Having co-facilitated an orientation for a group of volunteers arriving in country exactly two years after I arrived as a volunteer was a surreal experience. At this point, I like to think of myself as a Veteran Expat. Not much surprises me anymore about living in Quito after having spent almost two entire years of…
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From Volunteer to Field Staff, One Year In
I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook memories. Sometimes they drag up ugly photos from my braces-fille high school years, or pictures of people I was once close to but through time and space no longer see. Other times they remind me of amazing moments like rafting in the jungle or a date at the…
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Enfermedades en Ecuador: How to Address Illness like an Ecuadorian
Have you ever gotten sick abroad? If you have, you might be aware that ideas about sickness are different from place to place. Read on for an Ecudaorian approach to enfermedades. Prevention is key! Ways to prevent sickness include keeping your windows shut against the cold air, not being a vegetarian and consuming plenty of…
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Site Visit: a Portrait and a Prayer
My roommate and I left Maputo at 9 am and arrived in our site in Gaza 5 pm after two chapa rides and a 1.5 hour layover in Chokwe as we waited for our bus to fill up so we could leave. The ride from Chokwe to our site was a long slow journey from…
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Site Announcements, or: where I will be living for the next two years
On Dia do Professor (October 12), Moz 27 received our site placements. Site placements happen for us during week six of in-country training, and you better believe that people have been dying to know where they will be living for the next two years since way before we arrived in country. But basically, the staff…
Read MoreAfrican Rhythms
I’m lying in bed, staring up at the bare single lightbulb that casts a dim glow in my room, wondering when the next electricity outage will be. I just got off a vchat with my best friend from college, the connection between Namaacha and London suprisingly clear. My mãe is singing a tune that seems…
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Water, água, mati: Living with Drought in Mozmabique
When I was back in California for a brief three-week respite before beginning this next adventure, the state was experiencing a drought. Though it had rained a decent amount this year, it wasn’t enough to make up for what has been called one of the severest droughts on record. It’s a frightening thing anywhere, and especially…
Read MoreFirst Impressions
Seven days ago, PC Moz 27 touched down in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. Since arriving, we have gone through a series of vaccinations, lugged our hundreds of pounds of baggage around a few times, moved in with our Pre-Service Training (PST) host families, and started taking Portuguese language classes. It’s been an eventful week,…
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Looking back on one year in Ecuador and forward to two in Mozambique
This isn’t exactly what I had in mind. I’d been envisioning “closing off” my year in Ecuador with a nice, 1500-word blog post summing up my experiences there and what I’ve learned from them and how I’m different now etc. I sat down with my laptop and some notes scribbled on the back of an…
Read MoreVideo Log: May-July Adventures
A crater lake in the Andes, adventure sports in Baños, and Cotopaxi National Park. Enjoy!
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Elizabeth Seeks 