It had been 26 months since I stepped on US Soil. Photo by Pamela Maule.
I am glad to be home and start another adventure. Photo by Emily Maule.
As a final act of closing my United States Peace Corps service, I am ending After School Detention. It has been an incredible two and a half years and I see nothing more fitting than ending my post-undergrad blog with the final act of my Peace Corps experience, my Description of Service (DOS) report. The DOS is documentation of a volunteers service and I took on the requisite as a challenge to summarize a very personal and creative two years in a very personal and creative way. My DOS is not a traditional DOS, nevertheless, it is signed and sealed by Peace Corps Mozambique's Country Director, Ruben Hernandez, making it an official government document. I encourage everyone to download it and read the description in its entirety. I consider it my last work of art in Mozambique. To compare it to a traditional DOS click here.
The President of the Municipality inaugurated our new murals.
Valdo took initiative and introduced our group.
Then, Valdo explained the elements of our murals.
He captivated the town official.
Books for the World sent us a big present. Photo by Valdo Isaias.
The anticipation nearly killed my boys.
Finally, the pedagogical directors attempted to open the bags.
Then, the boys had to show them how to do it.
The kids uncloaked boxes.
Divided them up.
Then, carefully opened them.
Valdo, showing off the history of art.
English children's novels.
National Geographic Magazines for drawing references.
Felgos unwrapping thesauruses and dictionaries.
Books for the Fine Art Club of Massinga.
An English-Portuguese dictionary.
Thank you Books for the World!
The permanent home of the books.
To commemorate our mural, I had a plaque made.
Ginocio, Valdo, and Felgos.
The plaque.
Before I left Massinga, I got my hair did. Photo by Valdo Isaias.
It was a pretty long process. Photo by Valdo Isaias.
And, not the most pleasant. Photo by Valdo Isaias.
My eye itched. Photo by Valdo Isaias.
Corn-hawk. Photo by Valdo Isaias.
The final product. Photo by Valdo Isaias.
Profile. Photo by Valdo Isaias.
For a post-Peace Corps experience, we went to Cape Town. Photo by Laura Gamse.
I tried to make the synthesizer work. Photo by Laura Gamse.
While Chase played the mandolin.
Then, I took out my braids. Photo by Chase Nye.
The process took two days. Photo by Chase Nye.
The crescent moon. Photo by Chase Nye.
We found a camera that had a smile finder function.
Our smiles got found.
The end has come. I left Massinga at 4am on the 6th November, 2009, after an intense two weeks of tying up loose ends. The following Sunday, I said goodbye to my host-family in Namaacha. As I was walking down the familiar mountain, my host-father picked me up in his mini-van and drove me to meet my host-mother. I happened to come on a fitting day as my host-brother and -sister were in town as well. We said our farewells, exchanged gifts, and, as they left for Sunday Mass, I parted ways with my host-village.
The coming week, I prepared for departure as I closed my volunteer service with seven other volunteers. We spent the week finishing up our description of service reports, preparing resources for future volunteers, being evaluated, and meeting with our administration staff. The week was intense, as a Mozambican and US holiday during our COS week robbed us of two work days, however, we managed to work while the rest of the world rested and successfully completed our United States Peace Corps Volunteer Service.
After a week of work, Chase and I began our ten days of play. Our journey to Cape Town began on a Thursday evening as we were escorted to the Mozambique-South Africa boarder by Peace Corps Staff. From there we waited five hours for our bus with volunteers Jaime Mangan, Nia Chauvin, and Laura Parker as the sun set, rain fell, lightning struck, and, finally, darkness surrounded us. It was a terrifying fifteen minutes as we watched the South African street lights turn on and waited for Mozambiques electricity to return. Rain seemed appropriate as we arrived to Namaacha 26 months prior on a rainy day and left for our villages two months after that in torrential downpour, and 10pm couldn't have come sooner as our bus arrived and we were on a one-way trip to Johannesburg.
