Finally Here

I've finally arrived in Maputo and am now settling into my new apartment. I am living with another MEDA intern, Jared, who is going to be doing some research on HIV/AIDS and microfinance. This is my first time in Africa so I wasn't quite sure what to expect but things look pretty much like how I imagined. Maputo is a very dirty city, with a lot of garbage and stuff in the streets. There are many large empty buildings that have either been abandoned or never finished. There are also a lot of signs of development, like hotels, restaurants, office buildings, and tons of consumer goods. Basically everything is available but some of it is very expensive. There are some things I've seen that are really funny, like a Domino's Pizza and KFC, of all the restaurants to catch on in Mozambique!! You can get Dominos delivered but I don't know if they offer a half-hour guarantee. And aparently it is impossible to escape the sounds of Celine Dion and Shania Twain, even in Maputu. Lst night I was sitting on my balcony reading, listening to Michelle Branch coming from the radio of some guy sitting on the street corner. And Mozambique has its own brand of American Idol, called "Fama", where the other night one of the contestants sang Nellie Furtado's "I'm Like a Bird". Stuff like that makes me feel less homesick, that's for sure. The traffic is crazy and if you are a pedestrian, you better watch out. You definitely do not have the right-of-way!! I don't know how anyone can drive here, but I haven't seen an accident yet.

The people at the MEDA and VETAID offices have been very helpful. This morning is my first day in the office so I'm still figuring out where I fit in etc. but I think I'll be doing some road trips in the next little while to get an idea about the projects VETAID manages. The project I'll be working on specifially is a co-operative effort between MEDA and VETAID so it will give me an opportunity to learn about both organizations. The language is going to be a challenge but I will be taking Portuguese classes so we'll see how that goes.