Christmas in Soyo

Christmas in Soyo.....this is a very different celebration.....and one that has its unique times of enjoyment.  Because there are some of us that are not with our families in our home countries, we tried to make the time here even more festive.....and I believe it worked....and helped us all to have times when we weren't just feeling loss and wishing we were with family......The town is decorated with streamers made of the blue and white striped plastic bags torn in strips and coke or beer cans to keep the streamers in place  across the road.

Kris suggested we have a progressive dinner on Christmas Eve.   We  started at our home with appetizers.....Vietnamese spring rolls, baked tomatoes with herbs and cheese, artichoke and spinach dip with crackers, cheese selection and smoked salmon and Bahvna brought Pokora's and a chip called Pappendal.... and what was the most enjoyed????  The tomatoes.....because they are so difficult to find..... and the chips. 

 

Next we went to Mo and Pat's home for a fabulous mushroom cappuccino...a favorite of our daughter, AManda....see how you come back to family even in the menu?   On to Kris and Craig's for the main course of turkey, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and green bean casserole as well as a garbanzo curry for those who are vegetarian.....all of the ingredients carried into Soyo for this event.....  Then on to MaryAnn and Mike's for dessert....a buffet of cakes, Christmas pudding and cookies.  It was really wonderful.....and we walked throught the neighborhood to each home....allowing us to be ready for the next course.  Each of us will remember this time very fondly in future years.

On Christmas I cooked a Christmas dinner for Bryan, our pastors that have opened an English speaking church here.....he is from Angola and she is Ugandan and several others who are alone here.  The pastors have a 28 month old VERY active and sweet little boy....and we also invited Marisa, who helps care for Ms Kitty when we are out of the country, Rosalio...one of the Angolan engineers and Gene, a single resident here.  Others had been invited....Bert and Greg....but the were unable to come.

Now I have cooked Christmas dinner many times but with two major differences and I share these just to let you know how things are here......  For many years I had a wonderful helper, Nu, who really did all the cooking...and I took some of the credit....like for setting the menu....not that this is difficult to do since we have traditions in our home.....We moved back to the USA, our daughter, Amanda, loves to cook and she would help me a lot!!!  Whatever you needed you just went to the local store....Albertsons or Safeway....and picked it up and if you forgot something.....as long as you got to the store before noon, it was available.....  Not the same here so I planned well, I thought......even taking into account the size of our "barbie" size oven ....  Care was taken to buy an appropriately sized turkey.....only $75.00 but well worth the price.....but what I forgot is the small size can only take one thing at a time to bake and that the baked sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie could not be in the oven at the same time......  Now thankfully one couple in our neighborhood is in the USA and I am watching their home for leaks if it rains.....or if the air conditioners act up.....and so I was able to bake the pie at their house and when the turkey was finished, put the sweet potatoes in at mine.  It all worked quite well..... and I gave up on rolls.....we had enough food as it was.  I also made mashed potatoes and gravy.  It was funny because the Angolans asked it this was "funge" (pronounced 'foonge') a similar looking dish made of cassava root.....but it is very sticky and has no butter or milk.....instead you put a very spicy Gindungu sauce on it for flavor.  The feeling seems to be that if you don't have Funge, you haven't really had a meal.....  

Now the pumpkin pie....I must talk about that.  I looked on Allrecipes.com and found a pie crust that you make in the pie pan....called 'easy pie crust'.  I have never in my life made a pie before Christmas so the reviews were all very positive and I tried it.  It was flaky as the reviews said but so flaky that the edge just crumbled.  Still tasted good.  Then Allrecipes had a delicious pumpkin pie recipe not made with evaporated milk as I have always put into my store bought pie crust.....but with sweetened condensed milk.....very positive reviews....so I gave that a whirl and it was fabulous.....seriously!!!  I will try that again in the future. 

After the meal we played Rock Band and enjoyed our time together.  I know that this Christmas meal helped the new pastor and his wife feel less lonely for their extended families in other places too.

As I have said before, Christmas is a time for us to remember Jesus' birth and the wonderful gift He is to us and why He was born.....and it is a time to share with family and friends.....of giving and receiving and altho we had no presents....our driver, Mafuene, met us on the road while we were going from home to home during the progressive dinner....he had noticed that we did not have a Christmas tree....so he bought us one with lights and garland.....and brought it to us......  Now remember, when I looked for Christmas lights in Luanda...the capital....I found one strand....of 96 lights for $80.00.....so I don't know where he got this tree or the lights and garland....but it was truly a sweet gift that we will cherish wherever we live in the world.

