tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30672168953892391062024-02-19T11:17:50.334-08:00Healthy MozambiquePublic Health Developments in MozambiqueJosephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11498586309672541807noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067216895389239106.post-2950580682260326252012-01-13T02:43:00.000-08:002012-01-13T02:43:45.186-08:00The Health System...Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Healthy Mozambique – The Health Care System (Part <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2)…<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">(Note to Our <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Faitihful Readers: Your author recently lost ( misplaced?, had stolen?) his camera. So, unfortunately for now, you’ll have to follow along without the benefit of pictures. We hope to have a replacement on board soon!)<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Let’s continue our brief look at the Mozambican health care system - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>this time focusing on the impressive volunteer workforce that<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>keeps the system running.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Civil society in Mozambique comprises literally thousands of organizations, mostly small and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>not for profit, that tackle a wide variety of social issues: education, agriculture, the environment and , especially, health care. Many of these organizations deploy their volunteers to address specifically the HIV/AIDs crisis. These volunteers contribute their time, and some receive nominal stipends of a few hundred dollars a month from their sponsoring organization. With high unemployment and underemployment in Mozambique there is no dearth of volunteers with time to offer. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Health care volunteers are typically known by the somewhat-quaint socialistic title, “activistas”. Activistas are involved in providing direct care services to patients at local hospitals and health centers. And, in educating their communities on disease prevention, screening and treatment. With only 1 Medical Doctor per 20,000 citizens in Mozambique, the very-lightly-trained activistas play a key role in maintaining the public health. For sure their <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>lack of formal training can limit the quality and breadth of care activistas <em>provide. </em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, most Mozambicans would agree that such assistance is better than the alternative – no care at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The most visible and perhaps important role for activistas is in the delivery of home-based care (“visitas domicilias”). In the starkly huge and rural country that is Mozambique, home-based care is often the difference between life and death for many who live far from any town or health care center. Activistas visit patients <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>several times a month check to check their health status (vital signs and blood pressure are taken) and remind them of scheduled medical appointments. A case load of 10 to 20 patients per activista is typical. Most patients are referred to the activistas’ organizations from local health care centers <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For home-bound patients under treatment, activistas also serve as an essential courier service for delivering <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>much-needed medications and supplies.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The activistas work force is truly impressive. Until more senior health professionals can be trained to service the needs of Mozambicans, it’s the activistas who will continue to make the daily life and death differences for millions.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 108pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Until Next Time (Ate Ja!)<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11498586309672541807noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067216895389239106.post-71493153226381510272011-12-21T23:25:00.001-08:002011-12-21T23:25:42.124-08:00The Health System (Part 1)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Healthy <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Mozambique</st1:place></st1:country-region> – The Health System (Part 1)….<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">(Note to Our Readers: Your author recently lost (misplaced?, had stolen?) his camera. So, unfortunately for now, you’ll have to follow along without the benefit of pictures. Hope to have a replacement on board soon!)<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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</div><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Let’s take a brief look at the Mozambican health care system - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we can start from the top down. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Health programs in Moz are directed by the state Ministry of Health. There is a minimal private sector: the Ministry controls, in one way or another, all the health programs in the country. Health care delivery is organized at a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">provincial </b>level. Here in Xai Xai , the provincial capital, we have a rather large (300 bed), somewhat-modern hospital, with a new, well-equipped surgical suite. For higher-level services, patients can be <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>air lifted or driven to the capital, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Maputo</st1:city></st1:place>. Is care of high quality? Probably not like back <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in the states. For this reason, ex-pats, and volunteers, such as we Peace Corps volunteers, are typically referred out to facilities in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">South Africa</st1:place></st1:country-region> for most acute care.