LUANDA, ANGOLA!! WTF?!!
The reasons are all good. Money & opportunity. They made me that offer I couldn't refuse. NO, I ain't running from the law or some dame, so don't go guessin' nuttin.
So go have a beer at some good place for me. I'll be raising a glass to you guys overlooking the Atlantic from a bombed out former Portuguese
high-rise..once my 14 hour flight gets there.
You probably won't hear anything from me for about a week, or so. But, I'll let ya'll know how it's going.
The worst thing about this is that I was all of the dang projects that I started that now won't get done until next year - KRAP. Also, stuff like figuring out how to file taxes & pay bills from the other side of the world is really stressing me out, but I'll survive.
BTW, please send me all of the positve vibes that you can, I'm gonna need 'em.
Ciao, for now.
Beta,
I'm just a guy from the South...mostly. As for standing out, I think I'll be OK. My wife tells me that I don't look like an American, more like an Italian! I'm sure that I'll blend right in?\ And, I hope not to see UBL/OBL. Angola's pretty free of terrorists, for now.
MMatt, as for Naperville. I've only passed through, but IT would be an upgrade from suburban ATL.
You will have a tough time finding good southern bbq though. I guarantee that's the first thing you'll miss....some ribs from Dreamland and some pulled pork from Slopes. Mmmmmm...I'm hungry now....
Hey Mystery didja get my email where I told you they will love you there and beg you to stay? When they do that, tell them they need to arrange transport over for not only your sweetheart but also at least two of your American muscle hot rods so you can be known as the architect who drives the coolest wheels in town....
And yeah, I want to teach at your new arch school there. Keep me posted.
Such boldness is rare, and important. You rock, Mystery.
Ha ha, when I first saw Angola I thought of this little town in NE Indiana just west of Ohio and a few miles off the turnpike. The odd places an architecture career can take us. For me, a couple nights in an Indiana farm town - for you a trip to africa.
I also thought of Angola, Louisiana. Something sinister about the name, Angola. I'll bet the one in Indiana has got evil Amish dudes named Mordicai.
Liberty, I'll reserve a dean slot for you! I don't think I'll take any of those cars though - they problably don't have good gas & I get the feeling that they'd be stripped bare in about 10 minutes. But, I'll keep some pics of 'em, and you send some of the T-Bird. I'm sure I'll need something cool to look at.
Yeah, MM, I made a similar jump. I am moving on Friday to Bermuda (from LA). Now that the date is finally arriving, I am getting a bit nervous… new country, small island, ancient construction methods… I am looking at it as an adventure. A much needed change of scenery. Although, I may have to shelf all of my new designer jeans.
Mystery Man, sounds exciting!!!!!!! If my baby is not so young, I'm really to move to any place any time. As architects we need all the life experiences to enrich us. Two weeks vacation each year, won't give us enough time to go anywhere. Now think it as paid vacation, seeing new places andget new experiences.
MM,
Good luck... watch out for landmines and go to lots of good footy (soccer) matches. I do have a friend who's looking for an architect over there so if you need some freelance work drop me a line.
3D,
I'll wave as I fly by (2000miles to the south). I know whatcha mean. Gotta shake things up a bit. I do envy your impending locale over mine, a bit. Nonetheless, we've both got neat places...you just ain't got those landmines!
Reason,
You actually hit a good point for me. My wife & I will probably 'work' on starting a family after this assignmt is over. At this point, we are trying to cram in as much wild-n-crazy stuff as possible before we've gotta grow up. My wife might have a chance to work for (over) me in the 'AO', so we might not be separated much.
A great 'perk' of this assignment is that I get 42 days of vacation, or 2weeks every 3months. I'm sure I'll need it.
Cameron,
I'll check out the 'footy' locally. But I'll be challenging myself to get up @ 2am to watch college football.
I'll give ya a holler if we need the help, & Buzz me when you're on 'the continent'!
my dad actually use to work in angola for 12 some odd years.. he was a GC for a Chevron based construction company. basically he was showing the local angolans how to build shit. he would work 5 weeks on and then be 3 weeks off. who knows you may run across the same oufit while there. he no longer is there but they are still operating in the same area.
as far as the taxes go, set up an account in paris, or wherever your flight lays you over and run a swiss account. to my knowledge he never paid taxes on his earnings through this means.....'
