You know that feeling when you move, and then come back to the "old place" much later, and it feels distinctly familiar, but at the same time different? Probably different owners, with different furniture, and different decor, but a few of the old familiar things remain.
Well, that was kind of the feeling of returning to Angola. Except nothing had changed in our house. It was like stepping into a time capsule--where everything was as you left it, suddenly, immediately, and then you were gone a long time. Life had moved on around the house, in the city, around the compound, throughout the country, but the house was weirdly frozen.
It was fun to rediscover our life in Angola. Remember what items we've lived without for the last five months. Rediscover the comfort of our own mattress! Remember what clothes we own that aren't from a suitcase, and what food we had waiting in our freezer (which was oddly, a lot, and all good, considering the power situation!).
For Ethan, it was like a complete fresh start--he seemed to have forgotten everything! His old toys became new toys, his old books--new again! His old friends were quick new friends, and his old routine only took a day to settle in to! And one of the best things he forgot--church! This worked to our advantage, as church had always been difficult in the past. But now, he doesn't seem to remember that, so we all get a fresh start to try again!
But like I said, outside of our house, life continued to move on. I went back to the school the Wednesday after arriving. Happily, my students had made positive progress in their studies, and dishearteningly, they had made the beautiful library I had organized messy again.
At the hangar, Marcel has returned with renewed energy. He's currently in Kenya, for engineers training and a conference, and then he will return with his boss from Canada, Tim. At the office, sadly, our program manager is moving back to the UK for some very understandable personal and health reasons. On the compound, there's new play equipment! And in the city ... well, there's new potholes! (Though, surprisingly, just in the last week they've finally started filling in the nastiest ones!)
It was strange, and yet wonderful, to return to Angola, return to work, return to "home"--although, as I've mentioned a few times before, this is a confusing term for missionaries. It's been fun to see Ethan adjust, and Avro just happy as normal. There's something lovely about this place, but it's a million little things, and difficult to put your finger on ...
So here we are, back in Angola--no longer as a family of three, but now of four!
P.S. I've included here our "Breakfast with the Boers" update, in case you aren't connected to our Facebook page!