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">On the next level are ambulatory care centers, or Centros de Saude. These are the key public health facilities from which most residents receive preventive care (immunizations, prenatal care, testing (e.g., HIV) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and treatment of minor illnesses. In Xai Xai we have 7 such centers, most staffed by but a single doctor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sophisticated services are few (e.g., no radiology). But, hereabouts there is no private health care system, so the Centros are the only choice for residents. Waiting times are long, and many patients lack the money to pay for transportation to the Centros from their homes. However, once there, they receive most services free of charge.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most striking to the foreign visitor are the relatively few physicians. There are two medical schools in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Maputo</st1:place></st1:city>, with two more in the works. And, a few foreign-trained physicians practice here and there. . But, the rate of approximately one physician to 20,000 citizens is pretty grim. Nonetheless, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Mozambique</st1:country-region></st1:place> seems to make the most of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it. Considerable support is provided by developed countries, such as the hundreds of millions of dollars provided by the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">USA</st1:place></st1:country-region> in recent years to fight HIV/AIDS. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Next time we’ll look at the remarkable volunteers on the ground that help make the whole system work.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 108pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Until Next Time (Ate Ja!)<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11498586309672541807noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067216895389239106.post-69256263942919501022011-12-14T22:05:00.001-08:002011-12-14T22:05:58.910-08:00A Few Numbers...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Like the <country-region w:st="on">United States</country-region>, <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Mozambique</place></country-region> requires health care providers to report occurrences of selected contagious and high-profile diseases. The country’s local public health departments compile reports of these data, and submit them to the national ministry of health. Which, in turn, publishes a monthly<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Boletim Epidemiologico Mensal (Monthly Epidemiological Report).</b>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Here are some numbers, as reported and published in the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Boletim</b> for this past September. (N.B.: As a point of reference <country-region w:st="on">Mozambique</country-region> has approximately 20,000,000 citizens, in a country roughly the size of west coast of the <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">US</place></country-region>.) </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Malaria is very rare in the states, about 1,100 cases per year, mostly occurring in people who have carried the infection with them from a foreign country. That’s a rate of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1:300 individuals. But, here in <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Mozambique</place></country-region>, malaria dwarfs even HIV as a killer. In September, the health department reported 171,640 cases of Malaria and 89 deaths/ compared with 171,846 cases and 133 deaths in August. All in a population 1/15<sup>th</sup> of the <place w:st="on"><country-region w:st="on">United States</country-region></place>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Meningitis <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is another disease that has been successfully controlled in developed countries. Here in <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Mozambique</place></country-region> we’ve reported 59 cases and 7 deaths in September. The Centers for Disease control reports about 4,100 cases annually in the states, with about 500 deaths. Not great, but, about half as many (on a per capita basis) as in <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Mozambique</place></country-region>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">For more information on public health here in <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Mozambique</place></country-region>, check out the department’s webside: http://www.misau.gov.mz/pt/epidemias_endemias/vigilancia_epidemiologica</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 108pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Until Next Time (Ate Ja!)</span></div></div>Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11498586309672541807noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067216895389239106.post-37435653533976446382011-12-06T22:37:00.000-08:002011-12-06T22:37:03.088-08:00Societal Odds and Sods<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl80_H3i4yBsxfPruoUbZewzOOmIOArcLp3PkdRAKhl32SlhYAQOz2sSnVOjFkNog0g7ahA_hbyhqGuvDvlcfNKM0jOkBw10b6PLlyL0EuE-Blnw2wU5no6JnfnNRujclnN1lhyphenhyphenZJR4Ek/s1600/IMG_0757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240px" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl80_H3i4yBsxfPruoUbZewzOOmIOArcLp3PkdRAKhl32SlhYAQOz2sSnVOjFkNog0g7ahA_hbyhqGuvDvlcfNKM0jOkBw10b6PLlyL0EuE-Blnw2wU5no6JnfnNRujclnN1lhyphenhyphenZJR4Ek/s320/IMG_0757.jpg" width="320px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Local Primary School</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitoO40RRebNKr7_wDSJI9Iz6JiduAu0gkpDmywBKkyQzCaBXtkWyvRG5V9h7MfbIJ-jaWHDJ18Hj50zpKbxN6Unj59USt3XnMSttvwwGaJS7Ogta3KjxaR21KbpkPQ23gv0Qv3lVJWi6k/s1600/IMG_0758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240px" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitoO40RRebNKr7_wDSJI9Iz6JiduAu0gkpDmywBKkyQzCaBXtkWyvRG5V9h7MfbIJ-jaWHDJ18Hj50zpKbxN6Unj59USt3XnMSttvwwGaJS7Ogta3KjxaR21KbpkPQ23gv0Qv3lVJWi6k/s320/IMG_0758.jpg" width="320px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. John Baptist Catholic Church</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebCP5-8uHZgGSPFNKAMBfk80U66KHlVgiTuvpamCVYSD7b8l694lFfKIete4WIN8_TRih3qLrqyyNUUME-MVm90TL4pcXMUg_9qr_fdSA_YD9GgkkDvBOgJ_yTNbCrJ3LL7AxGd9aKoI/s1600/IMG_0759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240px" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebCP5-8uHZgGSPFNKAMBfk80U66KHlVgiTuvpamCVYSD7b8l694lFfKIete4WIN8_TRih3qLrqyyNUUME-MVm90TL4pcXMUg_9qr_fdSA_YD9GgkkDvBOgJ_yTNbCrJ3LL7AxGd9aKoI/s320/IMG_0759.jpg" width="320px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FRELIMO HQ, Xai Xai</td></tr>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In this edition I’ll share some information (and quasi-information, otherwise known as ”my opinions”) on a variety of topics. Hope this gives you a context for Mozambican society and daily life…it’s not all about health and HIV, for heaven’s sake!