Sunday

I slept in until 7:30 (that would be 1:30AM at home) I luxuriated over a slow breakfast with THREE cups of coffee. Pete had warned me that the coffee wasn't so great, but I'm rather enjoying it (maybe a bit too much.)

As I'm writing this I'm sitting on my balcony. I would estimate that it's about 72 degrees here in the shade. There is literally not a cloud in the sky. The birds are chirping outside and in. I discovered that squawking sound I've been hearing -- it's coming from the Presidential suite next door to my room. I don't know what kind of bird it is, but it sounds big.

Somewhere around here I also smell the occasional whiff of ganga.

I took a lot more pictures of the hotel and the art. It's really quite lovely. I won't post them tonight because I'm so low in internet space remaining, but check back on this entry tomorrow and I'll try to add them.

I spent the day in my hotel room and balcony working. I didn't mind because I'm told most of Maputo shuts down on Sundays. I also spent a good part of the afternoon watching a DVD that my mother got me to watch when I travel. It's very interesting. It's a course about the development of language. I actually had to stop myself from watching it because I'm going through too much of it too quickly. I could totally finish it today, but I want to savor it.

The class that I saw last had to do with sounds and how they evolve in language. I've noticed this myself in one generation as my children insist that the words cot and caught are synonymous (both pronounced cot.) This is PRECISELY what causes languages to change over time and why Old English is so different from modern English. He also spoke of how consonants soften over time which is why although the word may be spelled bottle and it used to be pronounced that way, but now, it sounds pretentious to say it any other way than bahdle. David, you will be glad to know that I will be downloading Stephen Pinkerton's (the linguist) book to my iPhone next.

The other thing that I'm doing to entertain myself is to read a book on my iBook that I just managed to download using a Skype Hotspot in Atlanta just before takeoff. It's Tina Fey's Bossy Pants. I'm only on the third chapter but I'm really enjoying it a lot. I also bought a paperback of The Help but reading from paper is so 1990s! Seriously, it's backlit, it's easier to hold, the page isn't lost when I put it down, and if I want to look something up in a dictionary it couldn't be easier. I'm pretty sure that's the last paperback that I'll buy. I can wait the 15 minutes between take off and 10,000 feet to get my book, thank you very much.

So the work I did today was a bit of wrap up from yesterday and a bit of prep for tomorrow. I've created a document that I'm now translating into Portuguese. This is quite a feat as I know no Portuguese. I can barely SPELL the word Portuguese. Fortunately there's Microsoft Translator. Tomorrow, I'll know if that did a good enough job.

My client came by for about an hour to go over the agenda for the next few days. I think that there are SO many variables in this training that any guesses as to timing are like playing pin the tail on the donkey blindfolded after drinking many shots of scotch, but we're giving it a try. I'll be wildly amused if we're even close. What with having NO idea of the computer skills I'll be facing plus the language difference... this is going to be fun.

I've decided to have dinner in the hotel. I haven't the slightest idea how much it costs. For that matter, I have no idea what my room costs per night. But I'm going to assume it's within my per diem, whatever that may be. I thought I would eat early so that I don't have to go to bed on a full stomach, but they don't open until 7PM. Of course, I have this weird thing going on with my computer where I have to pretend I'm in a different time zone in order to get my email (don't ask) so my computer is set an hour ahead. So when I look at my computer clock and it says that it's 6:30, my brain says, "Ok then, it's time to be hungry!" Unfortunately, it was actually only 5:30 -- an hour and a half before the kitchen even opens.

Dinner was a lovely, but expensive affair. It amazes me how easily I can spend money in another currency without realizing it. It's as though it's play money! My meal of soup, curried shrimp & rice and Papaya for dessert. That part cost 650 Metical (around $24.) But the tough part was the water that cost almost $9! It was mineral water, but I didn't realize how expensive it was.

I only have a small amount of internet left so I'm going to post this and try to get pictures loaded tomorrow. My client just called me and told me that they're going to move me to a different hotel tomorrow to make it simpler because the training will be held there. I doubt it's as nice as this one, but I'm glad I'll get the chance to experience a different place.

Two last notes:

I actually heard one of the songs that I had been listening to in preparation for this trip. I'm told the artists name is Saharah.

I think it's really funny to see people singing English songs with headphones one when they don't actually know what the words are.