Love in the Time of Malaria

“Sozinha.” Literally, it means “all alone” or “by myself/yourself” but here in Angola it is used to refer to someone who is “single”, aka, “not married.” As a 31-year-old female, it is quite peculiar for me to be “sozinha sem filhos” – single, with no kids. As a point of fact, I oftentimes forget how peculiar this is in some parts of the States (e.g. the South, where I grew up). I most certainly don’t act, or even look, my age, nor am I unhappy with the amazing opportunities that life has given me – opportunities that have in some part contributed to my singleness, but more often than not remind me of how absolutely lucky I have been. Here in Angola, it is just plain weird.

My first few weeks in Angola, I was amused at how upon first meeting somebody, the very first question asked was, “Está sozinha?” To which I would faithfully reply, “Yes, I’m all alone.” This was normally followed up by “Do you have a boyfriend?” and a request/plea to be my namorado (“boyfriend”). At times this exchange was accompanied by extremely amusing promises to which I would have a hard time holding in my laughter, much to the dismay of the promise givers, I’m sure. In terms of love, Angolans are quite direct. Much more direct than I am used to.

Last week, I gave a speech (in Portuguese!) to a group of university students about my background, my work at CAE, and my vision for the development of Africa. It was meant to be an inspirational speech, in which I emphasized my professional and educational accomplishments as a woman and spoke of the opportunities here in Angola that can be seized by those who work hard and take advantage of Angola’s growth and development.  During the Q&A, I was somewhat disappointed when the first questions all centered around whether I was married, had a boyfriend or had kids. Once the important facts were out in the open, the students began asking somewhat more relevant questions. It wasn’t until later however that I realized that not a single person asked about how I got to where I am or why I chose to come to Angola. I began to understand the implications of these questions (and lack thereof). It is said that in Angola, wealth is measured by the number of your children. Given the high infant mortality rate (~18%) and the cost of raising a child, number of children is a direct correlation to the wealth of a family. It is also a direct measurement of the quality of the woman. As my friend Leo was explaining to me, girls in Angola don’t really place that much emphasis on career or education, they just want to get married to someone who can buy them things and provide for them so they don’t have to work. A woman over the age of 25 who is still sozinha is considered to be unwanted. A good and beautiful woman probably goes like hot cakes.

This weekend as I was driving by Angolan favelas, watching kids and dogs play in the dirt and trash, I was once again reminded of how lucky I am to have been born in the United States and not in a favela in Angola. Yet even in the favelas, or in a middle class home in the United States, family and love is central to life. It is what allows people to attain happiness despite their economic situations. “O amor é a vida.” In a country where death is a constant reminder of how precious life is, love is the most essential and basic ingredient.

Rules of the Road: Dining and Entertainment Guide to Benguela

Angolans are, by and large, creatures of habit. There is one way of doing things, one type of cuisine, one type of dancing and it is my observation that anything “new” seems to be disregarded. I first noticed this strange curiosity observing the pedestrian rules of the road. I should first mention that Angolans are crazy drivers. There really aren’t any rules and anything goes – other than a man directing traffic atop a candy-striped pedestal in the busiest of intersections – there are no stoplights or stop signs in Benguela. However, pedestrians wishing to cross the street have 2 options: either use one of the sparsely scattered crosswalks around the city or risk their life with oncoming traffic. It is only when using a crosswalk that a pedestrian is safe. In fact, these crosswalks are the implicit stop signs in Benguela. If someone even has an inkling of an intention to cross the street, cars stop and let the pedestrian pass. You may be thinking, “Okay…….,” but there are so few of these crosswalks that most of the time a pedestrian has no choice but to take the 2nd option – risk their life. Motos (mopeds) turn a corner without regard to pedestrians and what was once deemed a safe time to cross the street, after looking both ways, suddenly becomes a death trap. All you get is a holler which I can only imagine means “May you rest in peace!” This is why I’m even more intrigued to the respect cars give to pedestrians at crosswalks.  If there is no crosswalk, then may God be with you.

Dining

Let me tell you about dining options in Benguela. There is Portuguese food. Every restaurant has the exact same items on its menu. Some try to translate their menu into English, adding a touch of comedic value to make me favor that restaurant over another. If you get tired of Portuguese food, you may go to an Italian restaurant, but they only serve Portuguese food there as well. There is a Chinese restaurant in Benguela that nobody goes to – they had to add Portuguese food to the menu to gain some legitimacy in the town. “So what exactly is Portuguese food?,” you may ask. It always starts with an appetizer of green olives, which the waitress automatically brings to the table then charges you for later. A typical meal consists of a thin slice of beef with rice and french fries. Sometimes, rice and black beans or red beans. The fried chicken is also pretty good, also served with rice and french fries. And then there’s the fish. After living in Asia, I’m used to being served fish that looks at you; this doesn’t really bother me. Even so, the fish isn’t really a favorite among my colleagues and I, yet somehow it gets served to us more than once a week. The other day I found a restaurant that, along with the to-be-expected menu items, also served pico de gallo. My taste buds welcomed the variety.

