Pic taken by AlexiWednesday, March 24, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Conversation
Forget trying to learn great pick up lines! If you are a really awkward conversation starter, just move to Mozambique. You'll fit right in! My roomie and I often marvel at the weird ways people get communication going. One method is the one word starter. They just pick a word- any random word-and say it to you and then hand off the conversation baton to you, staring expectingly as if they did their job adequately. My favorites are:
"frio" (cold)
"calor" (hot)
"sol" (sun)
"poeira" (dust) Come on? Are you kidding? That's all you're going to give me to go off of? Dust?
But that's not all! The one word conversation starter can also be used after a huge lull (up to 5 hours in my experience) in conversation to get things fired back up. So lets say you're chatting it up with someone on the chapa, talking about Barak Obama and then the convo stops flowing and even ceases for 5 hours when you're bumping down the road. That person could easily employ the one word convo starter to continue the already-used conversation. Exept this time he doesn't choose a random word. Instead, he selects any word from your previous conversation. For example "Obamaaaaaaa" or "Americaaaaaa" (you evidently must let the word drag) would be used to replay the already-been-used convo.
And my all-time favorite, although less frequently used method, to start a conversation is simply "estamos aqui hoje" (we are here today) cue expectant pause
Really? We are here? Today?
The strangest encounter I have had yet was with one young women who showed up at our door and simply said "they sent me." I was really annoyed besides being a little creeped out, but I didn't let her get the best of me. I waited her out. We stared eachother down in silence until she offered me more to go off of. Then she did the unthinkable. She just repeated herself. It's gonna be like that huh? Alright, lets make this into a game. More silence for you! She repeated herself once more and I wondered if I would be wasting my whole day riding the "they sent me" silence "they sent me" silence train. Fortunately, she eventually caved and explained who sent her and why. Score for that day: Branca: 2, Moz: zip
"frio" (cold)
"calor" (hot)
"sol" (sun)
"poeira" (dust) Come on? Are you kidding? That's all you're going to give me to go off of? Dust?
But that's not all! The one word conversation starter can also be used after a huge lull (up to 5 hours in my experience) in conversation to get things fired back up. So lets say you're chatting it up with someone on the chapa, talking about Barak Obama and then the convo stops flowing and even ceases for 5 hours when you're bumping down the road. That person could easily employ the one word convo starter to continue the already-used conversation. Exept this time he doesn't choose a random word. Instead, he selects any word from your previous conversation. For example "Obamaaaaaaa" or "Americaaaaaa" (you evidently must let the word drag) would be used to replay the already-been-used convo.
And my all-time favorite, although less frequently used method, to start a conversation is simply "estamos aqui hoje" (we are here today) cue expectant pause
Really? We are here? Today?
The strangest encounter I have had yet was with one young women who showed up at our door and simply said "they sent me." I was really annoyed besides being a little creeped out, but I didn't let her get the best of me. I waited her out. We stared eachother down in silence until she offered me more to go off of. Then she did the unthinkable. She just repeated herself. It's gonna be like that huh? Alright, lets make this into a game. More silence for you! She repeated herself once more and I wondered if I would be wasting my whole day riding the "they sent me" silence "they sent me" silence train. Fortunately, she eventually caved and explained who sent her and why. Score for that day: Branca: 2, Moz: zip
Monday, March 22, 2010
Back to the Chashew Factory!!!
Mozambique won the battle today. I'm not defeated, but I am pretty demoralized.
As a approached an angry crowd of 8th graders outside the school this afternoon, I knew it wasn't going to be good. I heard the words voltar (return) and fazenda (ranch, the nickname for the area outside the old cashew factory in the bush, where I gave classes last year) and immediately ran into the school to find someone who knew what was going on. It's true. I have to move with my 8th graders back out to the fazenda. There are too many kiddos per classroom in the new school, so they are dividing the students into various smaller groups and kicking the lil guys out.
RIP electricity RIP door RIP windows RIP bathrooms RIP not broken chalkboards RIP 5minute walk RIP ocean view RIP not showing up drenched in sweat RIP breeze from 2nd floor
Ok, done complaining. Lets talk about the good in this. I will be walking more. More exercise. Exercise is good. Ooooo, AND I didn't really like the stupidity of thinking we have a good school just because the building is prettier. And this might create a bond of suffering with me and my 8th graders. Bonding is good. And at least they aren't asking me to teach English. Yep, that's it.
Alright that's all for today. Hopefully I get to wake up in a few minutes.
As a approached an angry crowd of 8th graders outside the school this afternoon, I knew it wasn't going to be good. I heard the words voltar (return) and fazenda (ranch, the nickname for the area outside the old cashew factory in the bush, where I gave classes last year) and immediately ran into the school to find someone who knew what was going on. It's true. I have to move with my 8th graders back out to the fazenda. There are too many kiddos per classroom in the new school, so they are dividing the students into various smaller groups and kicking the lil guys out.
RIP electricity RIP door RIP windows RIP bathrooms RIP not broken chalkboards RIP 5minute walk RIP ocean view RIP not showing up drenched in sweat RIP breeze from 2nd floor
Ok, done complaining. Lets talk about the good in this. I will be walking more. More exercise. Exercise is good. Ooooo, AND I didn't really like the stupidity of thinking we have a good school just because the building is prettier. And this might create a bond of suffering with me and my 8th graders. Bonding is good. And at least they aren't asking me to teach English. Yep, that's it.
