I have a room in Africa, and BRIE cheese!

Written April 29, 2007

From my room in Luanda, absolutely exhausted, I cannot resist but to write you about how it came about that I have brie cheese. As a matter of fact in the little white bar fridge, that sits on the floor in my room in Africa, I have also have blue cheese and herb cream cheese. Are you confused? Yes I expect so but I can tell you that your sentiment does not come close to the bewilderment I experienced at the South African grocery store this evening. When Roshni and Vinci (another colleague) said we were going to buy an iron and some brown bread from a South African place I was thinking along the lines of a canteen. No way! In a bright lit medium sized grocery store I found firm, bright red peppers, an incredible selection of Italian oils, sauces, pastas and vinegars, pita bread (which of course I had to buy), more cheese than I have ever seen in Shanghai, cosmetics and toiletries, chocolates (even After Eights!) not to mention a wide variety of international frozen meals...hey I even saw wasabi and seaweed sheets to make sushi. Oh but forget the yogurt...$3 each for the little ones. Now let me remind all of you that I am in Angola, in Africa, the country that in the year 2000 UNICEF declared the worst place in the world for a child to be born. I saw the other side of the coin this evening.

As we drove through another neighbourhood with Portuguese style houses and a few modern apartment buildings, I came to realize that this place is wonderful and that although my hotel is 1000 meters from the beach it for sure a less developed area of the city. These days I have been perplexed as to who was owning all of the Nissan X-trails, Prados and Mercedes...now I know it is the people that live those nice houses, that shop at the South African grocery store. Oh did I tell you that the imported foods are cheaper here than in Shanghai - you can imagine my delight.

So why am I feeling so confused? Before coming to Angola I watched a few movies,staged in Africa, namely Blood Diamond and the Last King of Scotland, that honestly had me a little scared. Now it has been said, by more than one person, that Angola, especially the capital city of Luanda, is not the typical African experience...and although I was craving a rough and tough stint, this place is not that difficult and I am very happy here.

Why might you asked is so much emotion coming from brie cheese..well it is not the cheese. Rather it is the sun, the water, the stars that shine brilliantly, the special getaways and most of all my newest love....the children. My goodness, Angolan children are so beautiful. Their HUGE black eyes, smooth chocolate skin, the little girls florecent coloured beads that decorate their braids. And they are friendly. Actually everyone is friendly here. There is no honking in traffic. People are courteous and smile all the time; the men do not whistle or cat call. Service is great and one feels very welcome.

One of the most unforgettable beauties of this country, and others on the continent is the land. The land is red not black...actually more of a terracotta colour like the beautiful homes in Italy. I think the red is a symbol of warmth and passion. Maybe I can bring home a jar of the red soil.

Oh and great posture..yes I am referring to the straight backs, the way the women stand up straight...so they do not drop the enormous loads they carry on their heads, often in addition to the little angel they have strapped onto their backs. When I first arrived I saw a couple of women balancing carton crates of eggs...now that is talent! Today the head loads varied from buckets of fish to big bundles of unidentifiable goods.

This evening I was in Miami, or was it San Francisco; maybe the Caribbean. After shopping, which included the acquisition of an iron (regular Molly Maid now), my crew and I went to grab a bite to eat. Transformed to another world upon entering the place, I thought that this is a country I would like to spend more time in. The restaurant was right on the water, almost like a dock, with wood floors and lots of white umbrellas. Spectacular was a view over the water facing a brightly lit city including colonial buildings and boats. What a rush to be in such a place...too many times I say to myself "wow, Luanda is amazing".

Last night I was at another great restaurant with my newest friend, Alvaro, a native Angolan who moved to Portugal with his parents many years ago, to escape the political stuggles possessing the country. Alvaro is one of the most ambitious business people I have ever met. This assessment comes from learning about his various ventures and a most reliable reference, Katia's mother who works with him. Alvaro loves his homeland and is more than passionate about helping it grow.

Then here comes another motivation to do a good job in the office. Angolan diamond and oil industries are going to explode over the next five years...but what about all my new little angels, the 57% of the population that is under the age of 18?...yes the youngest population in the world. The profits earned are not going directly into the pockets of the poor...so hopefully UNICEF and other agencies doing similar work will generate enough funds from the private sector to provde a safety net or alternative.

