Neverending Story

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.