Peep

And just like that, almost 3 months have slipped by with nary a peep. This may be the longest I’ve gone with out updating. We are down to one sticky-keyed laptop and the iPad. (Regrettably, a certain someone dumped a glass of water on the macbook pro, but I hear that’s a rite of passage into parenthood.) So I am trying out the WordPress app on the iPad. Not as enjoyable as sitting down to write and illustrate with the pictures available on the laptop but never mind. Old dog, new trick.
I have a lot of pictures, stories and thoughts to share as our first post is winding down. 22 days, people. As challenging and downright difficult as these two years have been, I am shocked by how misty eyed I feel. I’ve been keeping notes and planning to update when I have full use of the laptop. I miss this space, my funny little scrapbook. I look forward to catching up with all of you.

pai natal

It’s so much easier to let these holidays slip past without a mention than it is to blow it out all festive and sparkly in this African heat. Though now that we have a bushbaby the former’s not much of an option and I suppose I’d better get used to that. Last year was pretty dull and depressing. No Santa and very little community cheer. It felt like people had their blinders on, only counting down days until departure. This past year our mission has exploded with arriving families. I think the last number I heard was that there are over 50 kids here. When we arrived there were 9, and that’s including my pregnant belly. Kids have a way of forcing our best foot forward. I find myself wanting to make things more and more special for all these little cuties.Last week I invited a couple of girls over to help make cookies. Snakes’ only Christmas request was for an unending supply of kiffles. I’ve made 3 batches now. Each batch makes over 100 cookies. I still have some in the freezer to roll, fill, crimp and bake. After all these years of blogging, it’s the kiffle post that drives the most traffic over, especially this time of year. I get emails from people who grew up in the Allentown-Bethlehem, PA area telling me about their love and nostalgia for kiffles. I love it that memories of a town and season would be linked so strongly to this bite-sized, jam-filled pastry. (An updated kiffle post is on the horizon.)

So with the kitchen wafting sweet buttery jammy perfection, the mood was set. Since there was no Santa last year, Snakes decided to take matters into his own hands and order a suit.  He consulted an actor friend who advised he should loosen and drop his jaw when ”HoHoHo”-ing. His big debut came when he accompanied the Marines to drop off their collection of toys for a local orphanage.

The kids were thrilled, everyone chanting “PAI NATAL!!!! PAI NATAL!!!! PAI NATAL!!!!” as he walked by, scrambling to reach out for a high-five or a hug from Santa. We were undeniably off to a better season this year than last.

On Christmas Eve night, Santa visited embassy homes, dropping off toys and highlighting “naughty and nice” moments from the past year- which parents had fueled him with ahead of time. A friend, dressed in a silky emerald green dress, joined him as his elf and driver. I stayed home, tucking in the Bushbaby and putting the final touches on dinner with the help of Santa’s elf’s husband. (Wait, who?) When they returned, joined by another couple, we ate and drank into the wee hours on this festive and sparkly night before Christmas.Hope you had a cozy and memorable time, surrounded by family and friends. Remembering always to make the best of your situation, whatever and wherever that might be.  Much love and good cheer to you all! 

the sweet magic of Portugal

Back in October, we took our second R and R trip to Portugal. Since the trip to Namibia we had revisited our ambitions and decided to trim the fat and keep things much simpler. Although this meant that much went unexplored, I am thrilled to report that our break was truly relaxing. (Disclaimer: my camera was stolen on the final day of our trip. I hadn’t downloaded even ONE photo of the hundreds I’d taken, nor had I kept a journal since my photos usually tell such a lovely story…sigh. The photos that remain are from Snakes’ point and shoot. Some pretty ones, but just imagine what was lost. Ouch. Or maybe let’s not and just enjoy what’s left.)

