So this is officially my last blog and it’s with great sadness that I write it. I’ve now ‘settled’ in at my summer job in Wellesley, MA and it’s crazy to imagine that one week ago I was in a completely different part of the world doing absolutely nothing and today I’m at Explo Summer Program undergoing a week of training before our students arrive. It’s kind of surreal how fast my last year was, I can still remember being here last summer but between the time that I left (August 2006) to August 2007 so much has happened in my life. My trip to South Africa was definitely a key component to the changes in my life. For instance, taking the rural development course at UKZN has helped me realize that (1) I’m not scared of the rural area; and (2) I would actually love to work in a rural setting for at least the first few years of my career. I think that one can gain a lot from being placed in a location different from the one that they are used to. Thus changing from urban to rural settings can actually be beneficial. One can travel from Chicago, to London, to Durban and then back to Philly and find out that there are many similarities between the cities. Globalization has really homogenized the world we live in, thus in order to get a taste of something different you really have to go the extra mile.

My favorite part of my semester abroad was definitely the trip to Ndumo and Mboza cause the people in those towns were much more personable than anyway that I met in Durban, Johannesburg or Maputo. I hope that someday I will be able to go back to the region, or perhaps embark on a trip that is similar. And unlike the trip I took with my UKZN class, I hope that next time I go into a small town that I actually get to make a contribution to whatever it is that they are in need of. In order for me to do that though, I’m going to have to pursue a master’s degree in subject that would be applicable so right now I’m thinking of NGO Management (which is a degree offered by select Business Schools around the U.S.). Studying in South Africa was obviously important step in learning what my goal is, so now it’s up to me to follow through and make it count. I’m really scared that something might distract me from it, and when I’m 50 I’ll realize what I really wanted to do but it’ll be too late by then. So I’m keeping my fingers crossed that no such thing will happen and that I will accomplish my life’s goal: get my MBA and then work in the rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa.

PS: I’m attaching a picture that I took with my cousin this past weekend when I was in DC. It was actually a pretty nice party that we went to. Sstaff member from the Mozambican embassy got his Master’s degree so we were all pretty proud. Also yesterday, June 25^th, was our 32^nd Independence Day so woot woot! Go Mozambique, we’re doing pretty good is I may say so myself. Perhaps by the time I finish school we wont need anymore ‘development.’

Doesn’t the title of this last blog sound like some rap song? Heh ehe.. well it does to me. In any case, I arrived in Washington DC on Thursday and the plane ride here wasn’t too bad. I actually like South African Airways a lot cause they’re food is pretty juicy (for airplane food at least). I had some chicken and pineapple stew with rice, crackers and cheese and a brownie for dessert… and that was just dinner. Breakfast was also not too bad: a croissant, yogurt, fruit, orange juice. They also give you chocolate, and wine if you wish to drink on the plane!

Anyway, on arrival to Dulles I didn’t actually confront a lot of problems with the immigration officers. I guess the key to a successful arrival to the United States is having all your paper together, and also not looking like a ‘terrorist’ I guess. The only annoying customs stop was in Dakar, Senegal. The SAA flight to DC stops there for re-fueling and to pick up more passengers and its right in the middle of the night (midnight to be exact). SO most people on the flight are asleep, but because of the new rules with flying everyone has to wake up and get their luggage from the overhead cabin. Then Senegalese custom officers have to go through each unoccupied seat searching for suspicious items, I believe. So imagine you’re in an empty flight and they have to go through and every one of those seats. Annoying right? That’s what I thought, but I guess that it’s ultimately for the good of all travelers.

So yeah, I recommend South African Airlines cause they have pretty good service; cheap rates (I paid $1100 for my flight from DC-JHB-DC); and direct flights. I don’t particularly recommend traveling to the U.S. or within the U.S. because since last summer things have only gotten worse (i.e. the ban on liquids, aerosols and gases is just one of the reasons why), but if you have to do it then just be prepared (mentally and physically). You gotta be really patient; I stood in line for an hour at the Baltimore Airport when I check in for my flight to Boston.

I have one more blog left, so I’m hoping that I will be able to touch on all the little things I have left out during these few months.

