My return to Mozambique has come over 5 years after finishing Peace Corps. I’ve grown old-er, gone back to school (twice), moved (twice), and married (once). My age, education, and all that in between will certainly change my perspective during this next year. I’d like to say now that it will be easier that the answers will be more evident and my project more successful, but I suspect that this new perspective will just make my comprehension of all that needs to be done deeper and the work more important. I am surprised at how comfortable I am walking around the capital that has always put me left my dizzy with paranoia. The city seems brighter from recent growth, but I also find comfort in knowing what to expect.
I was drawn back to the scene of the transmission. I could not help it. I ate dinner this evening at a certain Maputo restaurant with pizzas, hamburgers, and real bathrooms that almost 8 years ago left me itching. I do mean itching. It seems that those very nice bathrooms beheld a bounty of little buggers that were just looking for a ride. However, now I am older, educated, and married. Now I know better than to sit. My comprehension of the risks involved in sitting rather than squatting are indeed deeper. I have indeed grown wise.

Today I take a 3-hour flight north to Quelimane, the provincial capital of Zambézia Province. From there I have at least a 3-hour ride to the town of Morrumbala where I will live and work for the upcoming year. What exactly I’ll be doing and where exactly I’ll be living I may find out tomorrow.