Grandma Maria ♥️🇲🇿

“You’re a teacher?! Oh, then I should have given you even more respect.”… the young man at the (very slow Vodacom shop) hit the nail on the head🙃.

The subsequent car loan is uncomplicated, but incredibly precise. Every millimeter of the car, my Kia, is examined and a report is created. Afterwards I set off for Maputo, I quickly realized that driving on the left was the least of my problems. The risky driving of others and the big potholes in the roads make the trip more special. I quickly realize that my navigation system cannot detect my destination, I go around in circles and after a while I decide to call the guesthouse. Finally I'm no longer going astray.

The guesthouse is located above a shop and a restaurant. Martinh welcomes me and explains everything to me in detail. Oh yes, I have 2 dogs here too. Both together are easily 1000 years old.

I decide to eat out and enjoy the only vegetarian dish - a lentil dish - on the menu.

The next morning I have to drive my car out of the guarded parking lot myself, I navigate around the collar, it starts to rain and I get out because I absolutely can't get out of this tight parking space - even if it took three men to give me instructions admit. I ask one of the gentlemen to drive my car out of the gap, but all three of them can't drive a car 🥹.

I finally manage it, but I'm incredibly annoyed.

And yes: I'm tense because I can't assess the roads and driving styles of the Mozambicans. For the most part the route is quiet, the roads are wide and the holes are not that huge.

I'm driving to Zimpeto - and it's crowded here, I can't understand how the cars can be so narrow and irregular, but the way they drive here, I understand why the vehicles look like that. The flooded streets don't help. And also not that my navigation doesn't talk to me and I always have to look at the display, hold my cell phone and pay attention to the potholes.

I meet Orlando - we quickly find each other...he is waiting for me in his car in front of a large Coca Cola advertisement. I like him immediately, and the coming days will show how reliable and friendly my dad's friend is. In the 90s he lived in Dresden and has not been to Germany since then. But his German is really real.

Quickly to the supermarket - after paying, I want to take the receipt and the goods from the supermarket, but I am stopped because you first have to have the receipt stamped by the security guard. It's always irritating because he didn't look into the bag with the goods... so how can he know that I really didn't steal anything?! Orlando also finds this type of security worthy of note.

We drive to Boquisso in Kollone. A village about 1 hour from Maputo.

Grandma seems to have forgotten that today is October 19th. is. She sees the cars driving into the yard, runs into the house and later falls into my arm. She reports crying; She didn't know it was today (I think she confused the time and space a bit 🙃).

The three of us are sitting under the tree and Grandma is chattering and chattering.

Orlando keeps looking for a second to hold her breath to translate to me; but it doesn't make it. She doesn't take a breath. However, this gives me the chance to take a closer look at Grandma, her beautiful brown skin, the deep furrows, and alert eyes. Since our meeting in 2009, only a little has changed🙃 Over the course of the next few hours, I notice how precise she is when she opens something, closes something, folds something. It's all like slow motion, but the precision fascinates me.

She formulates her answers with such precision and precision... you just want a short answer and grandma jumps in like there's no tomorrow. Of course, the answer has only marginally anything to do with the actual question🙃.

Finally he manages it and explains to me:

• An unknown woman with a child knocked on Grandma's door. The child was about twelve or 13 years old.
• The woman asked Grandma that she could take care of the child for a while and that the child could sleep with her. Grandma agreed.
• A few days later, the child took a glass and smashed food on Grandma's head. Grandma fainted.
• And she stated that she still has pain in her hand and head.
• The boss who is responsible for the ten houses in Grandma's area couldn't find anything and said there was no need to go to the police. Orlando said that in Mozambique you probably have to go to the police before you can go to the hospital. This also means that she was never hospitalized for this.

We decide - after grandma has dressed up for her big trip and is already wearing a new top from Germany - that we will take her to the doctor, maybe he can determine whether everything is really okay or whether the pain has a deeper cause .

When I arrived at the military hospital, they were extremely unfriendly and prescribed ibuprofen. In my opinion unnecessary, because the cause was still not clarified. We drive to another hospital where at least her hand will be vaccinated against various diseases. But here too there is no x-raying or anything like that. At least we were allowed to wear Corona masks again, which we had to purchase first. Unfortunately we can't get any further here.

It's going to the Basara.

And we buy a lot: semolina, vegetables, sugar, bread, coal, everything.

At the vegetable stand there are coconuts, which are then opened or halved by the buyer and held up to a machine so that coconut shavings are produced (grandma will later squeeze the coconut shavings at home so that coconut milk is produced, which she needs for the meal. Me I'm fascinated).

People look at us with interest and grandma tells everyone that I come from Allemagna and that I am her granddaughter. It's probably the village theme.

While buying sugar, Donna Gloria, a small and fun-loving woman, comes and is endlessly happy. Apparently she's coming to Eause too, because she's suddenly sitting in the back seat.

At home, Grandma and Gloria and another woman (where did she come from all of a sudden?) prepare the meal and I go to the pharmacy again to get Grandma's tablets. Here too: suddenly a woman sits in the back seat of me with several empty beer crates. She obviously wants to go to the market and fill her beer crates. Yeah good.