Alright that's all for today. Hopefully I get to wake up in a few minutes.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Robert Hooke
That's right folks...the one and only Robert Hooke came all the way to Angoche to teach my kids about cells. After all, he is famous for discovering the cell in 1665. I am going to miss how easy it is to get students excited about whatever. Dumb hat+paper moustache+maskingtape glasses=guaranteed authentically enthusiastic participation by 100 8th graders.
It's weird to think that in England 1665, 'ol Bobby had enough equipment to see cells, but I still can't show my students cells in 2010 because I have yet to find the schools microscopes and when I do find them...not sure they're going to be functioning properly. Oh Mozambique.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Ode to the bata
This is just a random smattering of some of the day to day stuff.
So we have to wear these batas to school now. They are these thick polyester white lab coats that make us sweat even more than normal. Our bosses insisted this year that we participate in this typically ridiculously formal Mozambican tradition. On the brighter side, people LOVE it when we wear these things and tell us we are so much more beautiful which is weird cause we're just putting on a big baggy polyester sack:-) whatever.
The view from the desk in my room is one of the things I will miss the most about our house.
This is Aryan, and his mother/our friend, Ranjan in the shop their family owns.
So we have to wear these batas to school now. They are these thick polyester white lab coats that make us sweat even more than normal. Our bosses insisted this year that we participate in this typically ridiculously formal Mozambican tradition. On the brighter side, people LOVE it when we wear these things and tell us we are so much more beautiful which is weird cause we're just putting on a big baggy polyester sack:-) whatever.
The view from the desk in my room is one of the things I will miss the most about our house.It's been raining just a bit lately. Check out the rainbow. Hopefully the weather starts cooling off soon.
This is Aryan, and his mother/our friend, Ranjan in the shop their family owns.Lately we've resumed our afternoon dates at the city plaza to watch the sunset. This photo was taken by my roomie Alexi.
New School
Here's some quick shots of our shiny, impressive new school. These are some of my 8th graders from turma D, by far my roudiest bunch.
And this is them taking notes. I wish I could say that all our problems disappeared with the new place, but that would be far from correct. Whoever purchased desks and chairs did not think logistics through very well. Instead of buying newer desks that can fit 1-3 students at a time, single seating desks were purchased which means fewer students sitting in a chair and more on the floor. 8th graders lucked out because they are smaller in stature and the 8th grade population of Angoche was split in two groups, 1 group remaining at the old school on the grounds of the cashew factory as a run-through before that school takes on all other grades.
Open-air hallways...something I've never seen until comming here. I could get used to this. And look at that view! This is the courtyard between the administrative part of the school and the classrooms.
Another view from a classroom balcony into bairo de Horta, one of the major neighborhoods.
And one of the reasons I'm in love with this place...
And this is them taking notes. I wish I could say that all our problems disappeared with the new place, but that would be far from correct. Whoever purchased desks and chairs did not think logistics through very well. Instead of buying newer desks that can fit 1-3 students at a time, single seating desks were purchased which means fewer students sitting in a chair and more on the floor. 8th graders lucked out because they are smaller in stature and the 8th grade population of Angoche was split in two groups, 1 group remaining at the old school on the grounds of the cashew factory as a run-through before that school takes on all other grades.Open-air hallways...something I've never seen until comming here. I could get used to this. And look at that view! This is the courtyard between the administrative part of the school and the classrooms.
Another view from a classroom balcony into bairo de Horta, one of the major neighborhoods.
And one of the reasons I'm in love with this place...See that building??? That's our apartment building. We are soooooo close now!
Many things have gotten much easier here, but a lot still needs to change. One thing that continually drives me mad is the idea here that if something is beautiful, it is therefore, good. Many people say that we used to have a bad school and now it is good, completely overlooking the fact that we didn't get bigger classrooms or more classrooms. We didn't get rid of a drop of the corruption, we haven't improved the curriculum, and we aren't much more organized or motivated than we were last year (as the weeks have gone by there has been less and less excitement about the new school and poor attendance to match on the part of teachers and students). "New" wears off fast.
Many things have gotten much easier here, but a lot still needs to change. One thing that continually drives me mad is the idea here that if something is beautiful, it is therefore, good. Many people say that we used to have a bad school and now it is good, completely overlooking the fact that we didn't get bigger classrooms or more classrooms. We didn't get rid of a drop of the corruption, we haven't improved the curriculum, and we aren't much more organized or motivated than we were last year (as the weeks have gone by there has been less and less excitement about the new school and poor attendance to match on the part of teachers and students). "New" wears off fast. Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Valentines Day
There he is folks! The man I love!
Ben, I know it's a few days early but wanted to be sure to wish you a happy Valentines Day all the way from Mozambique. This is the last one you'll celebrate sozinho! Thanks for loving me and takin care of me. Your genuine excitement for Mozambique, my students, the PC, my family, and my friends is a huge part of making me able to do this.
Te amo muito!
Ben, I know it's a few days early but wanted to be sure to wish you a happy Valentines Day all the way from Mozambique. This is the last one you'll celebrate sozinho! Thanks for loving me and takin care of me. Your genuine excitement for Mozambique, my students, the PC, my family, and my friends is a huge part of making me able to do this. Te amo muito!
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