So today I was trying to come up with some "fun" and different meals to make for dinner.
On a side note: If you didn't read my post yesterday, it was the most glorious day because Silva found those yummy rolls for me......seriously the best bread I've eaten in about 6 weeks now! I've sent him twice to buy more because we have literally eaten them up. I have to hide them from the kids and Craig has to hide them from me.
Anyway, I can't get enough of them and I was thinking about how delicious they would be with Chick Fil A chicken in them with a great big Diet DP! That's when the light bulb went off......
Tonight was "Chick Fil A" night in our house!! I used what I had and came up with a grand menu! We each had a #1 with a fruit cup (and for me a Diet Dr. Pepper...I don't share those). There were a few differences like our chicken was dinosaur nuggets and we didn't have waffle fries and Polynesian sauce...but hey, who said this would be easy :-)
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Pao Sweet Pao
Pao in Portuguese means "bread".
As I've said before,things are pretty expensive here! If you saw my Facebook photo of the infamous "Bimbo" bread, you know I'm spending between $30 and $45 a week on the stuff. Well not anymore!! Good-bye Bimbo! You are banished from our home! Today my driver went shopping for me and found me the most delicious rolls. They are large rolls! Perfect for sandwiches! They taste like the Hawaiian bread that you use with spinach dip! And they are K25 each.....HALLELUJAH! That basically means that they are 4 for $1.00. I see big butts in our future!
As I've said before,things are pretty expensive here! If you saw my Facebook photo of the infamous "Bimbo" bread, you know I'm spending between $30 and $45 a week on the stuff. Well not anymore!! Good-bye Bimbo! You are banished from our home! Today my driver went shopping for me and found me the most delicious rolls. They are large rolls! Perfect for sandwiches! They taste like the Hawaiian bread that you use with spinach dip! And they are K25 each.....HALLELUJAH! That basically means that they are 4 for $1.00. I see big butts in our future!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
To Taste or Not to Taste…
This is from the school newsletter. It is talking about Sam's class. Her picture was in the newletter but I could not copy and paste it :-(
Since school began, Year 2 has been investigating the ‘5 Senses’. In Year 2.1, one week has been dedicated
to learning about each of the senses. The most exciting and favorite seems to be the sense of
TASTE. We found out that the senses work together too! For instance…Did you know that if you can’t
smell you can’t taste? Also, the smell of food determines if you will eat it or not. Year 2.1 did several
experiments with 10 different foods. Working with partners, five foods were chosen for tasting. One
partner was blindfolded and had to guess what food they were eating. Only three out of 18 students
could identify all of the foods although they knew which foods were on the list. Several children were
hesitant to eat what they could not see. All were excellent ‘Risk-Takers’. So seeing also plays a part in
what foods we eat. Each part of the tongue is sensitive to one of four different tastes: sweet, sour, bitter,
and salty. We could not taste lemon juice on the tip of the tongue which is the place for sweet food.
The end of the week was the most exciting when parents joined us for an afternoon of sampling foods
from different countries brought in by the Moms.
Children sampled Indian and Brazilian sweets, Pakistani kebobs and roti, peanuts, lemon sorbet, and
more. It was truly a taste fiesta! Children experienced lots of flavors…spicy, sweet, bitter, and salty.
The spicy kebobs were followed by lots of water.
The final flavor sensation of the unit was when Ms. Madge brought in cashew juice. Most students
tasted it and said it delicious. However, unlike the candy no one asked for more. As long as food looks
and smells delicious, it will probably taste good.
Since school began, Year 2 has been investigating the ‘5 Senses’. In Year 2.1, one week has been dedicated
to learning about each of the senses. The most exciting and favorite seems to be the sense of
TASTE. We found out that the senses work together too! For instance…Did you know that if you can’t
smell you can’t taste? Also, the smell of food determines if you will eat it or not. Year 2.1 did several
experiments with 10 different foods. Working with partners, five foods were chosen for tasting. One
partner was blindfolded and had to guess what food they were eating. Only three out of 18 students
could identify all of the foods although they knew which foods were on the list. Several children were
hesitant to eat what they could not see. All were excellent ‘Risk-Takers’. So seeing also plays a part in
what foods we eat. Each part of the tongue is sensitive to one of four different tastes: sweet, sour, bitter,
and salty. We could not taste lemon juice on the tip of the tongue which is the place for sweet food.
The end of the week was the most exciting when parents joined us for an afternoon of sampling foods
from different countries brought in by the Moms.
Children sampled Indian and Brazilian sweets, Pakistani kebobs and roti, peanuts, lemon sorbet, and
more. It was truly a taste fiesta! Children experienced lots of flavors…spicy, sweet, bitter, and salty.
