 |
| Sandy-pup |
 |
| I am sure this little bundle will come stay with us sometime soon! |
October 7, and several stories of friends/colleagues who have been robbed near where we live. Angola is going through a severe recession so crime is on the increase.
I have taken over the role of website administrator for the LBW (not leg-before-wicket, Mam!). LBW is the Luanda British Women group...click on the link to check out the site, set up by another recently repatriated BP spouse. LBW website
October 25, busy weeks watching rugby, 3 classes per week and usual activities. Back to daily swimming with warmer weather.
I learned in class that eating wild rat is common here and very tasty. Not sure I will try that one.
Tried to join the current vaccination programme today. Drove around the city with 15 year old son of friend at 0630. Unable to find office to meet others. Finally found it to discover the driver we had was finishing his shift and he could not take us to the outreach. So after almost 2 hours and no security to know whether the transport service would get sorted, I made the decision to can the day. Pity but 'safety first' as is BP's motto.
October 30, Felix and Boris have gone home (I am still looking after them for another few days) as we have a new guest. This is Paco...7 year old Columbian Brit. Cute as a button.
 |
| I am so scary! |
November 6, rain rain everywhere! The rainy season has struck downtown again...I swam to the supermarket this morning. Awful to see the rubbish swirling in the streets where people are treading carefully to avoid falling into the huge road pits, terrified dogs trying to find shelter and avoid the cars swimming on the roads. Chaos! But very warm and humid. It will be dry by 1.
Check out this link for more water chaos. Ignore the prelude for a movie!
We had a fab evening by invitation of the British Embassy to attend the Premier of the new Bond film. We all dressed up, walked the carpet and had our photo's taken, while sipping vodka martinis...it was fun. But not the vodka martini.
 |
| At the movies with Joelle and Adrian |
 |
| A Hen night in Luanda |
And tomorrow I will be laying a wreath on behalf of the British Commonwealth at the British Embassy Remembrance Service. Nice. .
November 12, a busy week with 1st course Portuguese and exam completed.
 |
| Part of our class..Luz Alba sitting next to me has become a good friend. |
Thankfully the rain has stopped and roads, people are drying out. And two dog visitors plus friends visiting and Jaa has returned to pack up. Another dear friend about to leave Luanda and maybe more to come. Loving the hot weather and opportunity to get back into the pool every day.
 |
| Veranda garden |
November 17, Bible study is skipped today and we gathered with our dear Sister Loriat who has been hospitalised and very ill. It was a great time of African worshipping, singing and thanksgiving. And, I learned about African hair. All of my friends there had their hair braided. One friend had 3 women working on it over 4 hours and another had to sit all day to have her longer locks braided. It's often very painful at the time of braiding and days following, also regular braiding leads to hair weakness and hair loss.
November 20, Little Paco is with us again and has become a star on the streets. Every day we walk by the car-parking street-boys who all call out 'Ola Paco e madrinha da Nova Zelandia'...Hi Paco and godmother from NZ. I say Hi and keep walking and kindly, two English speaking men check on me and warn me of too much contact with these guys for being dangerous.
Another person I see regularly while walking is a woman selling bananas being cooked on a little burner on the street. This woman arrives at 0730, sets up her cooker and is busy the whole day, sweeping the rubbish from the dirt patch where she sells, and cooking, taking and processing orders. She is very efficient. And very friendly, also asking me if I am not hungry. I will try her food one day.
I am back at Alliance Francaise with daily lessons and found out that I gained top score in the last course with 90%. Very happy with that.
 |
| An orchid for Nana |
Dia 26 de Novembro, out on the street with Paco and now learn that one of the street boys who likes Paco (and gets rid of anyone who scares Paco) is called Miguel. He walks alongside me for a quick chat in between flagging down motorists who are looking for parking. This morning Miguel was walking with us and two Police officers started yelling at him to leave me alone. I told them, thankyou, but I was ok and Miguel joined in and told them 'this is my mother!'..very funny.
Time for school now and in a couple of days off to the cool of Holland.
December 16, Nana and Grandad's anniversary. We have been back for one week from a short trip to Holland. It was so fun to get on the bike and also out walking, also we enjoyed a fun typical Dutch Christmas on 5/12 of 'Sinterklaas'.
Sinterklaas was the original Santa and had a helper called 'Black Pete'...an extremely hot topic in Holland is questioning how racist the name/tradition is of Black Pete. The original intention is that Pete (who came from Morocco and thereby was black) was the helper of Sinterklaas.
The tradition of celebrating is dying out in Holland but we enjoyed it (my first time) with gusto.
The family gathered together after a week of intense preparation. Secrets stashed, lots of scurrying, and no-go areas were necessary to protect the 'surprise' (pronounced Surpreeza) we all made. One name was drawn and you had to buy a EURO $10 gift choosing from the 3 items the receiver had listed. Then, you created a surprise and also a poem for the receiver to open and read out.
 |
| A flower surprise for Mam |
 |
| Anouk on the piano |
The surprise should reflect some characteristic of the receiver. Anouk is a Piano teacher so a lot of effort went into making this cardboard version.
 |
| Jelle's number 3 mate |
 |
| Inside the surprise |
 |
| A House For Sharon |
 |
| Reading my poem |
My surprise came as a large cardboard house with many opening windows that I had to put my hands blindly into to find my gifts...and of course there was a squelchy, squishy one to help me freak out!
