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Friday, January 17, 2020
Re: Update 2
Wow! What a long trip to get there, but you made it! Love your 2 stories thus far. I'm glad you're working with AHAH. Sending love & prayers from WOW & me.
Jean
On Fri, Jan 17, 2020 at 7:38 AM Jane boyce <janeboyce@live.com> wrote:
We had our fingers crossed when we arrived as we had not gotten our Mozambique Visa before we left. Long story just suffice it to say...it was too confusing due to contradicting info. AHAH said, just get it at the airport. Visions of us getting all the way there and not getting a Visa kept drifting in and out as I sat on the airplane. But after waiting for about an hour outside the immigration office, we got them!! And luckily, our AHAH ride was still waiting for us. It took us just about an hour to get to the AHAH base!! Successsss!
In so many ways I can say I've been here before: kids milling around everywhere; Mamas carrying babies on their backs while balancing old miscellaneous jugs of water on their heads; tarps covering so many homes or what we'd call shacks built of bamboo, mud and some cement; the Chinese built highway lined with make-shift shores & all side roads muddy & chuck-holed, bicycles over loaded with people & carrying piles of you name it, mass of pedestrians & a variety of old & new vehicles...all fighting for a slice of the road. Rich green plants quickly recovering, blue sky with a huge rain front in the distance and even a rainbow! Most everywhere I look, a stark reminder that much of the world doesn't live like me.
Cyclone Idai in March 2019 wrecked havoc to Beira & the surrounding area. As AHAH usually does, their base is in the small town of Nhamatanda where they are building two schools but also becoming a friend to the locals. Small towns don't get the attention but suffer the losses usually even more.
After settling in to our assigned bunks & taking a quick cold shower, we crashed.
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Update 3
Day 1 on base: fixed our own breakfast, did assigned cleaning and than had an orientation which included a walk through Nhamatanda. With a line of kids following us, we located the bakery (mud oven/rolls only), the hardware & grocery stores (6'x4' room with limited selection), several bars and my favorite: the movie theater (4 post covered with tarps with a TV blaring an action movie with about 15 kids sitting on 4' logs.
We also got some background information from a local man hired by AHAH, Orlundu: Two tribes live in this area and are separated by the highway. Locals still prefer witch doctors to certified doctors. Witch doctors use lots of herbs & potions and are identified when babies. Babies are also identified as being witches who can do harm to others. Only ancestors can keep witches from causing you harm. At age 9, boys are expected to have jobs & girls begin to learn "wifely" duties. Boys go to school till 18 and then marry...usually prearranged & sometimes even before they are born. Girls marry at 13–that's not a typo—and live with their in-laws for 6 months to prove they're capable of taking care of their husbands. Most have 4+ kids. Farming & fishing are the most common income. Only a handful of factories here.
Orlundu was proud to say that Mozambicans are happy and positive people. They just accept difficulties like cyclones saying you just have to pick up the pieces and move on.
The AHAH staff went over basics also. As always, I'm impressed with the base rules that allow things to run like a well oiled machine. But mostly, AHAH motto to go early, stay late and strengthen both the community and the volunteers. They do that so well. And AHAH has earned a 4* on Charity Navigator for 6 yrs achieving a perfect 100%. I'm so proud and humble to be a volunteer for five projects now.
Sent from my iPhone
We also got some background information from a local man hired by AHAH, Orlundu: Two tribes live in this area and are separated by the highway. Locals still prefer witch doctors to certified doctors. Witch doctors use lots of herbs & potions and are identified when babies. Babies are also identified as being witches who can do harm to others. Only ancestors can keep witches from causing you harm. At age 9, boys are expected to have jobs & girls begin to learn "wifely" duties. Boys go to school till 18 and then marry...usually prearranged & sometimes even before they are born. Girls marry at 13–that's not a typo—and live with their in-laws for 6 months to prove they're capable of taking care of their husbands. Most have 4+ kids. Farming & fishing are the most common income. Only a handful of factories here.
Orlundu was proud to say that Mozambicans are happy and positive people. They just accept difficulties like cyclones saying you just have to pick up the pieces and move on.
The AHAH staff went over basics also. As always, I'm impressed with the base rules that allow things to run like a well oiled machine. But mostly, AHAH motto to go early, stay late and strengthen both the community and the volunteers. They do that so well. And AHAH has earned a 4* on Charity Navigator for 6 yrs achieving a perfect 100%. I'm so proud and humble to be a volunteer for five projects now.
Sent from my iPhone
Re: Update 2
Did you get RT tickets?
On Jan 17, 2020, at 6:38 AM, Jane boyce <janeboyce@live.com> wrote:
We had our fingers crossed when we arrived as we had not gotten our Mozambique Visa before we left. Long story just suffice it to say...it was too confusing due to contradicting info. AHAH said, just get it at the airport. Visions of us getting all the way there and not getting a Visa kept drifting in and out as I sat on the airplane. But after waiting for about an hour outside the immigration office, we got them!! And luckily, our AHAH ride was still waiting for us. It took us just about an hour to get to the AHAH base!! Successsss!
