Starting in March I have been devoting a lot of my time to a group called Pinta Vida. We are a group of volunteers dedicated to developing innovative income generating activities and livelihood opportunities for people living with HIV and AIDS. Our main project is turning old advertising banners into bags. Since I joined, we have started working at a new site in one of Maputo's poor neighborhoods. Women from community sewing groups are paid for their work sewing the bags. The profits from sales are used to support the local community. With profits the community center is able to invest in things like new machines to expand the project, or start new projects.







































Pinta Vida has also began working with a group of AIDS orphans at the same community center. We help provide activities that generate income and also keep youth busy between and after school hours. Pinta Vida has been working closley with the Lutheran World Federations Department of World Services in Mozambique to further develop some of these projects and I recently submitted a proposal to the U.S. Embassy to start a "Youth as Entrepenuers" pilot project. I will keep my fingers crossed!

For the Valentine's Day weekend, Manuel and I decided we would have a romantic get away to Ponta do Ouro, Mozambique. Just south of Maputo, we thought it would be an ideal weekend get-away. The only drawback is the bad road you have to take to get there.

Before starting our adventure, I asked everyone I knew about the condition of the road. Every one said it was bad, but gave the impression that it was more about potholes and rough road surfaces.
To get to Ponta do Ouro it is fastest to take the ferry to Catembe and begin the trip from there. Unfortunately the ferry was full when we arrived and we had to wait for the next ferry. All in all we waited 2 hours to get across to Catembe. While we were waiting we met another group of people going to Ponta do Ouro and they suggested we drive together since the roads were going to be bad.
I think they quickly regretted this decision when we ended up getting stuck in a giant mud hole less than an hour after beginning the trip. Since we were leading, they managed to not get stuck. It was horrible! Our car looked like a tiny shoe stuck in a giant mud puddle. I got out and helped the local people try and push the car out and the two guys who were following us also got in to help push. The mud I was standing in was well above me knee and I knew if we went forward that the car would sink. We had to push the car out backwards. After about half and hour we paid the local people for their services and were free and on our way. The road continued with giant holes filled with mud and water.
Since we got a late start it was starting to get dark. The trip that was supposed to take 2-3 hours was now going to take 5-6. As we neared our destination the roads turned to sand, but continued to be full of giant holes filled with water. The bad road conditions were unrelenting and we seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Some of the holes were so deep that our headlights disappeared when we entered the water and splashed over the top of our car. I held me breath each time hoping that that our car would not die and that our car would make it to the other side.

After km after km of crappie road, we still had about 30km to go to get to our destination. We came to a crossroads and asked some local people for directions. Here is a bit of advice. Don't take driving directions from local people who don't drive. After driving a short distance we came across a small pick-up truck completely loaded with people that informed us we were going the wrong way. The man driving was going to Ponta do Ouro and told us to follow him. At this point we picked up another lost driver on the trail who joined the group.

When we finally arrived to our hotel it was 10pm. I was covered in mud and completely starving. I had made reservation at O Lar de Ouro and the ladies who run the lodge had dinner ready for us as soon as we cleaned up. It was such a contrast to come from that horrible road to now be relaxing enjoying a romantic dinner by candlelight.

The rest of our visit was much more relaxing. We spent Valentine’s Day at the beach, which was beautiful. The water was crystal clear and not too cold and we found a nice bar to relax and have lunch. That evening the owners of the lodge prepared a special candlelight dinner including a complimentary bottle of Champaign. It was quite romantic! The next morning we decided to leave after breakfast so that we could drive back through South Africa and Swaziland. It was well worth the extra distance.

Despite the difficlut road to get there we really enjoyed the laid back and relaxing atmosphere of Ponta do Ouro. I hope we can return again soon. I still need to go swim with the dolphins!

Poverty leads people to creative methods of generating revenue and the parking system in Mozambique is just one illustration of this creativity. Street kids run the parking system of Maputo's streets. When parking your car, expect to pay a small fee for the self assigned parking attendant to "watch" your car. Manuel considers it an informal poverty tax, and I would have to agree.

It is also well worth your while to pay the fee to avoid the inconvenience and frustration that may result from not paying. The unofficial parking fee also produces revenue for the street kids who might otherwise be involved in less constructive activities. In a country where corruption and bribery is such a part of everyday life, this small act of extortion is nothing.

For an additional fee many of the street kids have put together small car washing areas where you can have your car washed with dirty water they scoop out of the street. I am always amazed what an amazing job they do with a 5 gallon bucket of dirty water--seriously!

Well-seasoned and established street kids usually are in charge of the busy parking areas in town and even employ a group of young (6-10 year olds) interns to help keep things running smoothly. For the price of watching or washing your car they will also help guide you out of the space acting as a buffer between your car and oncoming traffic. Just be sure to pay them after you pull out safely! The fee for watching your car is anywhere from 20-30 cents; to have your car washed is 2-4 dollars.

The downside to the parking fee is what happens when you don't pay or you park in an unmonitored area. One favorite tactic of the street kids is to steal car mirrors. The problem is rampant through out the city. It slightly resembles some twisted game that when you leave your car unattended (even for 5-10 minutes) your mirrors are stolen. To retrieve them you must go to a predetermined destination to buy them back, or find a place to buy new ones.

