I'm told this is an apartment, not a flat :)

My sweet little corner of M-burg is starting to feel like home.  I've loved being able to decorate and pull much of my Africa stuff out of storage.  Fortunately, my roommate also has a connection to Africa, and she doesn't mind the theme of our living room.  

My room has a few very special elements.  My cedar chest (the right had side of the picture above), my bed frame, and my bookshelf (not in the picture above) were all handmade by my grandfather.  The quilt on my bed is a pattern called "Around the World," and it was handmade by my grandmother.  

My kitchen is equipped with family memories as well.  My silverware belonged to my great-grandparents.  My glasses were my great-great-aunt's.  My flatware were my grandmother's.  I have a pitcher and five glasses that were a wedding gift to my great-grandmother in 1924.  I have dinnerware that was my great-grandmother's "everyday" dishes.  The table in our kitchen was used by my grandfather and his siblings.

I didn't think that I was a person who liked antiques.  I'm not sure that I am even now.  But I love the history.  There are only things, and as such I want to hold them lightly.  But in an age when so much is disposable, there is something wonderful about using a spoon made in 1887.  

African women amaze me with their ability to carry items on their heads.  Most of these pictures aren't clear because I was taking them out the window of a fast moving vehicle (Dad was driving), but I love them nonetheless.

This is my favorite!

While out in a village, I saw a girl carrying her hoe in from the field, balancing it across her head!  Although I've grown up with images such as these, I continue to be impressed.  I think I'll have to stick with a suitcase with wheels.

Beneath a Flowering Mango Tree....

Mom and I just got home from a great afternoon.  Today she had her second sewing class for the ladies in the churches here.  I do not sew, therefore my role is helper and today, photographer and childcare!  Haha...

We showed up at Passagem, the church, with Louis (our translator) and his wife and baby.  About the same time, three other women arrived.  Two of the ladies had come to the previous class.  As we waited a bit for some other ladies, a lady who lives next to the church decided to join as well.  We started the class with two prior students, three new ones, and several kids.  I held the one baby for a while, but he definitely preferred his mother's lap to mine.  She used a piece of cloth to wrap him in front of her so she could nurse him and hem her material at the same time.  I was pretty impressed.

Throughout our two and half hours together, another four women arrived.  Two had been before and two were new.  Mom was great!  Some of the other women were also able to help each other, but this meant that there were some women who were ready to learn embroidery, some were still hemming their material, and some were still pinning their material prior to hemming.

Our first class had been held inside the church.  However, since there isn't electricity, it was very hard for some of the women to see what they were trying to do.  Today we moved some of the benches outside, which meant we attracted some attention from the neighborhood kids.

This little girl came to watch us first.  You can see she's pretty young herself, but she's responsible for her little sister.  She looked so serious at first.  I took her picture and showed it to her and her smile was absolutely beautiful.  Fortunately, I also had some Imperial Mints in my handbag.  I gave her one of those and she was very happy.  

After I took the first little girl's picture, word got around!  I'm not sure if it was the mints or the pictures, but I do think it was the pictures!  You should have heard the giggles when the kids would see themselves on the screen.  

I can't fully describe today.  It really was just such fun.  I love watching the women interact with each other and with Mom.  Some of the women have clearly sewed before, and their faces just light up when Mom compliments their work.  For the other women, they seem to find joy in the fact that they are learning a new skill.  It is Mom's desire that these sewing lessons can lead to some extra income for the families.  The other reason it is so much fun is because the women enjoy their time together as well.  They chat while they work and they are more than happy to help the next woman who arrives late.  

Life is really hard here.  But it is also good.  Mozambicans adore their kids, laugh at their antics, enjoy their friendships, and dream of a better life.  I'll take many fond memories with me when I leave here.  One of them will definitely be of a hot winter afternoon spent underneath a flowering mango tree, watching eight women learn the basics of embroidery.