Today I went to the craziest, most hilarious aerobics class ever. It made me so happy to be in Mozambique. Let’s back up a moment and appreciate the fact that there is a gym in Maxixe. It’s the first one I’ve ever seen here. Located on the main road, you might not realize it’s a gym at first glance. One might be fooled by the large neon “Laurentina” beer sign, but rest assured, it’s a gym slash bar. From 5 am to 9 pm six days a week, you can come and work out on a handful of machines that more or less work. There are also daily Caporeira and aerobics classes. And afterwards (or before) you can grab a drink at the “fitness bar.”

I like aerobics classes, so I was curious to check out the daily class. About 15 mins past the start time, right on African Time, the instructor enthusiastically jogs out of the “fitness bar,” turns on some bumping techno music, and an aerobics class like I’ve never seen before begins. Becky and I joined a small group of girls, and followed our instructors lead as he grabbed a wooden pole, held it above his head and started jumping around. For the next 30 minutes, we jumped and flailed our arms to some awesome disco tunes.

I always wondered what a Mozambican work out video would be like, and what kind of motivational sayings would keep you going. I didn’t expect to hear “You are now one step closer to achieving that bikini body you’ve always dreamed of!” in Portuguese. I don’t even know how you would say that. This guy just kept repeating “Bonita! Bonita! Bonita!” And it was not enough just for him to yell it, he wanted confirmation. Him: “Bonita?” Me: Bonita!. There were also a few “mais forcas” and the attempted English “you must not reduce it” (I think referring to the speed, because he was on turbo speed the entire time). The hopping part finally ended, there were a few variations on abdominal exercises, and some high speed stretching, before he called it a day. We all confirmed it was a beautiful class, and he headed back to the bar. I move on to do some weights, and I see him standing above me, Laurentina in hand, asking if I will be back tomorrow. Ummm…without a doubt!