The rooster has the 4am slot still booked. By 5am a cacophany of chirping birds has me with hope...luckily absolute exhuastion these days keeps my eyes shut until 6:30am. But then I have to get up because by 7:30am one of the five office drivers comes to pick me up. Now if any of you are going to come to Angola and drive in a UN vehicle, my advise to you is pretend it is after Labor Day and you cannot wear white anymore...how do the vehicles, the big white Prados get so dirty? You are probably thinking that now "Cara has lost her mind, what is she writing about?" these are just the small details of my life these days when I have a room in Africa.

It is getting to hard to keep my eyes focused. I am tired but before I go I want to make sure that the message of this email is saying what a beautiful place Angola is, first and foremost because of its people...and did I mention how beautiful the children are?  What angels!

good night, tomorrow I will write about what learnt today: diamonds and oil industries in Angola...and how the Chinese are taking over everywhere. Oh one more thing...even the manager of this hotel is Chinese...just unbelievable!

I have a room in Africa and the music of Ray Charles

Written: March 30, 2007

Last Sunday was grey, a little humid, and quiet except for the sweet voices of children playing outside. It must have rained the night before because when a car rumbled by I could hear the water from the puddles swooshing around. Oh and there was my hated friend the rooster...it just never shuts up, absolutely incredible.

Sorry for not having written for so long but I have been absolutely nackered in the evenings. The office hours are long but the work is fascinating, the intellectual challenge I was yearning for. Did you know that in 2006 the oil company Exxon Mobile made approximately $10,000 profit EVERY MINUTE in Angola? And that in the same year, they made a $5,600 profit for every child born in Angola? Unbelievable! I will be seeing them next week.

The women with the great posture, I mentioned before, I think have been taught by a mastermind, a small frail women that passed my office yesterday who, while balancing a bundled of brooms on her head, was breast feeding her small baby...she did not stop to rest, rather kept walking along, through the crowds as if she was on her own. That woman had places to go!

I have seen more variety lately in the bundles carried above the crowds: plums, grapes, bananas, plastic jugs in all the colors of the rainbow, and thick baguettes. I have to learn the prices before I start supporting the local vendors.

There is no local bus or taxi system in Luanda. There are pale blue mini-vans that act like taxis for the general public but I not dare jump on board. Other than the fact that our security team woudl havemy neck, I am not sure how I would squeeze in the crowded 8 seater which I once counted with 14 passangers inside. Reminded me of India's trains with people hanging off the sides.

To get back home from work in the evenings there are "shuttles" (UNICEF SUV or pickup trucks) that leave at 5pm, 6:30pm and if you request in advance, 8pm. These shuttles are our band of huge UN cars which I have affectionately named Rhino and Elephant for the six feet antennas they sport on the front of their hoods. Only once I caught the early one and I'm glad I did because it took me on a tour of another part of the city I had yet to see (honestly I have seen very very little of this city since having arrived three weeks ago).

One of my beloved aunts wrote to say I sound delirious in my emails. Maybe I am losing it a bit (or havealready lost it). I can't help loving all the small things that make Luanda a paradise despite colleagues not having water and electricity. Even last Friday night at Angela's house (Angela is my boss) in the middle of a party, we had a black out...but the beauty of that is that the candles come out and no one seemed bothered by the blaring generator that spits out a diesel.

Today is Friday and we only work half day until 1pm...but i stayed til 3pm. Not sure what to do with myself in the afternoons. Without a car there is no where to go but I should be grateful for the quiet time jsut to relax and of course write this email.

Every night is has been pouring rain and I only know because the street are wet in the mornings. I can now sleep through the storms and the earliest morning rooster calls. The rain unlike in other places, brings mud and floods to the city rather than washing everything away. There is no funcioning drainage system in the city and open man holes are a scary reality. One day after work we drove past three little boys, near the main road, hunched over a man hole trying to splash the water onto themselves. We all shuttered at the thought of the illnesses they could catch from that dirty, if they weren't already sick. There was one little girl maybe 3 years old, a little princess wearing only a bright red skirt, pouncing in the puddles and playing with a plastic bucket where the water trickled down. Again my heart gets stuck in my throat thinking about the contaminated water.

