Well I'm considering today the halfway point of my trip to Mozambique, because I left the USA on the 18th on January, and my flight home leaves on the 18th on March. But, with the length of travel, I guess there are a number of days I could consider a halfway point.
Regardless, since I'm at the halfway point, I wanted to commemorate the occasion with a blog, even though not much has happened since I last wrote. Dieudonne has been out all day every day this week, and without him around, I've been pretty lazy, pretty much the only work I've done has been feeding the chickens.
I think in some of my posts, I have talked about things that have been difficult for me to get used to here, and I don't think I've put enough emphasis on the fact that honestly, even though the lifestyle I'm living would not be considered particularly pleasant in America, that I consider myself incredibly lucky to be living the way I am. This is because compared to probably 95% of the people I see every day, I'm living the high life. It's a bit annoying that the only way to cool off is by taking cold showers, but, at least we have running water. It's a bit annoying how repetitive the meal selection can be, but, at least we have enough food to go around. It's annoying that bugs and little lizards climb around your room at night, but at least we have mosquito nets and a house. And I absolutely am not allowing myself to get annoyed when it takes 10 minutes to load a page on the internet, since I'm at one of a handful of places in the entire area with the internet at all.
On this same note, everyone has been asking me about how much pictures I've been taking, and I'm doing my best to take pictures, but what I've found from the moment I left the airport in Maputo, every day, the most compelling thing about Mozambique is the people themselves. Since I don't feel particularly comfortable taking pictures of people going about their daily lives, I'm not capturing very much in photographs what to me at least, is the essence of Africa.
One of the things I didn't realize was that there would be people everywhere. It's difficult even to explain. You can drive off road for a mile, and there are people there, living. Driving along the highway in the country, there are people walking on either side as if you were in the middle of a city. Dieudonne said it very well, when I mentioned this. He said, "you see, in America you are always inside. What are you doing? Watching TV? They do not have TV. Using the computer or the internet? They do not have computers. Playing games? They do not have games. Reading books? They do not have books. So, what do they do? They go outside, they walk, they talk, or they just sit."
One of the coolest things has been when we go for drives. Cambine is at the end of a long dirt road, that comes up from the main paved road. When we get to the paved road, and start driving along it, every few miles we come to small village centers, or to crossroads where other dirt roads go off. And at every one of these crossroads, there are hordes of people, most of them selling things. It's quite something to see. If we stop the car anywhere near here, within 5 seconds, there will be a crowd of 20 people around the car, holding up fruit, vegetables, fish, shrimp, craps, chickens, etc. It's absolutely incredible to see. When you pass a river, there are always people there who are selling fish that they have just caught, they'll shove the fish right into your window if you're dumb enough to roll it down all the way. And, after buying food from these people, one usually comes away with the feeling that you have stolen, because they charge you basically nothing. We paid the equivalent of 75 cents one day for a huge bushel of bananas. Another day, we paid the equivalent of $1 at a store for a six pack of Heineken.
On the work front, I just wanted to let whomever it may concern know that work has just started on the new dormitory for the boys at the orphanage. It is going to be separate from the rest of the orphanage, giving them a little more independence. As for me, I've still got plenty I can help with. I've seen most of the things I had hoped to see, the one major exception being we haven't been to the beach yet. That won't be the case much longer, as our current plan is to go to Inhambane and the beach this weekend.
Well, when I sat down to write, I was thinking I would just write about whatever came to mind, and didn't think there would be much to say. Was I ever wrong. I could keep going for some time, but that might leave less to write about in future posts. So, I will leave it here for tonight. I miss all of you, and I thank you for continuing to read these posts and posting replies, even through the very weak medium of seeing your names accompanied by a few friendly words, I feel a little bit closer to all of you.
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Andrew,
ReplyDeleteBeautifully written as always! Just today I had 3 different people tell me how impressed they are with your ability to write from the heart at the same time that you keep the reader engaged and entertained.
Love you so much!
Mom
Thanks for sharing. When you write you paint such a fabulous picture, I feel like I am there.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Aunt Terri
Andrew,
ReplyDeleteI have been following your Mozambique adventures with interest, as your mom lets people know when you have posted something new. How lucky you are to have this experience at all! And your mother is right--you write very well--with rhythm and vividness. You don't really need a camera--you are the eyewitness. (Have you thought of making little sketches if you see something that you want to remember? It doesn't really matter if they're not realistic or "perfect", as they're for your own memory.) Anyway, we missed you in Atlanta at your grandmother's birthday party, but where you are is MUCH more interesting!!
Love,
Margaret
Hi Andrew -
ReplyDeleteYou make us miss Cambine so much! I agree, the people are probably the most beautiful thing about Cambine - and so hard to capture using just a camera. It is a hard, but special place.
And you are right indeed - deprivation is relative isn't it?
I remember those mobs of people at the intersection of the dirt roads and the paved roads - a bit overwhelming. But I loved how Dieudonne would look at produce - send people away - call others over to show him their produce - and finally settle on the right bunch of bananas - just so he could then haggle over the price. And those little bananas were so good!
We really, really love to read your posts and we feel close to you too when you write. We miss you - but also know you are having an experience of a lifetime.
Be well-
Love, Dad and Linda
Andrew,
ReplyDeleteYou are realizing the truth of the situation. What it does is totally change your perspective on life. You will from here on out see things differently even when you return home. There will be things that trigger you back to your experiences in Mozambique for the rest of your life. I imagine that even going to the beach will be a different experience. I remember that the beaches I visited on my trips there were very few people there. Of course I was there in the "winter" but most people were fishing or just out for a walk. Not much of laying around except for tourists at the very few resorts. I will be interested to hear about the summer experience of the beach.
Uncle Craig
Keep up the good work, Andrew. (And, consider photographing the people in their daily lives. It is through those images that you might later see something you didn't realize before. Just a thought.)
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