The spicy kebobs were followed by lots of water.
The final flavor sensation of the unit was when Ms. Madge brought in cashew juice. Most students
tasted it and said it delicious. However, unlike the candy no one asked for more. As long as food looks
and smells delicious, it will probably taste good.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
A Much Needed Update
Oh Me Oh My....I don't even know where to start!! So much has happened in the past 2 weeks. I will backtrack to church...
The Luanda International Christian Church
We found an English-speaking service that is interdenominational so we decided to give it a go. It was very moving.....to say the least. The tile floor was dirty, the stained glass windows broken, but the echo of the people singing familiar songs was emotionally overwhelming. During the service the kids have "Sunday school" which is held on the top of the building. It is an open air space with concrete floors and it is divided into areas for different ages. The kids sing songs with a person playing guitar....and Sam loves it. She was so excited that people in Africa knew "Amazing Grace", her favorite song!
Chevron BBQ
We went to our first BBQ a few weeks back and had a blast. Especially the kids. It is a monthly event for all Chevron families. Food, dessert and drinks are provided and there are 2 pools for the children to swim in. You are able to bring your own beer or wine if you so choose. Anyhoo..the kids basically are free to run and play with all of the other kids. TONS of fun for them!! As a matter of fact, Miles had soooo much fun that he left with a tummy ache (we later calculated that he must have eaten 7 donuts and drank 2 cokes) and in the middle of the night he did come into our room and vomit!! FUN times for the kids...next time we will keep a closer watch on him and the dessert table.
Moving
We are settled in our new home....AMEN! Everything is unpacked and things are going smoothly. I love that it is so close to the school and all of the other families. I'm glad the Internet wasn't up and running the first week because it gave me time to get situated. The house is smaller than what we are use to, so I worry about where I'm going to put our 8,000 pounds of "stuff" when it arrives in a few months!
Busy
I am SO busy! I can't believe we've been here a month already. There really is so much going on all the time. Just in the past 2 weeks I've gone to a TICA meeting (The International Community of Angola), I've gone to "Spouse's coffee" which is a monthly get together for Chevron spouses, Sam started Tennis lessons, and today I joined AWAA which is the American Women of Angola Association. Whew!! And that's not to mention all of the little things going on....oh....and we had our first trip to the clinic! And NO, it wasn't for Carter! Sam came home one day with fever so I had to make the trip with her to the clinic one night. A Malaria blood test was administered and luckily that was not the problem but her blood count did show an infection so for like the first time in 7 years we actually left a clinic with a real diagnosis and a bag of medicines. For once I didn't hear those dreaded words, "Alternate Tylenol and Motrin every 4 hours". It was nice and mama was happy.
October R&R
We have booked our first trip! I can't believe it is a month away! We are going to spend October break in Cape Town, South Africa. I'm sooooo excited about this trip. Many other families are going at the same time so it will be great. I can SHOP and EAT and get my hair done!!!
Guards
We have, or at least I thought we had 3 guards on duty 24/7 but today I noticed a new one. This has taken some time getting used to. The guards come and go and are in and out of the backyard 24/7. They have 12 hour shifts and they guard us and the house. It really is quite nice because the kids can play out front and I don't have to be right there. They have a room and a restroom with shower in the back of the house so they are constantly around. They've become part of the family. I feed them and give them snacks and they help with other things like taking out the trash and washing down the patio. If someone comes into the house to install Internet for example, they come in and keep a close eye on things. It was weird at first but now it's great because I don't have to be here when things are being done to the house and I know they are protecting my things! Even when the gardeners are watering in the back or cutting the grass, they are watching! It's comforting! Not that we are in physical danger, but because theft is a high crime.
Best for Last: Empregada!!!!!!!!!!
I hired a maid! One of the many perks of being an expat in this country is hired help. Just about everyone has full time maids. Actually, the locals have them too. Every house I've seen is built with a room and bathroom for an Empredagada. She started on Saturday and my driver found her for me. I really trust my driver Silva. I think he is an honest and hard working man and I knew that the person he found for me would be good. He showed up with her on Saturday and I was totally not expecting that. I was in the kitchen making Cinnamon Rolls (from scratch) when he knocked on my backdoor. He had the biggest smile on his face and he translated our "interview" with her. She is older than I originally had hoped for but her children are close to my age and she has grandchildren so I think she will be great to have around. She even started that day! She speaks NO English but she works hard. Her hours are 8:30 to 4:30 but today she was here from 7 to 6. Saturday she only works half a day. I know that sounds crazy and mean...trust me I do....but that is just how it is here. I promise I am taking care of her! I provide lunch for her and uniforms and shoes and just about anything else I can. Her name is Beatrice but we call her Bea and the kids call her Abuella which is Portuguese (and Spanish) for grandma. I always wonder what she thinks of all that we have and how we live. When I was showing her the washing machine and how to use it, she showed me the scars on her wrists from years of washing by hand. We are so fortunate! Same with the dishwasher. She has no clue. She is still washing my dishes by hand. She is great and so happy to have this job. We are more than happy to have her......ESPECIALLY me!! This will be one of the things that may just keep me overseas longer than a few years ;-)
I promise to post pics tonight or tomorrow!! Craig is off tomorrow and the kids are out of school for a national holiday so that will give me plenty of time to get them downloaded!
