Written on November 9, 2010:
Tudo bom? (Everything good?) I hear it's turning all cold and crisp over in those parts. I also heard that Auburn is ranked #1, ahead of #5 Alabama?? Maybe I shouldn't believe everything I hear...
Things are really starting to heat up here (seasons are opposite). To prove it, I've got a nice, juicy sunburn in the odd places I missed when applying sunblock: back of ears, back of knees, etc. Live (in Africa) and learn!
I'm now just over halfway through training and after a careful survey of life here in Mozambique, I can report that I think I'm going to like it just fine. Let me explain... Mozambicans know how to party. Over the past few weeks I've found myself at three or four festas thrown by friends of Olivia (my first host "mom"), neighbors, or just people whose house I happened to be walking by. In the words of one gracious host: "In Africa, when we throw a party, we throw it for the whole world!"
In Portuguese, they use the expression "the whole world" to just mean "everyone," but from what I can tell, they pretty much do throw the party for the whole world. There will be a meal served, but since there probably aren't enough plates, silverware or seats for all the people who showed up, everyone just squishes together on couches, chairs, or standing room only and eats whatever way they can. Then they push back the tables, pull out the monster speakers, and sing, drink, dance, undulate, stomp, clap, and just generally get down.
Last night I was at one such party. It was a traditional, quasi-wedding for a couple who was celebrating her moving into his family's house. The couple already has two kids together, but the more important thing here is to wait until you save up enough money to throw a good party. In fact, it was only a quasi-wedding because they're waiting until next year to have their legal wedding ceremony so that they can save up and throw an even bigger party, naturally.
As I was asking Olivia about all of this, I found out that she and Salvador are actually not legally married either. (You might remember that their oldest child, Jacinto, is fourteen.) They're saving up to first build a house (they rent now), and traditionally the man also gives a cow to the woman's father. Since Olivia's father lives in Maputo and therefore has no use for a cow, Salvador will just give him some whiskey and call it done.
They're planning to have a real blow out, which is scheduled for the year after next. She told me I have to come since I'll still be here in Mozambique then. Would I miss my host "parents'" wedding? Not a chance. Especially not if there's cow head to be had, as there was at last night's quasi-wedding. Tastes just like dog food in case you were wondering.
So how's my Portuguese is coming along? I can say that I've moved past charades to being able to have real conversations! I don't speak very well yet, but I'm making it, one day at a time. I'm fascinated by the language dynamic here; Mozambique, and Namaacha in particular, is a veritable tower of Babel. I mentioned in a previous e-mail that my new host family speaks a lot of Changana, one of the local languages in Mozambique. I also mentioned that there were 27 local languages in Moz. Well, I was wrong. There are more than 100!
Not only that, but here in Namaacha we're right on the border of Swaziland and South Africa, two countries that both speak English, and also Swazi, Afrikaans, Zulu and probably a lot more. The other day I was sitting at the barraca with Olivia visiting with Salvador's aunt. I didn't realize at first that she was from South Africa, since I mistook the Swazi that she and Olivia were speaking for Changana.
When she started speaking English to me, I spoke Portuguese back to her, which is what I do when people try to speak English with me here. She gave me a confused look and asked if I spoke English, explaining that she doesn't speak Portuguese. So there we were: me, Olivia and Salvador's aunt... Olivia and I speaking Portuguese, Olivia and the aunt speaking Swazi, and the aunt and I speaking English. What a crazy, awesome place this is!
Other quick highlights:
- Two weekends ago I dressed up as my nemesis, the cockroach, for the Halloween party all of the trainees threw.
- On Sunday I hiked with some other trainees to the point on top of a mountain where Mozambique, Swaziland and South Africa meet.
- On Saturday I made homemade peanut butter with a pilão (mortar and pestle in English?). It was pretty tasty.
- I also learned how to compost and grow a bio-intensive garden last week. At least I'll find out if I actually learned come planting time in a few weeks...
Hugs & kisses, and saucy Mozambican dance moves.
Correction: I stated rather prominently in my last e-mail that I can see South Africa from my house. Turns out that’s not true. I blame the language barrier.
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