(Note to self: grovelling works)
Not much to report really, the weather is quite nice (quite hot, but not too humid). The thing that has struck me so far has been a different view on time. I had to get my visa at Maputo airport - having to wait 30 minutes for no good reason, the person doing it seemed to take his time walking back and forth to an office, chatting to people, while I stood there. Then I met the guy who came to pick me up, and we waited for our driver for another 30 minutes (who was coming in from 7km away?!). Then when I got to the office, ready to do a half day of work, there was nothing waiting for me - my next business meeting would be on Monday; it was at that stage Friday lunch. Inside my head I was asking, well, what do I do until then? (though quietly I was thankful for the time off!)
I'm sure grappling with this will be an ongoing theme!
Before I left, a friend photocopied for me a few pages from a book on Africa called The Shadow of the Sun - My African Life by Ryszard Kapuscinski. Here is a pertinent selection of what time looks like from an African point of view ...
"Time appears as a result of our actions, and vanishes when we neglect or ignore it ... It is a subservient, passive essence, and, most importantly, one dependent on man - the absolute opposite of time as it is understood in the European (or in this case, Asian-Australian!) worldview.
"In practical terms, this means that if you go to a village where a meeting is scheduled for the afternoon but find no one at the appointed spot, asking, "When will the meeting take place?" makes no sense. You know the answer: "It will take place when people come."
Apart from that, I don't think it's really hit me yet that I'm here - having a TV with CNN in my room hasn't helped. When it does hit me, of course, I'll let you know ...!
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