Today is voting day in Angola. Tomorrow is voting day as well, since I guess it takes two full days to get everyone's votes recorded. Yesterday JoAnn and I accidentally found ourselves in the middle of a giant rally for the current president. There were buses and trucks filled with locals dressed in t-shirts with the president's face, wearing wigs with Angola's colors....it was a sight to see. It was the last day for the president to win votes, so I guess he was passing out free beer and throwing a big party. We managed to get through the area where the rally was being held before the traffic got too bad, so it wasn't a big deal.
What IS becoming a big deal is dealing with our house. The saga continues, with our electricity STILL not fixed. To recap - they've replaced every kitchen appliance, and the breaker still tripped. Then they decided the iron was the problem (even our maid was rolling her eyes at that one) and the breaker still trips. We do have running water, and hot water - but the pipes in our attic that connect to the hot water heater need to be replaced. Our phone still won't connect to the US, and no one seems to know how to fix that problem. A technician came out to see if he could take care of it, and he tested the line. "Madame, you can make international calls on this phone." I told him, "I can't call the US." He fiddled with the phone, and then happily exclaimed, "You can call Portugal!" I tried again to explain, "I need to call the US - that is where my family lives." He messed with the phone for another 30 minutes, and then reported to me proudly, "You can call Ireland!" I'm beginning to think that having our families relocate to Ireland would be simpler than getting the phone fixed.
On the bright side, the weather has been gorgeous here. It's sunny and about 70 degrees, with a breeze. Every day after school, the kids come home and have a snack, do their homework, and then we head over to the park inside the compound. JoAnn and I can sit and gab while the kids play, and it's so peaceful. For all of the struggles that come with life here, there really are some big benefits as well. The slower pace of life here is wonderful, when I can remember to appreciate it. And as my dad often reminds me, "If you can make a funny story out of it, it's not so bad!" I have never in my life lived in a place with so many funny stories waiting to be told.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Say What?
I've mentioned quite a few times that the national language of Angola is Portuguese. I have been trying to learn to speak Portuguese, and I have a fair grasp of it, enough that I can manage most situations. When we first moved here, one of the biggest stresses I had was communicating. Not only did I have a hard time understanding Portuguese, I had a hard time making myself understood - so each interaction with someone was a trial.
One thing I did NOT expect was the difficulty communicating with other English speakers. Yes, we may speak the same language, but when accents and local phrases come into play - it can be harder to understand than a totally different language!
Yesterday was the perfect example of this. I went to school in the afternoon, and was waiting to gather Miles from his classroom. A woman that I know walked over to me, and began talking to me. Now - I know this woman casually. She is from South Africa, and so she speaks English, but with a thick accent. Most times I can understand what she's saying, but yesterday I was truly baffled. She said, "I have to ask you a favor. Can you make beps for nakebowl? "
Say....what?
I said, "Umm, I'm not sure I understand." She spoke louder, "You know, nakebowl? I need BEPS, BEPS for the children to play nakebowl!" I was mentally searching for anything I could think of that sounded similar to what she was saying, but I was coming up blank! She was standing there, waiting for an answer. I said, "I.....have no idea what you're asking me, I'm so sorry." She sighed, and clearly thought she was dealing with an idiot. Slowly, she explained that she was organizing a game of NET BALL for the children at school, and she needed me to sew BIBS for each team to wear. I've never even heard of netball, and I'd rather not spend my time sewing dumb bibs for it - but I was so frazzled by the whole ordeal I just told her 'sure' so we could end the conversation. Exhausting, I tell you - that is the best description of life here.....but it's sure good for funny stories.
One thing I did NOT expect was the difficulty communicating with other English speakers. Yes, we may speak the same language, but when accents and local phrases come into play - it can be harder to understand than a totally different language!
Yesterday was the perfect example of this. I went to school in the afternoon, and was waiting to gather Miles from his classroom. A woman that I know walked over to me, and began talking to me. Now - I know this woman casually. She is from South Africa, and so she speaks English, but with a thick accent. Most times I can understand what she's saying, but yesterday I was truly baffled. She said, "I have to ask you a favor. Can you make beps for nakebowl? "
Say....what?
