Skip to main content

Weekend in Xai-Xai

It is amazing that I got to spend four full weeks in Mozambique without going to Xai-Xai, I could not believe it myself when I counted the days! But Friday, Scott and Chelsea, newcomers in Mozambique (coming from where? BOSTON!) joined me in the afternoon and we had a smooth ride there. It was fun to find out after all there is another guesthouse in Xai-Xai called Taverna (I wonder why Sister Isabel said they drink too much there…). Despite the lack of mosquito nets, towels and toilet paper, the place was actually pretty ok, or maybe my standards are all messed up by now!

Saturday was a great day. I got to the end of it tired but re-invigorated, if the both are possible in the same sentence! Tired of how much we saw and did and rejuvenated to see that it is all worth it.

Me, Scott and Chelsea had an early start in the beach of Xai-Xai while we waited for more visitors to arrive but at 12.00 (not sharp) we left towards Chongoene, to pick up Sister Aparecida who was joining our ride. Who is us, you wonder… A lot of us actually, me, Chelsea, Scott, DP, Frank and Heather visiting and Sister Isabel, Stella and Aparecida leading us. After a short visit to the beautiful Chongoene Sanctuary, we headed to Mangunze, homeland of Sister Isabel. We were greeted with a marvellous lunch (including “mandioca”) but the best was yet to come.
After lunch, we made our way to the Water Well built close by and were amazed by literally, the miracle of water. What do I mean by that, I guess I will reserve one full post just for that. Let’s just say you get to understand how water is so precious around here. We all gave it a try in pumping water out but the best part was actually to drink it (yes, I will post movies on youtube soon).

Not far, we were happy to see the future Sewing Center of Mangunze, done in an original way, with an open space reserved for the classes. We are almost done… oh well, maybe we still need to buy the sewing machines themselves, but who cares about those details!! And oh, electricity again… we are going renewables, solar panels!!!

The weekend was full of joy and beautiful moments and we even got to lay on the beach and do nothing on Sunday, given how much we got to do on Saturday. Well, DP did not just lay down in the beach, he actually decided to exercise his quasi broken finger (rookie driving a 4x4) and buid a piece of art that we considered sending to the Moma…


More to share bit by bit very soon and yes I know now that I will get comments on my “smile” that is apparently so different here in Mozambique.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Time is what makes us different

I heard what is likely to become one of my top 3 favourite quotes on a podcast on Friday. "Time is the only real democratic asset. We are all awarded the same time, it is what we do with it that distinguishes us".  Now, I recognise that most of us need to work with survive and that is not democratic throughout. But on an equal opportunity basis, this is an interesting way of putting it. For many years I did not understand why MS thought my resume was so interesting. In fact, they chased me during the entire recruitment process, even though I had no idea of moving to London or Finance. I wanted to be a consultant and stay in Lisbon forever. But traditional consultants in Portugal saw nothing in me, and MS did not let me go. When I started screening resumes and hiring people a couple of years later is when I understood why I was different. TIME.  I was truly different about what I did with my time. Not necessarily the basics - choice of degree or anything. But really ...
1 comment
Read more

De-cluttering for opportunity

As I binged listened to the Bixchix podcast today ( Episode #31 Married with Luggage ), I got to meet this entrepreneur who left her life with her husband to go travel the world. No, I am not here to talk about quitting my job and travelling the world near and far (I have 2 children remember?). What called my attention was that as part of this process, she had to de-clutter, sell her stuff, carry a suitcase to another country and at the end leave no house behind. I have recently had a good de-cluttering spree so I relate to it, as I am not quite done yet. There are still bags to be taken to charity downstairs (hidden from the children as they have not seen those with toys) and I know there is more in the house that we can certainly leave without. But this is the extent of my de-cluttering drive right now, stuff. What I thought this episode brought new perspective was about de-cluttering is about so much more than stuff . Betsy Talbot argues it is actually about de-cluttering fro...
Post a Comment
Read more

London FintechWeek - Day 1 Reflections

Today, I attended the day 1 of the London Fintech Week. It is exciting to have the opportunity to be part of such an event - personally and professionally.  I have done my formal work debrief so now want to focus on some reflections.  The first session that called my attention was  ‘Is London still the world’s financial center?’.  by Nick Murray-Leslie. The speaker was clearly making a case for it but the more he provided the arguments for it, the gloomier I got about the prospects. Talent is key - and the environment is not prone to it as Brexit talks progress. And no, it is not all about Brexit but it certainly does not bode well for people wanting to hire across Europe and for talent looking for exciting opportunities. Moreover, in general terms and outside Brexit, I find that the world will be much less about where you are but rather about where you are connected. In a not so distant future it may not matter if we are based in London or Rome to do many of t...
1 comment
Read more