19 June, we're finally here!
This is my first email of impressions:
Hi family and friends, We arrived safely, In fact 24 hours now. My very first impression was the realisation that i was only one of 5 women on a full plane from london ie lots of men! And this looks set to be the norm here. We walked off the plane into a small sauna and sweat was soon trickling.
At the airport the car park was full of cars, mostly 4 wd beasties - not so different from other places. Then there were the luggage trolleys scattered willy-nilly all over the carpark plus a mad rooster and half an office chair.
Next impressions are wonderful and awful. Friendly, helpful, colourful people and then squalor, poverty and chaos. It is good to be here and presently I am with jeroen at his work. He is near the window and it is a stunning view of water and palm trees. Absolutely tropical.
I saw three dogs
yesterday; one starving scavenger, one dead and one happy tail wagger. You know
me with animals so it was also a relief to see a pampered big black poodle being
taken out for a stroll early this morning.
I also spotted a very tiny children's play area smack bang in the middle of intersecting crazy roads. The plunket nurse in me had to put the safety concerns in check!
We
settled into the apartment firstly going on a mosquito hunt then sorting water
filter (not advised to drink water from tap). The power went off i think 5 times
in the afternoon but only for a short while. We went through a checklist) of
items in the apartment and discovered that an 'overwhelmer' is a potato masher!
The place is very nice and I know (and knew beforehand of myself) that my biggest challenge would be learning how to live in relative luxury while so many around us have nothing. I will overcome this as I have to and am sure there will be voluntary work I will be able to do.
We slept under our mosquito net quite well then it was up early to catch the 5.15 am bus to jeroens work. I am here (office) to do the orientation training and soon I will begin language training which will be great.
So, all in all it is exciting to be here.
Update: a colleague of jeroens has indicated that the strange boxes sitting near jeroens desk are to catch the rats. (Bit like Central then!) Please write when you can. I miss you all.
Bye for now, love from the two of of us,
Sharon.
(end of email)
Our apartment is part of Colinas Do Sol in outer Luanda. It is a gated/guarded complex of apartment/hotels/restaurant etc and we are advised (strongly, by BP) not to walk outside the complex. There had been a couple of holdups on the road in the months before we came so we are confined to this place, unless going out with a driver. To date, we haven't been issued a driver but are happy to use the Tango Delta car/driver service. (email the service to state date/time pickup/location/dropoff etc). All drivers are very security conscious, locking all doors of the car and being vigilant watching out for hazardous drivers (and nerves-of-steel scooter riders who wobble between the cars, every which way!)
Note the lovely swimming pool that became OUT OF ACTION the day we arrived! But the gym is great. There are guards 24/7 so even though its not in the safest part of town, it feels secure enough.
22/23 June. Taken out for lunch with Jeroen's ex-work colleagues. So nice to finally put faces to Kurt and Cherif. We went to a lovely waterfront restaurant. Excellent.
Sunday, Kurt and Cherif picked me up and we went to the Angola International Christian Church.
http://www.aiccweb.org/
What a comforting, welcome place it was. We drove down a dirt track amongst very
poor housing and there in the middle was a lovely little church. A large percentage of the congregation is African and It was a very happy clappy,
Hall-E-lu-ja and fun place and I will go there again.
26 June- July. Got the Luanda quick-step! Yuck, yuck and yuck! I have never had a bug like this ever. And hope never to again. Acclimatising, Jeroen calls it. Almost a week gone with being sick and recovery.
4 July, Met some neighbours finally. Ilenia and Henry, with their children Sophia, Sebastian and Christian. Went shopping with Ilenia for the first time which was a unique and pleasing experience. I expected... I don't know what. But far different from what I found. Prices not too far different from PaknSave and pretty much a good choice of everything. (with Portugese labelling of course!)
I made contact with the LBW (Luanda British Women's Group) and met with some of them in the city. Lots of women from all over the world, with different backgrounds, advice and expat experience. I truly am a newbie to this game!
7 July, Picked up at 07.30 for church this morning. The driver had no English so I could only hope he knew from the directions I gave him that we headed in the right direction. And, we got there in plenty of time for an 0800 start..
Again, another uplifting experience and meeting lots of new people.