Tchau!
The Luanda International Christian Church
We found an English-speaking service that is interdenominational so we decided to give it a go. It was very moving.....to say the least. The tile floor was dirty, the stained glass windows broken, but the echo of the people singing familiar songs was emotionally overwhelming. During the service the kids have "Sunday school" which is held on the top of the building. It is an open air space with concrete floors and it is divided into areas for different ages. The kids sing songs with a person playing guitar....and Sam loves it. She was so excited that people in Africa knew "Amazing Grace", her favorite song!
Chevron BBQ
We went to our first BBQ a few weeks back and had a blast. Especially the kids. It is a monthly event for all Chevron families. Food, dessert and drinks are provided and there are 2 pools for the children to swim in. You are able to bring your own beer or wine if you so choose. Anyhoo..the kids basically are free to run and play with all of the other kids. TONS of fun for them!! As a matter of fact, Miles had soooo much fun that he left with a tummy ache (we later calculated that he must have eaten 7 donuts and drank 2 cokes) and in the middle of the night he did come into our room and vomit!! FUN times for the kids...next time we will keep a closer watch on him and the dessert table.
Moving
We are settled in our new home....AMEN! Everything is unpacked and things are going smoothly. I love that it is so close to the school and all of the other families. I'm glad the Internet wasn't up and running the first week because it gave me time to get situated. The house is smaller than what we are use to, so I worry about where I'm going to put our 8,000 pounds of "stuff" when it arrives in a few months!
Busy
I am SO busy! I can't believe we've been here a month already. There really is so much going on all the time. Just in the past 2 weeks I've gone to a TICA meeting (The International Community of Angola), I've gone to "Spouse's coffee" which is a monthly get together for Chevron spouses, Sam started Tennis lessons, and today I joined AWAA which is the American Women of Angola Association. Whew!! And that's not to mention all of the little things going on....oh....and we had our first trip to the clinic! And NO, it wasn't for Carter! Sam came home one day with fever so I had to make the trip with her to the clinic one night. A Malaria blood test was administered and luckily that was not the problem but her blood count did show an infection so for like the first time in 7 years we actually left a clinic with a real diagnosis and a bag of medicines. For once I didn't hear those dreaded words, "Alternate Tylenol and Motrin every 4 hours". It was nice and mama was happy.
October R&R
We have booked our first trip! I can't believe it is a month away! We are going to spend October break in Cape Town, South Africa. I'm sooooo excited about this trip. Many other families are going at the same time so it will be great. I can SHOP and EAT and get my hair done!!!
Guards
We have, or at least I thought we had 3 guards on duty 24/7 but today I noticed a new one. This has taken some time getting used to. The guards come and go and are in and out of the backyard 24/7. They have 12 hour shifts and they guard us and the house. It really is quite nice because the kids can play out front and I don't have to be right there. They have a room and a restroom with shower in the back of the house so they are constantly around. They've become part of the family. I feed them and give them snacks and they help with other things like taking out the trash and washing down the patio. If someone comes into the house to install Internet for example, they come in and keep a close eye on things. It was weird at first but now it's great because I don't have to be here when things are being done to the house and I know they are protecting my things! Even when the gardeners are watering in the back or cutting the grass, they are watching! It's comforting! Not that we are in physical danger, but because theft is a high crime.
Best for Last: Empregada!!!!!!!!!!
