Welcome to Angoche

                When I walked into the apartment for the first time, I soon realized that my Peace Corps experience would not be even close to the fantasies of thatched huts and hauling water that I had been imagining since I started the application process so long ago. During training, Mafe and I had no shortage of stories of people who had been to Angoche. Everyone gushed how beautiful, safe, and nice it was that we had little doubt we were going to a great place.

                Angoche is a town of about 80,000 people on the coast in Nampula province. It is a strange town because it has many beautiful buildings that were built in the last 50 years, only to stand empty today. There is a huge tree lined boulevard that is used by a few bicycles, motorcycles, and the random car. There are marble storefronts leading to windowless, abandoned buildings. The center of town is all made of cement, and there are usually few people walking around town. Then, walking further from the center reveals neighborhoods with tons of people, spending time between houses that can be made of anything from brick to sticks.The people of Angoche speak Koti, a language only spoken in this city and the surrounding areas.

                The city is located on a bay with mangrove trees lining the water. A 20 minute walk and short canoe taxi ride gets you to the beautiful beach peninsula of Thamole. Seven kilometers from town is the gorgeous and mostly deserted beach of Praia Nova. It’s been rare to see anyone but fishermen pulling in their nets on these two beaches and the white sand stretches for miles.

                Although Angoche is a fairly large town by Mozambique standards, it is pretty isolated. It takes anywhere from 3.5 to 5 hours to travel to here from Nampula city. The road is mostly dirt and sand, with so many potholes the drivers go from one side of the road to the other to try to find the smoothest path. Normally, there aren’t any cars going in the opposite direction so that works pretty well. Every once in a while there is a stretch of smooth pavement that usually lasts for a mile or two then suddenly disappears into another long stretch of dirt. Then, after thinking you are in the middle of nowhere, you reach a city full of street lights, multi-story buildings, park benches, stores and a bank. The road ends at an outlook on the water so you can’t go any further. That’s how you know you’ve arrived in Angoche.

                Our apartment is in the center of the cement part of town. We sit atop a hill on the second floor, so we can see the ocean from every window of the house. We have tons of space and the previous volunteers left us plenty of furniture, kitchen utensils, and everyday necessities. Mafe and I got comfortable here very quickly.

                Our first month here was spent cleaning the apartment, hosting people for Christmas, and generally getting acquainted with our new home. It’s been crazy to think that this new place will be my home for the next two years, especially for me. I have moved 12 times in the last 5 years, so two years sounds like a really long time.  But I am looking forward to getting to know the town and the people better everyday I’m here.