The Odyssey

Today, I thought I would talk about some things here that are unique or really surprised me. Weave - Probably 75% of the people here are walking around with weave. This really surprised me. I'm assuming it must be pretty cheap to buy because poverty is real over here. I've been trying to figure out how to sneak a picture because it is installed in a very interesting way. Some people have tracks but for most it is different. At the root, it looks almost like palm rolled dreads. So...I think...the natural hair is palm rolled and then the weave is somehow glued onto that. I know I didn't describe it right but I'll get a pic one day. Just know there's a lot of weave and most of it looks a mess. So, these people hook a trailer up to the back of a motor bike and make it into a taxi. I haven't been able to get a good pic so this will have to do. I have seen like 15 people hanging onto the back. Crazy...dangerous. Women walking around with stuff on their ...

So, we are having a little issue around these parts. Danae is mad at the world right now. When Dwayne told her we were moving, she cried like a crazy person. This was expected though because she would miss her friends and family and all that. Then, she had a few moments of excitement about this move. Well, since she started school, we have gone back to the bottom. The problem...friends. She says that she doesn't have any friends. She says people don't like her and are talking about her. I think she's part of the problem. Now, my daughter tends to be a bit shy around new people and I get that. She met a little girl on the first day who has been talking to her and being very friendly. But, that little girl has other friends who don't know Danae and Danae isn't trying to know them too much either. As a matter of fact, when I walked her to class one day, another little girl spoke to her and she barely opened her mouth. I've been trying to tell her that she has to ...

After landing and finally getting through customs and getting all the bags loaded, we headed to our new house. We are living in a compound (just a glorified gated community) called Monte Belo Condominio. It is filled with 100 houses that are almost exactly the same. The only difference is one of the outside walls is painted a different color. Ours is gray. Our house was renovated before we got here because it began sinking and breaking when the previous tenants lived here. We have heard that all the houses here have had foundation issues because they were not built properly. Hopefully, ours will last for 3 years before falling apart again. So, the house is about 4000 sq ft. It has 3 bedrooms, an office, a game room, 5 1/2 bathrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen, pantry, laundry room. It's also 2 story, which made the kids happy because they've wanted that for a while now. It came furnished but not all how we expected. For instance, we were told (and shown on our visit)...

I suppose it is time to dust off the old blog now. For those who don't know, my husband has a job assignment in Luanda, Angola for the next 3 years. We prayed about this and felt this was the right choice for our family at this time. Dwayne applied for his work visa and got it back in 1 month. We were told to expect a wait of 4-6 months. The children and I applied for our visas and 2 came back in 1 day with the other 2 arriving the following week. So, the task of moving to Angola was not an easy one. This is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Also, while things are greatly improving, it is also a city lacking a lot of the things we are accustomed to having in the States. So, we spent a lot of $$ to buy things that we may need over here for the next 3 years (or at least until we make it back to Houston next summer). We arrived at the airport on August 26th with 32 pieces of luggage to check in and about 6-7 more as carry-on items. Don't believe me, here's pro...