Travels of a Tshirt in the Free Economy

Aside from the title of this post, "Travels of a Tshirt in the Free Economy" is the book Carleton College made/asked the class of 2012 to read before freshmen orientation.  Like any good pre-college student, I read it - its central thesis being: it takes a global economy to make a tshirt these days.  From cotton in Texas, to a factory in China, to Goodwill in New York City, to a ship crossing the Atlantic, to a second-hand clothing market in Africa.  Well, I can say definitively, I have found the tshirts.

I have said a few times that Africa is where clothes come to die.  While this may not be completely true, it is completely true in my experience.  Exposed wood, broken metal, and vigorous hand washing all make for tears.  This means that since arriving almost 2 years ago (!) I have had to buy new clothes.  And this is more or less the clothing industry:  

A clothing auction (note the USAID relief tarp being used for something other than its original intended purpose)

A tailor

the cheapest clothes (5-15 meticais, 31 meticais to the dollar) come in piles

Clothes and Shoes

This is Gurue's version of the Salvation Army.  They get new shipments every month, and I get most of my clothes here.

I am missing a picture of the stores that sell new clothes.   These are often directly from China or Brazil and are definitely out of a Peace Corps Volunteer's budget.  Pants - $20, shirts $18-$25...the list goes on.

The (almost) Daily Bucket Bath

 First, this post is dedicated to Fred and Elena Kyle in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  They both enthusiastically responded to my recent surge in posting and in the case of Fred, implied doubt that this trend would continue.  Grandma and Grandpa, this one's for you.

Oh, and I should also probably dedicate this post to those who originally taught me how to take a bath.  Mom and Dad, this one is also for you.

Really, learning to bathe oneself in an entirely new way at any age after 15 is quite an accomplishment.  And now, a year and a few months into practicing the new art of initially changing my bathing technique at age 22, I am ready to report.

Step 1: Heat up water (if it’s cold outside).  If you are already dripping in sweat, skip this step.  You may also skip this step if you are one of the people who subscribe to the “banho frio faz bem” theory.

Step 2: Carefully mix hot water (if applicable) and cold water in the big plastic bucket to make the perfect body washing temperature.  This “perfect temperature” is completely subjective and what is your perfect body washing temperature is not necessarily someone else’s.  Be careful not to spill the boiling water on you before mixing.  This is said from personal experience.

Step 3: Place the plastic bucket in the designated “shower area.” Follow said bucket so you are also standing in the designated area.

Step 4: Take a smaller container (Plastic butter containers, for example) and start scooping water from the bigger bucket and pouring it on yourself.

*This is where it gets very personal and individual.  Although a few of the host families in the very beginning tried to bathe the volunteer, I have decided that because I am writing this guide for those who have already mastered one bathing technique, I will leave the rest up to the reader.  I will say: although soap is used in Mozambique if the family has it (most of the time), I highly recommend that you have soap on hand.

Photo Update!

These are the kids who welcome me home from every trip (whether its to the big city, the small city, work, the market)  They are all dressed for a birthday party, and came to my house to tell me I needed to take a bath and come to the party too.

Neighbor with the birthday boy

The first cohort of Livro Aberto/Peace Corps/USAID library volunteers!

Mandioca/Cassava and Dino!

Mozambican party food (chicken was also present)

My favorite map at my favorite pizza restaurant in the provincial capital.

For Christmas, I found the beach.

They were demonstrating how they know how to carry things on their heads.

Mozambique Talks

What does Mozambique tell Hannah?

Your breath smells bad if you eat hot food.

Michael Jackson is alive.

Michael Jackson is probably living in Brazil.

Michael Jackson is Mexican.

Dust ruins everything.

I will marry you.

You will marry me.

You need to marry in Mozambique.  I will find you a man.

You left your husband and child(ren) at home?

You are Italian, yes?

You are Spanish, yes?

You are Portuguese, yes?

You are Brazilian, yes?

You are from Maputo?

Take me back to wherever you are from.

I’m not sure Osama Bin Laden is dead.

Something really bad will happen if you don’t take a bath before dinner.

I am planning to have 2 or 3 wives.  This is a good number.

Do you have onions and oil? I want to make an onion salad.

There’s a potion you can put around your house that makes would-be thieves freeze like Medusa’s victims for you to find them and exact punishment later.

The United States has at least one person in every country to control what happens in that country.

If you’re pregnant, you can’t eat eggs.

North America is cold.

Spanish is badly spoken Portuguese.

Sitting provokes thoughts.

Quiet people are troublemakers.

You should move nationality – Mozambique would let you be Mozambican, yes?

You need to learn to like Mozambican music.

White women with cars steal children to sell their organs in Malawi.

Happy (Almost) April!

Theee Yankees Win!

This project came about because I was seeing many yankees outfits around the mountains, and I thought that in addition to documenting this stellar Mozambican baseball preference, I should share it with the yankees I know stateside.  Unfortunately, my camera was only with me on these 5 occasions, but I have also come across 3 yankees shirts, 1 yankees jersey, 7 other yankees baseball hats (1 neon yellow), 5 yankees winter hats, and 1 yankees jacket.

Viva os yankees!


*Also trying to explain to everyone why I wanted these pictures was, actually, a profound intercultural experience.

Hannah, 14(ish) Months In

Our frog friend on our door grates. He/she had really cool red legs.

This Hannah often eats rocks, mixed in with the beans or rice or bread. (or sand or dirt or ants)

This Hannah often thinks she’s tan, but it’s really just the dust that comes from living far away from any cement infrastructure. 

This Hannah often trips over rocks embedded in the dirt road. Or falls in the holes in the really old “sidewalk” in the nearest city.  And subsequently…

This Hannah often gets laughed at by large groups of people.

This Hannah often does laundry, sometimes just to get the very stubborn dirt/dust combo out from under her nails. 

This Hannah often needs new clothes because Africa is where clothes come to die.  When buying these new clothes…

This Hannah often thinks that over $4 for any item of clothing is expensive and rethinks the purchase.

This Hannah often deludes herself into thinking that a hot bucket bath is as good as a hot shower.

 

So. These are some things that the Mozambican version of myself does.  Only time (and a triumphant return to the homeland) will tell if I will continue to eat rocks, be tan, and trip (okay I will definitely keep tripping over things).

AND WE'RE BACK.

Neighbor and Counterpart Benvindo (eyes closed, but fazer o que)

Rainy Season

Our very informal pre-school (this is our porch)

Sometimes we get student visitors (mostly when the school decides to have a big party)

Ilha de Mocambique.  Lots of Portuguese architecture, lots of post-apocalyptic Lisbon feeling