Wildlife

Wildlife has not been a typical part of my Moz experience thus far, unless you count geckos, birds, and the stray cat that sleeps on our veranda.  However, one day last week brought several species into my lens. 

Dad picked up this snappish fellow on the beach.  He was less than amused at having an audience.  

On the drive home, we encountered a small troop of baboons in a grove of gum trees.  Most snobbishly ignored us.

This one looked like he wanted to leap through my open window.  Can we say, "Cheeky monkey...er, baboon?"  :)

The next creature declined a photo.  Truthfully, I couldn't think for a few minutes after we met, anyway.  Do you see the smooth line in the sand that goes through the center of the picture?

My parents have not seen a snake in their six months here in Moz, unless you count one dead snake on the road.  Well, we were at the beach on our day off this week, a bit further north of the city.  After having had enough sun, we decided to relocate to one of the little thatched shelters for some shade.  As I walked over the sand dune, I saw the brown sand in front of me twitch and move at an astonishing pace towards the brush that grows over the dunes.    I jumped back and said something along the lines of "Ohmygoshijustsawasnakeitwentthatway."  Dad gave me a strange look and passed me to continue on his way into the shade.  Mom also walked by me, but she at least attempted to understand what I had said.  

I didn't think either believed me, and then I realized they simply weren't bothered.  I don't know if I will ever reach that level of comfort with the more scaly elements of nature.  To them, a snake was here but isn't any longer.  To me, a snake was here so we shouldn't be!  I did move to sit under the shade with them, but I did not forget that I was a mere three feet from the brush which now sheltered "it."  

As we left the beach, we asked a fellow named Lloyd what types of snakes live on the dunes.  When I described it (three feet of sand colored slither), he told us it was likely a green bush snake.  They are members of the constrictor family and prefer lizards for dinner.  Their name is because their heads are a bright green, even though their bodies are more olive toned.  Lloyd said he witnessed a green bush snake climbing a palm tree. 

Sadly, this next story has no picture to accompany it.  As we walked along the beach, my dear mother looked out into the surf.  "Hope, there's a nice big conch shell!  Go get it!"  The beach here in our city doesn't usually have nice shells.  So, I walked into the water in search of the shell.  It looked too dense to be shell, but the waves kept tossing it around.  I looked closer and told Mom I didn't think it was a conch.  I couldn't get a proper glimpse of it.  (The water in a port city isn't exactly known for its clarity.)  I thought it looked like perhaps bone or coral or....something.  Mom told me to pick it up so we could see it.  Figuring whatever it was had been washed by the salt water and bleached by the sun, I grabbed it.

And that, my friends, is when we realized I had just pulled a pig's skull out of the Indian Ocean.  

Igreja/Church

Church was (mercifully) much cooler this week.  "Cooler" is a relative term, consider it was in the 80 degree range, rather than the 90+ degrees we experienced last week.  (The church roof is tin, by the way.  It conducts the heat wonderfully.)  Our two churches were combined again this week, due to a special visit from our church leader in Maputo.

I really enjoyed church this week.  Mom and I "rebelled" and sat with the women, rather than at the front of the church.  The front of the church is reserved for the pastors and special guests.  Out of respect, Mom would normally be sat there as well.  She and I both feel more comfortable sitting among the women and this week, we decided to so.  No one seemed too shocked by it, so hopefully we can continue.  The sermon was given in Portuguese and translated into Ndau.  I think one of the men at the front was also whispering a translation in English to Dad.  Mom was able to explain some of the service to me.

After church, we received an invitation to a special church lunch.  Our two church congregations piled into four vehicles.  Our vehicle seats ten theoretically, but in practice, many more can fit!  Mom and I sat in the front row next to Dad, who was driving.  Two of our pastors sat in the second row, along with the one pastor's wife (who is 8 months pregnant) and their two boys (about 8 and 6).  In the back, there are four jump seats.  On those seats sat another five women and three children.  One of those women was also about six months pregnant.  The other two vehicles of similar size were equally packed, and the rest of the church (most of the youth) climbed into the truck below.