Many of the thieves are inexperienced and simply break the mirrors while trying to remove them. For this reason more than half the city has no mirrors, broken mirrors, or some combination of the two. I am sure this has contributed greatly to the number of accidents that occur in the city. It is so prevalent it has actually created a safety issue for Maputo drivers. When passing someone it is advisable to first see if they have a mirror!

A reactionary business that has resulted from the mirror stealing phenomenon is glass etching. Some businesses in town now will etch your license plate number onto all the glass pieces on your car. For the time being this tactic seems to be a good deterrent for mirror thieves. They will also bolt down your blinker covers (this is another item that they like to steal).

All in all, I am actually quite impressed with the ingenuity and resilience of these young people.

When deciding to move to Maputo I put little thought into the logistics involved in moving my worldly possessions to another continent. I had no experience with overseas moving; I had always moved all my own things and never needed a moving service. However, with the move to Mozambique there were no other options.
So, of course the first thing I did was google overseas moving companies. I googled a hundred combination of international moving, overseas moving, overseas shipping, etc.. I had so much information and yet still so little. In the end I sent a request for quotes from several companies and in the end decided on a company called Air 7 Seas.

The company seemed to have all the services I needed and the person I talked to over the phone seemed very attentive and knowledgeable. I had no idea that almost five months later that only half of my cargo would arrive battered and bruised. I had no idea what I was about to get myself into!!!

First getting things packed for shipping was a nightmare. How do you pack sofas, rugs and other big items!!! Moving is a haste no matter what, but moving overseas is something different altogether. In the end shipping my items overseas may just be one of the worst cases of non-service I have ever experienced in my life.
First no one seemed to be able to give me a straight answer about when my things would arrive. First I was told Sept 9 and I thought "wow, that's much quicker than I expected." Well, in the end that date ended up being the date that my items were due to arrive at the next port in Rotterdam.

So now I had a new date to look forward to, October 24. This was the estimate time of arrival to Maputo. So, on Oct 24 I am eagerly awaiting news of my cargo. However instead I am informed that the ship carrying our items does not come to Maputo, but instead docs in Durban. So I have one shipping company telling me that my things have arrived to Maputo, and another telling me they had arrived to Durban. Of course no one was offering any suggestions about what to do next and now one could even give ma confirmation of where my stuff was.
Fed up and irritated I contacted the container company directly and was informed that they are not supposed to be in communication with the cosigner (that's me). However, the day after my desperate and agitated phone call my items were miraculously located and scheduled to be shipped to Maputo in the next couple days (Nov 11).

It was not until Dec 9 that the shipment finally arrived to Maputo. I was so excited to finally have my things in Maputo! I was particularly excited to get the two sofas I had shipped, since I had been living with some of the most god-awful furniture ever—black plastic with sharp wood pieces to gore yourself on. It also has a big lump in the middle that makes it particularly uncomfortable to lay on and if you don’t lay on a blanket your skin will adhere to the black plastic of which is quite painful to rip yourself free.

I should have known better than to expect things would go smoothly. Instead of picking up our things we were quickly informed that we would not be able to remove our shipment from the port without the Original Bills of Landing (OBL's). It took a week of e-mails and finger pointing for the companies to decide who was responsible. The OBL's didn't end up arriving until Dec 19--the day before Manuel and I were going to be going on vacation.

So the morning of the 19th Manuel and I pressured DHL into give us the driver's phone number and we went out to track down our package. It was 9am when we got the package and rushed over to pick up our customs agent and drove to the port. Again we were out of luck. The receiving agent informed us that the shipment arrived one box short and had a discrepancy in the weight and that they would not release the shipment until new OBL’s could be issued. Not wanting to ruin our holiday, Manuel and I put things on hold until we could return from our vacation.

We arrived back home on Jan 5 and resumed the process. It was not until Jan 9 that we finally got our things from the port. Manuel left the house at 8am and did not return until 4pm with the truck he had rented. The boxes were mangled and some of them were ripped open. Miraculously only a few items were damaged. However, to add insult to injury we were in fact missing both our sofas and rugs and in exchange had received two boxes full of baby clothe and books in Chinese!!!

Needles to say, I was pissed off and continue to be pissed off and the level of incompetence of the shipping company!!!

I have since been informed that my sofas had rugs have disappeared and I am in the process of filing an insurance claim. No matter what amount we receive it will not make up for the time, energy and frustration that this experience has cost us. I will think long and hard before I ever consider shipping my things overseas again! From what I have heard, mine is not an isolated case.

For the holidays Manuel and I drove with his brother and cousins from Maputo, Mozambique to Cape Town, South Africa. It took us three days to drive there and we drove along the cost staying in Durban, East London and Mossle Bay. On the drive back we passed through the Karoo and stayed in Beaufort West and Harrismith.

