Feb. 21, 2011 - You know You're In Mozambique When...

Sorry it's been so long since I've emailed. It's been a crazy couple of weeks. Here's a list to entertain you and explain some of the things I've seen recently:

You know you're in Mozambique when:
1- People seem to think the rain will do them bodily harm. They avoid getting wet at all costs.
2- Kids, instead of walking dogs on leashes, walk goats with lengths of rope. Or sometimes cows.
3- Mowing the lawn consists of using a tool that's a mix of scythe and machete, and hacking at it a little bit at a time.
4- You see more young men walking and holding hands with each other in one day here than you would see in a year in America.
5- People are in winter clothing whenever it's below 80 degrees.
6- A bicycle is wasted if it only has one person on it without tons of cargo. I've seen up to six kids on one bike.
7- The boys are way better dancers than the girls. I have never seen people with better rhythm or more ability to move their hips in crazy ways than high school Mozambican boys.
8- Clothes aren't mandatory until a child is at least 6. And if it's raining or they are swimming, then not until past puberty.
9- Obama's name or face can appear on ANY article of clothing. I've seen Obama on hats, shirts, belts, watches, shoes, and underwear.
10- Everyone is deathly afraid of dogs and thinks you are weird if you don't yell at or kick a stray as you pass -- and especially if you stop to pet one.
11- People are seen walking down the street with all manner of items on their heads: from 20 liter water containers to giant fish they've caught, to massive bundles of wood and sticks and even tables with boxes of cookies and crackers on top.
12- Your school schedule changes completely a month after classes have started.

Well, everything is going well here, more or less. If you haven't seen them, I posted some pictures on facebook. They are photos of my students painting a wall mural and my sitemate's 25th birthday! Oh, and I have a new cell phone. My other phone was stolen at school: :-/

Anyway. I'm off to grade my first set of essays. Busy busy! Wish me luck!
Love,
~Alissa