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Education</span></u></b><u><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Moz officials and society give strong support to education. Programs generally follow those with which we are familiar in the states – primary school, secondary school and college. Instruction is very structured, however, without much of the give, take and participation we find in American classrooms.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Others features include the pressure for social promotion to higher grades. And, a sizable number of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>older high school grads who may have taken some time off to work before completing their high school degree. One insidious practice:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>trading grades for sex between high school teachers and students…officially, forbidden; unofficially tolerated.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">One huge problem faced by society is that, while many students are graduated, relatively few find jobs in their chosen fields.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, the state spends a lot of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>money on teachers’ colleges and the quality of instruction and resources there are quite high. But, there are few teacher jobs to go around and, thus, many grads are left without the opportunity to actually teach after graduation. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">History</span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">To understand Moz it is essential to recognize that it is a very young country. The country won independence from stubborn <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Portugal</place></country-region> in the 1970’s long after just about every other African country. After independence, the Portuguese cleared out quickly and left few resources behind. Almost immediately, the nation’s civil war commenced, pitting the Mozambican majority against a South African-supported minority (RENAMO). Suffice it to say, all this fighting was not resolved until the 1990”s and its toll on society has been significant. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Politics</span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">FRELIMO , the political party of the revolution and civil war, continues to dominate political discussion. Its candidates win most elective offices throughout the country.. While other parties, including a rejuvenated RENAMO, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>surface occasionally, FRELIMO’s grasp on the levers of power is very strong. As the party of the revolution, FRELIMO resonates strongly with Mozambicans. Regardless of the party’s blatant corruption it will be many years before a credible opposition emerges.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Religion</span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The Portguese left a deep Catholic heritage. Evangelical Christian groups grow and thrive, as in many other countries in the developing world. There is a sizable Muslim population, particularly in the country’s north. And, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the country’s Indian population is primarily Hindi.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Sports</span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Soccer (Football) is the sport of choice for men, though, frankly, we are not very good, even by the rather low standards of small African nations. Women’s basketball is<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a very popular sport, as are volleyball and boxing. Alas, track and field…not so much.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Going forward, I hope to focus this blog on a variety of health issues here in <place w:st="on"><country-region w:st="on">Mozambique</country-region></place>. Where possible I’ll try to borrow (?steal?, ?expropriate?) information<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>from other sources, to help shed some light on the situation here on the ground. I hope that<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>you’ll also tolerate the occasional diversion to talk about my daily life and experiences. Hope you stay with it!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Until Next Time (Ate Ja!)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div></div>Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11498586309672541807noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067216895389239106.post-36005017029075400922011-12-04T22:33:00.000-08:002011-12-04T22:33:07.702-08:00World AIDS Day 2011<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mural, Fidel Castro</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Observance, Xai Xai</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Observance, Xai Xai</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CACHES Celebration</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CACHES Celebration</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mural, Fidel Castro</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Another diversion from our overview of <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Mozambique</place></country-region> to report on our recent activities and festivities in observation of World AIDS Day, December 1!