Salamma from Mozambique!

I have arrived safely to Africa with no issues (I was very glad I did not lose any luggage!) My longest flight was 15 hours from Atlanta, Georgia to Johannesburg, South Africa. I slept most of the flight as I was exhausted from three finals, a 20^th birthday party and moving out of my college house. It was a lot to fit in before my departure.  Luckily, I managed to visit my family on our farm the weekend before I left. I had to make up for the events I will miss over the summer.

I spent the night in Johannesburg to catch an early small plane to Pemba, Mozambique as there are limited flights into the country. Security was not as daunting as I had originally thought. I had no problems with my U.S. passport or Mozambique visa. As a communist country, there are very strict standards to gain entry to the country. When I arrived I had to meet with local government agents and police which was rather interesting considering limited English is spoken here.

Portuguese is the native language, since colonization ended after wars in the 1960’s. Most people speak limited English but communication is possible, it just takes some time. (Just like most things in Mozambique!) The children at the orphanage speak more English and enjoy teaching me Portuguese. The orphanage is run by solar power so during the night we have light. It gets very dark, very quickly here. My day begins at 4:30 am and ends at 8:00 pm, my bedtime. Communication is extremely limited from Africa to the U.S. and there is a seven hour time zone difference.

This summer I will be working as an intern at Orphans Unlimited which was founded by Brenda or “Bush Bunny Brenda” as she is known in Africa. Other full time staff include Linda, our wonderful cook, and Eric, mechanic and go-to person for technology issues. There are many locals who work for the orphanage as security, handy men or washers. Here, my living arrangements are similar to summer camp except we lack electricity, air conditioning and running water. I live in a bunk house room with two collegiate volunteers and another will be joining us later in the summer.

Danielle is a white South African and we have a wonderful time comparing cultures! She saw my John Deere hat and immediately told me that was one of her favourite “bucky’s” which means truck or tractor companies. (John Deere is my favorite too!) Taking safaris is normal in South Africa and she has exciting stories of seeing elephants, zebras and lions daily. Emma is from Texas and plays collegiate volleyball for Concordia University. She has a bright personality and has travelled to several countries including Morocco, Mexico, Japan and Italy so we enjoy comparing travel stories.

I am the only agriculture intern and my responsibilities include the goat herd, any gardening, development programs and working with children. In Mozambique, women are required to wear long skirts and tops with sleeves. I will have very interesting tan lines when I return! Today, I assisted in de-worming the goat herd where my summers of veterinarian job shadowing and livestock experience came in handy. I was responsible for filling syringes and helped Brenda with anything she needed which included catching baby goats. There are more than 110 goats in the herd, which was started by Brenda.

Life is very different here and I find myself often missing American items such as Starbucks (and caffeine in general), my Macbook , Iphone, Netflix, Pandora music and of course Facebook. I also dislike “missing out” and I warned my friends that I did not want any surprise engagements when I returned! However, I know this is a once in a lifetime experience. Everyone has been extremely welcoming since I have arrived to Africa and my sponsoring company, ICM has been very helpful to coordinate my internship. There are smiling faces in every village and I have greatly enjoyed meeting the children. I have only been in the country for less than a week, but I feel excited about my summer adventures. I will have great stories to tell when I return to the states!