Update #28: Keeping it Moving in the Positive

Dear Reader,

I am so pleased to be writing you this morning. How are you? I wonder where this message finds you – I wonder what you’re thinking about. I do hope that you are well.

I am writing to you from my living room, it is now 8:30 AM or so. I am sitting in my favorite chair, made out of heavy local wood. Under my feet is a mat made of caniço, a bamboo-like material. Across the small room is the bookshelf, decorated with cards sent to me by loved ones. To my left is a small electric lamp, its light fluctuating with the uneven flow of electricity. It is a bit chilly this morning, the sky still overcast. Beyond the lamp is my guitar, leaned against the wall. I just put it there. I was playing it. I was playing it and the motivation came to me to finally sit down and tell you how I am.

Reader, why not make a cup of tea or put on some music and join me for a bit as I tell you about what has been going on here in Mozambique?

[NOTE: I wanted to inform you that I have had no access to the Internet in the last few weeks. This was due to a problem with my telephone (which is how I have internet here where I live). Hopefully by the time this message reaches you, I will have resolved the situation]

· This year, Reader, I was given the most special of birthday gifts. In late May I traveled east to the city of Quelimane, and spent the following morning preparing for its arrival: the plane that bore to me my mother and father for a 3-week visit!!! I received them in the airport in a state of bliss. You see, I was told by many other Volunteers how lucky I was to have them come visit, to experience a bit of my life here. I am lucky.
That day we walked along the water, sitting on the low concrete wall there while we spoke with my brother on the telephone. [We share the same birthday. He’s living in Peru, South America with his wife – they are both incredibly inspiring Peace Corps Volunteers. You should see what they’re up to when you get a chance: http://theadventuresofbenjaminandlibby.blogspot.com]. Then we sat and shared a beer in the late afternoon light. What a start to an amazing trip!
We left quite early the next morning to get on a chapa going to the place where I live. The chapa broke down. This is not uncommon. The next five days we spent in my community meeting the people I care about and exploring. People still ask me how they are, weeks later. We had dinner at a friend’s house, walked to one of the schools I work at, went to the market. We discussed not generally, but the details of life here – and that is what I really wanted them to experience. [I’m telling you Reader, generally is overrated.]
From here we traveled a long way south (10 or so hours) to Inhassoro to spend time near the Indian Ocean. I won’t soon forget getting off that long bus ride, at a cross roads still 20 kilometers from our destination, and the night sky a million times bigger than the ground we stood on, like an islet. Primordial starlight long since faded but made new. – We spent a few days taking in the turquoise water and exploring a different part of this amazing country.
From there we sped to Vilankulo for a day of snorkeling (my first time Reader: is there a way to explain such an experience to someone who has never done it? That a world such as that exists so close yet so removed from my knowledge! It just goes to show that your brain can know things, but perhaps you don’t truly know them…
After that an early morning bus ride all the way down the coast to Maputo (12 or so hours), we spent some time in the capital city as tourists – going to the art museum, wandering, eating meals. Yet another very different side of this complex country.
It wasn’t long Reader before we were crossing the border into South Africa, bound for Kruger National Park. I will try and post some photos for you to see, because this entire trip is hard for me to describe succinctly. What an incredible place! We saw so many fascinating animals in those days – and this is not a zoo – this is where they live! We were the visitors. We saw leopards, lions, giraffe, white rhinos, black rhinos, elephants, buffalo, crocodiles, hippos… but not a few – I saw so many elephants that they began to be commonplace. We saw African fish eagles, lilac-breasted rollers (a family favorite), and even a bee-eater! (Does my brother know his love of birds is contagious?) What a truly unique experience, and all thanks to my incredibly generous parents.
Overall it was about 3 weeks of just solid happiness. There were some early mornings, as it were, but spending time with those you care about most just makes it all worth it. Don’t you think?

· Since coming back from that trip, I have felt extremely motivated. You see Reader, it was during that trip that I came to terms with the not-so-distant end of my service as Volunteer. (More on that towards the end) What I wanted to tell you was that with this fresh energy I have been able to dive into a number of endeavors. For example, I was invited along with a colleague of mine to go spend a morning doing a training for future agriculture extension workers at a nearby Agriculture School. It was a great morning, and I got to have a fairly frank discussion with about 70 students of varying life-experience about HIV and how it affects agriculture (and all institutions) in our communities. Ask me about it sometime, if you like.