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">HIV continues to be a huge problem throughout southern Africa, in <place w:st="on"><country-region w:st="on">Mozambique</country-region></place> and, especially, in my neighborhood in Xai Xai. In <place w:st="on"><country-region w:st="on">Mozambique</country-region></place>, about 11.5% of adults are estimated to be HIV +. This is very high, in contrast to most other parts of the world, where the prevalence rate is much less than 1%. There are a myriad of reasons posited for this high rate, but, the bottom line is, no one really knows why the rate is particularly so high hereabouts. Nor, how to reduce it dramatically. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s just say that, millions of dollars have been invested in the effort and changing a society’s sexual mores and behavior is not for those with faint hearts or shallow pockets.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Fidel Castro Mural Project... </span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">On Tuesday, I helped 4 other PC volunteers in the neighboring town of <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Fidel Castro</place></city>. They’d enlisted their young girls’ social action groups (REDES) to paint a mural on a building in the town’s central square. Murals are a common sight throughout <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Mozambique</place></country-region>, painted to honor a variety of people and causes, HIV prevention among them. We had a great time and much support from local painters and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>painter wanna-be’s. It was a challenge to allow the 30+ girls to express themselves artistically, while also producing a “quality”” mural. Pictures below of the close-to-finished product… you be the judge!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Xai Xai Observance…</span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Back here in my home town, we held a nice observance of the Day. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A Health Fair is a staple of all these events, and this one was no exception. Booths included blood pressure checks, family planning information and the obligatory disbursal-of-free-condoms-to-one-and-all. The observance had an interesting kick off at the town’s Catholic Cathedral…not sure how this squares with <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">Rome</city></place>’s position on use of birth control, but I’ll leave others to ponder the paradox.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our 200 man (and woman) march then proceeded to the town’s “plaza of heroes”…every town in Moz has one, honoring the war dead and serving as a spiritual gathering place for many of the innumerable celebrations. Once there, we lay wreathes in honor of those who have died from AIDS. We were treated to much speech-ifying about HIV, our successes and challenges…would that the spirit of the people was always up to the rhetoric. But, that’s a story for another day. There was a lot of singing and dancing too, to take folks’ minds off the seriousness of the occasion and the heat of the summer sun. Some pix below!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">CACHES…</span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Last but not least, on Saturday, December 3 I attended another AIDS Day observance, this one in the town of <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Chicambane</place></city>, near Xai Xai. A Peace Corps Volunteer works with the site, a program run by a local association, CACHES (roughly, “Child Artists Against HIV and AIDS”). This is a wonderful organization that offers programs to local children in many of the arts including painting, music, dance and theatre. We were treated to many excellent performances by the students and their mentors, The program also included a “palestra” on HIV/AIDS. Palestras are round-table discussions on a particular topic. They are very popular here in <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Mozambique</place></country-region>, as a great way of imparting information to a large group of people (e.g., about risky health behaviors). A couple group leaders facilitated our discussion with the 100 or so folks in attendance Saturday.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Well, that’s my AIDS day report…hope next year we can report that we’ve made a lot of progress in the fight against AIDS.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Until next time</span> !</div></div>Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11498586309672541807noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067216895389239106.post-31209115005389111452011-11-28T22:15:00.000-08:002011-11-28T22:15:05.539-08:00Thanksgiving 2011<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A diversion from our overview of <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Mozambique</place></country-region> to report on our recent Thanksgiving trip and celebration !</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The Trip…. </span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, began and continued gloomy, with a light rain. Prospects did not look good for “bolea”-ing (hitchhiking) with 3 other volunteers north 150 miles to meet our fellow volunteers for a three day Thanksgiving Weekend. Nonetheless, despite the weather, the 5 hour journey was pleasant enough. We managed to negotiate the journey in only 3 truck rides on the lovely, palm-fringed EN1 (National Highway 1), with occasional glimpses of the <place w:st="on">Indian Ocean</place>. Without event, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we took our final leg – a pretty shabby ferry boat across the bay from the highway to Inhambane city to meet up with our colleagues. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Inhambane…</span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And so, to our final destination. A small, pleasant colonial city reminiscent of <place w:st="on"><country-region w:st="on">Mexico</country-region></place> or central America. And, a fair quota of well-fed, well-housed South African tourists and NGO-employed ex-pats…a bit different from my home city of Xai Xai, for sure. Inhambane is also the gateway to a few (reportedly) beautiful beach towns, Bara and Tofu. Hope to make it to them some time and answer the age-old question: is t he Tofu hard, soft or spicy?