In the main downtown or business area of the city ruins can be seen all over. Some have a Portuguese facade. The pain has peeled, the main structure has worn away and grabage is sprawled all around but a tree grows out of the window, reaching out toward the sky, just to say "I am still alive".

This is a spirit I find true in the Angolan people. One of the drivers explained to me just yesterday the happiness "alegria" that Angolans have always felt even during the war. He said soilders lined both sides of the streets but in any empty pocket you would find the people having a party "en fiesta". Just today as I walked out of the office, at the corner six women were hanging out, two dancing around to their own singing as a play along to entertain their other friends. It was nice to see, a little party of their own on a hot Luanda afternoon. I felt out of place and dull, standing their in my suit jacket waiting for the shuttle to come...but I enjoyed the scene nevertheless.

There are signs of great properity in Luanda, like the Ministry of Finance building that stands proud in dark pink stone and clean green glass. And ofcourse the huge colonial bank building. Having gone on a couple of rounds in the shuttle, to drop off other colleagues, modern shops are few but in hidden pockets. In one window I saw shiny gold high heel shoes..but this is not Kansas.

One building that caught my eye, not only for its beautifully renovated European style facade, but for its name, was the National Museum of Anthropology...somehow such a place seemed out of place....I thought it great that such sciences were treasured but why don't the schools and hospitals look that nice?

Quite a few people in the streets are disable, on crutches or wheelchairs, some old fashioned ones that you ride with a hand churn and others like the ones you find in a hospital. At Sunday mass last Sunday, in the courtyard, I saw a man in a new sports wheelchair which I thought was great. These chairs are more durable and lighweight so its easier to get around. What sticks out in my mind most is a man enjoying the scenery at the beach. All alone he sat in his wheelchair, at the edge of the beach where it meets the sidewalk, staring out over the Bay, the same Bay I enjoyed so much other night at dinner. I guess we havesomething in common, he and I.

To reach my hotel the last strip of the drive is the ocean to the left and the Bay towards the city to my right. Along the ocean beach fishing boats sit overturned, children chase each other up and down mounds of sand and a few vendors carrying covered loads or stolen goods drag their feet along, hot and tired after a full day wandering. Usually the sun is starting to set on my way home and it's reflection makes the water sparkle like diamonds. I always seem to sigh and wish I could hang out at the beach. My colleague Marie-Claire told me that the ocean side is deliciously clean. Maybe this weekend I can find someone to go with, that of course depending on getting a lift too.

Oh and then there is the music of Ray Charles! His song "Georgia" I think should be re-written for Angola "in peaceful dreams I see, the road leads back to you".

I have a home in Africa, my own little piece of heaven...

It has been months since I last wrote an entry and so much has happened. Most significant, which some of you may or may not know, is a contract extension with UNICEF in Angola!

Hotel Marina was my refuge for three months and the day I left I attended a funeral without leaving my room; the Church across the street filled up early in the morning with hundreds of mourners dressed in black rather than the jovial crowds that usually sang their way into my room each Sunday. Was it a sign that my welcome there had expired or just a perfect pathetic fallacy.

So where have I been sleeping the past month you must be asking and all I can say is: in heaven. On the Marginal, officially named 4 de Fevereiro, the palm tree lined strip that runs along the water I now use as my home address, well at #52 that is, on the 6th floor, (physically the 8th floor if we are counting the number of flights of stairs you have to scale when the elevator is not working). The angels must be watching me because the apartment is amazing. I was simply in the right time at the right place when a colleague mentioned they were moving. Now I really have a home in Africa with a large high ceiling living room, raised dining room (mini-second floor), large bathroom, bedroom and kitchen where I have the absolute joy of creating delicious, scrumptious specialties...oh home cooked food beats restaurant grub any day!

Last week I had the fortune of traveling to South Africa for work. Although the professional networking was good the real jewel of the trip was the home decor shopping spree that I indulged in! WOW! SA is cheap...not just in relation to Angola which would be any country in the world, but significantly more affordable that Canada - or maybe I am totally out of the loop and was just on cloud nine choosing candles, pillows, tapestries and other delight-able details to decorate my palace.

