My Thanksgiving and Random Picture

Hope you had a happy Thanksgiving! It didn't quite feel like Thanksgiving without my family but I'd say it was the next best thing. I ate two plates of turkey and stuffing and tried to explain what we were eating to our Mozambican coworkers who were afraid of stuffing and thought apple pie too sweet. I had much to be thankful for. This picture, of course, has nothing at all to do with Thanksgiving, but I thought I'd post it anyway for the color.

Your brother,
Stephen

My (Bicycling) Hero

Here's a pretty common image you see along the main highway that leads into Tete. I was pretty impressed by his bicycling strength so I snapped this pic.

I'm a little torn by this though, I'm a big fan of cycling but I'm also not a fan of deforestation. I don't want to begrudge a man trying to earn food for himself, but it seems like there is an end endless stream of these guys on bikes hauling wood or charcoal into the city, everyday. It's gotta add up eventually. I'm here as a development worker, but i gotta admit 'development' is still a dirty word for me. Boy, that just reeks of privilege, doesn't it? Cause what do I know? I probably killed more trees and burned more carbon in my life than this guy ever will. I guess I just don't want Mozambique to be another America. I want Mozambique to be Mozambique.

Your brother,
Stephen

My Early Thanksgiving Dinner

Last night I was invited to an early Thanksgiving dinner with the Bister family (Mikael, Jeni, Katie, Jacob, and John). They are some of my favorite people in Tete. Mikael and Jeni work with Wycliffe. Wycliffe is an organization that translates the Bible into all the living languages left in the world today. In Tete, they are in the process of getting a Nhungue translation. I think it is pertinent to note that Jeni grew up a Mennonite and cooks like one, too.

Your brother,
Stephen

My Coworker, Jon

Here's a picture of Jon, my MCC coworker. Jon is from Oregon by way of Washington state. Since I am from Hawaii by way of California, we've agreed that the five westernmost states together comprise five of the ten best states in all the union. I figure Alaska was grandfathered in because the state has a population density most closely resembling that of Eden. The only problem I see with Alaska is the male to female ratio which I hear is not quite the 1:1 made by Adam and Eve, proving even Alaska in all its natural beauty is still East of Eden.

Your brother,
Stephen