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Food…</b> We prepared a large Thanksgiving dinner for our 15 attendees. We were able to make a mostly traditional menu, thanks to the local market (Chinese, large) and a well-stocked supermarket, The Bull. Included many traditional dishes to make it feel like home: cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, apple pie and chicken (tastes like turkey). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Plenty to go around – the only thing missing was football !. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Our journey home was managed under blue skies, in the back of a couple flat bed trucks, shared with bags of charcoal, and one very quiet goat owned by one very drunk passenger.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Until next time…”Ate Ja” (See you soon!)</span></div></div>Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11498586309672541807noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067216895389239106.post-72608640580806432872011-11-28T00:32:00.000-08:002011-11-28T00:32:45.269-08:00Food, Glorious Food !<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In this episode, we touch on the Climate and Food options of my new home town, Xai Xai.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Climate….</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Like just about all of <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Mozambique</place></country-region>, Xai Xai has a tropical climate year round. Temps in winter hover around the 70’s while summer can push the thermometer over 100 F, nao problema. Temperatures are well-moderated, though, by the long coast line with the <place w:st="on">Indian Ocean</place>. Rain is plentiful, but the “rainy season” is a bit different. In many other tropical climes (Central America, <place w:st="on">Southeast Asia</place>) the rainy season begets a day with monsoon-like downpours, followed by intense sun and heat all in the same day. Hereabouts, we seem to get a stretch of 4 or 5 hot, rainless days, followed by 3 or 4 overcast and wet ones. kind of a good mixture, I think, though the rain can be quite intense and accompanied by high winds. Floods are not uncommon and my home neighborhood is on higher ground, to where many Xai-Xaiáns moved after an especially bad storm a few years back. Report that, Willard Scott!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Agriculture…</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">At heart <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Mozambique</place></country-region> is predominately a rural, agricultural economy and my home town and province are no exception. Xai Xai has access to a huge variety of plants, vegetables and fruits. Unfortunately, the soil is very sandy and takes a lot of work for local gardens (“machambas”) to produce crops, many of which are of low quality. Better crops can be imported at higher cost from other provinces, or, most frequently, from <place w:st="on"><country-region w:st="on">South Africa</country-region></place> (e.g., apples, and strawberries and pears, oh my). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">For one of my Peace Corps projects I visited the local branch of the federal Department of Agriculture. With the help of Sra. Francisca Joaquicene, the Department’s agronomist (with a specialty in Cashews!) we prepared a graph of all the growing seasons for the major crops in the area. Among the notable crops hereabouts, harvest seasons are:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">All year: Rice, sweet potatoes, banana, papaya</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">November: Mango </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">December: Coconuts. </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">January thru March: <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Oranges</place></city> </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">August: Garlic, tomatoes, potatoes, lettuce, carrots, onions, and peppers.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">P.S. I forgot to ask her about her specialty cashews, but I think we’re pretty much talkin’ May and June is cashew season. (About the same time as pineapples…delicious, but rather scarce round here.) </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Availability…</span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">There is a terrific mercado grande here in town. It has just about everything you’d ever (or, never!) need – clothes, electronics and, of course, food. If the big market is too overwhelming there are plenty of street vendors, small shops and a few “supermercados” with a variety of western goods. I use ém all, including a local youth who stops by my house (a little too) regularly to vend his onions and tomatoes…gotta keep the money in the ‘hood and the local youth happy!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">We’ll touch more on food and nutrition in a future entry. As we’ll see, the planting, harvesting and consumption of nutritious crops is of critical importance to all Mozambicans, but especially to those with HIV and related disorders.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">So, until next time…”Ate Ja” (See you soon!)</span></div></div>Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11498586309672541807noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067216895389239106.post-91168738154821497112011-11-22T22:26:00.000-08:002011-11-22T22:26:31.879-08:00My Daily Routine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Before trekking into the labyrinth of the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mozambican health care system, I’ll post a few </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">(? Interesting?) unrelated entries on a variety of topics: the environment, food, gender roles, politics, the work place, education, language,and, below, My Daily Routine. If you find this more like homework than an “entertaining and informative”blog – LET ME KNOW!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Daybreak…. </span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Usually, I’m up by 5 a.m., a mere one hour after the sun. We have strange hours here – no daylight savings time! And, the whole country is in the same time zone, for better or worse, lighter or darker. Daybreak is really the best part of the day, before the sun of southern summer has a chance to deplete our energy. My front yard is graced with many trees, and trees mean birds in a wide variety of colors, sizes and voices. (Note to self: find a book on the birds of Moz!) Trees include coconut, orange and cashew. Right now, mangos are entering their season – with two trees on my property, they are a sweet (free) deal.