We crossed the border in Swaziland, which was very crowed and very hot and it didn't take us long to drive through the whole country to the South African border. At the second border it was still crowded and extremely hot! Just as we were passing to the other side the border guards said they were going to fine us 1000 Rands for our license plates. In the end it cost us 200 Rand and over an hour delay.

Needless to say we were happy to leave Swaziland!!!

In Durban we stayed a little south of the city
The next day on the drive to East London we had to pass through the mountains along the wild coast and got caught in a horrible fog. The visibility was so bad that we could not drive very fast. To make matters worse the area we were passing through has livestock and people all over the roads making it all the more treacherous.

Because of the delays we ended up arriving to East London very late. When we went out to find
food all the restaurants had closed and the only thing we could find was a small pizza parlor that was about to close in 20 minutes. Luckily we got there in time to have a meal.
East London to Mossel Bay was a non-eventful drive, but we managed to loose the car behind us only about an hour after we started. We had not quite worked out the cell phone compatability issues and we could not call them. We had to buy a new South African sim card and wait an hour until it activated. Finally after changing sim cards we were able to reunite almost half-way to our destination.

Mossel Bay is a very beautiful city and popular tourist destination. We ended up having a great evening out at a local seafood restaurant where Manuel's family got to try sushi and we celebrated his brothers birthday.
Finally the next morning we were on our way to Cape Town, our final destination for the trip. In Cape Town I booked a house right at the base of Table Mountain in a suburb called Higgovale. When we arrived the house was much more beautiful than I imagined. I think we were all very impressed.






































During our trip we visited Robin Island and the prison where Nelson Mandela and numerous other political prisoners were held during apartheid. As we were getting ready to leave Robin Island, I noticed two penguins had squeezed into a storm drain. I knelt down and got a picture.

































At the bottom of Table Mountain you can take a cable car to the top. Most of the time we were visiting Table Mountain was covered in clouds, so as soon as we got a clear day we went to the top and stayed for the sunset.






























































On one of the rainy and gloomy days Manuel connived everyone that it would not be raining at the Cape Point and that we should go. Everyone thought he was crazy, but sure enough when we got there the weather was beautiful. At the Cape Point we had to fight for the chance to take a photo behind the sign.

Too bad my camera ran out of batteries!

The Cape Point park is home to lots of animals.

We got to see some ostrich, baboons, penguins, antelope, dassies (small rodent animal) and seals.

All along the roads I kept seeing signs about baboons. "Baboons are dangerous and attracted by food" and signs prohibiting the feeding of baboons, punishable by a fine. However, it was not until we arrived to the Cape Point that I finally got to see them. They are gigantic! There is no way I would want to run into one of those while hiking!























On the way home from Cape Point we stopped to see the penguin colony at Boulder Beach. The penguins seem to have no fear of people.

















For my birth day we went wine tasting in the Cape Wine Lands near Stellonboch. It was an amazingly beautiful day and the wine country was beautiful. There is so much to see there (and drink), that it will take a whole other trip!

Anyone who knows my family, please convince them that they need to visit!!!













Here is a picture at the V&A Waterfront.













Manuel and I in Camps Bay in front of Clifton Beach.












Driver Manuel ready for the next adventure!














Me cooking steak on the brai.




















Having a beer in Camps Bay.

























Hanging out on Table Mountain.

It has not take very long for me to become very busy. I have Portuguese lessons every morning at my home and Portuguese conversation once a week with the Maputo International Club. I have met a lot of great people who have been so helpful in making my transition here smooth and I still seem to be maintaining my sanity. Maputo has lots to offer, you just have to go out an find it. It also helps if you have a car (ours is running great by the way ;).

Every Saturday at 3:30pm I run with the Maputo Hash House Harriers. When I first heard the name I thought they were a band, but actually it is a running or walking/drinking/social club. We run (or walk depending on your preference) in different parts of the city every week.

Since it is not particularly safe to walk alone in most parts of the city, it is a nice opportunity to see some of the different neighborhoods up close and visit new and interesting places.

After the run we return to our original destination to drink beer and be made fun of and then all meet somewhere for dinner. It may sound strange but it is actually quite fun and a great way to meet new people. The club also hosts a variety of fantastic parties, BBQs (Brai), and an end of the year "Posh Nosh."

Another club I have joined is the International Club of Maputo. This a slightly more serious club made up of women of all nationalities living in Maputo. The club is a social club, but offers activities such as Portuguese conversation, pilates, painting, etc. The club also does a lot of philanthropic work and raises money for charities.

One of the charities they support is the Obra Missionaria de Jesus y Maria. This is a Mission/boarding house that is home to 75 girls from the ages of 8-18. The girls are from poor families that cannot afford to support them. They come to the mission where they receive all of their basic necessities and are attend the local schools in the area. The girls return home for holidays and special occasions and their families are able to visit them at the mission. Funds for supporting the girls come from churches in Spain and Colombia. 5 nuns run the mission and are from Colombia, Spain and Mozambique.

Jenny one of the ladies from the club is very active in volunteering at the mission and I have made a few visits to the mission with her. I am planning on beginning to volunteer at the mission after the New Year and will be teaching computer skills and English.

