Tuesday, April 7, 2009

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.