Update #17: Six Months at Site

Dear Reader,

If I told you that I missed you like I missed my hammered dulcimer would that mean to you what it does to me? Would it connote to you not simply your absence here where I am physically, but some harmonic incompleteness? I am wondering this as I sit here on a Friday evening trying to gather all the ideas I have so wanted to tell you about over the last few weeks. Actually, this is the second time such a thought has entered my mind. I am sitting on a wooden sofa/bench in my living room, listening to my friend Jerry Read Smith play music that comes from the laptop sitting here on my lap. It is 15 minutes to seven pm. There is a slight breeze moving the curtains I hung months ago in the window to my right – a sort of blue and white plaid. Directly across from me is a bookshelf full of recently acquired books. It and this sofa are made of the same local wood, called panga-panga. Under my shoeless feet is a straw mat. As I turn my head from side to side, I notice all the wonderful photos I have hung on the wall. My home is full of smiling faces! I can see all this due to the recent arrival of this single light bulb that glows overhead. More on this exciting development later. I am pausing now to dip locally made bread into some margarine as a pre-dinner snack. It was hot today, so the cool night breeze is doubly refreshing.
As we near the midway point of 2007, I want to send you my warmest regards. How are you faring these days? Reader, how is your family? What is something that you think about just before you fall asleep? I am so curious to know such details of your life – for to me they are truly long distance gold. [You must understand that from a distance things look pretty strange. I view the importance of a piece of news about one’s life as proportionate to the distance that such news is able to travel and at what speed. Or rather the other way around: the distance a piece of news can travel and at what speed directly correspond to the perceived importance of said news.] This, I hope (in about the most scientific way possible) will explain to you, Reader, why it seems to me that all anyone does where you are is be born, die, and on rare occasion graduate from something. I sometimes laugh about the fact that these facts are the ones that most often make the lengthy trip (despite a slew of exciting in-flight movies) all the way here to Mozambique. I also, I suppose I am saying, [at exasperating length] want to know the more intimate details of your life. There are lessons to be learned in every corner of this experience. Every corner.
Right, you get the idea. [Plus, I’m bound to reiterate that in my closing paragraph…]
Anyway, what this message is also about is the last few weeks of my life as a Volunteer here in Mozambique. Quite a few things have happened of note! I’ll start with this afternoon and evening. Reader, I recently discovered that where I live we have not one but two small libraries! For me that is a huge discovery. In my community books are a precious commodity. [Upon seeing my two shelves of novels passed down from another volunteer recently, one friend remarked about my having a library in my house. I counted them later, and decided maybe we had different definitions of how many books it takes to make a library.] Well I had chatted with the librarians, and asked them if I could bring some kids along to read some children’s books someday. Today was that day – and after talking about it all week, four of my neighbors (all either 8 or 9 years old, an important distinction existing between the two) and I walked over to see what they had. They had never been before, so once the librarian said it was okay we walked in and checked out what they had! Ha – library humor, nothing like it!
For me that was an exciting moment, to get excited about reading. [My adult neighbor, in a discussion this evening and after the fact said that she believes that literacy is a “chave para acabar com a pobreza absoluta.” (A key for ending absolute poverty) I agree.] But there’s more! After it was time for the library to close, we took a walk to the market and then home again. On the way home some other neighborhood kids joined our walk and reminded me that I had promised them to sit and play guitar for them. We set up an esteira (straw mat) out on my front porch – and proceeded to sing (if not shout) a few songs together. It was a lot of fun! Once again the homemade kazoo proves itself to be the single most popular instrument with children – ever.
[NOTE: I found it simultaneously pleasing and disquieting that these neighborhood kids knew that I sang and had a guitar. It turns out the fairly central location of my house means that little that I do musically goes unnoticed. Then again, if you have ever lived with or near me Reader, you may know that my lifelong, passionate affair with music is not an especially discreet one, so to speak.]
With all that energy coming from a porch sing-a-long I came inside (after we all lied and said we would go home and take baths) to type up this letter. There are some other things that have been going on that I would like to share with you.