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">At home, it’s the usual routine I’d follow anywhere –I’ll spare the details. I do try to grab a few minutes of the BBC radio broadcast, test myself with a few exercises in my Portuguese dictionary and read a few pages of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>whatever book I’m wading through at the time.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Then, it’s off to my workplace: a good 20 minute walk, followed by a 15 minute bus ride crammed into a chapa with 15 other commuters…all for the low, low price of only 20 cents.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Mid-Day…</span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The heat has set in by now. Were I Greene, Kipling, Orwell or any other British ex-pat it would be about time for a gin and tonic. However, being the still-rather- industrious American, I usually settle for juice and bread, along with my fellow Mozambicans. With all the stores closed for mid-day break (roughly, Noon til 1:30) there is not much to do except “passear” (walk) through the crowded streets of downtown Xai Xai, observing the street life.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">End of Day…</span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Around 3 or 4 p.m. I’ll leave my office and do some shopping, picking up some food for dinner or other necessities… and, then, head home. Occasionally, I’ll meet someone for dinner, but, as the city (“cidade”) is far from my neighborhood (“biarro”) this is usually difficult to arrange logistically.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Boa Noite! </span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I usually take a 4 or 5 mile run before dinner. Though my fitness is nowhere near where it used to be back in the states, I can muster enough energy to make the run a worthwhile effort. Sure attracts attention, though. Mostly unwanted, save for the many children (“criancas”) along the route. Afterwards, it’s time to bathe (“tomar banho”), eat (“jantar”) and retire around 7 or 8 p.m. I try to fit in some reading to close the day, a book or the daily Moz newspaper, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Noticias</b>.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Kinda boring, huh? Well, sort of, but it works well for me right now.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">So, until next time…”Ate Ja” (See you soon!)</span></div></div>Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11498586309672541807noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067216895389239106.post-9073847673225971262011-11-18T23:35:00.001-08:002011-11-22T22:27:16.334-08:00A New Beginning....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Bem Vindo! Welcome! To the much-delayed debut of my blog, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Healthy Mozambique</b>.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">After 6+ months on the ground in <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Mozambique</place></country-region>, I’d say it’s a bit overdue.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I hope you will enjoy my reports from the field as much as I will enjoy sending them.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">By now, many of you know that I arrived in <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Mozambique</place></country-region> on May 31 to begin my 27 month Peace Corps assignment, as a volunteer working in the health care field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After 10 weeks of training in the border town of <city w:st="on">Naamacha</city>, I was placed here in <place w:st="on"><placename w:st="on">Gaza</placename> <placetype w:st="on">Province</placetype></place>, in the provincial capital of Xai Xai. More on my town, training and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>work at a later date.</span></div><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">For now, here are some of the top 10 cultural differences I’ve noticed in my few months here in country. Take them for what they’re worth….I’d say that’s about 5 Metacais (“Mets”), the local currency, which runs about 27 Mets for One U.S. Dollar.</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Here goes……</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Driving</span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">. That would be on the left hand side, please. No speed limits, no stopping for pedestrians…hey, it’s like NASCAR, without rules. In the dark, you’d be wise to <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>proceed at your own risk, as drinking while driving is a national pastime. Dim those headlights, deflate those tires, crack the windshield<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and you’re ready to roll, Mozambican style!</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Language</span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">. Well, some folks speak English, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>but not many. There’s the old colonial language Portuguese - I’m getting the hang of it. Some try harder to master it than others. To wit, the Indian shopkeeper whose store I visited the other day welcomed me with a hearty “Buenos Dias!”…er, uh, wrong part of the <place w:st="on">Iberian peninsula</place>, Senhor!</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The most prevalent lingua is our local language, Changan. Every region of Mo has at least one local language, often two. It’s quite easy to ingratiate yourself with passers-by with only a few simple words of Changan. Which is about all I’m capable of, at present. Lixile: Good Morning!, Canimambo: Thanks! And Ripilile: Good Evening. So much for my Changan. </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Lines.