Character Sketches
Chaúque (a name as common in Southern Mozambique as Smith)- 28 years old, from the Central Region, so his first language is Tete, or something like that. I like to follow him around because he speaks Portuguese (which I can understand okay) with the other Mozambicans instead of Changana. He spent 5 years in Malawi as a refugee during the civil war, so he's fluent in that language (whatever it is) too. His English is excellent, and he is very funny, as well as sarcastic. His response to appreciation is always "You are not welcome."
His life revolves around his desire to go back to school. He was trained as an electrician in the 14-yr Russian-style educational system, and completed one year of university in South Africa. He's been working to save money to go back for a degree in electrical engineering, but the Rand is working against him by getting continually stronger. He hopes and plans to return this December, though, and often makes statements like "One year from today I will be studying for my exams" but with glee in his eyes not found in most American college students.
Macuacua (as popular in Southern Mozambique as Johnson)- speckled gray hair, huge white smile, very smart and very gentle. He has children and grandchildren, lives in Chokwe, and has been working for SP since they first arrived in 2000. I've heard he's been a miner in South Africa, as well as a school-teacher. I saw the evidence of years of teaching last week when a problem arose in a candy distribution. My co-workers had the idea to give the neighborhood children each a piece of candy for the Children's Day, June 1. Well they were soon mobbed by uncontrollable, unintelligible (due to the language barrier) children, and they fled the scene. As they did, they made no warning to me, walking unassuming into an already volatile situation.
I was soon trapped as well but made my escape into the safety of the office. We thought that was the end of it, but pretty soon we saw that Macuacua was out there, miraculously organizing (with strength of purpose and gentle pushes) these children into 2 straight lines, girls and boys, smallest to largest. We just stood there on the porch, safe from the throng, with our mouths gaping.
He acts like a loving, fun father to the other Mozambican staff-- they're all guys in their twenties or early thirties, and it's fun to watch his role in their horsing around.
He always carries around a House and Food magazine, and we've been wondering whether he really is reading it or whether he just uses it as folder for his papers. I think it's the latter, though when I asked him yesterday he said he reads it sometimes too.
He says I'm a good keep-booker, and likes most that I admit when I'm wrong. I found this out yesterday as he told our whole managers' meeting one of my bigger mistakes. :-)
His life revolves around his desire to go back to school. He was trained as an electrician in the 14-yr Russian-style educational system, and completed one year of university in South Africa. He's been working to save money to go back for a degree in electrical engineering, but the Rand is working against him by getting continually stronger. He hopes and plans to return this December, though, and often makes statements like "One year from today I will be studying for my exams" but with glee in his eyes not found in most American college students.
Macuacua (as popular in Southern Mozambique as Johnson)- speckled gray hair, huge white smile, very smart and very gentle. He has children and grandchildren, lives in Chokwe, and has been working for SP since they first arrived in 2000. I've heard he's been a miner in South Africa, as well as a school-teacher. I saw the evidence of years of teaching last week when a problem arose in a candy distribution. My co-workers had the idea to give the neighborhood children each a piece of candy for the Children's Day, June 1. Well they were soon mobbed by uncontrollable, unintelligible (due to the language barrier) children, and they fled the scene. As they did, they made no warning to me, walking unassuming into an already volatile situation.
I was soon trapped as well but made my escape into the safety of the office. We thought that was the end of it, but pretty soon we saw that Macuacua was out there, miraculously organizing (with strength of purpose and gentle pushes) these children into 2 straight lines, girls and boys, smallest to largest. We just stood there on the porch, safe from the throng, with our mouths gaping.
He acts like a loving, fun father to the other Mozambican staff-- they're all guys in their twenties or early thirties, and it's fun to watch his role in their horsing around.
He always carries around a House and Food magazine, and we've been wondering whether he really is reading it or whether he just uses it as folder for his papers. I think it's the latter, though when I asked him yesterday he said he reads it sometimes too.
He says I'm a good keep-booker, and likes most that I admit when I'm wrong. I found this out yesterday as he told our whole managers' meeting one of my bigger mistakes. :-)
posted by Art Shotwell at 1:04 PM
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