I arrived!

Hi!!

I've just managed to get on the internet for the first time since I left home last Monday and it's great to feel like I am still on the same planet!

The journey here was LONG! I arrived in Lichinga at about 8pm on Wednesday after 3 days of travelling. The last day was particularly exciting with 2 minibuses (one of which stopped for a while whilst the driver got done for speeding), 2 cycle "taxis" (which are interesting to balance on with 20kg on your back!), 1 pick up which ran out of diesel 4 times on the way and one hitched lift in a car (which also ran out of diesel!). I did wonder why I didn't fly to Lichinga (it was because of cost) but then it was an adventure. As Ed's mum put it so well: an adventure is an inconvenienve rightly construed! When I arrived there was no internet, phone line, mobile signal or uber fast pidgeons which made letting people know I'd arrived safely a little difficult! I stayed with the Bishop of Niassa (Mark, and his wife, Helen) as Rebecca was away in Zambia. The view from their house is stunning. You can see right across to Lake Niassa and the sunset every day is beautiful. On Friday I visited a village fairly nearby to see a hand dug well they had built to get a taste of what kind of things are going on in the Diocese.

I spent the weekend at the lake shore for the Diocesean Family Day at the cathedral. It was completely mad but also great! The morning service on Sunday lasted 5 hours(!!!) and on Sunday Mark baptised 52 babies as well as dedicating a chapel. There were also lots of choirs there from around the Diocese and the singing was incredible and so loud! Just amazing! It was also VERY hot, in fact it's been pretty hot all of the last week really with some impressive storms in the afternoons. Today's a bit miserable though!!

The last 3 days I've been at another village observing an agriculture training workshop where Michael (a Mozambican) was teaching an Equipa de Vida (see the last post!) how to use land productively and how to make compost. It was a tiring few days for me, particularly trying to listen to Portuguese all the time (which is improving already, slowly!). I'm also trying to get used to the food again (the first day in the village I had Nsima and usipa for lunch and rice and beans for dinner - the Cobue song was stuck in my head girlies!).

I'm now back in Lichinga and now that Rebecca is back I'm also in the house I will be living in for the rest of my time here which is lovely despite Rebecca's welcome note which listed the things which didn't work!) I think I will really feel at home here. The internet is also now working AND I have a Mozambique sim card so I feel a bit more contactable. I also have a bike so can get myself around! Thanks very much to everyone who's text or emailed. It's made my first week a lot easier as I try to settle in. I'm really looking forward to starting work and feeling more useful (I hope that happens).

I do have a postal address here and things can take 10 days to 2 months to arrive but apparently letters are usually fine if you feel so inclined! Drop me an email if you want it because I don't really want to post it on the internet. Also, my skype address is joanne_lambert.

Right I'm off to the office now but glad to have got in touch. Not a very exciting post this one!
Jo