So I’ve been reading the news recently and stuff is looking real bad in South Africa.  Yesterday, the entire country gathered to once again strike for better wages and what not.  Nurses, teachers and other public servants gathered on Wednesday to create a complete shutdown of the South African economy, hoping that it would persuade the government to agree on a 10% wage increase.  That proposal, of course, has been denied by the government and so COSATU (The Congress of South African Trade Unions) continues their strike.  So one thing I appreciate about South Africans, and wish that I could more of in Mozambicans, is their willigness to work together in boycotting and protesting against the State. I find that often Mozambicans think that there is nothing they can do about the state of their country (in terms of politics and policymaking)… and so they just continue living in the worst of conditions without so much as a complaint according to them ‘things will forever remain like that.’ South Africans, on the other hand, are willing to lose it all in order to get their way. So far the strikes have lasted two weeks and the State has fired 600 civil servants who they say were not allowed to strike due to the essential positions they served. My guess is that the spirit of striking to get favorable results comes from the Apartheid era, or at least the struggle for a democratic society. In a lot of South Africans, the memories of the struggle against Apartheid is still fresh in their minds so I guess that they’ve been able to use it to get other things accomplished.

It’s amazing also that strikes and such are not just initiated by adults, but also by the youth. UKZN’s engineering students, for instance, also protested until they got the exam dates postponed… Great country, I tell you. Real fighters!!! Let’s hope that fighting spirit sticks around for a few more decades, unlike its other African neighbors who have forgotten all about it.

So I got to on a two-day weekend to the beach this past Saturday. Myself, my uncle, my aunt and my cousin drove down to Ponta D’Ouro where they are building themselves a summer house.  The house is rite on the beach front, so I thought that it would serve as my last fun activity before leaving Southern Africa for a summer job I have in Boston.

We were supposed to leave Maputo early Saturday morning (at about 6 AM) but when we woke up electricity in the neighborhood was down and since its winter it was still dark inside and outside the house.  So we had to wait till sunrise (or at least till the sun was bright enough to illuminate the house). Anyhow, by the time we left it was already 10AM and the trip to Ponta is about 5 hours long. The beach itself is near Maputo, the city, but since there are no tar roads one is forced to drive on clay/sandy roads that take double the time to drive on.  It’s actually a pretty annoying trip when you’re trying to sleep because the car does not stay still. It feels like your on a boat, trying to make it thru a hurricane or something like that. In any case, it was a pretty annoying trip because of the road but once I got there all that passed because the little beach-town itself is just beautiful.  I wasn’t able to swim on either one of the days because the water was FREEZING, literally, but I got to just lay out on the beach and soak up the sun.  My cousin, who is clearly crazy, went into the water and went he came out the only thing that he could think of was a warm shower. I laughed… he’s really a silly boy when he wants to.

Anyhow, the best part of Ponta d’Ouro during its off season is that very few people are there and so the beach is actually peaceful. We were all able to wake up between 9 and 10AM, which is rare in this country. Usually there is always someone ringing the door bell or calling your cell phone but Ponta in the winter is a great sanctuary. The beach is almost all yours, except for the 20-30 South Africans who come to scuba dive, snorkel etc.  It was indeed a very pleasant trip and ideal for something coming from such an intense semester at UKZN. In any case, I took a few pictures and they should be included shortly.

~toodles~

It’s official, I’m in love with my own country.  Classes ended, exams are over and all my assignments have been handed in so I decided it was time to come here one last time to say bye to family, and eat local (good) foods one last time.  As I was leaving South Africa (on Wednesday) there had been massive strikes by nurses employed by the government.

They’d be on a nation-wide strike for approximately 2 or 3 days demanding an increase in wages and better conditions. What that meant was that state hospitals were left in a state of crisis!!! In Durban, all clients in need emergency care were being taken to private hospital but even private hospitals were starting to run out of spaces to accommodate those state patients.  There was at least one reported case of death of a client who was rejected at a state hospital because it was closed, and who did not make it to a private hospital in time.  I was personally freaked out that something would happen to me and I wouldn’t be able to get any medical assistance, so I decided to call it a semester and head back to Maputo for a couple of weeks.

I arrived here in Maputo on Wednesday afternoon and the trip here was pretty much awful.  I couldn’t stop thinking about friends I had made and the great experiences I had had at UKZN.  It was truly an amazing semester. Meeting new people, discovering South Africa by myself (without family) and learning at a different institution was all worth the time and investment that I put into making my semester abroad happen. Having to leave it all was pretty heart breaking because it will take me another year before I can even go back to visit my South African friends and my professors at UKZN.

In any case, since I arrived in Maputo I’ve been trying to eat as much good food as possible. I’ve also been sleeping a lot (people here take naps everyday, so its not very hard for me to do it either).  The last couple of days I’ve been waking up late, watching a movie, eating lunch with family members and then napping the entire afternoon until people get back from work. It’s a pretty tight schedule and I’m enjoying every bit of it because as soon as I get back to the States, no more nap time or chill time.  I’m gonna be working at a summer program in Boston, so I’m up on my feet taking care of kids from 7AM until 10PM for 6 straight weeks so yeah I’m trying to enjoy my 2 free weeks before all the fun begins.

