Not All Storm Clouds Rain...

In August, I made a purchase of a deep freezer. It's small and fits in the corner of my kitchen, allowing me the privilege of buying meat once a week --rather than having to buy it day after day.

After pricing things out, I discovered it was heaps cheaper to buy an animal and have it dressed than to buy it in the supermarket.

(I'm not ready to buy it from the outdoor market yet... the flies and blood stained wooden counters somehow throw me off.)

So I asked around and found someone who was selling pigs... and went to meet him.

Chris is a Catholic friar from Louisiana with a background in agriculture. He's been working in Mozambique for about two years and was disappointed to find out that very few Mozambicans are willing to eat pork.

However, I was not upset by this news because it meant that he had an excess of pork... and was more than willing to off load it for cheap.

How to buy a pig in Mozambique ~

Day one: Meet Chris and select the white beast for execution. Ask one of his workers to butcher it in exchange for all the offal and feet.     ---What a bargain! 

Day two: Go pick up my shaved and slaughtered pig, then notice a number of goats for sale... ask about the price of goats and a broken container. Take home my pig in nice happy sections and pile it neatly in my freezer --with the head on top staring through the zip lock bag! 



Day three: Go back for a (live) goat and the broken water container (which Chris was willing to part with for free and will be used, God willing, in an aquaponics project).

Easy. Peasy.

After buying my goat, I asked the Chris and the other Mozambican staff for name suggestions (since she was intended as a pet rather than dinner) but no one was willing to name her. But as I was about to leave another friar showed up, Andres from Spain, and he suggested I call her "Storm Cloud" since her white and grey coat resembled the stormy evening quick approaching.

I agreed that would be a good name for her... and quickly dubbed her Nebulada (or Storm Cloud in Portuguese).



We piled her on the trailer, tying her to the inside of the broken container and off we went. But instead of raining... this Storm Cloud bleated.
         ---She bleated all the way home!

Clearly... not all Storm Clouds rain.

Bonus: I'm happy to announce Nebulada is pregnant! I watch her belly expand with interest wondering if she'll be my first Mozambican delivery!
  
He he he... We'll just have to wait and see. Won't we?

Market Shopping!

Shopping in Mozambique can be much like in the West. There are supermarkets with neatly packaged boxes and over priced cans. And yes, sometimes I shop there.

But when I have a choice, I much prefer the outdoor market.

This is where I find my dried fish, canisters of beans, and bags of potatoes. Plus, veggies and fruits of varying ripeness are piled high for the picking. I like that.



At first sight of all the wonderful beans... the Mexican in me started to drool. I honestly bought enough beans to feed me for three months! Assuming they last that long! (The weevles have found them!)
 

But what I love best about the outdoor market is the price. I can buy a week's worth of fruits and veggies for under $10 dollars.

Now that's what I'm talkin' about!!! 

Kapulana Store!

 

The other day we went shopping for curtains. This brought us to the kapulana store.

Kapulanas are the colorful wraps worn by Mozambicans. They are called by other names in other countries, of course, but the idea is the same. And each country has its own colors, designs, and quality of material.

Some are worn tied up over one shoulder --like in South Sudan. Some are sown in a circle and climbed into before you wrap them around you --like in the Philippines. But here, they are flat, square cloths worn over pants or leggings.

And they are very useful at that!

I couldn't help it and bought a green and brown pattern for a skirt. It was just too lovely.

... but I was not able to find anything I liked well enough for curtains. Maybe I'm just not African enough yet! Ha!