I was kindly gifted a cheese slicer, rooibos and honey tea and some reading glasses.
Pap received a lot of instructions to find his surprise including having to search through the house, stand on one leg repeating a phrase then he opened his gift inside a disguise to find his surprise.
 |
| Pap's stroepwafel 'Opa' |
 |
| The final gift |
 |
| Tinka, the dancer received a dance-themed surprise |
 |
| Engelbert's turn |
 |
| He won! |
 |
| Jeroen's surprise |
 |
| Christmas almond balls that look like little potatoes |
 |
| The Dutch Food Catastrophe Committed By me! |
Olibollen are donut-type dumplings and another Dutch tradition. They can contain currants or can be plain and are dusted with icing sugar. Delicious!
I prepared the coffee one evening and decided that the Olibollen were too big so I cut them in half. Then, it was decided that no-one had ever seen an olibollen cut in half before! Trust a kiwi to break tradition.
And now, back to Luanda and lots of rain, mixed with scorching days. The mood on the streets is intense. The most common phrase is 'Boas Festas' but a lot of people also add on: Tem um presente, para mim'? So, Happy Holidays with an added 'do you have a present for me'?. Some of the children are very insistent.
Now, we have little Mili dog returned for a couple of weeks and next week we will also look after Paco again. I hope they get on ok. It will keep me busy anyway as I finish my second Portuguese class tomorrow with an exam.
December 17, second language exam down and a couple of weeks off. I am now thinking and dreaming in Portuguese which is good I guess!
Today I introduced Mili and Paco to one another...they get on ... like a couple of dogs. Happy as!
 |
| New friends |
December 18, a very sad day to receive the message at 0330 that the husband of a dear friend (from Bible Study) had died unexpectedly. Hold your dear ones close; you never know what is around the corner. Hoping to be of use to help her get expatriated back to Zimbabwe.
And then on a lighter note: my best translation of the day: I wanted to say in Portuguese that 'you made the cake very quickly' - but ended up with 'Thou has made cake depression'..not quite what I wanted to say.
December 20, busy helping my friend come to grips with losing her husband (and other extremely difficult circumstances occurring at the same time for her) and repatriate. Yesterday, her Mum and I packed all of the husband's clothes to take back to Zimbabwe as is the custom, to distribute to family members.
Yesterday was the most excruciatingly noisy day yet here in Luanda. And this morning I realised why. International rap musician, Niki Minaj performed at the stadium very nearby to our apartment. Seriously the walls were shaking and it felt as though every cell in my body was reverberating. Even Jeroen was affected by it which is unusual as he can tune things out. I don't seem to hear noise but feel it. Anyway, Ms Minaj performed (as did Mariah Carey last year) for the Angola President to the tune of $2million. There was serious opposition to her performing in Luanda, particularly at this incredibly difficult financial crisis where over 70% of the population live on $2 per day.
Niki reportedly met with the daughter of the President, Isabel dos Santos (known as Princess, here). Ms dos Santos is apparently the most wealthy billionaire on the continent. The story is told she amassed her wealth by beginning to sell eggs, age six. Tui advert springs to mind here.
 |
| Isabel dos Santos |
 |
| Mili, curious to see who is sleeping under the tree |
This photo captures a common sight here..I could take a hundred photo's like this a day. Yesterday, I had to ask a security guard whether one man lying prone with his face embedded into the grass was dead. He sure looked to be.
And, Christmas has come to Luanda again. Here is this year's light display on the building opposite our apartment.
 |
| African Christmas |
December 23, Full days with helping my friend get her house in order to travel and take her husband home for the funeral. Intense but very precious moments with a family with God at it's centre.
 |
| Devine and I |
 |
| My Zimbabwe sister |
 |
| Zimbabwe extended family |
There have been many instances of kindness, laughter, and blessed moments amongst the aftermath of this sudden death. But some truly awful situations also.
When I first arrived to my friends house an Angolan woman was taking pictures off the wall and putting items that were sitting on the furniture away. It is usual to open the doors of the house of the deceased to neighbours, friends and family and there was indeed a steady stream of people over the 5 days I have been visiting. In this time,apparently it is common for things to be stolen from the house.
When my friend and her family were visiting her husband in hospital the guards at the front gate demanded a bribe every time they wanted to enter..no bribe, no entry.
But one of the scariest things that happened was when the patient needed a blood transfusion. A visiting friend was asked to donate blood immediately so it could be given to the patient. Despite questioning this procedure, the friend was escorted to the blood bank. Sensing something was amiss, my friend phoned an official in the hospital. This man arrived very quickly and a heated discussion ensued with the doctors then the official left the ward. Immediately my friend was advised that her husband didn't require a blood transfusion after all. The blood that was going to be taken from the friend was going to be sold on the black market for $150. Corruption is rife in this country.
December 25, today we celebrated Christmas with friends Noi and Mike, also their dog Sandy and dog guests Ruby and Misha. So, four humans and 5 dogs! Crazy but fun.
 |
| A Dog's Dinner |