Lately, I’ve heard too many stories of parents spending the evenings of their vacations propped up in pillow-filled bathtubs or underneath bedcovers reading kindles or watching movies on iPads with spliced headphones so their babies can sleep. Having experienced varying degrees of this absurdity and defeat ourselves, I decided that if we have options, we are no longer renting hotels. With the help of websites like homeaway and airbnb, we were able to find some great apartments well within our budget.

Our first stop was a week in Lisbon. After a direct overnight flight from Luanda, we arrived predictably disheveled. We rented a place at the Baixa House. THIS is the way forward! They call themselves “serviced apartments”, which means that we had a gorgeous and comfortable 2 bedroom apartment that they straightened daily. While there to tidy, they also replenished our fridge with a simple breakfast of homemade yogurt, fruit, cheese and charcuterie. There were 3 mini-loaves of freshly baked bread hanging on our front door handle each morning. If only every day could start like this, nibbling at our leisure while paging through books to plot our course. Oh- AND there was a countertop espresso machine. Such a luxury! 

Our itinerary was relaxed and it suited us all very well. Snakes had contacted a colleague at the Lisbon embassy and asked if they could recommend any babysitters. I know this sounds a little crazy, at least it did to me, but both ladies came very highly recommended from people that we knew personally. Both were college girls: responsible, confident and very friendly. Not really that much different than getting a referral in the states. Anyway, it afforded us a few nights on the town!

Our first night out, we set off for the Alfama district, famous for being one of the few survivors from the great Lisbon earthquake of 1755. The buildings are ancient; streets, narrow and twisty, connected by steep staircases which rise endlessly between buildings to alcoves and courtyards on the levels above. Illuminated by gas lamps at night, it is hard to believe that people live their lives surrounded by such romance and crumbly beauty. I felt like my heart had been wrung out then stuck to my sleeve, so eager was I to sop this all up with every crust of my being- this sweet delicious sustenance, stay with me ever!

We ducked into a cozy and packed fado place (20 people max) for dinner, drinks and music. I could feel life surging through my body. I couldn’t remember a time where I felt so alive, so present, so grateful for my husband, our daughter, my mom, my dad, my sister, my in-laws (OH! Lord bless and kiss my in-laws!) and everything and everyone that had gotten me to that exact point right then. And then. Just as the warmth of my aperitif began to spread to my toes, the cook stepped away from her duties behind the counter and made her way toward the guitarist. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. Her voice then flooded forth with the intimacy of pure emotion, a vast generational pool of yearning and sadness and loss. Fado music is a profoundly beautiful way to express heartbreak. The resonance hummed through our bodies, filling the restaurant and spilling out into those shadowy ancient streets just as others have done for centuries. I could’ve disappeared right then in a blissful poof. 

Our Lisbon days were filled with hilly, glorious, rambling walks. We explored the city without much of an agenda, stopping at parks or plazas along the way to allow the Bushbaby to stretch her legs. A day in nearby Sintra, inhaling deeply the green and mossy air on our 5 mile hike (oops, wrong road) up the “hill” to the castles. Again, such beauty + such magic= such gratitude. Thank you, thank you, thank you life.

After a little over a week, which included two more nights out, equally as captivating and life affirming as the first, we took the train north to Porto. Snakes had registered to run the Porto Marathon, his 13th! What a powerhouse, that guy. He did well, finishing with a time of 3:28. The Bushbaby and I cheered him on as the race wound its way through town and nearby our apartment, but unfortunately we couldn’t make it out to the finish line as it was not obviously accessible by public transport and taxis were scarce. I was bummed but happy to welcome him back with a nice dinner. (Another bonus to renting apartments!)

Our second week of vacation in Porto was spent much like our first in Lisbon, taking full advantage of the freedom to walk around and explore as we wished. Such a quality of life! Highlights were a day trip to Coimbra, a tour of one of Porto’s namesake cellars on the other side of the river and some crazy delicious pulled pork sandwiches at an out of the way cafe. Because it was the end of the tourist season, many Douro River tours were closed down and we didn’t get the opportunity to chug down the river and admire the vineyards lining the hillsides while sipping one of their many tasty varietals. Between this and the lost images from my stolen camera, I’d say it’s reason enough for a return visit.

