At the Maputo train station

Thia afternoon we made a trip to the train station. We looked at some old trains, and saw the passenger coach arrive, with lots of people and even some chickens. Arild was thrilled that there was a Jeito condom vending machine at the station, and immediately bought a condom, to see how the machine works. It's one of PSI's products...

The kids were very excited about the trains. Eric wanted to know the train's names (he thinks all trains have names, because of Thomas & friends cartoon), and Maya just wanted to touch every train car she saw.

The train station is kind of cool, with lots of antique small details, and a special atmosphere to it. Just makes you want to get on the train and go somewhere... that's until you remember that there is no air conditioning...

We've all been busy in the second part of December, but things are going well. Had a parents' meeting at kids' school, and it made me like the school even more. The director really knows what she's doing, the teachers are great, and the kids love it there.

Until next time!

Eric's birthday

Eric had a fun-filled birthday partu last Saturday, with lots of friends, presents, activities, and cakes. We had way too many cakes: I made two and Eric's best friend's mother, Monika, made an 'animal cake' that you can see on the picture. The little guests ranged from 10 months to 8 years, and they quickly dispersed throughout the house and outside to do various activities, while their parents chatted along. Eric was at first overwhelmed by all the gifts, but caught on with the idea soon enough, and in the days after the party began asking me to tell this or that person what else he would like to get for his b-day. Sorry Eric, you have to wait one more year now:):). Eric loved the plane stickers from grandma Renate, and put the on different things around the house.

Now like if back to normal, although we have all been sick with a bad stomach virus this week: first Eric, then me, then Maya, and now Arild. All hoping to recover completely soon.

Mid-February updates

Well, been off the blog for a month... Can only blame the Facebook, where I resumed my social life:).

Eric and Maya are both in a new school. They like it quite a bit, and have made some good friends. Eric and his friend Emiliano like to walk around the preschool looking for monsters and climbing trees, while Maya and her best friend Andrea enjoy trying on each other's sandals and making sand cakes. They are still reluctant to let me go in the morning, but if their favorite teachers are there, then the transition is smooth.

Eric has resumed swimming lessons, at the Scandinavian school. The teacher is Mozambican, and she is very good, even though Eric still does not like when she holds him and takes him to the deep water. The great thing is that he is swimming with several of his friends, including Fatima and Signe.

Eric and Maya started to going for horse rides (pony rides for Maya) at Costa de Sol stables. They really enjoy it, perhaps because it reminds them of our time in Swaziland.

I have finished some of my big work projects recently. I have presented the new preschool program draft for 3-5 year olds to the technical staff at the Ministry of Women and Social Action, and it went quite well. Now I need to keep working on editing this program, and on writing the program for 1-2 year olds too. Should be fun! We have also launched a new year of preschool activities in 12 community preschools in Inhambane province, each serving around 40 children. I have been working on the teacher’s manual and the training program, something I enjoyed a lot.

Arild is continuing his busy schedule at work, but keeps promising to clear out the weekends for us. We are waiting and hoping… PSI has recently produced some very nice TV commercials for their public health products and for some desired behavior changes, such as using malaria nets, and Arild loves to sit and watch them on the local channels – this is his current preferred evening activity.

On Saturday we will have a bday party for Eric at our place, with about 30 adults and as many kids, from countries all over the world. I have already entered into high adrenalin mode, which is the only way I think I can manage to prepare everything. Going shopping and making cakes tomorrow… Will post pics from the party on Sunday. Take care!

January

We had a calm beginning of the year, with kids still on vacation, and me working at half-speed. Arild has plunged deeply into his work already, though. The kids are often talking about the farm, and pretend to be horses, giving each other rides. Overall, they are becoming nicer to each other, accepting to take turns, sharing, and asking each other for things instead of grabbing. But there are still some days which would make any parent's head spin... We spend a lot of time with Tahia, Fatima, and Daniel, going to the parks and visiting each other. Today we went to a park where within one hour Eric managed to catch a frog and to almost catch a spider, the kids climbed in and out of about 20 tires, went down a slide, swang on the swings, and became friends with a very loving terrier.

Eric is learning how to tie things these days, which means that everything is tied to everything else - airplane to the table, the train to the airplane, and occasionally he ties his own legs or hands. I am just hoping it's just a stage. He's also becoming very pensive, and often talks about where he will work when he grows up (at daddy's office, because it's closer than mommy's office), about babies, old people, and about God ('Does God have hands? And eyes?). Sometimes I don't know how to talk to him, because some of the topics are hard to explain to a 4 year old.

