When Mãe Puts on her Party Hat...

...things get interesting and the festivities last the entire day! This post is a quick little blurb about Dia 7 de Abril, or Dia da Mulher Moçambicana (Mozambican Women's Day). You may recall in an earlier post the inequality surrounding the genders when it comes to recognition and appreciation, with men somehow claiming every Friday as theirs with "dia de homen," but only giving women the one nationally recognized holiday. Well, when that day comes around on the 7th of April every year, the women make a point to take advantage of it and do it up in style! 

This year's holiday fell on a Saturday and the events began as they do for most holidays: in the praça with the singing of the national anthem and a laying of flowers on the memorial plaque at the center of the square commemorating the country's independence. After that the crowd moseyed on to the gathering space by the administrative building (mayor's office) and listened to a couple speeches made by Metoro's leaders (especially political leaders, who seem to always find a way to sneak in their agendas) before watching a couple performances by local groups. One of the groups that performed was the local school, in which a group of young girls did a dance and a couple adolescents recited poetry they had writtem in memory of Josina Machel, the second wife of Samora Machel,  revolutionary and first president of Mozambique. April 7th is the anniversary of her death and she is widely recognized as a national heroine. 

After the activities in the plaza finished up the real festivities began. Mãe invited me back to her house to cook and spend time with the group of women from the hospital who had decided to make her house the place to be to celebrate. Long story short, I ended up being there from roughly 9 in the morning (you have to remember everything starts early in Mozambique, so the activities in the plaza began around 7 a.m.) until six at night (although the drinking and dancing went on until easily at least 9 p.m.). You might wonder at the fact that the women were still cooking on their holiday, but Mozambique hasn't advanced quite THAT far in the holiday that the men might feel compelled to cook for their wives. Honestly, I'm sure the women prefer it that way for a couple reasons: 1) they would be terrified at the possibility of the food ruining their diversion and 2) spending time with a bunch of ladies and no men is a great way to get some relaxation and gossip in without having to think at all about the men in their lives and homes they have left behind. I said "no men" in the previous sentence, but I was lucky enough to be privy to the entire gathering (except for an hour or so stretch of what I can only assume was especially juicy and mercilessly gender-homed gossip) and was indeed the only male there aside from a couple individuals who helped out with the cooking and domestic tasks during the party. It was a blast and the food was INCREDIBLE! The day was also notable for the fact that many of the women were drinking, which is unfortunately not something usually seen in the culture of the North. All in all, it was a completely full day and packed with learning and great moments with my Mozambican family here!  

Most of the women who participated in the party. One of the traditions is for husbands (if they have the money) to buy their wives a capulana to commemorate the special day. This was the capulana chosen by the hospital this year.

Everyone lined up to place flowers at the memorial. The 'important' community members can be seen lined up in front of the crowd and includes local neighborhood leaders, the mayor ans some of the local police force. 

After the laying of flowers, the ladies marched down the street and back to the gathering area in front of the administrative building.

Some girls of the local school performed a traditional dance that involves the blowing of a whistle.

Prepping the moringa for lunch. The leaves will be boiled to create a stew of sorts and then served with xima (a food of mashed potato consistency that is corn based)

The feasting! As you can see: not many white nor guys in the gathering, but I held my own and made mãe proud by going back for seconds! 

Rising: The Thing to Do Easter Morning

Holidays are always more homey with family and friends, which is why it was such a treat to have Michelle up to Cabo Delgado to celebrate Easter! You may recall the incredible banquet that was Thanksgiving at the missionaries' house in Montepuez...we did too and so when we were invited there for an Easter service and brunch we didn't need to be asked twice! Food aside, it was a really great experience and one of the highlights of the holiday was a sunrise sumitting of one of the city's mountains to have a small prayer service on top. Throughout the hike up (short walk at an above average incline) it was extremely foggy, which was well-welcomed as we were able to escape the heat of the sun. The fog finally burned off during the last 20 minutes or so on the summit, just enough time to take some photos before our decent, which was much hotter than the ascent. Having accomplished the mission, we rewarded ourselves by stuffing bacon and egg casserole, cinnamon rolls, chocolate bread, quiche and many other delights into our mouths at the house of one of the missionary families, with a short prayer service to wrap it up. We rounded the festivities off with a little volleyball before Michelle and I headed back to Metoro.

