Yesterday was Mozambican Women's Day!It's a national holiday and in its honor, everything was closed.
What a great concept. Not only do the people in Mozambique celebrate a Women's Day, but a Mozambican Women's Day as well. We need this in the US.
The only women who are celebrated back home seem to be mothers. Mothers are great, but every woman is not a mother and a woman doesn't have to be a mother to be a WOMAN or to be noteworthy. Some of the most noteworthy women I know are not mothers. Come on USA, catch up to Mozambique and adapt this holiday!
Tracy, Akisha and I got dressed up in our capolanas and joined the women of Inhambane at their rally. It was nice. It was also unusually hot. We didn't last more than an hour. But it was a beautiful gesture. There was music, dancing, speeches were given by heads of the government. Children danced for the women and handed out flowers. It was really beautiful.
It was a nice long week-end and now I am back in my favorite place, the teachers office. And yes, it is just as loud and annoying as ever! Good times...
Things would be even better if we could get our pay checks. As usual, they are late. We're supposed to get paid the first of every month. Needless to say I've never once been paid on time. Nothing happens on time here. Things are perpetually backwards. But we're running out of money. Life here definitely exists paycheck to paycheck.
We were up at five to work on our agriculture project. We're making so much progress. We've filled in all but one trench and are watering the compost waiting for it to rot and decompose into fertile soil so that we can finally begin to plant. Our aim- vegetables. I think the cool air is helping.
The flies here are crazy. They buzz around your body in swarms of three to five. They dive bomb your eyes, nose, ears and mouth. The flies will follow you for miles. I've never seen or experienced anything like it. I have to squint and close my mouth because they try to get inside. American house flies are just annoying, but they don't cling to people. They usually stick to windows and fly in angry circles around a room once they realize they've been trapped. These flies, have so much open space and what do they want to do, they want to hover around and become a part of you, it's parasitic. A few always cling to your clothes for a free windless ride. Usually they position themselves on the shoulder blade or back and hold on until you reach their stop. I feel like a whale with barnacles. But there is nothing that I can do and at least they are not bees or wasps or....