The Good and the Different

Our first glimpse of Pemba, on our way there for our first team meeting

Four weeks in Africa. There's so much to write about: jet lag, language study, church, new friends, team meeting, getting a dog, Mozambican culture, .... Life is different here, but as our kids learned in missionary training to say, "Different isn't bad, it's just different." They also learned that when trying new foods, instead of "I don't like that," it's more polite to say, "I'm just not used to that yet."

So here are five things that are different, things I'm just not used to yet.

1. Bugs. We have ants. Big ants, medium ants, small ants, tiny ants. Ants in the kitchen, in the bathroom, on our toothbrushes, on the sofa, in the bedrooms. Thankfully the ants are harmless, and so far we haven't seen too many more dangerous or more disgusting bugs, i.e., spiders, mosquitoes, cockroaches. I'm sure they'll come later. The ants seem to annoy the kids, but they really don't bother me.

2. Early sunrises and sunsets. The sun rises around 5 a.m. and sets around 5 p.m. This was a little tough for us at first, with the kids waking up super early because it was light. It's still a little strange to wake up at 5 to sunlight streaming in the bedroom, and evenings feel long. But we're all adjusting, trying to go to bed a little earlier so we can wake up a little earlier.

3. The sand. In the states, I could pretty much avoid getting dirt on my feet at all times thanks to grass, sidewalks, driveways, and paved streets. Here, just walking out the door to my clothesline, the sand finds its way into my sandals. We live on a dirt (sand) road, so walking to a neighbor's house inevitably results in dirty feet. The kids play outside barefoot and often come into the house covered in sand. Thankfully I have some help cleaning it up (more on that below).

4. The humidity. I brought some packets of Sweet and Low with me, and every time I open one to pour into my coffee, the sweetener gets stuck in the packet and comes out only in lumps. Most of the time I have to peel apart the sides of the packet just to release all the contents. And my hair. I pull out the curling iron in the morning to make a few loose waves and straighten my bangs, but twenty minutes later, the waves are gone, and everything is flat, except my bangs, which stick out to the sides like wings. Eeek. I sweat throughout the day, starting as soon as I turn off the air conditioning in our bedroom. And if I find myself on a walk or out in the sun, I'm a sweaty mess.

A typical hair day for me in Mozambique

5. Water issues. We have to filter our water. If you've been on a trip to a third-world country, you know that means there's no drinking out of the tap when you brush your teeth. There's also no rinsing fruit and vegetables under the tap (most have to be soaked in bleach water). In addition, sometimes the water doesn't work. Sometimes the hot water doesn't work. Using water just takes a lot more thought and planning here. But we have filters, and we have running water, and for those things I'm grateful.

I'm happy to say that there are also plenty of new things to enjoy here, things that take no getting used to because they're just great.

1. The ocean view. I seriously don't think I could find a more picture perfect view than the view from our living room and bedroom: the blue-green waters of the Indian Ocean gently rolling on the sandy beach under the coconut trees. We should only be in this house for about a year, and I want to savor every moment of it. Only God could imagine and create such beauty.

This is what I wake up to every morning (at 5 a.m.).

The view from our living room around 5:30 a.m.

The view from our living room around 7 a.m.

And a few more house pics, for good measure:

Looking into our living room from the bridge into our bedroom

Looking at the bridge into our bedroom (top right) from the living room

Looking out our bedroom door

Dining room portion of the living area (kitchen is to the right)

On our patio

This is the view at the restaurant where we celebrated Mother's Day.

2. House help. Where we live, it's expected that expats hire workers to help around the house. It's inexpensive for us, and for the Mozambicans, it provides a job with a good wage. We are renting our house, and the owner has an employee who has worked in the house for more than twenty years. So it was easy for us to hire him as our house worker. He washes our dishes (since there's no dishwasher), hangs our clothes out to dry (we have a washing machine) and folds them if we need him to, and cleans the house five days a week. He can also help with food prep, and I've heard he cooks, though I haven't asked him to do that for us yet. It's a huge blessing to have help with the housework, especially since we are in full-time language study and part-time homeschooling the kids.

3. New friends. Both the expat community and the nationals we've met are lovely. Our kids had instant friends (and so did we)! Our colleagues the Harrells quickly introduced us to the other English-speaking families in the area, and we've been blessed to meet nationals at church and through our language classes. We've been to birthday parties, play dates, and bonfires. This weekend we will attend two church events in addition to the regular church service. We are surrounded by loving friends who have welcomed us into the community.

Birthday party games at the home of our friends/colleagues the Harrells

The Harrells' neighbor, Grant, planned and organized the games.

Group photo: Happy Birthday, Micah and Josh!

Trying sugar cane with our friend Abdul at the market

Exploring the market

I think Harvey and I have avoided some of the culture shock because we've lived here before and we knew what to expect. Still, there are moments of frustration (going to immigration last week, waiting three weeks for wifi to be installed, power outages during dinner prep), fatigue (three hours in a hot church not understanding the language well), and homesickness (Mother's Day). 

Candlelight dinner, courtesy of the latest power failure

The kids struggle to endure long church services in Portuguese.

Mother's Day was bittersweet:
bitter to be away from my mom and mother-in-law;
sweet to be here with my kids.

We are grateful there are also moments of excitement (swimming in the ocean), joy (worshiping with fellow believers, practicing our testimonies in Portuguese), and victory (getting our residency and work permits), and those keep us going and remind us why we're here. We are grateful for those who are continually lifting us up before the Father as we adjust to what's different and enjoy what's beautiful about life in Mozambique. Thank you!

Sunday lunch at the lodge/restaurant by our house, a lovely retreat

Coke is always a winner!