What was not that enjoyable was the cold. Who ever thought that a place in AFRICA would have snow? Luckily I stayed in Pretoria, a suburb of Johannesburg where only the frost reached us. Nevertheless it was bitterly cold, a shock to my system after a mild winter season in tropical Angola where days can still be sunny and easily reach 25 degrees (Celsius that is for any Americans reading this). The highlight of the trip was watching the sun set on Sunday from a 4-seat er plane. My cousin Andras took up flying as a hobby years ago in Kenya and after lunch at the airfield he took us up for a spin!

It has been so long since I last wrote that I do not remember what I have and have not shared.  I don't think I talked about my sailing day with Luis, Takaho and the angels at the Luanda Boat Club. Every weekend a group of boys. one as young as 5, is sponsored by a local Church and a few caring foreigners to learn how to sail. These boys were recruited off the streets in the hopes of saving them from so not so nice situations in which they found themselves, whether it was drugs, violence or alcohol and of course poverty. At the boat club they are kings; they learn to sail, eat hearty meals, participate in team building and leadership exercises, receive tutoring for their school studies and get to escape for two days into a world that would never be accessible to them if not for the generosity and humility of the priest and people like my friend Luis, On that memorable Sunday we took out a Catamaran onto the bay. Our captains mate, Nuno, quickly became my little sweetheart. His big black eyes, tough little man demeanor and loud boasting to his friends that he was coming on our boat could not hide the innocent little angel who peeked out in moments when his guard was down. Nuno told me he was 9 years old but I never would have thought he was more than 6 looking at this tiny little body. That day there was a Regatta and the Bay was full of aspiring little sailors zipping around in what apparently was an organized race which we mistakenly sailed though more than once. From my new home I look out over that same bay and whenever I see the water dotted with sails I remember my sweet little angel who took good care to make sure owe did not topple over and gave me stern instructions on how to steer the boat!

Not having my own vehicle has been difficult in terms of getting on with things in Luanda. Whenever possible I have hitched a ride with friends to buy groceries or visit a new place. In the hotel I made two friends, Diogo and Rui, who ironically work for a company that is managed by my friend Alvaro...such a small world. Diogo was kind enough to take me to a place called Caicacuo where in the middle of no where, on top of a hill, is a huge Portuguese furniture store. Who would have thought that in such a place, far removed from the city, I would find beautiful furniture and decor bits...but the prices - AHHHH! Angola is ridiculously expensive.

Oh I had my first night out in Luanda just last Friday! At a bar/club on the water called Bay In, I danced until 2:30am with a view of the sparkling city and glittering bay! The music was just ok but the ambiance and my great friends made up for it. Actually just last night I had my second night out in Luanda. Dinner at Chill Out, a great ocean side restaurant with great House music and delicious fish carpaccio! The waves were so high last night that one jumped over the railing into the restaurant washing up two tables and flooding the floor around us...it was like being in a movie but no one seemed to mind and went back to their seats as the waiters mopped the puddles around them. I didn't know if the waves would reach us again and wash us up entirely but no one seemed to care. The music never stopped when the lights went out and people just kept dancing so I too decided not to worry about it.

Going to South Africa made me realize just how comfortable I am in Angola. Life is simple here and there is a lot to enjoy, this comment coming from someone who has never left the province of Luanda! I have been told that Lobita and Lubango are the most beautiful places in the country so when Jill comes from Canada to visit me (11 days and counting!) we will take a road trip. Oh something I noticed is that things like the presence of land mines, having my own security guard, the flooding in the streets and power cuts for example, don't faze me anymore...when I mentioned to a colleague that I want to drive to Lubango they reminded me to check with our Security team about which roads are blocked because of land mines...ok. Only when I talk to friends back home do I think...wow, this just wouldn't happen in Toronto or Shanghai (well the flooding in Shanghai during the Plum Rains yes).

My friend Charles has told me that I do not talk enough about my interaction with Angolans in these emails...but I am not sure what to say. Ines is a young mother of three who keeps my house tidy and clothes clean...we chat every day and she helps me with my Portuguese, which really needs formal classes. Honestly I do not find much difference between her and Irma who worked for me in Panama. She is eager to work, needs careful explanation, is inquisitive about me and my life, jovial, wears sexy outfits and cannot wait for me to get a TV connection so she can watch Brazilian soap operas all afternoon.

