Last of Machanga for 2009... i will return

Oct. 20

Quickest chapa ride yet! Only took 8 and half hours to get from Beira to Machanga. On the way here, we saw 4 flipped-over vehicles. 2 in the ditch, one was a semi, and 2 some how, upside-down in the middle of the road, they were both other chapas. Scary,,, this just goes to show that taking a chapa ride is no picnic in the park.

Back at home, after getting off the chapa and starting my journey down the path to the center, my running buddies – the group of about 8 little girls, took my things for me and carried it to the center for me. Laughing all the way of course. I was greeted by the wonderful hugs, kisses and greetings from the girls. I had bought ¾ inch irrigation tubing to make hoola-hoops. We got 6 out of the 20 meters I bought and I got out the ribbon and colored electrical tape to decorate. It is all of their first time, you can already tell whom are the naturals.

A favorite night activity for the girls is watching movies. The other night we watched “Happy Feet” which is an animated film about a penguin who can not sing, but can dance > another branch off of the ugly duckling. The day after, Tia Cacilda and I were eating lunch together and she said she had a question for me. She asked if the birds in the movie really could talk English, or if it were men in suits that were dancing and singing. It is difficult to explain ‘digital animation’ when neither of us have the capacity to explain or understand this type of vocabulary in Portuguese.

I have made connections with Peace Corp. and a couple girls on another Mozambiquan sight donated 2 huge sacs of cloths. We distributed them, Tia Cacilda helps arrange the fairness> the cloths set in a pile then girls line up and take what was on top. I found it funny that she would snatch a nice piece out and wait for another girl she favors come to give it to them… so much for fair. She held a gnarly broom-like-branch to chase away the swarm of girls from the pile of goods> she looked threatening, and was not afraid to bat away those not listening… we all had a good laugh though. Once all had been chosen, we had a fashion show down the red-carpet…. which was actually my orange yoga-matt. Nonetheless, they loved it and their sweet new garb. The left over’s I gave to Tio Jeorge, our guard, and Tio Machau, our cook. They took each peace with happiness, no cloths seem to go to waist, they have some family connection, wife’s and kids, that can make use of it all.

Oct 21 / 09 > Journey to Salina

My feet have really taken a beating these last months and as a result have pretty cut up feet. Me and Richie, one of the peace corp guys herd of this place that people go to collect salt. It is a giant salt deposit near Machanga. He was given general directions by a young boy he knows and we were off after having a big Mozambiquan breakfast at their place > French fries, tomato and onion salad, eggs and bread. It was about 7 kilometers, and we asked many people along the way to redirect us. A man gave us his kids to take us there, and the rest of the kids in the area followed suit of course. We defiantly would not have made it there without them. We walked through remote land with random huts and the kids that lead us didn't even speak Portuguese! Suddenly we came to a desert like clearing where is looked like a lake surrounded by snow, but was actually salt. Women were in there with buckets collecting huge salt crystals. I HAD to experience the magic so I took off my shoes to bare my beat up feet. I stepped one step into the salt covered matope (mud) and wanted to scream. The burning sensation was seriously the most, to put it nicely, sensational feeling I have ever felt. I made squeals and yelps as I took steps deeper in towards a group of woman. The kids loved the entertainment. I made it in, mud up to the knees and a layer of salt on top, with about half a foot of water on top of that. Every step was like a slow-motion picture, very difficult to walk. I got out and couldn't put my shoes on with my mud-covered feet, so I proceeded walking it off. Unfortunately the EXTREMELY HOTT sand didn't do my feet so good. I screamed and ran to the nearest shrub for a shadow. The little escorts, who also were barefoot, laughed and jumped with joy at my actions. They took me back to their house so I could be washed up and shoes put back on for our journey home. Mission accomplished.

Oct. 24 / 09

My feet are a big show these days. When I first came my feet were just interesting because they were white, now they are fascinating because they are swollen. My toes and right foot blew up and the intense heat sure does not help. The little bit of pealed skin has been infected and irritated by the mass amounts of dust and dirt that enter on a continual basis, and the amounts of activity I like to do. I stayed off my feet yesterday and the girls were sure to come to see how I was as well as Tia Cacilda to clean them often, by sticking rough rags between my tender toes. She is my Mai de Africa.

School is over, and all girls left expert 15. It was a exiting but sad morning to see them off. Yesterday, I baked a cake for them and we strategically tried to cut it into 40 pieces in the dark with a flashlight, ya right… when the flash-light quit working, the cake magically disappeared instantly. Everyone got at least a taste. I made a good-bye speech and told them how I will miss them and can’t wait to see them when we all return in February. Gave them Canadian hugs and Mozambican kisses on each cheek. It is VERY quiet without all the singing and laughing right now. Time to do some art, reading and reflecting I guess.