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We heard a loud explosion outside the housing complex today. No-one seems to know (or tells) what it was.
8 July, an update from hotel/apartment Management as follows:
Luanda, July 8, 2013
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!
We communicate to all residents and guests due to the works in the pool, it will be liberated for use, respecting the schedules established from the day 08/02/2013.
We will be available for further clarification.
Sincerely,
Administration Colinas do Sol Aparthotel.
Great huh? I think...
Today Ilenia and I spent time with her children, chatting, walking, playing. Sebastian (2) set up shop selling 'mozarella' and speaking in Italian. He came back to our place for a while and quite happily yelled with Talking Ben on the ipad. It was nice to have him here and a little break for his mum who has also managed to get a nasty cut on her hand (so she is one-handed at present) and also looking after Christian, who is 9 months old today. A nice day.
10 July, a trip to the beach! Again, I wasn't sure what to expect but we enjoyed 3 hours there, almost as though we were at a health spa! Mainly it was wonderful to be free to walk outside, on the beach. The guards are present and driver waits outside so it feels relatively safe.
These young guys swam and played and slowly crept up closer to where we were. I offered them a bag of sweets which one lad took, thanking me and then he proceeded to almost scoff the lot! He did give each of the other boys one sweet but then war broke out over the bag...normal teenagers.
And in the afternoon a visit to Mama Muxima Orphanage. Today it's English lessons at the orphanage for older teens. A friendly bunch who are keen to practice their English (and be corrected if they make a mistake).
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http://lbwangola.blogspot.com/ Check out the Luanda British Women's website which I have become a part of.
10 July, Happy 40th birthday little brother Wade!
11 July, skyping with Katelyn - Skype is a God-send to keep in contact. If you have Skype, check us out - we'd love to see you!
We got a car and a driver issued.today. A brand new (packaging was being taken off when it was parked outside) Nissan Pathfinder. The driver Edgar I will meet on Tuesday. Apparently he speaks very little English. I am Still waiting for Portuguese lessons. Tutors are in high demand here and no one is available yet.
13 July, into town with Jeroen for him to get a haircut. You go to a hotel to get that done here. Well the expats do. Angolan men shave their heads (wise, in the heat) and women (apparently) wear wigs (less wise in the heat perhaps?)
Many people (young and old) picking through the rubbish bins.
And in contrast, we go shopping together at Foodlovers.. a very nice place where prices are not too different from home. Fresh fruit! Home to wash all the fruit/vegies and have a quiet afternoon. But still thinking of the locals picking through the rubbish.
I won't be taking many photo's in public places as we have been advised not to, nor show camera's/phones. So for now, pictures from the car.
14 July, picked up by Bernardo (driver) who speaks English very well... I learned a few Portuguese words with him as we drove to church. He asked me whether the people of NZ went to church (most do here). I replied that not so many people did attend church. He immediately asked whether we were a free Nation and if we were at war then? Food for thought.
A lovely service again - very positive and uplifting.
I saw a man in a new suit, orange, green and pink...covered in pictures of an open Bible. That's dedication for you.
New car covered in red dust already.
15 July, Laundry day; a new routine.
No washing machine so I do a bit by hand (although its warm outside and clothes dry very quickly there is a thin layer of red dust on everything so not ideal). It is intended that we have our washing done by laundry staff so, today being Monday they will come to collect my washing.
Usually 2 (sometimes 3) people ( can be men or women) come to the door and we establish that they are here for the laundry (I quite often have groups of people coming to the door...to bring towels, one at a time or to change light bulbs). With there being little English (and still waiting for language lessons on my part) this can take a while to establish what reason they are here for.
Then they come inside and we have to sort through my DIRTY WASHING and count/ sign for everything! Modesty has long gone. They're just clothes.
Then, the clothes are returned a day later and I spend half an hour cutting out the labels that are carefully attached to each item (tiny squares of cotton fabric with hand printed number 2 for our apartment).
And that's washing day.
18 July, spent the morning at the clinic (have had headaches on anti-malaria medication). Waited an hour to get an appointment. Waited an hour for appointment. Saw Doc who had virtually no English. Told me I need glasses (I don't) and to have a malaria blood test (I don't have malaria) so, after wandering around for a while to find the laboratory I waited for an appointment to make an appointment for the blood test. After another while I looked around for the laboratory and saw I would again be waiting for the appointment (well I guessed a lot on this day as there were no English speaking people or signs) so I came home. And will take panadol. Apart from the process above, I loved being with the people. Young babies galore and the children helping their elderly parents. Normal society.