Our time together was defined by two main forms of existence: 1) basking in the close proximity that we normally don't have to each other as we passear-ed, visited my host mother, cleaned clothes and all sorts of other normal daily tasks, and 2) eating some of the most delicious food ever to grace the plates of my Metoran residence. It's hard to describe how well we ate in Metoro.  Some of these magical morsels included: 

• homemade ice cream WITH homemade peanut butter cups 
• fish tacos/burritos - Michellle absolutely nailed the tortillas and they would have made a Mexican abuelita proud; I didn't do so shabby on my breaded and cajun seasoned fish pieces either 
• fresh salads with a dressing recipe inspired by my host mother from Germany
• rice and beans (very seasoned) with an egg fried and served on top
• porridge with milk, sugar and fresh toasted cashews that were picked up on the way up from Nampula
• a macaroni hot dish that started out as going to be a soup and ended up being pasta with an almost creamy sauce, warm and perfect for the cool temperatures that Metoro has been experiencing during the evenings 
• popcorn with salt and chile powder sprinkled on it 

Another fun part of the trip was the peanut butter making demonstration that we did close to the market. I had previously set up a date with one of the market vendors to do this demonstration and it so happened that we had to postpone it, which led to Michelle being able to be there for it!  I've dabbled in the peanut butter making business and Michelle has done more than her fair share of PB production, so together we were able to square away what I would describe as fairly solid lessons in how to make the stuff. There were roughly 15 adults involved or watching and at least 25 kids, who became quite the force to be reckoned with once they began to swarm about in numbers after receiving a peanut butter sample. In the end, many people said that they were surprised how easily peanut butter could be made and that they would give it a go at home. Additionally, the children loved it and will hopefully have the chance to benefit from the positive aspects of having access to a supply of it at home. 

Isa and Michelle gazing out over their empire

The group chatting a bit on the top of the 'mountain' after a successful ascent. Unfortunately, there was a lot of graffiti on the top; I thought this was a nice ironic shot to capture

Ben (PCV in Montepuez) and Dannia (my neighbor in Ancuabe)

There were some local children who made the climb with us. I caught one of them as sitting staring into the fog. It turns out he wasn't in the middle of a Zen experience, but was looking down on his partners in crime as they caused a ruckus below

The whole PCV crew that made it for Easter

There was a small praise and worship session on the top of the mountain led by the missionaries

Huge thanks to Michelle for taking photos during the peanut butter demonstration... 

The biggest challenge we would face during the peanut butter demonstration would be the weather, as this photo hints at...

The three main vendors involved in the setup and execution of the peanut butter project: Vitor, Marcucheni and Antonio (from left to right)

Step one: After the sand has been heated (used to give peanuts an even roast), add the
peanuts and start stirring

Step 2: After the peanuts are sufficiently roasted, take them out of the pan and let them cool a tad before breaking them in half to separate them from their inner husk

Step 3: Toss the peanuts to get rid of the husks 

Step 4: Pound the peanuts into the consistency desired, adding a pinch of salt and sugar (to taste) 

Step 5: Share the peanut butter with all of your friends and encourage them to begin making their own! 

As you can see, there was a posse of children anywhere the peanut butter was, hoping for a second taste

A plate of the bounty that was the Easter brunch buffet line

Heaven in a bag...homemade ice cream with homemade peanut butter cups to put inside!

Fantastic dining...some of the best fish tacos I have ever had. It's great to have
such a culinary inspiration for a girlfriend