The day after Christmas Mafuene came by the house with his wife and two daughters.  The eldest is Laura and the baby is Bryana Margaret Mafuene.  It was really nice to get to finally meet the baby and to be able to greet his wife and daughter.

I hope all of you who read this blog had a Merry Christmas and will have a wonderful New Year.....

Learning Portuguese

Finally Bryan and I have started taking language lessons.  Is this because I think I am going to get a job here?  Well, the hope is continuing but it is really because if we are going to live here in Soyo, it is important to learn the language to be able to communicate with the people who live here.  We have asked our gardener to teach us.  He told us he is a teacher and he does work with his children and helps them with their school work.  He is an interesting man.....and has had an interesting life.  He told us today that he spent many years in the military here in Angola and in neighboring countries in the 70's through the 90's....then he worked in security and finally two years ago resigned that job and became a gardener.  He is caring for 3 of his children here in Soyo while his wife stays with one in Luanda and he even has a daughter living in Qatar with his sister.  He is patient with us but demands we repeat and repeat the lessons.  We like him very much.  He is also encouraging and tells us that we will learn quickly.....we hope so...

I have had the opportunity to see the clinic on the base that will be used for Occupational Health for the base being built here.  Dr's Artur and Gabriella from Brazil invited me to go with them to see the place and make recommendations.....it was enjoyable and quite a surprise to see the facilities.....

There are few of us here at this time.  We are having a progressive dinner on Christmas Eve.....  One of the ladies asked if we had any tradition for Christmas Eve in our home.....and it is new pajamas for all... but this was not feasible here.....as there are about 20 of us involved in the progressive dinner.  Still am getting the pajamas for the kids to have for Christmas Eve at their homes.  Hope they will send a photo.

So at the progressive dinner I'm going to provide the appetizers.....Spring Rolls, Spinach and Artichoke dip, Cheese cubes, and maybe sausage bites if I can't find small tomatoes in the market for a herb and cheese dish....you never know with the market.....Bhavna, an Indian woman here, is going to bring Pakoras to share.  Then we will go to another home for soup, on for the main dinner and finally the last house for dessert.  It will be an enjoyable evening, I believe.

We have found an International Church here.....in English.....and the pastor is Angolan, his wife is from Uganda and they have a little boy.  They are going to join us for Christmas dinner along with the two rotators that will be here......it is difficult not to have family with you on the holidays...and this will help all of us enjoy the day more....  We are going to have Turkey here at our home with all the usual fixins....  I am actually looking forward to making this meal....

This is our first Christmas away from our children and here in Soyo.  We are going to make this a memorable day.....and rejoice at the memory of Jesus' birth......

Children's Christmas Party at the Municipal Hospital

This week we had a Christmas party for the children who are patients at the local hospital.  The group that hosted this is the one that is in charge of outreach to the community and planned by Marjorie and her group did a really good job.  When they first met with the staff at the hospital there were 15 children as in patients.....when we came for the party the number had grown to 35 and the children were all quite ill.  There were games planned that meant running around a circle and throwing a bean bag but the children were too ill to really participate.

The helpers arrived with a carved wooden three dimensional tree to play toss the bean bag.  They stayed and helped throughout the party and it was enjoyable to see them having such a good time too.

MaryAnn had planned and prepared for a coloring craft with the children  but again, because they were so listless, they did not seem interested so we encouraged the mothers to come and color in their places and they seemed to love this.  Many did not want to put the ornaments that they decorated onto the large trees prepared for them but rather up them on the small trees they could color and take with them.  I must say that watching these mothers and babies brought tears to my eyes.  We have so much and these women are doing the best that they can with what they have and just a little party with creative things to do seemed to brighten their day.






Of course Santa was there in his red suit.  He spent time with each of the children that could come out for the party but also with those in the hospital that were unable to leave their beds.  He brought candy and small gifts of food and snacks for the children and then also gave each one a larger wrapped gift at the end of the party.

There were two little boys who were family of patients, I believe, at the party and the really enjoyed the games.

 The game that was played was just like "duck, duck, goose" and the staff joined in as did the two little boys.  Then they sang and it was quite enjoyable for everyone in attendance.
 

