I haven't posted for quite a while now, but since I've been here I seem to be losing track of time. All my days go by so quickly, full of new, non-routine type things that seem to drain me much more than my normal states life (States! That's what everyone calls America who doesn't live in America). I'm never drained in a negative way, just in the way that everyday is a combination of being around kids, trying to speak and understand Portuguese, and also it happens to be very much still summer here, so at the end of the day I am tired, but so excited for what the next will have in store.
We have been going to Masana twice a week now, which is the house for street boys, and it is one of my absolute favorite places. Every Wednesday we plan games to play with them, and yesterday it happened to be chalk fencing (yes, they did have to put on hand on their hip as the most prestigious fencers do), and water balloon games, which turned into a hectic water fight that I was surprised didn't happen sooner. I have to tell you something about Masana though, which I don't think I can fully describe, but I will try my best. Every kind of game, sport, or organized event is 18373X crazier at Masana then I have ever experienced anywhere else in my life. There is always yelling, whether it's nice or not I wouldn't know, there is always a great joy and celebration in winning, the games don't ever go as planned, and I happen to hardly ever keep score (They'll never know!). Besides the games that we play, we always spend time just hanging out and getting to know the boys better. Because we continue to show up on a regular basis, the boys that were more shy and cautious at the beginning, are starting to open up and want us to be included in their activities. It brings me absolute joy to be around those boys.
Another place we have been visiting regularly is Project Purpose. This one is the opposite of Masana in my mind in terms of the kids temperaments. They are all easily organized, quiet and somehow make you want to take them all home with you, thinking that it would be easily manageable to have 20 kids around. Anyways, we have been doing bible lessons and projects with them these last few weeks and it's very exciting to know how much they look forward to the time we visit them. They all run up to greet us and to give us hugs, and although they know we will return soon when we leave, it breaks my heart a bit when we have to leave them and they don't want to let go from our hugs.
Since I'm such a fan of bullet points, I'd like to insert some here to tell of all the going's on:
- It's been raining daily here lately. It's ok, the humidity still likes to be at 100%
- Yesterday I went for a run and was followed Pied Piper style by about 15 kids
- I've been learning a lot about Mozambique and it's unique culture and one of my favorite things about it is how relationship oriented everyone is. No one has picked a text message over conversation as of yet!
- I made a new friend named Tereza. She was the first person to ask for my phone number but I'm still not quite sure what that number is yet... :S
- I went to a Superbowl party. It started at 1:30 a.m. and we BBQ'd.
- When you buy produce or other trinkets off the street, you know if they like you when they give you a little extra for free.
- The boys at Masana have a different idea of how to play checkers. It's more fun, but I think people at home would call it cheating.
- The other day I bought a coke zero. I asked the lady I bought it from how she was doing in Portuguese. She then continued to speak Portuguese far outside my realm of knowing. I told her in Portuguese, "I don't understand but I like Coke Zero." At least I still know what I like in foreign language.
- The other day when it was raining, the roads were flooded and cars were getting stuck. Within two hours it had stopped raining and the roads were dry! I feel as if it is bit of a miracle every time it rains here.
- I've been trying to teach the boys how to tango and say, "Wassup?". I don't know how well it's working out.
- The girls like to braid my hair but it tends to feel as if they hate me when they braid it by all the pulling and ripping out my hair gets subjected to.
- People like to mosey here. Mosey to school, mosey to their friends, and especially mosey across busy intersections.
- I just love Mozambique
Until next time! Oh and P.s. the title refers to a T-shirt I saw a Mozambican man wearing the other day. It's one of my favorites so far.
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