Finally in Africa

It has been quite an amazing week. I met awesome people from all over the globe, I set feet on three continents, and it feels like I'm a world away.

My travel for Mozambique was finalized on Monday, November 22nd and I left Chicago the next night! It was interesting to see things move so quickly after a three-and-a-half-week delay. It was exciting to know that I'll be able to experience another African country in addition to Zimbabwe, especially considering that, unlike in Zim, there were other volunteers in Moz. I was happy for the opportunity to create a network of contacts and join a solid VSO volunteer community.

Shopping mall near Johannesburg, South Africa

The trip was long, but enjoyable. I had an 8-hour layover in London and a 7-hour layover in Johannesburg. My friend Samone from London met me at Heathrow and we went to central London to catch up for a few hours. The longest flight was London to Johannesburg - about 11 hours. It was not as bad as it sounds :) the flight was at night and there were a ton of movies available to watch, so I wasn't too bored. In South Africa I went out of the airport as well and took a 15-minute train to Sandton City. There was a fancy shopping mall with shiny stores and expensive products - it didn't look anything like what I had imagined Africa to be :) I was later told that the Johannesburg area is much more modern than the rest of the country and not much like the rest of Africa. The flight to Maputo, Mozambique was about an hour long. I arrived on Thursday afternoon. One of the VSO volunteers who had been in Moz for a couple of years already (Andy from the UK) met me at the airport, along with our driver. Leaving the airport was delayed by a couple of hours because I had to file a lost luggage report :) The airline had lost one of my bags, along with those of half the other passengers :) but it was quickly found and safely returned the next day.  

My first impressions of Maputo were mixed. I was trying to prepare myself mentally while on the way to Africa, but still the poverty in some of the poor neighborhoods and ghettos we passed on the way from the airport struck me. Many of these people didn't seem to have much at all, their children playing barefoot with the dirty run-off water in the nearby canal…

There are very few tall buildings in Maputo and many of the roads and sidewalks are in poor condition. Btw, they drive on the left side of the road - I still get confused when crossing the streets. The climate in Maputo is quite tropical. It is summer here now and they are just entering their rainy season. The city is right on the coast and is filled with tons of colorful trees and beautiful ocean views.

Maputo's diverse population features a what appears to be a fairly large expat community and almost all Mozambicans I've met are extremely nice and helpful. 

Kelly (the other North American volunteer who will be joining me in Zimbabwe) and her 9 year-old daughter Aubrey made it to Mozambique a day after me. Kelly and I trained together in Ottawa, Canada and it was great to see a familiar face.

My sweet mosquito net setup

While in Maputo I'm staying with another two VSO volunteers in a three bedroom flat. Both are great! Cam is from Canada and has been volunteering in other parts of Africa for nearly two years already. I hang out with Cam quite a bit and he's been showing me around and helping me adjust to life in Africa. Richard - my other roommate, who I don't see that often - is from Kenya. Maputo is in an area affected by malaria, especially during the rainy season, so we all sleep under bed nets. Also, we have no hot water, so I've started getting used to cold (and therefore quick) showers :) which are actually pretty refreshing especially in the morning after a hot summer Maputo night. Our apartment is conveniently located within a block of one of the main streets in Maputo and about 2 block from the VSO office, in an area considered safer than most.

I look forward to exploring Maputo. Tune in soon for more.