I said, "Umm, I'm not sure I understand." She spoke louder, "You know, nakebowl? I need BEPS, BEPS for the children to play nakebowl!" I was mentally searching for anything I could think of that sounded similar to what she was saying, but I was coming up blank! She was standing there, waiting for an answer. I said, "I.....have no idea what you're asking me, I'm so sorry." She sighed, and clearly thought she was dealing with an idiot. Slowly, she explained that she was organizing a game of NET BALL for the children at school, and she needed me to sew BIBS for each team to wear. I've never even heard of netball, and I'd rather not spend my time sewing dumb bibs for it - but I was so frazzled by the whole ordeal I just told her 'sure' so we could end the conversation. Exhausting, I tell you - that is the best description of life here.....but it's sure good for funny stories.
Monday, August 20, 2012
School Days
It's the first day of school for Max, Molly, and Miles!
Adam and I are the proud owners - I mean parents - of a 6th grader, a 4th grader, and a Kindergardener!
This morning went pretty smoothly, especially since I had Adam to help me get the kids ready for school. We made it out of the house on time, and then found out that our school bus hadn't shown up. Weird, right? I mean....it just wouldn't be a day in Angola if everything went right! So we had to pile two busloads of kids/parents onto one bus, but it all worked out okay. I'm heading out the door in a few minutes to be bus mom for the afternoon, and I can't wait to hear about their day. I missed the little turkeys today, though it was really nice to get the grocery shopping done in peace!
This morning went pretty smoothly, especially since I had Adam to help me get the kids ready for school. We made it out of the house on time, and then found out that our school bus hadn't shown up. Weird, right? I mean....it just wouldn't be a day in Angola if everything went right! So we had to pile two busloads of kids/parents onto one bus, but it all worked out okay. I'm heading out the door in a few minutes to be bus mom for the afternoon, and I can't wait to hear about their day. I missed the little turkeys today, though it was really nice to get the grocery shopping done in peace!
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Speechless
I can't even formulate a real paragraph to explain the situation here. It's....unreal. We finally complained to the right person, and got a team of repair people to visit yesterday. The hot water heaters in the attic were repaired (they say) and the leaking water pump outside was fixed as well (they say). Two electricians (one of them is the one who previously told me there was nothing wrong) spent a couple hours in the kitchen, trying to find out the problem that's causing the breaker to trip repeatedly. Around 5 pm, they decided that every major appliance in the kitchen is causing the problem. The stove, the dishwasher, and the refrigerator need to be replaced. Now....I'm no electrician, but doesn't it seem rather odd that 3 separate appliances are simultaneously causing power outages?
So now it's 2pm, and supposedly these appliances are on their way to my house. We have not used any of the kitchen appliances in the meantime, and yet our breaker is tripping approximately every 30 seconds.
And the water? It's hot again, but there's still hardly any water pressure. Luckily for us, the drinking water delivery guys must have heard about our situation. Instead of delivering the usual 3-4 jugs of drinking water, they stacked TEN jugs on my front step! This place will be such a source of funny stories someday. Until then, we will just keep on smiling.
So now it's 2pm, and supposedly these appliances are on their way to my house. We have not used any of the kitchen appliances in the meantime, and yet our breaker is tripping approximately every 30 seconds.
And the water? It's hot again, but there's still hardly any water pressure. Luckily for us, the drinking water delivery guys must have heard about our situation. Instead of delivering the usual 3-4 jugs of drinking water, they stacked TEN jugs on my front step! This place will be such a source of funny stories someday. Until then, we will just keep on smiling.
Because we have each other. And, as cheesy at it sounds, that's all we need.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Water
I'm currently feeling like I'm on the verge of a breakdown. I have only been back in Angola for TWO WEEKS, and all of my energy and determination and positive attitude have been drained out of me. That whole, "It's a new year!" thing is not really going like I planned it....to say the least.
So, the water situation? On Monday the repairmen (five of them - one to work, and four to sit around and chat with him) fixed the leaky pipe on our water pump, and we were once again able to shower and do laundry and flush toilets! Tuesday morning I realized that even though we had running water again, we had no HOT water. After approximately a hundred phone calls, I finally had two guys at my house to see what the problem was. They climbed up in our attic (where the water heaters are installed) and 'fixed' the problem. I use that term a little sarcastically, because as they were leaving the house, Max informed me that we no longer had running water! Now, just so you get the whole picture - while this is going on, the electrician had also showed up at the house. He's the same guy that has come several times to check on our breaker box, and each time tell me that there's nothing wrong. Remember when I said I had bad luck? I was so wrong! I was lucky enough that our power went out at the exact moment that this electrician showed up, which proved to him that perhaps I wasn't just imagining this problem with the breaker. I also had a random guy show up to inspect our fire extinguishers, as well as a new neighbor drop by to chat. Good times.
