June

I can’t believe that it has already been 2 months since I last wrote. I feel like the time has flown by as it normally does. The days are short and the electricity has been going in and out so my days have been packed trying to use the light.

I started a REDES group at the primary school with 7th grade girls, and the turnout was amazing. I had 80 girls interested so I had to split them into 4 different groups. It’s quite overwhelming to have so many girls but it is also quite rewarding. This week we have been playing Frisbee and the girls love it. They haven’t quite gotten down the rules to ultimate Frisbee so it turns into a game of running with the Frisbee. A lot of the girls are shy but after the few meetings we’ve had I can see some of them starting to come out of their shells. I think it also helps that I make them do crazy stuff like dance without music (more like jumping dancing). It’s so much fun to be able to see all of these around town and see the changes that are happening.

This weekend I will be going with 8 kids from the theater group I’m helping out with to a workshop in Chicuque, a town about an hour away from Inharrime. The theater group has taken a while to get started but I’m hoping after this weekend the 8 kids will be so excited that everything will start to run smoothly. We were thinking about doing a play for Mozambican Independence Day (June 25) but considering it’s so close I don’t think it will happen. It’s also interesting to have a group with both boys and girls and to see the dynamic.

My job is going well but I’m feeling a little overwhelmed. Because I’ll be getting replaced 3 months before I end my service (which is November 18) I feel as of right now that I need to try and get done the things I want to by mid July. I’ve been working with my Peer Educators on creating income generation projects. We are still in the beginning stages of it but they are starting to think “outside the box” which I view as a success! We’ve also started doing reviews of all things health. This month and a half (since I’ll be leaving mid July) is about HIV/AIDS. I am also doing these reviews with a local organization.

As of now I’m also counting down the days until I’ll be in Cape Town! (but that also means taking the GMAT) I can’t believe that the test is less than a month away now! I’m excited for the trip and to get away for a little bit however I’ll be much more relaxed once the GMAT is over!