2007.01.22: January 22, 2007: Headlines: COS - Mozambique: Women's Issues: Portland Press Herald: When Peace Corps Volunteer Zoe Lewis first suggested to her students in Mozambique that the function of women wasn't merely marriage and motherhood, the boys became belligerent and the girls started glowing
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2007.01.22: January 22, 2007: Headlines: COS - Mozambique: Women's Issues: Portland Press Herald: When Peace Corps Volunteer Zoe Lewis first suggested to her students in Mozambique that the function of women wasn't merely marriage and motherhood, the boys became belligerent and the girls started glowing
When Peace Corps Volunteer Zoe Lewis first suggested to her students in Mozambique that the function of women wasn't merely marriage and motherhood, the boys became belligerent and the girls started glowing
"My heart was pounding," recalled Lewis, who returned in December after a two-year stint in the impoverished African country. "As they realized I wasn't going where they thought I was going with my discussion on the roles of women, the girls' faces just started to glow. I thought, OK, I did something really important when I was here." In a Third World nation that only four years ago passed legislation that raised the minimum age for marriage from 14 to 18 and allowed women to inherit property in the case of divorce, Lewis' three-week lesson on women's rights introduced what was literally a foreign concept. Lewis said she isn't sure whether her students were changed by the experience of having a feminist foreigner as a teacher, but she knows she was.
When Peace Corps Volunteer Zoe Lewis first suggested to her students in Mozambique that the function of women wasn't merely marriage and motherhood, the boys became belligerent and the girls started glowing
She brought message to Mozambique ; A Wilton native teaches English and feminism in the African country and learns a few things herself.
Jan 22, 2007
Portland Press Herald
When Zoe Lewis first suggested to her students that the function of women wasn't merely marriage and motherhood, the boys became belligerent and the girls started glowing.
The topic was a tough one to tackle for the Wilton native, who was teaching English in Mozambique as a Peace Corps volunteer.
"My heart was pounding," recalled Lewis, who returned in December after a two-year stint in the impoverished African country. "As they realized I wasn't going where they thought I was going with my discussion on the roles of women, the girls' faces just started to glow. I thought, OK, I did something really important when I was here."
In a Third World nation that only four years ago passed legislation that raised the minimum age for marriage from 14 to 18 and allowed women to inherit property in the case of divorce, Lewis' three-week lesson on women's rights introduced what was literally a foreign concept.
Lewis said she isn't sure whether her students were changed by the experience of having a feminist foreigner as a teacher, but she knows she was.
"I learned that I need a lot less than I used to think I need," she said. "It's pretty amazing how easy our lives our here. We have so many opportunities."
For her, joining the Peace Corps was a chance for an adventure with meaning. Fellow students at Skidmore College had enlisted and regaled her with tales of their experiences.
"It just seemed so wild to me. I always thought, 'What if?' And then one day, I realized, wow, I could actually do this," she remembered.
Although she had traveled extensively prior to signing on - including living in Micronesia for three years as a youngster - when Lewis received her assignment, she had to check a map to locate Mozambique. She arrived in October of 2004 and spent two months learning the language, cultures and customs of the country of 20 million, located in southeastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean.
Among the customs: Never refuse food (it is seen as rude) and never look someone directly in the eyes when talking to them (it is seen as a challenge).
In two years of teaching eight classes a day, each with 50 students, Lewis struggled to remember those rules, and to adapt to being a minority.
Mozambique has been independent of Portugal since 1975. Apartheid in neighboring South Africa through the mid-1990s left many Mozambicans mistrustful of whites, whom they see as wealthy oppressors, Lewis explained. tems from the cement home she shared with another Peace Corps volunteer often were stolen, and Lewis said she was constantly approached by beggars.
"Some people were skeptical about why I was there," she said. "They thought I was a convict because they couldn't understand why anyone would voluntarily leave America. I ended up with really good friends, but it took me a really long time to find them. They wanted to know if I was a movie star. To them, everyone in America is a movie star."
One such friend was Sacur, a native Mozambican who became Lewis' boyfriend. Her lessons on women's rights extended into the relationship, as she taught him that couples can share in the cooking, cleaning and career responsibilities.
When she left Mozambique, Lewis was forced to end her relationship with Sacur. Though Internet access is available there, she explained that Sacur doesn't know how to use it, and he has neither a phone nor a post office box.
Now back in the United States, Lewis plans to leave this week for the West Coast, where she hopes to get a job as a field instructor in a program in a wilderness therapy treatment program for troubled teens.
Links to Related Topics (Tags):
Headlines: January, 2007; Peace Corps Mozambique; Directory of Mozambique RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Mozambique RPCVs; Women's Issues
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Story Source: Portland Press Herald
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Mozambique; Women's Issues
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