July 12, 2009

(a selection from my personal journal - my final day in Africa)

Here we are 1 year later. It's take off day. My hours remaining in Africa are numbered. I'm going home. Yet surprisingly enough, I'm rather ambivalent towards it all. It's as if I'm just spending the day shopping for socks. I don't know if my emotions are such because I find it all so natural or surreal. I think on my final flight home - the Chicago to Cincinnati stretch - I'll be peering out the window my thoughts calm enough, yet trying to capture the essence, the grandness, the something... in touching down on Ohio ground a year gone by. A year that has transformed me in ways that I have yet to discover. The journey is far from over.

back in the m.stein

So here we are... Stateside. And here I've been since July 13th so I'm just a wee bit behind schedule with this post. I think jet lag and "just life" take the blame. I've read more than enough plotless yet utterly satisfying romance novels, caught up on all the High School Musical movies, acknowledged most family members and not enough friends, and have even managed to dislocate my knee cap over the weekend whilst dancing... (my doctors have requested footage of my "break" dancing). So I guess regardless of my location, life is never dull. Someday. 

What's next you wonder? My African friends claim that I am an African in an American body... but much to their disappointment, my intention is stay Stateside for quite some time longer. It is good to be home. Good to be surrounded by such an amazing support network.  Good to smell the sweet alfalfa scent in summertime... listen to country music... drive on the RIGHT side of the road... marvel at the Midwestern accent... sure I will miss Africa. I already do but Mama Africa is just going to have to take the back-burner for a little while longer. I will be back - but not today or tomorrow.

Today's game plan - solve the mystery of the TV...  I can't seem to figure out how to switch it from DVD to TV mode... digital... analog... 20 remote controls... When did TV viewing get to be so complicated?

the Dark continent

Ah... you know there are times in life where you just have to sit back and smile at it all. And have a good hearty laugh. A few months back during the monsoon season, I was caught in the pouring down rain, my windshield wipers had ceased to function (my car's engine was next), I was lost (as usual) and wound up seeking refuge (and geographical guidance) at the reception desk of what must be one of Africa's finest hotels. The Cardoso Hotel. Even has its own namesake street. They didn't provide the best directions (or I didn't follow them too well - plausible)... but I wound up back here again tonight. Just wanting a cup of hot chocolate. And a lovely view of the sun drifting down from the Maputo skyline into the Indian Ocean. No disappointment this time. Even a fleet of bats are out tonight. I didn't even know Maputo had bats... 

I have been here 9 months. 9 months! Tonight I had to send an email out to the parents whose children I see weekly, giving them a kind heads up that in 6 weeks time I would be moving on. I recall over a year ago when I signed on to this crazy, wild African stint thinking then that when I returned from India (from my friend's wedding), I would be on the final leg of my African journey. And here it is. I don't think I'll be the hare or the turtle in this last leg. I think I'll keep moving forward like any other day just stopping more frequently to let my senses soak it in... hear the rush of the chapas go by, the swish-swish of the omnipresent broom-sweeping... see the geckos creeping up and down the tree, the kitchen wall, the back tire... smell the rubbish cluttering the streets... feel the warm sun of daytime, the crisp wind of night... taste the salty breeze... and hopefully capture and keep lasting memories of the many idiosyncrasies that make Africa the inviting but dark continent it is.

Beautiful, vibrant India.

Ah, life.  No complaints from my end. Well, except I just burnt squash for the second time this week. Carcinogens, yum. I was attempting to embrace the present season here - autumn. "Autumn" as in temperatures have dropped from the 90s to the 70s and sometimes at night I actually consider donning a jacket. I don't expect to see the leaves changing shades or falling anytime soon, though... a palm tree with no palm fronds... that would be a stranger site to behold than me willingly watching sports on T.V.