Every single grocery store in Benguela sells the same things. I’m convinced that every family has the same mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, and packages of cheese and ham in their refrigerators. You can also buy olives at the grocery store. Other than that, grocery stores have rows and rows of cookies and crackers and you can buy some fruits and some vegetables from ladies standing right outside the store. If you want more variety, you have to drive to another town where there is a Shop-Rite. Cooking options are quite limited and even if I wanted to make something other than Portuguese food, I would have a hard time of it.

This leads a business-minded person to think of all the opportunities that could exist in supplying new items to grocery stores or perhaps opening up a restaurant that, oh I don’t know, served something other than Portuguese food. In my short time in Benguela, I have come to realize that such foolish thinking would only lead to failure. Let me provide an example. This weekend I was hanging out with several Angolans at an apartment and they brought out a cake (it happened to be my birthday that day!). This cake, purchased at Shop Rite, was imported from Portugal! My first thought was to wonder why something as simple as a cake had to be imported and couldn’t be made locally. Then I quickly recalled the offerings at the grocery store. As we ate the cake, the conversation turned to how curious the cake tasted – like nothing they’ve ever tasted before. The cake itself was made of alternating layers of cream and cake. They had several bites, put their forks down and concluded with a “hmmm….I don’t like it.”

Nightlife

After spending 3 weeks in Benguela, it was decided that it was high time to experience the Angolan nightlife that everyone speaks so highly of. While dining options are heavily influenced by the Portuguese, the nightlife in Angola is famed for its Brazilian influence. At 12:30am, people start going to the nightclubs and party till 6am. I met up with my coworker, Tom, at an outdoor bar with lots of trees and fauna, aptly named Tropical Bar, where the Cucas only cost Kw.100 (~$1) and foosball tables provide easy entertainment. I thought this would be a premium bar. When we first got there, everyone was watching an Angolan futebol game on TV. Angola lost, everyone streamed out, and Tom and I were the only ones left in the bar. Around 11pm, the waitress came over to tell us that the bar was closing. Huh. We walked around looking for another bar but they all seemed to be closed. Double huh. Where do all the people who go to the nightclubs and party from 12:30am to 6:00am hang out?? Apparently not Tropical Bar.

We finally made it to the discoteque around 1am. It was empty, but very nice inside. It’s the first place I’ve been to that resembles anything in the States. People started streaming in around 1:30am and waiting. Waiting for the kizumba to start. Prior to kizumba, very danceable hip-hop music is playing but nobody is dancing. Sometimes it seems that a few people WANT to dance – a subtle swaying of the hip here or a shaking of the shoulders there betrays an ability to dance to hip-hop. The minute kizumba starts playing, couples fill the dance floor. Kizumba is a form of slow dance with slight movements of the hip. Everybody does it. The music itself is Latin/Brazilian-inspired and you would expect to see more salsa or samba type moves, but nope, just a slow dance. We left around 3am, to which my Angolan stepdad said to me this morning, “You came back very EARLY, no?”

First Impressions and then some…

I landed in Luanda, Angola a little over a week ago. It feels like I’ve already been here a month. My fellow MBAs, Tom and Eric, met me at the airport. Immediately after dropping my stuff off and freshening up at the pensão, I was shuttled to a Chinese restaurant on the Ilha to meet my future boss and some of the other MBAs who’ve been here for a while. The next morning at 7am, I was ready to make the 6-8 hour car ride up the coast to Benguela. The ride itself was rather uneventful, except for passing some abandoned military tanks on the side of the road and being stopped by the polícia a minimum of 5 times to make sure our driver had the proper documentation. As far as I can tell, our driver was able to escape without having to pay any tips to the police officers.

In Benguela, I live with an Angolan family – a woman named Dona Bella, her 2 grown sons and her 2 nephews. I sleep in one room, while D. Bella and her 2 nephews sleep in the room next to mine. I still haven’t quite figured out where the 2 sons sleep, although I am rather certain that I am taking at least one of their rooms… They are a gracious and accommodating family; some talk to me more than others, though hopefully they will start warming up to me soon. I`m also pretty sure that D. Bella is trying to fatten me up for the locals.

The rest of the time I’m at Nancy’s English School learning Portuguese – or rather the Angolan version of Portuguese, which is quite different than Brazilian Portuguese in many more ways than just the accent. I have class with 3 different professors 6 days a week, 4-6 hours a day.  After the first full week, my brain felt like it was going to explode.  But, I think I´m getting somewhere.  Only time will tell, and by time, I mean 5 weeks, which is when I am expected to be fully functional and consulting to Angolan businesses in Luanda.

