07.04: WEDDING DAY. As we expected the other girls at Anne's house at around 08:45 we woke up very early in order to prepare us for the wedding. You cannot imagine how ridiculous the whole thing was. We were 'hiking' until we reached the house of the bride. The path was not easy at all with all those stones and well, it's the true country-side of Mozambique. Nonetheless most people were really nice dressed. We had to climb up a car and stand at the back of a car. We hold onto other people's arms in order not to fell from the car. We drove to the register office of Namaacha. On the way everybody was singing songs in Changana, how beautiful! Whole Namaacha was fascinated as all the cars drove to the register's office and sang for the couple. There was a chor who sang for the couple and as we went out of the register's office everybody congratulated the couple. Anne and the other girls and guys danced for the couple. After the register's office we went to the church which honestly didn't appear as a church from the first sight.
Thanks god the church didn't took to long as I had to stand. There was even a translator who translated Changana to Portuguese. In the same manner we drove to the waterfalls (the attraction of Namaacha which I haven't seen up to this point). Gosh, it was freezing! On Thursday I left hot Maputo and reached the cooler Namaacha but on Friday it was incredibly cold! I felt sorry for the bride, as it had lots of clouds and everybody was freezing.
Back at the house everything had changed. There was a big tent and everything was prepared. Many old women only wore Capolana's which I personally found very inappropriate for a wedding... Old women were screaming in a manner that was kind of scary to me but may be very traditional. They were very proud. Cutting the cake was a big ceremony but the bride and the groom only drank Coke and Fanta. Piece by piece they fed their relatives. Throughout the whole wedding there were only softdrinks available. At night, after the priest left, beer was available. After I received my meal and I went home and changed clothes, I was about to freeze completely.
Handing over presents is a big ceremony as well. Within a group the present is taken in front of the group where with a dance and a song it is handed over to the couple. The bride didn't smile at all as she received all those big presents. At least she smiled a bit when we gave her a pot. Later on I asked why she seemed so sad but no one could answer. It seems it had to do with her and not with the culture. At the end of the ceremony I saw that she almost had tears in her eyes...
Saturday, 08.04. We baked a cake for the housemaid Marieta... I guess it was the first time in her life that somebody did something like this for her
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| Cutting the cake together with Tia Marieta |
Monday, 10.04. Aunt Delfina comes back to work. Completely dressed in black. Her dresscode for the next 6 months. With 31 years being a widow. As I looked into her eyes I was about to cry. We talked about her husband and she explained me her difficulties being alone in her house. At the same day her sister lost her job as her boss died and anoter relative lost her husband.
The more I experience stories like these, the more I believe in god or something higher that knows why those things happen to us.
Tuesday, 12.04. The most painful busride in my whole life! Whatever was the reason, beans, Xima or another Mozambican food I had extremely painful stomachache. I never thought that a busride could be that long...until I finally reached the city.
This week I made an english exam with my students. As it was the last week before the holidays and they had exams in schools too, I found it appropriate. I wanted to see what they learned so far together with me.
Also, I teach the kids in all ages to brush their teeths thoroughly. Some of them already have lots of caries and I just don't want them to pull out to many teeths as soon as they are adults. Unfortunately this is the only resolution they have on the countryside as soon as someone has lots of pain with one teeth.
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