July 1, 2012
Be sure of what you wish for, you actually might
receive 75% of it…
I was walking to give a yoga class one day and the
walk takes about 40 minutes and as I was getting in to my walking mediation of
listening and connecting to all that I was surrounded by, like my footsteps,
people, cars noises etc. I was
chanting my miracle chant in my head and then I spotted an elderly women on the
island of the road crawling on her knees with something in a wrap tied on the
back of her waist. I couldn’t
believe my eyes as she started to crawl across one of the busiest streets Julius Nyere. Just as I was about to run across the street to help her I
realized that if I did I would only be slowing her down because she was moving
so swiftly and she was going to be safe.
On the other side which she was trying to get to there was a bus stop and about 30 people were waiting for
the bus who were all just watching her as she kneeled up on to the sidewalk and waited for the bus. I started crying and
walking at this point, I couldn’t believe it the miracle that I was chanting for was that lady herself;
she is the miracle of life. My
perspective changed drastically I felt lucky to be alive and grateful to be
here in Africa. As I came home I
told my room mate that was staying with me temporarily and lives in a more
rural area in Mozambique and she told me that especially in rural areas she
sees many people with disabilities that crawl everywhere and she has seen
people with no wheelchairs crawl on buses a lot. I asked her does anyone get up to help? She responded “No I have never seen
anyone help.” WOW
The other day I was walking to work and I saw a nun helping a child off the sidewalk where he was sleeping. I thought about the book "Half the Sky" I read in that book that it is the missionaries and churches that help the most in developing countries. It was a beautiful sight I couldn't help but to cry.
The other day I was walking to work and I saw a nun helping a child off the sidewalk where he was sleeping. I thought about the book "Half the Sky" I read in that book that it is the missionaries and churches that help the most in developing countries. It was a beautiful sight I couldn't help but to cry.
As I am reaching my third month in Mozambique I am
starting to adapt and I am starting to really enjoy myself as I let myself
go. Sometimes letting go of the
past completely and just being present in the moment and accepting everything
that is happening to you at the moment can be very liberating when living
abroad. At first, I was told by my
office here many times over that Mozambicans are like this and Mozambicans are
like that or excuses to why kids are treated the way there are or how girls
being pregnant at 10 years old is the norm here even if she was cohered. Well it might be the way here but it
doesn’t mean I have to accept it or go along with it, at the end of the day I
have to be myself even if my colleagues, friends or others do not agree with me. I think saying things like it is my
culture not to show up 3 times to a scheduled meeting with you on 3 different
occasions is an excuse, and I think we all know that excuses are self-abuses. It is the type of excuse that leaves
you and everyone around you living in the dark ages and that is what stereotypes
do too, they lead us to believe that not only as human beings we do not have
much potential but it also enables the government and other Babylon systems to
engage in things like stigmatizations.
I truly believe that it is one of the greatest gifts to be a human being
and it is the highest level of all beings so we must use our lifetimes well and happy. Also, it is you as a
person, the context of your character to know the difference between right and
wrong the difference between kindness, compassion and selfish-lessness. It ought to be common nature to all of
us or an innate ability for us to give up our seats for pregnant women or the
elderly or to help people with disabilities get on a bus. It is common nature or common sense to
telephone a person when your running late and it is common nature or common
sense to know that you should not harm a child in any way. There is no excuse for sleeping with
your daughters and impregnating them and there is no excuse for having sex with
a child, it is not part of your culture it is part of your character. Your culture or your countries reputation should not
suffer because of you and you should not suffer because of your country or your countries government. I am Canadian, Italian and in part of
my culture we are stigmatized to the stereotype of being known for our “Soprano”
ways, but you do not see me walking around making arrangements with my Uncle
Bruno and negotiating cement shoe sizes for all who have pissed me off. I think one of the biggest parts of adapting
to another country is realizing that it is not about us and them, we and they, thus it is just like all the years I have worked with children with special
needs you would never want anyone to be excluded but only included. We are human beings we are not animals
we are not here to fight, we are here to love and interconnect with everyone
and everything around us. Love
everywhere is the most important thing we all want to share, talk about, analyze, obtain and discuss.
So I keep reminding myself that I wanted everything
that I am involved in right now and it is true. I wished for a place where there was less junk food so
easily accessible, here there is fruit stands and people walking around with
fresh apples and ready to peel oranges for you every 5 steps. I wished for a place were there were no
line up, no one lines up here or even minds the line. I wished for a place that was free and now I want to come
back to Canada and imitate the Mozambicans and start my own business on a
street corner in Toronto and if anyone tries to stop me I would yell this is a
free world! I hoped for a place
where I could live that I could be safe, running water and electricity and
double the small boxed 1 bedroom condos I was dwelling in the city of Toronto
and now I am living in spaces with room mates that would go for half a million
in the city of Toronto. I wished
for a place where smiling and socializing mattered more than material items or people
checking out the labels that you wore, now I have one of the best social life’s
I have ever had in my life and I am meeting some very like minded people. I wished for a place where art, music,
dancing and expressing your self creatively was necessary and important, here I
am surrounded by it on a daily basis.
