As I published my last blog last May, I wondered if I had changed much since leaving the states in September of 2012. The answer, as you already may have guessed, is that I have. Age has a way of mellowing our temperaments, but experiences in our lives help to mold us. As my husband and I made our way around the US this summer, we were in awe of the advantages, fabulous infrastructure and luxuries that we had taken for granted when we lived there. By the way, even the word, luxuries, has taken on a new meaning. Luxuries in my dictionary now includes dependable source of running water, electricity, public bathrooms, paved roads...you get the picture. That perspective change was understandable ... what was unexpected, was a change in our attitudes and expectations. We seem to be more tolerant and patient. The worst of traffic jams, or a long line at a store, is now tolerable and we marvel at the sense of order there seems to be in the US. Hah! Yeah, those of you that know me are wondering how that could have happened to me. Believe me, it was a shock to me as well. So, maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks? Apparently so!
Since my return from the states this summer, I got quite busy again with different activities including traveling to the Mpinda Mission school twice a week to work with the first and second grade students. It continues to be the highlight of my life here in Soyo. Unfortunately, the Angolan school year came to a close in November. The students will be on vacation until mid-February. Summer time is approaching here in Angola and the rainy season is about to start . It makes sense that the children will be enjoying their break and not having to endure even hotter temperatures in the very basic concrete classrooms. The flooding that occurs on a regular basis during the rainy season would also be a challenge for them if schools were in session during this time.
Expat/Angolan spouses at Mpinda Mission School
We have welcomed two new expat couples to the Kimbumba community. One couple, Miriam and Vic, moved to Soyo from a previous assignment in Venezuela. Another couple, Eddie and Karen, came from Alabama. They are a great addition to our expat family and have already made a big impact on our social and community activities. The sad news is that we have started saying goodbye to several couples that have completed their assignments in Soyo. Cindy & Nyles, Eric & Marina, Joan & Bernie, and Jan & Andy will be leaving Angola by year end. This is the tough part! We all know that we come here to be a part of the community for a few years and we must part ways at the end of our assignments. That said, it is hard to tell your heart to hold back from becoming too close due to the inevitable goodbyes. It is a very close knit community of expats in Kimbumba. We share good times and very challenging times...we cry, laugh and share experiences that not too many people would find tolerable...and yet, we survive together and strong bonds are formed. The good news is that we are developing life long friends. The bad news is that the friends we are with today will soon be scattered all over the world...not down the street or across town. Thank goodness for technology like email, Skype, Facetime, etc.
Kinwica get together for Joan and Bernie
Kinwica get together for Joan and Bernie
Kinwica get together for Joan and Bernie
Nyles and Cindy's going away dinner at Nempanzu
Bernie and Joan
Nyles and Cindy
Kimbumba ladies
Kimbumba men
Entertainment included a contortionist
Angolan cultural dance
Andy and Jan
In an effort to bring together the expat and Angolan community family members, the plant HR director asked for volunteers to form a social committee a few weeks ago. Miriam and I volunteered to serve on the committee. Jacira and Liliane, Angolan spouses volunteered as well. It seems to be working. Four of the Angolan spouses joined the expats on the twice weekly trips to Mpinda Mission school to work with the first and second graders in the last weeks of school. With the help of our new expat spouse, Karen, who is a retired teacher, we started planning a Christmas program with the Mpinda orphans. The Angolan spouses are a great help for this project, as they are educating us on the cultural nuances of the Christmas traditions and are able to translate what is needed of the girls and boys when requests in Spanish or English do not seem to work.
Ladies at Mpinda School
Working on the social committee with the Angolan spouses, Jacira and Liliane, has provided a greater appreciation for some of the cultural differences that exist between expats and Angolans. One marked difference is the ritual of marriage. Marriage in Angola tends to be a luxury rather than a common occurrence. In talking to the Angolan spouses, it is because an Angolan man is expected to provide many gifts to the Angolan woman's family when asking for her hand in marriage. Life in Angola is tough enough and many people are just trying to make it through each day with enough resources to feed themselves. Spending money on gifts such as cases of beer, goats, whiskey for your intended fiance's family seems like an extreme luxury to many Angolan men and women. We understand that this is the reason that most decide to live together instead of marry in the traditional Angolan customary way. This is quite perplexing, since the Angolan population is predominantly Catholic. The Bishop officiated mass a few weeks ago and despite my still limited grasp of the Portuguese language, his message was VERY clear to me. He insisted that the institution of marriage was quite important and universal and not to be considered a cultural choice. Children seem to be the on the receiving end of the problems that come with the lack of formalized marriages here. Children primarily tend to be the responsibility of the mother. If the biological father dies, the children are not the heirs of the father. Instead, the father's nieces and nephews from his sister(s) are the heirs. The reason is that there is no legal proof that the children really are the father's descendants.
