Luanda Lapse

lapse
/laps/
noun


1. a brief or temporary failure of concentration, memory, or judgement.

2. an interval or passage of time.


When we went to our previous school director, to let him know that we were making progress on our job search and it was looking likely that this gig in Angola would come through, he dismissively waved his hand across his desk and without making eye contact responded with: "Africa, huh? You've got a pretty good chance of getting boiled and eaten if you move there."

Boiled. And. Eaten.

This awkward interchange propelled us further from the place we were and made us feel more confident that Luanda, Angola was the place to be. Fast forward twenty months, and our first school year here has come to a close, three bags are packed and waiting by the door; we are ready for the journey to summer in New England.

Looking back, this lapse in time was most certainly not a lapse in judgement, as our former boss wanted us to believe. It has been a terrific year, exceeding all expectations. Both our school community and host country have been welcoming and inclusive; challenging at times yet supportive; fun and spirited yet always with opportunity for escape to calm and solitude when needed. A reminder that a place we had not heard of and had to search for on a map has become familiar, comfortable, enjoyable, and yet another place to call home.

Recently, I took some time lapse video while en route to the US Embassy to pick up my new passport. Luanda has some beautiful areas and others that are more reflective of the poverty that exists throughout Angola. These stretches of road are in the more upscale neighborhoods:

And as it is with international schools, the end of the year brings many - so many - goodbyes to friends and colleagues who are moving on to new places. In the midst of these farewells, we are grateful that it's not our turn to leave. After back to back transitions the past few years, we are staying put this time around, and happily so.

And before signing off for summer, it must be said that this has been a tremendous year of growth for both boys - new school, new country, new friends, new curriculum, new language.  In the last week of school, Liam presented his eight weeks of research on Humor at the Primary Years Programme (PYP) Exhibition, the culminating fifth grade project before leaving elementary school.

An overview of all the Exhibition topics:

Liam recorded his stand-up routine for visitors to view and provide feedback:

And at the middle school final assembly, Asa received two certificates, one for honor roll and the other, an improvement award for math. This kid has really come into his own as a student over the course of this year and while awards are definiately not the most important thing, it was really nice to see his efforts recognized and the pride he felt for meeting his academic goals. 

Upon reflecting on the challenges and overall experience  this year, I now am able see that we terrifically underestimated how massive this transition would be for Asa and Liam; that in their tweens, it would be navigated on a completely different level than our previous moves. The moment that I grasped what we had asked of our kids - and how well they had managed - was when I stopped by Asa's English classroom on the last day to say "thank you", and was caught off-guard by the lump in my throat. For all the unknowns these kids took on back in August and their resilience and positive spirit and commitment to figuring things out - well, there is no award for that.

The reward (for all of us), is seven weeks in the USA. It is always so, so, so exciting to get on that plane bound for Boston.

What are we most excited about? Spending time with family, reconnecting with friends and our neighbors at the beach. We have about ten meals planned for the first two days, not including ice cream. The boys can't wait to get long overdue haircuts and pick out the sugariest cereals at the grocery store. The adults look forward to driving a car - wherever they want, whenever they want, plus the convenience of paying for things with credit card, and trying a few new microbrews.

In our first week back, we'll head to Washington DC. It has been a while since we visited (all together, anyways) and there are new things to see there and old haunts to revisit. This is what the boys looked like the last time we were there:

Other than that, you'll find us at the beach where our door is always open, visitors are always welcome, and the lobster? Boiled and eaten.

Year one in Angola, year eight on the international school circuit is a wrap!