Blogathon Day 8: SENSA!

Well, I made it exactly a week blogging without skipping a day -- but to my defense, yesterday's lapse was not my fault.

Maybe my recent surge of traveling has finally caught up to me, but last night I found myself in bed with a runny nose, and this morning I woke up with a fever.

We were supposed to have a REDES meeting this morning, but with Redi and Laura traveling, and me not feeling well, I left a note on the door letting the girls know we wouldn't be meeting and went back to bed.

Around 8 a.m., I heard... it. The sound every PCV hates when they just want to be left alone for a little while.

"Sensa! Sensa! Sensa!" at the door. I rolled over, but it kept going. "Sensa! Sensa! Sensa!"

Eventually I gave up and opened the door to see my REDES girls. "Didn't you see the note?" I asked grumpily.

"Yes teacher. We came to see if you needed anything. Shall we fetch water for you? Do you need us to cook for you?"

I felt like a jerk, and touched that they cared. "Thanks, girls, but I'm fine." I went back to bed.

This afternoon, around 2 p.m., my fever was worse and I was bundled up under the blankets.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Sensa! Sensa! Sensa! Sensa! Sensa!" I ignored it but it just kept going. "Sensa! Professora Helena! Sensa! Professora! Sensa! Sensa!"

I stumbled out of bed, and opened to door to see one of my students, Anessi, holding her phone. "Can I charge my phone?" she asked.

I just glared. "You knocked and sensa'd for ten minutes just to charge your phone?" I said through gritted teeth. "I was sleeping!"

She shrugged, plugged in her phone and left.

One of those small cultural differences, I supposed. In America, you don't wake sleeping people -- it's rude. In Mozambique, you always answer your door, even if you were alseep. To not do so is rude.