One Year

Dan and I have been living in Mozambique for one full year!  

These past twelve months have been, more than anything else, a time of discovery and tremendous personal growth.  Sometimes I feel like I am here just to observe-- to watch and to take in the things that I see.  

"I become a transparent eyeball; I am nothing; I see all..."  

 Ralph Waldo Emerson

Through watching, I have learned a great deal.  I have learned that-

• Little boys and little girls are the same, all over the world
• Mozambicans are very, very social and are rarely alone
• This country is generally optimistic, cheerful, and full of hope

During this past year, I have also learned a lot about myself.  As an American girl living as a foreigner in a new country, I have started to see myself through the eyes of the people that I have met.

Let's take a look at the things that I have learned about myself and my country in the past year:

A Profile of Lisa Jo Spencer

Profile of Mozambique

It's been a big year:  a year of pictures, of friendships, and of challenges.  This is the year that I learned Portuguese.  This is the year that I learned how to be a teacher.  This is the year that I set out to change the world and I changed myself, instead.

Successes:

• Learning Portuguese
• Becoming well-known in the community
• Getting published
• Completing my first year as a teacher

Challenges:

• Class discipline
• Loneliness/Homesickness

Photos:  One Year in Mozambique

Finally, I'd like to close out with a few statistics.  It's hard to encapsulate an entire year in just one blog entry, but I hope that these numbers will help define the scope of my first year in Mozambique and paint a picture of my daily life.  Enjoy!  Here's to another twelve months in Africa.

Communication

In the Classroom

On the Home Front

And in Closing...