I hired a maid! One of the many perks of being an expat in this country is hired help. Just about everyone has full time maids. Actually, the locals have them too. Every house I've seen is built with a room and bathroom for an Empredagada. She started on Saturday and my driver found her for me. I really trust my driver Silva. I think he is an honest and hard working man and I knew that the person he found for me would be good. He showed up with her on Saturday and I was totally not expecting that. I was in the kitchen making Cinnamon Rolls (from scratch) when he knocked on my backdoor. He had the biggest smile on his face and he translated our "interview" with her. She is older than I originally had hoped for but her children are close to my age and she has grandchildren so I think she will be great to have around. She even started that day! She speaks NO English but she works hard. Her hours are 8:30 to 4:30 but today she was here from 7 to 6. Saturday she only works half a day. I know that sounds crazy and mean...trust me I do....but that is just how it is here. I promise I am taking care of her! I provide lunch for her and uniforms and shoes and just about anything else I can. Her name is Beatrice but we call her Bea and the kids call her Abuella which is Portuguese (and Spanish) for grandma. I always wonder what she thinks of all that we have and how we live. When I was showing her the washing machine and how to use it, she showed me the scars on her wrists from years of washing by hand. We are so fortunate! Same with the dishwasher. She has no clue. She is still washing my dishes by hand. She is great and so happy to have this job. We are more than happy to have her......ESPECIALLY me!! This will be one of the things that may just keep me overseas longer than a few years ;-)
I promise to post pics tonight or tomorrow!! Craig is off tomorrow and the kids are out of school for a national holiday so that will give me plenty of time to get them downloaded!
Tchau!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Luanda International School
Okay, so today I decided to slowly work myself into the school. I started in Sam's classroom but the teacher really didn't need help until the afternoon so she sent me to the library.
(On a side note, I've heard wonderful things about the librarian so I was anxious to make myself handy.) So Sam escorted me over and I met Mrs. Margaret (the students call everyone by their 1st name).
The library was small but welcoming. I noticed that up front she had a parent section which was very nice. After talking with her and telling her about my teaching experience her eyes lit up. She told me that in 5 minutes a class of Year 5 (4th grade) students was coming in, would I like to read to them? Next thing I know, I'm doing a compare/contrast lesson and checking out books. It was wonderful! The students are amazing!!! They are so polite and smart and it just is so neat to hear their accents and to learn where they are from. Literally all over the world!!
After the class left I noticed a bell sound and ALL of the students in the entire school came out for a 30 minute break. They are allowed a daily break to play, have a snack, whatever! Many came through the library and you can tell that Mrs. Margaret is loved by all. She knows them all by name. It was pretty neat.
The school setting is hard to describe. Each grade level has its own separate building. Just about each grade level has 2 or 3 classrooms. So it is a building with 3 rooms. The doors to the classrooms lead outside to sidewalks and covered patios which take you to the other buildings. Kind of like portable buildings. The center of all the buildings is the cafeteria, office and library. There are also several huts where children sit and have lunch or hang out.
In the afternoon I went back to Sam's class to help with Art. Whew....I was exhausted when I left. The little ones are busy!! After introducing myself and telling the class I was an American, Sam's teacher asked the other kids to raise their hand if they were American. Out of the 20 students, 5 raised their hand. That was a cool feeling!! Other countries represented in her room are Brazil, England, Pakistan and many others.
Here is the website: http://www.lisluanda.com/
(On a side note, I've heard wonderful things about the librarian so I was anxious to make myself handy.) So Sam escorted me over and I met Mrs. Margaret (the students call everyone by their 1st name).
The library was small but welcoming. I noticed that up front she had a parent section which was very nice. After talking with her and telling her about my teaching experience her eyes lit up. She told me that in 5 minutes a class of Year 5 (4th grade) students was coming in, would I like to read to them? Next thing I know, I'm doing a compare/contrast lesson and checking out books. It was wonderful! The students are amazing!!! They are so polite and smart and it just is so neat to hear their accents and to learn where they are from. Literally all over the world!!
After the class left I noticed a bell sound and ALL of the students in the entire school came out for a 30 minute break. They are allowed a daily break to play, have a snack, whatever! Many came through the library and you can tell that Mrs. Margaret is loved by all. She knows them all by name. It was pretty neat.
The school setting is hard to describe. Each grade level has its own separate building. Just about each grade level has 2 or 3 classrooms. So it is a building with 3 rooms. The doors to the classrooms lead outside to sidewalks and covered patios which take you to the other buildings. Kind of like portable buildings. The center of all the buildings is the cafeteria, office and library. There are also several huts where children sit and have lunch or hang out.
In the afternoon I went back to Sam's class to help with Art. Whew....I was exhausted when I left. The little ones are busy!! After introducing myself and telling the class I was an American, Sam's teacher asked the other kids to raise their hand if they were American. Out of the 20 students, 5 raised their hand. That was a cool feeling!! Other countries represented in her room are Brazil, England, Pakistan and many others.
Here is the website: http://www.lisluanda.com/
Saturday, August 22, 2009
We Have Arrived
We made it!! We've been in Africa for 5 days now. Here is a summary of my week:
Flight over:
We were suppose to leave Houston at noon on Monday but on the way to the airport Craig called and found out the flight was delayed 3 hours. Our first reaction was..."Oh great!" We were already tense about the flight with 3 kids...we did not need a delay! We got our 30 bags checked in (1 ton total weight) then we headed up to the lounge to have snacks and drinks. We just thought we'd hang out in the lounge until time to go. HA! The kids wanted to run around and play. I noticed a door that said "Nursery" on it so I went over and took a peek inside. Jackpot!!!!! It was a large room with 2 cribs, 2 rocking chairs and a restroom!!! OMG! It was the perfect camp for my crew! The kids played and had so much fun in our hideaway.
