(no subject)
We got back from Christmas in Chimoio last night after a neverending boleia. As Lindsey put it, "This is the most Peace Corps that I've felt the entire time we've been here." Willfully standing around outside and getting drenched by a 9 am rainstorm, whizzing past verdant plains and lazy palm trees and impossibly dramatic rock outcroppings, and having your assbone come into direct contact with a giant sack of VERY HARD coconuts for six and a half hours does reinforce the fact that we live em África, yes.
It was quite a merry Christmas after all, though. Carmen was a bit ridiculous at times, as expected, but it was quite generous of him to let us all stay at his [sweet] house for ze holidays. Very good just to see other PC people -- other people we knew -- other English speakers, fer God's sake. But on top of that, there's the incontestable fact that we, the inhabitants of the central provinces, are party people, and ohoohohoohoh, we can't not have fun. Running around town looking for Christmas dinner-makings! Running down pickpockets and reclaiming your stolen items! Jar after jar of peanut butter consumed in highly creative ways! Drinking cider and slapping each other silly in a hot kitchen! Making your friends act like kangaroos and pretending you can't guess what they are for close to ten minutes! And, best of all, following up a Christmas Day pool romp with a steak and a superb bowl of egg pudding! Ahh. So, though there were no chestnuts on open fires, silver bells, or partridges in pear trees to be found, it still proved to be an extremely pleasant trip.
Following the billion-hour ride back to Tete, I had a pizza and two Manicas for dinner, then took a glorious, hot shower at Akisha's Awesome NGO Friend's House (where she's a-housesitting). Easily the best Boxing Day I've ever had. Happy Holidays, yeeeeeEEAAAhhHH!
E para o Ano Novo? Ninguém sabe.
I originally wanted to go to Cahora Bassa and stage a giant fireworks extravaganza/rock concert/Broadway revue from atop the dam for New Year's, but it's possible that I'd get in some sort of trouble for that, so I'm re-strategizing. Drinking beer and giddily dancing on the guys' porch in Moatize sounds slightly more doable.
It was quite a merry Christmas after all, though. Carmen was a bit ridiculous at times, as expected, but it was quite generous of him to let us all stay at his [sweet] house for ze holidays. Very good just to see other PC people -- other people we knew -- other English speakers, fer God's sake. But on top of that, there's the incontestable fact that we, the inhabitants of the central provinces, are party people, and ohoohohoohoh, we can't not have fun. Running around town looking for Christmas dinner-makings! Running down pickpockets and reclaiming your stolen items! Jar after jar of peanut butter consumed in highly creative ways! Drinking cider and slapping each other silly in a hot kitchen! Making your friends act like kangaroos and pretending you can't guess what they are for close to ten minutes! And, best of all, following up a Christmas Day pool romp with a steak and a superb bowl of egg pudding! Ahh. So, though there were no chestnuts on open fires, silver bells, or partridges in pear trees to be found, it still proved to be an extremely pleasant trip.
Following the billion-hour ride back to Tete, I had a pizza and two Manicas for dinner, then took a glorious, hot shower at Akisha's Awesome NGO Friend's House (where she's a-housesitting). Easily the best Boxing Day I've ever had. Happy Holidays, yeeeeeEEAAAhhHH!
E para o Ano Novo? Ninguém sabe.
I originally wanted to go to Cahora Bassa and stage a giant fireworks extravaganza/rock concert/Broadway revue from atop the dam for New Year's, but it's possible that I'd get in some sort of trouble for that, so I'm re-strategizing. Drinking beer and giddily dancing on the guys' porch in Moatize sounds slightly more doable.