</span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Forget ém. Don’t have ‘em. Sharp elbows are required. No gender differences recognized here, it’s every person for him or herself. In particular, children are not given preference. Brian Urlacher, where are you when I need you? </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Cha</span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">. That’s literally “tea” , served at the ungodly hour of 10 a.m. A bit early for the Brits, but a nice custom, nonetheless. Unfortunately, as served in the office setting, it tends to disrupt what ever work is supposedly being done: “Sorry, that open heart surgery will just have to wait…”. Usually served with bread (“Pao”)..sorta better than what passes for bread in the states, but the French would be appalled. </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Change Money</span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">. Thank God for ATMs. The alternative? Camping at the bank for half the day waiting for the completion of endless paperwork and red tape. Not for the faint of heart or short of time.There are also change agencies: less waiting, lousy exchange rates and they don’t take bills under $10 or printed before 2007!</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Holidays!</span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Plenty of ém. I count 8 since mid-August. And, on these days just about everything shuts down completely, save for a few restaurants. The celebrations themselves are pretty uniform: a trip to the local war memorial for some solemn words, supplemented with lots of guns and roses. Being a young nation (at peace only since 1992), Moz celebrates just about anything that was of some historical significance in the fight for independence. Kinda like if we were still celebrating as national holidays Paul Revere’s Ride, Washington Crossing the Delaware, or the signing of the Constitution…come to think of it, hey, why DON’T we get those days off from school and work? </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Lunchtime</span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">. See Holidays above. All businesses shut down usually between Noon and 1:30 p.m.. This makes it a bit difficult to pick up that needed roll of toilet paper or bag of rice on the lunch hour. Oh yeah, ditto on Saturday after noon and all day Sunday: shopping verboten.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Chapa</span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">. The local bus transport. Indispensable, cheap and dangerous. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Picture enclosed!. Formula: cram 15 passengers into a beat-up Japanese-model mini-van, add chickens and sacks of potatoes, mix and serve. Really, they are the only way to get around Moz and, though not safe, they cost a measly 20 cents per ride. Alternative? REAL buses, donated by the Chinese, guess they have enuf of them. These run infrequently, cost less but stop very few places. And, my favorite, “boleia”-ing, otherwise known as the good old American pastime of hitch-hiking…actually works well in Moz, though I don’t recommend it after dark.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">White People. </span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Like me. But, also let’s include Chinese and Indians. We are all “Mlunga” or “whites”. Actually, a pretty offensive term, but you have to role with it. “Who you callin’honky?”is probably a dangerous response, though useful in making me feel better for the moment. </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Television.</span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Omnipresent and rather useless for keeping up with what’s going on in the world. (Thank God for BBC radio!) A tip of the hat, though, to several Brazilian soap operas (“telenovelas”) that are great for watching to hear the Portuguese language, at least as spoken in Brazil by bad actors impersonating sexually-precocious teenagers.</span></div><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Churches.</span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Plenty of ém. Ya got your Catholics, ya got your evangelical Christians. And ya got yer smattering of mosques and Hindu temples. Mozambicans are a pretty religious lot, though, and spend a lot of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sunday getting ready for church, being in church and convening after church. God is in her heaven and all is right with the world, leastwise this corner of it.</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Greetings.</span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> They’re long, polite, elaborate and absolutely required.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, IMHO, a bit pointless, but, hey, that’s just me. We’re talking about 180 degrees from our good ol’American non-greeting..a mumbled g’day, no eye contact, no touching, by all means, keep moving!. Here’s the standard sequence here in Moz, accompanied with a lot of hand shaking that I can’t begin to verbally replicate, you’’ll have to take my word for it.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Good Morning/Afternoon/Night</span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">: Bom dia / Boa Tarde / Boa Noite</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">How Goes it?</span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">: <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">Como</city></place> esta?<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="PT">Fine, and you?</span></b><span lang="PT"> Tudo bem, e tu?</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Fine.</span></b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Ta Bom.</span></div><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">No matter what, things are always “Ta Bom”. As Oscar Wilde, or someone of his ilk once said, the definition of a boorish person is one who, when you ask him how he is doing, actually tells you. No boors here in Moz!</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">So, until next time…Ta Bom, y’all !</span></div></div>Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11498586309672541807noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067216895389239106.post-36890838124543269802011-05-11T08:05:00.000-07:002011-05-11T08:05:08.926-07:00Test Post<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Test Post May 11, 2011</div>Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11498586309672541807noreply@blogger.com0