It is interesting that no matter where you are in the world, people want a picture of their children on Santa's lap and the reaction of the little ones seems to be universal....and it makes me smile.

Tonight is the office Christmas party at the Nimpanzu Hotel.  We plan to go and join in the festivities with the staff.

I must say that being here in Soyo for Christmas and far from our children and grand daughter is so very different than we have ever spent this time of year...... but then I think that yes, Christmas is about family and gifts and being together but it is even more about remembering how Jesus came to this earth, far from His Father to bring us the greatest gift of all.....the gift of eternal reconciliation with God....and I am so very thankful.  I also realize that I am content to be here this year.

15 flights in 24 days....What a Vacation!!!!

Here it is December 1st and I am back in Soyo again.  The rains should have started while we were on vacation but they have only had light rains here so far.  The roof repair has really not been tested....we will need a strong blowing rain to check if the repair is successful.  I surely hope it is and am also glad that Marisa, the sweet girl who stayed at our home to care for Ms Kitty while we were gone, didn't have to deal with the waterfall wall in the guest room.....the room where she stayed.

Our vacation was incredible!!!  We were gone for 24 days.....took 15 flights during that time.....and travelled to 3 countries outside of Angola.  Here is the flight schedule.......the charter from Soyo to Luanda (the capital of Angola)....then to Dubai, UAE, to Jakarta, Indonesia, to Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, the charter to Bontong, East Kalimantan where the graduation was for the trainees that had been there for 6 months..... then back to Balikpapan and on to Surabaya, East Java and on to Denpasar, Bali where we stayed several days...back to Jakarta for a few days to see the place and shop....on to Bangkok, Thailand for 10 days where we also spent time in Pattaya and went fishing......back to Jakarta to fly to Dubai and then Luanda and finally the charter to Soyo.....

I have tried to think of the highlights of the trip and here are some of the best, I think.....Flying from Soyo to Luanda I found that there is a seat belt extension available.  These seats on the charter are very small with some sort of box under each one so no place that is 'long leg' area and the seatbelts are for the thinnest of people or at least thinner than me......I was much relieved to have the seatbelt extension for the 1/2 inch that the belt didn't fasten......much safer way to fly....We spent an overnight in Luanda and were able to have dinner on the bay.....with friends from Soyo.....it was really delightful....

In Dubai we only had a short time between flights but it was amazing to see all that was available
there.....Since that was the beginning of the trip, we didn't really purchase anything.....waiting for Indonesia and Thailand and the return trip to Dubai

Now I need to let you know what an amazing husband I have.  His ticket was business class to Bontong and return since he was on company business.  Our friends, Andy and Jan, were also going on this trip and Andy was on business also.  Well, our husbands gave up the seats.....not just one leg of the trip but the entire time.....and allowed Jan and me to fly in the more comfortable seats and they flew economy which was full both ways.  A true gift of love from them......  Bryan said it was because my legs are longer and would have been less comfortable....but he just was giving me a gracious gift.....and I loved it.

While in Bontong we enjoyed the graduation ceremonies of the students.  The school there at PT Badok had some of the local school children come to sing and play instruments.  It was delightful.



The  trainees surprised us with the fact that many of them had learned some Indonesian while there and had really seemed to enjoy the culture while learning their skills as operators.  Jan and I spent several days at the local souvenir street with shops selling batik and jewellery made in the area.  It was interesting that the batik fabric was not the traditional cotton that we found on Java but more of a mixture of cotton and other processes.  After coming back to the street the 3rd time, the families that owned most of the shops brought us food and had their parents come out and visit with us.  It was really charming and made us feel so welcome.  We went back the day we were leaving and it was like greeting old friends.....very sweet.

We also spent time at the local pharmacy buying medications that we need here in Soyo and aren't available.  It was great that we could just go into the pharmacy and give a list of antibiotics and other medications and then purchase them without all the limitations we find at home.

From Bontong we flew via Balikpapan to Bali and were taken to a delightful hotel in Nusa Dua.  Our rooms overlooked the beach and were lovely with a spa tub outside the room on the balcony for privacy.  We were so busy that we never got the chance to use ours.  Bryan and the others had several meetings and then we went to two different places for lunches and dinners.  The first was up on a hillside overlooking a portion of the ocean.

