Two worlds, one family

 Today has been one of those days where nothing makes sense to me and culture shock hits hard. I found myself in a shop in Victoria station - nothing strange about that except I could have been standing in a smaller version of Shoprite in Maputo. This shop had all the brands, cereal, drinks I have been using in Mozambique. Obviously Shoprite brings all their good in from SA which this shop was - catering to all the homesick SA's here in London. 

At first I smiled as I looked at the Koo cans of marmalade and my tastebuds started to run as I ventured further into the shop - Simba crisps, Tempo Choloclate bars,Eat Sum Mor and Tennis biscuits, Ouma rusk,  Lemon Twist cans and PINEAPPLE Fanta! Heaven - for a brief moment. £1.15 for a can of Lemon twist - £2.30 for a small packet of Eat Sum Mor biscuits and a pack of Simba crisps not even going to share the price. I was in shock at the price people were going to pay for a taste of home. 

Being in Moz I could buy these things weekly if I wanted but most of these are a luxury most of the Mozambicans I worked with couldn't afford and I was very aware of that on days when I came back with my shopping. Seeing what are normal staples in a shop in Moz sitting on shelves in a shop in Victoria broke my heart. The price was a big factor but I think for me harder thing was knowing that last week many of the Mozambicans who I have rubbed shoulder with in down town Maputo or ministered too on the dump had to take the the streets last week to riot because the cost of living had gone up so much. Bread has gone up 25%. 

Most wouldn't consider shopping in Shoprite as it's too expensive and the goods I was looking at today would very rarely be in their homes. We stop at nothing to have the norms and the brands we know in life and I am guilty of this with each parcel which arrived out last year from home had many treats from here. 

Today standing in this shop I though - 10 people died last week in Maputo because they needed their voice to be heard about the increase in the price of bread, rice, water and electricity,  Today someone will buy something from this shop to have a taste of home and normality in their life. I miss Moz, I miss the Mozambicans I worked with and most of all wish the cost of living didn't hit one of the poorest nations so hard and their only voice is to start riots on the streets. 

Fix you

Some times sharing in a blog is about about the happy times and sometimes its about the utter heartbreak of life.... sadly this is one of the heartbreaks.

Sometimes you know that when you move on from a place or move away there are people that in this life you will never see again and that's ok to a degree - then there are those who you never image you will not see in this life again. I never thought this would happened when I left Moz in Dec and yet on the 12th Jan '10 it did. 

Coldplay song Fix you has the line " And the tears come streaming down your face, when you loose something you can't replace" This was certainly the case for me when the news that "Mr Dino" as he was know to all round lost his battle for life.

I had previously written about the first time I met Dino. Please see http://chrisinmoz.blogspot.com/2008/09/tues-19th-feb-malnutrition-answered.html for this. 

Going back in these last few weeks made his death much more real and having to come to terms with him not being there was probably one of the hardest and painful parts of returning. 

He had been a little sick before I left but not sick enough to think I will never see you again in this life. The shock of his death was hard and knowing that if he has been in a western hospital it probably would not have happened just raises more questions in my mind. 

Dino died on the 12th Jan '10, the day before my nursing interview. I was sure I wanted to become a children's nurse but knowing that really Dino died in vain made me more determined that I wanted to return to Africa as a trained paediatric nurse. 

The following DVD is my tribute to Dino, one child who made a massive difference in my life and who is sorely missed.   I know he is dancing and happy now but doesn't make it right.  

You might have to click the top right are which say something about HQ/Standard Video

Feels like the Summer of '69

As I lay in the 30 degrees we are having in London my thoughts are drifting back to days like this in Moz. Of course a day like today is more like "winter" in Moz. 

I am back in the UK now almost 5 months. Did I intend to stay this long - well not quite. God seemed to have other plans in store. 

So what am I doing now? 

When I was "at home" I had an interview for City University to study children's nursing. Never really thinking anything would come of this I went and was expecting it to be a closed door. Somehow, there were other plans for the next season in my life. I have the interview on the 13th Jan and was offered the place the next day. Not starting in Sept like most courses but starting 15th Feb. Crunch time and decision time had to be made. Well the fact I am still here may give you some clues as to how the decision went. This was the hardest decision I have ever had to make, but there was clear guidance in it and so 15th Feb I started to train to become a children's nurse, my heart is to go back to a developing nation and serve there... watch this space.  So exams are just round the corner hence the joy of being able to enjoy the sun here in London. 

Leaving as quickly as I did was not ideal, my stuff was still in Moz and there were many people I had not said goodbye too. So in the last 2 weeks I had the opportunity to go back and for want of a better term find closure on my time in Moz. I will blog later about going back and seeing my friends and the kids again but it feels wrong to talk about that before I share with you about Dino. So please see my next instalment all about him.