Our air shipment arrived today..yay, a tea towel. There seems to be a tea-towel shortage in Luanda.
20 July, out and about in Luanda. My Italian friends received their passports back 24 hours ago - in that time, they've packed and moved house and gone on holiday. When they return they will be living somewhere else (more suited for families). And so it goes with expat life...everyone moves on and around regularly.
For those who emailed unable to comment go to 'make a comment' and use drop-down box and comment as 'anonymous'. If you leave your name in the comment that should work.
23/7 Joined church women's group (started last week). This is the view from Henriette's balcony:
There are 8,000,000 people living in Luanda (half the population of Angola) in a city that was built for less than half a million. Space is a premium.
Jeroen saw a driving instructor car today with dual steering wheel! I wonder how that works.
24 July, Picked up by Edgar early and took 2 hours to get into town. Picked up Henriette and we drove to the very overcrowded area of Cacuaco, in the Northern area of Luanda. We visited the home of Diogo and Nelson (and Simao who was not present). They are wheelchair-bound due to paralysis by shooting, falling and disease. They have all been in wheelchairs since 80's and 90's. The men, all Christian are part of the foundation 'Fenador' (meaning Faith in pain) who seek to reach out to the multitude of handicapped people in Luanda. I became 'Doctor Sharon' today and we discussed health concerns via Henriette who has lived here for over 10 years (she and her husband came during the Civil War). Coming from a background of women's and child health, I felt completely out of my 'zone'. But the guys didn't seem to mind and were delighted to see us and were so happy/accepting of the boxes/containers/pens/shirts that Henriette took for them. So little to bring so much happiness.
Their home is very flash compared to surroundings. They teach the local children in the mornings (from 0700 til 1300) and we heard that the Government may build a school on the land that is owned there by the foundation.
30 July, power/internet off a lot so a bit of a blog break. Started Portuguese lessons today - a hectic trip there and back, plus an intense session. I felt a bit less about Luanda today, seeing all the things I find hard on the travels.
I did spot this gorgeous church in downtown and had to look twice at the foundation date - 1655.
There are Portuguese influences all over Luanda however many, many historic buildings have been demolished.
30 July, On trips into town (usually taking 1-2 hours) there are a multitude of locals selling...any thing and everything! They cruise on foot up and down the stagnant rows of traffic (I use the term 'row' loosely) and shake their goods at you.
Today I could have bought: electric tennis racket mosquito fly swatters (you know the type Dave?), toilet seats, sockets sets and rugs, not to mention thousands of phone cards and peanuts. And puppies, Sue.
I see a lot of trendy looking men here weaving in and out of the traffic on scooters. Their balance and gall is incredible. I haven't managed to get a photo yet but my favourite bikers are the ones wearing sleek suits, polished shoes, aviator shades and.... a horse riding helmet! Yes the current helmet of choice appears to be the black velvet with ribbon bow at back variety although the brown tartan is rather smart also.
1 August, Jeroen and I left NZ just over a year ago..time flies!
Today I had Portuguese lesson with a local woman, Mariana. Together with Jade, my neighbour, we made good progress on numbers, colours, fruit/vege and some greetings. I feel very blessed to not have to make the trip into town for language.
I learned my first sentence in Portuguese: bom fim de semana - (have a good weekend)...Which is probably more useful than my first sentence I learned in Dutch: de hond zat op de tafel (the dog sat on the table).
After lunch I saw this man across the road from the apartment, rummaging through the bins. Then, he sat down to have his meal. (from the bin).
Although I am not meant to leave the compound, I took him a meal and gave it to him. He was very polite and friendly.
It was so nice to walk out of the area... I think I will walk to the shopping centre and get Edgar to drive alongside me. He'll think I'm a crazy kiwi...but, never mind.
