9 days until we leave Angola for summer break. You'd think we'd be skipping around, delirious with joy that soon we will be back in America. Somehow, that isn't happening - instead it's just the opposite! Yes, we are definitely happy to be leaving, and YES, we cannot WAIT to see our family and friends - but it's just getting harder and harder to deal with all of the last-minute stuff that invariably makes you feel like you are losing your mind. I swear, it's like JoAnn and I are playing a twisted game called, "Who will crack first?" She's having crazy nightmares about psychotic maids, and I keep *almost* bursting into tears at the drop of a hat. It's no wonder we don't really have any other friends! ;-)
Our internet has been bad for weeks. This wouldn't be too big of a deal, except that it makes talking to family nearly impossible. We have a land line as well, but that drops calls almost as often as using Skype. After 2+ weeks of pestering the maintenance crew about the internet, someone finally came to the house today. He told me that one modem (the one that is supposed to work the best) needed another technician, who couldn't come until Monday ('Monday' is code for 'never'). The other modem he fiddled with, then called someone. This went on for over an hour, and in the end - nothing got fixed, nothing changed, and he told me as he walked out the door, "Paciencia, Madame." I smiled and nodded, but on the inside I was screaming, "ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME!!!??? I've had nothing BUT 'paciencia' with this place and all it's challenges, and now I have HAD IT." I am so done with living in Angola. I know having a nice long break will give me the strength to come back with a good attitude and renewed 'paciencia' but for the next 9 days.....people had better steer clear!
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
The Countdown
We have 18 more days until we fly out of Angola. At that point, it will have been 7 months since we last saw our family and friends in the US. It feels like so much longer.
I can hardly wait to see everyone, and for everyone to see the kids. I can see how much they've grown and changed, but I suspect that their grandparents and aunts, uncles, and cousins will see it even more. There's the surface stuff, like them growing taller....and browner.
Then there's the really good stuff. The way they've grown even closer since we've moved here. The way they seem to have a deeper appreciation for their family, and can't wait to see them again. The easy acceptance they have for things and people that are different - it makes me so proud. Of course, they're still very much their own fantastic, strange selves - that part hasn't changed!
For my part, I'm plugging away, anxiously waiting for the last day of school, and then we'll be off! Today is the craft sale that JoAnn and I are taking part in - we have been sewing up a storm, and today is the first time that many of the women here will see the clothing that I make. I am a nervous wreck.
And just to round out this post that is chock-full of random, unrelated info - I'd like to share with you my two grocery-store finds from the past week! Number one -
Jalapeños! These are a key ingredient for homemade salsa (add that to the list of things I never bothered making until we moved here), and last week was the first time in 7 months that I've seen them in the store. So of course, I bought six packages, JoAnn bought six, and we cleaned out the store of jalapeños! We each have a gallon size ziplock bag of these in our freezer now, so we should be set for at least a few months.
Number two -
I saw this at the nicest grocery store in town, and even though I knew better - I bought it. It was in English! It's something they sell at home! It's ice cream! These are the thoughts that were running through my mind.....even though there was a little voice that was shouting at the same time, "It's ANGOLA!" So I wasn't too surprised when we opened up the box and found a melted-then-refrozen, freezer burned, unrecognizable lump instead of the pretty creation on the box. 18 more days, just 18 more days....
I can hardly wait to see everyone, and for everyone to see the kids. I can see how much they've grown and changed, but I suspect that their grandparents and aunts, uncles, and cousins will see it even more. There's the surface stuff, like them growing taller....and browner.
Then there's the really good stuff. The way they've grown even closer since we've moved here. The way they seem to have a deeper appreciation for their family, and can't wait to see them again. The easy acceptance they have for things and people that are different - it makes me so proud. Of course, they're still very much their own fantastic, strange selves - that part hasn't changed!
For my part, I'm plugging away, anxiously waiting for the last day of school, and then we'll be off! Today is the craft sale that JoAnn and I are taking part in - we have been sewing up a storm, and today is the first time that many of the women here will see the clothing that I make. I am a nervous wreck.
And just to round out this post that is chock-full of random, unrelated info - I'd like to share with you my two grocery-store finds from the past week! Number one -
Number two -
I saw this at the nicest grocery store in town, and even though I knew better - I bought it. It was in English! It's something they sell at home! It's ice cream! These are the thoughts that were running through my mind.....even though there was a little voice that was shouting at the same time, "It's ANGOLA!" So I wasn't too surprised when we opened up the box and found a melted-then-refrozen, freezer burned, unrecognizable lump instead of the pretty creation on the box. 18 more days, just 18 more days....
Monday, May 7, 2012
Thirty Seven
Happy Birthday to me! I can honestly say that I never ever imagined celebrating a birthday in Angola, but that's just what I did. Adam and I went out for a lovely dinner alone on Saturday night, thanks to my pal JoAnn and her husband Kenny. They kept our three crazy children while Adam and I went out, and it was SO NICE to have some quality time with my hubby.
Today, after getting up at 4:30 am to run (clearly I've lost my mind), I had Portuguese lessons with JoAnn, and then we went into the city for a birthday lunch. I know that some of you might think I'm really being overly mushy, but I have to tell you that I would not be handling this major life change half as well if it weren't for meeting JoAnn. She makes me laugh when I'm crying, she puts up with my whining while making me do things that are good for me (see above - RUNNING!!!), and whenever we spend time together, I feel like I'm home. She is the best gift I have received in the past year, and I'm keeping her!