After a short flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town, Chase and I were picked up by our two Coach Surfer hostesses, Aurora and Laura, also known as Laurora. Immediately, we were assigned cinematographer duties and helped film a segment for Laura's upcoming documentary on South Africa musicians. That night we were treated to our first Cape Town braai, or South Africans barbecue, then went to a local bar Tagore's for live jazz. The Hilton Schilder Quartet performed with a stand-up bass, drums, piano, melodica, trumpet and Aurora's housemate on violin.
The next day we went to the Saturday Market in Woodstock where we had Nutella crepes and Bloody Marys, then went on a hike on Table Mountain. As the group pulled up their wool socks and laced up their hiking boots, they stared in awe as the Americans arrived with sandals and flip-flops. They were even more impressed when they saw the bearded, mad scientist picking out his braids and afro while he waited on top the mountain for them.
The evening after the light hike and climbing, Laura took us to a Catû Pub for live music from her friend Pete, followed by Mr. Cat and the Jackal, and a late performance by the self-prolific Gary Thomas.
On Sunday, we filmed a local singer-songwriter, Ongx, as he sang and wooed the curious children in the area, then we spent the evening at a book launching at a local bookstore where we watched artists and self-proclaimed intellectuals argue over semantics and appear to engender the very attitudes their books seeks to debunk. In the end, I had a long conversation with the charming star of the show, an old poet with a warm, entrancing personality who has attacked the political corruption and injustices in South Africa for the past 50 years. We discussed arts role in contemporary politics and in the end could not completely agree, though we were arguing for very parallel ideas.
The rest of the week we made our tourist run. We spent two warm days at the beach, explored the museums and art galleries for two days, and did two more hikes, which consisted of an exhausting nine hour hike to the peak of Table Mountain and a casual two hour hike to the top of Lion's Head Mountain. As we ran about town, we did plenty of fine dining and were enthralled by the Superette Cafe in Woodstock next to the WHATIFTHEWORLD Gallery. It was so good we had to return there for breakfast the next day then drag our new friends in after just finishing our own meal.
On our last full day, Laura convinced Chase and me to go on an adventure. The adventure had to be done on motor-scooters which I was not terribly excited about. As Chase and Laura went out to search for scooters, I went to the train station to have my hair put in cornrows. Chase and Laura were a bit disappointed that they were only able to find two scooters. I, on the other hand, was not and rode on Chase's back for the journey. We arrived without a hitch in a little town call Kommetjie and ate at the Blue Water Cafe on Imhoff Farm. The food was amazing and after an incredibly satisfying meal, my adventure team convinced me to take the motor-reigns.
This was a huge mistake. After whipping about through the parking lot, I began to follow Chase down the streets. All it took to cause disaster was a lack of blinker use and a lack of turning ability and, after both, the scooter ended up on the side walk in a bush and I ended up with a torn sweatshirt and bloody knuckles. Luckily, nothing was seriously damaged other than my pride.
After an exciting day, we returned to Cape Town and took Laura and Aurora out for a last meal at Green Restaurant. They had been excellent hostesses and made our farewell journey both authentic and full of creative energy. The food was good and the laughter was great throughout the meal. It was a great way to end our last night in Africa.
Monday arrived and our 42 hour journey home began. We flew from Cape Town to Johannesburg, then Johannesburg to Abu Dhabi, UAE on Monday. After arriving in the United Arab Emirates, we waited for twelve hours before leaving for JFK airport on Tuesday morning. We arrived in New York late on Tuesday afternoon after a 17 hour flight. After our international flight, Chase and I reflected on our 26 months and then parted ways, as he went to Austin to his girlfriend, Jamie, while I went to Milwaukee to be picked up by my brother Sean.
I arrived in Milwaukee around 9:30pm then spent a half hour searching for Sean as he searched for me. The next morning, the love-of-his-life arrived as well and we all drove to Iron Mountain together. My mother was expecting the doves but she wasn't expecting the black sheep. The surprise nearly killed her and brought on tears and a chest pain that lasted her the night. The journey home was long but well worth it as I found myself back in the comfort of my parent's home and in the company of my family. It is good to be home.
The third and final trimester has finally come to an end. And, it ended with Jeopardy!
Visual Education took their final exam. Photo by Emilton.
Mural painting. Photo by Emilton.
