It was a
really busy day today! We had our safety and security orientation and medical
information briefing (during which, we got our Peace Corps first aid kit). We also
ordered our cell phones (the one I bought will be able to access the internet!)
We also got our malaria prophylactics, as
well as the second round of shots (Typhoid, preceded yesterday by tetanus and Meningitis
vaccines). My left arm feels like it was punched twelve times by Mike Tyson.
The safety and security orientation made everybody a little bit nervous. A
special agent from the State Department let us know how much danger there is of
foreigners being targeted. Theft, pickpocketing, assault, car accidents,
abduction… the list goes on. A little fear is healthy, but they made it seem
like we couldn´t trust anyone! Can´t say she overdid it though. We´re in a new
country, new culture and I should adopt a new mindset while here. I guess being
a little more cautious with my belongings, staying inside after dark and
traveling in groups are just some more changes to make. I don´t know if it has
quite hit me yet that I´m spending two and a quarter years of my life here.
I`ll bet that tomorrow it will. What´s happening tomorrow? We move to a small town west of Maputo
tomorrow called Namaacha. We´ll leave early tomorrow morning and have lunch
with them as a group. There will be nine people in my host family. (yeah, nine
freakin´people!) The third year volunteer, Scooter, explained that there will
be cousins, uncles, aunts and other relatives drifting in and out consistently.
I kept expressing how much I can´t wait to be able to speak Portuguese. I hope
to be able to communicate with and integrate quickly into the family.
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