08/01/12

Today I was walking to the chapa stop in Namaacha when I heard someone yell out “mana Anata!” I looked up and saw one of the girls from the orphanage in Inharrime carting water with a couple other girls. She and her sister, who also lives at the orphanage, have family here in Namaacha so they spend there holidays there with them. I was so happy and excited to see someone I knew—it’s sad moving to a town where nobody knows you—especially someone who was so thrilled to see me.
My chapa arrived in Maputo in the bad part of town so I held on tight to my bags and walked determinedly to the stop for the next chapa. Someone put their hand on my wrist so I flicked it off and continued walking. Then I heard someone say “teacher Anata!” It was one of my students from my English club in Inharrime! I felt terrible for flicking his hand away so rudely, I had just assumed it was someone trying to sell me something, so I hadn’t even looked at him. He is spending his holidays with family in Maputo.