Beer Olympics

Most of the time at site, I am by myself. I entertain myself by reading books, playing guitar, watching movies and contemplating the philosophy of life (i.e. napping).

And yet last weekend, instead of sitting by myself on the floor, eating cold xima and tomatoes, I found myself here:

Vilankulos

Isn't it beautiful? Definitely a drastic change of scenery from Tete, where it hasn't rained since the end of January (Our "river" is now a trickle of mud.) 

You're looking at the beautiful coastal town of Vilankulos, in the south of Mozambique. Last weekend, volunteers flocked to Vilankulos from all corners of the country to participate in a Moz PCV tradition that goes back many years: Beer Olympics. 

This is the highlight of the year for many volunteers. Scoff at our immaturity if you want, but I challenge you to spend a weekend wallowing in the tranquil turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean, cold beer in your hand and surrounded by far-away friends, and not think it's the closest thing to heaven since the Cheesecake Milkshake. By far the best part of the weekend is getting to see friends, especially those that live in far-away provinces.

Everyone's excited to see each other! (Photos by Lisa B.)

While seeing friends is the priority, Beer Olympics itself is pretty important too. Naturally, during the only time of the year when all the volunteers from the far reaches of the country finally get together in one place, we divide up and have an epic battle.

During Beer Olympics, the three regions compete in beer-related events (relay race, table games, etc.) The projected winner by far this year was South -- having the biggest team and regular uh... let's call them team practices. My region, Central, won last year but came in this year as an underdog due to our incredibly small team size. Undaunted by the doubters, we in Central went in with our heads held high, chanting our slogan, "Cohesão!" (Cohesion) and did our very best.

Central fights for a repeat victory.

Well wouldn't you know it, Central won! Not only did we win, we swept the floor with the competition. It was a pretty satisfying victory and we celebrated like crazy. Here I am expressing my joy with Wendy, Szasha and Lisa.

Central Cohesão!

That monkey, by the way, is the Beer Olympics trophy. He's got spectacles and a beer on his head. The region who wins gets to keep it in their office for the year, so the monkey will continue to reside in the Chimoio Peace Corps office for the foreseeable future. We're looking forward to having him as a permanent resident next year when we win our third victory.

While this was possibly the most fun I've had since coming to Mozambique, the weekend wasn't without its trials. First of all, I got a huge series of bites from something living in my mattress, making my legs swollen, itchy and red. Then, one evening while we were playing trivia, someone snuck into the dormitories and stole a bunch of stuff, including my phone, mp3 player, and money. Unwilling to let this crush my high spirits, I accepted the loss and put on a smile. But later that evening, when I came down with a slight fever, I gave up and went to bed early.

Still, trials aside I had a wonderful time. I already can't wait for next year's Beer Olympics. I also have a renewed sense of gratitude that I live in a region with such great people. We do live up to our cheer -- we're a very close-knit, cohesive group. We look out for each other.

Now, anytime I am having a hard day, I'm just going to close my eyes and think of Vilankulos. The next Beer Olympic is less than a year away...that's not so long.

Paradise.