London was beautiful. The weather was fantastic, being free to walk around where ever I wanted and still feel safe and eat whatever I wanted was even better. Lots of wonderful sights to see and things to do and shopping around every corner. I thought Luanda was an expensive place to be but London is very high as well especially compared to the US. I will never complain about a $10 steak or a meal that cost my entire family $50-$60 USD because that is nothing compared to where I live and where I have visited. I also think I have finally gotten used to the very, very, very slow life style here in Luanda. In London I always felt like I was being ran over or made to rush to do everything. People were always in a hurry and running. There were a few people that we had encounters with and we felt they were very rude. Maybe not rude in their culture because I felt that was how they acted towards each other but coming from the US it felt rude to me. I realize the differences in cultures a lot more now that I have lived and been to different places. I remember when my maid was yelling at my driver over the phone and I asked him if she was mad and he said no. Kenny told me later that is how they talk to each other. Now the people that I think of in the US that I have encountered and thought they were rude is really nothing compared to what I have experienced in the last 5 months. I know that once we leave Luanda in 1-2 years I will be a different person, my expectations will have changed dramatically. It's funny because in the US if I had something wrong with my house I would expect someone to come out the same day and fix the problem the first time. Living in Luanda I hope that I can get someone to my house within a couple of weeks and I never expect the problem to be fixed the first time they come out. If someone tells me they will come out today I do not expect them to show up until the next day. :-)
Even the boys have changed a lot since being here. The way they talk, I can hear different ways they say things now. The way Jared says mommy is different and for trash they usually say rubbish because that is what everyone calls it here. Also, instead of saying they need to go to the bathroom or restroom they say they need to go to the toilet. They have learned a little Portuguese...mostly phrases for hello, thank you, how are you, bathroom, monkey, dog, house, school, and several other words. They both have Portuguese lessons in school and I am sure they will get even better at it. I am getting used to living here and it is not nearly as bad as it was my first month here. It is still a little frustrating when you go shopping so I avoid it as much as possible. Today I went to get some ketchup to make BBQ sauce and I went to 2 stores and neither of them had ketchup. In the beginning I would have went to 3 other stores looking for it but today I just said oh well we will have to have something else. We have learned to make due with what we have for sure. ;-)
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