This is a quick post, as the kids are off of school today and we have a bunch of errands to run. I listen to music a lot here. When I'm cooking, when I'm sewing, when I'm in the shower - I depend on music a fair amount to boost my mood and keep me in a positive frame of mind. These two songs are getting played a bunch lately here.
Enjoy!
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
Boiling Point
Well, it's happened. That point that I knew I'd get to eventually here, even though I've been trying my very best to stay relaxed and positive. I am SO tired of everything going wrong in our house. This is supposed to be the one place in Luanda that we can come to and relax - but instead it's the biggest source of stress! I'm sure no one really wants to hear all that's going wrong with our home, but for the sake of being able to look back on this and laugh someday (long after we've moved!) I'm going to write it all down.
1. We have no hot water. Again. On Wednesday a guy came to clean the air conditioners, and he apparently missed the memo that electricity and water are not a good combination. He sprayed the garden hose up to clean the outside of an air conditioning unit in our backyard, and got water directly into the outlet where we have our chest freezer plugged in! Immediately the power blew out upstairs, the adapter where the freezer was plugged in melted, and somehow the hot water heater stopped working. So for the past 4 days, it's been cold showers for the Hortons. If you've lost count, let me remind you - this is the SEVENTH hot water heater we're talking about. SEVEN. In 11 months.
2. Our dishwasher isn't hooked up correctly, and floods the kitchen with water when we use it. The guys have been out twice already, and tell me there's nothing wrong with it. Today, without coming to look at it, they've decided to replace it. What really gets me is that we HAD a dishwasher that worked perfectly, until they decided to replace that one because it was causing the breaker to trip (allegedly). Now, this one floods the kitchen, and our breaker still trips!
3. The breaker still trips.
4. We have a security system for the house, but no code or instructions to use it. We have been requesting these for 11 months.
5. I still can't call the US from our house phone. But I can call Ireland! And Portugal!
I felt good when I woke up this morning, ready to start the week. But when I walked into the kitchen and slid in a puddle of water from the dishwasher, it all went downhill very quickly. I know these problems are really minor in the grand scheme of things, but when they all pile up, I feel so overwhelmed. I've been calling people all morning, trying to get someone to come and help....but it's 2pm, and there has yet to be a single repair person at our house. If you hear on the news tonight about an American woman arrested for going ballistic in Angola, please start a rescue fund for me. I don't know how much longer I can keep my cool.
1. We have no hot water. Again. On Wednesday a guy came to clean the air conditioners, and he apparently missed the memo that electricity and water are not a good combination. He sprayed the garden hose up to clean the outside of an air conditioning unit in our backyard, and got water directly into the outlet where we have our chest freezer plugged in! Immediately the power blew out upstairs, the adapter where the freezer was plugged in melted, and somehow the hot water heater stopped working. So for the past 4 days, it's been cold showers for the Hortons. If you've lost count, let me remind you - this is the SEVENTH hot water heater we're talking about. SEVEN. In 11 months.
2. Our dishwasher isn't hooked up correctly, and floods the kitchen with water when we use it. The guys have been out twice already, and tell me there's nothing wrong with it. Today, without coming to look at it, they've decided to replace it. What really gets me is that we HAD a dishwasher that worked perfectly, until they decided to replace that one because it was causing the breaker to trip (allegedly). Now, this one floods the kitchen, and our breaker still trips!
3. The breaker still trips.
4. We have a security system for the house, but no code or instructions to use it. We have been requesting these for 11 months.
5. I still can't call the US from our house phone. But I can call Ireland! And Portugal!
I felt good when I woke up this morning, ready to start the week. But when I walked into the kitchen and slid in a puddle of water from the dishwasher, it all went downhill very quickly. I know these problems are really minor in the grand scheme of things, but when they all pile up, I feel so overwhelmed. I've been calling people all morning, trying to get someone to come and help....but it's 2pm, and there has yet to be a single repair person at our house. If you hear on the news tonight about an American woman arrested for going ballistic in Angola, please start a rescue fund for me. I don't know how much longer I can keep my cool.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Flashback
When Max was in kindergarten we lived in Petaluma, CA. We had no plans to move, we loved our little blue house, and the concept of ever living in Africa was one that had NEVER crossed our minds.
His class had a 'pet' that each kid got to bring home for a weekend, and Max was the first one to bring Zoe the Zebra to his house.
His class had a 'pet' that each kid got to bring home for a weekend, and Max was the first one to bring Zoe the Zebra to his house.
Now that Miles is in kindergarten, so much has changed! We've lived in Alaska, and now are 'veteran' travelers, living in Angola. But yesterday, Miles was the first in his class to bring home the class pet, Larry the Lion.
Funny how radically things can change, and yet still not be all that different.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
My Favorite Things
I know I whine a fair amount (ok, a LOT!) about the hard parts of living here. And let's be honest - it IS hard over here. But there's also a lot of really nice aspects of our life here, and those sometimes get lost in the stress. In no particular order, here are some of my favorite things about life in Angola:
*Surprises. Sometimes it's sour cream in a store that's never sold it. Sometimes it's a construction worker with a sombrero made of cardboard. The one thing you can count on here is that nothing is ever exactly how you think it will be. And that, my friends, can be extremely entertaining.
