For the project I describe in the previous post, I was basically on my own in 2 health centers in Mozambique with only a 20-year-old data entry clerk helping me out. He found the files, I entered them. Thankfully, he was an ample source of entertainment, very patient, and diligent. In my bad faux-Portuguese (mostly Spanish with a few newly-learned words peppered in) and his worse English, we managed to communicate well if hilariously.
Highlights of our conversations:
(In English)
Abel: I think you are not a discrimination
Me: Excuse me?
Abel: Uh.. you are not a racism. You white, I black. Uh.. I think you are a very person. Good person.
Me: Not being racist seems like a low bar for being a good person, but thanks Abel.
(In faux-Portuguese)
Me: (As I turn on Vampire Weekend music at the end of the day) This is American music Abel, do you like it?
Abel: Uh I don't think that's American. I know American music, like L'il Wayne, R. Kelly, Celine Dion. Well no, actually, she's Canadian. Do you have any Celine Dion music?
The next day I heard a sound coming from the corner and quickly realized it was Abel singing along to Celine Dion playing on his phone. Thankfully, he also came around to some of my music taste.
(In faux Portuguese)
Me: So Abel, do you have a girlfriend?
Abel: No. I had a girlfriend. Then I found her with another guy. (Switches very emphatically to English) LOVE IS OVER.
(In English, on Friday)
Abel: Ann Marie, have good fine of week.
Me: Abel, you say "Have a nice weekend." Fine do semana (sp?) is weekend in English
(In English, on Monday)
Abel: You have a nice fine of week?
Me: Try that again
Abel: You have nice week?
Me: Abel, I know you can do it!
Abel asked me if I could help him find a job in Uganda (that's a first...) - I told him I would love to, but that I think he needs to work on his English first. I also hope to work on my Portuguese before coming back to Mozambique -- I can only imagine how funny my attempts at his language sounded to him.
Highlights of our conversations:
(In English)
Abel: I think you are not a discrimination
Me: Excuse me?
Abel: Uh.. you are not a racism. You white, I black. Uh.. I think you are a very person. Good person.
Me: Not being racist seems like a low bar for being a good person, but thanks Abel.
(In faux-Portuguese)
Me: (As I turn on Vampire Weekend music at the end of the day) This is American music Abel, do you like it?
Abel: Uh I don't think that's American. I know American music, like L'il Wayne, R. Kelly, Celine Dion. Well no, actually, she's Canadian. Do you have any Celine Dion music?
The next day I heard a sound coming from the corner and quickly realized it was Abel singing along to Celine Dion playing on his phone. Thankfully, he also came around to some of my music taste.
(In faux Portuguese)
Me: So Abel, do you have a girlfriend?
Abel: No. I had a girlfriend. Then I found her with another guy. (Switches very emphatically to English) LOVE IS OVER.
(In English, on Friday)
Abel: Ann Marie, have good fine of week.
Me: Abel, you say "Have a nice weekend." Fine do semana (sp?) is weekend in English
(In English, on Monday)
Abel: You have a nice fine of week?
Me: Try that again
Abel: You have nice week?
Me: Abel, I know you can do it!
Abel asked me if I could help him find a job in Uganda (that's a first...) - I told him I would love to, but that I think he needs to work on his English first. I also hope to work on my Portuguese before coming back to Mozambique -- I can only imagine how funny my attempts at his language sounded to him.
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