April 25, 2011
I have time to blog away, because today is some random holiday in my town. There are LOTS of holidays in Mozambique. I'm ok, with that, I went to the market, bought some stuff, and came back and took a nap. Unfortunately, the power was out, so the grilled cheese I have been looking forward to making was put off for a bit. But now its back! So excited.
I just got back from Maputo, which is always a delight. It's like a tiny slice of the western world. Although there was no massage and eyebrow thredding this time (THIS time...), I did have some EXCELLENT food and drink, saw some live shows, hung out at the French Cultural Center, did LOTS of shopping, and got a chance to see my host family. Oh yeah, and I had my reconnect conference. That was fun too. Ate way too much food. So much that I should be ashamed of myself. We also got the chance to attend the Peace Corps 50th Anniversary party at the Ambassador's residence. It was quite a snazzy party. Feels good to dress up and schmooze for a little bit. (Just like old times!)
Anyway, after my much needed Maputo time, I decided to take a weekend trip to the lake with my good friend Chris. The night before we left, we tested out his new oven by making homemade pizza (which turned out HEAVENLY) and brownies (which we ended up tossing out...Peace Corps cookbook has some typos!) and he had some friends over from Doctors Without Borders (who brought much better brownies) and we ate. It was great. We left the next morning for Chuwanga, which is right outside of Methangula, home to the Mozambique side of Lake Malawi. I spent my entire day Saturday on the beach, which is always refreshing. As we were leaving on Sunday, the man who works at the restaurant was walking us back to catch a chapa, and he asks me “oh, is this your husband?” Of course people had been staring at Chris and I all weekend, since he's white and I'm not. Interracial dating isnt really an issue here (especially since the Portuguese came in and now there are mixed people all over this country...) but it's still a curious sight, at least in the more rural areas. Little do they know that Chris is definitely gay, so...there was none of that going on. But since homosexuality isnt a reality for many people in rural Mozambique (they just think it doesnt exist here...these people get the side eye from me), if we shared a room, we had to be..you know...fornicating. So I tell the guy “No, he's not my husband” to which he replies “Oh, your boyfriend?” Chris says no, and tries to explain to the guy that in American culture, things are a little different. Too bad he completely failed at explanation. Chris said, “No, in America its normal for friends to stay together in the same room. Its ok, we do it all of the time” to which the guy replied “Oh, so you're just 'brincar'ing. Ok”.
To “brincar” in Portuguese is to play. In Mozambican slang, it means to just...well..sleep together, with no strings attached.
Chris and I laughed. Then the guy says “But you could get married if you want to” Chris replies “Sure, I guess we could, if we wanted to”. Then the guy says “Yeah, that wouldnt be a problem. You could just go down to the Registo Civil and sign the papers. It'll be easy. It'll be a good thing” I laughed. Not only does this guy think I'm having sex with my gay friend Chris, but he also thinks I'm Mozambican, and has taken it upon himself to openly condone me marrying this white guy, as if it has anything to do with him. Either that, or he has taken it upon himself to convince me to get married if I'm going to “brincar” with this guy, still, as if it has anything to do with him. He concludes by saying, “Yeah, you guys'll get married. You should marry him!” We laughed it off and continued walking.
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