At 3PM we boarded the plane and by this time the kids were tired. We took off and dinner was served shortly after. They had a special menu just for the kids..it was awesome! Before dessert, Carter and Miles were asleep!! The rest of the flight went very smoothly thanks to Legos and a $20 box of Bendaroos!!
Arrival:
We arrived Tuesday afternoon to find out that our house was not ready!! We were told to go to an apartment in the city.....you know how I feel about the city!! We arrived at the apartment and a co-worker of Craig's was here to greet us. She welcomed us and gave us the keys and took us up for a look. WOW! The apartment is nice. It has 3 large rooms and 5 bathrooms. The hallway is literally 1/8 of a mile long. All we need is a bowling ball and pins. We were also given a "welcome packet" of bread, fruits, veggies, cheeses, chicken, a case of coke, coke zero, fanta, beer and 12 bottles of wine! The apartment also has a gym. It is nice....but the kids need a yard. There is no where for them to run and play...except for the hallway...which they have enjoyed! They told us the house would be ready in about a week and a half...so we are almost there!!
School:
The kids started school on Wednesday because I wanted them to adjust to the time as soon as possible. They were very excited and Sam and Miles went right on in without any problems. Carter always seems to have difficulty with transition and change so this week has been harder on him. His classroom is right across the playground from Miles', so when I go to pick up Miles at noon (Carter's lunch time) he sees us and doesn't understand why Miles gets to go home and he has to stay. I ended up taking him home on Wednesday and Friday. Hopefully next week will be better.
Sam loves the school and has made friends. A few of the girls in her class are European and speak Portuguese and English. She is in awe and follows them around. She really wants to learn the language. Craig and I went to have lunch with her on Thursday and it is just soooo different from the "school" we all know. I think it's going to be great. She has language class twice a week so hopefully she'll be able to teach me! She also has swimming on Wednesdays, music and PE twice a week, and computer once a week. She is in 1st Grade but they call it "Year 2".
Traffic:
As I've mentioned before, traffic is awful! From the apartment to the school is an hour and a half round trip!! It sucks bad! But the good thing is, I get to see LOTS of interesting things. I'm such a people watcher so it is perfect for me. It amazes me to see the people here and to watch them go about their daily routines. The women work just as hard, if not harder than the men. With no running water in their homes, you'll see people of all ages carrying empty water jugs to be filled. I have no idea where they get water but anytime that I've seen a puddle of water on the ground, people are using it to wash! People sell everything on the streets. The entire drive to the south, you'll see people lined in the streets selling such random things. The men tend to work in the streets ( I guess because it's dangerous) and the women and children work on the sidewalks. This week I've seen men selling lint brushes, highlighters, phone cards, DVD players, shoes, toilet paper, ironing boards and other random things. The women tend to sell all of the food items. They carry the big bowls on their heads with bread, fish, fruits, veggies and today I saw one carrying a big cooler and ice cream cones were sticking out...so I'm assuming she had ice cream on her head?? Sam and I are always fascinated by their lives. It's just unbelievable seeing these people that live half a world away and they wear, sell and use the same things we do, but their lifestyle is sooo different. Today we saw a kid wearing a Texans jersey! Just about everyone has Nike or Converse tennis shoes. Funny how the world is so different yet connected in so many ways! It's also common to see very young children running down the sidewalk...with no parent! I mean kids that are like 3 and 4 years old!!! They are just on their way. Sometimes there might be a few together. It's crazy! We wont let our kids in the front yard by themselves and the kids here just roam free.....next to crazy drivers going various speeds down the road. I'm always so worried about them. They obviously don't have to go to school because I see tons of kids all day long. I'm curious about that...I tend to investigate!
Other than that, all is going pretty smoothly. I had an incident at the mall that cost me a hundred bucks but I learned a lesson! (I lost my parking ticket and they obviously took advantage of me and wouldn't let me go without paying. I'm not sure if my driver didn't make a buck or two off of it as well since he was translating). I've also made some friends and have a few things planned for next week that I'm looking forward too! One being the "Hash" which is a running club that meets every other Saturday for a 6 mile run through the city. Craig has done it and apparently it is pretty fun and involves beer afterwards! Should be interesting.
