Doctor Sacramento closed Friday’s Medical Orientation with these calm words of inspiration. It was only noon, but I already had a crowded page full of notes detailing the Country Director’s introduction, the introduction to Mozambican culture, the Admin overview and breakout groups (collecting passports, taking photos for Peace Corps IDs, distributing and installing Moz SIM cards, and receiving our first living allowance), the overview of Safety and Security, and the orientation from Dr. Sacramento. She is the lead Peace Corps Medical Officer (PCMO) and has been in that position for 16 years. She is a local, and prior to joining Peace Corps, she was a researcher of tropical diseases—specializing in malaria—at an institute in Mozambique. The other doctors on staff have backgrounds and expertise in HIV/AIDS and tropical diseases, and many formerly worked for the Mozambique government in some capacity. The level of distinct competency has been overwhelming from all of the staff here in Maputo, from the directors to the medical team to the facilitators and everyone in between, and I could not feel like I am in better hands in terms of health, safety, and my potential to succeed.
My page of notes from that first day and today has many fun tidbits:
- curfew at 7pm during PST
- 20 indigenous languages
- capulanas (local fabric) are often given in lieu of flowers
- don’t feed random dogs - they will follow you to training and want more food
- greet everyone, including strangers
- chega = I’m full! I’m done! (mães will feed you until you physically can’t eat any more)
- “View of time? We have plenty of time. Don’t worry. What’s wrong with you?”
- 61 meticais = 1 USD
- must learn national anthem by end of training to lead at swearing in ceremony
- call PCMO, even after hours, if you would call 911 for a medical reason in the States
- bathing only once per day is unacceptable
- being called gordida is a compliment - it means you are eating well and are healthy
- purifying water - boiling vs. bleach
- underwear must be washed daily and hung on the line to dry, but must be covered by a capulana because it is ropa interior
- “We’re not here to dictate what it should be; we’re here to help what exists.”
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| Peace Corps Mozambique’s 32nd training cohort, safely assembled in the Maputo airport. Photo from Training Director Lindsay. |
We arrived in Maputo on Thursday. We were greeted at the airport but the Country Director Ellen, Training Director Lindsay, two currently serving volunteers, Jackie and Nikkia, and various other Peace Corps staff. We were each gifted 1.5-liter bottles of water, divided into small groups, (gratefully) separated from our heavy luggage, and loaded onto two buses, or chapas. We then traveled to a hotel downtown, our home for the beginning of training.
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| Our luggage meticulously packed away outside the Maputo airport. |
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| From the back row of bus 2, with the Green, Blue, and Purple groups. |
We have not been permitted to leave the hotel—we’re adjusting to a new country and time zone and have packed schedules, so we are contained to a controlled space—but honestly, that’s been fine. The accommodations are excellent and feel comfortably familiar, as though this hotel could be anywhere in the world: there is great WiFi, three awesome meals each day, a large conference room for trainings, a huge outdoor pool, and plenty of lounging space in the courtyard out back where we’ve been playing every card game we can think of in our downtime. When we arrived on Thursday, we had a brief introduction outside and then ate lunch. After lunch, I received my Rabies and Typhoid vaccines, connected to the WiFi to text my mom, and got settled. Then dinner, then the first good night’s sleep I’ve had in over a week.
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| The beautiful hotel. |
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| I won that coconut during the “Intro to Mozambican Culture” training session. |
Our mornings on Friday and Saturday were spent in formal trainings, and the afternoons were spent in interviews: a medical interview to review needs and updates since we received clearance back in April and to choose our anti-malaria drug, an interview with the Country Director, an interview with the Training Director, and a language interview to confirm our level of Portuguese for training group placements. Plus, three more vaccines for me: Hepatitis A & B, and Meningitis.
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| Our large training room, used Friday and Saturday morning. |
It is remarkable that one week ago, I had not packed a single piece of luggage and was riddled with anxiety about what was to come, and today, I know just about all 53 (one sadly had to go back home due to a family emergency, so we’re down to 53) of my fellow trainees and feel relieved and relaxed about so many things that used to be scary and unknown. The more I learn—even if it is about the Portuguese I cannot speak or the pit latrines and bucket baths that are right around the corner—slowly makes me feel more comfortable, more at ease, and more confident in this new space.
But the newest space is yet to come: tomorrow at 8am, we depart for our training village out west in the mountains. We will meet our homestay mothers (our mães) at the training hub downtown and join our new families in their homes for the morning and lunch.
I can hardly get through introducing myself in Portuguese without slipping into Spanish or silence. Tomorrow will be awkward, but it will assuredly be an adventure. I’ll take my time, take it smoothly, and breathe.
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