*****POST SCRIPT EDIT***** I was just informed that it was actually his 15th marathon.

 

back up to speed

Friends! Family! We’re here!! Much has happened in the time since I last checked in. In fact the growing list of “blog posts I’d like to pen” has been slowly overwhelming me to the point of paralysis. I’ve decided to just do a big flashy whirlwind and later if I feel inspired enough to dedicate an entire post to any one of these subjects I can do so. But for now I just want to hop back on this train and chug forward.

Back in August, our sweet Bushbaby had her first birthday! It was a mellow affair with just the three of us. I made this 3 layer cake with lemon curd between the layers and lemon mousse frosting. Whoa. Did that just make your salivary glands spring to life? Did mine. It was incredibly special and really delicious. The cake topper was one from when Snakes was a kid. Each year it has another little animal with a candle in his car to add to the train. God bless that nostalgic MIL of mine! I’m so glad that she hung onto it.

We FINALLY had the opportunity to take a little walking tour of the old colonial ruins in downtown Luanda. I could have spent the entire day wandering through the crumbly buildings. Our RSO has always advised that we do not explore the city unless in a large group nor should we take our cameras along as the police are known to confiscate them. I took the risk of a few pictures, but I really needed more time than was allowed. Also people on the street do not like having their photo taken. 

A while back, I’d learned through some Chevron friends that just off the coast of Luanda is the migratory path of a massive pod of dolphins and a group of humpback (I think) whales.  Despite the fact that the embassy allegedly has a boat (as reported in post reports back at FSI), there were no organized trips planned. When Snakes asked about the mystery boat, he was told that it was too unfit for use. I was pretty bummed. I thought it would be such a shame to be SO close to this potentially amazing experience (especially when amazing experiences are in short supply) and not be able to make it happen. However! As luck would have it, one of the other moms at my playgroup sent me a last minute email saying that a couple who was scheduled to join them for an outing had cancelled and they now had space for two more. A friend agreed to come by and spend the afternoon with the Bushbaby and we set off for an afternoon on the water. It was magnificent. Great to get out of the city for a few hours, an interesting perspective on Luanda and the bay AND we actually spent a few hours following along side a group of whales. Of course pictures never do justice to these sorts of things. To hear their breath spraying through the surface was awesome. I know this post may lead one to believe that our schedules have been bursting at their seams with action and adventure, but as I’ve illustrated in the past the reality of life here is entirely different. Most days I am inside with little to do besides chase the love bug to and fro. And to be honest, there’s a fair amount of lazing about.

After she goes down for the evening I begin knitting like a fiend. Currently between projects, I am awaiting a yarn shipment from the states. I finished a couple of projects recently, my very first “garments”. The following picture speaks for itself and the bottom is of a lattice topped shell when it was nearly finished. It turned out beautifully and was in solid rotation on our recent trip. Confidence is slowly building to attempt more complex patterns, just in time for our move to a more varied climate! (20 more weeks, people!!!)

Speaking of that recent trip where I wore my cute new sweater with pride, this one decidedly merits its very own blog post. More to come on the beauty and grace of Portugal!

the new style

Mid-August we hopped a plane bound for nearby Namibia for what I believe is our last “adventure vacation” for at least a decade, maybe more. I hate admitting that, but there are some universal truths about parenthood. This is one.  It’s time to tone it down. Ten days of bumping from town to town in a little VW on washboard gravel roads with a 1 year old belted into her car seat is NO ONE’S idea of a good time. Jaw-dropping scenery, roadside baboons and warthog families be damned, LET’S JUST GET THERE ALREADY!!!!!