The new social committee coordinated a street party for all Kimbumba resident plant employees and families. The goal was to bring Angolan and expats together to share their favorite dishes and provide a venue for social interaction. The party was a success! Expat dishes included spaghetti, chile & cornbread, red beans & rice, grilled chicken, shepherd's pie, Angolan funge, fish, cole slaw, cookies, brownies, breads, etc. A special treat provided by the Angolans was grilled goat. The goat was brought to one of the houses the day before the party and tied up as though it were a pet. We tried to take alternate routes when coming home that day, so as to not develop a friendship with the goat, since we knew it's fate. Lest you think I felt too bad about the goat's demise. let me tell you that I had a taste of the grilled delicacy and loved it! The professional quality pictures below are thanks to our expat pro, Nate!
Eric, Marina and Bernie
Kris, Jan and Karen
Kris and Mo
Many neighbors came to enjoy the party!
Kimbumba Street Party group shot
Yes, this was the goat!
Ana & Jeff dancing???
As I mentioned earlier, the social committee led an initiative to work on a Christmas Program with the Mpinda Mission School orphans. It was a great experience working with these students. Our retired teacher expat, Karen, wrote the script which consisted of a portrayal of the nativity scene. The students have beautiful voices, so the choir prepared several Christmas songs. Expat spouses, Tari and Goulia, made costumes. The program was in Portuguese and English thanks to the help of the Angolan spouses. All of us worked with the students on proper English pronunciation and the timing of their scenes and songs. The songs were in Portuguese and Kisilongo (a Soyo dialect) except for the last song, which was in English, We Wish You a Merry Christmas. It was funny to hear the giggles from the students when they tried to pronounce the words to the song. The words "new" and "earth" seemed to be the most challenging ones. We tried to over emphasize the sounds in an effort to help them to pronounce these words...this generated giggles as they tried to imitate us. We practiced for about a month and in the last 2 weeks, held practice every day. Everything slowly came together...it was ready for prime time on Thursday, November 28th. Yes, that is right, Thanksgiving Day in the US. Here it was just another day. It was the best day that we could think of to bring the community together to celebrate Christmas and give thanks for the many blessings bestowed.
Karen helps Celina with costume fitting
Jan helps with English pronunciation
Mother Superior Elisabeth shaves a wild boar to prep him for dinner tonight
What a great Thanksgiving Day for all of us! I'm including pictures/videos of the Christmas program and the choir performance the next day at the plant cafeteria for your enjoyment. The students really enjoyed the bus ride to the cafeteria "VIP style". They serenaded the employees and got to enjoy lunch which included ice cream for dessert! The social committee had also requested donations for the Mission School and that day, we delivered the results of the money/food drive to Mother Elisabeth. We managed to make major purchases of rice, beans, oil, flour, tuna, sardines, cookies, etc. Mother was thrilled with all of the food that was given to them...they will not have to worry about feeding the students for quite a while!
Choir and Christmas program
Mary, Joseph, Jesus and the star
The shepherds come to visit Mary, Joseph and Jesus
Mpinda Mission School students, Sister Isabel and Angolan/expat spouses
Mpinda Choir performance at cafeteria
Father Alejandro and Sister Isabel accepting the donations
African dance led by Celina:
Celina speaks for all students, expressing gratitude for lunch and the very generous donations, then leads choir in their rendition of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas":
Mpinda Student Choir sings during the Mpinda Christmas Program:
Our Thanksgiving was very special. I am thankful for many things in
my life including: my Puerto Rican cultural heritage and strong family
ties; the wonderful education that I received throughout my life thanks
to parents that insisted upon it; my 32 year business career which
allowed me to mature and helped me to develop important skills; my
husband; my children who continue to show their commitment to their
values and their strength and determination, despite being so far away
from their parents at this time; my sister who is my anchor and
inspiration; and my good friends who amazingly reach out to me when I
seem to need it the most. Thanks, God, for all you have given to me. May
I show you my gratefulness through my acceptance of continued our
guidance.
A friend recently called me from the US and during our conversation, we
realized that we were having the same revelation in our lives. The
experiences that we have had in our lives so far have prepared us for
the experiences we are having today. However, we acknowledge that we
must be open to the opportunities as they present themselves. Sometimes
they are not very obvious or earth shattering at first glance.
Regardless, they have been presented to us for a reason. We don't have
to be in a third world country to have these life molding experiences.
