Trip to Xai Xai

This week I had the good fortune to travel to Xai Xai and check out some of our housing projects and also meet some of the families involved.  The drive to Gaza province was an amazing three hour adventure where we passed tons of sugar cane plantations, amazing roadside markets and witnessed the great colonization of Mozambique by the Chinese - seriously, who knew?  I had no idea China was investing so much money in infrastructure here as well as developing rice plantations, etc. - it's like they're taking over, but nobody seems to care since roads are being built, mega-farms and other industries are being developed.  Apparently they offer no interest loans to the government in exchange for using only Chinese workers and then import a huge load of Chinese prisoners who work for free - those nutty, industrious Chinese.  There were also quite a few English speaking middle eastern Muslim men roaming around in packs who are not very welcomed by the locals - Sharia law and the fast and loose Mozambique lifestyle are not a good mix ... and let's hope it stays that way because it's so much fun.

roadside market

The program here focuses on orphans and vulnerable children impacted by AIDs, so we build houses, legally will them to the children and find an adult or relative willing to take care of the kiddos. It was extremely interesting to say the least, especially since the HIV issue in Africa has played itself out much differently than we are familiar with in the US.  Entire villages were absent of men in a certain age bracket and many of the corresponding women, yet there were still many newborns around which was a head scratcher on some levels (more about that later).  Even with all of the HIV education, the witch doctors are still very popular as is superstition about how HIV is contracted or "cured."

It was pretty shocking to initially witness how people live in the villages.  Many of the homes we built are next to the old grass and reed huts these families used to occupy so it's extremely apparent how much of an improvement in living conditions the project made.  This also leads to much better health since people are better protected from the elements, mozzies and other good-time killers out here.  Many of the mothers and children are suffering from HIV but do seem to respond to the medication - and also actually take it - which helps.  The men are the ones who apparently stop taking their meds because it's still widely believed that the women cursed the men with AIDS and therefore the men head off to the witch doctors for cures which inevitably kills them.  So often, the wives are cast out of the homes for causing the problem when reality is that the men are infecting the women, refusing to wear condoms, knowingly spreading the virus ... blah, blah, blah - same story everywhere ... it would be nice if at some point all shortcomings weren't blamed on the actual victims.  This whole scenario is made worse by the fact that many of the healthy men leave to work at the mines in South Africa and then come back with the virus.

one of our homes in a remote village

Anyway, the end result is the continued proliferation of the situation and therefore more orphans.  I was in one village talking via an interpreter with a couple of "grannies" - who were probably younger than me - and asked them where all of the newborns came from ... something I was curious about because I saw very few men.  The first response I received was a literal response - that babies come from a man and a woman - which would explain the confused look on the grannie's face as to why I wouldn't know that.  It took a few different framings of the same question before the answer was "bad young boys" who promise to take care of the women and then leave when they get pregnant.  There are the makings of an after-school-special here me thinks :)  So, in sum, with all of the education provided and available, the power of superstition and witchcraft still rules - if it weren't killing so many people, I'd be much more enthralled with the scenario, but it is still absolutely amazing and interesting on many levels.

The home's family in the kitchen

neighborhood kids

morning walk on a Xai Xai beach

... and the other direction

One of the highlights of my stay was my lodging, which was right on the beach.  Let me be clear, the only highlight of my lodging was the beach ... I only had one overnight, but it allowed me to enjoy an hour's jaunt on an unspoiled Indian Ocean beach.  Fan-tastic! I could have walked along that beach all day, so the lesson from that experience is to make more plans for the beach areas while I'm here!  That's already in process :)

headed into another village project site

My time in Maputo came to an end mid-week and I'm now back in a hotel in Pretoria for a few weeks, trying to find an apartment for JM and me - who arrives next Monday.  That process has been less than eventful but I did finally find a decent furnished one and hopefully the details will be hammered out this Monday. I can't wait until I can finally say I no longer live in a hotel room.  Seriously, I've been in some kind of hotel/room situation for over a month now, living out of my suitcase and it's getting old.  I'd also like to enjoy a meal without having to sit in a crowd and can't wait to eat a bowl of cereal or something in my underwear (if I want to), all by myself or with company of my choosing. Plus, I'm totally sick of eating out and really can't wait to do some cooking of my own.  Yes, I'm a bit grumpy and also a bit pissed that I'm doing this on my own when it was supposed to have been handled for me - you must make your own luck and destiny!  All will be fine I'm sure.