This vacation was inspiring and refreshing in an exhaustingly different way. In the close quarters of a hotel room, it’s hard to get a respectable nights sleep. I don’t think I had one in those ten days we were gone. I just kept soldiering on. One drizzly morning, trying to get a nice early start for another 7 hour drive, I requested that we locate a cup of coffee before leaving town. Snakes actually had the nerve to say, “I’ll never understand people who absolutely need their coffee in the morning.”  I could smell the smoke coming out of my ears and if not for the fact that the Bushbaby had just dozed off again I may have started screaming, snarling then sobbing. Who says that to a sleep deprived, caffeine deficient bushbaby mama??? Seriously.We arrived Friday afternoon, picked up the rental car and immediately headed toward the dunes. The guide book had assured us that it was a simple 4 1/2 hour drive from the airport to our lodge. I hastily assumed the “quick route” was also the most direct which I plotted on the map. (Turns out I was wrong, though consulting the guide book after the fact, I learned that we’d taken the “most spectacular route”. So there was that.) The “direct route” (or most spectacular, as it were) took nearly twice as long. In fact almost every drive did. Just when you are about 20 minutes past the point of true exasperation, you’ve got about an hour more to go. Namibia is HUGE!!!! We spent one full day “hiking” the dunes. It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced, such a dramatic and lonely landscape. I would have loved to spend entire days watching the light and perspective shifting as the hours slipped on by. As it was, we arrived late, hiked in, snapped a few shots and returned to the lodge to “relax”. The next morning we left for a couple of nights in the coastal town of Swakopmund. From there we drove northeast toward Etosha National Park stopping for one night about an hour and a half south of the park. The next couple of days were spent driving around the park on a self-guided safari. It was a pretty cool experience but I think we were all past our limit for time locked in the car. Bushbabies need their freedom. She’s on the brink of walking and is incredibly eager to show it off to anyone interested in her antics. I made the mistake of letting her “car-seat surf” while we were ambling through the park checking out zebra, giraffe, oryx and elephant herds. Even though it was a temporary solution, you can imagine how compliant she was to be strapped in afterward. I should never have clued her in that there were other options. With our second R&R  just around the corner in October, we’ve decided to rein in our ambitions. Initially I was planning to visit friends in London, then Brussels and maybe swing through Paris for a few days where we could meet up with Snakes and continue on to explore Portugal for another week or so. Haha. That idea makes me laugh, then immediately look around for a place to lie down and take a nap. So we’ve decided to distill it to the most basic and direct: a straight flight to Lisbon, renting an apartment for the week then onward to Porto where we’ll stay for another stretch of time. I want this vacation to take shape around the loose structure of time and location. And the rock solid promise of a nice cup of coffee each morning.

post: luanda, angola- the best and worst

A couple of weeks back, a foreign service blogger who hosts a periodic “round-up” of FS blogs put out the call for blog submissions from the community highlighting the five best and worst things about our current posts. I don’t normally participate because I can’t seem to get on-topic posts up in time to be included (case in point). I decided to take a stab at this one anyway since I felt it was particularly useful for those courting Luanda as an option in this shifting and turbulent world economy. Keep in mind if you are with the oil companies, chances are you will be living south of the city in gated communities. You will most likely have a personal driver. It’s likely you will be handsomely compensated. This is an entirely different experience than being here as a first tour FSO.

Regular blog readers know that this past year and a half has been hugely challenging for me.  Relatively new marriage, new mom, totally new identity. My circumstances are pretty unique. As such my perspective follows suit.