Been going non-stop since Sunday p.m.:
xxx----xxxx----xxxx
* Sun: Depart ATL to Houston (Hallibuton city)
Long kiss goodbye to wife. Miss her the most.
* Mon: Meet a guy @ IAH (INTERCONTINENTAL - Not Dumbya Airport)
Gotta pick him out of a crowd because he's got my passport
w/ my Ang visa (funny, no Americans here have WORK visas!
Tell that to your Illegal Alien hatin- friends!!! And, the Ang
police do bust you for immigration violations.
Least of my worries)
Board the 'Houston Express' for Luanda. Flight by World Air,
the unspoken airline of the CIA. Essentially a plane
full of Halliburton, Exxon & who knows who else (bunch of '
'company'-looking fat-cats on board).
Tue a.m.: After 14hrs of being over the Atlantic, I look down to a big old clould of dust called Luanda. We make our decent into an 'Air-junkyard', pretty interesting to see 727s w/ primer on 'em - just like the South! Go through airport, get to driver, go through town - My GAWD. WE ARE LUCKY IN THE USA. But, this city is ALIVE even though it is like what a friend of mine here calls 'a post-apocalyptic Tucson'. I think it's a bit more like a post apocalyptic Miami, maybe even like California. The setting & the land are incredible, but trashy, but rebuilding. I guess Big Oil is good for something.
I lost track of the days after that, but I'll write back - I'll just say this, if you want to make good money & have an adventure, so far this looks like the way to do it. BTW, this work is through an Archt out of Houston who has been doing loads of work here for a long time. My project is doing CA for a suburban-style office/condo tower for Exxon & Sonangol (Ang's natl oil co). That is also kinda strange to see: ATL Galleria Office Park meets Rio favelas.
Hiya Liberty, Beta Todd.!
BTW, Liberty, I'm real happy I ain't got a car here.
actually my boss is from angola indiana and left work early friday to catch the concord/angola football game. after an earlybird special dinner with his folks. who needs new york city???
man, you are in the same place my dad was working at.. luanda was his landing spot as well but back then they flew a copter into it. keep the posts MM.
Thanks all ya'll. I'm gonna try to get a bit more illustrative this week, if the raving nut of a Scottsman that I work for lets me sleep! Think Groundskeeper Willy meets Mojo-Jojo! That's (one of) my boss. Honestly, the strangest things about this place are really turning out to be the expatriates! Honestly, I have walked into a bad project situation that may cause the group I am with to have to return prematurely. I hate pre-existing political problems. Basically, there is a serious money disagreement between the developer & the architect. I think this job will go well...if we don't have to jamp back onto Houston Express this week.
Anyway, Let's see. Today me & the 'blokes' went to the beach. kind of looked like Sanibel Island, or the Keys, only with 10,000 teenagers/young adults 'cruising'. Oh yeah, and nobody that looked like they were from 'del Boca Vista'. Overall, the place was nice, but again, with Africa, so many contrasts - beach clubs catering to expats like us bordered by shanties.
At one point, me & Mike, my structural engr, were driving to pick up the other guys. We felt a crash & a 'BOOM' onto the roof. OK, we're the only Americans (yes, white boys) around for about a mile & traffic is packied in w/ 'sprited' kids/20-somethings around. Mike & I get ready to floor it, 'cause there's also a lot of booze around, too.
We figured, from the noise, a drunk guy had attacked our truck! Then... we see a pretty girl run after the volleyball that just bounced off our roof. She smiled @ me & said a sweet 'Sorry!' & waved - she & I both laughed. I looked over at 2 guys watching us & we all laughed - they knew how silly 2 white dudes felt for being startled about a volleyball. It turned into a chance to have a good laugh. If I was single, I might've talked to the girl! Hawhaw.
So far, I don't need anything except an alarm clck to wake me up for college football. However, one guy that I was emailing before I got here said he'd kill for Oreos. I still haven't sought him out because I'm re-thinking the value of oreos to me.
