So the weather isn’t the only
thing that is heating up this trimester here in Tete, the holiday season has
been upon us in Mozambique. In the 8
weeks now that we’ve had this trimester there has been Victory Day, September 7th,
which was celebrating the treaty signing
between Frelimo and the Portuguese to end the struggle for independence which
was made official the following June in 1975. Then there was actual Peace Day, October
4th, celebrating the treaty signing between Frelimo and Renamo thus
ending the 15 year Mozambican civil war in 1992. Each one turning into a loose three day
holiday celebration, apart from school and government building being closed on
these days the locals often take it upon themselves to have a lax day before
and after. Something I couldn’t complain
about or change, just enjoy.
Though this last holiday in week
seven was definitely the best one in my opinion, but I might just be overly
biased. Professors’ Day! That’s right,
a whole day just dedicated to the educators and mind molders here in
Mozambique. I must say, this is
something the States should get on board with.
The planning of this day started way ahead of last minute, basically a
full month before. Teachers were holding
meetings and debating the ins and outs of how our day celebration would go. From where the post ceremony celebration
would happen, food to be served, how much beer to get, flavor of the cake, our
group capulana design. The process being
done was quite impressive to me. I’d
rarely ever seen this much motivation and pre-planning done anywhere in
Mozambique to be quite frank and with so much enthusiasm. It gave me hope for possible future event
coordinating, as long as it included a free shirt, some refreshments, and a
little praise. Each professor kicked in
a whopping 950 mets, which was a solid amount considering that was about 1/10
of my monthly living allowance on one day.
Non the less the seemed like it would be well spent with all the
rallying my colleagues were doing for this fund raising. The weeks leading up we got together and decided
on a capulana design, got our measurements made by the team of tailors we
brought on to make our matching shirts, passed around documents making our
preferences of food, desert, and drinks known.
It was on.
The day of the celebration, Dia
Doze as all my collegues just referred to it as the holiday always falls on the
12th of October. Morning of,
I threw on my official Escola Secundario do Vale de Chitima shirt and headed
over to our town’s ceremony square to meet all of the other professors. Every school’s teaching staff from the many primary
schools around Chitima to us at the only high school and even the Teachers’
College in town. The square was packed
with students as well and other public officials for the ceremony and a few speeches. The ceremony started like any Mozambican
holiday with a flag rising and national anthem, “Moçombique nossa tera
gloriossa.” Followed by a flower laying
ceremony on our square’s monument, though this time instead of just watching I
was pulled into line by my colleagues and given a flower, to my surprise, to lie
on the monument. Feeling so humbly
honored now and a new level of pride to be a professor amongst the other
educators being celebrated, I walked up with as much pose and grace I could
muster up while sweating profusely as I waited my turn to lay my flowers while
teachers college students sang. I laid
my flowers down and walked on off with a whole lot more gratitude for my
colleagues and school.
(That SWEEEEET Leopard Print Capulana)
After the officialness was over,
the square turned into a large dance party of sorts with the main stage
changing from school dance groups to government speaker and back for the next couple
hours. The excitement stayed though most
rest of the town square festivities until it was about time for the Do Vale professors
to make our way to dinner and group celebration just across town. Hitchhiking
our way over the complex our organizing professors had secured for us. We spent the rest of the day chatting,
laughing, and enjoying each other’s company on our deserved day off. Dinner was a great big spread of Mozambican
deliciousness with grilled chicken, couve, xima , goat curry, bean stew,
roasted potatoes, the works. After
polishing off that bomb works we jumped into a few speeches from our own
Directors of the school, topped the night off with a cake slicing and one popped
bottle of champagne that everyone got a splash to wash down the
bolo(cake). Finishing the night off with
nothing less than some fantastic group dancing and conga lines around the ball
room. My first Dia dos Professors in Moz
and I couldn’t have been happy with the event or colleagues I was able to share
it with.
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