10 Favorite Moments in Africa

I am the type of person that can never decide on a 'favorite.' When asked my favorite holiday, color or food I will always name the list of my top favorites. (My high school senior farewell speech is a great example!) This is also true with my experience in Africa. I could never name a specific time that I loved more than others because each moment was treasured.  So here's a list (in no particular order) of ten favorite experiences in Africa. Trust me, it was hard to narrow down this list! 

1. Market visits were the highlight of my week! Here, I bought my first capalona, a traditional African outfit. I paid 350 metacash which is roughly $10. Capalona's are pieces of colorful clothe, pictured in the background of a market stall. 

2. Bonding with orphans during afternoon walks is a memory I treasure. They loved to hold hands and considered it a privilege to carry a visitors water bottle. 

3. Nap time: because everyone gets tired after a game of soccer. This little guy literally fell asleep on the sports field. 

4. I woke up at 4 a.m. one morning to enjoy a mountainside sunrise.

5. Working with the goat herd which was a new livestock experience for me!

6. Papaya picking with a 15 foot bamboo poll is a challenge! Part of the excitement is wondering if you can actually catch the papaya because the trees are so tall. 

7. International Children's Day was a giant birthday party for all orphans. Here, a preschool instructor is helping me gather the children for a game of 'duck, duck goose'. (One of several American games I taught them including 'simon says' and 'red rover, red rover'.

8. Women often sing and dance during their work, which I encountered on this day. They can even dance while carrying their baskets, I was very impressed!

9. Mozambique agriculture was vastly different from the U.S. I am standing beside a cotton crop while I am used to midwest corn fields!

10. During playtime I was always recruited for the boy's basketball team because of my height. (I was taller than most of the teenage boys at my 5' 6'.) Junior and I are pictured in our 'victory pose.'