fevereiro, so far...

Greetings, friends!

It's been a while since I've posted an entry so I thought I would throw something on here although not much has happened.

Well, it's February and that means that I am down to the last 5 months of my contract! That's right, ya heard it! FIVE! Needless to say, I am pretty fucking excited about the prospect of finishing and I constantly fantasize about all the first world comforts and delicious food that I will be able to indulge in d'aqui a nada (in no time)! Hot showers, the luxuries of washing machines, microwaves, DISH WASHERS?!!! Whaaaaat!? It's gonna BLOW my mind!

Along with getting closer to the finish line, February has brought heavy rains and unstable electricity. I was without electricity for almost two weeks because a nearby transformer that supplies the power to the central region of the country blew out. The heavy rains also tend to mess with the power from time to time, so let's just say I've spent a significant amount of time sitting around by candlelight lately. I am usually a fan of the rain, or at least, that's how I remembered it last season. The rain cools the temperature and it brought in the silence as kids sought shelter inside their homes instead of playing around, near or next to my windows. Well, this season I am in a different house that has multiple leaks and a wide open veranda that floods and is impossible to keep clean. DISASTER! I am pretty over it and this only adds to my nostalgia for the states. But enough whining! It's not too bad in retrospect.

Home made candle holders

Work continues to be slow.  My grant that was approved at the beginning of the year has yet to come through and so it's become a waiting game. My counterpart and I have reached out to the schools who we'd like to work with and we've received all positive response so far. Hopefully, PC headquarters gets its act together and sends me the funding so that I can carry out this project and not have to rush it during my last few months.

Exciting Novidades as of late-

Last week, I got to see a fellow MOZ 18er, Evan. He was up here working with Peace Corps but we aproveitar'ed the time to hang out and cook. Evan is an excellent cook: One night he made guac, hummus, and tuna lettuce wraps. Another night, he made an awesome stir fry for a big group of us. It was great to see Evan and share our feelings and thoughts as we close in on the end of our service. 

Evan at work

the spread

power outage

 Mais novidades? Not much else is new... frankly, I've been spending a lot of time passear'ing (and adventuring) with my new site mates, Steven and Jay (chitown is a total bro town now... LOL). It's pretty interesting how the dynamic of your social life changes as you move through your service, people leave and others arrive... I think I've already commented on this, but for the moment- I am grateful for new friends and good company (not to mention- a few good drinking buddies)!

Maarteen (our Dutch amigo) & Steven 

Site mate picture! Steven & Jay, a.k.a. "Chitown adventure crew"

Other things to be grateful for- AVOCADOS are back! Meaning, the quality of many of my meals has instantly improved! Also, I had my first Guava in Mozambique! Where the heck where these hiding last season?!

Avocado Omelette 

Scrambled Eggs w/ onions, green peppers and sauasage, topped with Avocado.

Mmmmmm, guavas!

Things to look forward to: I will be going down to Camp Ndzou, an eco-lodge located among the Chimanimani Mountain Reseve for the weekend! I will be escaping into the jungle (my dream!) and hopefully see some elephants! (*fingers crossed*). Stay tuned as stunning pictures are sure to follow!