Todd, I am working right downtown on the 'Marginale' - the waterfront 'promenade'. Near a destroyed building with a sign on top that reads
"O Rei Do Frigidores', 'Amana' (AMana, King of Refrigerators), and not far from a building w/ 'Cuca' on top. Cuca is the local beer. Oh, I am right across Rua Jinga from a bldg that has an ancient 'FIAT' sign on it. That one is next to some gov't bldg w/ bullet pock-marks on it's exterior. That one is right next to the Chrysler dealership w/ two Crossfires in the showroom. Honestly, who here is gonna buy a Crossfire? Well, actually...I have seen 3 Hummer H2s. Probably gov't big-wigs & oil execs.
Liberty, my accomodations are quite good. A nice, large modern-colonial house shared w/ about 6 other expats - 3 of us from the USA & 3 from South Africa - really cool people. Food, booze, & housekeeping are all provided. We've even got drivers to take us anywhere we wanna go. We're in a great neighborhood, although you'd never know it from the exteriors of the buildings.
Mystery, if cellardoor's comments prompt you to keep writing, fantastic. If they don't, then ignore him/her - many people are enjoying hearing your story!
MysteryMan - congrats on making the move. I made a similar exedus 4 years ago and never looked back. I'm not sure that I can make the comparison correctly as I've never been to Angola but it does seem to be the place of choice for Project Managers that used to be here (oddly enough one was a Scot)
I do think that this journey of your will prove to be something of a lasting experience. Forget the social experience aspect of it - what will get you is the way you work. You will begin to appreciate being able to order a part for your computer from the pc store down the road, instead of waiting for it to be air freighted in
I dig ya Jam-arch. But man, Oh man, have I stepped into a bee's nest.
I thought I had a feel for CA, but these guys take the cake on generating a pAper trail. Plus, this firm has...geesh, what a mess.
I really like the expat experience, my komrades are very capable & I'm starting to figure it out. But the b.s. level exceeds anything I've ever seen. It is one step sideways & 10 back. Everybody is brand new, except for my kind of boss, who has 5 yrs of this project in his head. I've got 6 days...and I'm one of the 'old salts'.
I just had a guy arrive that is supposed to do shop dwg submittals, but suddenly found out that he is really not actually on my team - he is on loan from Exxon for maybe a couple of weeks. Great guy, super smart, but gonna be working for someone else. GAWD!!! I just got my secretary today - wonderful young lady. Smart, eager & organized. But when she needs me to train her - I'm pulled into a b.s. meeting by my (kind of) boss to listen to 2 electrical 'designers' have a pissing match about switch gear. I tell them (nicely) 'call the supplier'. 'Uh, oh, yeah, I guess we could do that.' meanwhile, the Portuguese contractor is either praying, or cussing under his breath (I might join him soon). GAWD!!!
Mojo-Jojo/Groundskeeper Willy (Mojo-Willy for short) is OK today. Whew!
We've gotta make dozens of copies for everything, we've gotta TrAnscribe red-marks to all of these copies. Didn't these guys (I wanna call 'em something) ever hear of a copy machine!!?? And yes, they are American! Let me put it this way: It seems like everyone here is prepping themselves for a lawsuit. I really don't know how much of that I can take.
I can take Luanda, the poverty like nothing else, the overcrowded city, the stink, the noise, the decay of a former colony, the hustle & bustle. Those things make this an adventure. The dumb approach to CA can really make this un-fun. When they finally give me the reigns to this jalopy. My kind of boss is leaving Thursday - good thing too, I think this visit is taking its toll on his health. he looked good when we got here, but now he's drawn out. I don't like that, 'cause he's a helluva guy.
Honestly, I am keeping a positive attitude, but I have gotta make this situation change, or this whole team will go on vacation & not come back. I want this to work, but man-O-man. We'll see what happens tomorrrow.
sORRY jAM,
I'm a bit of a square (cause I'm brain dead): What's a HASH song? Is it something that us bitch-n-moan types whine about? Sounds like a good topic. Anyway, I had a better day, today...then, it turns out I might have to fire someone. My favorite job- NOT.
WOW. My mom is from Angola, I've been hunting around for ways to get over there and help them rebuild--I thought my only option was on a govt' aid contract--how did you end up there???? I would love to be helping Angola. Are there actually architectural opportunities, for real???? I'm AMAZED.