I recently returned from a trip to India - a fabulous journey but one with no fewer airport incidents than the last one. First upon attempting to check-in, I learned that my ticket had been canceled. Ever spent 2 days traveling to an airport only to find out that the ticket that you thought you had, you really didn't...? It all worked out in the end - a few extra dollars spent and an unexpected quantity of quality time braved in Mumbai (fun, crazy city with crazy people who enjoy traversing 5 lanes of traffic only to ask, well, demand that you join their Bollywood cast...). The only other airport incident occurred in the aforementioned crazy city... I wound up at the wrong airport. In my defense, I thought one would go to the domestic airport if they were flying domestically... but alas, my common sense doesn't quite jive with that of Indians apparently.

The trip was considerably less eventful after that. Saw lots of monkeys, a couple of elephants, no tigers, sampled sun-dried coconut gifted by a little village boy, consumed enough spicy food to keep my taste buds burning for weeks to come, attended a Hindu marriage ceremony (aptly described by someone as "My Big Fat Indian Wedding"), drank an exorbitant amount of chai... and yeah, just really enjoyed India, round 2.

Friday the 13th

So 2 disturbing things have been brought to my attention today... 1) It is Friday the 13th - last night was a full moon, and 2) tomorrow is Valentine's Day (more aptly known as "Single Awareness" Day).  Well, it just so happens that last weekend during my monthly trek to South Africa, I purchased a dress for my friend's upcoming wedding in India.  A pink dress. Matching pink earrings. (Ran out of money before I could complete the ensemble with pink shoes.)  I already have the restaurant picked out where I want to treat myself... a place with candlelit ambiance.  I think I am rather looking forward to this Hallmark holiday.

Continuing with the pink theme... so for Christmas I requested a passport cover to protect my precious book from the daily wear and tear.  Mom sent Dad on the mission to get me THE passport cover.  Apparently at his place of purchase, he had 2 choices - blue or pink.  I should probably mention that I really am not much of a pink person.  The only request I had for my mother back in college when she was repainting my room was "whatever you do, no pink."  I now have a "rose" bedspread... Anyway Dad's thought process was "Hmm, Maria = girl. Girl = pink."  He got the pink, which isn't just any 'ol pink, it's in-your-face hot pink.  

Like many fathers around Christmas, it wasn't before long that he got the you-messed-up speech and was about to brace the pre-Christmas chaos to make the exchange for a more suiting color cover, when he got a call from me.  He confessed his error, I said no worries, I would just laugh now whenever I saw the pink eyesore in my bag.  Well... last weekend in crossing the Moz/South Africa border, the pink passport earned me the name Pink Panther. The Mozambicans on my bus had quite the laugh from it... every border stop... "hey, 'Pink Panther' we need your pink identity..."  One border patrol agent mistaking my pink passport for a fellow male passenger's commented "huh, so you like pink, eh?" The wrongly accused male responded, "No, not mine.... it's pink panther's" (and gestured towards me in the back seat).

And now I have a pink dress to match it.  I think I'm turning a new leaf, embracing a section of the color wheel formerly overlooked....

Obama Inauguration...

I receive a monthly email from the Mozambican Investor updating me on what's going on in and around Mozambique. Under their Over the Border section, they highlight international happenings. I thought you might enjoy what Africans took away from Obama's inauguration.... (and yes, there was a good contingent of Africans tuning in for the event - it made the front page news 2 days straight).

After Historic Inauguration - Obama Begins Remaking America
Barack Obama, Tuesday, January 20 made history by becoming the first black President of the United States of America. In front of historic numbers, over two million people who braved frigid temperatures to witness the official inauguration at the National Mall in Washington DC, President Obama called for a new era of responsibility in the US. Obama also used the occasion to call on a new order in relations between nations, especially relations with the Muslim world. "To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect." With those words, Obama signaled a fundamental departure from the policies of his predecessor, George Bush. In direct reference to poor nations, Obama said: "To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds." (allafrica)

the Update

So I've been trying to post for a month now, but well, the site has not been working in my favor.  I realize it's probably more me than the site but anyway... (how can I teach a Mozambican how to copy DVDs on a computer but can't figure out how to use my own...?)

Some thoughts from the month...  

(I'll begin posting backwards now, or is it forward...?)