· Oh, and an exciting outcome of our visit to the Agricultural School – a year after we talked about it, my organization is trying to organize a scholarship for two students who have participated in our program (teenagers who are considered orphaned or vulnerable) to continue their studies! We’re working out the details so that they would hopefully start at the beginning of the next school year in February.

· A garden update: We are about a month away from fresh tomatoes (68 plants in total) – and just about everyone I’ve had over to my house has laid claim to at least some of the still green fruits. Also recently transplanted in are 5 eggplant. I love to spend time out there and talking with neighbors about the benefits of compost and trading ideas. My hope is to grow an abundance of tomatoes as to necessitate the making and conserving of tomato sauce. Canning (or food production in general) is a concept not widely practiced in many homes in my community – beyond corn and other staples that are pounded and dried into flour. Yet I remember what success we had with preserving sweet potato jam, so I’m looking forward to the opportunity!

· Ah, and a another note about the garden - - the pineapple plants are big and healthy, yet I planted them a year ago and they have yet to produce any fruit. I just thought you should know that some types produce only in their second year. Think about that next time you eat a pineapple Reader… it makes one appreciate the oft-overlooked grace in this world. .

· Another success of late is that with much planning and a lot of time spent, the young man I know that runs a small business venture applied for a was accepted for a small loan by a local organization! This means that he will double the capital he has available to him (meaning simply more profit with no additional effort). More importantly, however, it puts him in a position to continue his business after I have moved on to other activities this coming rainy season. [You see, Volunteers are charged with building capacity and transferring skills – so the idea is to help people to help themselves, and then leave the decision-making in their hands. In my case success would mean that the business continues making money despite my absence.] I can think of few who deserve good news more than this young man.

· Wow what else Reader? I was bribed into teaching a series of computer classes at a friend’s house, which turned out to be a productive little seminar on Microsoft Excel and its many uses. These are skills that are becoming more and more necessary for finding work with the government and other institutions. I was bribed with food. [I once let my sister cut my hair for a snickers bar and a slurpee. Only now, years later do I admit this publicly.]

· The band I play in is moving up in the world! We actually made a little money, which, as far as I can tell is a big step for any musician. We played three gigs in four days. One night we were out until 3 in the morning! It was just so fun playing and dancing. We’re now 8 members. Also, we went into our version of a recording studio to try and lay down a song we’ve been playing for a while. It will hopefully be finished within the next two weeks. I don’t know how but I’d like to post it here for you to listen to. One of our songs plays on the local radio station at least twice a day.

· Also, musically, there was a wonderful group of musicians to came to our town who played the timbila, or marimba (This is the wooden ancestor of the xylophone). They played and played, and their energy was incredible. I especially loved the group of women dancing in circle around them, having a wonderful time and laughing together. I got to join in too! Everyone stomping their feet and laughing and cutting loose after weeks of hard work. I wish you had been there Reader to join in.

· I had a memorable lunch with one of my coworkers this past weekend. I learned that he and his wife take care of some of their neighbor’s children during the weekends. I had a fun time sitting on a mat under a shade tree writing words in the sand with a little girl named Alima. She showed me how to spell it. My coworker and his wife are both HIV positive, and we discuss their health regularly. How can I express my admiration for their openness and their commitment to living fully?

· Lastly, I must admit that (as I noted earlier) I have indeed been thinking about the fact that only four months remain in my contract as a Peace Corps Volunteer. I have decided that my goals are to fully commit myself to my community, to learn what many lessons it has to teach, and to have no regrets about my time here. There is a lot that can happen in four months. I will keep you posted on my thoughts about the next step, but for now I am pleased to say that I am happily focused and keeping it moving in the positive.

Well, Reader, that was about as short-winded as I can be about many weeks of
this amazing experience. You know it is not easy - - If you were here we could listen to the sound of drums beating under a smiling crescent moon… watch the orange sun drop through the horizon. But perhaps for now this is the best we can do to remain close to one another.

I will continue to share with you what life is like here in the hopes that it gives you another perspective through which to see the world. But I will also write you because our being in contact lets me share some unique experiences with you - - you see, I’ve come to believe that experiences, like food, taste better when passed around.

Please take care of yourself and those around you. I wish you health in the coming weeks.

PEACE (of mind)

Kevin

Ps. My gratitude to the musical inspiration, beyond that mentioned above, of Stevie Wonder, Cephas and Wiggins, Spearhead, Outkast, Maná, Joni Mitchell, and others.