2 August, back to the clinic to get these drat headaches resolved. This time I had a new local friend to help me.Yuri- yes an Angolan with a Russian name, (another legacy from previous Russian occupation) adopted me as his new friend at the clinic. And I understood the process a whole lot better. This time: Wait one hour for appointment. Wait half hour for doctor. See doctor (who spoke excellent English) for 10 minutes. In this time while he was listening to my heart/lungs, door is opened and man waits patiently in the room (door open, my chest exposed, strange man standing there). Sent for blood test (for malaria, which I don't have but ok, I'll do as I'm told). Waited half an hour for appointment for blood test. Waited one hour for blood test. Had blood test -by now my head was throbbing and expat paranoia setting in -should I trust that the blood needles are disease free? should I have sprayed more than half a bottle of malaria spray before I left home? should I sit on the toilet seat?
However, phlebotomist (blood taker) was very efficient and with limited tools took the least painful blood sample from my usual hiding veins that I have ever had.
Waited one and a half hours in the sun for the results of blood test. Took blood test results and was told by Yuri I should take it in to the doctors room and drop it on his desk. And then I knew who the unidentified man was when I was having my consult with the doctor - and I became the unidentified woman barging in on another persons consult! Waited 5 minutes, saw doctor, was told to stop medication (which I had said all along) and took a prescription for migraine medication. Took to farmacia and waited short time to be told it wasn't in stock. Home again to take panadol.
4 August, Up before dawn to be ready to catch a train leaving from Bungo train station in downtown with the Angola Field Group, run by Henriette and Tako Koning (whose parents also come from Hengelo, the hometown of Jeroen's parents in Holland). Also on board was Jane, who along with Henriette are in my Bible study group.
http://angolafieldgroup.com/
Joined with 34 other, mostly expats on the recently restored single track railway service for a trip to Dondo. Following decades of discontinued service throughout and following 27 years of Civil war which ended 2002, Angola is once again connecting rural areas.
When the train system was reinstated there was a whole generation of people who were not aware of the risk of trains. And so in the early days there were many fatalities of people trying to cross the track.
Painted in Angola's national colours (red/yellow/black) the train was spotlessly clean, had a functioning toilet and a carriage reserved for our group.
With an historian on-board we heard about the early Portuguese occupation and territory control of Angola around 1589 which continued to grow throughout the years. (with other conquerors including the Dutch for a 7 year stint).
After the abolition of transatlantic slavery process beginning in 1836, there came a new economic growth of natural products including wax, cotton and coffee.
The peasant revolt of 1961 saw the start of the Liberation Struggle of Angola triggering the eventual inclusion of whole Angolan population receiving Portuguese citizenship. (notes taken from Angola Field Group/ Eleuterio Freire (historian on train).
Travelling the 200km to through the Kwanze Norte province to Dondo we stopped at several new railway stations, brand new and created by a Chinese work team.
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Dondo, on the River Kwanze was once a heaving slave town however is now known for the production of 'Eko' beer.
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We were escorted around with a Police officer who held the traffic for us and ensured our safety.
It was so refreshing to be able to walk around the town (2 hours) in the sunshine. I am sure we were a rare sight in town.
The Imbondeiro tree (Giant Tree) is the National tree of Angola and can be found in many sub-Saharan areas. It is said it can live over 1000 years and hold up to 120,000 Litres of water! Beautiful.
The fruit is a source of tartaric acid and is juiced, although not eaten. Other parts of the tree are medicinal however the timber is soft so not suitable as a building material.
Home again at sunset.
August 6, Planning trip home to NZ for September/October. I will arrive NP Sept. 5th and leave NP Oct. 5th.
Family and friends: Let me know please in plenty of time if there are any special events/dates that I need to reserve so I can plan to be there!
We have been advised that our permanent accommodation is ready and we move this weekend. It is right next to Jeroen's work and it's take 2 minutes I think to get home from work instead of the 1-2 hours it currently takes. And no more 04.30 wakeup alarms!
The apartment is downtown and I will be able to get out for a walk/cycle every day on the beautiful Marginal foreshore. Already packing!
Check out this expats description of the Marginal and how one Police officer dealt with the unsavoury element who were attempting to claim it.
http://hippo-on-the-lawn.blogspot.com/2013/04/so-you-want-to-walk-streets-at-night.html
This is one of the boys who cleans shoes, a popular activity on the streets of Luanda.
