The world’s most interesting dinner party….

Know when people ask pageant girls “if you could have dinner with 3 people , who would they be?” And they say something like “Will Ferrell, Elenor Roosevelt and their 7th grade English teacher” or something along those lines… Well, I’m pretty sure the party I attended last night was fruition of the pageant question.

When Padre Pedro (the director of my school who is currently doubling as my house-mate) said that Helen and I were going to accompany him to Rodalfo’s “despeidida” (going away party) I was fully expected an awkward evening.  And to be totally honest, that’s pretty much how it started out.

Padre Pedro, Padre Lucas, Padre Phillipe, Helen and I loaded into one of the Dom Bosco Professional pickup truck last night and set off to cross the bridge into Tete City.  We pulled up in front of an apartment building on the edge of the city and climbed the 5 flights of stairs to this Rodalfo character’s apartment. There, we found a small apartment fully decked out in Christmas décor and the usual Mozambican porcelain dogs (what IS it with those?!) plus some people working away in the kitchen prepared loads of food.  We introduced ourselves to them – a man from Portugal and a lady who spoke Portuguese with a French accent from Luxemburg (which she promptly told us was the 3rd smallest country in the world).  No Rodaldfo though, he apparently was still tomar-ing banho (taking a bath).

 We excused ourselves to the balcony to avoid the approaching awkward silence and onset of sweat from the heat of the kitchen.  As Padre Lucus was giving us a quick geography lesson on Tete City, a nun in full dress (they were all solid white here) came out.  She was adorable, as most friendly old nuns are – from Mozambique, 73 years old, and texted someone on her little phone.  We chatted with her until the elusive Rodaldfo (a Doctor from Mexico) appeared, still brushing his teeth and wearing wayyy to much cologne.  Kiss, kiss. Then he was gone.

We let ourselves inside (oh and when I say “we,” I’m generally referring to me and Helen) and sat on a sofa next to a man whose name I can not remember (nor could I pronounce).  He was an Ethopian doctor in Mozambique with Medicos Sem Fronteras (Doctors without borders).  He’s been here for a year now, and before was in Congo. We switched to English (since “Portuguese was a struggle” for him as well) and got some more background on him.  Marta – the lady from Luxemburg-joined us, as did a pretty, early-30s woman in a chic-y halter dress and the conversation reverted to Portuguese. The new woman was sitting next to me and I was thoroughly enjoying her side comments to the conversation and the fact that she was shocked I had just learned Portuguese two months ago.  Not knowing whether it was appropriate for me to just come out and ask her where she was from (there were very few natural Mozambicans here), I let it slide. Soon, a cute little old lady squeezed in between us on the couch.  Sister Esmerelda immediately told me that she has been here for 31 years and has no intention of returning to her native Spain.  She talked to the chic-y woman too and within minutes had uncovered the fact that the woman (Magdelena) was a young Doctor from Bolivia.

At this point, I was now in the company of an Ethopian, a Bolivian, and Nun from Spain…in a Mexican doctor’s apartment…speaking a ping-pong combination of Portuguese and English…sprinkled with Spanish and French.  I thought my head was going to explode!!  Where AM I ?!  Soon, 3 more people wandered in – and much to our surprise, 2 of them were American!  Jackpot!  Anna, the woman grew up in Brazil, and Chris, went to Bama for College.  We explained who we were and that we were in the Peace Corps and BAM.  Well, Chris was in the Peace Corps!  El Salvador, 93.  Then he worked for them for 10 years. He knows our Country Director Ruben.  And what are they doing here?  Well they’re starting a new USAID/PEPFAR project focused on community education and mobilization in the context of HIV/AIDS.  In fact, Dr. Rodalfo is working for them on this new endeavor.  They’re huge Peace Corps fans and fired a series of interview style questions at us, quickly noting that given the option of hiring a PCV or a non-PCV, they would of course chose the PC person!  Since they’re opening an office here in Tete City and already have funding for the next five years, Chris has so kindly offered to bring us our mail from Maputo once a month. (the mail issue has been a big problem.  Maputo – where our mail is being sent - is ohhhh a plane flight and a 6 hour drive from us.  And since Tete is kind of the red-headed step child of PC/MOZ and we don’t get much traffic up here, our mail will be sitting there for about a year until we retrieve it.)  Are you really sure you wouldn’t’ mind bringing the mail, I ask. He would be insulted that I would even ask that.  Of course he wouldn’t mind.  This is Peace Corps. He will gladly tote the mail.  And if we want to send any letters home, they DHL a package out once a month.

And on the way out of the apartment, Rodalfo asked if we like Mexican food.  Of course we like Mexican food.  Well, we’ll be sure to do that soon then, he replied.  As if the interesting company and mix of Portuguese/Spanish and Mozambican food wasn’t’ enough…

And that, friends, is currently holding the number one place in my book for “most interesting dinner party.”  So take that pageant question! HA!