At home we have Matapa - I love Matapa, it almost tastes better when cooked with coal🙃 Grandma can dig in, she eats 2 plates of Matapa with semolina.

It's getting cold, thank God I bought a jogging suit. Later we are sitting in Grandma's hut when suddenly the pastor and a bricklayer arrive. The bricklayer is silent the whole time, but the pastor is very interested. He is 32 years old and wants to know everything about me. At around 10 p.m. everyone involved leaves the hut and grandma enjoys matapa and a baguette again. How much can she actually pack in 🙃?!

We try to communicate, after all, the translator Orlando is no longer there, and I really have trouble understanding what she is trying to tell me with the beer bottle. FYI: we also bought beer for Grandma, her absolute favorite beer. At some point I understand that we should take the bottles to the neighbor's house because she has a refrigerator.

When I got back home, I lay down on my bed under my mosquito net, even though I hadn't seen or felt a mosquito the whole time, when suddenly there was a knock. A woman I hadn't seen today comes to Grandma's and they talk. I must have fallen asleep at some point, but when I wake up, the woman is still there, talking loudly on the phone.

I notice that she is going to bed with grandma and is obviously going to spend the night here. OK.

I ask Grandma if she turns the light off, but somehow she seems to want to make me understand that she doesn't turn it off, she leaves it on because otherwise, when she has to go to the toilet at night, she can't find it. The mosquitoes, which don't exist, aren't a problem, nor is the simplicity of the hut, nor is the traffic, but sleeping with the light on is absolute horror for me. So I continue to put my sheet over my eyes and try to get some sleep. I manage to do this when suddenly the cell phone rings loudly and Grandma answers the call even louder. She speaks to me and gives me her phone under my mosquito net.

Hello?

Hello, Caroline. It's the preacher. What are you doing?

Me? Well. It's after midnight, I am sleeping and would like to go back to sleep.

I'm done with that. Hello? I find it extremely strange to call me at twelve and ask what I'm doing. I don't think he expected such a short, succinct answer, but I have to educate the pastor.

The next morning someone crawls on my feet and tickles me, it's grandma, I should obviously get up. Well, you can do it, it's already 7:00 a.m. The woman is gone, Grandma is already ready to go out and takes her big hands and washes my face with them. In my nightgown, I climb out of the hut and see two women, one with a Canon camera in her hand.

At some point I find out that they want to take photos of us, I throw on a dress and that's it. No hair done, only brushed the roots of my teeth, at least I'm wearing a bra. Then the photo session begins at the car, in front of the hut, under the tree. Grandma goes full throttle and shows herself - and her wig - in all positions. When you ask what the photos are for, you find out that they were sent by the pastor, i.e. the girl with the camera, and is now supposed to take pictures. I think it's better if I don't let anyone tell me any details, but just have photos taken of me. Let the pastor enjoy it.

I'm thirsty and decide to drive to the market when Orlando calls. We plan the day and I decide to pick him up.

We first stop at Grandma's and tell her before we go shopping again, this time we have fish, electricity, a lamp, and so on.

But for me I need a coffee first, the few sleeps under the relentless lamp and the wake-up call by the man of God have left their mark. Orlando tries to explain to Grandma what coffee is, but she doesn't really understand it, but then we come up with the idea of getting coffee at the gas station. Meanwhile, grandma stays at home and cooks delicious vegan food again.

Finally it's time for her to enjoy her beer, there's nothing like a beer at lunchtime in the African sun.

I'm learning more and more words, and of course I'm completely unable to hold a conversation, but I've got a few basics down.

Grandma gestures and talks and talks, it's so fun to listen to her.

We have to get going, I have to return the car at 5:30 a.m., but I've already called the car rental company to say that I probably won't be able to fill the car with gas now. Still, I have to hurry, but Grandma doesn't seem to see that I'm running out of time. We said goodbye and suddenly she opens the car door and sits in the car, she wants to come with us. We make it clear to her that this is not possible, but we can take her - obviously without shoes - but towards the bazaar, where we say goodbye.

See you soon, dear Vovo♥️.

On the drive back towards the capital, I just pray that nothing happens to me and the car, and I'm happy when I can hand it over to the car rental company unscathed. Before that I bring Orlando home, he shows me his house and introduces me to his wife, and I thanked him again because without him it would certainly have been difficult.

I receive a friendly welcome again at my accommodation and open my room door. I just want to take a quick shower and relax. But I quickly realize that the things I left here and didn't put in the safe are no longer there. This includes a dress, a pair of worn panties, earplugs for music and a pair of earrings. I'll call Martin. He comes and takes about half an hour to locate my dress. It's freshly washed, just like my underwear. However, there is still no trace of the other two things and they have not been found.

The dog Robyn is with me again, he can't see, he can't hear well and he can't walk well. But cute at first. I don't think anything of it when he goes into the bathroom, but I notice him messing with the trash that I had previously disposed of.

I try to stop him from eating the garbage but also don't want him to bite me. However, when he stuffs my used tampons into himself, I call Martin again and he comes, but he can't get the tampon out of the dog either. Martin tells me not to worry, he's a street dog and has certainly eaten worse. Where he is right, he is right.

The alarm clock rings at 3:15 a.m. - off to South Africa.