no guts…no glory

The books from my awesome, generous and thoughtful sister have arrived. As a result, I am having a hard time taking care of much else. I find my self entirely distracted, eager to soak up as much information as I possibly can about this fascinating country. Until last month when the bid lists came out, my extent of “Angola knowledge” was limited to the prison rodeo at the Louisiana State Penitentiary. I had the pleasure of attending this maximum security hootenanny back in the late 90s when I was living in New Orleans. That’s one t-shirt I wish I’d have hung onto, especially now.

We’ve been contacted by FSOs currently stationed there and others who’ve completed the assignment. A Canadian diplomat, who finished her tour in February, left a comment on my last post and generously offered to answer any questions I have. She calls Angola “an intellectually fascinating country.” After all of the brow-furrowing post reports I’ve read I was delighted to hear, “The infrastructure in Luanda is, frankly, amazing. They are really putting the oil money they’re swimming in to good use- really good (and surprisingly clean!) roads, nice buildings, etc. The situation is really different outside Luanda though- the poverty and lack of infrastructure is obvious, and there is a painful disparity between it and the capital.”

Unfortunately she confirmed rumors of Luanda being one of the most expensive cities in the world. She advised, “You’ll get used to it. Eventually you just sort of stick an extra zero on everything in your head.” I had read that a head of cauliflower costs around $35. (!) I’m starting to view the prices at DuPont circle farmer’s market as TOTALLY reasonable. ($7 for a spindly bunch of asparagus? Wow! Is that mismarked?? What an excellent deal. Rhubarb for 10 bucks a pound? Unbelievable! Fill the bag! I’ll make jam!! Kale, $5 a bundle?? Stop pulling my leg!) Snakes had lunch yesterday with a fellow FSO (with a recent Angolan tour under his belt). From him, we learned that when you go for drinks with friends (and I’m not talking a frat-party Patron-soaked binge here), everyone throws down $100 bill, and often that does not cover the check. Fortunately, we are allowed a COLA (cost of living adjustment) to help compensate. I just wonder how long it will take for my mid-western sensibilities to give way, loosening my white knuckled death grip enough to part with $200 for a burger and fries.

The email from the Canadian diplomat concluded by saying, “I hope this helps. Luanda isn’t an “easy” post by any measure- but it’s a really worthwhile one. I would consider you really lucky to be going- you’re going to be heading into a really energetic country going through a lot of changes all at once, and you get a front-row seat.” With that, confirming my suspicion that this is a way better ticket than the one I had for the prison rodeo over a decade ago. Yeeee-ha!

machete on the flag, y’all

Three days remain of the 153rd A-100 training.  I imagine everyone’s heads must still be spinning from the infamous flag day ceremony on Monday. I am certainly a member of camp vertigo, if not its chief of operations. It’s a ton of information to digest in a small amount of time. My mom and stepdad are en route from Battle Creek, MI, slated to arrive this evening. Snakes’ family arrives tomorrow and Friday morning. All are here for the formal swearing in ceremony taking place that afternoon.  My intention was to cook up a “post-themed” dinner-cocktail party for Friday evening. Imagining tapas and paella with a crisp Albarino if Madrid was announced, maybe some sort of pulled pork tacos with fresh warm corn tortillas, cilantro and lime with citrusy margs if Mexico City, or some version of BiBimBop if Korea was our destination. I’ll admit to not having a plan for Luanda.  How exactly do you ferment cornmeal paste and do you think I can get that rollin’ before Friday?

Before leaving the house Monday afternoon, I seriously considered having a glass of wine, even poured one, but then decided against it because I wanted my wits about me entirely. I regretted this puritanical decision almost immediately upon arrival at the FSI as the pre-ceremony anxiety was as palpable as it was infectious. I settled in next to my fellow spouses, pouring over my high-lighted and dog-eared copy of the bid list, reminding myself to breathe. Ceremony under way, FSOs going up to collect their flags, excitement, disappointment (?), confusion, relief. When Snakes’ name was called as the Angolan flag flashed across the overhead projector, a mispronunciation made me hesitate to understand what I was hearing.

“Wait…. that’s me. I mean him. Wait a minute- What? Where did they say?”

“Luanda, Angola. Did you guys bid that one high???”

Yes. Yes, we did. Our rationale: we are so delighted to have this opportunity, to be members of the FS community, to serve where ever we are needed. (I know it sounds nauseatingly altruistic, but bear with me here). We’ll learn to speak Portuguese fluently. We get to stay in DC until February which means holidays with families and more time to get “Project: Bun in the Oven” up and running.  Snakes will get his “consular” rotation out of the way (which I believe all FSOs must do within the first 5 years). Those logistics all look great.

Now for Luanda in particular… I have MUCH research to do.  I just got an email from Amazon letting me know that my big sis has 3 books about Luanda/Angola/Africa on their way to us. (Thanks lady! You’re the best.) I look forward to discovering some non-biased information, instead of the post reports I’ve come across which seem a little hot headed and emotional. I know it’s going to be very expensive, but so are DC, Paris, and Manhattan. I’ve survived those, pocketbook still intact. I think the important thing is to not be afraid of what I don’t know.  And if it turns out that I am required to defend myself against pythons and aggressive backyard weeds with a machete, you, my friends, will be the first to hear of it.