Today we took the kids back to the mall (which is very nice and reminds me of a smaller Baybrook Mall). It is very clean and very nice. We ate pizza and wanted to catch a movie but the only one in English was G-Force and they've all seen it. We also went to the Shoprite which is kinda like the "walmart" here. I got carrots, cucumbers and a few snacks for the kid's lunches. I was looking for bread but they sell it by the loaf there and I've heard it doesn't last more than a day or two, so I've got to find the right place for bread because I use a lot for lunches. Then tonight we got dressed up and went to a very nice Chinese Restaurant called Chez Wou. Craig's birthday is next week so we thought we'd celebrate tonight. It was pretty good and Sam even tried the sweet and sour chicken!! Huge deal because she's so darn picky!!
That's it for now...I'm off to put the kids to bed. I appreciate all the emails I've received. It's nice to hear from everyone! I miss you all!!
T
Flight over:
We were suppose to leave Houston at noon on Monday but on the way to the airport Craig called and found out the flight was delayed 3 hours. Our first reaction was..."Oh great!" We were already tense about the flight with 3 kids...we did not need a delay! We got our 30 bags checked in (1 ton total weight) then we headed up to the lounge to have snacks and drinks. We just thought we'd hang out in the lounge until time to go. HA! The kids wanted to run around and play. I noticed a door that said "Nursery" on it so I went over and took a peek inside. Jackpot!!!!! It was a large room with 2 cribs, 2 rocking chairs and a restroom!!! OMG! It was the perfect camp for my crew! The kids played and had so much fun in our hideaway.
At 3PM we boarded the plane and by this time the kids were tired. We took off and dinner was served shortly after. They had a special menu just for the kids..it was awesome! Before dessert, Carter and Miles were asleep!! The rest of the flight went very smoothly thanks to Legos and a $20 box of Bendaroos!!
Arrival:
We arrived Tuesday afternoon to find out that our house was not ready!! We were told to go to an apartment in the city.....you know how I feel about the city!! We arrived at the apartment and a co-worker of Craig's was here to greet us. She welcomed us and gave us the keys and took us up for a look. WOW! The apartment is nice. It has 3 large rooms and 5 bathrooms. The hallway is literally 1/8 of a mile long. All we need is a bowling ball and pins. We were also given a "welcome packet" of bread, fruits, veggies, cheeses, chicken, a case of coke, coke zero, fanta, beer and 12 bottles of wine! The apartment also has a gym. It is nice....but the kids need a yard. There is no where for them to run and play...except for the hallway...which they have enjoyed! They told us the house would be ready in about a week and a half...so we are almost there!!
School:
The kids started school on Wednesday because I wanted them to adjust to the time as soon as possible. They were very excited and Sam and Miles went right on in without any problems. Carter always seems to have difficulty with transition and change so this week has been harder on him. His classroom is right across the playground from Miles', so when I go to pick up Miles at noon (Carter's lunch time) he sees us and doesn't understand why Miles gets to go home and he has to stay. I ended up taking him home on Wednesday and Friday. Hopefully next week will be better.
Sam loves the school and has made friends. A few of the girls in her class are European and speak Portuguese and English. She is in awe and follows them around. She really wants to learn the language. Craig and I went to have lunch with her on Thursday and it is just soooo different from the "school" we all know. I think it's going to be great. She has language class twice a week so hopefully she'll be able to teach me! She also has swimming on Wednesdays, music and PE twice a week, and computer once a week. She is in 1st Grade but they call it "Year 2".
Traffic:
As I've mentioned before, traffic is awful! From the apartment to the school is an hour and a half round trip!! It sucks bad! But the good thing is, I get to see LOTS of interesting things. I'm such a people watcher so it is perfect for me. It amazes me to see the people here and to watch them go about their daily routines. The women work just as hard, if not harder than the men. With no running water in their homes, you'll see people of all ages carrying empty water jugs to be filled. I have no idea where they get water but anytime that I've seen a puddle of water on the ground, people are using it to wash! People sell everything on the streets. The entire drive to the south, you'll see people lined in the streets selling such random things. The men tend to work in the streets ( I guess because it's dangerous) and the women and children work on the sidewalks. This week I've seen men selling lint brushes, highlighters, phone cards, DVD players, shoes, toilet paper, ironing boards and other random things. The women tend to sell all of the food items. They carry the big bowls on their heads with bread, fish, fruits, veggies and today I saw one carrying a big cooler and ice cream cones were sticking out...so I'm assuming she had ice cream on her head?? Sam and I are always fascinated by their lives. It's just unbelievable seeing these people that live half a world away and they wear, sell and use the same things we do, but their lifestyle is sooo different. Today we saw a kid wearing a Texans jersey! Just about everyone has Nike or Converse tennis shoes. Funny how the world is so different yet connected in so many ways! It's also common to see very young children running down the sidewalk...with no parent! I mean kids that are like 3 and 4 years old!!! They are just on their way. Sometimes there might be a few together. It's crazy! We wont let our kids in the front yard by themselves and the kids here just roam free.....next to crazy drivers going various speeds down the road. I'm always so worried about them. They obviously don't have to go to school because I see tons of kids all day long. I'm curious about that...I tend to investigate!