In so many ways I can say I've been here before: kids milling around everywhere; Mamas carrying babies on their backs while balancing old miscellaneous jugs of water on their heads; tarps covering so many homes or what we'd call shacks built of bamboo, mud and some cement; the Chinese built highway lined with make-shift shores & all side roads muddy & chuck-holed, bicycles over loaded with people & carrying piles of you name it, mass of pedestrians & a variety of old & new vehicles...all fighting for a slice of the road. Rich green plants quickly recovering, blue sky with a huge rain front in the distance and even a rainbow! Most everywhere I look, a stark reminder that much of the world doesn't live like me.
Cyclone Idai in March 2019 wrecked havoc to Beira & the surrounding area. As AHAH usually does, their base is in the small town of Nhamatanda where they are building two schools but also becoming a friend to the locals. Small towns don't get the attention but suffer the losses usually even more.
After settling in to our assigned bunks & taking a quick cold shower, we crashed.
Sent from my iPhone
Update 2
We had our fingers crossed when we arrived as we had not gotten our Mozambique Visa before we left. Long story just suffice it to say...it was too confusing due to contradicting info. AHAH said, just get it at the airport. Visions of us getting all the way there and not getting a Visa kept drifting in and out as I sat on the airplane. But after waiting for about an hour outside the immigration office, we got them!! And luckily, our AHAH ride was still waiting for us. It took us just about an hour to get to the AHAH base!! Successsss!
In so many ways I can say I've been here before: kids milling around everywhere; Mamas carrying babies on their backs while balancing old miscellaneous jugs of water on their heads; tarps covering so many homes or what we'd call shacks built of bamboo, mud and some cement; the Chinese built highway lined with make-shift shores & all side roads muddy & chuck-holed, bicycles over loaded with people & carrying piles of you name it, mass of pedestrians & a variety of old & new vehicles...all fighting for a slice of the road. Rich green plants quickly recovering, blue sky with a huge rain front in the distance and even a rainbow! Most everywhere I look, a stark reminder that much of the world doesn't live like me.
Cyclone Idai in March 2019 wrecked havoc to Beira & the surrounding area. As AHAH usually does, their base is in the small town of Nhamatanda where they are building two schools but also becoming a friend to the locals. Small towns don't get the attention but suffer the losses usually even more.
After settling in to our assigned bunks & taking a quick cold shower, we crashed.
Sent from my iPhone
In so many ways I can say I've been here before: kids milling around everywhere; Mamas carrying babies on their backs while balancing old miscellaneous jugs of water on their heads; tarps covering so many homes or what we'd call shacks built of bamboo, mud and some cement; the Chinese built highway lined with make-shift shores & all side roads muddy & chuck-holed, bicycles over loaded with people & carrying piles of you name it, mass of pedestrians & a variety of old & new vehicles...all fighting for a slice of the road. Rich green plants quickly recovering, blue sky with a huge rain front in the distance and even a rainbow! Most everywhere I look, a stark reminder that much of the world doesn't live like me.
Cyclone Idai in March 2019 wrecked havoc to Beira & the surrounding area. As AHAH usually does, their base is in the small town of Nhamatanda where they are building two schools but also becoming a friend to the locals. Small towns don't get the attention but suffer the losses usually even more.
After settling in to our assigned bunks & taking a quick cold shower, we crashed.
Sent from my iPhone
Update 1
We're sitting in the Ethiopian airport on a lay over and watching a fashion show of cultural clothing worn by every shade of skin and overhearing a horde of languages all the while engulfed by potent smells of all types. We ain't in Dexter any more! This is what makes our trips so fascinating!
Yesterday we took off from home headed for Mozambique along with Ben & Jen! We are so thrilled to share this love of traveling and experiencing other countries & cultures with them...and finding a way to help in some small way. When B & J told us they wanted to go with us, we asked 2 questions—how far & what type of work. They said as far as possible to somewhere they'd never go and do rebuilding. A few days later, we hear All Hands & Hearts (AHAH) was opening a base in Mozambique due to the damage last spring caused by Cyclone Idai. I also recently had heard from a contact I'd made last year (explain later). So as usual, we knocked and God pointed the way.
We left January 13 after celebrating 4 times and my birthday that week and hosing Lynn & Laura. B & J had lots of coordinating to do so their 3 kids' bases were covered.
We'd boarded in Detroit at 6 am, 3 hrs to Wash DC, then 12 hrs to Ethiopia. Another 6 hours to Beira, Mozambique and we'll be there! Ready or not, here we come!!
PS Remember: I don't edit my updates...I'm writing them as a journal for me and don't want to waste my travel time editing.
Yesterday we took off from home headed for Mozambique along with Ben & Jen! We are so thrilled to share this love of traveling and experiencing other countries & cultures with them...and finding a way to help in some small way. When B & J told us they wanted to go with us, we asked 2 questions—how far & what type of work. They said as far as possible to somewhere they'd never go and do rebuilding. A few days later, we hear All Hands & Hearts (AHAH) was opening a base in Mozambique due to the damage last spring caused by Cyclone Idai. I also recently had heard from a contact I'd made last year (explain later). So as usual, we knocked and God pointed the way.
We left January 13 after celebrating 4 times and my birthday that week and hosing Lynn & Laura. B & J had lots of coordinating to do so their 3 kids' bases were covered.
We'd boarded in Detroit at 6 am, 3 hrs to Wash DC, then 12 hrs to Ethiopia. Another 6 hours to Beira, Mozambique and we'll be there! Ready or not, here we come!!
PS Remember: I don't edit my updates...I'm writing them as a journal for me and don't want to waste my travel time editing.
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