Clean Up Day at the Hospital


One of the biggest challenges I face in living and working in Mozambique is learning Portuguese and Changana (the local language). I received intensive lessons during training, and I continue studying every day. I feel like I know what I'm doing, and many casual conversations are no problem, but when I really need to understand and be understood, I rely on Google Translate.

A perfect case in point, on Mondays (Segunda-Feira) we have a hospital-wide staff meeting. Naturally, it is conducted in Portuguese. Depending upon how functioning my brain is, I will understand about 70-80% of it. 

This Monday, I remembered hearing about a cleanup day. I knew they talked about people helping. I knew they were discussing how we were all going to be doing it. What I didn't realize was that it was happening the next day, Tuesday (Terca-Feira) and it would be yardwork.



Location: Xai-Xai District, Mozambique

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