Here I am in my dear dear friend Salma's house. She made a wonderful big goodbye lunch for me and our other friend. And as you can see, I was freezing so much I had to put on my polar fleece and borrow her gloves, while the others were running around in short sleaves.. Brrr 18 degrees!!!
Looking back my absolute favorite task while working with IBIS has been my trips to the children's center "Crianca Feliz" to make videos, take photos or gather information. Even though it is dificult work, and I really have to concentrate, there is always a little room left to play with the kids - read books, or take of my shoes and run around with them in the sand. Its pure therapy, and they are so sweet and always wanting to make friends.
Trying to make video diaries with the kids have been the absolute most dificult and fun tasks of my internship - it is really not easy to come with my silly questions expecting long elaborate answers from nine year olds. After bothering the kids with all my questions one time, I told them to do an interview with me so that I would be the one being bothered by the questiones for a change...
- It looked something like this:
I only have three more days left at the office now, and I was looking forward to having a holliday, traveling a bit, and seeking new adventures. But today two of my colleagues who are going to travel this week told me goodbye, and I managed to hold my breath all the way out the door – or almost, because then my friend called me on the phone and asked me how I was doing, and then I just burst into tears, and kept crying all the way to the place I was meeting her (that's a 40 minute walk)
It hit me like a bus hits an old lady with a brand new hip: I'm not sure how or when it happened but I love this place. I love my daily routine of getting up at 6 and going to IBIS, I love the pot holes, I love the big yellow wall I pass on my way (where there is always someone peing, and it totally reminds me of the great yellow wall in Nørrebro), I love my friends, I love mozambican humor, I love the climate, I love being far away. I love it that my friend's sister, who I barely know, keeps touching my hair and medeling with my earrings when she is talking to me.I love the occasional powercuts (which mean walking up and down 19 staircases in the dark) I love the people always wanting to sell me stuff I dont want. I love watching the sun come up as a fat juicy orange from the ocean every morning,
I love the chocolate corissaints from the baker across the street, I love the girl selling me fruit, and I love walking to work (always in a hurry because it is very very early)listening to marrabentas and kuduros in my mobile radio.... When I in a few days leave all of this behind, it is going to be alongside with a big chunk of my heart and a IMENSE feeling of gratitude.
(Photo: here I am with some friends at sunset on a small Island called Inhaca, just a few hours in boat from Maputo) And just so it doesn't end all sad:
<3 <3 <3 KANIMAMBO MOÇAMBIQUE <3 <3 <3
Tamojuntos!
