just about time to move back into my home, on the 5th of Jan, I agreed to house sit for friends until 14th. A couple of nights back in my house, 4 to be exact, and I’ve been asked to house sit for other friends once again, this time just for two nights. I think word is spreading quickly that I have a hard time saying no. It will have been almost a full month that I’ve been out of my home until I will properly move back into it… rent paid unfortunately. But again, want to stay on the up side of karma so I will kindly thank those who took me in and graciously agree to help out where I can when asked. Unsettled is as unsettled does, I guess. It suits me.
Hmmm… I missed something in there, didn’t I? Yep. Sure did. New Year’s. Typical in the ways of mad rushes to get ready straight after work and a lovely dinner with the closest of friends but then 11pm rolled around and we booked it for the beach. Massive beach, massive beach party. Thousands of people, Mozambique locals, us locals, tourists, everyone, dancing, drinking, visiting up and down as music thumped from a local bar and the frenzy of midnight approaching lit up the night. Champagne, kisses and hugs, well wishes, and celebrations brought in 2011 the same ways as home, but I was on the beach in Mozambique. And my beach party lasted until almost 8am. This new year is going to be a great one.
The days continue to fly by and I am starting to look at what’s next for me. Eagerly. I’ve been ready to go for a while now, been here almost 8 months, it’s time to move, move, move. But I’m terrible with decisions. Too many things to see and do. I could be in Africa for the rest of my life and not even scratch the surface but yeah, it’s definitely time to at least start trying. So as travelers come and go and I stay connected with those who have moved on, I’m asking questions, asking for suggestions, looking at what to do where. The must see of here and now. But really, that list is endless… Why did it take me so long to get here?!
Okay, that’s the quick wrap up of a wild and wonderful holiday homeless season. I will keep updating as hopefully plans come together and remember, you want me to be on the move… my blogs are always so much more entertaining when I’m travelling because I usually seem to find myself in some kind of mess. It’s what makes life fun though, isn’t it?
Hope everyone had a jolly Christmas and festive a New Year with very little recovery time needed. Wishing all of you at least a little bit of adventure in 2011. Lots of love! xo
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