I'd like to say that there was a resolution to any one of these problems yesterday, but there was not. The electrician said that 'maybe tomorrow' he'd install a new breaker box. The water guys did get the water running again, but a couple of hours later, Adam and I realized that the water pressure was really low. We couldn't find another leak in the water pump, so we weren't sure what to think.....until it was time for bed. I went to check on the kids, and stepped in a puddle of water in Molly's room. Guess what? Our attic is filled with at least 2 inches of water, and it's leaking out into the bedrooms! I'm really starting to question how much more of this I can take. I know there are literally millions of people with bigger problems, but the constant stress of these issues is taking its toll on me. I feel like I'm playing a twisted game of "Whack-a-Mole," but instead of moles, it's house problems popping up all around me.
On the bright side - some things have been great since we got back. Our housekeeper is just as wonderful as ever, and I am so thankful for her. One of my pearl earrings fell out over the weekend, and none of us could find it. On Monday, before I could even ask her to keep an eye out for it - she found it and brought it to me! Our new driver, Tomas, is everything that the other drivers weren't - he is friendly, helpful, kind, and reliable. Having two wonderful people doing the jobs that impact me most is a huge deal - so I will be very grateful, and try to keep my head above water. Ha.
So, the water situation? On Monday the repairmen (five of them - one to work, and four to sit around and chat with him) fixed the leaky pipe on our water pump, and we were once again able to shower and do laundry and flush toilets! Tuesday morning I realized that even though we had running water again, we had no HOT water. After approximately a hundred phone calls, I finally had two guys at my house to see what the problem was. They climbed up in our attic (where the water heaters are installed) and 'fixed' the problem. I use that term a little sarcastically, because as they were leaving the house, Max informed me that we no longer had running water! Now, just so you get the whole picture - while this is going on, the electrician had also showed up at the house. He's the same guy that has come several times to check on our breaker box, and each time tell me that there's nothing wrong. Remember when I said I had bad luck? I was so wrong! I was lucky enough that our power went out at the exact moment that this electrician showed up, which proved to him that perhaps I wasn't just imagining this problem with the breaker. I also had a random guy show up to inspect our fire extinguishers, as well as a new neighbor drop by to chat. Good times.
I'd like to say that there was a resolution to any one of these problems yesterday, but there was not. The electrician said that 'maybe tomorrow' he'd install a new breaker box. The water guys did get the water running again, but a couple of hours later, Adam and I realized that the water pressure was really low. We couldn't find another leak in the water pump, so we weren't sure what to think.....until it was time for bed. I went to check on the kids, and stepped in a puddle of water in Molly's room. Guess what? Our attic is filled with at least 2 inches of water, and it's leaking out into the bedrooms! I'm really starting to question how much more of this I can take. I know there are literally millions of people with bigger problems, but the constant stress of these issues is taking its toll on me. I feel like I'm playing a twisted game of "Whack-a-Mole," but instead of moles, it's house problems popping up all around me.
On the bright side - some things have been great since we got back. Our housekeeper is just as wonderful as ever, and I am so thankful for her. One of my pearl earrings fell out over the weekend, and none of us could find it. On Monday, before I could even ask her to keep an eye out for it - she found it and brought it to me! Our new driver, Tomas, is everything that the other drivers weren't - he is friendly, helpful, kind, and reliable. Having two wonderful people doing the jobs that impact me most is a huge deal - so I will be very grateful, and try to keep my head above water. Ha.
If it Wasn't For Bad Luck.....
I'd have no luck at all. Yeah. Our electricity is still wonky, despite a 'team' of men working at my house all day long last week. They spent about 6 hours turning our power on and off, and ended by saying, "There is no problem, Madame." Amazing conclusion, considering our power cuts out even MORE than the average Angolan household (which already is a lot), and our breaker trips constantly, sometimes refusing to go back on. But there's no problem!