Maya is a real girl, having an opinion on every piece of clothing she wears, and loving her new sandals so much that she takes them every evening with her to the bedroom. She is very kind and always eager to share and comfort, but sometimes becomes shy around strangers. She does not like to be pushed into decisions, but given 2-3 minutes to think about, she usually makes good choices:).

Next week she and Eric will start preschool, and that will probably change their routines and their lives quite a bit.

Take care, and until next post!

Back from Swaziland.

We spent a great week on the Nyanza Farm, in Swaziland (see the album on the right side of the blog). The kids spent lots of time with the animals there, as well as did other fun stuff like climbing mango trees, eating ice cream, chasing monkeys and peacocks, and collecting litchees. Eric rode a pony every day, and he loved it. Arild and I rested, reading magazines and crime novels (me:)), and going for walks. We also travelled in the area, going to the famous Swazi Candles Factory and Ngwenya Glass factory, to the Mantenga Falls, and to the Mlilwane Nature Sanctuary (where we saw antelopas, zebras, wardhogs, and wilderbeasts). On Christmas day, we drove up on the mountain and had a picnick there. Swaziland is extremely beautiful and friendly country, and we'll try to come back for a long weekend soon, to explore some other parts of it.

Going on vacation!!!! Yeah!

Dear all, we will be leaving on our now annual Swaziland vacation tomorrow, and will be back on the night of 26th. There is not internet on the farm, but lots of great animals, and Eric has been talking of all the horses that he will feed and ride. Maya is more excited about the cow.

Of course, you know there is a law that there is always something that will go wrong when you least need it. Just yesterday our kitchen /backyard yard pipes burst, spreading terrible stink. The plumber worked on it the whole day but was not able to finish. So we are leaving on vacation while he'll keep working in our backyard trying to fix it. Hopefully we will return to an odourless home in a week's time:).

We did some fun stuff last weeks, like going to the beach, and playing in a new playspace, Piqi, that has been developed by our Finnish friend, Carita. She basically turned a house with a yard into a play area. The parents have to pay for their kids to play there, but it's reasonable, and the kids have so much fun there. Below are some pictures.

The last weeks were really hecting both for Arild and me, trying to complete lots of work projects. But we'll try to take it really easy and relax together with the kids as much as possible during the vacation. We all need it!

Wishing you happy holidays!

Mid to end November

This week was lots of baking. First Eric and I made funny round cookies, which the recipe book called Russian tea cakes, but which I never seen in my life. They came out nice, anyway:). Then I made a cookie dough using my grandmother's recipe for what are called 'sand cookies' (pesochnoe pechenie), and Eric, with the help of some friends, has cut them into shapes and baked them. They came out just like grandmother's, and it felt nice to connect to her this way, even though she passed away many years ago.

Eric on the tractor at the swimming club

The swimming lessons have not worked out so far. We had a week of nonstop rains, and then Eric has developed a bad cold. On top of it, he's not really excited about the teacher holding him and showing him what to do - he wants to do everything on his own, and it makes lessons difficult. But I took Maya along a few times, and seeing her swimming has really encouraged Eric to get into the water and start practicing. Lets see how it will go in December...

Eric has attended the fairwell party at his preschool last week (see the pic of him and Maya sitting on the chairs, and his teacher, Ms Verna, on the left to them). From now on he will be going to a Portuguese speaking school. He started summer program activities there on Monday, and seems to really like it. For one, he plays much more there, and they give them great lunches and desserts:). I spent the whole day with him on Monday there, he cried quite a bit on Tuesday, but has been happy to tell me bye from then on. They will close on Dec 3, and will start the new term on Jan18, when Maya will also join Eric in the same school.

We have booked a week of vacation in Swaziland, from Dec 19 to 26th. It's the same place we stayed last year, on a farm, with lots of animals. The kids loved it, and so we decided to go back.

Arild is working day and night on a new website for a program that PSI is implementing, called SEDE. It's a workplace HIV education & prevention program, and PSI already has quite a few organizations that have implemented this program in the country.

I have also been busy. Last week I passed over the first draft of the preschool education program to the government, and in a few weeks I will need to conduct a workshop to train tecnical staff from several ministries in the content of the new program. Things are moving along...

With Eric's best friend, Francisco. Another trip to the museum. At Fatima's birthday party.