There were probably about seventy of us for the luncheon.  It was largely a family get together, for the guest from Maputo was the father of our host.  Manuel, our host, has a thriving construction business.  He speaks English very well and was wearing a Manchester United shirt.  I pointed that out, teasing him for his support of Man U.  That got a big laugh, and he returned the teasing when I told him that my loyalty has by default been to Arsenal.  

We had a real feast prepared for us, which we ate under a tent with a nice cool breeze.  I shocked several people by not taking any of the meat options.  It is never easy to explain being a vegetarian in Africa.  It always amazes how many mounds of rice are prepared and how quickly they disappear.  

All in all, it was a lovely afternoon.  We were the first to depart, getting home at about 4 pm.  It was a perfectly enjoyable day.

"primeira aula de Inglês" First English Class

Mom and I taught our first English class together on Saturday.

We set up the class very prettily, with our chairs neatly lined up, a copybook and pen in place for each student.  We had printed a page for each student with basic questions and greetings.  Many church members had been asking when we would be starting our class.  We did not know how many students to expect.

One student attended.  Incidentally, we were having the English class on his veranda!  Zacarias told us that he would announce the start of the English class on Sunday (the following day), but we had thought it had been announced that class would begin this Saturday.  We decided to chalk this up to another language snafu and teach our sole student.  Zacarias has been very eager to learn English and he delighted in having not one, but two English teachers.  

When I saw him at church the following day, he was very eager to shake my hand and say in English, "Why hello, how are you today?"  

Preparations to Teach

Mom and I ran a few errands this morning, getting some groceries and also some supplies for the sewing class.  We are suppling the women with a piece of cloth and thread and needles to get them started.  The thread and needles have come from Mom's supplies until now.  We needed to get a few more types of embroidery thread, so we returned to a little material shop.  The shop was crowded today!  It is a small shop regardless, but today it was full of a large group of Muslim women wearing abayas and niqab.  It warmed my heart to see them.  It brought back to mind the family groups visiting London in the summers.  

Once we returned home, William (a good friend of Dad's) stopped by with a few questions.  Someone visiting from the USA had given him an iPad, and he needed some help using it and changing some things on his Facebook account.  I did not expect to be "tech support" during my time here, but it has been a more frequent occurrence then I expected.  I'm glad to be able to help.  

Mom and I went for our walk, today going down to the beach.  The breeze off of the ocean was strong and cold.  The water had a rather brown look to it.  On the way home, we passed this group.  They were laughing and chattering, shouting "Olá! to get our attention.  I took this photo and showed it to them.  They giggled like it was the funniest thing in the world.

On our way back home, we stopped by the complex's pool to see how the temperature feels.  It is pretty chilly, but it still might be ok for a swim.  Although this picture doesn't show it, there are quite a few seed pods and leaves floating on the surface.  Mom warned me that the mosquitoes come out in force as soon as the sun sets.  

Next, we set ourselves to the task of lesson plans!  Mom and I are taking on a new class, one we will teach together.  Most Mozambicans do not speak English, or at least not much.  For a Mozambican to travel or work abroad, even in the surrounding countries,  English is very beneficial.  International companies starting to work here often look for employees with English qualifications.  Tomorrow will be our first English class.  Mom taught English in Zim and I have my London experiences.  Tomorrow we will teach together!  

Sambar for dinner

I have been desperate for a nice veg korma or dal or something like it.  Indian and Pakistani cuisine has become a fairly frequent occurrence in my diet, and after a month without it, I was really hungry for it.  We found out that there is an Indian restaurant here, and Dad decided we should go there tonight.  

I loved that even the building was painted with the colors of the Indian flag.

I ordered sambar (a vegetable stew sort of) for my dinner, and of course, we had plenty of naan.  It filled the spot in my tummy that had been missing it!

Dad, Katie, myself, and Cybelle.  

