So we've been here for two weeks. The first week was torture - everyone was overtired, over emotional, and just generally ticked off at being ripped from the home we loved. The second week went MUCH MUCH better - a lot less tears (mostly mine) and a lot more fun.
How is life in Luanda? It's hard. It's hard for me, and I'm in a position that's way way easier than probably 99% of the population here. You can't just go to the store to get what you need. If you're not local, you will likely need to start by arranging for a ride. This is easy enough for us, because we have a driver assigned to us 5 days per week. Okay - so now you have a ride. Next up - getting your American dollars exchanged for Kwanzaas. This involves having your driver scan the roadside for women (why is it always the women? I don't know) who are rubbing their thumb against their fingers, signalling 'money.' Then your driver rolls down the window and proceeds to negoatiate a good rate of exchange, while you sit silent. It's technically illegal to exchange money on the street, but everyone does it. Once they've agreed on the rate, you pass over the money and they give you the Kwanzaa. This feels very much like an illicit drug deal to me (bearing in mind that I'm a sheltered white girl who's never actually DONE a drug deal) and it's a stressful start to the outing.
Next up - the actual shopping! When you get to the store, you will absolutely be assaulted by some serious smells. Most people don't wear deodorant here, and as you may recall - Africa is HOT! Then there are the food smells - lots and lots of unfamiliar meats and fish are stacked in the store, and not all of it is ... fresh. Air conditioning isn't a given, so that ups the smell factor. If you've made a shopping list, good luck - you may find half of the items on it. Stores will have an item one day, then not again for months at a time - so you need to go to multiple stores to find your groceries, and you have to be flexible. Once you've picked your groceries (and made your best guess about what the labels say, since they're all in Portuguese) you make your way to the checkstand. Again - good luck! If you are fortunate, there will be only a few people ahead of you in line. Still, this really doesn't tell you how long you'll be there. If the power goes out ( at least a few times a day this happens), you're stuck until it comes back on. Machines stop working inexplicably, or someone has a problem - all of these things that cause minor delays in the US can bring everything to a halt here. Once you get to the checker, you smile and hope that she doesn't hate you on the spot - because she will likely toss your groceries down to the bagging area. You bag your own groceries, trying to catch them before they all smash together. Then you pay for them, and try not to look at the total - because a few days' worth of supplies will cost what you'd spend in the US for a few WEEKS - and the quality is not so great. But you've completed your shopping trip without crying, so it's a success! All that's left is to dodge the motorists in the parking lot who seem determined to run you down, and you're home free.
I feel like I've packed a whole lot of learning into the past two weeks. I've learned to be very very patient - if it's not an emergency, it's not worth getting too worked up over. I've learned to be grateful - if just one stranger smiles at me, or tries to help when I'm struggling, it's enough to make my day. It's so different being the one who doesn't speak the language, who doesn't know the way things work. It's been very humbling, and very exhausting. I miss my friends and family so very much, but I think this experience will be good for us all.
No comments:
Post a Comment