After seeing a snippet of the widely popular Brazilian soap operas it is no wonder that Angola has one of the highest fertility rates in the world: MADONNA! Talk about steamy action in the middle of day - my goodness! What happened to Parental Guidance and the Family Channel?

Work is busy and challenging. Unfortunately I am not spending as much time on Private Sector as I would like however I have been assigned to a special Malaria Task Force with 5 other colleagues for the next month. Our main job is to ensure that half a million insecticide malaria nets are distributed across all 18 provinces to the health centers...not an easy task considering the acute time line and logistical challenges that grace this country. Angola is receiving a lot of attention and money from donors around the world...sadly it has the second highest infant mortality rate in the world and malnutrition here is comparable to southern Sudan and Afghanistan.

Despite my environment I am still amazed by the contrasts here. Construction is everywhere, investments are pouring in and BP and Sonangol are soon to open their new shiny glass office towers that sport helicopter pads on their rooftops! And then the slums, the poverty, the alarming statistics...I am grateful to be here at this time of change and I look forward to seeing Angola evolve over the next few years.

Oh for any of you NBA fans...do you know the Spanish player Pau Gasol who I think plays for Memphis now? Well he is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and is coming to Angola next week...talk about celebrity high maintenance!  

Angola is really coming out of its shell in a big way, with only five years of peace on its record since the civil war ended in 2002...actually quite amazingly. The country is hosting Afrobasket, the regional basketball championship, next month, then the Women's World Handball Tournament, followed by the World Summit of Diamonds in 2008 and the African Soccer Cup of Nations in 2010 to precede the FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Many people are incredible dedicated to seeing Angola achieve great things. Like my friend Alvaro who has the most hectic schedule I have ever seen between his venture here and back in Portugal. Really it is nice to meet someone so passionate about their country and seeing it unfurl to its fullest potential.

Well my Sunday has started nicely, with two cups of Earl Grey tea, a view of a ship in the Bay waiting to dock at the port and the melodic tunes of my latest favorite African singer AYO..check her out!

I have a room in Africa from where I can see Venus

Written April 27, 2009 Luanda, Angola

Is it the planet Venus that shines as bright as the North star and lies to the east? Every night when the sun sets, usually a brilliant orange colour, you can see the moon and in between the two is a star that shines so bright I can only imagine it is Venus.

This morning at 7:30am the choir began singing "Hallelujah". Sunday mass was more lively than usual. The choir was accompanied by a drum band and by 10am there was lots of cheering. Most Sunday in the choir I count 28 women and 4 men when they march out into the courtyard, but today there were many more men, maybe an addition for the special celebration that I have yet to figure out.

How close have you ever seen a hummingbird? For me I can now say only one foot away. As I sat in the office truck waiting for my Japanese colleague and friend, Takaho, come out of her house, a black and electric bright green hummingbird came to say good morning. Its colours were incredible and its tiny little body seemed so perfect.

As you can see, Angola still has me in awe. Last weekend with friends from the office I went to Kissama National Park. The drive out of the city was unexpected...an hour ocean drive and then a 30 km turn into the bush. The red soil, the wide river, which according to the UN head of security is still ridden with mines and the African trees made for a scenic view.

Everyone keeps saying that Angola is a difficult post but I seem to be spared for now. However most of my colleagues come to work each day adding a check to the continued number of days with no water or electricity. Apparently once I move into my own place I too will get to have such experiences - yipee just like camping.

I have been here six weeks now and I am not phased at all anymore by blackouts, phone lines down or typhoon rain storms. However, I still cringe at the sight of children playing in dirty water pools and flooded alleys that are everywhere these days as the rainy season comes into full swing.

Over this time I have built a nice relationship with the cleaning staff and the waiters here in the hotel. Every morning i enjoy saying good morning (bon dia!) and ordering morning Angolan java. And on the weekends, the cleaning staff, chat a little when they bring clean towels. With one senora, in particular, I enjoy chatting - this of course helps my Portuguese! Together we change the bed sheets and she lends me a needle and thread when needed. She seems to like very much that I wash my own clothes in the bathtub. I perceive this from her huge smile when I am elbow deep wringing water out clothes or ironing clothes on my bed and she brings me more hangers.