It was a very unique experience.  An Indian restaurant, with Mozambican waitresses who speak Portuguese, with Americans and a Brazilian.  What a combination~ :)

Another Sewing Class :)

Mom's sewing classes are swiftly becoming a highlight for both the women who attend and for Mom and I.  As the women sew, they chatter among themselves and ask questions of Mom.  I love getting to watch the interactions, with a little bit of English, a little bit of Portuguese, and then normally a call for Lewis to translate.  Lewis is a fellow from one of the local churches who speaks English, Portuguese and three other Mozambican languages.  His father was a tailor.  His wife comes to the class and brings five month old son.  Lewis, perhaps because of his father, seems very comfortable translating for a sewing class.  I think most men in our church would be scared to try!  

This picture is one of my favorites: 

Chungalolo

As I walked outside a few days ago, I was thrilled to see a creature from my childhood.  Despite having a dislike of most creepy crawlies, I don't mind millipedes.  In Zim, they are called chungalolo.  Mom told me they don't see many here in Moz.  

If you touch them, they curl into a protective coil.

It was a childhood game to make these guys curl up into a ball :)

lavanderia (laundry)

Today we needed to fit laundry into our schedule.  Mom doesn't have house help (as is typical here) so she does all her own cleaning and washing.

First, meet her washing machine:

I used something like this when I was in Egypt for 4 months.  The left side of the washing machine is the "washing" part, and the right side is the "spinner."  The machine is lightweight and energy efficient, at least as far as electricity is concerned.  The energy needs to come from the operator! 

First, you have to fill the washing machine with water, by using a hose.  Mom keeps hers in the kitchen, so she can just slide the machine over to the sink and connect a short hose. 

After it is filled with water, the soap and clothes are added and the washing begins.  To change the water for rinsing or just to release water after the "spinning," there is another hose on the side that drains the water.  We drain it into a bucket because we don't have an inside drain.  (We can't just drain it directly into the sink because the water is drained by gravity alone.)

After that, the clothes go the dryer, which is a good old clothesline.  No tumble dryers here.  

The key is to start the laundry early in the day, so that they dry quickly in the early part of the day.  The spinner works well to get the extra water out and with temperatures of the day creeping up already, they will be dry in no time.  

In some ways, I really appreciate this way of doing laundry.  It certainly is better for the environment.  It uses less electricity and less water.  In England, I got used to energy and water saving washing machines.  Drying was accomplished by hanging the clothes outside to dry (on a nice day) or inside on a drying rack by the radiator (most days).  My frustration with that was the length of time it took clothes to dry!  (Also in the winter, it can block the precious heat from getting to the rest of the room.)  Obviously, heat isn't a problem here! :)  I won't deny it, the American way of doing laundry is definitely easier and faster, with our large washers and dryers.  While the washing we are doing today may not be as easy, I can't help but think it is a better use of our resources.

UPDATE:

I love conservation.  I believe we are responsible to care for the earth, a task we have fallen far short of accomplishing.  As I was hanging up more clothes, I realized that if I want to be even more environmentally friendly, I could wash all of my clothes by hand on a regular basis.  I confess, I'm not there yet!  :)

One Month of Moz

I can hardly believe it, but I have been in Moz one month today.  Days follow a slower pace here but that doesn't stop them from passing quickly.

With the end of a month in country, I needed to renew my visa.  As a tourist, I was only able to get a 30 day visa at the airport.  My visa expired on Sunday, so we went to Imigração and waited in line.  However, the line thing wasn't happening, because everyone seemed to just be pushing forward towards the two people working. The two people would take papers from various people, walk away to a back office, walk back, address one person...You get the idea.  The complicating factor was language.  As is the norm, no one spoke English and Dad has never needed to go through this process.

We finally were at the counter and gave my passport to the gentleman.  He looked it over, took someone else's papers, walked away, and then returned and said something to the other person.  He then stamped his papers, gave them back, and said something to us.  Neither of us could get catch what he was saying to us.  After he repeated us, we realized he was asking for some denomination of money.  With the help of a lady behind, we understood that he wanted 50 meticais.  We gave him the 50, he gave me a form and then we attempted to figure out what information I needed to submit.  He stamped the form, and then motioned us to the cashier.  We went to stand in the line for the cashier.  He asked for more money.  So, we gave him 2000 meticais and then needed to give him another 100 meticais.  He stamped my papers, gave me a "recibo," and pointed us to the door.  (By the way, the total was 2150 meticais, which is about $80.)

