It has been quite some time since I took the time to write about living here in Soyo, Angola. I believe this is in part due to the sameness of most days and yet there is something different each day that makes time here quite satisfactory.
I have been working on quilts for family members and friends. Completed a wall hanging for Valentines day that I had carried from Thailand to the USA and finally have had the time here in Soyo to complete it and hang in before the actual Valentines day. It really is quite nice. I had to make it larger than first expected because the existing huge nails in the wall needed to be covered but when we live elsewhere, it will be a good throw for the sofa or something for the grand babies to lay on or cover up with.
Speaking of grand babies....we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our second grand child. He or she is due any day and so each time the phone rings, I find my heart racing and I hope that it is an international call with news that Sophie and Justin are on their way to the birthing center or that the baby has arrived.
We are planning to go to the USA next month to spend the time with our children that we couldn't spend over Christmas due to visa issues. It coincides well with the birth of this new baby.
Now about Soyo.....we are in a drought.....only a few sprinkles this year. The rainy season starts in December and continues to mid May but here it is nearly March and still no rain to speak of. Now this does allow for trucks to come from Luanda, the capital, with food and supplies....but the local people are losing their Casava crops and recently there have been 65 cases of Cholera with 9 deaths in Soyo. This is due to the lack of water. I find this interesting because normally people have a Cholera outbreak with flooding....but this time it is due to drought. Therefore our trips to the mission schools to help the first and second graders have been postponed for health and safety. This is quite sad.
Before Warren, the wildlife man, left for his time off he graciously brought by my home two reptiles that he was relocating. One was a turtle....similar to our box turtle.....and the other was a good sized water lizard..... Now this was, once again, something new in this area. Warren says that in South Africa where he has a farm there are many water lizards like this one but not as brightly colored and striped. This lizard played dead while we held it and then when Warren put it back into the carrying case, it began to whip it's tail and show it's true disgust at being manhandled. Warren is so very careful with all of the wildlife he finds and relocates far from populated areas.
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| Note how relaxed the lizard is.....playing dead...... |
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| the tail is flat and it swims like a crocodile |
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| box turtle |
Just this week we received an email from one group that found a group of three Jackals in the wild. This is so exciting because there is so little wildlife here except snakes and garden lizards. Most were killed years ago but now that there is no longer fighting, the animals are returning. Makes us hope for the return of some of the big animals like giraffes, lions, elephants and the like. I'm sure it will take some time for this to happen but it is encouraging to see the Jackals. Here is what was sent to us:
We had an interesting wildlife sighting this last week which I thought I would share as it is a first time record for the project. Early on Monday morning the Angola LNG supervisor Joao, spotted a group of three Side- Striped Jackals (Canis adustus) near the pipeline camp. He managed to take a number of good photos including the ones below. These animals are mainly nocturnal and not often seen during the day. Although this is a first record for the project this area does fall within the known range of this species and they are fairly common. They are usually seen alone or in pairs. These three animals together is more than lightly a female with her offspring.
We have had several times to get together with the wives here. First was the farewell to our friend, Bhavna. She is going back to her home in Australia to be with her son as he graduates from college as well as time to be with her daughter. She had been waiting for 2 months for her visa renewal and now will need to get a new visa before she can return but expects to be back around end of April or May.
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| Bhavna, Debbie, Melania, Mary Ann, Mo |
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| Kris, Anna and baby Amaira Lee |
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| Mo, Bhavna, Eileen |
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| Melania, Joan |
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| Kris (R) and me |
Then the next day was Valentine's day and Melania, our friend from Venezuela, hosted a luncheon at her home. It was a delightful time. She prepared the best Lasagne and each of us brought a side dish. It is times like these that make us feel more content....at least it does for me. There is such a variety of nationalities that we live among and each brings such a pleasant variation of experience, culture and food......always a good thing.
