Berlinversary!!

Yellow everyone!!

I hope everyone is doing well as much as possible, wherever you are, as the world is in a strange moment right now, and I think it has been for a while. As some of you may know, I’m currently living in Berlin for the past year (and a month). I was recently on holidays in Mozambique, meeting friends, family who naturally had a lot of questions around how things are here – culture, what to do, climate, people (in my case mostly man), etc. – and how my integration is going. So, one of the most repeatedly question was what I felt as being more culturally different between Mozambique and Germany. I had to think about for a while -throughout my holidays and back to Berlin-, as personally I don’t think I felt a lot of differences, which could be because I am in Berlin – which Germans say it’s not part of Germany, when it comes to culture -, or I adapt quickly, or even it just fits a bit my personality. When I was about to move to Germany, I remember a great friend of mine (Dutch) told me that she thought I would fit well here, because of dome traits of my personality. If you know me, you know me J.

Back to the differences that I felt, I think I felt more on structural perspective on how the city/ country functions. So, I will describe 3 differences between Maputo and Berlin; and 3 aspects that I wish it was common between both cities.

1. Bicycle transit police: I think it on one my first times going out to see museums that I noticed a police officer on a bike, stopping cyclists, checking lights, reflectors and other things and giving a ticket. I laughed so hard, because in Mozambique you have cars on the road that should have been prohibit of circulating, which the police turn around for the right price, but no one cares for the bicycles.
2. Store-closing law (Sunday): Back in Mozambique, since I am not that patience for shopping, I developed the habit of doing groceries on Sunday, because normally it was a very calm day, since people prefer to do that on Saturday. So that was my plan on my first weekend in Berlin until a friend give me heads-up that most supermarkets and shops are not open opened on Sunday due to this Law. Shops/ Supermarkets are allowed to open on eight fixed Sundays per year, two of which are during the advent.  Now I do it mostly Saturday early or afterwork.
3. “Only cash” payments (restaurants/ bars) & Letters/ Fax: When you are in so called developed country, you expect to have everything digitalized, modern and somehow futuristic. I think one of the few “avant garde” things here is KitKat – topic for another post, not condemning or in favor – :P. Here Fax is still in use; you often receive letter from bank, public institutions, banks, taxes, bills…I feel seen by them. Getting support through email, and sometimes telephone – especially if you don’t speak proper German – sounds like a mirage. Whenever I go out, I always have money with me, because some restaurants, bars won’t accept cards, only cash. If I do that in Maputo is because I am afraid the bank system can fail on me, here it’s just by choice of the business owner. I feel in a medieval era. I have heard different reason for this choice, but I refrain to share… learning that freedom of speech is not that free.

1. Commuting/ walking in peace: People in my country/ city are very friendly and warm, which I appreciate, but sometimes you just want to be with your music, thoughts, books, or just not in the mood to talk. In Maputo people you don’t know will start a conversation with over a dead cockroach on the street. Yes, I am exaggerating, but yes, they love a small talk, and I don’t. Let’s not even get to the man’s harassing you verbally and non-verbally.
2. Diversity in entertainment: I am clearly not talking about restaurants, clubs, or fancy attractions. In Maputo, most places where you can hang out with friends or by yourself, friends, you have to be eating or drinking, I wish could have more public spots like parks to just to seat, admire the nature, read/write or even eat/ drinking what you brought from home. The same with museums, I wish we had more in Maputo. I feel like in both cases, it would be a matter of creating the spaces, but also it would need bit of mentality switch for people to actually be able to enjoy this kind of activities.
3. “Dressing up”: On this one I have to say, I miss the Mozambican way of dressing, care for the self-image. Here, there is a very chilled way of dressing that most – or at least a bit more than half – people like that personally does not resonate with me or my taste. Of course, the more I get to know, the more places I go, I do see “dressed-up” people, but overall, it’s not the case, especially if it’s out of work context, because some people may have to “dress up” to work but choose not to outside work. Personally, I have more chilled moments of dressing, but I feel like it’s adjusted accordingly. Yes, there are more important things on yourself, your life, but I believe that the way we present ourselves is way of self-love – this can be a topic for another post on the blog.

I hope you enjoyed this post. I am sure that I will share more insights of my experience on this part of the world, after all this is part of my wondering soul.  That’s a wrap for today! I hope you enjoy the last 5 weeks of the year in the best way possible even that means resting. My past year was so intense, filled with movement, blessings, challenges and went so fast…oh boy, what a year?!

Feel free to share your thoughts with me on the comment area.

Be brave. Be you. Be happy.

P