Merry Christmas from Mozambique

Feliz Dia de Natal! We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas. Even though much of Mozambique is Muslim or Animist, Christmas is still a big deal, although officially it is called the more politically neutral name of ‘dia de familia’ since independence. Our town seems to be predominantly Catholic, judging by how packed the masses are every Sunday, so most people celebrated Christmas at church, which also performed first communions at the ceremony. We however traveled to Sofala province to celebrate with our fellow Peace Corps Volunteers from the central region. This trip entailed several days of travel in each direction – but we took advantage by staying in the regional capitals of Tete and Chimoio along the way and enjoying the amenities of city life, such as running water, pizza, television, and supermarkets to buy specialty products like peanut butter and lentils. We also were lucky to see a family of four hippos cruising down the Zambezi River while taking a walk in Tete city! Due to the limited formal transportation options and the additional travelers during the holidays, we had to hitch hike some legs of our trip, with relative success. Riding in the back of open truck beds can lead to excess sun exposure, but we really enjoy the open views, fresh air, and ability to stretch our legs, as compared to the confined and generally uncomfortable conditions of African buses. We held our Christmas gathering at a Catholic mission school near the Gorongosa National Park. Unfortunately the park is closed during the rainy season, so we were unable to see any of the big animals being reintroduced into the region. It was very nice to see our fellow volunteers and talk about our different sites. Some volunteers are serving in remote areas, especially ones at mission schools, without access to food, markets or electricity/cell phone coverage and in very hot weather with mosquitoes, making us very grateful for our beautiful little town near the mountains. Since we were all a little homesick, we tried to reenact as many Christmas traditions as possible in our foreign setting. We hung stockings that one volunteer sewed for us, listened to carols, played games, watched Charlie Brown’s Christmas, exchanged Secret Santa gifts, and attempted to make American type food (burritos, spaghetti, biscuits, pancakes and various types of cookies). We even made our own cheese, tortillas and jam! But even with phone calls from home it was still very difficult being away from family for the first time ever over the holidays, and just doesn’t quite feel like Christmas with so much summertime weather here in the Southern hemisphere. But we have each other and so much more to be grateful for. Next year we will be together!