Tuesday, October 30, 2007

About gorgeous aerobics teachers in Mozambique and other things...

Running environment...
Boa noite friends and family,


Wasn't it for my very good friend Aagje, I don't think I would have ever tried to bother to find out how to create a blog...During our two hours Skype conversation (the inventor of Skype deserves a statue!) yesterday night, she really convinced me to 'write down' my experiences, impressions I am undergoing here in Maputo...Even though I protested a bit (the intensity of my life makes it just impossible to describe everything), I realised she might be right. As always?:) Perhaps it is also a way to kill 'saudades' (one of the most beautiful words Portuguese language is rich, the simplified notion of 'nostalgia', 'homesickness;, 'missing' handicaps the word- I am asking here my Freund Jose in Lisboa to provide me again with his great definition of the word...faz favor:)) and to "estar juntos" in the adventure I am living here...

After almost of three months working and living in Mozambique, Maputo, I feel perhaps more able to write this blog, as I 'calmed down' a bit, and the extreme excitement has been replaced by an intense, curious, deep desire to get to know this country and its inhabitants better. Instead of being exhaustive this blog will instead highlight upon some of the lived moments more in detail...At the same time I will also try to share my current (critical) thoughts regarding north-south related issues here in Mozambique...

I intentionally chose to write in English as I want to share this also with my hermanita and soulmate Natalia, my Portuguese friends, and other friends I met across language borders... At the same time however this will be a handicap as I master my native language much better and I am afraid I will fall into repetition when choosing my vocabulary...

Well, time to sleep, my bio-rythm is here much more in line with the African sun than it ever has been before...waking up almost daily (except for the weekends!) at 5.20 am to go running for an hour with Japanese Fumiko and Peruvian Fernando , it is always THE experience of the day, difficult to put in words...the humid-hot air, the sea breeze, the salt on your skin (isn't that also the title of a famous book?:)) , the sun appearing above the sea (even though it is often also covered), the fishermen always busy with nets and traditional boats, the first cars, the other running and walking people, the 20 women following aerobics instructions from a gorgeous teacher (him surely being the ONLY reason of them waking up at 5.00 am to be waving with arms like fools:)) on the footpath near my house, the deep red sand where there is no footpath, the suffering of climbing up the hills, the political and cultural discussions with the two F's (yes, even in that tired and often exhausted shape!), the running scheme in preparation to run a half marathon which we are not sticking to :) and the excuses we always find not to do 'accelerations' or an extra minute,...
There is no better way to kick off your day and to remain with both feet on the ground in this part of the world. The latter is needed, an example could be the fact how my position as a 'white' person in Southern Africa lifted me, from the moment I put foot on this beautiful ground, quite some levels higher than I would have been in my home continent (and this with many consequences.)..And this just because of the colour of my skin...An other example could be the political character of my current job (but I am afraid I won't be able to expand upon that one). But on seap bubbles, schizophrenia, Mia Couto, reflections upon French Revolution ideals and the universality (?) of human rights, the content of "nao" (="no" ) in Mozambican Portuguese, etc. you will certainly read more in my next postings...





Hope to read from you too, (critical) comments very very welcome and no need to say: "mi casa (even though it is my office as well...) tu casa"...

um beijo muito muito forte,
boa noite,
Katarina.