After getting in the bus from Maputo to Beira a weird feeling surrounded me. I didn't know if I was sad or happy or both. It wasn't difficult to find an answer. I was happy. It was time to go back, back to Machanga. A destination I was looking forward to reach. I was also very satisfied with my time out. I had a great time to rest and enjoy myself and friends. December was pretty busy, after a week at a MCC retreat, I went to a a wonderful week in Cape Town with SALTers and Christmas was pretty good in Joburg. New Year I spent in the Kingdom of Swaziland, and a few days stuck in Maputo (not a complaint) because there were no bus tickets available to hit back north any how. Yes I had a great time. God is more than amazing and He has made me happy.
Going back to my bus ride, I found out we had been stopped for so long, after few minutes drive, the bus stopped for gas, nothing unusual in this Chinese company so far, not the first time they fill the tank when all the passengers are already on the bus, but this time was different, we were fixing the bus before getting the road, as always Mozambicans were complaining and blaming Chinese for such inconvenience again, I learned how not to stress in Africa since nothing really works properly , nor on time or even in time, but that's ok. I got one of the two books I took to read during my 17h hour journey, after 3 hours reading, the bus left Maputo at 7pm when it was supposed to do it at 4pm, there were about ten kids in the bus, at the same time they bothering me running and playing while the bus was parked at the gas station they also made me laugh with their sweet smiles and energy. I was looking at the people on the street, they had all sort of faces and different looks, they seemed tired, happy, busy, just hanging around, walking here and there, living their lives. I wondered what they were expecting from a new year. Did they have any expectations? Would their lives change any how or it would be just another year, remaining the same? I then thought about my role in Mozambique would I be able to change anyhow, change myself and them, make any difference to them, to their lives, I wish I could, I hope I will.. I really wanna go back to Machanga and continue things, work with the girls, plant seeds in their hearts in a way they can water them by themselves and make them grow and bloom. As the bus goes the music goes around as well, Brazilian music. It reminds me home, my land, my roots, even not been my style I easily could find some of my folks who did like those. Entire New Year parties dancing and celebrating with them, some of these music were the same. Were they waiting for me? Perhaps not, but expecting me to come home some day. Looking at the window I tried to search for faces, I tried to recognize any one them I looked for my family, my friends, my loved ones. Nope, didn't find any familiar hair or eyes or face but then as a second thought I saw on them the same people, they were all alike, people coming from work hurrying to get home, people waiting for their buses, or “chapas”, crowded ones, packed with people and more people coming in, hum, I though it seemed like Sao Paulo , just in a different color or size, there were mothers caring their babies and old and young and men and women, all the same people , just like my people. It didn't matter if their faces were not quite the same, they were all alike in walking and living, they were also part of what I call global family, God's children, playing their roles in society just as my Brazilian ones, now I had to face it on a Mozambican style.
The night was coming down I couldn't sleep, the sky was smiling at me, the stars were beautiful and bright, just as I remembered. The sky in Moz was pretty and watching Lord's wonders was and is my favorite part in being here. A new year, I hope a new Machanga, a new Priscila, not a different one though, but a better one, I glared at the stars again, they looked like endless fireworks, fireworks as in a New Year's eve to welcome me back to the road, to welcome back to my place ,to welcome back to my journey to Machanga.
Good night folks, hope you all have a 2011 full of reached goals and peace with God, nature and human kind.
P.S. I got in Beira at about 11am. Not too bad after all.