Today, after getting up at 4:30 am to run (clearly I've lost my mind), I had Portuguese lessons with JoAnn, and then we went into the city for a birthday lunch. I know that some of you might think I'm really being overly mushy, but I have to tell you that I would not be handling this major life change half as well if it weren't for meeting JoAnn. She makes me laugh when I'm crying, she puts up with my whining while making me do things that are good for me (see above - RUNNING!!!), and whenever we spend time together, I feel like I'm home. She is the best gift I have received in the past year, and I'm keeping her!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
The Power of Words
You would think I'd be running out of oddities to write about, but you would be wrong. Today JoAnn and I were riding along, chatting while we were going to the fabric store. As we rode, I innocently said, "There are so many crazy motorcyclists around here - I really hope I can make it through my time here without seeing one crash." 10 minutes later, as we are stopped in traffic, we suddenly hear a loud 'thump' and feel the car shake. A guy on a motorcycle crashed into the car! He seemed okay - he got up and rode off, but JoAnn and I were stunned. I'm having a hard time deciding what I should wish for next, because apparently I am pretty darn powerful!
This and That
I haven't posted in such a long time - partly because we were on vacation, and partly because I couldn't figure out how to make my blog page NOT appear in German. Somehow our internet links to Germany, so all of the headings for my blog, when I log in, are in German. Perfect!
Our trip to Mauritius was fabulous. I was able to spend a little quality time with my husband, and the kids had a blast. My favorite parts were snorkeling with the older two (amazing fish in the coral + warm Indian Ocean = super snorkeling), and taking each kid separately for a special dinner with us. It was very relaxing, and we were able to see the entire island. I'm starting to feel very comfortable with going to new places. Each place we go, we learn so much that we never would have known otherwise, and it's lovely to see how many friendly, kind people there are all over the world.
Adam put a ton of pictures in albums here: Horton Pictures
I don't quite feel as refreshed as I did after our Cape Town trip, but I think that's because we're in the home stretch before going back to CA this summer. I've been pushing thoughts of home to the back of my mind for the past 6 months, knowing that I had to get through....but now it's all I can think about! I know we are so blessed here, and have a million and one things to be thankful for - and I am. But it's still a struggle to keep my sense of humor about the things that are ridiculously hard about living here! Example - our remote control for the tv. It stopped working about 2 months ago. So - in the US, that would mean we'd drive ourselves to the store and get a new one. Here - not so easy. I called the maintenance supervisor, and was told that I had to send an email to maintenance. Ok, sent an email and got no response. Adam got tired of waiting, and had our driver take him to some back alley store where he purchased a 'new' remote. (I say 'new' because it was clearly not, but that's not even surprising anymore!) That worked for a few weeks, until suddenly one day, the remote inexplicably got burning hot when no one was using it. I popped it open, and the batteries were melting together! So back to the maintenance - I thought maybe since we'd given them 2 months, they'd have a remote for us? No - I still was told to send another email, and when they got back to me, I was promised a different remote within the next few days. It's not such a big deal, considering there's nothing on tv worth watching anyway - but all of these tiny things that consume most of my day, and are just SO complicated....they wear on me.
Hope you enjoy the pictures, and I will attempt to brush up on my German so that I can post more often!
Our trip to Mauritius was fabulous. I was able to spend a little quality time with my husband, and the kids had a blast. My favorite parts were snorkeling with the older two (amazing fish in the coral + warm Indian Ocean = super snorkeling), and taking each kid separately for a special dinner with us. It was very relaxing, and we were able to see the entire island. I'm starting to feel very comfortable with going to new places. Each place we go, we learn so much that we never would have known otherwise, and it's lovely to see how many friendly, kind people there are all over the world.
Adam put a ton of pictures in albums here: Horton Pictures
I don't quite feel as refreshed as I did after our Cape Town trip, but I think that's because we're in the home stretch before going back to CA this summer. I've been pushing thoughts of home to the back of my mind for the past 6 months, knowing that I had to get through....but now it's all I can think about! I know we are so blessed here, and have a million and one things to be thankful for - and I am. But it's still a struggle to keep my sense of humor about the things that are ridiculously hard about living here! Example - our remote control for the tv. It stopped working about 2 months ago. So - in the US, that would mean we'd drive ourselves to the store and get a new one. Here - not so easy. I called the maintenance supervisor, and was told that I had to send an email to maintenance. Ok, sent an email and got no response. Adam got tired of waiting, and had our driver take him to some back alley store where he purchased a 'new' remote. (I say 'new' because it was clearly not, but that's not even surprising anymore!) That worked for a few weeks, until suddenly one day, the remote inexplicably got burning hot when no one was using it. I popped it open, and the batteries were melting together! So back to the maintenance - I thought maybe since we'd given them 2 months, they'd have a remote for us? No - I still was told to send another email, and when they got back to me, I was promised a different remote within the next few days. It's not such a big deal, considering there's nothing on tv worth watching anyway - but all of these tiny things that consume most of my day, and are just SO complicated....they wear on me.
Hope you enjoy the pictures, and I will attempt to brush up on my German so that I can post more often!
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Sister Amelia
Some of you know that I went with a group of other expats to visit a school in a very poor section of Luanda a few weeks ago. I have some pictures, and a lot of thoughts about the experience - but not enough time to write it down just now. So - to hold you over, watch this video that was taken a few years ago. Sister Amelia is an amazing person, and it was an honor to meet her and see what she's accomplished.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Still alive
I have all sorts of other pictures and stories to share - but I can't really focus long enough to put them here, because you see, it has been 12 weeks since we came back from South Africa. I promise, in April, I will be back to posting regularly and hopefully will be able to put together a coherent story or two. Until then, I am just trying to keep my cool and not punch anyone.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)