As we walked out, I looked at the form the man gave to me.  I noticed that this form seemed to give my visa an new expiration date, but it was August 24, not the extra 30 days requested.  We attempted to return to the cashier to clarify.  He took the form, then crossed out August 24.  He then hand wrote a new date of August 13!  By this point, we decided to wait until Monday to return with someone to help translate.

After their class today, Dad and Mom were able to ask their new language instructor (whom I've nicknamed Mr. Bean) if he could come with us to Immigration.  He agreed, and so off we went.  Basically, we did everything we needed to except get my biometric data (photo and fingerprints), which needed to be done in another office.  Then I was to leave my passport with the biometrics gentlemen and we are to return in six days to pick up my passport, complete with new visa for 30 days.  I nearly stopped breathing when Mr. Bean said I needed to leave my passport.  I hate leaving my passport anywhere.  Mr. Bean double checked and the man told him I would get a recibo for my passaporte, and then in six days I could come get it.  With a deep breathe and a prayer, we left the office and will return on Monday, hopefully to find my passport with a pretty new visa in it.

Thankfully, I have my passport details memorized.  Yep, number, date of issue, date of expiration, place of issue...all that.  It may sound odd, but I have written those details so many times...It made more sense to just memorize it.  And yet, I have to think about my social security number! :)

Dinner by the Waves

After our weekend, we felt in need of a little treat.  We went to have dinner by the ocean!  I think it is fantastic that it is winter now, and yet I was wondering if I would be hot when we would be sitting on the restaurant's patio for dinner.

We had a really nice dinner, just sitting and talking.  After our waiter took our drink order, he disappeared for about half an hour.  Then the electricity went out.  Once it came back on, we were able to flag someone down to order our dinner.  Then the electricity went out.  Then our dinner arrived.  I had an incredible fish fillet, the best I've had since being here.  And then the electricity went out.

It was a very nice end to a hectic weekend.  I loved that the electricity went out three times, and we sat in the dark for about five minutes each time, under the stars and hearing the waves hitting the beach.  It was wonderful.  There also was no apology or explanation for the power outages given by the staff.  After all, it's part of life here.  

A very LONG weekend

This weekend had a lot packed into it.  Friday had a lot packed into as well, but right now, that feels like the distant past.  Saturday, Dad had a meeting in the morning, and then in the afternoon, our language school was having an English night.  We had been invited to attend, as some of the few native English speakers who attend the school.  Most of the students are Mozambican and learning English.  The school teaches English, Portuguese, and French.

The advertisements for the party said it started at 2.  We knew we could arrive late, but we didn't anticipate how late.  Dad likes to be on time, even after all of these years in Africa.  We left our house around 2:30.  

We got to the school, met up with the headmaster, and he took us to his office to sit and wait for the party to begin.  After about fifteen minutes, he suggested he move us to one of the classrooms because it would be cooler there.  So we moved to the classroom.  He is a very gracious man, and I think he felt a little awkward that we were there and nothing was ready.  Everyone seemed to be there, but there was a lot of preparation taking place.  He had a student bring us some Fantas and Cokes, and then kept calling students in to practice their English with us.  Most of the students were high school students.

By 4:30 pm (roughly two hours after we arrived), we were called into the main room.  As the MC welcomed everyone (all 300 or so of us), another teacher handed out a programme.  I should add that we three were, of course, moved to sit at the front with the headmaster.  We were even on the programme as "the American Family."  I giggled at that, because it sounded rather...presidential.  

I glanced over the rest of the programme.  And sighed.  There were three hours allotted to student presentations, then time for prize giving for the presentations, and dinner was scheduled to start at 8:50 pm.  