It was probably the most overwhelming thing that I have ever done. Photo by Emilton.
"Mr. M, do you always have that look on your face?" "Yes." Photo by Emilton.
First, they rolled on the primer, white paint with wood glue. Photo by Emilton.
The following week, the dedicated students helped out after hours.
Drawing on our mural designs.
Martyred President, Samora Moisés Machel.
Judite drawing the first president of the Republic of Mozambique.
We had an overwhelming amount of community volunteers!
The students then drew on their country's first president.
Eduardo Chivambo Mondlane.
This is one of my all-stars, Eugenio.
Everyone was completely absorbed.
The students voted for Judite's concept which promotes the use of mosquito nets.
This is the money maker.
Thank you to the Presidents Emergency Plan for Aids Relief.
Also, to Peace Corps' VAST Grant Committee.
The day after drawing, we began painting. Photo by Americo Junior Mente
This is where all the problems began. Photo by Americo Junior Mente
I knew using both oils and acrylics would be difficult. Photo by Americo Junior Mente
But controlling 40 students proved to be near impossible. Photo by Americo Junior Mente
I did my best to keep things under control. Photo by Americo Junior Mente
At least the day ended with paint on the walls.
The following weekend, I called in the art club for repairs.
Repairs were adamant.
But, we got down to it.
Two weeks later the murals were done.
Eugenio and his perfected painting.
Valdo and his masterpiece.
Samora Moisés Machel in his entirety.
Idyll Massinga.
The diversity of Eduardo Chivambo Mondlane.
"Attack Mosquitos the Return of the Net."
Global HIV/AIDS Awareness.
The trimester has finally ended, nearly without a hitch. The past few weeks have been crammed full of grading finals, analyzing and averaging grades and attendance, painting, and studying. After turning in all of my grades, I went to the capital, Maputo, last weekend to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) in a competition against my grad-school pursuing friends, Chase and Laura. After returning, I devoted all of my energy to crime investigation and mural painting since the previous weeks had left me with an unfinished mural and a nearly empty house. With the help of my incredibly dedicated students, Eugenio and Valdo, we somehow managed to complete the arduous task of completing the murals. That leaves me with time to investigate the crime scene while wrapping up school and Peace Corps obligations during my remaining time in Massinga.
But I was determined to get them home before dark.
That night I attended a very formal event. A birthday. Photo by Paulo Macucha.
I showed up in short shorts and a pink shirt. Photo by Paulo Macucha.
Simultaneously, the Fine Art Club of Massinga started their mural.
But first, they would have to prepare the surface.
We rejuvenated the wall with six coats of primer. Photo by Justino Cossa.
And, did a lot of drawing and surveying in between. Photo by Justino Cossa.
After, we drew out the designs on the wall. Photo by Ismail Vilanculos.
This is me. Drawing. Photo by Justino Cossa.
Finally we got to painting! Photo by Justino Cossa.
Valdo and Felgos painting Valdo's original concept.
Dalton painting the fruits of Massinga.
Luicano and myself working in the urine-saturated sand. Photo by Justino Cossa.
Nothing in life can be too easy. Photo by Justino Cossa.
Luciano, Benedito, and Dalto completing their day's work. Photo by Justino Cossa.
Felgos and Makito finishing up. Photo by Justino Cossa.
The ever-scrutinizing Felgos aka Picasso...or so he thinks. Photo by Justino Cossa
Me and a select few putting final touches on the mural. Photo by Valdo Isaias.
Analyzing our paint situation. Photo by Valdo Isaias.
Fixing dropped paint and brushstrokes. Photo by Valdo Isaias.
I introduced the idea of perfecting your work to the students.
And, required them to do two days of final touches.
It all payed off when the Minister of Education of Mozambique came.
Valdo was able to present our work to him on the 4th of October after commemorating the peace agreement signed with the Portuguese in 1974.
The final piece. Photo by Valdo Isaias.
As always, Edgar is working hard teaching a full work load every day while paying half of his salary to study at university every night.
The Doctor's Dilemma. Filmed by Chase Nye.