POSITIVES:

1. The biggest blessing about this post might be the fact that it is rumored to be one of the most difficult ones in the foreign service. After our tour here is up any onward assignment should be a breeze. If you ever catch wind of me complaining, you have my permission to clobber me. Many lessons have been learned and I pray that I carry them with me. I have taken so much for granted in my life that it’s embarrassing. 
2. Time to develop your hobbies. Always wanted to learn to knit? Do you have visions of yourself as the life of every future campfire, confidently slipping your harmonica from pocket to lips as your awestricken friends delight in your hidden talent? In Luanda you’ve got two years worth of evenings and weekends to hone your craft. I recently finished a cute little cardigan for a friend of the Bushbaby who is leaving post next week. I am starting my very first (extra simple) sweater for myself. And when Snakes isn’t napping underneath the chevron throw I made last month, he’s busy practicing harmonica chords.
3. The weather is nice for around 6 months of the year. It’s overcast but temperate. The other six? Unrelentingly hot and humid.
4. You can save money. Despite the fact that Luanda is the 2nd most expensive city in the world, you really can save money. Unless, of course, your idea of an irresistibly good time is clubbing til dawn. In which case the cost of living and hardship adjustments to your salary will barely dent your bar bills. With our clubbing days behind us, we’ve been able to squirrel away a decent down payment for a house in DC.
5. Good professional experience for Snakes. Also, with few exceptions, mostly every EFM (spouses of FSOs or USAID workers) is able to get pretty interesting and well paid jobs either at the embassy or with the CDC.

NEGATIVES

1. It’s more difficult and expensive than I imagined to travel regionally. There’s no such thing as $70 weekend fare sales. Our recent 2.5 hour flight to Namibia was over a grand for the two of us. Local travel is discouraged by the RSO unless you organize a group of vehicles and the satellite phone. Not always the easiest thing to plan a quick and anonymous weekend getaway. And let’s be honest, if you’re going with half of your beloved colleagues, is it really a getaway?
2. Traffic is a HOT MESS.  Always pack food, water and a book or magazine every time you leave the house. You will be stuck in traffic, the question is only for how long. I’ve never seen anything like this. The only rule of the road seems to be that there are NO left turns. Whenever I’m out driving I’m overwhelmed with the feeling that I just can’t get there from here. Most of the embassy community is scattered throughout the city and spend hours locked in traffic on their daily commutes. This goes for school aged children as well since the International School is in the southern suburb of Talatona.
3. Household help is comparatively expensive. I imagine many of you must be rolling your eyes at that one, especially since I’m not employed outside of our home. But trust me when I say that it is an absolute necessity. This city is filthy dirty and with two big dogs (one very drooly) it doesn’t take long for our house to become an embarrassment. We have a housekeeper who comes 3 times a week, 6 hours a day and it costs us around 600 USD per month.
4. Isolation. ad nauseam. You all have heard me blather on plenty about this one. I’ll spare you.
5. Boredom. There’s really not much to do besides go to the embassy and walk in circles. I’ve always agreed with that old saying that only boring people are bored. I revisit that theory daily.

We have seven months remaining. I know there will be things I’ll miss. And unfortunately, I know I’ll complain again too soon. But to be perfectly honest with you, I crave the simple freedom to just kick back by a campfire sipping a decent bourbon while the Bushbaby catches a snooze and Snakes plays the blues.

letter to the bushbabe

 

 

Sweet little CoCoMax, in that second you arrived one year ago everything changed forever. Our very own bushbaby, born in sunny Johannesburg, South Africa in the wee hours of the morning. My already messy heart burst wide open. I wanted to be better, do better and make everything better for you. I wanted to finally make good on all the promises I’ve made to myself over the decades. I want to lead by example.You made me a mom and for this I am always grateful. I think it’s my favorite thing about myself now, being your mama. I always knew I’d love it, but had no concept of how much. Every single day there is something else, something new. On the best days, it’s life affirming; on the worst, a valuable reminder to breathe deeply and recognize sleep deprivation as the monster it is. Lately, I watch you crossing the room with your new little rolling cart filled with your favorite books and remote controls, falling down, frustrated but getting back up over and over and over again. My strength is renewed as your dedication and perseverance flow over back to me..Our bushbaby, you have such a good natured goofball personality. We are blessed beyond measure to have such an easy going and healthy little critter such as yourself. Happy first birthday Colette! You are loved so very much by so very many.