My current visa status in Mozambique requires that I leave the country every 30 days to maintain my status. So, Monday (Nov. 3) Manuel and I planed to drive to Nelspruit, South Africa to have the car serviced and fulfill my visa requirement of leaving the county.

We left our house around 3pm and made it half a block before the car completely died. After several failed attempts to restart the car, some of the guards from the surrounding homes helped push our car back to our complex.

Since the car was no longer an option, we decided we would take the Intercape bus leaving Maputo at 7pm (which always leaves late). Manuel's cousin brought us to the office and we were soon on our way to the border. Well, sort of....

We only made it a few miles from our starting point before the bus completely died in the middle of the highway. With no AC and limited deodorant use on the bus, we all moved to the center divider in the highway to get some fresh air until it began to rain and we moved back inside. There we sat in the hot, humid, somewhat stinky bus for almost 4 hours until they finally realized the bus could not be fixed and they sent a second bus to rescue us.

The big issue now was that by the time the new bus arrived it was 10:45pm with an an hour and twenty minute drive to the border. If we did not reach the border gate before midnight --when it closes with out mercy--we would have to sleep in the bus until it reopened at 6am.

At 11:51pm we arrived at the border. They rushed us off the bus to got through immigration on the Mozambique side, while the bus drove to safety on the South African side. After immigration in Mozambique, we had to sprint about 200 meters to cross the South African Border before the gates closed.

Relived to have made it past the border, we had dinner at a quick gas station stop and finally arrived to Nelspruit at 2am. The bus dropped us off in the middle of a deserted street with 4 German tourists and 3 South Africans. We soon learned that all the taxi services were closed and had to walk to a nearby hotel to ask for help finding transportation. Luckily the security guards had a friend with a Taxi and one of them walked to his house to wake him up. In the end we reached our guest house at 3am after waiting our turn for the taxi.

The next morning we returned to Maputo where we almost got left again at the border waiting for my visa. Luckily they stamped it at the last minute and we made it across with no problems.

This is the entrance to our complex and one of the many guards at our complex who opens the gate when you arrive. The street that passes in front of our complex is called Rua Tenente General Oswaldo Tazama. He was one of Mozambiques military heros that fought to liberate Mozabique from the Portugues and just recently had this street named after him.






Our neighborhood consists almost entirely of condominium complexes for expatriates and a few influential and important people from the Mozambican government. It is pretty much nice fancy houses with guards, electric fences and dogs with the exception of a plot belonging to the opposition party. There lot is still surrounded by barbed wire and walls, but they are left over from what ever existed before. There are a million small kids with no shoes running around, chickens, garden plots and colorful laundry drying on the lines.

Our house is walking distance from all sorts of things. We have several restaurants and bars near by, a night club, a casino, the fish market, GAME (sells everything), a gym, gas station, salon, cafe, etc...

We even have a small plant nursery and pet store a block from our house. Although I am tempted, I am restraining from acquiring any pets.
All along the streets you can find people selling the most random things. All along the beach road are ice chests that people will sell you cold drinks from. They sell beer, soda, and some scary looking hard liquor in plastic flasks.
The division between the rich and poor is every where you look. It is not uncommon to find small shacks and trash dumps right across the street from up scale condominums.

The house we live in was built in the early 90's by a Swedish organization. The interior of our house reflects this. We have two bathrooms--one mauve and one blue. Every fixture matches (tub, sink, toilet, bidet, and floor and wall tile).

One unique bathroom feature is the toilet frog. I accidentally killed the first toilet frog we had when I forgot to flush the bowl cleaner. However, it seems a replacement has quickly shown up. He usually swims down the hole when you lift the lid, but I was lucky enough to get this photo of him.

I don't know how they get in the toilet, but flushing doesn't work to get rid of them. I really don't like killing the toilet frogs, so I guess I will just have to learn to live with them. The main issue is going to the bathroom in
the middle of the night. I no longer feel comfortable sitting on the toilet, or even lifting the lid to the toilet without the light on.

The car that we ordered from Japan arrived in early September. Unfortunately we are still getting the paperwork together so we can actually drive it. We are hoping to be able to drive it at the end of this week.

I am hoping to save up and buy a Toyota starlet, or some other small, fuel efficient car that I don't mind putting a few dents in. Driving here is a little chaotic and I am sure that my first car is likely to turn into a piñata.

Here is a view of the pool from our back porch. The weather is still a little cool for swimming (by Mozambican standards), but it should be getting very hot now that we're moving into summer.




















While the weather is not too hot, we have been spending a lot of time outside enjoying the nice weather. This is Manuel in our backyard enjoying some Imperial (one of the Mozambican beers).







Here is a photo of the beach front near our home. It is one of the popular areas for people to sell fresh fish, produce, plants, furniture, crafts, etc. You can find just about anything along this road. In the evening it is also where all the young Mozambican teenagers come to hang out and drink. It causes quite a traffic jam on the weekends.

So I have finally discovered that I am a mazungu. This is the South East African (I think Swahili) word for a white person. Although there are plenty of mazungus in Maputo.

