19/01/10

This morning at work there wasn’t even attempt to pretend that any work was being done, all the teachers were just sitting on the benches under the trees. After three hours of this, when I, someone who loves to read, couldn’t read anymore, I asked what we were going to do today. My colleague said we didn’t have anything to do today. I asked “so why are we here?” He said “this is our job, we have to be at our job.” “You have to be here, even if there is nothing to do and you do nothing?” “Yes.” I left.
This afternoon one of my colleagues asked me where in Spain I was from. When I told her I was American she apologized and said that she thought I was Spanish because I had a Spanish accent. I am not sure it was meant to be a compliment, but I took it as one since I imagine having a Spanish accent must be better than having an American accent.
In Mozambique most of the streets don’t have names. Only in the big cities do the streets have names and all of the cities have the same 8 or so street names. These street names include important dates in Mozambican history, important African leaders, and (to quote another PCV) “pick your favorite communist leader.”