Our First Days in Mozambique

There’s just so much to tell, I’m just not sure where to begin…so I’ll just start with “We’re finally here!”

After a very long journey, we are in Xai Xai, just north of Maputo, and we are getting ready to build tomorrow (Monday) and to make new homes for wonderful and deserving families.

Just so folks at home know what it took to get here: there are 21 of us traveling from Minnesota, Wisconsin and New York and we all arrived on different days on different flights. Some of us flew through DC and Dakar, some flew through Atlanta direct to Johannesburg. We all went through Jo’berg to Maputo. All totaled up together it was about 20 hours of travel in air (without stops or layovers) - what a journey! Everyone fared it well and we’re all set and ready to go, with only a little bit of jet lag still catching up with a few of us.

Those of us who came early spent Saturday enjoying the sunshine, the hotel pool, putting our feet in the Indian Ocean and getting to know each other. By Saturday evening most of us had arrived and we met our hosts from the National Office and had a wonderful dinner at a seafood restaurant. We enjoyed some of the world’s best prawns! It was delicious. 

Today (Sunday) we got up bright and early (8am Mozambique time, which is 1am Minnesota time) and we went off to the Art Market where we all bought lovely souvenirs and practiced our bartering skills. Some of us were better than others, but in the end we supported the local economy and got some fun things to share with friends and family at home, including these great pieces of artwork on fabrics made with wax. As I’m typing I can’t remember what they’re called but they’re incredible! I think if I had spent any more time there I would have an entire suitcase full of them.

After our trip to the market, a few of us went to the Natural History Museum and then we had to get on the bus to drive to Xai Xai (about 4 hours by bus north of the city) where we’ll be building for the week. It was an easy drive and quick, with only 1 bathroom stop where we had to pay 5 meticais or about 17 cents in US Dollars for each person to use the cleanest toilets in all of Mozambique. (Seriously, they are known for how clean they are!)

We made it to our lodging around 4pm and spent a few hours getting used to our surroundings and enjoying each others’ company. We had dinner and orientation with the Mozambique affiliate where we learned about the families that they serve, the work that we’ll be doing, and how Habitat Mozambique does their work. We are all looking forward to putting in a day’s work and getting to know the families throughout the week.

I always knew that this trip was going to be a great adventure and so far it has been nothing but amazing. We have an incredible group of people traveling together with a desire and a passion to serve others and make the world a better place. It’s an awesome experience and it’s only just begun.