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Sounds like someone’s had a rough twenty months.
Remember that a year on Mars lasts two Earth years, so Maida’s mom is used to counting up to 23 months before switching units of time. Also this means Maida has still only had the one birthday on Earth, despite living there for nearly two (Earth) years. Maida, meanwhile, has switched over to keeping track of her age in two modes simultaneously. See back just a few pages ago at the start of this chapter.
↓ Transcript
Panel 1: Maida closes the fridge, not having found anything. Maida: "Jumah can't get you a work visa, though. We looked into this."
Panel 2: Maida: "We're all depending on Anti's visa right now. That's dangerous."
Panel 3: Maida looks through a cupboard above the sink. Maida's mum: "Maida, I'm aware of our situation. You've had over twenty months to adapt and fit in. This will take time for me."
Panel 4: Maida produces two bowls. Maida: "This isn't Mangala, though. There is no fitting in, except by working yourself to death."
Panel 5: She puts one of the bowls in a desktop factory in the corner of the kitchen (it looks like a cross between a microwave and a printer). Maida: "There's no generous relatives, no village pantry, no stipends. 'Ubuntu' is just the name of a school, here."
Panel 6: The factory whirs and the bowl inside fills with rice. Maida: "Nobody here cares about us but us."
Panel 2: Maida: "We're all depending on Anti's visa right now. That's dangerous."
Panel 3: Maida looks through a cupboard above the sink. Maida's mum: "Maida, I'm aware of our situation. You've had over twenty months to adapt and fit in. This will take time for me."
Panel 4: Maida produces two bowls. Maida: "This isn't Mangala, though. There is no fitting in, except by working yourself to death."
Panel 5: She puts one of the bowls in a desktop factory in the corner of the kitchen (it looks like a cross between a microwave and a printer). Maida: "There's no generous relatives, no village pantry, no stipends. 'Ubuntu' is just the name of a school, here."
Panel 6: The factory whirs and the bowl inside fills with rice. Maida: "Nobody here cares about us but us."
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