We just have to be open to them, accept them and learn from them. Most
of these opportunities push us beyond our comfort zone. If they didn't,
they would not have much effect on our lives. The key is to recognize
them, embrace them and learn from them. The experiences I have
encountered throughout my life have prepared me for the new experiences
that God has place into my life this past year.
As Christmas approaches, many expats and Angolans make their preparations to leave Soyo for the holidays. We will be going to South Africa to spend a few weeks with our kids. We hope to explore a different part of the African continent and introduce our kids to Africa for the first time. We are also looking forward to our first safari (more blog pics!!). We will send out Christmas cards this year after Christmas so that we can send out a recent picture of all 4 of us together. I take this moment to reach out to all of you, our friends and family, to wish you a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year! May 2014 bring even more beautiful experiences. May God give us the wisdom to understand that there are beautiful experiences in our everyday lives no matter where/who we are...it is up to us to recognize, accept and be thankful for them!
This week I had a very interesting conversation with one of my expat friends during our early morning walk. She is from Indonesia and though her English is limited and my Indonesian is even more limited (OK, non-existent!) we manage to carry on some profound conversations. This week, she was explaining how her Muslim faith guided her to pray 5 times a day and to fast on designated days. I explained that as a Catholic, I prayed, although not specifically 5 times a day, sometimes less, sometimes more. I also explained that Catholics also have fasting days during the year. She nodded her head as if to indicate that she knew all about it and quickly added the following: "We are traveling on different roads to reach the same end, God". I smiled...it was so true. Our previous conversations have consisted of great stories about our family, our children, etc. We've shared stories about similar experiences in our lives and moments when we are so grateful for the blessings we have received. We are thankful for those beautiful birds we hear singing each morning on our walks, the monkeys we hear in the distance across the river...and those moments when everything seems "all right with the world". We also see the smiling faces of the local Soyo people as we pass them on our walks and we initiate or answer their "bom dia" greeting. They have a much different and difficult life than we do, despite the fact that we all share the experience of living in Soyo. Many seem to be quite content and God has a big presence in their lives as well. I get this impression from the masses that I have attended at Mpinda (see video below of one of the most recent uplifting celebrations of mass) and from observing the religious names of markets and small businesses in town...Bom Jesus...Deus. The insightful statement made by my friend is so true..."We are traveling on different roads to reach the same end, God". With all of the discord in the world today conveniently mislabeled as "religious" differences one can only hope that this simple statement with so much meaning can make it to more and more hearts each day. OK, enough of the soap box...back to "Life in Soyo".... where, as expats we are given the opportunity to acknowledge differences, try our best to accept them with open minds and hearts, and many times learn from them. The key words here are "try", "open minds and hearts", and "learn"...
In the last month or so, we've had a few events occur which could be considered "exciting".
First, we were told that I had to leave Angola unexpectedly due to an expiring visa and a "not so speedy" process for renewal. We diligently made flight reservations for my departure, only to be informed 2 days before leaving that I could stay in country while the renewal process progressed...exciting! :-) Five weeks later, (yesterday) my visa was renewed.
The power/water outages that had subsided earlier this year, popped up again when "improvements to the system" were made. Luckily, these outages only persisted for a couple of weeks.
The summer/rainy season has made its exit. It is easy to detect the start of the new winter season as cooler temperatures and cool breezes in the mornings and afternoons prevail. Weather-wise, this is the best time to be in Soyo. The early morning walks are very pleasant and the evenings are very amenable to outside activities. As I was writing this section, Orlanda, our housekeeper, asked me if I was "cold" as I am sitting on the back porch with my laptop. I smiled and said "nao" (no) it's "muito bom" (very good)...I would have said "delightful"...but I was not quick enough with my translator...I should have said..."encantador". It's around 85 degrees F and a I can feel a slight breeze. That is cold for Orlanda. :-)
Living near the Congo River is an experience, but going for a boat ride on the river is even better! A few Sundays ago, we took a ride on Soyo's version of the "African Queen", a boat named "Miss Tuffy". The planned itinerary was to travel on the river to observe the scenery, but also to see the Ponta do Padrão historic site. Ponta do Padrão is said to be the place where Diogo Cão, the Portuguese explorer, placed a padrão (stone cross) to claim the land for Christ and Portugal in 1482. This landmark was placed near the mouth and estuary of the Congo River where it discharges into the Atlantic Ocean. Little did we know that we would get more than just a ride down the Congo that day. Once "Miss Tuffy" approached the landmark area, we were told by the boat captain that permission had to be obtained by the local village soba, (village elder or chief). We reached the beach near the village and were led through the village to meet the soba and obtain his permission. Once the soba gave us his permission, he and his entourage led us to the sacred site where the original Ponta do Padrão was erected by Diogo Cão and his crew. At the site, a small ceremony took place. Everyone in our party was invited to sip wine, dance to chants and observe the blessing of the site, which consisted of sprinkling wine on the wet, marsh-like ground. Shortly after the ceremony, we were led to new site of the cross, Ponta do Padrão. After many picture opportunities, the soba showed us (by entering the water) the meeting point of the Congo River and the Atlantic Ocean. The pictures below document our experience. A trip to remember for a lifetime!