As a mazungu, I have the privilege of living in a special mazungu reserve. Our reserves are surrounded by walls, barbed wire and electric fences and protected by guards. Mazungus are incapable of doing physical or strenuous work and therefore must have others care for them.

Everyday native Mozambicans come to the mazungu reserves to maintain our homes and gardens. Because mazungus need so much space, their homes are also attractive to the local macaco who is not so welcome in other parts of the city.

Here is a picture of the macaco family that lives in our compound. There are about six of them that I have counted. The mother (who is the first monkey in the picture) and her four children who are nearing adolescents. The father monkey hangs out on his own. They are very uncooperative when it comes to getting them to pose for pictures, but I was lucky enough to get this one. The young monkeys seem to enjoy watching mazungos, but the parents don't really care for us.

Realiza-se de 24 a 29 de Outubro de 2008 o II Encontro Nacional da Juventude de Moçambique, na vila de Inhaminga, distrito de Cheringoma, província de Sofala.
O Encontro tem por objectivo avaliar os problemas da juventude Moçambicana na nova conjuntura social, política e económica do País, bem como criar oportunidade de diálogo entre jovens, comunidades e dirigentes governamentais.
Com cerca de 500 participantes representando várias sensibilidades do movimento associativo juvenil Moçambicano, o 2º Encontro nacional da Juventude de Moçambique é Organizado pelo Ministério da Juventude e Desportos de Moçambique em colaboração com o Conselho Nacional da Juventude de Moçambique (CNJ).

2º Je trouve National de la Jeunesse
Automatically translated into French thanks to WorldLingo
Se réalise de 24 le 29 octobre 2008 l'II Trouve National de la Jeunesse de Mozambique, dans le village d'Inhaminga, de district de Cheringoma, de province de Sofala.
La Rencontre a par objectif évaluer les problèmes de la jeunesse Mozambicaine dans la nouvelle conjoncture sociale, politique et économique du Pays, ainsi que créer occasion de dialogue entre des jeunes, les communautés et les directeurs gouvernementaux.
Avec environ 500 participants en représentant plusieurs sensibilités du mouvement associatif juvénile Mozambicain, la 2º Je trouve national de la Jeunesse de Mozambique Est organisé par le Ministère de la Jeunesse et des Sports de Mozambique en collaboration avec le Conseil National de la Jeunesse de Mozambique (CNJ).

reunión nacional 2º de la juventud
Automatically translated into Spanish thanks to WorldLingo
La reunión nacional de la juventud de Moçambique se convierte fullfilled de 24 los 29 de octubre de 2008 II, en la aldea de Inhaminga, districto de Cheringoma, provincia de Sofala.
La reunión tiene para que el objectivo evalúe los problemas de la juventud de Moçambicana en la coyuntura, la política y el económica sociales nuevos del país, así como crear la ocasión del diálogo entre los jóvenes, las comunidades y los reguladores gubernamentales.
Con cerca de 500 participantes representando algunos sensibilidades del movimiento sociable Moçambicano joven, la reunión nacional 2º de la juventud de Moçambique es organizada por el ministerio de la juventud y de los deportes de Moçambique en la contribución con el consejo nacional de la juventud de Moçambique (CNJ).

riunione nazionale 2º della gioventù
Automatically translated into Italian thanks to WorldLingo
La riunione nazionale della gioventù di Moçambique è diventata fullfilled di 24 i 29 di ottobre di 2008 II, nel villaggio di Inhaminga, il distretto di Cheringoma, provincia di Sofala.
La riunione ha affinchè il objectivo valuti i problemi della gioventù di Moçambicana nella nuovi congiuntura, politica e económica sociali del paese, così come la generazione della probabilità del dialogo fra i giovani, le Comunità ed i regolatori governativi.
Con circa 500 partecipanti che rappresentano alcuni sensibilidades del movimento associativo Moçambicano youthful, la riunione nazionale 2º della gioventù di Moçambique è organizzata dal Ministero della gioventù e degli sport di Moçambique nel contributo con il consiglio nazionale della gioventù di Moçambique (CNJ).

nationale Sitzung 2º von Jugend
Automatically translated into German thanks to WorldLingo
Die nationale Sitzung der Jugend von Moçambique wird fullfilled von 24 die 29 von Oktober von 2008 II, im Dorf von Inhaminga, Bezirk von Cheringoma, Provinz von Sofala geworden.
Die Sitzung hat, damit objectivo auswertet die Probleme Moçambicana Jugend in der neuen Sozialkonjunktur, in der Politik und im económica des Landes, sowie das Verursachen von Wahrscheinlichkeit des Dialogs zwischen Regierungsjungen, Gemeinschaften und Kontrolleuren.
Wenn ungefähr 500 Teilnehmer etwas sensibilidades darstellen, der vereinigenden Bewegung jugendliches Moçambicano, wird nationale Sitzung 2º der Jugend von Moçambique durch das Ministerium der Jugend und des Sports von Moçambique im Beitrag mit dem nationalen Rat der Jugend von Moçambique (CNJ) organisiert.