The students, cheered on by a very enthusiastic teacher who seemed delighted to have a microphone, sang songs, danced, performed skits, walked in a fashion show, and one fellow told an original story called "The Old Man's Eyes." There was an incredible diversity in everything done.  The songs included Call Me Maybe, Ordinary People by John Legend, the umbrella song by Rhianna, and also her song Man Down, and Reggae Strong by Lucky Dube!  The dancers were my favorite.  One student did a traditional Mozambican dance, several did various street dances, and four students did a fantastic salsa.  

We left a reasonable time after the meal, and we were by far the first to leave.  The headmaster said the food and dancing would continue until midnight, and then they would have to start cleaning up for the night.  

At about 10, we heard a loud crash in the complex where we live.  There are about 8 buildings in this complex, most rented out.   There are security guards and a gated entrance with a guard, so it feels quite safe.  This was a rather loud boom though, so I was a little surprised.  We had all gone to bed, so I figured I would ignore it and get up if called.  A little while later, Mom came into my room to let me know what happened.  Apparently, the son of one of the other tenants was driving home after having had too much to drink.  The guard opened the gate for him, but the driver forgot that there was a second boom to be lifted.  He drove through that, and ended up driving into a tree on the other side of our entrance.  The guard came to knock on our door to see if we could take the driver to the hospital, because he hit his head on the windscreen pretty badly.  Dad was going to take him to the hospital, but then his father came home and took him in their second vehicle.  (Now, please imagine us trying to piece all of this together with our smattering of Portuguese!)

With that taken care of, we went back to our respective beds.  But I should tell you that I've been sharing my room with a spider for a few days now.  He's one of those big flat ones (about 1.5 inches across his body/legs) who eat mosquitoes, and I know, for that reason, he and his kind are my friends.  However, I don't always feel like we are friends.  I've been dealing with my "roommate" pretty well, as long as he stays on the wall or cupboard on the other side of the room.  Earlier in the day, I moved my purse and he was under it.  We both ran for cover, thankfully in opposite directions.  

Well, as I settled into bed, I realized that Spidie was hanging out on the wall next to my bed.  Now if it were Truvia (the baby gecko living in our bathroom who sometimes explores the rest of the house), I would have been ok with it.  If Spidie had stayed by my closet, I would have been ok with it.  But I just did not like the thought of Spidie being three feet from my head, because I kept having visions of him running over me in my sleep!  So, I decided to call Spider Removal Services, aka Dad.  Spidie was removed, and we all retired to our beds for the third time that night.

Dad left at 8 the next morning.  Our two churches were having a combined service and Dad was needed to help move the chairs from one church to the other.  Mom and I arrived at church at 10 on the dot.  Now, August is supposed to be one of the coolest months of the year here.  We had a high of 90F.  We were in a little cinder block building with two doors, four windows, and probably a good 70 people.  Church started with singing and dancing, of course.  All of the guests (including me) were warmly welcomed.  We sang some more.  The pastor said some more words, read a passage from the Bible and we sang some more.  Then the youth sang.  Then the women sang. Church normally ends at 12.  By 11:30, we finally started the child dedication and the sermon, and I knew we still communion to do as well.  Honestly, it wasn't miserable.  We were just very warm, but I do love seeing the women sing and dance.  They put all of their energy into it and jump and sing at the top of their voices.  I don't know most of the songs yet, but I look forward to when I do!  

After the provincial pastor finished the sermon, Dad started the communion part of the sermon.  He asked me to help, which was really special.  This was our first time serving communion together.  

Now, after communion, the offerings still needed to be taken.  This involves more singing, more dancing.  Different groups leave the church and come back into the church, singing and dancing as they put their offering in the basket.  By this point, I wasn't feeling very good and the offering would last for at least another hour.  Mom and I slipped out the side door to come home.  Dad got home at about 2 pm.  Thankfully, we could take the rest of the afternoon to relax!  

