Meeting the Local Team

Today, June 3rd, was the first day 'on the job.' Our PMIL two partners from the University of Connecticut and I were ready in the lobby of the hotel for an 8:00 AM pick-up from our driver. Around 8:45 AM we were out the door... I wonder how Mozambicans view time? Time is such a cultural construct and something  that I will grow to understand.

Young men transporting coal by bike. One bag is worth about $4 USD

We drove about 20 minutes to the IIAM research station, and my eyes were glued to the window the entire way. There this wonderful travel sensation, as EVERYTHING is so new to me. However, I see all these new things and different activities but really do not have any understanding of the reason behind them. Because of this, I just love hearing what locals, such as our driver, says about certain things along the road. For example, what are the big white sacks piled on the side of the road? Salt! (for cooking only I was informed).

The road, including huge holes, on the way to the station

Intercultural/Inter-lingual Communication at Its Finest 

Imagine. 8 local enumerators with little to no English, 3 Americans with medium to no Portuguese, and 1 local bi-lingual coordinator. Even with the language challenges, we needed to check the English to Portuguese translation of the survey and ensure all enumerators were clear of EXACTLY what the survey was asking. Question by question. Talking in circles between two languages was long at times, but it was the only way to make sure everyone was on the same page. It was a long day, but everyone's attitudes were fantastic (with power outages and no snacks to boot)! I think we have a great team here :) And the next step? We will make corrections to the survey this weekend and get back to it on Monday with the rest of the local team.

Day 1: Reviewing the survey with the team