Time dissapears and looses meaning on this planet called Angola. I have been here nearly 2 months in theory which I am only aware of since I finally checked the calender. In day to day basis I dont have a clue about dates and only follow the days related to the courses and classes I have to give.

With the tune of Robbie Williams's Swing When Your Winning album I am sitting on my own in the teachers office with a bliss of internet connection which is specially rare here. The midday sun is heating the sandy ground behind the window. But since there has been rains now for nearly a month the grass and trees have changed into bright green.
I absolutely love this season of thunderstorms, where storms are often but not constant which brings me to last night: so there I was sleeping in the middle of strangest night mares when suddenly BANG ( like a bomb explosion on my roof); I jumped up from the dreamland with me heart nearly flying out through my throat. The lightening had once again bolted in front of me little house (it seems to have some special love for that place). Seriously not a pleasent way to wake up at 02.32 ( yes I checked the time). I lit the candle and fell in and out of sleepy somber until the morning lights. There are no storms like the storms here - beautiful!

I have 97% fallen into the natural rhythm of Huambo once again. The last 3 % represent all the changes - like people and development of construction in the city which causes occasional confusion. I have managed to avert any more chances of malaria until now (spittin 3 times over the shoulder and knocking 3 times on the wood)

There are some really nice new people working for different NGOs here Ive met since I got back and it was grand to see the few old faces who have stayed ( gives a little sense of stability). And the city is flooding of whites ( mostly portuguese and brasilians doing one business or another). It feels like during the 6 months I was in Europe Huambo became the center of the universe. One mate explained that most of them are portuguese returning or re-appearing in the area that used to be sort of like the portugues capital in Angola during the years of colonisation.

So naturally service is becoming one of the real profitable businesses in Huambo with all the restaurants and cafes that are needed to cater all the new/old population.
well the truth is I mostly ever seen them sitting in cafes hence the conclusion.

When it comes to work I have fallen out of track a bit lately. The fact that weekly lesson plans have been in constant chaos hasnt helped. But my project for the coming November month is to get everything in good track and organisation once again and not let it fall it out again :)
We have planned to go for an investigation period in Benguela (province by the ocean with nicest beaches) where the goal is to produce a film about the life of the female students in one of our training schools and find out what the other local NGOs are up to and naturally go to the ocean side and rrrrrelax.
As soon as we get back the life gets very busy - we need to start working on the 1st of December HIV/AIDS campaign and at the same time finalizing the courses and grades for the 2007 and 2008 team before the christmas holidays and exams of major subjects kick in.

I think the only issue I find myself struggling here quite often is the diet. The school food is sonsisting of 3-4 stable incredients: BEANS, TUNA, very rarely chicken accompanied with funj (maize flower porridge), rice or on more rare occasions pasta. Greens are seen as often as once or twice a month. Since we dont av our own kitchen to cook in or a fridge storing and preparing own greens is rather complicated. And MILK - god I miss real milk. It is possible to buy powdered milk here but seriously oit doesnt even come close to the real thing!!! and CHEESE - gosh I miss good and proper cheese!!! so that was the complaining bit.

other than that Im as happy as Larry ( however happy he is - like E.Izzard used to say)
oh and I must not forget - great farewell to a great colleague - a Spanish woman called Ester who worked with us here in the project for last 6 weeks and was a great laugh and a great mate but had to move on to another area called Cabinda to start another project period there.