Winter on the Indian Ocean

We were due to restart our Portuguese lessons today, after a week and a half off due to Dad's travel.  We arrived at our language school promptly at 9.  To our surprise, there was a class using our classroom.  Dad went in search of the headmaster.  We found Dad about 10 minutes later, waiting in the office for the headmaster to arrive.  The headmaster is a jolly man.  He has a truly delightful laugh, and he uses it often.  He was very apologetic, but for reasons I'm still unsure of, he informed us that our language instructor was in either Maputo or South Africa.  Orlando had mentioned that his mother was having surgery, so we think this may be part of his absence.  In the space of our conversation, we were told we would have another language tutor assigned to us.  Our new tutor will begin teaching tomorrow.

Afterwards, we ran a few errands.  Dad made Trip 2 to the bank to try to set up an account.  Now he knows a bit more of what he needs to establish an account here.  I think he should be able to do that in another two trips to the bank!  We also went to the equivalent of Staples for a few things.  As we drove around, we saw this athletic fellow:

He balanced on his hands for a few minutes.  On an earlier trip around the same praca (plaza), we saw him swinging from his knees on the metal bar (behind him in this picture).  

The city looked and felt different today.  It is cold and overcast today, although Dad laughs at me when I say it is cold.  The temperature is about 70, but I've felt cold since waking up.  There is a cold wind coming in from the ocean.  

The beach was gorgeous when Mom and I went for our walk today.  The sand was clean and washed smooth from the tide.  Because it was colder today, there were only a few other people on the beach.  I have always loved overcast days at the beach.

I commented in an earlier post that I love Out of Africa but have never actually finished the book.  I took the book with me when I went to Michigan in June.  I loved it.  At one point, Karen Blixen wrote, "Yes, this is how it was meant to be."  That perfectly describes how I felt today at the beach.  Yes, this is how it was meant to be.

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.  

35 Years Ago...

We celebrated Mom and Dad's 35th wedding anniversary today with dinner at a local restaurant.  There were only a few other patrons, and all were on the first floor.  We asked to sit on the second floor, which has an outdoor seating area as well.  It was a windy night, so it did get a little chilly but it was such a gorgeous night.  

The above picture is the view down the street from our rooftop dinner.  It was a very pretty location to spend such a wonderful night.  Our celebratory dinner was "peixe e batatas fritas" (Fish and fries) for Mom and I and "camarão e batatas fritas" (Shrimp and fries) for Dad.  We certainly wish the rest of the family could have been with us!  

Domingo (Sunday)

Church today was such fun.  There were only about twenty of us.  The service was translated for us.  The rest of the church attendees speak Portuguese and Ndau (pronounced "endow"), a local language.  The sermon on Galatians 5 was short but good.  The prior part of the service was much longer.  It included a lot of singing and dancing!  I really enjoyed it.  If I listened carefully, I could sometimes get the gist of the Portuguese thanks to my Spanish studies.  Spanish is coming back to me now that I'm trying to learn Portuguese!

The church is unfinished, but goals have been set to finish it in two months.  At the moment, it has a sand floor, no doors or windows, rafters, and tin roofing over part of the building.  There are a few plastic chairs for the leadership, plain wooden benches for the rest of us, and a woven mat for the kids to play.  The benches have no back and are about six inches wide.  For the most part, women sat on one side and men on the other, but there were a few young women who sat on the men's side.  

When the sun moved and the tin was no longer over us, the women behind me moved their bench to the shade.  The woman next to me kept trying to get me to move with her to the spare spot on that bench, but I didn't want to take her spot.  As a result, the mama in front of me turned around and would not be content until I moved closer to the other lady on my bench, so I too was out of the sun.

When the offering is taken, the various age groups take turns leaving the church and re-enter with a song and a dance to put their offering in the plate.  The groups are single/young women, the mamas, and then the men.  Dad has danced in with the men before, but he declined today.  I'll try to get pictures of that sometime!  In fairness, Mom and I both felt too shy to participate today also.

I didn't take any pictures at church.  I will be back quite often in the coming months, so I thought I would just observe today.  However, I started taking pictures as we drove home.  The pictures aren't great quality, but they give you a sense of more than just the beach here.