Maputo is different. My first week here all I could tell people was that Maputo is so cool because it has dental floss in the grocery stores. And MOUTHWASH. what?
I can't lie and say that the novelty has completely worn off. I still can't believe the food variety available (and often make exactly what I made in the tea field because I don't know what else to do), I still wander around big grocery stores slightly lost (the little ones are more manageable), and I still can't quite believe how Maputo relates to the rest of the country.
It is the capital city. There is opportunity - many different schools, medical clinics, business opportunities. One of the problems of rural poverty is proximity to the rich - where I was, there weren't any rich people to speak of, and so business was hard. How do you sell to people who don't have money? Things worked out - my village is able to support a few local stores and every once in awhile people come with new goods. In the city - there will always be rich people buying bottled water, which means there will always be bottles for poor people to sell. As stifled as an opportunity as this may seem, it is a lifeline. Although I am privileged, I have seen far too much what lack of opportunity, any opportunity, can do to someone.
Maputo feels untouchable. There was flooding in the beginning of January (an understatement, I believe it was the worst in 44 years) in my home province. Electricity is still out, and the biggest bridge in the province connecting north to south is still broken. But my (hot) running water has stayed on, my electricity has not gone off once, and food/transportation prices remain the same. I don't wish I were still living there - being witness to such destruction and desperation isn't fun, nor do I wish misfortune on anyone - it makes me uncomfortable that the leaders of the country do not feel the suffering as everyone else does. Maputo is of its own.
And to make matters worse (or just different?), this is really the first time I've ever lived in a city for longer than a few months. To be honest - I'm having many conflicting feelings, but it is pretty great to be able to order takeout (for the first time in my life), call taxis to take me places and catch buses (because I live inside the city limits!), and live in a city that has zones where people don't stare at me ALL THE TIME. Even after 2 years living in the same small town, there were people who stared at me while I did all of my food shopping. Or just walked around. I did visit a friend today in a neighborhood today that was exactly like being back in Peace Corps. You can just read people's expressions: "Is this girl lost?"
There is so much more to say, but I definitely need to organize my thoughts before I ramble past the point of no return. Maybe next time I'll post about my job?
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| The group with our big boss, Custodio - saying goodbye (and of course my ultimate Maputo welcome) |
