One Year Anniversary!!

September 28th marked the 1 year anniversary of my departure to Africa. In some ways it seems so long ago and in others it seems like just yesterday.

Some of the things I miss:

--Reliable and familiar foods. I can no longer imagine walking into a grocery store and having thousands of items to choose from (just think about it—how many different chip options are there? Ruffled or plain; flavors; white corn, yellow corn, the options are endless!!). I get really excited when I get to a store in the city that has potato chips (tomato, chicken or beef flavored). I miss: boneless skinless chicken, ground meat, sour cream, tilamook cheese, corn chips, salsa, ready-made tortillas, skim milk, broccoli, asparagus, bacon, lean meat, constant access to every vegetable needed for any dish you want to cook, sausage, and different spices.

I also miss (in no particular order):
Seatbelts, running water, high heels, cushy couches, constant electricity and phone network, full keyboard cell phones, chocolate, television, new episodes of tv, fast internet, constant access to family and friends, guaranteed original electronic products, driving, always knowing the correct social etiquette for any given situation, not being constantly stared at, marked prices at stores, fitted bed sheets, and not worrying about language ability (will this person understand Portuguese? Or do they only understand the local language?).

I have been spending inordinate amounts of money on the big C’s—cheese, chocolate and Coke Light. On a possibly unrelated note, I’ve gained back a few lbs…

Things that I love:
Dance parties can and will break out at anytime, anywhere; I have adjusted to my student’s poor English so much so that if they manage to stutter out even 3 words I get the general idea of what they’re trying to say; Everyone constantly talking to you and being (generally) super friendly and helpful; Not being stressed out by a job; Easy access to amazing beaches; Having a network of ~200 people that I can travel and stay with at the drop of a hat; after about 4pm the sun is a beautiful red; my kids carrying my backpack to class for me

Things I will never get used to:
Corruption, cheating, passive-aggressiveness, cows roaming free at out large market (seriously, Mozambicans are terrified of dogs but a giant cow with horns walks by and they don’t even blink), unscheduled transportation (the bus goes when it fills), unexplained power outages, eating goat meat, all the goats and chickens roaming free ALL OVER, people die frequently and usually you don’t really know exactly why, chefe syndrome (people in positions of power who let it go to their head), the amount of time it seems to take anyone to do anything here