One such thing is that a few weeks ago I was presented with the wholly unique opportunity of getting to meet the Director of Peace Corps. I was quite honored to be asked to come down to the capital city (Maputo, this you might know by now) and participate in a lunch along with six other Volunteers, the Director, and his Chief of Staff. I found it fascinating to think about the Peace Corps on a global scale, and enjoyed hearing the Director’s perspective. I couldn’t help but mention to him that my brother and sister-in-law in Peru were also having an amazing experience – and if you’re into it you too can read about their time at http://theadventuresofbenjaminandlibby.blogspot.com .
Interesting to me too was my reaction to being in a city once again. I found myself overwhelmed for the most part. I think that it is simply difficult to reconcile two realities of such differing access to resources in a short amount of time. Of course I am talking about what many call culture shock. Perhaps I would alternately call it consumption shock, or maybe resource shock. Other Volunteers affirmed that the first time they made that leap they too faced a struggle. Reader, keeping things in perspective is a constant and essential challenge. ----
Another event that involved some travel was a planning meeting I got to attend for the incoming group of Volunteers here in Mozambique, Moz 12 they are called. I was again honored to be involved - - and quickly found that we have a wonderful staff here who are sincerely interested in utilizing Volunteers to their utmost. I am excited about the prospect of bringing another group quickly into the loop and into the family.
Oh, I also celebrated my 25th birthday recently! Such an event was marked by: A. one huge stack of pancakes with bananas and cinnamon. B. the arrival of electricity back in my house after months of candles and a headlamp. This second accomplishment, though slightly less delicious, has seen the return of evening reading, study, and most importantly recorded music! Why just last night John Coltrane and I made a spicy pumpkin stew that my neighbor’s children practically inhaled. [That’s right, my cooking improves with the quality of the music playing] -- Well all this to say that I am feeling very lucky to have the support that I do and this opportunity to reach into the future and see what comes up.
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Well at this point in the email I feel like it’s time for a status update:
Despite the fact that the job I am supposed to be doing is moving slower that I might wish, it has opened up a variety of other opportunities. I spend my free time exploring more in depth my community, asking people to tell me about what they do and who they are. How great is that?! One new option is that my host organization has a number of other micro-projects that are being planned right now. That has given me the chance to sit and talk with the leader of a fascinating women’s group as well as a group of carpenters, asking guiding questions to help them plan for the upcoming challenges of getting more organized. More info to come on these and other projects I am either working on or researching.
Personally I am feeling strong and happy to embrace this six month mark at site (1/4 of my service, I suppose). My Portuguese is good, though I still study and try to absorb as much new vocabulary as I can. My conversational Sena (dominant regional language) is getting me into slightly longer conversations each day, though they end predictably at some brick wall of other eventually - - for now at least. Also, I am in the process of saying goodbye to some good friends whose Volunteer service is now over – and gaining inspiration from their humility and drive. I raise my glass to all those on this planet who are in whatever way looking out for someone else. Lastly, I can feel it in my blood that Seeds of Peace is on the verge of starting their groundbreaking summer program. Despite it being the colder dry season, the last three years have taught my heart to expect a summer in Maine working with amazing youth, amazing colleagues. If you’d like to know more about them I suppose you could visit www.seedsofpeace.org .
More than anything I am grateful for my chance to have walked alongside some incredible spirits thus far in my life. You, Reader, are among these individuals. I hope that this message finds you doing well. I am so happy to have shared a piece of what my life is like here. I have said it before, but writing to you helps me express just how rich and textured this adventure is. I thank you for listening.
Again, take care, and I will write more when I have the opportunity.

PEACE (of mind)

Kevin

Ps. I would be remiss if I didn’t also thank Wynton Marsalis, Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, Taj Mahal, The Persuasions, Otis Clay, and a host of others that I wonder how my neighbors who are passing by my window interpret as their sound floats out into the warm evenings.
Pps. I have been able to receive small packages that do not claim to contain anything of real value, which has been exciting. More than anything though, I am wont for two things:
1. The finer details of your life, whether it be letter or email or phone call. I, and not only because I am farther away than perhaps before, want to hear the things I think you think I don’t have time to want to know. Like I mentioned earlier… I am even considering making a graph about it.
2. photos of your life. Maybe even more important -- They will find their place on my wall for all to see, that I can guarantee.
3. okay I did it: