Tilework, Trash, and English Lessons

Close-up of the beautiful Portuguese tile work on the walls of the Vila Algarve. This beautiful old home is totally abandoned. I yearn every time I look at it out the window for a huge chunk of change to fall into my lap so that I could buy up the building and rehabilitate it to its former glory. This stuff belongs in a museum...

View of the Vila from our caged-in varanda. If you think these iron bars are impressive, you should see what protects our front door...

More tilework. Apparently the Vila Algarve is owned by the Mozambican Association of Lawyers or something like that. They have done absolutely nothing with the building for over 5 years I am told. Now it just sits and tempts me from across the street, while piles and piles of trash accumulate in front of what used to be a grand entrance.

There is a huge trash collection problem in Maputo, and the trash heap across the street sometimes gets so large that it occupies half the block and is composed of chest-high mounds of rubbish. When the sanitation people finally get around to collecting the trash, it takes a bulldozer and a flatbed truck to do the job. No kidding. A full-on Caterpillar bulldozer. The come around to scoop up all the trash, dump it in the truck bed, and then haul it off to God knows where. The bulldozer is horribly loud and awkward. It groans and squeals in a way that all the WD-40 in the world couldn't ease. The best part? Trash collection Maputo-style takes place between 10:30 and 11:30pm, a lovely way to be jarred out of an otherwise decent night's sleep.

Speaking of sleep, it's about that time. I have to wake up early to give an ENGLISH CLASS tomorrow morning. Yes, you heard right. I am once again an English teacher... Very mixed feelings about this development, but it's definitely necessary right now. Nothing like a move into a bare apartment to bust your budget wide open...