2nd Mozambique National Youth Meeting
Translated into English by: Basilio
Second National Meeting of Youth

Is held from 24 to 29 October 2008 the second meeting of the National Youth of Mozambique, in the town of Inhaminga, district of Cheringoma in the province of Sofala.
The meeting aims to assess the problems of youth in the new situation Mozambican social, political and economic developments as well as create opportunities for dialogue between young people, communities and government leaders.
With around 500 participants representing various sensitivities of the Mozambican youth associations, the 2nd Meeting of Mozambique's National Youth is organized by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Mozambique in collaboration with the National Youth Council of Mozambique (CNJ).

Direct google translation.

möte för medborgare 2º av ungdommen
Automatically translated into Swedish thanks to WorldLingo
Medborgare som mötet av ungdommen av Moçambique blis, fullfilled av 24 29na av Oktober av 2008 II, i byn av Inhaminga, området av Cheringoma, landskap av Sofala.
Mötet har för att objectivoen ska utvärdera problemen av den Moçambicana ungdommen i den nya sociala kritiskt ögonblick, politiken och económicaen av landet, såväl som skapa riskera av förar dialog mellan stats- barn, gemenskaper och kontrollanter.
Med omkring 500 deltagare som föreställer några sensibilidades av den förena rörelsen ungdomliga Moçambicano, organiseras mötet för medborgare 2º av ungdommen av Moçambique, av departement av ungdommen och sportarna av Moçambique i bidrag med medborgarerådgivningen av ungdommen av Moçambique (CNJ).

национальная встреча 2º молодости
Automatically translated into Russian thanks to WorldLingo
Становится национальная встреча молодости Moçambique fullfilled 24 29 из октября 2008 II, в селе Inhaminga, заречье Cheringoma, провинции Sofala.
Встреча имеет для objectivo для того чтобы оценить проблемы молодости Moçambicana в новых социальных конъюнктуре, политике и económica страны, также, как создавать шанс диалога между правительственными детенышами, общинами и регуляторами.
При около 500 участников представляя некоторые sensibilidades ассоциативного движения моложавого Moçambicano, национальная встреча 2º молодости Moçambique организована министерством молодости и спортов Moçambique в вкладе с национальной консультацией молодости Moçambique (CNJ).

2º nationale Vergadering van de Jeugd
Automatically translated into Dutch thanks to WorldLingo
De nationale Vergadering van de Jeugd van Moçambique is geworden fullfilled van 24 29 van Oktober 2008 II, in het dorp van Inhaminga, district van Cheringoma, provincie van Sofala.
De vergadering heeft voor objectivo om de problemen van de jeugd Moçambicana in de nieuwe sociale conjunctuur, de politiek en económica van het Land te evalueren, evenals creërend kans van dialoog tussen regeringsjongelui, gemeenschappen en controlemechanismen.
Met ongeveer 500 deelnemers die sommige sensibilidades van de associatieve beweging youthful Moçambicano vertegenwoordigen, 2º de nationale Vergadering van de Jeugd van Moçambique wordt georganiseerd door het Ministerie van de Jeugd en de Sporten van Moçambique in bijdrage met de Nationale Raad van de Jeugd van Moçambique (CNJ).

2º اجتماع وطنيّة شباب
Automatically translated into Arabic thanks to WorldLingo
أصبحت الاجتماع وطنيّة من الشباب [مومبيقو] [فولّفيلّد] من 24 ال 29 من أكتوبر - تشرين الأوّل من 2008 [إيي], في القرية [إينهمينغ], منطقة [شرينغما], محافظة [سفلا].
يتلقّى الاجتماع ل [أبجكتيفو] أن يقيّم المشاكل من [مومبيكنا] شباب في الجديدة اجتماعيّة وضع, سياسة و [إكنميك] من البلاد, [أس ولّ س] يخلق فرصة الحوار بين حكوميّة شباب, جماعات وجهاز تحكّم.
مع حوالي 500 مشتركات يمثّل بعض [سنسبيليددس] من الحركة ترابطيّة [مومبيكنو] فتيّة, 2º نظّمت اجتماع وطنيّة من الشباب [مومبيقو] بالوزارة من الشباب ورياضات [مومبيقو] في مساهمة مع الإشعار وطنيّة من الشباب [مومبيقو] ([كنج]).

So I have finally arrived to Mozambique!!! I was beginning to think I would never make it. I began my trip on Friday, October 3rd and finally arrived in Maputo on Sunday, October 5th. Manuel surprised me my meeting me in Johannesburg so that he could help me with my luggage. We flew South African Airways from Johannesburg and the former president of Mozambique, Joaquim Chissano, was on the plane waving to us when we got on. I thought that was pretty exciting.









I had a ton of bags, so it was nice that Manuel was there to help me push them all to the curb. Here I am waiting for the ILLRI driver to come and pick us up.










Here is a photo of my beautiful house. We are near the city, but about two blocks from the public beach. There are lots of plumaria, trees blooming around the complex right now, which makes everything smell nice. We also have a family of ververt monkeys living near us although I have only seen one. There are also lots of cool lizards, birds and frogs for me to make friends with while Manuel is at work.





During the week Dona Matilde, the housekeeper, comes and helps with what ever I need. I love this woman!!!