On the agenda for this weekend is to actually explore more of Pretoria which I will do by walking 2 miles to the mall which is in the neighborhood where I will hopefully be living.  Need to report back to JM on what's available here in order to help with the packing.  Plus I need a haircut and would love to indulge in a mani/pedi just to feel normal :)  I hope the summer is progressing nicely for the rest of you - I can't believe it's August already...

Drink of the day: Chai Tea that will most likely be followed by several glasses of wine at the appropriate hour.

Sun, Fun and Lobster "Tales"

Well, its my last weekend in Maputo until mid-August and so far, it's been a damn nice one!  I had a rather long, boring week of which I enjoyed a stomach issue and an off the charts kidney infection, but time and some medication have apparently cured all.  Now that I'm feeling better I can very much appreciate how crappy I felt.  Glad that's over and happy to not have contracted malaria - that's how I ended up at the clinic due to my co-workers insisting because of my nasty symptoms.  So, back to the weekend ...  I woke up early on Saturday, enjoyed a cappuccino with a delicious pastry, and then walked miles looking for the Central Market - which apparently is not where it's shown on the map - next time I guess.  Then I received a call from a friend and ended up having a fantastic Saturday afternoon.  Naby and his friend Carla picked me up and we headed down the way to the drive along the waterfront - beautiful! We sat outside at a few beachfront saloons, met some fun people and drank numerous beers before heading to the famous Fish Market.  Now that was a blast - bought some lobsters, ate peanuts, drank more beer and thankfully I was with locals so they kept the street vendors away.  Seriously, these people swarm you worse than the flies around the fish - it gets incredibly annoying after a bit.  I thoroughly enjoyed the Fish Market, didn't have to hassle with the vendors and later indulged in some delicious lobster tails.  I'm now schooled in how not to get ripped off there as well, so my next trip solo should go swimmingly :)

beachfront drinking

Fish Market - with fish

Enjoying late afternoon lobster

I'm hopeful that today will be just as much fun, but most likely a bit more low key with tomorrow being a work day.  It's stunning here, mid 80s, sunny and with a constant ocean breeze.  I have a morning of completing a few job applications, then a walk, followed by some lunch, most likely a Sunday nap and then preparing for my over-nighter in Xai Xai tomorrow.  I'm looking forward to that trip and have a little shithole room booked right on the beach, so I will for sure be reporting on that later.  I will miss this place when I head back to Pretoria but will be back soon enough.  It also might be nice to enjoy the greatly reduced cost of living in South Africa as compared to here if even for a couple of weeks.

When I return to Pretoria, I will hopefully have a few apartments to choose from and finally will no longer be living in a hotel or room-for-rent.  I love where I'm staying in Maputo but am kind of missing cooking and feeling like an actual space is my home.  I've been here close to a month, so it's time to get settled in - even if I am traveling back and forth, it's still nice to feel like I have someplace to go "home" to in the end.  This will be a theme that continues upon my return to the US as I don't have an official home there either anymore.  Looks like 2013 and the start of 2014 will be a bit of the Adventures of the Gypsy Hillbilly Wino.  But I'm going to roll with it, enjoy the journey and take in all lessons, good and bad, that come my way.  I have an excellent companion in adventure, so we will be making our mark somewhere together and it will be something nice to share with another person.

Speaking of adventure, I've started to line up a few affordable options which have been greatly helped by the fact that I have access to so many people who live here and therefore make great suggestions and hook a Wino up with contacts.  I think the adventures will begin in September so I'm really looking forward to them.  Being so close to Kruger National Park makes day safaris possible, Cape Town is for sure on the list (complete with wine country) and possibly a once in a lifetime jaunt to one of the most beautiful places in the world - a short trip to Seychelles!  I really hope that one happens, but it's in the "maybe" column.  However I did find a very affordable place to stay and a cheap flight, so I'm ready to make some magic happen.  The financial objective of my 6 months here is not to travel all over the place, but rather to stay afloat and afford the move to Denver or LA upon my return ... with a wee little bit to tide me over for a few months while I continue that bitch of a job search back home.  I'm going to load up my dog Django, my kitty Fat Kid Ninja, my special friend and head west!  Economic recovery my Hillbilly ass... but I remain hopeful that my THIRD return back to the US of A results in actual gainful employment :)

I hope everyone has had an incredibly enjoyable weekend - I can't believe that it will be August next week!!  I recently realized that I have not enjoyed a full summer at home in four years which seems weird to me... but I'm not sure how much fun they would have been in the muggy hotbox I fondly call home - global warming is a thing - even with excellent companions!  So, enjoy what looks to be a week 's break from the heat back home and I will continue to indulge in the winter season here.

Drink of the day:  a perfectly chilled chardonnay!