I don’t know what to make of my first impressions of Angola. I was given the direst of descriptions and told to expect the worst. I armored up and was ready for who knows what. All I can say is: Angola isn’t THAT bad, people! Of course, I only spent 1 night in Luanda and Benguela is one of the nicest provinces in all of Angola. It’s rather pleasant and safe here. The people are friendly and relaxed. Nobody bothers me while I walk down the street, not even to ask for money. This is probably the first thing that struck me that was different about Angola. Perhaps precisely because it is non-touristy, Angolans tend to be more curious and want to talk to me or do Michael Jackson impressions, rather than try to sell me something. (I am one of 4 Americans living in Benguela at the moment. I bet you can guess who the other 3 are. Hint: Nancy of Nancy`s English School is also an American.) On the other hand, I don`t think I can say I`ve ever been in a country as run-down as Angola – although that`s all about to change and rather quickly.

It would be impossible to miss the utter and rapid transformation that Angola is experiencing at the moment. From the moment I first boarded my flight from Brussels to Luanda, Chinese construction workers have been an ever present reminder of their interests here. Last year, Benguela hosted an African basketball tournament. In just 2 weeks, the Chinese came in and replaced dusty, pot-holed roads with brand new paved roads, including all of the little side streets. There´s an impressive new bridge (too expensive and too impressive perhaps) linking Benguela with nearby Lobito, making the journey much easier from the previous 1-lane bridge that connected the 2 cities. Right now, Benguela is one big construction zone in preparation for CAN 2010 this coming January – the African Cup of Nations. All of the sidewalks are in the process of being torn up and replaced with brand new ones; a new stadium and new hotels are being built (by the Chinese of course). As Nancy mentioned on one of our first nights in Benguela, the recession really hasn`t affected the boom in Angola. Instead of going full steam ahead at 150%, it´s now going at 90%.

The Wall Street Journal recently published an interesting article on Angola, linked here, talking about the opportunities in Angola. I have only been here 1 week and yet, optimism for Angola´s recovery and growth is as palpable as the days are hot. This is not to say that the challenges of living in a developing country do not exist here.  I have already been rushed to the nearest clinic to get malaria-tested (on my 4th day here, I started coming down with malaria-like symptoms!), the power is constantly going out and I take bucket showers at my house or come to Nancy`s to take semi-warm showers.  The malaria test came back “negativo” by the way, so nothing to worry about – just a 24-hour bug.

Hope all is well in your corner of the world!

Bom dia!

Thank you for checking out my blog.  It is my hope to update this blog regularly with stories from the field – humorous antidotes on daily life and success stories from the local businesses that CAE reaches.  I will be moving to Luanda, Angola soon through the MBA Enterprise Corps and joining a team of consultants help local businesses become viable options to provide services to the large multinational oil companies.  In this way, it is CAE’s hope to build up a local supply chain for the Angolan oil industry and put oil money directly into the hands of Angolan businesses, helping spur economic growth and job creation. 

My time consulting will be preceded by 2 months of Portuguese language immersion in the beach town of Benguela, Angola.  I hope to head out there any day now.  However, the Angolan embassy has its own timeframe in mind.  I received my entry visa after 5 whole weeks only to find out that what I really need is a work visa.  I was tentatively told over a week ago that I should expect to go in 2 weeks (aka, this weekend); however you can never be too sure with these types of things.  So until I hear the word, I’m waiting patiently and spending “quality time” with my parents before I’m off to the far-away land of Africa.  Even though my start date has been delayed, my 2 colleagues will be coming out after me (also due to visa issues).  That means I will be arriving in Angola solo.  I really hope I have no problems getting through customs!

Taking my colleague Eric’s lead, I’d like to share my goals for the upcoming year:

a)      The obvious 3: 1) become fluent in Portuguese, 2) work with SMEs and 3) learn how business is done in Africa.  Anyone who has spoken to me in the past 2 years knows that my passion is economic development and investment in Africa.  I believe that one way Africa can realize its true potential is through the power of business.  Investing in financially sustainable businesses poised for long-term success will cause a chain reaction throughout the economy, from increased GDP on a country level down to the improvement of the quality of lives at the employee level.  Small businesses in the US account for 60% of all new job creation each year, so you can see how important SMEs are to the health of developing countries that are beginning to set themselves on the right course.  This year in Angola will allow me to receive first-hand knowledge of the unique struggles SMEs face in developing countries (e.g. lack of access to capital, talent and knowledge; product gap, etc.) while at the same time learning how business is done in Africa.  This will be a huge asset when making investments in SMEs and other large businesses in the future.  Also, language skills are crucial and becoming fluent in Portuguese, though only spoken in 3 countries in Africa (Angola, Mozambique and Cape Verde), will add to my repertoire of skills. 

b)      I’m here to work!  This year is not a personal self-journey to discover who I am, I’m treating my assignment in Angola the same way I would treat any other job.  I’m coming to execute, to produce and to help CAE become more self-sufficient as an organization. I’m coming to teach CAE’s client companies (the SMEs) to have control over their finances, operations and their long-term futures.       

c)      Maintain a positive attitude.  It’s easy to be excited and rearing to go as I sit here in comfort and relative luxury.  In truth, I know this coming year will be full of challenges, obstacles and inconveniences, but until I’m actually there it’s easy to gloss over those details.  I know that in reality, maintaining a positive attitude despite all of the inconveniences may prove to be a bigger challenge than anticipated.