A trimester has begun and nearly ended as I find myself about to begin the last week of school. The trimester was filled with as sorts of activities and visits from government officials including the president of the Republic of Mozambique, who is scheduled to return this week, and the venerable Minister of Education of Mozambique, who gave immaculate speeches on both the inauguration of Massinga Secondary School and on "Dia de Acordos," the day which commemorates the peace agreement between Mozambique and Portugal. Edgar celebrated his twenty-second birthday this trimester. At twenty two, he is already an adjunct teacher finishing up his fourth year of teaching and a first year university student. He has been a great friend of mine and I am incredibly excited to see him succeed. As a follow up to my suspenseful story about my faithful student Isaias, I would like to inform that he is incredibly healthy and that his mystery illness was nothing more than scabies. This trimester, I went out to the country side with him and met his family. The walk was long and beautiful as we strode through the coconut orchards. In the end, we arrived to a beautiful home and two meals. While visiting, I also was able to meet several other students as I unexpectedly dropped into their rural homes. It was a great experience and brought me a lot closer to the kids I encountered. The year has also been jammed packed with extracurricular activities. In addition to the art club we have been running since February on Saturdays from 10am to 2pm, Massinga Secondary School participated in the Peace Corps Volunteer initiated Regional Science Fair, held a local science fair which inspired a mini-fair at the pedagogical university, painted a beautiful 2x10m mural in the city park, began painting four other murals in the city park, sent five of our top art students to Inhamussua for inter-school mural painting project, and participated in the Peace Corps Volunteer initiated English Theater Competition led by the Mozambican Theater Network. The theater competition was a great experience for my kids. We had a late start due to indecisiveness on who should author the script. However, with only a week left before the competition, Valdo took matters into his own hands and wrote the whole script alone. After editing the script we me and chosing players, Valdo assigned himself the most difficult role and began practicing every morning before and every night after school. With incredible ingenuity and perseverance, my kids were able to walk away from Maxixe with pocket dictionaries and the claim to third place. The day after the competition we all got together and finished the mural we had been working on for three weeks. It was an incredibly stressful and intense week. But in the end, I couldn't have been more proud. These kids really made an impression on me this last trimester. They have really worked hard and saturated Massinga with a deluge creativity and art over this past year. Massinga is about to be the creative center of southern Africa.
We spent our entire first day in Barrada being creative in this room. Photo by Cameron Cuchulainn.
Gabriel and I looked for sand castle materials. Photo by Cameron Cuchulainn.
Then teamed up for construction. Photo by Cameron Cuchulainn.
What beautiful lady wouldn't want this man to father their child. Photo by Cameron Cuchulainn.
Seriously? Photo by Chase Nye.
Testing physics. Photo by Cameron Cuchulainn.
We had way more fun with this than you might think. Photo by Cameron Cuchulainn.
Then, we hiked back to Cameron's pad. Photo by Chase Nye.
Following the leader. Photo by Chase Nye.
The sun rose and we left Barrada. Photo by Chase Nye.
I wanted to include some of the photos taken by Chase and Cameron during our rendezvous in Barrada. They are much better photographers than me. Plus, I wanted to show everyone my ephemeral faux-fatherhood. Gabriel is one cool kid. It was an awesome trip for all of us, even if it took a day and a half to arrive. Despite the difficulty to get to Cameron's village, I think that he, and his site mate Tommy, have a premium site.
So, we said our prayers in hopes that he would be placated.
The smoke filled my house.
And set an eerie stage for our spell.
We gave thanks and expressed our concerns.
And advanced to level seven wizardry.
The end of the magic.
The following morning, we crossed the Inhambane Bay.
I convinced my siblings to take the dow.
And that this was a cultural experience.
Sean was less than enthused.
Nevertheless, we had a beautiful boat ride to Inhambane.
Unfortunately, the beach was cold! We spent a ton of time indoors.
Our last night, we splurged and went out to eat.
The mood was somber, the food unimpressive. Thanks Flamingo Bay.
After five days on the beach, it was time for my siblings to leave.
It was the end of our first sibling adventure.
I was sad to see them gone.
To cross the bay alone.
And to begin my last trimester at Massinga Secondary School.
A clip of Sean being fearless.
My best slack-line attempt of the day.
