We have been in Mozambique over a month now and are finally getting our routine and life in order .  Nalia and Elio are adjusting and have lots of interesting questions and comments.  Upon Elio arriving at the airport, his first comment was that it was dirty.  If you know Elio, this is not unusual-- he hates being dirty.   Next, he saw a cigarette butt on the ground and asked where our neighbor John was.  Elio loved to hang outside our old house in Maryland with Nalia, John and his daughter Kathy, and John would often smoke.  I don't know what John would think about Elio associating him with cigarette butts!  Next, Elio commented how some of the kids hanging around outside the airport did not have shoes.  "They need to put their shoes on Mommy.  Their feet dirty." 

This was over a month ago... he doesn't make these comments anymore.  We are getting used to and learning to appreciate the rough edges here--the cracks in the sidewalk that make you always look at the ground when you're walking, driving with no rules (rules only applicable when a  policeman is present looking for a little extra cash), lots of noise...I had forgotten how much noise there is in Africa: pleasent noises (birds in the morning), not so pleasant (dogs howling at 3am).  Along with the monster sidewalk cracks comes a slower pace of life, walking home from work, brilliant fiery sunsets, teachers at school who are allowed to hug and love unconditionally, fruit and vegetables smelling of the fresh sweet earth they came from. 

Speaking of freshness, yesterday Matias arranged to buy a whole cow leg from a cow that had also been butchered yesterday.  He told me this was a good idea because it would be much cheaper the buying beef in the store.  OK.  So last night  we went to the person's house to pick up with leg.  When we got there, Nalia said, "What's that!?"-- she really had no idea what it was.  For her, food is Giant grocery store.  I told her what it was and she was pretty unfazed.  Matias spent half the evening hacking up the leg so we could fit it in the freezer.  Unfotunately the water in our water tank ran out at the same time, making the clean up a little challenging.  Nalia and Elio watched very curiously as Matias cut up the meat-- at one point, Nalia remarked, "Mommy, that leg has an egg on it."  I explained that it was not an egg, but the socket to the leg of the cow.  She nodded and continued watching..  Life is real here, fresh, unprocessed, undiluted...I've been taking lots of picture and need to figure out how to upload them!  Hopefully Monday.