Entao... visiting home was another strange experience. Once again I resumed the role of a bored tourist. All my pre-leaving Estonia friends where naturally busy with their own little lives as I have been busy with mine for the last 5 years. Well I guess all weird feelings aside it was nice to be lazy for a change, I mean Lazy with a capital “L”. Naturally the 10 days I had escaped and pretty soon I returned to Denmark – cold, windy, unpleasant Denmark. To earn the missing money for my travel costs I needed to work in construction site for a week (felt more like a month). At the same time our (builders) existence in the college was almost completely ignored so after a few days I ignored them with an equal degree.
Besides being exhausted to the bone because of building I still faced the packing up my room (3 years or belongings) during late nights. And then the night before departure was suddenly there. It consisted of running up and down the college, cleaning my room, packing my bags, fixing my laptop….basically busy as hell. I guess I succeeded to sleep and hour or 2. From then on long 2 days in train and planes. There were actually not many problems with the travel at all. Only that it was excruciatingly long and boring for one to travel alone.
I reached Luanda in the wee morning hours…completely exhausted and deprived of sleep. I was in fact too tired to even be much exited that I had arrived. The waiting through the immigration took naturally forever (at least an hour or 2). The baggage on the other hand was ready for picking up as soon as immigration check up was over. The driver was already waiting in front of the airport with a sign for me. So we left immediately. After an hour drive through the empty yet dusty early morning streets of Luanda we arrived at the head quarters of the organization just an hour before breakfast. There was no point to go to bed any more so I stuck around.
Soon my friends, who had arrived the night before came to breakfast and we could share the first impressions. From there on the day was quite relaxed. We went kayaking and later walked to the nearby village to buy some soda and cookies. Although I managed to have a nap for an hour in the afternoon I was still quite tired of the long journey. So soon after dinner I said my goodbyes and headed to bed.
Wake-up call 3am to leave for the airport in Luanda to fly to the central plateau of Angola, to my final destination Huambo.
It was definitely an experience to return to Huambo. It looked like the same place I was last time around but at a closer look a lot of changes had taken place. From new roads to renewed parks. It felt like in a dream where the place looks familiar but the connection is somehow missing.
Arrival in the school was quiet with happy hellos. The best hello was from my old students. It was great to see them relaxed in the second year. The new beginners of the first year were just arriving. A week later they are still the shy and obedient 1st year-ers.
I jumped right into work and action from the second day on without pausing much. I prepared my first course and was ready to go until… I was baptized by malaria as welcome back present.
So for the past few days I have been staring at the ceiling in my room or sleeping or taking the endless amount of medication I was prescribed.
Now I finally feel a bit more like alive again although appetite has not yet returned mmm... So the next plan is to organise all the classes to give in EPF and there are many :) English for the old team and cvourses about the world for the new team. Energy resources at this moment still too low

I am ready to go! I just had a meeting where I needed to evaluate if I am ready to go... I only miss insurance and a week of work to pay for the expenses. Going to Angola is EXPENSIVE no matter how you look upon it!
Today I got 4 big boxes, where I should back all my belongings into and put them in a depot to wait for my return. The college I live in needs my room during my absence. But the thought of squeezing all my belongings into few boxes is not very motivating so naturally I push it to the very last minute.

We spent some 3 hours with some of my team mates cleaning the building we all have rooms in so when we leave there will be no complaints. I still have one more exam before I leave (in didactics) on Monday. On Wednesday I leave for home to visit my family and friends for 10 days and to have a little holiday before Angola.

There is million little things to do before I go from planning over and over what to take with me (luggage space is limited to a 90 liters backpack) to getting films in Portuguese for my students.
I have just been informed that there will be one volunteer from Brazil working in the same project. That was surprising since before it seemed clear that no-one will be sent there besides me.

Tomorrow I will go for writing a letter to the new headmaster and inform him about my ideas/plans/me :) So far I only know that he is 24 and freshly graduated from OWU (One World University in Mozambique) And I honestly don't have a clue about his managing skills or ideas. So am sure many surprises await me there as well.
In the cold autumn weather of Denmark I am looking forward to the sun of my favorite continent.

The first time I went to Angola - this rough diamond - was in August 2007- February 2008. I can simply say this amazing land and its people became part of me. I was working as a teacher in EPF (Escola de Professores do Futuro) teacher training college. It was an experience of a lifetime. I had circa 100 students for half a year.
So why do I call this country a rough diamond. It is all it represents to me with its' mountainous landscape, its' war torn appearance, its' loving but at the same time a little aggressive culture and its African soft Portuguese.

The 6 months there felt like a lifetime that passed by. I experienced happiness there - true happiness. I made friends to last forever and I lost dear friends as well. There was times I was in euphoria and times when I was devastated of extreme sorrow of loss.

It changed something in my core, something substantial. I fell in love deeply and thoroughly with this diamond. Now after half a year in Europe I am still dreaming of my days in Angola. I am still feeling the joys and sorrows that got rooted so deep in my very existence, so much that I have decided to return for another half a year period.

To my pleasant surprise I have found out that my working visa I applied for last year and never got is ready and I have already got it in my passport. I managed after hours of searching to get flight tickets. I am flying in September 9 to from Copenhagen to Frankfurt and from there to Luanda, the capital.
I am exited and scared at the same time. Although I love the country, it is still rough and full of all sorts of surprises.

Today I actually made a first step of preparations. I went and bought a mosquito net - very nice one that is washable and extends to all sorts of angles. Then I spent an hour looking for some company or organization that could donate a projector or two for the school. It would make the teaching so much livelier when it is possible to show films and documentaries to the students.

In my head I am already forming courses to give and actions to take with the students. I am indeed glad to see all my students again and am actually wondering how many is left; specially the female students, since it is really so few of them and the chances of them dropping out are higher.

Before flying out I will visit my family in Estonia for 10 days to relax ( I am not sure how much this will succeed) and to enjoy time with family and friends.