The shortlist of what I appreciate about Mocambique
1. There is no social disgrace or harm in picking your nose in public places or during conversation. On the contrary, it is highly encouraged to alleviate itchy nostrils or unsightly buggers in a timely fashion no matter the location or circumstance.
2. You are expected to great each person you see, children included, with the time appropriate, boa dia;tarde;noite, and off course inquire about their health, their families health, and how they slept. There is a rhythm to the conversation with expected answers. People are patient the cadence is slow, and strangely endearing.
3. People know how to stroll, in fact there are only tow speed ins Mocambique, slow and slower. I actually had to train myself in the mocambiquan pace, by seeking out the slowest waling mamas, stepping in pace behind them, restraining myself not to pass on the left. There are some serious benefits to strolling
a. You don't sweat as much.
b. You have more time to great more people
c. People have nothing to do in moçcambique, so walking slowly helps the day go by quicker,how'ss that for logic.
4. It is perfectlyacceptablee toentertaina guest in complete silence. People are continuallystoppingg by my house, we sit together in plastic lawn chairs on my Veranda, exchange pleasentries, and if there is nothing else t say, wedon'tt say anything at all. Strangely refreshing.
5. People are direct... Nao faz mal *its all good or you did no wrong* It is acceptable to openly discuss physical imperfections, weight, but hereit'ss a bad thing if your too skinny, so but that in your ceramictoilett bowlAmericaa, unsightly blemishes, unusually largeappendagess, were talking about the human head , you perverts. Also there is no shame of disgrace in talking about physical deformities scars, limps, missingappendagess *many people have missing legs arms due to land mine explosions* many conversations start with What happended to your... Anything visible to the naked eye is fair game for coversation.
6. The common way of carrying objects, any size, weight, or shape is on top of your head. Enough said. *YES, People I am finally able to carry buckets of water on my head!!!
7. Moçcambiquan time, or lack ther off. Events will start 2 hours after the intended time, you cannot expect people to commit to meeting at a specific hour, your best bet is to narrow it down between de manha or tarde, and lastly if you wait long enough what ever you arwearingng for, person or info, will come, sometimes it is a mater of days. It is like living in a romantics dream. Life is not governed by the hands of time but rather the whims of peoples needs and desires.... it is quite likely that you will see Moçambiquan time in the soon to come shortlist frustrationsons with moçambiquan culture....
8. Friends, family, collegues, and aquitences demonstrate their fondness and appreciation for eachother through hand holding. It shockingking at first to see men of all ages holding hands as they walked down the street, but i have grown to love it.
9. There is no polite, non self promoting, pompousmpus, or assinine way of putting this. But i hear gosta voce, adora voce, exc, exc on average once a day. While I realize Moçcambiquan men view my white skin as a dollar sign of flashing opportunity, it certainly does help the self esteem to have different men, some quite attractive, falling in love with me every day. And that is all i will say on that point.
10. I pay 5 cents for a bottle of coke, and best of all they recycle and reuse the bottles! Yes environmentalistsalist in me livs on... i am biting my tounge, ok not really, about how coke practically owns moçambique, but why not support the tenets of capitalism and globaliazation while living in a 3rd world country... ok to make myself clear, i am being completely facious.
2. You are expected to great each person you see, children included, with the time appropriate, boa dia;tarde;noite, and off course inquire about their health, their families health, and how they slept. There is a rhythm to the conversation with expected answers. People are patient the cadence is slow, and strangely endearing.
3. People know how to stroll, in fact there are only tow speed ins Mocambique, slow and slower. I actually had to train myself in the mocambiquan pace, by seeking out the slowest waling mamas, stepping in pace behind them, restraining myself not to pass on the left. There are some serious benefits to strolling
a. You don't sweat as much.
b. You have more time to great more people
c. People have nothing to do in moçcambique, so walking slowly helps the day go by quicker,how'ss that for logic.
4. It is perfectlyacceptablee toentertaina guest in complete silence. People are continuallystoppingg by my house, we sit together in plastic lawn chairs on my Veranda, exchange pleasentries, and if there is nothing else t say, wedon'tt say anything at all. Strangely refreshing.
5. People are direct... Nao faz mal *its all good or you did no wrong* It is acceptable to openly discuss physical imperfections, weight, but hereit'ss a bad thing if your too skinny, so but that in your ceramictoilett bowlAmericaa, unsightly blemishes, unusually largeappendagess, were talking about the human head , you perverts. Also there is no shame of disgrace in talking about physical deformities scars, limps, missingappendagess *many people have missing legs arms due to land mine explosions* many conversations start with What happended to your... Anything visible to the naked eye is fair game for coversation.
6. The common way of carrying objects, any size, weight, or shape is on top of your head. Enough said. *YES, People I am finally able to carry buckets of water on my head!!!
7. Moçcambiquan time, or lack ther off. Events will start 2 hours after the intended time, you cannot expect people to commit to meeting at a specific hour, your best bet is to narrow it down between de manha or tarde, and lastly if you wait long enough what ever you arwearingng for, person or info, will come, sometimes it is a mater of days. It is like living in a romantics dream. Life is not governed by the hands of time but rather the whims of peoples needs and desires.... it is quite likely that you will see Moçambiquan time in the soon to come shortlist frustrationsons with moçambiquan culture....
8. Friends, family, collegues, and aquitences demonstrate their fondness and appreciation for eachother through hand holding. It shockingking at first to see men of all ages holding hands as they walked down the street, but i have grown to love it.
9. There is no polite, non self promoting, pompousmpus, or assinine way of putting this. But i hear gosta voce, adora voce, exc, exc on average once a day. While I realize Moçcambiquan men view my white skin as a dollar sign of flashing opportunity, it certainly does help the self esteem to have different men, some quite attractive, falling in love with me every day. And that is all i will say on that point.
10. I pay 5 cents for a bottle of coke, and best of all they recycle and reuse the bottles! Yes environmentalistsalist in me livs on... i am biting my tounge, ok not really, about how coke practically owns moçambique, but why not support the tenets of capitalism and globaliazation while living in a 3rd world country... ok to make myself clear, i am being completely facious.
posted by Chelsea at 6:40 AM
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