This is the view of the pool from my front yard. There are 10 houses in the complex, but there are so many trees and plants it feels very private and secluded.










Last Wednesday Manuel had to go to the rural area, but our neighbor was nice enough to take me out and give me a tour of the city. She is from the Netherlands and has been living in Africa for over 15 years. Her and her husband have been in Mozambique for 5 and she has been wonderful in helping me get adjusted. This photo is a statue in down town Maputo.












Here is a picture of the Maputo train station. It was built by the Portuguese during colonial times and was also where they filmed some scenes from the movie Blood Diamond.










Saturday Manuel and I went to Belene Beach with a colleague of his. We met his cousin Tanya and her boyfriend for lunch and enjoyed the day by the sea.















All the kids were excited to have there pictures taken and wanted us to take pictures of the fish they caught. This is a picture I took while they were distracted taking a picture for someone else.










The stuff that I shipped in August should be arriving on October 21. I don't know how long it will take to get out of customs, but I will be excited to see it again!

This is one of the main issues for discussion of current affairs in my country (Mozambique), a country where the largest age group of the population is young and where there is high levels of poverty. With the National Independence (1975), the opening to the world and with the development, more young people were gaining instruction and capaciddes, but many, due to poverty, remain in unemployment and with few opportunities for access to the labour market.
As in many parts of the world, crime, drugs, HIV-AIDS (AIDS) are a consequence of poverty and lead young people to take a big challenge: The COMBAT POVERTY.
Here is once again the question: Is the youth is prepared to lead this challenge and embrace these countries as Mozambique?

Est-ce que jeunes sont disposés à assumer la conduite des pays ?
Automatically translated into French thanks to WorldLingo
C'est l'une des questions principales pour la discussion des affaires courantes dans mon pays (Mozambique), un pays où la plus grande catégorie d'âge de la population est jeune et où il y a les niveaux élevés de la pauvreté. Avec Independence nationale (1975), l'ouverture au monde et avec le développement, des personnes plus jeunes gagnaient l'instruction et les capaciddes, mais beaucoup, dus à la pauvreté, restent dans le chômage et avec peu d'occasions pour l'accès au marché du travail.
Comme dans beaucoup de régions du monde, le crime, les drogues, HIV-AIDS (SIDA) sont une conséquence de la pauvreté et mènent les jeunes à prendre un grand défi : La PAUVRETÉ de COMBAT.
Voici de nouveau la question : La jeunesse est-elle préparée est-elle pour mener ce défi et embrasser ces pays comme la Mozambique ?

¿La gente joven está preparada para asumir la dirección de países?
Automatically translated into Spanish thanks to WorldLingo
Éste es uno de los puntos principales para la discusión de temas de actualidad en mi país (Mozambique), un país donde está joven la categoría de edad más grande de la población y donde hay altos niveles de la pobreza. Con la Independence nacional (1975), la abertura al mundo y con el desarrollo, una gente más joven ganaba la instrucción y los capaciddes, pero muchas, debido a la pobreza, permanecen en el desempleo y con pocas oportunidades para el acceso al mercado de trabajo.
Como en muchas partes del mundo, el crimen, drogas, HIV-AIDS (SIDA) es una consecuencia de la pobreza y conduce a gente joven a tomar un desafío grande: La POBREZA del COMBATE.
Aquí está de nuevo la pregunta: ¿Es la juventud está preparada conducir este desafío y abrazar estos países como Mozambique?

I giovani sono preparati per ammettere la direzione dei paesi?
Automatically translated into Italian thanks to WorldLingo
Ciò è uno dei punti principali per la discussione sugli affari correnti nel mio paese (Mozambico), un paese in cui il più grande gruppo d'età della popolazione è giovane e dove ci sono livelli elevati di povertà. Con l'Independence nazionale (1975), l'apertura al mondo e con lo sviluppo, gente più giovane stava guadagnando l'istruzione e i capaciddes, ma molte, dovuto povertà, rimangono nella disoccupazione e con poche occasioni per accesso al mercato di lavoro.
Come in molte parti del mondo, il crimine, le droghe, HIV-AIDS (AIDS) è una conseguenza di povertà e conduce i giovani prendere una sfida grande: La POVERTÀ di COMBATTIMENTO.
Qui è ancora una volta la domanda: È la gioventù è preparata condurre questa sfida ed abbracciare questi paesi come Mozambico?

Werden junge Leute vorbereitet, die Führung der Länder anzunehmen?
Automatically translated into German thanks to WorldLingo
Dieses ist eine der Hauptausgaben für Diskussion über laufende Geschäfte in meinem Land (Mosambik), ein Land, in dem die größte Altersklasse der Bevölkerung jung ist und wo es hohe Niveaus der Armut gibt. Mit nationalen Independence (1975), gewannen die öffnung zur Welt und mit der Entwicklung, jüngere Leute die Anweisung und capaciddes, aber viele, wegen der Armut, bleiben in der Arbeitslosigkeit und mit wenigen Gelegenheiten für Zugang zum Arbeitsmarkt.
Wie in vielen Teilen der Welt, sind Verbrechen, Drogen, HIV-AIDS (AIDS) eine Konsequenz der Armut und führen junge Leute, eine grosse Herausforderung zu nehmen: Die KAMPF-ARMUT.
Hier noch einmal ist die Frage: Ist die Jugend wird vorbereitet, diese Herausforderung zu führen und diese Länder als Mosambik zu umfassen?