Tonight I left my window open and for hours listening to a group of
people singing and singing. People
sing here all the time, celebrations such as weddings, baptism, church, going
to work on the back of the pick up truck or going home on a 10 hour bus ride,
music is important. I wished for a
place were the beaches were preserved and the food was fantastic and the animals
were a common sight to see and here there is all of that plus plush more. Maputo is like a African Las Vegas, I
feel like I am in Mad max sometimes but I just keep thinking to myself especially
after I was able to visit Bazaruto Islands that Africa is poor my ass! The most beautiful things in life are for free.
I went on a journey with some friends to visit some
of the famous Mozambican beaches so I met some friends in Vilankolos. Originally the city is spelled with a K
and later a C because the Portuguese do not use K as much in their
language. I did the trip on a fancier bus going with a semi-working toilet on board and it included cookies and juice on the 10 hour ride. I was sitting beside 3 boys from China and at 5am when we started our journey 1 of them started to take pictures of me still for unknown reasons. When I arrived the city folk were very nice, use to
tourist so the people were friendlier and very helpful but you do feel
like you are in a western movie while strolling in to town. However, we were quite lucky that the
weather was pretty fantastic on the weekend and we took a boat ride over to the
islands so we can snorkel. The
beautiful wooden sailboats are crafted for the ways of the fisherman and the
sea 500 years ago. Once we got on
the boat the sailors started to prepare us a meal, in the charcoal pit they had
on the boat but when one of asked if that was dangerous, a chuckle was the
response. We stopped to snorkel
the 1st day and the area was full of jellyfish so we decided against
it and moved on to relax on the untouched island and preserved beaches. We arrived at the beach and it was
miles and miles of sand dunes and nature.
It was glorious and surreal for me as we sat on the sand and mad
ourselves comfortable the boys from the boat set up a little area where we
could eat. The food was fresh crab
and fresh fish grilled to perfection, rice, potatoes and tomato sauce made from
scratch by mincing a whole bunch of tomatoes (the tomatoes here are Italian)
with garlic, onion, salt, some of the mixture that you put in to make soup but
seafood taste and sautéed with a lot of vinegar and a salad. This one of the best meals I have had
so far here, this was such a decadent affair but it was so simple. At one point a fancy motor boat pulled
up beside the 2 wooden sail boats that made them look ancient but I just
thought to myself “This ain’t Miami bitch, move that boat out of the way your
ruining the scenery” HA! We
went on another sailboat that was much bigger the next day and we sailed off to
another island Mac and we snorkeled for a bit there. I felt a bit of a ball hit my arm while I was snorkeling to
realize later a jellyfish bit me but I survived and lived to write about it. The 3 of us took a different bus back called a Macebomba, 10 hours back while you're sitting very, very close actually snuggling and the music being played at full blast capacity, commencing at 1am. This bus had no toilet on board and no food at one point I almost thought I lost my will to live and but I made it without having a panic attack but lavender oil on a tissue helps too.
I love the learning experience I am having with
learning a new language and I have been confident enough to carry on
conversations with others in Portuguese.
Some have even exclaimed how well my Portuguese is and sometimes I think
it is just because I am a good listener.
I soon will be able to travel around outside of the country because my
derie, my residence card will be ready in a few weeks! I was interacting with immigration
offices and personnel here for a few weeks and the process is just as you would
expect it to be in a developing country but I survived unscathed and smiling. I also have been able to get a
volunteer job more permanent position with a wonderful organization called
“Livro Aperto” and what they do is go to different neighborhoods and help
children with literacy programs, teaching children how to read, write and much
more. I am very excited about my
new full time volunteer position and relieved that I will be working with
children and families again.
This means I will transfer to the education department at VSO Mozambique
under a new program manager who seems to be very passionate about helping
children and youth in the education systems. I have been and hopefully will be able to continue doing
Yoga with the Youth at AEFUM and some other places. I particularly love doing yoga with the youth because they
seem to be swallowing the thirst they have for knowledge, peace and love. I have also been able to do some visits
with a therapist here that helps run a school CERCI for children special
needs. The only word that I think
can describe my experience at this school is the adjective “barren.” Some of the parents are financially
well off and they decided to start a school for children with special needs it
is very rare that schools or other environments will include children with
special needs. The conditions were
pretty bad and the therapist keeps trying to include the youth into programs in
the community.
I have been to Livro Aberto a few times already and
I am loving the experience . I
officially start this coming week so wish me luck!
Live Love Laugh & Learn
Rosetta
