It is deemed rude not to offer what you have or to say "no" when someone asks you for something. Since my arrival, I have learned to take others around me more into consideration when performing any activity, whether it be purchasing extra flour from the market or cooking an extra helping of beans and rice.
Housing is often very close together and shared along with community resources such as wells and trash pits. A community atmosphere encourages not only a sharing of necessities, but a sharing of time as well. Mozambique is known for its culture of sitting, where neighbors, colleagues, and family members often gather together to sit, sometimes in complete silence. Perhaps due in part to lack of phones and other technology, the presence of another is valued highly, even if nothing is truly occurring. Americans are known for calling someone or reaching out to a friend with a purpose, whether it be a party or task. Mozambicans, however, value in reaching out to only say hello and take an extreme importance in greeting everyone they pass by stopping and sitting with them briefly. This was an aspect that required some getting used to, but I grew to love the interest even complete strangers took in each other. Learning this important aspect assisted with my integration tremendously because it allowed me to learn the local language, Ximonika, pronounced "Shimonika".
Of course, I couldn't remark on my time in Mozambique without commenting on the culture of time. I've noticed that, in contrast to the deadlines and punctuality of Americans, Mozambican life is a bit more relaxed and time is merely used as a suggestion. A gathering at 2:00 p.m. really could mean 5:00 p.m.