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This is my first email of impressions:
Hi family and friends, We arrived safely, In fact 24 hours now. My very first impression was the realisation that i was only one of 5 women on a full plane from london ie lots of men! And this looks set to be the norm here. We walked off the plane into a small sauna and sweat was soon trickling.
At the airport the car park was full of cars, mostly 4 wd beasties - not so different from other places. Then there were the luggage trolleys scattered willy-nilly all over the carpark plus a mad rooster and half an office chair.
Next impressions are wonderful and awful. Friendly, helpful, colourful people and then squalor, poverty and chaos. It is good to be here and presently I am with jeroen at his work. He is near the window and it is a stunning view of water and palm trees. Absolutely tropical.
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| View from Jeroen's office seat |
I also spotted a very tiny children's play area smack bang in the middle of intersecting crazy roads. The plunket nurse in me had to put the safety concerns in check!
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| Market shoppers |
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| Big brother looks out for little ones on busy roads |
The place is very nice and I know (and knew beforehand of myself) that my biggest challenge would be learning how to live in relative luxury while so many around us have nothing. I will overcome this as I have to and am sure there will be voluntary work I will be able to do.
We slept under our mosquito net quite well then it was up early to catch the 5.15 am bus to jeroens work. I am here (office) to do the orientation training and soon I will begin language training which will be great.
So, all in all it is exciting to be here.
Update: a colleague of jeroens has indicated that the strange boxes sitting near jeroens desk are to catch the rats. (Bit like Central then!) Please write when you can. I miss you all.
Bye for now, love from the two of of us,
Sharon.
(end of email)
Our apartment is part of Colinas Do Sol in outer Luanda. It is a gated/guarded complex of apartment/hotels/restaurant etc and we are advised (strongly, by BP) not to walk outside the complex. There had been a couple of holdups on the road in the months before we came so we are confined to this place, unless going out with a driver. To date, we haven't been issued a driver but are happy to use the Tango Delta car/driver service. (email the service to state date/time pickup/location/dropoff etc). All drivers are very security conscious, locking all doors of the car and being vigilant watching out for hazardous drivers (and nerves-of-steel scooter riders who wobble between the cars, every which way!)
Note the lovely swimming pool that became OUT OF ACTION the day we arrived! But the gym is great. There are guards 24/7 so even though its not in the safest part of town, it feels secure enough.
22/23 June. Taken out for lunch with Jeroen's ex-work colleagues. So nice to finally put faces to Kurt and Cherif. We went to a lovely waterfront restaurant. Excellent.
Sunday, Kurt and Cherif picked me up and we went to the Angola International Christian Church.
http://www.aiccweb.org/
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| Jesus is in a little white van in Luanda! |
26 June- July. Got the Luanda quick-step! Yuck, yuck and yuck! I have never had a bug like this ever. And hope never to again. Acclimatising, Jeroen calls it. Almost a week gone with being sick and recovery.
4 July, Met some neighbours finally. Ilenia and Henry, with their children Sophia, Sebastian and Christian. Went shopping with Ilenia for the first time which was a unique and pleasing experience. I expected... I don't know what. But far different from what I found. Prices not too far different from PaknSave and pretty much a good choice of everything. (with Portugese labelling of course!)
I made contact with the LBW (Luanda British Women's Group) and met with some of them in the city. Lots of women from all over the world, with different backgrounds, advice and expat experience. I truly am a newbie to this game!
7 July, Picked up at 07.30 for church this morning. The driver had no English so I could only hope he knew from the directions I gave him that we headed in the right direction. And, we got there in plenty of time for an 0800 start..
Again, another uplifting experience and meeting lots of new people.
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| Angola International Christian Church, Luanda |
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| Young ones at church |
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We heard a loud explosion outside the housing complex today. No-one seems to know (or tells) what it was.
8 July, an update from hotel/apartment Management as follows:
Luanda, July 8, 2013
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!
We communicate to all residents and guests due to the works in the pool, it will be liberated for use, respecting the schedules established from the day 08/02/2013.
We will be available for further clarification.
Sincerely,
Administration Colinas do Sol Aparthotel.
Great huh? I think...