Os povos novos são preparados para supor a liderança dos países?
Automatically translated into Portuguese thanks to WorldLingo
Esta é uma das edições principais para a discussão de casos atuais em meu país (Mozambique), um país onde o grupo de idade o maior da população é novo e onde há uns níveis elevados da pobreza. Com a Independência nacional (1975), a abertura ao mundo e com o desenvolvimento, uns povos mais novos ganhava a instrução e os capaciddes, mas muitas, devido à pobreza, remanescem no desemprego e com poucas oportunidades para o acesso ao mercado labour.
Como em muitas partes do mundo, o crime, drogas, HIV-AIDS (AIDS) é uma conseqüência da pobreza e conduz a povos novos fazer exame de um desafio grande: A POBREZA do COMBATE.
É aqui uma vez outra vez a pergunta: É a juventude é preparada para conduzir a este desafio e para embrace estes países como Mozambique?

Är ungdomaren förberedd som antar ledarskap av länder?
Automatically translated into Swedish thanks to WorldLingo
Detta är ett av de huvudsakliga utfärdar för diskussion av strömangelägenheter i mitt land (Mocambique), ett land var den största åldersgruppen av befolkningen är ung och var det finns hög nivå av armod. Med medborgare Självständighet (1975), nådde öppningen till världen och med utvecklingen, mer ungdomar anvisning och capaciddes, men många, tack vare armod, återstår i arbetslöshet, och med få tillfällen för ta fram till arbetet marknadsför.
Som i många världsdelar, är brott, droger, HIV-AIDS (BISTÅR), en följd av armod och bly- ungdomar som tar en stor utmaning: STRIDARMODET.
Ytterligare en gång här är ifrågasätta: Är ungdommen ska förberedd leda denna utmaning och omfamna dessa länder som Mocambique?

Молодые люди подготовлены принять водительство стран?
Automatically translated into Russian thanks to WorldLingo
Это одним из главных вопросов для обсуждения в настоящее время дел в моей стране (Мозамбике), стране где самая большая возрастная группа населенности молода и где будет высокие уровни скудости. С национальной независимостью (1975), отверстие к миру и с развитием, молодые люди приобретало инструкцию и capaciddes, но много, из-за скудости, остают в незанятости и с немногими возможностями для доступа к рынока труда.
Как в много частей мира, злодеянием, снадобьями, HIV-AIDS (AIDS) будет последствие скудости и водит молодых людей принять большую возможность: СКУДОСТЬ БОЯ.
Здесь еще раз вопрос: Подготовлена молодость вести эту возможность и обнять эти страны как Мозамбик?

Zijn de jonge mensen bereid om de leiding van landen op zich te nemen?
Automatically translated into Dutch thanks to WorldLingo
Dit is één van de belangrijkste kwesties voor bespreking van lopende zaken in mijn land (Mozambique), een land waar de grootste leeftijdsgroep de bevolking jong is en waar er hoge niveaus van armoede zijn. Met de Nationale Onafhankelijkheid (1975), bereikte het openen voor de wereld en met de ontwikkeling, meer jonge mensen instructie en capaciddes, maar velen, wegens armoede, blijven in werkloosheid en met weinig kansen voor toegang tot de arbeidsmarkt.
Zoals in vele delen van de wereld, misdaad, drugs, is hiv-AIDS (AIDS) een gevolg van armoede en hoofd jonge mensen om een grote uitdaging te nemen: De ARMOEDE van het GEVECHT.
Hier nogmaals is de vraag: Bent de jeugd wordt voorbereidingen getroffen om deze uitdaging deze landen als Mozambique te omhelzen te leiden en?

يكون الناس شابّة أعدّت أن يفترض القيادة البلاد?
Automatically translated into Arabic thanks to WorldLingo
هذا واحدة من ال [مين يسّو] لنقاشة ال [كرّنت فّير] في بلدي (موزامبيق), بلد حيث ال [أج غرووب] كبيرة من الالسّكان يكون شابّة وحيث هناك يكون مستويات عال فقر. مع [إيندبندنس] وطنيّة (1975), كسب الفتحة إلى العالم ومع التطوير, أكثر الناس شابّة كان تعليم و [كبسدّس], غير أنّ كثير, واجبة إلى فقر, يبقى في بطالة ومع قليل من فرص لمنفذة إلى السوق الشّغل.
بما أنّ في كثير أجزاء من العالم, جريمة, عقارات, [هيف-يدس] ([أيدس]) نتيجة الفقر ويقود الناس شابّة أن يأخذ تحدي كبيرة: القتال فقر.
هنا [أنس غين] السؤال: يكون الشباب يكون أعدّت أن يقود هذا تحدي واعتنقت هذا بلاد كموزامبيق?