*Accents. Lordy, do I love a good accent! I can't always understand what people are saying, but I sure do enjoy listening to them. Scottish, Irish, British, Portuguese, Brazilian, Oklahoman (is that right? I didn't want to call it 'Okie') - it never gets old. Call me simple, but I get a good chuckle every time I hear someone say, "I'm gonna bowl the chicken." (This is JoAnn's way of saying 'boil' the chicken.)
*Learning. I'm constantly learning new things - about other people, about myself, about infectious diseases....it's an education every day.
*Simplicity. There is something to be said about not having a million and one obligations to take care of on the weekends. Most of the time we have no plans, other than spending time together.
*Fresh Air. Oh, the smell of body odor, unencumbered by deodorant! Ok, so that's not really a positive. But walking through the grocery store, you'll often see a non-local suddenly stop dead in their tracks and whip their head back like they've been slapped. That's the BO hitting them dead in the face, and that is what passes for entertainment here.
*Appreciation. Nothing makes you appreciate what you have like seeing people without. I've never in my life realized how good we have it, and how little most of us appreciate it. The expats who seem happiest here are the ones who have figured out how to really focus on the positives, and what a great life skill that is to pass along to our children. That, and wearing deodorant.
*Surprises. Sometimes it's sour cream in a store that's never sold it. Sometimes it's a construction worker with a sombrero made of cardboard. The one thing you can count on here is that nothing is ever exactly how you think it will be. And that, my friends, can be extremely entertaining.
*Accents. Lordy, do I love a good accent! I can't always understand what people are saying, but I sure do enjoy listening to them. Scottish, Irish, British, Portuguese, Brazilian, Oklahoman (is that right? I didn't want to call it 'Okie') - it never gets old. Call me simple, but I get a good chuckle every time I hear someone say, "I'm gonna bowl the chicken." (This is JoAnn's way of saying 'boil' the chicken.)
*Learning. I'm constantly learning new things - about other people, about myself, about infectious diseases....it's an education every day.
*Simplicity. There is something to be said about not having a million and one obligations to take care of on the weekends. Most of the time we have no plans, other than spending time together.
*Fresh Air. Oh, the smell of body odor, unencumbered by deodorant! Ok, so that's not really a positive. But walking through the grocery store, you'll often see a non-local suddenly stop dead in their tracks and whip their head back like they've been slapped. That's the BO hitting them dead in the face, and that is what passes for entertainment here.
*Appreciation. Nothing makes you appreciate what you have like seeing people without. I've never in my life realized how good we have it, and how little most of us appreciate it. The expats who seem happiest here are the ones who have figured out how to really focus on the positives, and what a great life skill that is to pass along to our children. That, and wearing deodorant.
Pride
One of the bummers of living so far away from our family is that they don't get to experience the kids on a regular basis. We try to skype as often as possible (which isn't nearly enough) and I definitely feel like the grandparents all make a huge effort to connect with each of our kids. So - I am going to try to post at least once a week about what's going on with each kid, in the hope that our family back home will feel a little more 'in the loop' with what's happening in their lives.
*Max was asked to participate in a small group of judo students who will train two extra days per week, in order to compete in a local competition. This is very exciting for him, and though it will be a lot of hard work, we hope that it will be a great experience. He's also decided to run for Student Council Treasurer of the Secondary School. He'll be going up against kids not only in the Middle School, but High School students as well - so it will be a tough campaign. I'm so impressed by his willingness to go for it!
*Molly is starting tap dancing and yoga next week - and these will be in addition to girl scouts and swim lessons. Adam and I worried about the kids not having as much access to activities here, but that clearly is NOT a problem. Molly is also planning to audition for a part in the school play. I'm guessing that she gets her bravery in front of an audience from her Dad, because she certainly doesn't get that from me!
*Miles is doing great in Year 1 (aka Kindergarten). He's learning Portuguese, becoming a stronger swimmer, and continuing to get better and better at READING! This is exciting for our whole family, and often if I'm busy, one of the older kids will sit and listen to Miles read. It's incredible how much Miles has changed just since last year - often he would fall asleep on the bus ride home from school, but this year he's bouncing off the bus and ready to go!
I'm hanging in there, trying each day to find things to be positive about. Of all the things that needed repair in our house, I think the only one that's been completed was getting a lightbulb in the kitchen changed....but hey, it's something!
*Max was asked to participate in a small group of judo students who will train two extra days per week, in order to compete in a local competition. This is very exciting for him, and though it will be a lot of hard work, we hope that it will be a great experience. He's also decided to run for Student Council Treasurer of the Secondary School. He'll be going up against kids not only in the Middle School, but High School students as well - so it will be a tough campaign. I'm so impressed by his willingness to go for it!
*Molly is starting tap dancing and yoga next week - and these will be in addition to girl scouts and swim lessons. Adam and I worried about the kids not having as much access to activities here, but that clearly is NOT a problem. Molly is also planning to audition for a part in the school play. I'm guessing that she gets her bravery in front of an audience from her Dad, because she certainly doesn't get that from me!
*Miles is doing great in Year 1 (aka Kindergarten). He's learning Portuguese, becoming a stronger swimmer, and continuing to get better and better at READING! This is exciting for our whole family, and often if I'm busy, one of the older kids will sit and listen to Miles read. It's incredible how much Miles has changed just since last year - often he would fall asleep on the bus ride home from school, but this year he's bouncing off the bus and ready to go!
I'm hanging in there, trying each day to find things to be positive about. Of all the things that needed repair in our house, I think the only one that's been completed was getting a lightbulb in the kitchen changed....but hey, it's something!
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