We took a cable car down the mountain to the beach.....it was so amazing.  The other place was up in the wood carving area and it was overlooking rain forest with white water rafters far down in the valley below.  We could hear them laughing and enjoying themselves as we sat and ate lunch.  Fabulous.  Each of these places took some time on the bus and I had left Angola with a rather severe cough....although I was taking medication, the cough continued and one day the bus driver just pulled over at the side of the road and bought me water to try to ease the coughing.  I was rather embarrassed, I must say.  It didn't help much but the thought was very sweet.  I believe we all could have stayed longer in Bali but we needed to stay with the plan of the trip and the air tickets we had pre purchased.

When we arrived in Jakarta it was amazing that after these few days my Indonesia language was returning rapidly.  We had lived in Indonesia 1976 through 1982 and I had become quite passable in the language.  Bryan is fluent. Throughout the 10 days that we were there, it was incredible.....I would check with Bryan to make sure that the new phrases were correct....but daily the fluency increased and it was great!!!!   We went sightseeing, shopping at new places and returned to some of the favorite old ones like Blok M and Jalan Surabaya....and went to a cultural show.

Andy and Jan with the Dance Troupe

Now the hotel told us this was one of the oldest and the only remaining dinner and show in Jakarta. I'm not sure but this was family run and been quite famous in the days of President Suharto (1967-1998).  The patriarch of the family had died recently and the family was trying to carry on...so when we arrived at the place we were greeted by the mother, I believe, who was welcoming and took us to our table.  We waited for some time for others to arrive but none did.  Two musicians played local instruments while the beginning of the dinner was served for the 4 of us and then the mother came out to dance.....and the evening continued with music and one dancer at a time on the stage. Then there was an interactive time when music was played and sung...."Home on the Range" and "You Are My Sunshine"....played on the traditional instruments of the Kulingtan and Angklung with bass guitar back up.The Kulingtan is made from bamboo and played by shaking the instrument.  It along with the Angklung is a lovely sound but causes the music to be played very slowly. Then the performers asked for audience recommendations for other songs.  This was very difficult because we don't know many Indonesian songs and didn't know if current western songs would be known by the group.  We did ask them to sing the two children's songs that we sang with Jeremy, our eldest child, while we lived in Indonesia..."Naik, Naik Ke Punck" (a song about going up the mountain called Puncuk).....and "Burung Kakatua" (a song about a Cockatoo and a grandmother).  These are children's melodies that the entertainers seemed to enjoy remembering and we sang along with them.... This little entertaining family are holding on to the cultural dances of the country and trying to continue with the father's dream.  It was interesting and a bit of a sad evening........

Next we flew to Bangkok and spent four days in the city......there had been terrible flooding in the country...the worst in 50 years....but the center of Bangkok was not affected.  This weekend was the first that Chatucak, the weekend market, was open for the first time in a month, I believe.  We stayed at the JW Marriott Hotel where we had stayed when we left Thailand 7 years ago.  That was a wonderful hotel right in the downtown shopping area.  We met with our dear friends Nu and David and Karen Fitzstevens.  What a great time of shopping and stopping to eat great Thai food.

We also met with another friend, Gail Beckwith, who is very interesting....She and her family lived in Cambodia many years ago and so she speaks fluent Khmer.  She now has lived in Thailand for quite some time and speaks fluent Thai.  She has started an outreach to the women at road marker 13 in Cambodia and she has taught them to quilt.  She buys the fabric in Thailand....really good fabric...some even from Jim Thompson....and goes by bus to the boarder then takes a truck or motorcycle into Cambodia and works with the ladies making sure that the quilts will be beautiful and marketable.  She carries the finished products back to Thailand to be sold.  She is absolutely amazing with her love for these women and desire to help them find a way to support themselves.  Jan and I went to her home to look at the quilts.  She said it had been difficult because so many of the scheduled venues for a sale had cancelled due to the flooding and she was wondering how she would be able to meet the salaries of these women.  She told us this after we had made our selections and said she was praying about the need and then Jan and I came and we bought as many quilts as she would have sold at one of the cancelled dates.  We were thrilled to have these and she was happy to sell them.

