31/10/09

Halloween. In Mozambique, simply the 31st of October, which for all of the kids (like my extremely excited little brother) is the first day of summer vacation. Something I have noticed more as my Portuguese is improving, there are many instances where I understand all of the words that are said to me, but I still have the feeling that (and I’m sure look as though) I don’t understand, because I don’t know why I am being told this information. One of the current volunteers here said that it is pretty common for Mozambicans to sort of bury their questions, such that it sounds like they have simply stated something, but they are expecting a response. The other night when my aunt was here she told me something and then asked if I understood. I said that I wasn’t sure I had understood everything, so she repeated what she had said in English. Turns out that I had understood everything she said the first time when she said it in Portuguese, but I still have no idea why she told me.