Other than that, all is going pretty smoothly. I had an incident at the mall that cost me a hundred bucks but I learned a lesson! (I lost my parking ticket and they obviously took advantage of me and wouldn't let me go without paying. I'm not sure if my driver didn't make a buck or two off of it as well since he was translating). I've also made some friends and have a few things planned for next week that I'm looking forward too! One being the "Hash" which is a running club that meets every other Saturday for a 6 mile run through the city. Craig has done it and apparently it is pretty fun and involves beer afterwards! Should be interesting.
Today we took the kids back to the mall (which is very nice and reminds me of a smaller Baybrook Mall). It is very clean and very nice. We ate pizza and wanted to catch a movie but the only one in English was G-Force and they've all seen it. We also went to the Shoprite which is kinda like the "walmart" here. I got carrots, cucumbers and a few snacks for the kid's lunches. I was looking for bread but they sell it by the loaf there and I've heard it doesn't last more than a day or two, so I've got to find the right place for bread because I use a lot for lunches. Then tonight we got dressed up and went to a very nice Chinese Restaurant called Chez Wou. Craig's birthday is next week so we thought we'd celebrate tonight. It was pretty good and Sam even tried the sweet and sour chicken!! Huge deal because she's so darn picky!!
That's it for now...I'm off to put the kids to bed. I appreciate all the emails I've received. It's nice to hear from everyone! I miss you all!!
T
Friday, July 31, 2009
Hit The Ground Running
I'm back from my pre assignment trip to Africa and it was unbelievable!
Flight Over:
I was nervous about the long flight over the Atlantic....especially after the Air France incident! But I made it round trip all in one piece. Craig has made friends with a nice little lady that runs the check-in counter for Houston Express (the airline we use), so that morning he called to let her know I was coming. She greeted me right away and I was thinking "How did she know it was me?". So after checking in, the passengers are invited to the British Airways lounge so I headed on over and went in. Immediately I understood how she knew me....I was the only female! The room was filled with at least a hundred men already getting their drink on....and there was me! I kept hoping that another woman would enter the room but no luck. So aside from the flight attendants...I remained the only woman on board.
Most of the men (the vast majority) are rotators coming on and off the oil rigs. They are interesting to watch and you can tell that they have made that trip many times. It was all routine: Board plane, drink, sleep the rest of the way, wake up for breakfast, land. Oh...and snore loudly :-)
My Itinerary:
As soon as I landed it was 8 in the morning (2am Houston time). I was exhausted but there was NO time to sleep or rest. I had an itinerary that had to be followed with various meetings, briefings, lunches and dinners. I met with medical personnel, security, Craig's co-workers, his bosses and not to mention the highest ranked Chevron employee in Angola...no pressure! The first meeting was lunch with his wife at their home. It was soooo nice! From then on, it was pretty repetitious. All of the meetings were basically the same conversations but just with different people. They ask a lot of questions, share their experience and offer advice on packing and so forth. After we met, they had to give an informal report on how the meeting went and if they thought we would "fit" the part. Fortunately all of the feedback was positive!! They really focus on the spouse for these expat assignments because it is a difficult transition and bluntly, you know the saying..."If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy"! So I appreciate that :-)
My opinion of the city:
Luanda is like any other city....it is crowded, dirty, smelly and has lots of traffic. The difference in Luanda from an American city is that you see naked children running around, bare breasted women nursing their babies, men pissing on the side of the road, potholes that are 4 ft. deep, women carrying things on their heads (very large things...and heavy things...and strange things...not just fruits and veggies but pots and pans and all kinds of random things). Another difference is the traffic! I joke that I spent half my time in Luanda sitting in traffic. This actually isn't a joke! There are no stop signs or traffic lights...basically there is NO organized driving system in Luanda. The car that gets closest to the one in front of it, gets to go first. It's crazy!! I'm assuming that this is the reason we are not allowed behind the wheel! It is a huge liability! So, we have a driver and I did get to meet him. His name is Sylva and thank goodness he speaks some English.
After spending a few days in the city and going to various "grocery stores", I was feeling a bit anxious. All of the stores that Craig took me to were like convenient stores with foods that did not look familiar...with labels that I couldn't read. There was NOTHING in these stores that our family would eat. I was concerned.