So the day after my exams, my friends and I decided to go on an impromptu trip to Johannesburg. My friends, who are all from Durban, had a particular friend who was having a birthday/graduation party over the weekend so they managed to borrow a car from their parents to drive down to Josie! I was somehow convinced that it’d be a good idea for me to also go so with an hour’s notice I packed and headed out the door.

The trip wasn’t actually bad, now that I’m back I realize that. I went with a bunch of boys (four of them) and their main agenda was to go to Johannesburg and have a mini beer fest with their friends. Unfortunately, I don’t drink beer like that so I was a little bored during the times they drank (which was basically all day land night). I was glad to be able to go out to dinner and a few drinks on Saturday night and we headed to a a little street in Melville (neighborhood) where there were tons of clubs, restaurants and bar. The restaurant/lounge that we went to had a really good vibe and was much more upscale than what I’m used to from Maputo. The place was called Statement and not only did they serve very good cocktails (which is unfathomable in most bars) but they also had delicious food. I got a three cheese burger, and that was mouth-watering. The fries that came with the burger were also pretty good, and they were home made which is a rarity nowadays.

The graduation/birthday party that we went to was actually pretty cool, except that it was absolutely freezing. Johannesburg is a lot more colder than Durban or Maputo and I guess I wasn’t quite prepared. Everyone, but the Durban people, was wearing winter coats, hats and scarves because the party was outdoors. I honestly froze myself, almost to the point of getting hypothermia. Finally I convinced my people that I would get sick if I didn’t go sit in the car and so I did that until we left at about 3. It was a good party, not sure that the party itself would have been worth the trip to Johannesburg but I’m glad we managed to do some other things.

I think that in reading this blog people will find that I’m very much obsessed with food, good food especially. A lot of the stuff I write on has some sort of basis on either food or politics so this particular blog is going to stick with the theme of food.  This blog, then, is dedicated to my new found South African love—the vetkoek (which is pronounced FATCOOK).  They’re basically a big fat ball of fried dough. They’re sort of sweet, but not really they probably only contain a little bit of sugar.  Most people (at least the students here at UKZN) eat these vetkoeks with polony and cheese… its tres delicious, for real.  A ball of fried dough with processed meat and cheese, one could not ask for anything better.

The last two weeks I’ve been having at least 4 a week, usually for breakfast. The problem with getting them is that the restaurant that makes them is constantly running out. Its actually the most annoying thing because if you go there at the wrong time and they’ve run out the likelihood is that they wont be made until like 4-5 hours later.  So then you’re forced to get something else on the menu, which is more than likely to be out as well. I don’t know, but I feel like restaurant owners on this side aren’t very serious about profit making. In Maputo, for instance, you can go to restaurant at 7PM, finish your food by 9 and stay there until the place closes without anyone telling you to leave (indirectly).  In the U.S. that doesn’t really happen because restaurants are often trying to have as many clients as possible in order to make more $$$.  But yeah, I guess that’s the difference between a pure capitalist society and one that is transitioning.  I just hate having to wait endlessly for a table when they’re people who should clearly be long gone… it gets to me, I tell you!

So I just had the most hectic week of my life, ever!  I wrote two exams last week Wednesday, one after another. At first I actually thought that it was a good idea to have both exams on one day and get it over and done with but when the day came it was just too chaotic.  First, because both exams were only 5 days after classes had ended and I had very little time to prepare as I still had assignments due for my classes.  Second, the exam room was on the other side of campus. A side that I had previously been too lazy to even try and venture to.  In any case, I forced to go there and I guess that it’s a nice walk at first.  Then you just get tired and thirty and ask yourself why you didn’t bring any water.

My first exam actually went well, I think.  It was for my Development Studies course and so that was exciting cause I really liked the material that we had studied in class (WTO, free trade, sustainable development, gender and development etc).  Very interesting stuff to read on I tell you. Only problem with it is that once your done reading on how free trade doesn’t really work for developing countries you realize that there is very little that one can do to change the situation.. unless of course we abandon our capitalist society for something else. But that’s another issue in itself.

My first exam contained of four questions that were to be answered in three hours and when I realized that I spent way too much time on the first question I forced to severely cut back on the junk that I was writing. Sometimes you get so caught up on the little details that you forget that it’s the big picture that matters.

Anyway, by the time my second exam rolled around I was plain exhausted. My hands were tired and my brain was seriously malfunctioning. Once again this second essay required tons of writing (it was an essay in which we were asked to compare the political economy of two countries within Africa). I picked Algeria and the DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo) cause they’re similar in that they have extensive natural resources and of course both experienced unfathomable civil wars.  In any case, it was a decent paper except that I forgot most of the stats that I wanted to include (I always love to put some numbers into my essays cause to the broader audience statistics are a major player).

