Though this “month” was really only 3 weeks, I have learned and lived a lot.
It never hurts to learn something new so here is a list of some facts I learned about Mozambique and some pictures to make it interesting 🙂
- Mozambique has 11 provinces. Provinces
are like our states. Each region
has a language, government and personality.
Map of Mozambique, Color Coded Provinces
- Portuguese is the official
national language, not spoken by any other African country but Angola
(directly West across the continent) - Approximately 37% of Mozambican woman are IL-literate
- Culturally people marry and have kids Young. It seems like every woman has a baby on her back.
- the country is known as “the land of Prawns!” (maybe I should move here!!!) yum
Plate of Prawns and chips
- Statistics:
- Maternal
mortality rate: 550 deaths/100,000
live births (2008) - Infant
mortality rate: 76.85 deaths/1,000
live births - Disease,
poverty, and crime take their toll: Life
expectancy at birth: 52.02
years - Total
fertility rate: 5.4 children
born/woman (2012 est.) - 27% of Gaza Province (Xai Xai being the capital) is positive for AIDS
- There
is a community mindset: “It Takes a
Village” could have been coined in Mozambique. Children are feed, cared for and
disciplined by the community.
Orphans are often taken in by neighbors.
Hill Side Village: Reed Houses and Vegetable Gardens
- Police
tend to be corrupt - Markets have everything you need…soap,
clothes, vegetables, tailors, live poultry, detergent, smokes, snacks and
candy, etc, etc - If
you’re white, its not as economical.
Prices are inflated for the white shopper - a lot
of people claim a religion as an identifier but few practice (similar to
US) - Many
villages have churches that
mingle/blur African magic with Christianity - Citrus,
yucca, cashews grow extremely well in the southern climate (they were a
specialty to us this month) - “chefie” is town boss in the bush areas
- Super hospitable country
Women Preparing Lunch for their Special Guests (us!)
- 16+
different language dialects in the country - Expansive
view of rolling waves along the coast - The beaches in Xai Xai are not only beautiful but unique. The sand includes titanium ore; the material is one of the most sought after metals in the world.
-
Xai Xai Beaches
- Food is expensive: yellow cheese slices=450 mets
- Hot sauce=120 mets
- Peanut butter=180 mets
- Chocolate bars=80 mets
- Most locals grow their own produce and often have goats and chickens as well…goats are tied up everywhere and to see a cow meander down the road is not out of the ordinary!
- Torrential
rain shuts down town; it was said that the local people are more afraid of
rain than much else
People escaping from the downpour
- 10th
grade schooling gets you into a trade - Education is becoming a high
priority; more nation-wide focus on the importance of schooling, especially
language fluency! - Employment:
- Service
industry offers the most employment opportunity - Minimum
wage is enough to provide a moderate standard of living for the locals - Many
women serve as domestic helpers and men as guards. It is common for families to employ 2-4
helpers around the house to clean, garden, guard, assist with children…
