Shopping for Food
Yesterday, the team from Oklahoma arrived at the Maputo Airport. We arranged a chappa to come and help pick them and their luggage up and take them to the house. We had the driver arrange the night before, but when we called him on Sunday morning to confirm the ride, he answered and said that we had the wrong number. We had to scramble to find another vehicle to come and pick up the 11 people on the Oklahoma team. It all worked out in the end, but I am quickly learning that nothing is an easy task here in Africa.
A man at the airport came up to me as I was standing outside watching these government officials, with big guns, load things onto a plane that I was told belongs to Nelson Mandela (He lives in Maputo with his wife, who is from Mozambique). The guy wanted me to take him to America and when I told him no, he was very unhappy with me. Luis was with me, and the guy thought that I owned Luis. He couldn’t understand why I would be a friend to a black man. He told me that I could buy him and his services for $5.00. I laughed at his offer and told him that I wasn’t interested. The man left very discouraged, and I was sure that he was going to be out in the parking lot waiting to beat me up when we left the airport. Luis’ joke has been that I am his Molongoo, and that I own him. Luis has many jokes; most of them have to do with him being black and me being white. Most of them are relatively funny, but they seem to get him in trouble.
We took a few members of the Oklahoma team to the grocery store this morning to pick up food and supplies for their first week here. Walking into the store, you soon realize that many things that we take for granted in the states, are not easy to find here in Mozambique. Reading labels and trying to figure out what is in certain can and packages is entertaining to me. I found the hotdogs in a can especially funny.
Today is Molly’s birthday, and I surprised her with a few cards from friends back home, and an Oreo cheesecake. It is quiet the delicacy here, and can’t be found in any of the local stores. Pieter, Rika, the kids, Ashley, Molly and I are going to go into the city tonight, to take Molly out for a birthday dinner.
A man at the airport came up to me as I was standing outside watching these government officials, with big guns, load things onto a plane that I was told belongs to Nelson Mandela (He lives in Maputo with his wife, who is from Mozambique). The guy wanted me to take him to America and when I told him no, he was very unhappy with me. Luis was with me, and the guy thought that I owned Luis. He couldn’t understand why I would be a friend to a black man. He told me that I could buy him and his services for $5.00. I laughed at his offer and told him that I wasn’t interested. The man left very discouraged, and I was sure that he was going to be out in the parking lot waiting to beat me up when we left the airport. Luis’ joke has been that I am his Molongoo, and that I own him. Luis has many jokes; most of them have to do with him being black and me being white. Most of them are relatively funny, but they seem to get him in trouble.
We took a few members of the Oklahoma team to the grocery store this morning to pick up food and supplies for their first week here. Walking into the store, you soon realize that many things that we take for granted in the states, are not easy to find here in Mozambique. Reading labels and trying to figure out what is in certain can and packages is entertaining to me. I found the hotdogs in a can especially funny.
Today is Molly’s birthday, and I surprised her with a few cards from friends back home, and an Oreo cheesecake. It is quiet the delicacy here, and can’t be found in any of the local stores. Pieter, Rika, the kids, Ashley, Molly and I are going to go into the city tonight, to take Molly out for a birthday dinner.
Labels: africa
posted by justin at
3:09 PM
1 Comments:
PLEASE tell Molly happy birthday for me, and that I miss her.
Grocery stores in another language ... how fun. I remember trying to make Texas Chili in Costa Rica for Stefan, and I couldn't figure out what ANYTHING was.
Last night we spent some time teaching Manuel some English idioms. We laughed more than we spoke. He thought "having a crush" on someone meant pushing them over. :)
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