drink your juice and leave sinhorita

Happy birthday my little niece Gwyn! (Her first birthday was yesterday)

Yesterday morning in Beira, I woke up at 6 am to go to the beach and run. I encountered some guys training capoeira (Brazilian martial arts). Of course I couldn’t let this opportunity go to waste so we talked and I ended up training with them also. Black guys can jump! Back-flips, side flips, spins, kicks. It was great trying, but VERY difficult in sand and water but all the more amazing. That morning I left to Chimoio, in the province of Manica, Mozambique. The chapa was larger and pristine compared to the one I arrived to Beria in. I sat beside a friendly woman with one eye, and a young girl who gave me three bananas that she bought out of the window just when I was really craving them. I must have looked really hungry. I had bought a newspaper to practice Portuguese, but the woman in front of me asked to read it… then the man beside her, and the person behind me. The trip was 4 hours long and the whole bus had read my newspaper except me.

Chimoio is absolutely gorgeous! Hills, vallies, red dirt, lots of vegetation, and veggies at the market. I just got back from the best bike ride ever. I am staying with Joel and Jenny and baby Nadia (MCCers), and lent me their bike. I was gone for about 3 hours exploring. It was another one of those times where you say “Ya, its just like I wanted, it’s the Africa I pictured”, the way the scenery is with the trees, the people, the heat the smell. I biked with the one speed bike on red dirt roads in the mountains of Chimoio. Of course another biker caught up to me to talk. I never lack free Portuguese practice when I go out on my own. I ended up in the places cars can’t go, only crazy me on a bike and people on foot. Everyone sold crackers, biscuits, peanuts and pop on the sides, or their veggies and fruit. I stopped in at a bar to get some cold juice. One man came up to me and told me to finish my juice and leave because I am a prime target with my purse and bike. I thanked the guy for being honest, finished my juice and left the interesting but sketchy neighborhood. I went to a crazy market and bought a pirated CD of some good African tunes.

Voting time is soon and cars, motorcycles, bikes, and carts are going up and down the streets yelling “VOTA VOTA!” (VOTE VOTE) and other various things, with the photos of politicians printed on capulanas and flags waving. I am always surprised at the funny things capulanas have on them. One I saw had pictures of needles all over it as an add against AIDS (SIDA in Portuguese) and others had pictures of missing people, or wanted people printed on them. I tend to go for classic African patterns rather than ads.

Just got in from having Mozambique’s best pizza here in Chimoio. It was fantastic! I have had other African pizza, and thought that they would never be able to understand what pizza is, but this was delish. I am indulging over here, because it is soon that I head out to the bushes of Machanga and eat rice for each meal.