Watch out! Wild animals coming through.....

Highlights from Safari

Here are some pictures my trip on safari in Tanzania! Most of the big famous wild animals you hear about in Africa live within game reserves, which are areas where people are not allowed to live, or to cut down trees. But, there are no fences, so these animals like to go off the reserves and also move throughout rural areas.

In fact, in Mozambique we have had problems with elephants eating our farmers crops! To keep them away, we help our farmers to plant chili peppers on the outside of the crops. Elephants do not like the smell of the chili pepper (just like some of us don't like spicy food!). It always reminds me of my parents getting frustrated when dogs and wild animals in Ellington eat our flowers in the back garden. Except here, Elephants eat the only source of food for the farmers!

Of course, we don't want to kill the elephants, because they are one of many very special species in Africa that should be saved.

As you'll see in the attached picture album, I was able to see all of the "Big 5" in Africa. These are the 5 most dangerous animals in Africa, including: Lions, Rhinoceros, Elephants, Leopards, and Cape Buffalo. If you look closely, you should see pictures of all of them attached, though the Leopard was a bit far away!

Best,
Liz

Hello from my friend Paulo

My friend Paulo and I run together some mornings, and I wanted to send along a hello from him, and tell you a bit about him. This can help you understand what it’s like to be Mozambican.

Paulo is 26 years old, and lives with his mother and young sisters. Most Mozambicans live with their family until they are married. Paulo’s mom works in factory, and his sisters go to school. He is taking care of his sisters because his dad has died, and he hopes to help them someday attend college. He lives outside the city in some of the housing I showed you pictures of.

Paulo studied tourism and English after finishing high school. He now is training at a hotel, but unfortunately in Mozambique, it is very difficult to get a job that pays money, so he is just a volunteer until he becomes higher skilled. There are very few jobs in Mozambique at all, so he lucky for this opportunity, though it is difficult at home sometimes.

Paulo loves to watch sports, to learn new information, and practice his English. He already speaks Portuguese and his family language Makua, but he is teaching himself English, too! I try to help him, and he is helping me learn Portuguese. He is a much faster learner than I am, though, so now his English is much better than my Portuguese. He also really likes to learn new information. He doesn’t have a computer or the internet, but he goes to the library before his job on most days and accesses their public computers, where he can look up new facts about the world.

Paulo loves watching American basketball right now, and his favorite sports teams are the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, and Detroit Pistons. His favorite current player is Kevin Garnett, but he also loves Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan, and some others from the “good old days”. He enjoys watching T.V. in the neighborhood with his friends.

Paulo has enjoyed watching Michelle and Barack Obama on television, and he corrected me this morning when I couldn’t remember the name of Obama’s daughter Malia!

Paulo feels pretty lucky to live in Mozambique, because the World Cup will be coming to South Africa in 2010, and many tourists will stay here in Mozambique. Mozambique is of course his team, but if they don’t make it into the tournament, he will cheer for America! He tells me that his biggest dream, what he hopes to do before he dies, is come visit America. Sometimes I wonder if he is telling me that because I am American, but I think he his genuine…

Paulo and his family don’t have much money, but he is proud about how they get by on what they have. He explained that they don’t buy fancy things like new clothes, but they saved their money so that Paulo could go to school.

Stereotypes and Africa

As I share my life in Africa, it is important for me to remind you about stereotypes.

What are stereotypes? These are overly simple pictures of a person or group.

Americans have many stereotypes about Africa, and Africans have many stereotypes about Americans. This is why I like to point out that Africa is very big, and very diverse.

For example, when I arrived in Mozambique, I met people from around the world and heard many stereotypes about America. Some of my friends said that they were surprised by my accent, because they thought everyone in America had a Southern Accent, lived on a ranch, and loved country music (like our old President George Bush). While I do love country music, and Ellington has lots of farms, I was not what they expected! My friends also told me some stereotypes that offended me. They said that the impression of America is that we don’t like to travel and don’t care about the rest of the world, because none of us own passports. They also thought that we are all fat, because we eat McDonalds all day and play video games.

Yet, we as Americans know this isn’t true. Yes, there are some cowboys out west. And yes, we do eat McDonalds sometimes and some of us play video games. But it is also very expensive and far for us to travel outside the USA, and I explained that we DO care about the rest of the world.

Of course, even now, I have many stereotypes about Africa that I am learning are not true. As a kid, I envisioned one giant poor country with families in traditional tribal clothes. Instead, even those in rural areas no longer wear tribal clothes in Mozambique. We think about all of the wildlife, and some of us may imagine kids living side-by-side with lions and tigers. This is also is not true for the most part, though I have seen elephants a few times! Most of the wildlife is actually in reserves, away from humans.