Before arriving in Luanda I had already set myself straight that I was going to be happy no matter what. We made up our minds to do this and there was NO turning back. "I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me"! This has been my motto for the past year and quite frankly I was hoping to have a new motto now that the family is "back together". On my last night (before visiting our neighborhood in the south) I was feeling a tiny bit discouraged but there was NO WAY I was going to share my concerns with Craig. He was so excited to have me there and he wants this more than anything. I was not about to start complaining. I just kept quietly adding more and more food items to my list.
Finally...the last day and the most exciting! I went to the suburbs...away from the city. AHHHH...there is grass...and homes...and a MALL...with pizza and burgers...and a REAL grocery store with foods I recognize. I was at peace! I loved the house, I loved the school, I loved everything about the suburbs! Mama is happy!
Reflecting:
On the flight home (and this time I slept at least 10 hours) I thought about everything I saw and put it all together. This is truly something larger than I ever imagined. The people I met were so interesting to talk to. Only a small handful were American. It's pretty darn cool to take a step outside of the box. I can't wait to share our experience!
Flight Over:
I was nervous about the long flight over the Atlantic....especially after the Air France incident! But I made it round trip all in one piece. Craig has made friends with a nice little lady that runs the check-in counter for Houston Express (the airline we use), so that morning he called to let her know I was coming. She greeted me right away and I was thinking "How did she know it was me?". So after checking in, the passengers are invited to the British Airways lounge so I headed on over and went in. Immediately I understood how she knew me....I was the only female! The room was filled with at least a hundred men already getting their drink on....and there was me! I kept hoping that another woman would enter the room but no luck. So aside from the flight attendants...I remained the only woman on board.
Most of the men (the vast majority) are rotators coming on and off the oil rigs. They are interesting to watch and you can tell that they have made that trip many times. It was all routine: Board plane, drink, sleep the rest of the way, wake up for breakfast, land. Oh...and snore loudly :-)
My Itinerary:
As soon as I landed it was 8 in the morning (2am Houston time). I was exhausted but there was NO time to sleep or rest. I had an itinerary that had to be followed with various meetings, briefings, lunches and dinners. I met with medical personnel, security, Craig's co-workers, his bosses and not to mention the highest ranked Chevron employee in Angola...no pressure! The first meeting was lunch with his wife at their home. It was soooo nice! From then on, it was pretty repetitious. All of the meetings were basically the same conversations but just with different people. They ask a lot of questions, share their experience and offer advice on packing and so forth. After we met, they had to give an informal report on how the meeting went and if they thought we would "fit" the part. Fortunately all of the feedback was positive!! They really focus on the spouse for these expat assignments because it is a difficult transition and bluntly, you know the saying..."If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy"! So I appreciate that :-)
My opinion of the city:
Luanda is like any other city....it is crowded, dirty, smelly and has lots of traffic. The difference in Luanda from an American city is that you see naked children running around, bare breasted women nursing their babies, men pissing on the side of the road, potholes that are 4 ft. deep, women carrying things on their heads (very large things...and heavy things...and strange things...not just fruits and veggies but pots and pans and all kinds of random things). Another difference is the traffic! I joke that I spent half my time in Luanda sitting in traffic. This actually isn't a joke! There are no stop signs or traffic lights...basically there is NO organized driving system in Luanda. The car that gets closest to the one in front of it, gets to go first. It's crazy!! I'm assuming that this is the reason we are not allowed behind the wheel! It is a huge liability! So, we have a driver and I did get to meet him. His name is Sylva and thank goodness he speaks some English.
After spending a few days in the city and going to various "grocery stores", I was feeling a bit anxious. All of the stores that Craig took me to were like convenient stores with foods that did not look familiar...with labels that I couldn't read. There was NOTHING in these stores that our family would eat. I was concerned.
Before arriving in Luanda I had already set myself straight that I was going to be happy no matter what. We made up our minds to do this and there was NO turning back. "I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me"! This has been my motto for the past year and quite frankly I was hoping to have a new motto now that the family is "back together". On my last night (before visiting our neighborhood in the south) I was feeling a tiny bit discouraged but there was NO WAY I was going to share my concerns with Craig. He was so excited to have me there and he wants this more than anything. I was not about to start complaining. I just kept quietly adding more and more food items to my list.
Finally...the last day and the most exciting! I went to the suburbs...away from the city. AHHHH...there is grass...and homes...and a MALL...with pizza and burgers...and a REAL grocery store with foods I recognize. I was at peace! I loved the house, I loved the school, I loved everything about the suburbs! Mama is happy!
Reflecting:
On the flight home (and this time I slept at least 10 hours) I thought about everything I saw and put it all together. This is truly something larger than I ever imagined. The people I met were so interesting to talk to. Only a small handful were American. It's pretty darn cool to take a step outside of the box. I can't wait to share our experience!
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