Bom dia, as they say in Luanda (except that it’s pronounced ‘bon’ - go figure). This is going to be a short one as 1) I’m off to the beach this morning 2) we have no electricity yet again, and I haven’t yet mastered the generator 3) I’m a bit rough this morning after a fun evening.
This week’s been full of ups (mostly) and downs (a few scattered about). It started on the high note of a lovely day at the beach and being outside of the city followed by some excellent food shopping. Then, on Monday I had an extraordinary professional experience when my colleague Paulo and I went to the opening of a weeklong workshop of the National Network of people living with HIV/AIDS. And, it was amazing. Each on of the 30-40 participants stood up and introduced themselves, including their HIV status. Now, what was striking was how strong and assured their voices were, despite their circumstances. The memory of one special woman is permanently etched on my brain. She stood up, all 5 feet of her, waddled up the front of the room, beautiful pregnant belly and all, and proceeded in Portuguese (but here’s my translation): My name is Fiona, I’m single, pregnant, have a child with HIV, and I have HIV. That could have been the end of her presentation, but she later went on to describe the state of HIV/AIDS services in her province and the access gaps. There was no sign of wallowing, self pity or shame. She was grabbing life by the balls and making this place a little bit better for OTHERS. Incredible. The energy in the room was the most positive I have felt since being in Luanda. It’s days like this that remind me why I love what I do.
Afterwards, Paulo and I were famished so we made a pit stop at the ShopRite where I had been just the day before. We end up having a lunch of roasted chicken and fries dumped into a paper bag ghetto style, and paid only $2.25 each. It was my first bargain meal in Angola.
Ok, that’s all for now, but TBC! It’s becoming a ritual (that’s if 2 times makes a ritual), going to the beach on Sundays. Last week, we went to lovely Campo Ledo - a long stretch of tranquil coastline. Today, Carolyn and I are going to venture out the another isthmus called Mussulo, where it’s a bit more resorty and close. I will report back a manhan on how it went.
Bom domingo!! xxCelina
