In which I visit my Host Family

MboaCity is only about 60km as the crow flies from our training-village but it couldn't be more different.  First off, it's hot.  It's not even funny how hot it is here.  I come home during my breaks between classes and DRY MY SHIRT OUT BECAUSE IT IS SOAKED IN SWEAT.  It is flat and sandy here.  It rains very infrequently here.

I've been in Mboa-City for something like 10 weeks, which is how long I spent in my training-village.  I had told my host family that I'd be home to visit for Christmas, but I didn't make it because I still hadn't really figured out how to navigate the BigCity and I was scared.  Last weekend my Mae texted me to let me know that the massaroca (corn) was ready and that I should come back and eat some.  So I did.  I was pretty ready for a trip back to our cool mountain top Training Village.

I got up earlyish (8am you guys) on Saturday and drank my coffee and headed to the Chapa stop.  ON the way there I ran into my School Director and had my first ever conversation with him.  It wasn't as scary as I expected.  In fact, he's a nice guy.  Maybe I'll talk to him again someday.  He asked me if I would teach English classes.  I told him that I wasn't trained to teach English, I just know how to speak it, but that I'd think about it.  I stopped at the market to pick up some bread and said goodbye to my Director.

I rode the chapa to BigCity while sitting squashed up next to my Director.  This was very awkward.  I wish our goodbye at the Mercado had been for real.

In BigCity I transfered to another Chapa and sat baking in the late morning sun.  I was super excited to have a window seat but that got real old after about 10 minutes.  Vendors of all kinds of things (bread, cds, samosas, water, pop, nail polish and cellphone credit) were yelling through my window at everyone else in the Chapa and I had to both ignore them and act as intermediary--passing change and products to my fellow passangers.  For 45 minutes I waited:  sweating, with my knees tucked up under my chin (I had the wheel well seat) and all the while being bombarded with passionate sales pitches in Changana.

Finally the Chapa started moving.  The guy sitting next to me started talking to me.  This absolutely never happens to me.  People typically keep to themselves on Chapas, or fall asleep and drool on their neighbor's shoulder, but they never chat.  Turns out he's a Brazilian who grew up in Germany and is now working for a German development organization.  On the way to TrainingVillage we chatted in my Baby-Portuguese about things like life in the BigCity vs. the more rural MboaCity.  We talked about bizarre creatures of the deep sea and how uncomfortable Chapa seats are.  When we got to TrainingVillage he got off the Chapa with me at the Mercado and we walked over to Javier's (my favorite hangout from Training and had a coke)  I learned he speaks English perfectly with an almost American accent as well as 6 other languages and that he is 7 days younger than me.  I was pretty excited to talk to someone in English that wasn't my sitemate and I'm hoping that now I have a BigCity friend to hang out with.  I'll keep you posted on this.

After Javi's I went up to my host family's house.  No one was home except for a cousin I never met, but she let me in and fed me lunch.  I walked around the village a bit and met with some other Volunteers' host families (Jade's mom gave me a few ears of corn).  Everyone was ridiculously happy to see me.  Like, really you guys, they came running out of their houses to meet me.

After my passear I went back to my family's house and sat for a bit longer.  Thank goodness I brought a book.  I didn't, however, bring a long sleeved shirt because I forgot that those things even exist.  usually I'm trying to figure out a balance between wearing as little clothing as possible and keeping my doors open to let any sort of breeze.

I spent the evening visiting with my family and other relatives, and watching the grand finale of a very popular telenovela TiTiTi.  It was chilly and rainy and I slept better than I have for weeks

In the morning I ate some corn, as promised and visited a bit longer and then headed back home.

I didn't realize how much I missed the TrainingVillage.  I wish I could move back there.  It's beautiful, it has mountains and it's chilly and it rains there and everyone is SO NICE.  Besides remembering what it's like to not be sweating all the time, it was encouraging to realize that my Portuguese has actually gotten a lot better than it was when I left in December.  I'm still frustrated by my inability to express myself effectively or efficiently, but I can converse a lot more easily about things like temperature and mosquito abundance and other small talky things.



Here are some pictures from MboaCity

The MboaCity Mercado

The road outside my school.

My school

This is typical housing in MboaCity

This is where the Chapas are

Crianca, with goats.