Maputo

I'm in Maputo doing some work for ICEIDA, drafting their annual and biannual reports. My decision to come here was partly financial, but also was a way to prevent insanity. I didn't know how i would cope being in Maganja without Stebba, and thought breaking up the last couple of months would ensure i would have something to look forward to if it was difficult.

Although it really isn't the same without Stebba, I have had a nice time. I've made more of an effort to speak to other people (I tried talking to my shortwave radio, but it didn't really work). Subsequently, my portuguese has been improving. That said, it's still shocking - i don't know how to spell anything, and i can only speak in 1st & 3rd person singular.

Having been more sociable, I've finally been able to ask lots of personal questions we had been dying to ask since we arrived. They will need their own post to do them justice.



I've been in Maputo for over 10 days and still haven't begun on the reports as no one in the office has started their sections. Have been keeping myself busy with writing an information booklet on ICEIDA and Iceland to give ICEIDA's partners and journalists here in Mozambique. I don't know whether the locals care about iceland's average annual rainfall, but the fact they (we) supposedly eat hákarl (putrefied shark) and hrútspungar (pickeld ram's testicles) will probably amuse them.



On sunday I went with Jói Þ and his wife Marcelina to their 'summerhouse' in Matola, just outside maputo. This is Jói and his friend Adam (who happens to be the head of the Mozambican secret police and someone you don't want to mess around with.


Marcelina's grandmother lives there. No one knows how old she is, but she remembers the british leaving south africa. My SA history is non-existant, but it could be around 1902 if she was talking about the 2nd Boer War/Anglo Boer War... which makes her well over 100. She's still completely on the ball and has a dirty sense of humour - she told marcelina that jói wasn't coming home as he was going to sleep in her bed. She doesn't speak any portuguese, only shangaan - didn't stop her talking to me though. The picture is of her with her great-great grandaughter.