29/01/10

I asked my colleague today if the homeroom books that still don’t have class lists in them will be getting class lists (because without them we can’t take role). He said “yeah, they will get them…eventually. Sometimes things at this school happen a little slowly.” I said, “at this school? I think everything in Mozambique happens really slowly!” At this two of my colleagues laughed heartily and said “ah, now she’s got it!” One of them said, a little more seriously, “but Mozambique has got to change someday. I think it will change…someday.”
Last night we were sitting around the tables after dinner, when all the girls and two of the sisters came in singing and dancing. From the way they were singing to two of the girls (in training to be sisters) and what they were saying, I pieced together that these two girls were leaving our mission to continue their studies in Maputo province. I was devastated because I had no idea (I tend to be told very little here, but just expected to kind of know things. This is a common complaint of Mozambique PCVs) and they were two of my favorite people at the mission. The send-off was nice, but they left at 6am the next morning, giving me very little time to process any of this or say goodbye to my new friends.
One of the girls was combing my hair today. “Your hair doesn’t stay standing up when I brush it up!” she accused. No it doesn’t, I agreed. “Well why not?!?” she asked indignantly. I have just resigned myself to the fact that I will suffer from many small-child-infections during my two years here. One of the girls here has a fungal infection on her head and some of her body that is fairly harmless, but highly contagious. She is also the most physically affectionate girl here. And how do you not hug back an orphan who runs up to hug you, yelling your name every time she sees you and wants to tell you all about her day? And so every day I have tons of grimy little girls climbing all over my lap, playing with my hair (they are still quite mad at me that it is too short to properly braid and play with), combing my hair with the same comb they just brushed their own hair with, holding my hands, etc. I suddenly have 45 younger sisters. And I love it.