We had been playing around with the idea since March but we weren't sure if we would be able to make this happen. Emily had minor aviophobia, Sean is a struggling design student, and my mother, a concerned parent. Africa seemed like a long shot for my younger siblings. However, one late May evening, Sean, Emily, and I made a spontaneous, unanimous decision to buy two plane tickets to Johannesburg. Sean and Emily would be coming to Africa.
But, getting here would not be easy. After a three hour delay in Atlanta, the plane to cross the Atlantic was behind schedule and my mother, a nervous wreck. After confirming their international flight every step of the way, the concern intensified when there was no post-arrival phone call. It was clear that they had missed their flight to Maputo. Nevertheless, the distraught mother of a thirteen year-old girl forced her oldest son to take a cab to the airport at 11 o'clock to investigate.
We didn't hear from Sean or Emily that night, but I was there to welcome them as the first flight from Johannesburg arrived the next morning. Out they came, like two newborns bursting from their mothers womb.
We began our adventure immediately, making a short stop at the Peace Corps Headquarters in Maputo then heading for the Namaacha-Lamahaacha boarder. We met a fellow American traveler, Maya, who accompanied us to Swaziland. The next day, we headed out to Mhkaya Game Reserve to see real African wildlife, something Mozambique lacks nearly entirely. There, we saw all of the things that my mother and I saw in November the previous year. This time, the park was particularly stocked with different antelope which roamed our dining and resting areas.
After Swaziland, we visited my host family in Namaacha. It was pretty awesome for my siblings to see where I lived and eat what I ate for my first three months in Mozambique. After roaming the hills and replenishing ourselves with a hearty chicken stew and rice, we got back on the road to Maputo.
After a nice restaurant meal and overnight in Maputo, we headed north by means of public transportation. We attempted to hitchhike for an hour or so but, as the morning sun rose, we decided it best to get on the road. It was a particularly eventful ride. My siblings thought the communal experience of box-wine-sharing between passengers was particularly amusing. There was even a huge fight about a bag of bread someone had forgotten on the bus on a previous trip that ended in our bus driver speeding off down the one-lane highway.
Chase welcomed us to Inhambane as we arrived in Maxixe. We stocked up on comfort foods and headed to the agrarian school Chase teaches at in Inhamussua. This would be my siblings "bush" experience. We were all able to rest for the next few days after being exhausted from travel. The bush brought unique experiences like hanging out with a new born calf, learning capoeira, witnessing the intense effects of malaria, and bucket-bathing. Chase was a great host and relieved me of my hosting duties for a couple of days. After wearing out our welcome, we all left Inhamussua together to see Massinga.
Massinga was another opportunity for all of us to just chill and hang out together. I had a bit of work to do since I skipped out on post-trimester meetings. However, we were able to get some culture in the intense Massinga market and in the small hut of a local witch doctor. Politically correct traditional healers, are government certified and culturally renown for getting done whatever job needs to get done. So, we payed an exorbitant fee so that the malungus could experience the culture. The healer informed my brother and I that our mother's father has been meddling in our lives because he feels we don't respect our maiden heritage. He informed our sister than the spirits of a former friend of hers are intervening with her love life. After fortune telling for an hour or so, the "curandeiro" prepared different potions to use at home and on the beach. These concoctions would protect us from evil spirits and assuage our grandfathers feelings of neglect.
After a night casting out the demons, we headed to the highly anticipated beach. However, Africa showed my siblings that it too can be a cold continent. The days were sunny but the wind was cold, so we were forced to stay on the porch or inside of our rented, 30 dollar-a-day house. But the Mohundro/Maule family is a creative one, and we entertained ourselves with card playing, cooking, haggling with beach vendors, and making bonfires. We also ran into another volunteer and her family and got to watch live music and dancing at a neighboring resort.
In the end, my siblings were ready to go home. I blame it on the shitty weather, but I'm sure the whole experience was exhausting for them. We traveled for thousands of kilometers and rest was diluted by a cramped bed. Not to mention, we had evil spirits haunting us for most of the trip.
