In the past 3 weeks I've had the opportunity to visit dozens of Kiva-supported borrowers, funded by hundreds of generous individuals worldwide, thanks to Kiva's local partner Hluvuku-Adsema, in Mozambique, Africa. Each visit was unique on its own and each individual I met could have their own biopic. But, given my filming skills (or the complete lack thereof) I was more interested in hearing their stories and how the loans changed...
Continue Reading >>Stories tagged with Mozambique
You probably know more Mozambican Portuguese than you realize…
After first landing in Maputo three months ago, my jet-lagged brain strained to understand the small talk with my taxi driver. He excused himself as he answered his phone and said “Estou busy no meu job, brother.” Baffled, I realized I understood what he was saying not because of my Brazilian-Portuguese background, but because of my native language, English! I knew I would have to adjust my Portuguese accent, but wasn’t expecting to have to adjust my English accent in order to communicate in...
I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole and ended up in the wonderful world of Maputo, Mozambique. Forgetting my old routine and relearning the spicy, Mozambican way of things.
I was on my first placement in Brazil when I found out I would be going to Mozambique. I began to eagerly dream about my future life in Africa, a new continent for...
"It's so beautiful!" Dona Elsa stood in awe of the photo I just took of her.
Dona Elsa isn't used to being in photos, and she is especially not used to smiling in photos. When I asked if I could take her picture, her first instinct was to stand with arms by her side; a serious, pensive look on her face without a shadow of a smile in sight. Before taking the picture, I asked her to smile and she timidly obliged.
I took the picture and showed her the outcome on the tiny LCD screen of the digital... Continue Reading >>
Compiled by Philip Issa | KF17 | Palestine
We’ve all had these moments: Trying to impress a native speaker with our ability to speak their language, we compose an elegant sentence in our minds, open our mouths, and… proceed to swallow our feet whole. Indeed, we Kiva Fellows have had no shortage of these incidents – we’ve twisted and tortured whole phrases so that they come out no better suited than to embarrass and offend.
So here are a few stories of us Fellows shattering our carefully constructed, professional identities with a spectacular...
Continue Reading >>Compiled by Michael Slattery | KF17 | Togo
Despite the often upbeat tone of fellows’ posting on the blog, I’ll be the first to admit that the position entails some universal hardships. There is the occasional social isolation that leaves you Saturday night at home with a book and bottle of the local plonk, despite apparently leading a life of swinging exoticism and sun-drenched adventure. There’s is a lot of driving around, waiting, driving some more, and then getting told some tall tales by people who look at you like you’re definitely one of those foreign imbeciles that...
Continue Reading >>Compiled by Chris Paci | KF16 & KF17 | Ukraine
It’s been a busy week here on Kiva Stories from the Field! Most of our KF17 fellows have been in the field for two months by this point, and they’ve been drawing on their wealth of on-the-ground experience to unpack some of the more complex and troubling aspects of life in their host societies. In a series of fascinating posts, our...
Continue Reading >>Micaela Browning | KF17 | Mozambique
The Quirimbas Archipelago in Northern Mozambique is a paradisiacal chain of 24 verdant islets blessed with the tropical vacationer’s holy trinity: ivory sands, ubiquitous royal palms, and resplendent turquoise waters . Last weekend, I was fortunate enough to have the privilege of visiting Quirimbas, which – I figured – would be a pleasant respite from the toils of city life.
Continue Reading >>Compiled by Allison Moomey | KF16 & KF17 | Bénin
Deep into the world of profile posting, repayment reporting, and borrower verifications, Kiva Fellows have been reflecting on the contrasts between their previous lives and their lives in the field. Kiyomi discovers a new side to neighboring Mexico, Micaela humorously presents the her differing reactions to...
Continue Reading >>Micaela Browning | KF 17 | Mozambique
A few weeks ago, Kiva Fellow Jamie Greenthal wrote a great blog post about his new life in the Philippines versus life back in New York City. This week, I’d like to expand upon this most excellent topic and draw your attention to a few slight differences between the way things function in my office here in Mozambique and how things worked in my office back in New York City.
Few events can highlight differences between two places better than the occurrence of problems. I have definitely had my share of problems...
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