What other stereotypes do you imagine when you think of Africa? I can help you understand which of these stereotypes are true, and which are not.

What do we do about stereotypes? I think it is important that we help disprove them! One thing you can do is take the time to learn about African countries like Mozambique, which you are already doing. We should be proud of our American culture, but also respect other cultures which are different from ours.

As you read, I’m sure you are learning that kids in African countries like Mozambique lead different lives than kids in the United States. But I think you will be surprised at how much they are also similar!

Food in Mozambique

Just for Kids: Food in Mozambique

I heard your class is about to embark on Snackrafice. I wanted to wish you luck, and tell you a little about food in Mozambique!

Food is a very important part of culture. I miss my favorite American foods very often, because they remind me of home – in Africa there is no Mexican food and only very little Italian food! Those were my favorite types of food back in the USA so I can’t wait to get back and eat them.

Yet I was surprised that in Africa there are many types of food in addition to the traditional food. Most of the food is Asian food – Thai, Chinese, and Indian food – because there are many Asians living in Mozambique.

However, this food is mostly found at restaurants which are only in the cities and far too expensive for a rural Mozambican to eat at. Instead, only rich Mozambicans, foreign business men (usually from India or China), and development workers and volunteers (often American or European) can enjoy the international cuisine.

Just like I usually eat American food, Mozambicans usually eat traditional African food. It is what urban and rural Mozambicans often love the most. This food is very different from American food. The most popular staple is called Xima (pronounced SHE-mah). A staple is food that you eat for energy and carbohydrates very often. People often eat xima for both meals each day. Xima is found all over Africa, though in different countries it has different names (such as pap). Xima is made of ground up corn meal or cassava.

The other staple in Mozambique is potatoes, which we also eat as french fries (“chips”) or boiled. This is less common but still a part of many diets. Rice is also eaten in some parts of the country.

On top of the xima, we eat sauces made from coconut milk or peanut oil. The picture above shows matapas, which is the most popular topping and my favorite. According to my boss, the dish Matapas originated in the southern provinces of Mozambique. The dish is prepared using ground-up cassava leaves mixed in a stew with coconut milk and peanut flour. You can also put fish or crab meat into this dish, although I prefer it plain.

Mozambicans also love chickens, but they are expensive for poor families. Eating a chicken is a very exciting occasion in Mozambique, and it usually only happens at a holiday or birthday.

Because Mozambique is on the ocean, they also produce a lot of seafood. They love to eat fish and other seafood. The most popular sea food is shrimp, which Mozambicans call prawns. These are a delicacy, and served covered in butter with chips, as you also see in the picture. The Mozambicans are not known to be very healthy!

Because Mozambique used to be a Portuguese colony, you find many Portuguese foods here as well. These include delicious breads and pastries!

For sweets, they also drink lots of soda around here. A “Fanta” is a treat for kids and adults to enjoy. It comes in grape, lemon, and orange flavor.

As you give up food for snackrafice, remember that in Mozambique, eating any of these foods is a sign of wealth. Children living outside my house ask me every day just to buy them a piece of bread. In rural areas, they may eat very little if the harvest has not come yet or has been destroyed. When that happens, someone may have to walk for miles to town to find food, or rely on an emergency aid organization or mission group to bring them food.

It is also important to remember that in most of Mozambique, you can only eat what you grow. So, as a rural Mozambican you must take very good care of the maize corn, potatoes, cassava, and peanuts that you plant, because that may be your only food.

Country Mouse in Mozambique

As I said, here is a little more about rural Africa, where 70% of people live.

In rural Africa, most people are farmers. They live in small mud houses and may have very few possessions. The most prized possessions of a family are usually their home, the clothing they wear, and a radio or bicycle.

Today, more and more families are obtaining cell phones, which help them to connect with the outside world. Two major cell phone companies advertise everywhere in Mozambique, and it is very “cool” for kids and adults to wear tee-shirts advertising their cell phone company, which may be vodocom and mcel. Most rural areas do not have electricity though, so televisions, refrigerators, and even lights are impossible.

When people think of rural Africa, they think of tribes. Tribes, also known as ethnic groups, actually exist in both rural and city areas. Across Africa, there are very different types of tribes. Some tribes are just like modern day families – extended groups of people who are related and watch out for each other. Men in a tribe, who may even wear a suit and work in cities just like your own parents, might only relate to their tribe in the sense that they try to give jobs to other tribal members, vote for other members, or support them in other ways. Your tribe may also serve as a political party.

The tribal systems that I know the most about are those in Mozambique. Here, most can identify with a tribe the same way we can each identify with a race or historical background. For example, I identify myself as Irish, Scottish, and English. Here in Mozambique, someone may identify himself as Macua, Maconde, or Shangani. But, it does not change the way they dress or act.