Today Ilenia and I spent time with her children, chatting, walking, playing. Sebastian (2) set up shop selling 'mozarella' and speaking in Italian. He came back to our place for a while and quite happily yelled with Talking Ben on the ipad. It was nice to have him here and a little break for his mum who has also managed to get a nasty cut on her hand (so she is one-handed at present) and also looking after Christian, who is 9 months old today. A nice day.
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| New friend |
10 July, a trip to the beach! Again, I wasn't sure what to expect but we enjoyed 3 hours there, almost as though we were at a health spa! Mainly it was wonderful to be free to walk outside, on the beach. The guards are present and driver waits outside so it feels relatively safe.
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| Local lads |
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| Boys playing at the beach |
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| Elenia, Sophia and Christian |
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| Sebastian happy to be free |
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| Sophia finds a wild kitten (or two!) Cats are not liked in Luanda, being feared as dangerous |
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| Loving the sun |
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| One of many stray dogs |
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| Teacher, help me! |
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| Finished school |
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An example of miscommunication today: I asked Tango Delta car pool via email for pickup at certain time. Driver arrived well on time and we confirmed the drop-off point. (Colinas do sol). Then, we drive and almost upon the apartment, driver asks 'Colinas do sol'?. I nodded, relieved after a day full of impressions to be almost home. And so we drove past the apartment. Ok, maybe we're going to drive to another entry point? Then after a few minutes we arrive at a different housing complex. I said again, Colinas? And the driver said 'Did you forget Madame?'. I gave my apologies and off we went again.
10 July, Happy 40th birthday little brother Wade!
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| Wade on the Desert Road |
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| Aunty and Katelyn skyping |
We got a car and a driver issued.today. A brand new (packaging was being taken off when it was parked outside) Nissan Pathfinder. The driver Edgar I will meet on Tuesday. Apparently he speaks very little English. I am Still waiting for Portuguese lessons. Tutors are in high demand here and no one is available yet.
13 July, into town with Jeroen for him to get a haircut. You go to a hotel to get that done here. Well the expats do. Angolan men shave their heads (wise, in the heat) and women (apparently) wear wigs (less wise in the heat perhaps?)
Many people (young and old) picking through the rubbish bins.
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| Shacks on the hillside |
And in contrast, we go shopping together at Foodlovers.. a very nice place where prices are not too different from home. Fresh fruit! Home to wash all the fruit/vegies and have a quiet afternoon. But still thinking of the locals picking through the rubbish.
I won't be taking many photo's in public places as we have been advised not to, nor show camera's/phones. So for now, pictures from the car.
14 July, picked up by Bernardo (driver) who speaks English very well... I learned a few Portuguese words with him as we drove to church. He asked me whether the people of NZ went to church (most do here). I replied that not so many people did attend church. He immediately asked whether we were a free Nation and if we were at war then? Food for thought.
A lovely service again - very positive and uplifting.
I saw a man in a new suit, orange, green and pink...covered in pictures of an open Bible. That's dedication for you.
New car covered in red dust already.
15 July, Laundry day; a new routine.
No washing machine so I do a bit by hand (although its warm outside and clothes dry very quickly there is a thin layer of red dust on everything so not ideal). It is intended that we have our washing done by laundry staff so, today being Monday they will come to collect my washing.
Usually 2 (sometimes 3) people ( can be men or women) come to the door and we establish that they are here for the laundry (I quite often have groups of people coming to the door...to bring towels, one at a time or to change light bulbs). With there being little English (and still waiting for language lessons on my part) this can take a while to establish what reason they are here for.
Then they come inside and we have to sort through my DIRTY WASHING and count/ sign for everything! Modesty has long gone. They're just clothes.
Then, the clothes are returned a day later and I spend half an hour cutting out the labels that are carefully attached to each item (tiny squares of cotton fabric with hand printed number 2 for our apartment).
And that's washing day.
18 July, spent the morning at the clinic (have had headaches on anti-malaria medication). Waited an hour to get an appointment. Waited an hour for appointment. Saw Doc who had virtually no English. Told me I need glasses (I don't) and to have a malaria blood test (I don't have malaria) so, after wandering around for a while to find the laboratory I waited for an appointment to make an appointment for the blood test. After another while I looked around for the laboratory and saw I would again be waiting for the appointment (well I guessed a lot on this day as there were no English speaking people or signs) so I came home. And will take panadol. Apart from the process above, I loved being with the people. Young babies galore and the children helping their elderly parents. Normal society.