Still alive-n-kickin'. Have had no time for anything (well, maybe, I had my 53rd beer last weekend). Simply put - at this point, my first paycheck should be there. If so, I'll stick around. If not, I guess that I'll stow-away on a Halliburton boat.
In summary, it's still strange, but I am enjoying the place as much as I can (which ain't much). But this company, (starts w/ an E, has an 'I' at the end & one more letter in the middle, HQ'd in Houston) really sucks. However, they promised to buy me a printer & a filing cabinet. Oh, actually I forgot, they did spring for a power strip today! Wow, now I can really crank on those 1000 submittals & RFIs by Janurary. Yeah, right! Oh, get this: The construction mgr (T*r*er Constr******) cut off my water supply! I'm waiting for the bathrooms to get locked next.
If I ever get the dorks to buy my plane ticket for my first 'rotation' out for 2 weeks, I might stay gone.
Bad decision? maybe, we'll see. I'm not joking about stuff like the 'power strip' & water.. I have been pushing hard to get my group staffed & a facility built, or acquied. If this can happen, this job actually has a fighting chance to succeed. If not, this will have been a royal waste of time & money (theirs).
The good thing is that, as a group, my 'colleagues' are pretty tight & fun people to be around. We have some great bullchit sessions w/ some adventurous South Africans, a coy Brit (Dr.Evil), a boisterous as hell Fat-Bastard-of-a-Scot, & a 'tell-it-like-it-is, SHow-Me state Missouri guy , a career ex-pat Interior Designer from Mississippi...err, California & somebody''s Daucshund. Without this group, i'd have already been back home.
With a little bit of luck, we're all gonna play hooky on Friday & rent a boat for some Deep-Sea Fishing. I have heard that this is great here. Also, the place, near Mussulo (sp), has a beautiful resort. I think we all need it - only Wednsday & I've already exceeded my contract req't of 40hrs.
oh well, No malaria, or food poioning yet. And, at least I haven't had to fire anyone lately.
Actually it sounds pretty rough out there. Some deep sea fishing may be just what's needed, get offshore a bit and have a good physical fight with something besides the faceless entity that is your employer. Poor fish won't know what hit 'em....
My husband's birthday is next week. I'm getting him floor jacks so he can get to work on Ruby (the T-Bird) over Thanksgiving...is that a good present or a self-centered one?!
Mistery, first of all good luck. I have some friends and company mates working in Luanda, i'm portuguese,so...The company i work for is a major constructor there it's called SDC-Soares da Costa. The guys from there told me some stories about the trashy streets, the open air sewers, and the street police guys that ask money for everything, even an untied shoe!! ;-)) but they say it' getting better, there no thefts every day now, diseases are controled, and one thing you can be shure of, no terrorist. But a lot of poor people beging, some chineses and some fat portuguese, and my friend their the best to keep in a good frienship. So Mistery, good luck for you adventure, but be very careful with some stuff like...bar chicks, food, etc.
I think that what I will do with my architectural career is travel. I have worked in Los Angeles for a very successful residential architect. He made gobs of money, but he worked 24/7, literally. Always marketing, always coordinating. I have realized that I do not have that sort of commitment. I am extremely passionate about architecture, but also enjoy friends, family, surfing, etc.
So I started looking for work elsewhere (outside of LA), first thing that I found was in Bermuda. I have been here 4 weeks now, move into my new place Dec. 1st, drive a moped to the office (5 min. commute), explore the island on the weekends with wife and daughter, stream KCRW at work… going to find out if this place gets waves tomorrow morning.
I will miss getting coffee at The Cow every morning (along with other things, I'm sure), but hey, a couple of years couldn’t hurt! I think I like the idea of moving around a bit. Good luck, Mystery, I hope something good comes out of your move…
Hey Liberty. I like the name 'Ruby'. One of our main sources of entertainment, here, is the Discovery Channel. At least I'm keeping up on 'American Hotrod' & American Chopper'. Oh, & the other form of entertainment is going to Clube Royale...I've never felt so violated in all my life...