It was tough saying goodbye, especially knowing I had to go home and plan for my last trimester. However, Sean and Emily had rejuvenated my spirit. I was ready to take on my last trimester in Massinga and all of the stress that would come along with teaching, isolation, and saying goodbye. Goodbye again? Holy shit. This is my last trimester. I am coming home soon.
Chase and I went to Barada to visit our amazing friend Cameron.
Gabriel and Mafalda.
Chase enjoying hard sand.
Then, getting aggressive with Capoeira.
More Brazilian dance-fighting.
Cameron brought it home.
Then I prepared for battle.
With my arch-nemesis and fellow super-volunteer, Chase.
Poo-shaw!
Fwi-tuh!
To say the least, Bin Patraak had a good time at the beach.
He is not a pimp, he is a fairy (t-shirt coming soon).
Leaving Barada.
Have I mentioned Mozambique has amazing beaches?
Mozambique's three best modes of transportation.
A weathered group of adventurers.
While I was gone, some Canadians took charge of my Art Group.
The same wonderful Canadians donated cameras to my art club.
And taught them to take amazing pictures.
And how to be mimes.
And the students took pictures of their culture.
Emphasizing newly learned techniques.
Like perspective.
And the close-up.
And, the rule of thirds.
Thank you Canada.
The Canadians also donated art supplies.
Some students were bewildered.
Others, enthralled.
Some really knew how to pose.
Others were more candid.
The supplies will help my last trimester JOMA Fine Arts Club fantastic.
My student is holding a sign that says "Thanks Canadians."
I can't help to find this highly amusing. This is my school. That is a lawnmower.
June was good, good, good. Massinga hosted, and is still hosting, a gang of Canadians who are bringing a bit of white to the world of Mozambique. These arm carrying med-student, doctors, actors, artists, highschool students and friends have helped me, and my colleagues, give drawing, watercolor, and photo seminars, geography lessons on Canada, and biology lessons on heriditary and non-hereditary diseases. Also, they showed Mozambicans how to, once again, lose at hockey, they made delicious breakfast for dinner, and donated a plethora of art supplies, incluiding digital cameras, high quality paints and paper, and maps of canada, to the Fine Art Club of Massinga. Coincidentally another Canadian, sent more art-related books and supplies to help amp up the resources at the Peace Corps Library and Creative Center of Massinga. So, thank you Canada. As the United States of America's delegate of Massinga, I would like to say that you are great and, despite any rumors, we love you like a sibling.
Also in June, I got to meet Chase's Mom and step-dad. This was really cool since it mostly involved drinking, hanging out at the beach, and cooking. Well, they did most of the drinking because, after trying to keep up with Jerry on the first night, I was out of commision until the last day of their visit. So, I made up excuses and tagged along with their straight-edge son, Chase.
The following week, we had exams and Mozambique's Independence Day. So, I made a tough decision to bail out on exams and go north with Chase to visit Cameron. It took us 12 hours to get north to Beira, but by 12 pm we were nestled in Cameron's welcoming arms. The next day we got up early to catch a 2 hour boat ride across the river to get to the landing for Cameron's village Barada. From there, we walked on the beach for about 45 minutes, then through the bush for another hour, before reaching the Catholic missionary where Cameron teaches. The following day, we did not leave the dorm where Cameron lives. In fact, we hardly left the bedroom Chase and I were sharing. I drew, Cameron graded tests, and Chase played guitar. It was quite the cozy collective we had operating. Chase and I also worked on a song he had been theorizing for about 2 months and we made spaghetti sauce from a can; something in which I have not done for at least 20 months. After a day of lounging and recooperating from travel, we headed to the beach with Cameron's missionary buddies Gabriel and Mafalda. It was pretty fantastic despite being only 80 or so degrees. I made what I might consider my best sand castle ever under the supervision of Gabriel, we had Olympic jumping games in which I took second place (losing to the shortlimbed, acrobatic Chase), and played a slew of other games to show Gabriel that we too were once young. Or, maybe I have not completely grown up like I thought I had. Anyways, it was a ton of fun and playing with Gabriel reminded me how much I like kids and aspire to be a young dad. Get ready ladies!
The Description of My 26 Months of Volunteer Service.