In other countries, like Kenya and Tanzania, there are still famous rural tribes like the Maasii people who wear distinctive clothes. They wear very different clothes and do not participate in modern day society. Although today most do not participate in schools or work with other non-Maasii, the government is pushing them to become more a part of modern society. This is because many of the former rural tribes did not treat women very well, and did not allow girls to go to school. They tend to be are very poor and uneducated. They do not use electricity, and die very young because they have no healthcare. By bringing these tribes into the modern world, countries are helping them to build houses with electricity, enter schools, use doctors, and work with the rest of the country.

Note: It is illegal to take pictures of Maasii people, so I got these photos from the internet. Some photos of them are taken, but one must usually pay the communities money for the photos.

Pictures:
1 & 2 rural homes
3 An unfinished rural home
4 & 5: Maassi tribe members

Mozambique: My Work in the Country

My job: A road trip adventure through Nampula, Niassa, and Zambezia

My Job: Adventures with coconut farmers in Zambezia

Here are some pictures from my work in rural Africa. I will write more about life in rural Africa over the weekend, but figured once you see some pictures you can start to ask some questions.

Cheers,
Liz

How Big Is Africa?

This is my favorite picture to share with friends, who don't realize that "Africa" is actually an entire continent with around 50 countries and approximately 2,000 different languages spoken. It is extremely diverse, just like New England's culture differs from that of Eskimos and Mexicans!

Maputo: Life as a City Mouse

Just for Kids: Pictures of the City Life

My first big surprise about Africa was that it had cities, too.

In fact, I've spent most of my time here living one: the capital city of Maputo.

Now, if your vision of Africa was "The Lion King" and "Madagascar", don't be embarrassed. Africa does have huge rural areas, and more diverse wildlife than anywhere in the world. In addition, most people in Africa live in rural areas. In Mozambique, this is over 70% of the people (in Africa as a whole, 60% in rural areas).

Yet cities are a major part of African countries like Mozambique and inhabited by millions. In Maputo, there are at least 1.2 million people - twice the size of Boston and ten times as big as Hartford - living here. And many of them find it very silly when we imagine their lives surrounded by lions or zebra: they are surrounded by buildings and cars!

Unlike the country, the city has many of the luxuries we have in America. There are streets, cars, and taxis; schools and office buildings; food markets and running water. Of course, you will see that many of the buildings are very old, and many of the streets have huge pot holes. But they still exist.

The city is a lively and fun place to live. There are always many people in the streets, selling arts and crafts and fruit and nuts(and battery chargers, pirated DVDs, and cell phones). One of my first surprises living here was just how beautiful the streets look when the men lay out rows of paintings and decorated clothes (batiks). I wish our streets had more color!

Mozambicans are also a very friendly culture, and walking down the street, everyone says hello! It was quite a surprise to me when people I didn't know started talking to me as if we were old friends. In some cases, I have become friends with people on the streets. In other cases, I have to ignore them and walk away so that they don't think I want to marry them!

I also learned that even in the city, there are still many, many poor people. On my street and in my neighborhood, there are very many young boys and men who live right on the street - looking for food in dumpsters and spending the day just visiting with each other and trying to stay alive. I have learned that in Maputo, young girls are actually more valuable to a family than young boys, because the girls will do cooking and cleaning and fetching water, so the boys can be kicked off when they are as young as 6 or 7 years old. At that point, there is usually no hope they will go to school, and instead they join the boys on the street. In good cases, they can get a job selling peanuts, but otherwise they may be forced to beg for every meal. There are several young boys like this on my street. Can you imagine if a good day was one in which someone gave you their leftovers from a restaurant? That is the reality here for many of the poor people in Maputo.

I hope this shares a little with you about my city. I am learning so much living here and look forward to sharing more.

Please send me any questions you may have.

Keep up the good work in school, everyone!

Liz

Welcome to my blog!

This is a blog to share with you a little about my life in Africa.

To first share with you a little about me, I grew up in Ellington, half a world away from Mozambique where I am living right now.

Ever since I was 7 years old, watching a slide show of my Aunt's trip to Africa, I thought it might be a very cool place to go someday. I love the outdoors, and around here there is plenty of that! However, I never knew I'd make it here, to a country whose name I had never even heard of.

But, there is lots of work for interested young people here, and I made my way to Mozambique by joining an organization called TechnoServe as a volunteer. We work to help Mozambicans start and grow businesses.

I am also passionate about the environment, so I've incorporated that into my work - helping my co-workers and our partners encourage "green" sustainable agriculture practices. I have worked on projects that will help small farmers plant coconut trees, and another project which will help women to start maize mills in communities.

For all that is different here in Mozambique, I've been surprised how much is the same. We even have the internet! But I'll save that for another post..