Lud,
I'm afraid to say too much now. I am geting to know Soares de Costa pretty well. Overall, a pretty good group. We probably know the same people. Small World. Seu amigos falar o verdade para isso cidade! Muito obrigado por os palavras simpaticas....e desculpe por meu Portugues!
3D, you may have given me the idea for my next job after this one!
BTW,
Sorry for not geting any photos uploaded yet - I've been busier than a bee on cocaine. But maybe over the next few days I can get something to ya'll - I might start w/ photos of the Fire Test i've gotta go witness in Johannesbourg on Monday. Ahhhh, to be back in the 'world' for a day or two.
I Got Bored, So...I Got A Job in Angola?
LUANDA, ANGOLA!! WTF?!!
The reasons are all good. Money & opportunity. They made me that offer I couldn't refuse. NO, I ain't running from the law or some dame, so don't go guessin' nuttin.
So go have a beer at some good place for me. I'll be raising a glass to you guys overlooking the Atlantic from a bombed out former Portuguese
high-rise..once my 14 hour flight gets there.
You probably won't hear anything from me for about a week, or so. But, I'll let ya'll know how it's going.
The worst thing about this is that I was all of the dang projects that I started that now won't get done until next year - KRAP. Also, stuff like figuring out how to file taxes & pay bills from the other side of the world is really stressing me out, but I'll survive.
BTW, please send me all of the positve vibes that you can, I'm gonna need 'em.
Ciao, for now.
Good Luck Mate,
Sounds like a real adventure. Very interesting.
You should start a blog! Paying taxes? You're in Angola mate!
d
Thanks Amigo. I hope the work is interesting, or I'll get bored again & go
looking for work in Naperville, or Dallas, or someplace REALLY exciting.
If I can get some good web help, I'll do something on-line.
Once again, the positive vibes mean a lot to me. 'Pushiate it.
go mm an excellent locale for mystery man's school of architecture!!!
Vado, You always figure out my motives.
MM where you from originally? all the best, stay out of trouble, ok? try not to stand out, if that's possible, and get home in one piece...
...oh, and if you bump into UBL can you let the US know where he is...thanks!
From Naperville to Angola. An upgrade? I'd say so.
Best.
.mm
Beta,
I'm just a guy from the South...mostly. As for standing out, I think I'll be OK. My wife tells me that I don't look like an American, more like an Italian! I'm sure that I'll blend right in?\ And, I hope not to see UBL/OBL. Angola's pretty free of terrorists, for now.
MMatt, as for Naperville. I've only passed through, but IT would be an upgrade from suburban ATL.
Thanks Ya'll.
best of luck and have many adventures!
definitely start up a blog and forget about the taxes.
Good Luck!
You will have a tough time finding good southern bbq though. I guarantee that's the first thing you'll miss....some ribs from Dreamland and some pulled pork from Slopes. Mmmmmm...I'm hungry now....
wow
can't wait to read something about your stay there. maybe some pics?
cheers
Hey Mystery didja get my email where I told you they will love you there and beg you to stay? When they do that, tell them they need to arrange transport over for not only your sweetheart but also at least two of your American muscle hot rods so you can be known as the architect who drives the coolest wheels in town....
And yeah, I want to teach at your new arch school there. Keep me posted.
Such boldness is rare, and important. You rock, Mystery.
Ha ha, when I first saw Angola I thought of this little town in NE Indiana just west of Ohio and a few miles off the turnpike. The odd places an architecture career can take us. For me, a couple nights in an Indiana farm town - for you a trip to africa.
there's a cool/funky neville bros song called 'angola bound'. course it's about a workhouse prison in louisiana...
I also thought of Angola, Louisiana. Something sinister about the name, Angola. I'll bet the one in Indiana has got evil Amish dudes named Mordicai.
Liberty, I'll reserve a dean slot for you! I don't think I'll take any of those cars though - they problably don't have good gas & I get the feeling that they'd be stripped bare in about 10 minutes. But, I'll keep some pics of 'em, and you send some of the T-Bird. I'm sure I'll need something cool to look at.
Yeah, MM, I made a similar jump. I am moving on Friday to Bermuda (from LA). Now that the date is finally arriving, I am getting a bit nervous… new country, small island, ancient construction methods… I am looking at it as an adventure. A much needed change of scenery. Although, I may have to shelf all of my new designer jeans.