Miss Tuffy
Jeff signing the soba's log of visitors
Blessing of sacred ground
Ana sipping the wine
The soba's village
The villagers dry fish on stands throughout the village
Ponta do Padrão with the soba, Jeff, Ana, Alma, Kris, Cindy, Nyles, Craig and villagers
...and the Congo is to the right
The soba demonstrates that the Atlantic Ocean is to the left...
The mouth and estuary of the Congo River
On Mother's Day, we attended Mpinda mission church and once again, unexpectedly took part in a grand celebration. The mass was con-celebrated by the Archbishop and several priests from local parishes. We were asked to sit in chairs beside the make-shift altar next to the church. The crowds are so large for these special masses that the few wooden pews are moved outside under the mango trees and the large fallen logs are used as seating as well. We took many pictures and videos of the impressive choir. It is always such a joy to attend these masses. The fact that they last 3 hours really doesn't matter. The congregation is so engaged and are truly happy to be singing and praying. Quite an experience! This video allows you to "be there" with us:
We are now in the hiatus period for our projects at Mpinda catholic mission school. The first trimester has ended and the students entered their testing period followed by 2 weeks of holidays. The new trimester will start at the end of May and we are preparing a new schedule of activities. Here are a few pictures and videos from our last few weeks with the second and first graders below. The students are now actively engaging in dancing and singing for us at the end of most of our sessions. It is a gift for us!
Flower pots and smiles!
Proud display of the artwork
Mpinda class sings for us
During the Mpinda school break, we organized a lunch for ladies at Kinwica so that we could enjoy the changing weather and exchange stories. We always have hilarious stories to share about immigration, visas, home maintenance, etc. It's like group therapy. As always, we had a great time!
Left: Mary, Cindy, Joan; Center: Mo; Right: Ana, Tari, Linda
A get-together with all of the spouses is always a treat. Mo and Pat hosted a "happy evening" at their Kimbumba home in April which featured pizza from Pat's famous adobe pizza oven that he constructed in his back yard with the help of his drivers. Pat also has a famous homemade pizza crust which is outstanding! Many of us have stated that it is the best pizza we have ever eaten. That is great news since the lack of produce and food in Soyo sometimes only allows us to dream about delicacies like Mexican, Italian or Chinese food! I am attaching some photos taken at the "happy evening" below.
Clockwise: Tari, Bhavna, Melania, Joan, Mo and Kris
Bernie and Nyles
Jeff giving Hadi tips on cooking the perfect pizza in Pat's oven
Left to Right: Tari, Melania, Mo
Pizza building crew, left to right: Ricardo, Hadi, Nyles, Rajeesh, Bhavna, Saiphin and the famous pizza dough man himself, Pat (in back)
Craig and Nate
Left to right: Saiphin, Bhavna and Craig
In Kimbumba several expats have gardens in their yards. Some have gardeners, others tackle the job solo. We don't currently have a gardener. We are attempting to fly solo...we'll see how that turns out! I am limiting my attempts at gardening to marigolds, coleus, bougainvilleas and some herbs. With limited access to fertilizers and plant sources, I have had some success with plant cuttings from friends' yards and seeds brought from the states. The papayas are in season at the moment and our friend, Tari, has shared many of her papayas ("mamao" in Portuguese) with us. When you slice the fruit, it is like slicing butter, not to mention they are very delicious! I planted one of the seeds from a papaya that we ate a few weeks ago. This week I see that it is sprouting. I suppose that I will get to try out my hand at cultivating a papaya tree! I also acquired a cutting from my friend, Margaret's, mint plants...with a little luck, I may be able to make mojitos in a few months! :-)
Cindy, Ana and Tari/Tari's papayas
Well, that is all for now. Many spouses have been traveling home or on R&Rs and a few of us have been "holding down the fort". Next month is our turn to travel while others "hold down the fort". We will be taking a trip back to the states and we are very excited about it. We plan to spend time with family and friends and take time to relax. The big question is how we will feel when we step onto US land again. We know we will be glad to be back home with friends and family....the question is whether we will notice any substantial change in our perspectives or outlook on life. I suspect that we will.
