Mozambique is celebrating its 31st anniversary as an independent country today. I honestly can't imagine what it must be like to be from a country that newly formed, especially considering that in Mozambique's case independence from Portugal only opened the door for a 16-year civil war. For all its obstacles to development and overwhelming bureaucratic ass-backwards-ness (inherited from Portugal and perfected in-house), Mozambique is actually a place that I feel pretty positive about.
I mean, I chose to move here over a year ago not because I had a cushy aid worker job waiting for me, or because I knew I'd find Ricardo, or for any other "easy" reason. I came to Mozambique because I was sick of my old job, ready for adventure, and feeling that stirring in my soul that lets me know when it's time to move on. I've had my ups and downs over the past year or so, but overall I rate this a very good experience and one I'm not ready to move away from. People often ask how long Ricardo and I plan to stay here. My best guess at this point is another 5 years, so maybe I'll still be around to celebrate 36 years of independence.
Unfortunately, despite the fact that it's a long weekend and there are plenty of party opportunities around thanks to the national holiday and the world cup, I have spent the entire day in my pajamas nursing a raging head cold. I started to feel sick on Friday, and the worst of it hit last night. I H-A-T-E having to breathe through my mouth when I sleep and woke up this morning in a foul mood and with cracked lips. So far today I've used half a box of kleenex, eaten 2 bowls of oatmeal, lounged around with the cats and watched (finally!) "The Constant Gardener" on dvd with Ricardo. The movie was amazing, and even made me forget my stuffy head for a good 2 hours.
I'm trying to upload animal photos from our Botswana safari, but blogger insists on being difficult. I am giving it one last valiant effort this evening before giving up and finding an easier way to upload.
I am off to watch the Portugal x Holland game with Rico, B. and the cats. I am wearing sheepskin slippers to keep my feet warm, to the delight of both Rico (who makes fun of me) and the kittens (who love to attack the fur around the tops of the slippers). I hope Holland wins...
8 comments:
Ali, thanks for the mini history lesson - I had no idea M. was so young! Hope you're soon feeling much better. I liked Constant Gardener too (and the book). Take care of YOU! :)
How come you're not cheering on Portugal? Is it an anti-colonalism thing?
Blogger's been a real pain in the you-know-what lately, when it comes to uploading pictures.
I haven't seen Constant Gardener yet but I'll definitely check it out upon your recommendation.
I'm so sorry you have a head cold! It sounds miserable. But good thing you have cats & sheepskin slippers to keep you comforted.
Feel better soon.
Sometimes I have problems posting images with blogger too. Try using flickr (www.flickr.com), it works every time.
Eusebio, one of the greatest players of all times is from Mozambique, although he has Portuguese nationality (I don't know if he has double nationality). He was Portugal's greatest glory in soccer, he always cries during the matches, either Portugal wins or loses, it moves me :)I resented Portugal for many years for its past with Angola, although most of my roots are there. Then I fell in love with the country, not forgetting the past, but trying hard to understand it and make peace with my sense of displacement, of belonging ( I haven't quite figured that one out) I was so happy and proud that Angola was in the World Cup for the first time, but I was very happy tonight for the Portuguese victory :)
Sei que em Angola há MUITA gente torcendo por Portugal :)
After seeing the game last night I wish NEITHER team had won because of the total lack of sportsmanship on the part of both Portugal and Holland.
As to why I'm not cheering on Portugal... it's a bit complicated, as you might imagine. Definitely has something to do with the colonial past here in Mozambique (and some of the specific people I've met during my stay here).
On a ligher level it has to do with the frustration I feel every time I try to understand someone from Portugal speak Portuguese. Where are the vowels??? Why do the Portuguese insist on butchering an otherwise flowing and lovely romance language? The brasilians have kept their vowels and as a result their language is fluid, sexy, and for the most part easy to understand.
For those of you who are not familiar with the accents I'm refering to, try to grasp the difference in the phonetic pronunciation of the word "excelente" (excellent):
brasilian portugese =
'ess-el-aiiiiii-n-chiiiiii'
(hot, lots of vowel emphasis)
portugese portugese =
'esh-lent"
(mouth full of gravel)
Eheheh, I won't be offended :) The vowels in European Portuguese (especially the sounds represented by the letter /e/) are getting more and more closed, to the point where you can't really hear them at all, but to say the truth, this happens mostly with the considered standart accent (roughly the one spoken in the area Lisbon-Coimbra). But in some areas, like the one where my parents live, the word excelente would be pronounced /eshelentiii/. As a matter of fact I cannot imagine the people from that area using that word LOL - they would probably say /porreeeruuuu/ When the Portuguese first arrived in Brazil, the vowels were a lot more open. Then one should also keep in mind that Brazilian Portuguese benefitted (both in phonetics and vocabulary) from the introduction of bantu languages, as well as some indigenous ones(which sound beautifully)
Eu tinha que realçar a influência da minha África (diz ela, inchada de orgulho) :) beijo
~Kanuthya -
Glad no offense was taken - none was meant. It's not always easy to be funny or satirical online. :)
Thanks for the insights on the Portuguese accent. And I agree 100% about the Bantu and indigenous influences on the language in Brasil. I suppose it's for the same reason I don't find Portuguese spoken by native Mozambicans as difficult to understand. There is definitely influence from the more vowel-friendly African languages.
Adorei o papo linguistico!
I was for Holland, but what a stupid and shameful game! Seriously! Por mim, iam os dois pra casa e de castigo! 4 cartões vermelhos?! Credo, nunca vi!
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