MozamWeek

Yesterday we passed a guy selling pineapples... the kind from Zambezia, not from Manica. I know because I have lived here a long time. I have weekly reminders of the accumulation of years of knowledge of this place. It kind of feels good to recognize how much I've grown even if the areas of growth are somewhat trivial... at least, on the surface! January marks the abundance of mangoes... greens abound, but lettuce is too wet and so are tomatoes (seems to be many with black spots right now.) Last week I bought avocados that seemed pretty local (bigger, kind of beat up and flavorful, instead of perfect and shiny and tasteless!) Avocados are usually most available in February. We just finished the November/December glut of lichies, small plums and peaches from orchards in the north of the province were also easy to find... if you know where to look for them! I do... I've been here since before the dawn of the supermarket chains. The local stuff is generally better and cheape...

Mozambique is generally accepted as being one of the poorest countries on Earth. That said, a lot has improved since we moved here in 1996 for the first time. My first confrontation with street begging was in Portugal in 1995. I was torn: Give to whom? How much? How to say "no" and not feel guilty? After living with my uncomfortable wealth and struggling with odd reactions to my giving and refraining, I asked God what to do. To my surprise, He answered.  In Portugal, I realized there was a 10 escudo coin that would buy a bowl of soup at any corner cafe. It wasn't extravagant, but it was something substantial enough to help someone who was hungry. This wasn't the most common coin in my pocket. It was almost rare. God "said" through a still, small voice in my heart, "Give those to me and trust me with them." I understood that if I had a 10 escudo coin and someone asked me for money, I could willingly give it and trust God to do the choosing. I did...

While we often complain about how things don't work in Africa or how long it takes to do some things here, I must admit, it isn't everything that is harder to take care of around here. I can get shoes fixed on the sidewalk near the supermarket. Another guy does watches on the same street. Here are a few things I've done in the past week that were easier in Tete than home in USA or Sweden: Getting copies of old newspapers Yesterday's news is always new! I waited until afternoon to get this paper on the day it came out. Unfortunately, it was only available after 2pm. Next day I picked it up for the usual cost of 15 mt. I could have gotten a copy of ANY of the papers from the previous week for the same price. Since they never sell out, you can always find old newspapers... but they don't give them away or discount them if they are old. Dress-makers and tailors are always nearby Second hand markets and local tailor shops are easy. Katie and I went ...

Yesterday I got a request to Skype with a friend in Mozambique. I thought it odd, but knew it must be something important. "I just didn't want to tell you this in an email or on Facebook," she explained as we finally got connected. "I just found out that Dona Rosa has died. Q said it was back in January. She was sick, he said you knew about the illness. I'm so sorry. I know you were close to her." Dona Rosa. Rosa worked with me for nearly 14 years in Mozambique. She was our  empregada:  employee. She arrived on our doorstep in November 1998, soon after we began living in Tete. She knocked on our door one morning and asked for a job. Without references, we were hesitant to "let her in." She came back every day practically begging for work. "I have two hands and I need work. My brother will tell you that I'm a good worker." After struggling to wash blue jeans by hand in a basin of cold water a few times, I gave in. "Ok, come and...

Here in Tete, Mozambique, March is a month of hope. The rains have arrived in full force and the fields are green! The corn, a staple of the Mozambican diet, is tall and tasseled. The wells are full of water. People are no longer hungry. Cattle have plenty to eat. When you have a distinct cycle to life, as in this agriculturally dependent place, you can appreciate the blessings more than in places where technology makes abundance possible all the time. Here, hunger in November and December is real. Everything is dry. Water is scarce. It is extremely hot (averaging about 105F during the day for months on end). Energy levels sink as the heat saps our strength and robs us of patience. Cows and goats and mothers get skinny. Dust clouds rise with the hot breeze. It is a time of just hanging on! BUT, December… or sometimes January… brings rain. Rain brings a break in the heat and kills the dust. Rain means we can plant… and once the seeds are in the ground, we won’t be tempted t...

About a year ago I posted a list of rising prices for Tete. Sine then, the dollar has risen and fallen and so have prices. We have more shops carrying more items than ever before. We have more cars driving on the same streets and parking is a problem for everyone. Here is the most recent estimate of what's available and how much we pay. I've changed my favorite shop... my new go-to guy is in an unnamed shop on the top street. The cash register print-out says, "Hassan" but we all call this "the blue-eyed man's shop." Everyone knows what we mean - there aren't many blue eyes in Tete! I must give credit to VIP Supermarket for changing the way we do business. Though the prices are higher on many items and parking is usually difficult, some things you can only count on buying at VIP. What we DO like about VIP is that it stays open over lunch and has beef that doesn't taste like blood! Variety is amazing. You can pay with a bank card. You walk the is...

In about one year, we will be heading back to the US and Sweden for our "furlough" or "home period" as it can be known. Our lives have this rhythm of living years in Mozambique and then a year or less in one of our "home countries." Each time we come home, we are faced with a reassessment of our roles in Mozambique. Do we fill a role that is a need? People want to know. WE also want to know! One question I have faced each time we come home is, "What do they really need in Mozambique?" People want to know what ONE thing or KIND of thing is most needed in the country where we work. In the past I've had to respond, "Everything! Just pick something and they probably need it!" I understand this isn't that helpful to someone who wants to seriously make a difference. It isn't helpful to us either. BUT, to be really honest, there is a lot of need in many areas. How can we know if we make a difference? Today I received a link...