So yeah, that was my Wednesday.  As most students wrote their exams the engineering student protested against the new exam timetable. Previously the university gave a study period of about 1-2 weeks for the entire campus, and then exams were written. This year, though, they spiced things up without telling anyone.  So students and professors thought they’d have that time for preparation when in effect the university had made up their minds.  Anyhow, the engineering students began protests about two weeks ago and as they were protesting during the first day of exam (right outside the exam premises) the cops came and threw tear gas at them and began move in on them.   It was actually pretty scary and I only witnessed it because one of my (American) friends got it all on tape.  The engineering students were finally able to get their exams postponed, though, so I guess it was worth the time

So my semester abroad has officially come to an end. Today I had my last classes (3 of them) and I am actually proud to admit that I bummed for having to face the fact that it’s all over. I cant believe how fast it all went, I still remember things I did 2 months ago like I did them last week… its crazy!!!  As I was getting ready for my last class, collecting my books and getting dressed, I couldn’t stop thinking how much I still want to go to my classes.  It’s crazy, I know but I actually learnt a lot and I’m not ready to leave.  Yes there was tons of work that I hated doing but in all I feel like I have become a better student and probably even human being (ok, that’s a gross exaggeration)… no really I have had a great time in South Africa and I’m definitely not ready to leave but since I have two exams next week Wednesday I have no choice but to go.  Gots to go back to Mozambique, say bye to my family before heading back to the states June 20^th.

As I think back on things that I enjoyed doings and things I wish I could have done I really think that one needs more time to fully enjoy their experience abroad.  Work in South Africa was no joke thus I wasn’t fully able to experience Durban like a ‘real tourist’ but I have every plan of coming back and visiting every inch of this place. (Another reason I wasn’t able to visit that many places was because of my limited student budget.)  I truly cannot wait to come back and just travel, travel, travel.  As it stands right now I sort of need to go to Cape Town still, but I really don’t know that that will happen.  I cannot believe that I have (a) lived in South Africa for ± 5 years and (b) studying abroad for a semester and never visited Robben Island. What a disgrace uhm? There’s people who travel here specifically to go see the place, when I’ve been here for so long and not even bothered to go there. Makes me feel like a terrible human being, really… I feel like I’m disregarding the history of the region in some way. So yeah, once I graduate from Hampshire (May 2008) and get a real j-o-b the first touristy activity that I will do is head over to Cape Town and go visit both Robben Island and a couple of vineyards down there.  Really cant wait, I guess that will be my motivation for the next twelve months

Woot woot… Two South African teams, the Pretoria Bulls and the Durban Sharks, made it to the rugby finals. This is I guess big, cause this particular rugby tournament is a worldwide tournament and to have two South African teams is B-I-G. To have the Durban team playing is even bigger, I guess. The city was completely empty during the time of the game, it was actually freaky!!! In any case, I caught glimpses of the game at a little braai the UKZN rugby team had close to campus. One of the boys rented a new house near campus, and so we all gathered there to (a) watch the game and (b) barbecue some meat and stuff. I actually had quite a good time. I can’t say that I knew much of what was going on during the game since I know very little about the rules and regulations but it was fun nonetheless. Durban lost, unfortunately, but only made the party funnier because all the boys decided that they had to drink to forget their problems I guess. They’re totally ridiculous always trying to find an excuse to drink and what’s worrying to me is that the culture down here supports that sort of behavior. For instance, after every rugby game they have what’s called ‘fines.’ During fines each player goes around admitting to mistakes they made and the good things they did during the game and I guess for every action they make they have to drink a beer. At the end of fines meetings, almost all the boys are completely drunk and if they aren’t drunk then they are thirsty for even more alcohol.

Back to the rugby finals/braai, I had tons of fun. It was entertaining to watch the boys talk about sports for hours on end. Men here are completely obsessed with sports—soccer especially and with the World Cup coming in 2010 nobody can speak of anything other than that. The general population thinks that the Cup will somehow bring economic benefits to the poor but I’m of course skeptical of that because over 80% of the tourist industry is run by white South Africans. But hey, perhaps that will somehow change and the black majority will actually start reaping the benefits. The South African government is actually trying to institute new ways of bringing economic benefits. For instance, they are currently deciding on whether to make prostitution legal for the period of the 2010 World Cup. According to them, legalizing prostitution would not only do away with something that will inevitably happen, but it would also save work for cops and such. I guess those are two good reasons, but what happens with the HIV/AIDS epidemic? Legalizing prostitution does not in any way seem like responsible policymaking to me but what do I know uhm?

In any case, I’m including pictures of (1) the UKZN rugby team in action, and (2) the braai that we had. PS: Braai is barbecue in Afrikaans. Everyone in South Africa uses the word.