Oct. 25 / 09

This energy thing is getting pretty difficult. I can’t charge anything here, internet has not been working at all and I have more devices then I can handle that have to be plugged in. I am not a high-maintenance person, but in this community my needs exceed the average person.

One of our girls has disappeared. She left the center this afternoon with her things, unannounced. This is very strange, since she seemed fine here, she has no family anywhere near here, and she never indicated anything to anyone.

I think my bed has mystery bugs. I have a lot of itchy bites that are not mosquito bites. Time to wash my sheets?

I had my first chicken in the center! We have been eating that crazy mini-dried shrimp with sand bits in it for a LONG time, lunch and supper. Now that 25 of the 40 girls left, I guess we can be a little more creative with food choices and splurge! It was so delicious.

Got some yarn given to me, and I broke out the crochet hooks and the girls went to it. Since they are amazing with their fingers in hair and strings etc, they are very good at crocheting! For most of them it was their first time to get a-hold of these materials, but it came naturally.

Madinha > What a gem. She is a very well off, large woman who is over generous; more then words can explain. She put ointment on my gross feet, vigorously brushes my messy hair (ripping most of it out), feeds me cheese, deep-fried things, shrimp, and give me refrescos every time I come just to say ‘hi’. I know that when I can’t bare to eat anymore of this sandy shrimp, I will just wait it out and visit her shop and I am sure to be filled to the brim. We are making a cake together tomorrow ☺

I made a big mistake. The girls were sitting around doing each others nails. Instead of using nail polish they mixed some ‘black henna’ in a water-bottle cap and put the gunk on their nails with a little stick. They asked if I would like to try. Being me, always trying almost everything once, I said yes. I asked what the result would be, thinking a orangey-red. But no… > black. I immediately started scpraping my nails on the back of the chair… they noticed and asked what was wrong. I washed my nails and scrubbed it off, leaving me with one black-nailed hand. They said it was beautiful, and asked if I would like my other one done up. I didn't really try to explain ‘goth’ to them, but told them that it wasn't very appealing to me. Silly mazungu.

Oct 28 / 09 Dia de Votar!

Today voting day for elections in Mozambique. Medinha invited me to come join her in Mambone. Like I have said before : She is one well-off woman. I was surprised we ended up walking to the river and some one did not carry her in a chariot-like contraption. It was so hot out, and when the days activities were done we bathed in the river! It was the most refreshing thing ever! I laughed so hard at my whiteness, I think I look as strange to myself as I do to everyone else since I am so used to seeing their cocoa skin. I added quiet a bit of salt to the salty river with all my sweat washing off.

I think I could live here with no money and never go hungry. I have had so many lunch, refresco and food offers from so many people that if I keep rain checks I will never go hungry. For the little that people have, they love to give. Africa is very generous and I have learnt that if people have something, they share it until it is gone. That also is part of the result of why there is so much poverty. They feel obligated that if they have a lot of something, it must be shared. So they give it away. Or others will notice this wealth and ask for it, and so the person with surplus feels obligated to give or to spend this wealth so they use it up, and have full benefit before people can ask for it. This may all seem complicated, and perhaps I cant explain in better terms, but the book “African Friends and Money Matters” by David Maranz explains this and many other interesting insights on the African financial system.

Now that I am comfortable with the language, Machanga feels more and more like home everyday. I will have to adapt quickly to a new world as I am leaving for a 3 month period to work in Beira. Sad to leave my girlies! We are now so comfortable with each other, as we dance together to second-hand music from a house that has energy and speakers after supper in the moon-light. *sigh*

Corizon de boi! > Heart of a bull… another one of my favorite fruits! That, and leechies. Corizon de boi, I think is also known as jack fruit, has almost a yogurt-pear like texture capturing black seeds. Tangy and delish! Spiky on the outside. Mangos are ripe in about a week! Can’t wait!


Oct 31 / 09 Halloween

Got things packed, last night me and the girls watched “Ever After” and ate cakes we made, and popcorn. Since there is only 15 of us watching, we could hear the words and sounds coming from the computer, it was no longer drowned out by 40 girls reacting to the strange and new things they saw actors do.

Jenny and Joel were heading to Inhassoro for a holiday, and I have Peace Corp connection down there so I tagged along and now am in one of their houses about a 4 minute walk from turquoise ocean. You can see it from my doorway. We went for a long run on the beach yesterday, and my poor feet not accustomed to sand-runs got blood blisters. Common LEX> take care of your feet! But it was so worth it.

Me, Sara, Emily and Hans got dressed up for Halloween. I was a butterfly using a pretty capulanah as my wings. People who saw us thought we were crazy. There are a lot of South-Africans here that don't even understand. To be honest, this was my first year not going “trick-or-treating”!