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| Mum and baby - woman had just been carrying container on her head |
Our air shipment arrived today..yay, a tea towel. There seems to be a tea-towel shortage in Luanda.
20 July, out and about in Luanda. My Italian friends received their passports back 24 hours ago - in that time, they've packed and moved house and gone on holiday. When they return they will be living somewhere else (more suited for families). And so it goes with expat life...everyone moves on and around regularly.
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| Angolans love bright colours |
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| Most women carry their goods on their heads |
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| Boss and Edgar |
23/7 Joined church women's group (started last week). This is the view from Henriette's balcony:
There are 8,000,000 people living in Luanda (half the population of Angola) in a city that was built for less than half a million. Space is a premium.
Jeroen saw a driving instructor car today with dual steering wheel! I wonder how that works.
24 July, Picked up by Edgar early and took 2 hours to get into town. Picked up Henriette and we drove to the very overcrowded area of Cacuaco, in the Northern area of Luanda. We visited the home of Diogo and Nelson (and Simao who was not present). They are wheelchair-bound due to paralysis by shooting, falling and disease. They have all been in wheelchairs since 80's and 90's. The men, all Christian are part of the foundation 'Fenador' (meaning Faith in pain) who seek to reach out to the multitude of handicapped people in Luanda. I became 'Doctor Sharon' today and we discussed health concerns via Henriette who has lived here for over 10 years (she and her husband came during the Civil War). Coming from a background of women's and child health, I felt completely out of my 'zone'. But the guys didn't seem to mind and were delighted to see us and were so happy/accepting of the boxes/containers/pens/shirts that Henriette took for them. So little to bring so much happiness.
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| Diogo, maid and Henriette |
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| 'Chickens' made by the men for sale |
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| Nelson, Diogo and Sharon |
Their home is very flash compared to surroundings. They teach the local children in the mornings (from 0700 til 1300) and we heard that the Government may build a school on the land that is owned there by the foundation.
30 July, power/internet off a lot so a bit of a blog break. Started Portuguese lessons today - a hectic trip there and back, plus an intense session. I felt a bit less about Luanda today, seeing all the things I find hard on the travels.
I did spot this gorgeous church in downtown and had to look twice at the foundation date - 1655.
There are Portuguese influences all over Luanda however many, many historic buildings have been demolished.
30 July, On trips into town (usually taking 1-2 hours) there are a multitude of locals selling...any thing and everything! They cruise on foot up and down the stagnant rows of traffic (I use the term 'row' loosely) and shake their goods at you.
Today I could have bought: electric tennis racket mosquito fly swatters (you know the type Dave?), toilet seats, sockets sets and rugs, not to mention thousands of phone cards and peanuts. And puppies, Sue.
I see a lot of trendy looking men here weaving in and out of the traffic on scooters. Their balance and gall is incredible. I haven't managed to get a photo yet but my favourite bikers are the ones wearing sleek suits, polished shoes, aviator shades and.... a horse riding helmet! Yes the current helmet of choice appears to be the black velvet with ribbon bow at back variety although the brown tartan is rather smart also.
1 August, Jeroen and I left NZ just over a year ago..time flies!
Today I had Portuguese lesson with a local woman, Mariana. Together with Jade, my neighbour, we made good progress on numbers, colours, fruit/vege and some greetings. I feel very blessed to not have to make the trip into town for language.
I learned my first sentence in Portuguese: bom fim de semana - (have a good weekend)...Which is probably more useful than my first sentence I learned in Dutch: de hond zat op de tafel (the dog sat on the table).
After lunch I saw this man across the road from the apartment, rummaging through the bins. Then, he sat down to have his meal. (from the bin).
It was so nice to walk out of the area... I think I will walk to the shopping centre and get Edgar to drive alongside me. He'll think I'm a crazy kiwi...but, never mind.
