Life in Luanda: An Update

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Sarah

I know it’s been a while. In some ways it’s hard to recount your life when it becomes very normal and routine even if you are living in a foreign country. I’m grateful for the normalcy, but it doesn’t make for very exciting blog posts. To catch up I’ve listed bullet points below and included photos at the end of the post. We leave on our first short trip this Thursday and we are all looking forward to it!

Yesterday marked seven weeks we have been in Luanda. Jordan and I both agreed that it feels longer. I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing. Maybe it’s both. On one hand, we have settled in fairly quickly and living here feels very normal. On the other hand, we have had to jump through a lot of hurdles.
Our shipment will not arrive until May 9. There were groans, rolled eyes, some tantrum throwing and general bad attitudes when we found this out. The kids weren’t happy either. We leave for Texas in mid-June so at this point, I’m hoping I can get everything unpacked and put away before we leave for the summer. Yes, I’ve already calculated that I will only have a little over four weeks with my beloved coffee maker before we leave.
Our fifth week here was tough. I think we all hit a wall. The realization that we aren’t on vacation and that we actually live here sank in. I keep saying it because it’s true, but the good is really good and the hard is really hard. The kids miss certain things in America… mainly food and things like their bikes, rollerblades, and some toys. Jordan and I were both in a funk which is saying a lot because Jordan doesn’t get in a funk easily. I logically knew “the dip” was coming as we had been warned it happens, but I thought we were all doing so well. And we are, but it’s normal to have a hard week regardless of where you live. I’m happy to report that after that week we all perked up a bit.
Hudson is obsessed with tennis. OBSESSED. I think he has played at least 3-4 hours each day of our holiday weekend. Whether or not this obsession will stick or goes the way of golf, baseball, and soccer is TBD, but I’m happy he is outside playing and not arguing with me about screen time.
Today is Mardi Gras and Hudson desperately wants a King Cake. I’m doing my best to make one, but I’m using a large water bottle as a rolling pin so I hope his expectations aren’t too high.
Lucy has started taking tumbling and hip hop classes at a local studio. The instruction is all in Portuguese, but it’s a great way for her to pick up the language and luckily with dancing you just need to follow along.
One day last week the water just stopped working while I was in the middle of a shower. I had just lathered up my hair with loads of Pantene when all of the sudden the water pressure dropped. I thought… maybe Paula turned the water on somewhere else in the house, but that never has caused the water to just stop. Turns out… we just didn’t have any water. I had no idea why. After a panicked WhatsApp message to a group of friends I tried to flip the breakers. No water. Someone suggested turning a valve on the ground outside. No water. Unfortunately, it is the Chevron employee (Jordan) who is the only one who can submit a “ticket” for a work order which makes no sense because usually the Chevron employee is at work while their spouse is running around in a towel with shampoo in their hair trying to solve the water problem. Jordan was home, but in a meeting, so I snuck into his office to get the name, email or phone number of anyone I could call. After texting, gesticulating and sighing loudly to get his attention I finally had an email address. As I’m sending an urgent email Paula tells me she is just going to walk down to the administration office and tell them to come fix it. Bless this woman. Before she left though she pointed at my hair and made a face like… is that what it normally looks like? At least I had some comic relief. They came and about two hours later the water was fixed.
I’ve started taking Pilates two days a week. It’s SO HARD! The instructor will demonstrate movements that look easy, but that I can barely execute. It’s nice to change up my workout a bit! I’m still taking tennis lessons and would like to think I’m getting better, but I’m not really sure.
Jordan is still mountain biking most weeks. A couple of weeks ago we met him at Shipwreck Beach once his ride was done. Shipwreck Beach is north of the city and derelict ships are stored there until they are completely scrapped. Getting there was an adventure. At one point I wasn’t sure if the company van we were in was going to be able to clear a section of the road, but it did and we ended up on a very deserted beach. Some of the other bikers brought grills so we cooked food on the beach and enjoyed the company. I’m glad I’ve seen Shipwreck Beach, but I don’t need to go back. That box has been checked and I prefer the beaches south of the city.
Cooking here is getting a little easier. Most of our meals are vegetarian because the meat here isn’t very good. I’ve found a new to me website – cookieandkate.com – that is my go-to while we are in Angola. If you are looking for some vegetarian meals I suggest checking it out.
Access to money is still hard. We have the cash we brought with us, but that won’t last us until June. We obviously have money in our US bank account, but getting it transferred into kwanzas and into our local bank account is incredibly challenging. Angolan banking laws are arcane. I *think* we have figured out a solution, but nothing seems guaranteed here.
I say that because a week ago Saturday, Jordan and I went to lunch. On our way out, he decided to use the multicaxia (ATM) machine so that we can get an app to make bank transfers. Yes, it’s confusing. Use the ATM machine so you can get an app so you can make transfers from your phone. This would be very helpful as we have several coaches to pay each week (swim, soccer, tennis, dance). The machine is in Portuguese and it kept timing out as Jordan figured out the translation. Each time it timed out he would insert the card again using the CORRECT pin number, but he used it too many times within a certain time frame. The machine KEPT OUR CARD!! The screen went red, an angry face appeared, and from what I gathered it basically said “you’re out of luck.” The one debit card we share between us is gone! All the kwanzas we have in our account we can’t access. The bank is only open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays so Jordan had to go back to the bank to get another card.
We went to the beach again this past Saturday. Going to Cabo Ledo, an area south of Luanda, is quickly becoming one of our favorite things to do here. The kids took surfing lessons and had a blast. They had so much fun they both took two surfing lessons! Lucy’s instructor stabilized her board so she was able to get up on her surf board fairly quickly. It took Hudson longer since his instructor wasn’t stabilizing his board, but after he stood up once he got up on the board every other time. We had fresh grilled lobster on the beach and it was delicious. Going to Surfer’s Beach is such a fun thing to do with friends and I wish I could take all my friends “back home” there.
Speaking of friends, we feel incredibly fortunate to have met some really great people here. Living abroad is such a wonderful opportunity and one of the best things about it is becoming friends with other expats!
The kids are enjoying the new friends they are making. We have had several birthday parties the past few weekends at our rec center and other playdates with friends.
Lucy and I went and got our nails done yesterday. We really enjoyed the salon and the owner, Lucia, was so kind! She and Lucy hit it off so much so that she didn’t charge us for Lucy’s manicure and pedicure. She gave us her number so we could book services in the future. I really enjoyed our experience there!
This week we head to Cape Town, South Africa for five days. We are looking forward to it! Stay tuned for our South African adventures!