indian26

Well, dedicated readers, I have had some very exciting things happen lately.  I was honored to host Michael Bolton and Tina Turner for three weeks.  Now, you are probably wondering why Michael Bolton and Tina Turner took time out of their busy celebrity lives in America to come to Mozambique.  I must admit, the real Michael Bolton and Tina Turner did not come out.  I should say that I was honored to host my father and mother, A.K.A. Michael Bolton and Tina Turner. 

My parents spent three weeks in Mozambique.  We went to my house in Gaza province and met some of my colleagues, students, friends, and tomato people.  There are about 5 ladies and one guy that sells tomatoes, onions, and sometimes cabbage and green peppers in my market.  I just refer to them as my tomato people. 

We also went to the local beach and spent time taking in the sun rays.   My town has a local disco, which is pretty much a bar with a jukebox.  So, we went down there with my colleagues to have a few drinks.  The name of the bar is called Las Vegas, so my colleagues like to give everyone names of famous musicians.  Hence, my mother ended up with the name Tina Turner and my dad got the name Michael Bolton.  He was not too happy with the name, but I just explained that it is a compliment here because people like Michael Bolton's music. 

My parents were not too thrilled with all of the bugs here, especially the huge cockroaches that live in my latrine (bathroom).  My bathroom has cement walls and a cement floor.  There is a rectangular hole where you have to aim to not make a mess.  Once the latrine fills up, we just cover the hole up with cement and dig a new one.  Since it is an open hole, there are tons of bugs down there.  The cockroaches like to come out at night and when it is hot or muggy outside.  So, the first night, I had to go with my mom and kill the cockroaches so she could go pee. I then had to hold the flashlight too so she could see and so she would not fall through the hole.  The second night, I refused to kill the bugs and hold the light anymore.  So, my parents went out as a team every night.  One person would kill the bugs and hold the light as the other person went to the bathroom. It was so cute to see them go out together to the bathroom, a sign of true love.

My parents were obsessed with the new bakery in my town.  They walked to the baker often to get fresh bread and to chat with the worker there.  My parents also loved the fresh tomatoes in my market.  They were constantly buying tomatoes to eat in a salad or just by itself. 

I think my parents handled the money situation pretty good here too.  I just had to explain a few times what the money was equal to and what the prices were of the local food.  It was a good experience for my parents to go to the market on their own and buy food and speak with the local vendors.

I think my parents struggled here with the language difference, which is normal.  I have been here two years and I still struggle with the language.  However, they did attempt to say a few words in Portuguese, such as good morning, thank you, good bye, etc. 

We spent a few days in the crazy city of Maputo.  We went to the Jardim Dos Namorados (Lovers' Garden) for a picnic.  While we were there, about five wedding parties passed through, singing and dancing in Portuguese and Shanguana (one of the local languages).  We actually did not see the wedding ceremony because the couples do that at a church or a different location.  They just go to the gardens to take pictures, sing, and dance.

My parents traveled twice to Maputo in a chapa.  Each chapa ride was about 5 hours.  I do not think my parents liked the chapa ride, but that's ok because I do not really like chapas either.

We also went to South Africa on a little safari to see wildlife.  We saw lions, elephants, rhinos, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, monkeys, baboons, antelope, snakes, buffaloes, birds, and many more. 

Overall, I think the trip went really good.  I really enjoyed hosting my family and showing them my life here in Mozambique.  I kind of felt like the roles were reversed here.  Like I was the parent and they were the children because they had to rely on me for language translations, money, transportation, killing bugs, cooking food, etc.  

I am really grateful that my parents took the time to come and visit me in Mozambique.  Now, they can kind of understand some parts of my life here and now we have funny stories to share about our time in Africa together.  I am also grateful for my parents always being there for me.  Without them, there is no way that I would have ever went to college and joined the peace corps.  I love you guys...