simplicity

As an American I have this tendency to try and be busy no matter what. Our culture tends to stimulate our senses however possible and as much as possible. I'd argue that it is pretty successful most of the time. In America busy-ness is easy to encounter in a world of friends, family, work, play, study, movies, cell phones, computers, games, sports, TiVo, music, concerts, shopping, eating, driving, and living.  When I first moved to Mozambique I was struck with the reality of life slowing down in major ways. I no longer had the ability to get in my car and drive over to a friend’s house. No longer the same forms of entertainment whether seeing a movie or going to a concert. Life came down to a simpler level, one of slowing down and sometimes sitting and just enjoying doing nothing.

Something that I have learned about myself is that even if I’m doing nothing I still tend to try to “do” something whether it is to play guitar, read a book, listen to a podcast, or work on lesson plans for school. There is ALWAYS something waiting to be done. Just because I’ve relocated to half a world away hasn’t changed my internal desire to want to be productive and achieve something. American culture is one of doing while African culture is one of being. This was made very real to me this past week as things slowed down and I suddenly had no list of things to do, but had time to spend being. Things felt very simple, extremely simple, for probably one of the first times in my life. 

simplicity

• the quality or condition of being easy to understand or do 
• the quality or condition of being plain or natural 

This past week I had the lovely opportunity to be able to spend a week with a family in the bush. At first I was slightly nervous since I had absolutely no idea what to expect. The house was in the bush and quite a ways outside of the city. (Much like what we refer to as the sticks or boonies in Oklahoma) Not too far away from the main road, but down some bumpy, rutted and almost non-existent dirt roads. Their house is in the process of being completed. Gabriel started building it in 2003. Currently they have two bedrooms and the kitchen finished, which they use as a kitchen and living room combined. 

When one first sees or even hears of a house like this one described you would automatically think it is simple. There is furniture, but not an excessive amount. There is a toilet, but no running water. There is a stove, but no microwave. A mosquito net, but with huge holes in it. These are all very different than the typical standards in America. If we consider the second definition of simplicity it describes something that is plain or natural. Now this house was definitely easy to see and know what it contained, thus being very plain and natural. But life in this house was actually very difficult for me to understand. It is a sort of contradiction. Why is it that sometimes the simplest of things can end up being the most complex?

So I ask that we further consider the first definition of simplicity, as something being easy to understand or do. Living with this family for a week was by no means easy to understand or do. I had to learn how to take a bucket bath and actually wash the shampoo out of my hair. I also learned how to prepare foods like matapa from scratch. And the hardest thing I learned was how to BE instead of DO. Life was no longer on a time sensitive schedule, but instead completely caught up in the people present in the now and here. Not about what is happening later. As an American this was a struggle at first. But I was soon able to relax, chill out, and able to simply enjoy the presence of others and being together. 

I think I was able to walk away from this time with a few useful insights and lessons learned. The first being how to correctly take a bucket bath and actually be clean. Next that it is ok to just be sometimes, and probably more healthy when used wisely. Also how to just sit and wait. Africa is a place where waiting takes up a lot of time and patience is absolutely necessary in order to keep your sanity.

Wait for the LORD;
   be strong, and let your heart take courage;
   wait for the LORD!

Psalm 27.14

The LORD is good to those who wait for him,
   to the soul who seeks him.
It is good that one should wait quietly
   for the salvation of the LORD.

Lamentations 3.25-26

"Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
   I will be exalted in the earth!"       

Psalm 46.10

The family I stayed with was Gabriel, Nildes (who is seven months pregnant), and their 3 ½ year old son Reuben. Gabriel is an accountant for a couple different companies and Nildes is a student at a local university about to begin her final year. Reuben is full of energy and loves to dance. Their nieces, Ana and Nildes, have been spending the past month with them while they’ve been on holiday from school. They were extremely hospitable and helpful. They are both in high school and live in central Mozambique. The last two nights of my stay we had another visitor, Nildes’ madrinha (or god-mother), Maria and her 1 ½ year old daughter Abi. They have been staying around Maputo visiting various family members and friends and live in Beira (a city several hours north of Maputo).

I'm so thankful for the opportunity I had. These things can not be taught in a classroom. They cannot be simply understood. They must be experienced and lived through. I was able to spend time with and get to know a family with huge hearts. I also was able to learn from them things that would be impossible otherwise. And I'm grateful for their patience with me as I learn portuguese and slowly start to speak. I did make a very large improvement in my portuguese abilities. We had a lot of laughs at my attempts.