Life's Little Pleasures

A collection of things I miss about good ol' USA (in no particular order):

* Family and friends are a given, so this list excludes people

• Walking
•  Food that tastes good
• Running water at my place of employment
• A general understanding that urinating in public (unless highly intoxicated at 2am) is socially unacceptable
• Not thinking I have malaria every time I get a mosquito bite
• Vegetables
• The unspoken rule that throwing your garbage anywhere and everywhere is not OK
• Toilet paper, soap, and indoor plumbing in public restrooms
•  Working at a functional institution
• Reasonably priced cocktails
• TV that has more than 6 channels in English
• Reliable electricity



What's this?

• Not spending at least 3 hours in the backseat of a car every day 

On the bright side:

•  Considering all the time I spend in the car, I am reading a book a week and listening to many informative podcasts
•  I am learning a new language
• My students think I invented games like charades and pictionary, and therefore believe me to be a creative genius
• I am very hard core now

Coping with the boredom

            Seeing as entertainment options are limited in Luanda, and since there are approximately 8 people under the age of 35 in my social network, I have begun to engage in some activities that are slightly inappropriate for my age. I am currently participating in a book club, a knitting group (I do not know how to knit), and a water aerobics class. By the time retirement rolls around, in about 35 years, I’ll be an old pro.

On the flip side, my favorite solo activity is coloring. I print out pages from coloring books online, throw on some tunes, and just go to town. I find it to be very therapeutic. In addition, my beautiful works of art make wonderful gifts and are a cheap and cheerful way to spruce up the bare walls in my room.

Side notes

            Last week, I gave a presentation to 150 English students at Utanga University. In case you were wondering, it was called “Strategies for Improving Prounciation & Vocabulary.” Surprisingly, this was not the highlight of the evening. Musical and theatrical performances are a staple of academic and professional conferences here, and this one takes the cake so far. A male college student performed the power ballad, “Because You Loved Me,” by…..you guessed it! Celine Dion. Karaoke aside, it was by far the worst vocal performance I have ever heard.

 The guy in the front row is sleeping. He is my boss.

            Today, in class, we played Celebrity Dinner Party. Groups had to agree on a guest list of 10 celebrities, living or dead, to invite to a dinner party. Since I am “a very famous English teacher,” one of the groups invited me to their party. I was very honored, considering the other guests included Osama bin Laden, Phil Collins, Kobe Bryant, and Kim Kardashian. Sounds like a pretty good time. 

"Whoa Whoa Whoa! Who invited Kim Kardashian?"