Well, we have arrived at our home in Soyo on Saturday 2/5/10. Everything is ok here. Miss Kitty made the trip amazingly well…..even came right out of the cat carrier when we got home and began exploring the house. She is a bit jumpy, but with all the new sights and smells, it isn’t surprising.
We had brought 17 bags plus the cat and only could bring two bags, the ice chest and cat on the flight to Soyo because the plane is a very small propeller type and our bags are very heavy. The food was all still frozen even after all the time and that was great. We were told the remainder of the bags to be delivered Monday. Since it is now Wednesday, I'm not exactly sure which Monday they were meaning. Thankfully we moved things around and have a few cooler clothes here in these first bags.
When we left Houston they had an ice storm and it was below freezing….and here it is much warmer which I like…..humid but not overwhelmingly so.....and so good from the skin......
On the Saturday, the day we arrived, we went to the markets to see what was available. I had forgotten how limited the resources are. In the first store there were a few cleaning supplies, rice and juice....no meat or vegetables. The second was much improved and we were able to buy some canned goods.There was something in the frozen section that looked like liver....for $40.00/kg. Thankfully we don't eat liver.....It is very difficult to find food now because with the rainy season, the road to the capital is washed out so the regular shipments of food cannot come through and most of the vegetables we saw in the open market were moldy. I'm not sure when the rainy season ends but then we should be getting more fresh items.
I believe that there are about a dozen foreign families living near us. One Australian couple came by after work to welcome us. I asked them what they eat most nights......and the immediate response was , "rice and beans"......those are both here in plenty supply......Now we have canned chili for tonight but only a few cans here...and the 20 pkgs of dried beans that I brought from the US.......are on the way....in the elusive bags "arriving Monday". Guess I didn't need to bring beans....
I do believe I'm the only fat person here and that must have something to do with the food issue.....so this will work well for Bryan and me to lose weight......'rice and beans'.......our new best friends.....
Ms Kitty is less and less skittish....but yesterday when the workers came to put the lights back into the ceiling where they had fallen out.....another story......Ms Kitty started walking into the room, saw the three men.....rose up on her hind legs and stood like a Meerkat.....then slowly lowered her front feet to the ground and backed out of the room.....weirdest thing I've ever seen.....this standing on her back legs in the middle of the room, the bed,
wherever.....she is interesting and fits in here well....
It has been very interesting leaving home this time. I’m not sure why but I found myself much more teary and more emotional. Perhaps it is the stress of the past days before we left……getting the packing done and racing here and there. Perhaps it is because this is the first time since the 70’s that I have moved without one or more of the kids with me. I don’t know. Even thinking about it causes me to tear up. I know that since I was unable to sleep on the plane, that adds to the emotion…..but I want to say that I am so thankful that this move has finally happened and we are settling in here.
I am looking forward to meeting with the woman who is in charge of community outreach and finding what the options are to be involved.....and more than that, seeing how God is going to open a place of service here. I must say it is very exciting just thinking about the possibilities.
No comments:
Post a Comment