chicken and change

Mozambican Sky yesterday & a Coca Cola Truck

Today as I left my house after lunch to go back to class, my cleaning lady Veronica was waiting in the outdoor “kitchen” area of our compound. It’s a smelly place.  Twice a day flat bed trucks deliver rice and beans (sometimes matapa, cabbage, spaghetti or chicken) in large plastic containers for us to come with our bowls to fill for lunch and dinner. The rains caused flooding and it is a muddy lake. The kitchen has a filthy wooden table where flies congregate and a wooden bench where are guards rest. The cleaning ladies sit their too and gossip in Makua. Veronica perked up when she saw me and said, “Mana Graca, nos vamos”. She wanted a ride. I told her I had to go buy cashews first, that I was not headed in the direction of her house but she could come along. She jumped on the back of Gloria and off we went. The cashew lady is sometimes on the side of the road at Wimbe Beach near The Dolphin restaurant (any time I have heard of a Westerner getting food poisoning, it is from here. I never go there.). Sure enough, there she is with peanuts and cashews. She sells the cashews in a large straw shallow basket and has tiny class cups for measuring. The larger cup is 15 mets, the smaller 5. I ask for 100 mets ($4) worth and she fills 15, 15, 15, 15, 15, 15, and two 5’s. The last “5” only had 2 nuts in it because she was too busy looking at me and smiling. Veronica told me she knew the lady and that she was her friend so I asked Veronica her name. She didn’t know. :) We all introduced ourselves. I try to never buy myself anything without asking if the person with me wants anything too. Manners. Veronica said she didn’t but I wanted to get her at least something. I told the lady to give her 50 mets worth. Veronica ordered peanuts, “for matapa” she said. Veronica then tells the lady to only give her 20 mets worth and to give her the change. That’s my girl. Smart. Silly me. Amateur. I should have known better. 50 mets is about 4 hours work. Veronica is a survivalist. She can’t know how to just receive the blessing of an abundance of extra peanuts. And I cannot blame her. She has 5 little mouths to feed. But it is my heart for this nation to know that they are not paupers but princes and that God will provide and to learn to receive blessings. I watch my own students take food from the garbage. I try to tell them that that is trash and that there is more. But I have never gone hungry. It is a lesson I continually teach and learn at the same time.

to the Tennis Gang, you are on my bulletin board and in my prayers, Jim & Gene

I had told my afternoon class to take the day off. They came in the rain this week and I wanted to give them, and myself, a break! But I knew there were others that would show up and I didn’t want to disappoint them so I went to class anyway. Sure enough a handful of students showed up. Henrique (one of my favorites and the one I have known since 2007) sat down with me and told me that he had just bought new “Colgate” and two days later it was stolen from his bathroom. For him to even tell me that story I assumed it must have been troubling him. Earlier my student Afonso was upset because his cell phone was dead. He later would not participate in class because he said he was “not able to talk today”. I assume it had to have been more than a cell phone battery bothering him. But he left as soon as class was over and I had students surrounding me and I was not able to find out. The day before The Little Dutton boy wanted money. It was the oldest trick in the book. The “I Need Money for My ID” Trick. It is the “I am in Burma and I need to wire $10 million and I will give you half” email. But I gave him the $8. Simply because I heard God say, “what’s it to you”? In that moment I felt it was not my place to teach him a lesson, to be firm, to encourage him to get a job. I just wanted him to know I care about him and that he is loved. Perhaps it was a mistake. I am confident, like Veronica, he “kept the change”. But, what’s it to me? I won’t miss that $8. I am here to show the Little Dutton Boy I believe in him. And he does have a name. It is something like M’zunya. M’kuna. M’something. So he gets his “documents”. 

And now I must get Henrique toothpaste. He could be a poster boy for the stuff. His smile is big and beautiful. Both of his parents are deceased. He is 17. So off we go.   We hit up the local baraccas that are the tiny “wal-mart’s” of Pemba. We are now blessed to have a nice assortment of barracas that all mostly sell the exact same thing right near my house. For 60 mets we get the boy toothpaste. I want to sit and talk with him. We are in an open field so I let him drive the scooter. He LOVED that. I got off of course. We went to a little bamboo restaurant. The owner was asleep on a lounge chair. We managed to rouse her and she screamed for the cook and 15 minutes later we had cold drinks. Fanta for Henrique. Club Soda for me. The little chalk board boasted a variety of meat dishes for sell. Henrique eyed that and I knew he was no longer a cheap date. He wanted what all Mozambicans absolutely love, chicken. I told him to order the big one. He did. I have been a vegetarian for almost 7 years and recently cut out all animal proteins. Watching this boy suck, gnaw and crunch on chickens bones was delightful and disgusting at the same time. We talk and laugh and I ask him about school. He tells me about his teacher. I saw Henrique in the middle of day leaving school earlier this week. He told me he had gotten kicked out of class essentially, for talking. I have noticed Henrique sings in class and always has to be moving and making noise. I can see how he would be a problem in the classroom. So I think I need to have a parent/teacher conference with this teacher. Henrique has no parents. He was so excited I agreed to meet with his teacher. I've never had a parent/teacher conference. I've been the student in question but never the parent. And now to a 17 year old boy with ADHD. Never in my wildest dreams. I hope I can intercede and help him a little. 
This is where I don't know how to manage it all. I eventually want to go home and have a career and play tennis and read Southern Living. But then there is this boy, with this smile and no parents and no toothpaste and he needs me. And for now, he's got me. This teacher better watch out! You don't mess with my boy.

Henrique and his Colgate Smile

I know this is disgusting and I apologize but you just had to see his plate. Those bones?!