Next we went to Pattaya, a coastal city and the place near where Jan and Andy had lived 14 years ago.  We were able to go to see where they had lived and they were so surprised at how things had changed over the years.  They had spent 3 years in Rayong with their children.  This time we stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel.  The next day we went fishing.  Now this was a frequent relaxation for our family while we lived in Thailand.  We would go to the beach, rent a boat and go out and fish with usually drop lines on a Styrofoam block.  This time we actually had rod and reels but with the drop line idea of two hooks and a very heavy weight on the line.  We caught about 24 fish and then went to the beach where we used to go and have the people there clean and cook some of the fish and the rest we would give the boat man.

We have been gone from Thailand only 7 years but boy has it changed.  The little beach we went to is now set up with lounge chairs and umbrellas and there were many Russians vacationing at the beach.  The fish was still cooked by the family there and delicious but the idea of a remote beach.....like Robinson Crusoe.....not there any longer.....  When we went back to the hotel Jan and I enjoyed spa treatments of facial and I had a back rub....it was great.  So relaxing...........

Finally we returned to Bangkok and this time stayed on the Chao Praya river at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel.  This is a lovely hotel right next to River City shopping.  Now this was the only place where we felt less than satisfied.  In each hotel in Thailand we stayed on the Executive floor which provides breakfast and light dinner in the evening.  At the JW Marriott they even cooked the food right at the lounge and it was great.  At the Hard Rock Hotel in Pattaya they brought you what you ordered from their menu and it was very good.  At the Sheraton they had a dinner dress code....and if you didn't meet it, you were not allowed into the lounge...and one of the women at the desk made it her mission to remind Jan and me several times a day of what the dress code for the evening was even though we had not ever ignored it.  This woman, I called 'mean girl' was very frustrating and accusatory and this is so not the Thai culture of courtesy and helpfulness.  Finally Bryan had to tell her that the only one losing face by her attitude was her......and she ceased her behavior.  This left a bad taste in our mouths and I know I will not stay at the Sheraton on the river again......

 On Thanksgiving day we had a memorable evening on the only remaining antique rice barge still in service.  We were floating up and down the Chao Phrya river looking at the beautiful lights along the river bank.  The food was not Turkey as is the custom for us but a delicious variety of Thai dishes served at our table.  There were two lovely Thai women that performed traditional Thai dances while we ate.  it was an evening we will never forget.

Jan and I had two priorities during our time in Bangkok....one was to get our hair cut and styled and for this we travelled across Bangkok to the JW Marriott to have the hair stylist at the hotel give us a cut and style......it was wonderful!!!!  The other priority was a trip to Bumrunggrad Hospital to see the dermatologist.  I wanted to have Dr. Supatra clean up some of the age spots that I have been gathering over the years.  She did this for me before we left Thailand in 2004.  So we went to see her and she set us up for laser treatments that day....which was good because we were leaving the next morning.  It was quite amusing when the nurse put the anesthetic cream she put tape to hold it in place......scotch tape.....so I had to sit in the waiting room for an hour with this white cream covered with scotch tape......and Jan just cracked up when she saw me......afterwards the doctor used two types of laser to removed blemishes....and told us that the bruising and scabbing would go away in a week to 10 days......what were we thinking?????  We travelled back to Angola looking like we had Chicken Pox......and one of Bryan's staff was on the flight from Dubai and asked me, "What happened to your face?"  I told him I had a treatment in Thailand and asked him if he thought I got my money worth.....he just stared at me......

Our last night in Bangkok Karen and David Fitzstevens, Judi Utley (from Chiang Mai), Andy and Jan and Bryan and I met and enjoyed the buffet at the Sheraton.  It was delightful and a wonderful end of a great vacation.....



Early the next morning we left for Jakarta and then on to Dubai where we spent the night....and were able to sleep in the wonderful hotel and the next day on to Luanda again.  Jan and I remained in Luanda for one day to cash a check and buy some food for Soyo.  We didn't know how much food would be in the market here if the rains had been fierce.....actually there is a lot of food available and we went shopping yesterday here.  

Great news!!!  On the way back to Soyo on the charter, I was able to fasten the seat belt without the extension!!!!!  Certainly an encouragement as we return here.

What a wonderful vacation we had.....so restful and renewing for our husbands that work so hard.  I had a moment of hesitation when returning here and realizing that we will be here for the Christmas holidays due to visa needs and felt sad but today am back to being glad I'm here in Soyo once again.

I am sorry that this has taken 7 days from writing to upload to the blog....took me this much time to go through all the photos and decide what to include.....I didn't add the scotch tape on the face in Bangkok.  Just too much.....