Where in the world is the African Daesy???

...Mozambique...





Another country, another experience, another world. Mozambique is very different from Zambia and Malawi...to me it is South American, but they are African. The language spoken here is Portuguese so I understand a whole lot more than usual and I want to speak in Spanish everywhere I go.



I am here visiting my friend Brooke at another Hands@Work location. Brooke is amazing to me in all that she is doing and I have to fight those critical thoughts that bring me to wishing I could have done more of what she is doing. Since the moment I arrived we have been busy. Planning for a Zambian wedding in Mozambique is quite the adventure. Brooke's current roommate is Zambian and is marrying a guy from here and is in the wedding, so I have been part of that drama a bit. Plus Brooke still has her daily work. Monday she goes to the Hospital and prays for patients, Tuesday we went out on Home Based Care where I served as pharmacist and loved it. You know, I would really love to be a nurse...if that whole problem of blacking out whenever someone gets hurt would just go away I think I would be a great nurse! :) But she is wonderful and does her work well. I couldn't help but admire her and feel very happy to dole out the meds to everyone.



Is "Dole" a word?? Hmmmm...



Anyway, Wednesday was our "day off" so we first took a walk to a little water fall on the land of the mission and hiked our way around it. Through a mango orchard and into the bush, it was a beautiful and surreal walk through Africa. I saw a very vibrant green skinny snake bounce ahead of us and felt death approaching. I hate snakes! Once we got to the falls we were overwhelmed with the high pitched noise of the bugs around the water. I am not very excited about the massive number of bugs that inhabit Mozambique...its grossing me out! After the falls we went to the baby clinic and another health clinic and then to "art practice". I wasn't too thrilled with the teachers assignment for me so I escaped outside and worked on some tile pieces. Then we went to another village in the bush where Brooke had been asked to talk at the church. After she spoke the community said they wanted to hear whether my voice was high or low and asked me to speak to them. I continued on with her encouragement briefly and was happy that I was able to speak a bit to them.


Thursday we went out on Home Based Care again and then into town for a glorious lunch of pizza (which I haven't had a decent slice in over 4 months). We did a little shopping and then drove home in time for Brooke to attend yet another dance practice for the wedding. Friday was a great day in the bush, hiking up and down the hillsides of Mozambique which should more appropriately be called massive ant hills. We were treated to a snack of unripened litchi's and banana's...it was glorious. We ate lunch with the volunteers, beans and rice, and I enjoyed that thoroughly as well. Saturday was the wedding and a very busy day.

Anyone who prays for a dry wedding should re-consider...The wedding was pretty, and dry, but the reception was the highlight of the day. It poured! We all sat eating under a cloth tent and as it began to rain we were refreshed with the mist that made it's way through the cloth. But as the rain continued and the cloth became soaked the water came pouring in. My paper plate was now flattened to the table, my food a little more watery than when it came, I was completely soaked...we all were. And yet, we all just sat there smiling, still eating our food calmly. We put drank our Coke from glass bottles and let the rain hit our faces. It should have been a commercial. It was great!