Diga??

14 Jan 2009

So I just had the most (I guess needless to say) frustrating conversation with a deaf mute.

And I thought communicating in a foreign language was difficult. I can’t imagine this man’s daily life with no words at all. Now you might be wondering how in fact I know he is both deaf and mute, not just one or something else, or what have you. Well, I have actually seen him before. My neighbor, Pascoal, I think is friends with him or something. Anyway, he walked past the other day while I was out on my porch helping Pascoal learn English.
“What is the word in English for someone that can’t hear or talk?”
“That person would be called a deaf mute”
“Ok, then that guy walking past is a deaf mute”
And we all waved.

He is a very nice young man. His name is something along the lines of Manachaviel, this I got because he showed me his Mozambican ID card. He came to my house just to visit me and chat I suppose. This in itself isn’t all that out of the ordinary, my porch is a popular hangout as passers by like to stop and say hello/get a look at me/chat/etc. For example, there is the boastful Hummer building Mozambican man that now lives in South Africa. Apparently he is going to California for a Hummer conference, so he can come back and teach everyone in South Africa how to build better Hummers (“Do you think he will get like a t-shirt or something from the conference?” my friend Liz laughed). He told me he would visit again after the conference to tell me all about it. Then there are the two little boys that live down the street. They like to come to my house, lie on the stairs that lead up to my porch, and peer in my open door, scoping out my kitchen I suppose. One time they asked me if I had a broom, and told me that I needed to clean my floor. But they usually bring me interesting fruits to try, so I let them porch-lay all they want. Then there is popped-collar Gito, (actually I can’t remember his name and just totally made it up, but he looks like a Gito to me) who is always wearing these uber chic sunglasses although it is usually dusk when he comes by ie not sunny.

So anyway, this new visitor came, sat on my porch, and told me his woes. Well, they involved a lot of pointing. So I guess something happened far away. Every time I shrugged and held up my hands in the pretty much universally accepted sign for wtf? he would enthusiastically smile and nod, as if he mistook my confusion for absolute accord. Come to think of it, perhaps he wasn't actually mute like Pascoal said because he did in fact make a number of Portuguese/Chopi styled grunts and moans. Forgive me, but I am not sure of the exact definition of muteness. Anyway, from these indistinct sounds and various hand gestures, this is what I surmised from our “conversation”:

Someone died. I am not sure when, or who, but someone is no longer with us. At first I thought it was a motorcycle accident that did it. But I am pretty sure he who now rests in peace was actually fishing when it happened. Perhaps the motorcycle accident is what afflicted my porch visitor, he did keep drawing my attention to his various scars.

Whatever happened, happened on the other side of some road, which is to the right but far away from my house. Or perhaps that is where he lives.

I think he wanted to go swimming because he kept tracing the outline of what I hope was supposed to be a little man bikini on his body, and he showed me business cards from the two resorts that overlook the beach. But we currently happen to be mid-thunderstorm, so that seems like a strange proposition. He may or may not want me to go with him.

He is either coming back to visit me tomorrow, going to be beach tomorrow, or going fishing tomorrow. I suppose he could feasibly do all three in one day.

He also kept holding up three fingers.
“Yes, but three of what?” I would ask.
He would nod and smile, happy that I understood him.
“No, I don't understand, three of what?”
And then he would point.
“Yes, I understand, there, far away, that street, to the right, but three of what?”
Smile, nod, happy understanding.
So maybe three people died. Or three people are going to the beach, perhaps at 3pm. TBA (if he does in fact come back tomorrow that is).