After a weekend with no running water, plus at least three visits from repairmen, we can again shower and flush the toilets - pretty key for a household of 5 people. Unfortunately for us, the minute our water was restored, we realized a new problem - no HOT water! This isn't a new problem, either - but in Angola, if something happens once, you can bet it will happen at least a few times more! I'm waiting for someone to show up to check out the problem. At 8:30 am, he said he'd be here soon. At 10:30 am, he said he'd be here in 10 minutes. It's now 11:10, and I'm just hoping someone shows up before lunchtime. Another little fact about Angola? Lunch time is at least two hours long.
On the bright side, however - my BFF is back in town!!!! Yeah, life in Angola just got a lot better for me, now that JoAnn is back. Now if I could just take a hot bath, I'd really have it made.
After a weekend with no running water, plus at least three visits from repairmen, we can again shower and flush the toilets - pretty key for a household of 5 people. Unfortunately for us, the minute our water was restored, we realized a new problem - no HOT water! This isn't a new problem, either - but in Angola, if something happens once, you can bet it will happen at least a few times more! I'm waiting for someone to show up to check out the problem. At 8:30 am, he said he'd be here soon. At 10:30 am, he said he'd be here in 10 minutes. It's now 11:10, and I'm just hoping someone shows up before lunchtime. Another little fact about Angola? Lunch time is at least two hours long.
On the bright side, however - my BFF is back in town!!!! Yeah, life in Angola just got a lot better for me, now that JoAnn is back. Now if I could just take a hot bath, I'd really have it made.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Happy New Year!
In one week and three days, the kids will start a new school year. Though it's not quite a full year since we arrived in Angola, I'm declaring this a new year! We aren't the new kids on the block anymore, and though this place is still chock full of unique experiences and challenges, I feel like I'm much better equipped to handle them.
The electricity in our house is still having some sort of problem. This was supposed to get fixed while we were gone, but that didn't happen - so instead, a crew of guys are supposed to come today and test every circuit to find the problem. For a few hours this morning, we also had no water upstairs. The water worked fine downstairs - but not upstairs! I called to report that to maintenance, but it magically started working again on its own, and the maintenance guys still haven't showed up!
We wanted to paint a few rooms in this house, just to jazz things up and make it feel more like home. Our first trip to the paint store, we picked out colors, and then found out that they were out of paint. ALL PAINT. They told us, "Maybe Monday," they'd have more. So Tuesday I headed back with the kids, and spent about an hour at the paint counter - only to find out that again, they didn't have the 3L cans of paint we wanted, that are $60. They did, however, have 15L cans - and those were only $478 apiece. Needless to say, we still don't have paint. You notice how buying in bulk actually costs you MORE here? That's just one of those things that makes no sense, but there's no point in questioning it.
I'm rolling with the punches, and not letting these things faze me much - but I can tell you, I am SOOOO looking forward to JoAnn coming back, and the kids starting back to school! I can handle a lot, but 10 weeks straight of summer vacation is pushing my limits! ;-)
The electricity in our house is still having some sort of problem. This was supposed to get fixed while we were gone, but that didn't happen - so instead, a crew of guys are supposed to come today and test every circuit to find the problem. For a few hours this morning, we also had no water upstairs. The water worked fine downstairs - but not upstairs! I called to report that to maintenance, but it magically started working again on its own, and the maintenance guys still haven't showed up!
We wanted to paint a few rooms in this house, just to jazz things up and make it feel more like home. Our first trip to the paint store, we picked out colors, and then found out that they were out of paint. ALL PAINT. They told us, "Maybe Monday," they'd have more. So Tuesday I headed back with the kids, and spent about an hour at the paint counter - only to find out that again, they didn't have the 3L cans of paint we wanted, that are $60. They did, however, have 15L cans - and those were only $478 apiece. Needless to say, we still don't have paint. You notice how buying in bulk actually costs you MORE here? That's just one of those things that makes no sense, but there's no point in questioning it.
I'm rolling with the punches, and not letting these things faze me much - but I can tell you, I am SOOOO looking forward to JoAnn coming back, and the kids starting back to school! I can handle a lot, but 10 weeks straight of summer vacation is pushing my limits! ;-)
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