Quazi Mozambican

21 Dec 2008

So this is what I did today. And it all felt normal to me. And then, as I was sitting on my porch watching the beautiful sunset and indulging in my latest literary love affair, I thought to myself, “woah Caitlin, in America you would never dream of doing these things.” – another thing that has become normal here in the quiet quiet town of Chidenguele, I kinda talk to myself and sometimes dance around to random music in my kitchen for no good reason.

Got up at 6am without an alarm – I usually wake up at like 5am. This was sort of sleeping in.
As I drank my morning coffee I thought to myself, “this is an especially delicious cup of ‘dehydrated coffee and chicory’ with instant milk.”
I carted water. In a massive bucket, up a sandy hill, three times, ON MY HEAD. (this I am especially proud of)
I heated water in a tea-pot, poured it in a bucket, added some cool water to make it a comfortable temperature, carried the bucket, my bath supplies, and a little cup with a handle out to my cement stall outside, and took a refreshing bucket bath by using the cup to pour water over my head/body, soaping up, and then using my trusty cup to rinse.
I went to the market to buy my vegetables for the day.
While at the market, I tried to explain for the 4564252524th time that no, in fact, it is not this hot in America right now, but that actually it is winter time there. They don't understand the Portuguese word for snow because southern Africa in December is a fiery fiery inferno.
I bought and ate a freshly picked exceptionally delicious pineapple.
I scrubbed the walls inside my house with soap and bleach… to no avail, because this is Africa and things are just always f-ing dirty. (this is also the point at which I was dancing alone in my kitchen/living room)
I put water in two buckets, carried them outside, put soap in one of them, and proceeded to “do laundry” by scrubbing my clothes in the soapy one and then plunging them into my manual rinse cycle bucket
I did dishes in much the same manner, but with different buckets/water
I made beans, tortillas, and salsa from scratch (considering I also speak Spanish, I think this might make me more Mexican than you are Kristen)
While making my Mexican feast, I noticed that there were actually bugs in both the dry beans and flour. I picked out what I could, and just cooked the hell out of the rest of ‘em.
I put water in a bucket, took it outside, and washed first my face, and then my feet in an attempt to combat both acne and dirty sheets.
And finally, I am sitting here, writing this email, that I will then save to a flash drive and send in probably about a week or so and as I do this I am selecting in my head which movie I will watch (Juno) before falling asleep at about 8pm.

This is pretty normal life for me. I also drink bleach water and eat pepto like its candy. But I think I might go to the beach tomorrow and leave the domestic work behind for a day.

Merry Christmas and much love