There’s this song here that’s pretty popular right now. It’s called “Proximo Ano,” and it plays on repeat here at various Baraca’s (little shacks with huge, loud, yet still crappy sound systems where you can buy beer, cigarettes, candy, and some other little things) around town. I can’t understand most of what the singer is saying, but the Chorus is pretty addicting. After repeating the phrase “Proximo ano” three times and then saying something else, the singer pauses and then yells, “Consegui!” It translates to something like “I did it!” And it’s hard not feel like a winner when you’re singing it.
Usually I just sing just for the sake of singing along. But today was different. Today I had a reason for singing that chorus with more enthusiasm than ever before. We did it. We conseguired! The city Administrador, the former African Revolutionary War Commander who thinks that I’m a CIA spy gave me his blessing to continue.
Yes, we finally got the signature we needed. Not the most legible thing I’ve seen, but approval none the less. The Administrator signed the top of a letter that the City’s Infrastructure Department had written in support of the project (this was an added bonus I didn’t know about that was also submitted to him in support of our project along with all our other documents). He also signed every page of the packet we gave him as well. There was no reason for that, it was simply an information packet about the Peace Corps as a whole, including our mission and objectives in country. Pointless stuff, but that’s Mozambican Bureaucracy for you.
So with that victory, we managed to jump serious hurdle number one. It took a little longer than expected, but…well…I guess that was a bad metaphor, because this isn’t really a race. We conseguir-ed. Onto the next obstacle. Bring it on.