2 August, back to the clinic to get these drat headaches resolved. This time I had a new local friend to help me.Yuri- yes an Angolan with a Russian name, (another legacy from previous Russian occupation) adopted me as his new friend at the clinic. And I understood the process a whole lot better. This time: Wait one hour for appointment. Wait half hour for doctor. See doctor (who spoke excellent English) for 10 minutes. In this time while he was listening to my heart/lungs, door is opened and man waits patiently in the room (door open, my chest exposed, strange man standing there). Sent for blood test (for malaria, which I don't have but ok, I'll do as I'm told). Waited half an hour for appointment for blood test. Waited one hour for blood test. Had blood test -by now my head was throbbing and expat paranoia setting in -should I trust that the blood needles are disease free? should I have sprayed more than half a bottle of malaria spray before I left home? should I sit on the toilet seat?
However, phlebotomist (blood taker) was very efficient and with limited tools took the least painful blood sample from my usual hiding veins that I have ever had.
Waited one and a half hours in the sun for the results of blood test. Took blood test results and was told by Yuri I should take it in to the doctors room and drop it on his desk. And then I knew who the unidentified man was when I was having my consult with the doctor - and I became the unidentified woman barging in on another persons consult! Waited 5 minutes, saw doctor, was told to stop medication (which I had said all along) and took a prescription for migraine medication. Took to farmacia and waited short time to be told it wasn't in stock. Home again to take panadol.
4 August, Up before dawn to be ready to catch a train leaving from Bungo train station in downtown with the Angola Field Group, run by Henriette and Tako Koning (whose parents also come from Hengelo, the hometown of Jeroen's parents in Holland). Also on board was Jane, who along with Henriette are in my Bible study group.
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| Jane and I |
http://angolafieldgroup.com/
Joined with 34 other, mostly expats on the recently restored single track railway service for a trip to Dondo. Following decades of discontinued service throughout and following 27 years of Civil war which ended 2002, Angola is once again connecting rural areas.
When the train system was reinstated there was a whole generation of people who were not aware of the risk of trains. And so in the early days there were many fatalities of people trying to cross the track.
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| Wired fences keeping the local people safe |
Painted in Angola's national colours (red/yellow/black) the train was spotlessly clean, had a functioning toilet and a carriage reserved for our group.
With an historian on-board we heard about the early Portuguese occupation and territory control of Angola around 1589 which continued to grow throughout the years. (with other conquerors including the Dutch for a 7 year stint).
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| Eleuterio Freire |
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| Henriette, our leader |
After the abolition of transatlantic slavery process beginning in 1836, there came a new economic growth of natural products including wax, cotton and coffee.
The peasant revolt of 1961 saw the start of the Liberation Struggle of Angola triggering the eventual inclusion of whole Angolan population receiving Portuguese citizenship. (notes taken from Angola Field Group/ Eleuterio Freire (historian on train).
Travelling the 200km to through the Kwanze Norte province to Dondo we stopped at several new railway stations, brand new and created by a Chinese work team.
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| Wishful thinking? |
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| Children greeting the train |
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| Dondo train station |
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| 'Eko' beer, produced in Dondo |
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| River Kwanze |
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| Local laundrette |
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| Our police escort talking with Elizabeth |
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| Portuguese style |
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| Making the local staple food |
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| Braiding hair which can take a whole day |
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| Entertaining himself |
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| Imbondeiro Tree |
The fruit is a source of tartaric acid and is juiced, although not eaten. Other parts of the tree are medicinal however the timber is soft so not suitable as a building material.
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| Sunset Luanda |
August 6, Planning trip home to NZ for September/October. I will arrive NP Sept. 5th and leave NP Oct. 5th.
Family and friends: Let me know please in plenty of time if there are any special events/dates that I need to reserve so I can plan to be there!
We have been advised that our permanent accommodation is ready and we move this weekend. It is right next to Jeroen's work and it's take 2 minutes I think to get home from work instead of the 1-2 hours it currently takes. And no more 04.30 wakeup alarms!
The apartment is downtown and I will be able to get out for a walk/cycle every day on the beautiful Marginal foreshore. Already packing!
Check out this expats description of the Marginal and how one Police officer dealt with the unsavoury element who were attempting to claim it.
http://hippo-on-the-lawn.blogspot.com/2013/04/so-you-want-to-walk-streets-at-night.html
This is one of the boys who cleans shoes, a popular activity on the streets of Luanda.
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