Good luck with yours, let us know how it goes.
Mystery Man, sounds exciting!!!!!!! If my baby is not so young, I'm really to move to any place any time. As architects we need all the life experiences to enrich us. Two weeks vacation each year, won't give us enough time to go anywhere. Now think it as paid vacation, seeing new places andget new experiences.
MM,
Good luck... watch out for landmines and go to lots of good footy (soccer) matches. I do have a friend who's looking for an architect over there so if you need some freelance work drop me a line.
I'll be in ZA in December - party?
Cheers
Cameron
3D,
I'll wave as I fly by (2000miles to the south). I know whatcha mean. Gotta shake things up a bit. I do envy your impending locale over mine, a bit. Nonetheless, we've both got neat places...you just ain't got those landmines!
Reason,
You actually hit a good point for me. My wife & I will probably 'work' on starting a family after this assignmt is over. At this point, we are trying to cram in as much wild-n-crazy stuff as possible before we've gotta grow up. My wife might have a chance to work for (over) me in the 'AO', so we might not be separated much.
A great 'perk' of this assignment is that I get 42 days of vacation, or 2weeks every 3months. I'm sure I'll need it.
Cameron,
I'll check out the 'footy' locally. But I'll be challenging myself to get up @ 2am to watch college football.
I'll give ya a holler if we need the help, & Buzz me when you're on 'the continent'!
Thanks ya'll.
OH MY GAWD.
WHAT?!
my dad actually use to work in angola for 12 some odd years.. he was a GC for a Chevron based construction company. basically he was showing the local angolans how to build shit. he would work 5 weeks on and then be 3 weeks off. who knows you may run across the same oufit while there. he no longer is there but they are still operating in the same area.
as far as the taxes go, set up an account in paris, or wherever your flight lays you over and run a swiss account. to my knowledge he never paid taxes on his earnings through this means.....'
but you didn't hear it from me..
what exactly are you working on there???
Mystery, Mystery, Mystery...HOW IS IT GOING?????
Been going non-stop since Sunday p.m.:
xxx----xxxx----xxxx
* Sun: Depart ATL to Houston (Hallibuton city)
Long kiss goodbye to wife. Miss her the most.
* Mon: Meet a guy @ IAH (INTERCONTINENTAL - Not Dumbya Airport)
Gotta pick him out of a crowd because he's got my passport
w/ my Ang visa (funny, no Americans here have WORK visas!
Tell that to your Illegal Alien hatin- friends!!! And, the Ang
police do bust you for immigration violations.
Least of my worries)
Board the 'Houston Express' for Luanda. Flight by World Air,
the unspoken airline of the CIA. Essentially a plane
full of Halliburton, Exxon & who knows who else (bunch of '
'company'-looking fat-cats on board).
Tue a.m.: After 14hrs of being over the Atlantic, I look down to a big old clould of dust called Luanda. We make our decent into an 'Air-junkyard', pretty interesting to see 727s w/ primer on 'em - just like the South! Go through airport, get to driver, go through town - My GAWD. WE ARE LUCKY IN THE USA. But, this city is ALIVE even though it is like what a friend of mine here calls 'a post-apocalyptic Tucson'. I think it's a bit more like a post apocalyptic Miami, maybe even like California. The setting & the land are incredible, but trashy, but rebuilding. I guess Big Oil is good for something.
I lost track of the days after that, but I'll write back - I'll just say this, if you want to make good money & have an adventure, so far this looks like the way to do it. BTW, this work is through an Archt out of Houston who has been doing loads of work here for a long time. My project is doing CA for a suburban-style office/condo tower for Exxon & Sonangol (Ang's natl oil co). That is also kinda strange to see: ATL Galleria Office Park meets Rio favelas.
Hiya Liberty, Beta Todd.!
BTW, Liberty, I'm real happy I ain't got a car here.
MM good for you! Good luck, i am sure all of the Archinect crowd will be thinking of you daily. be sure to let us know if you need anything...
Seriously, Mystery, it sounds like an amazing adventure. Maybe this thread can be like a school-blog for professional adventurers!
What is your living situation, high rise apartment or favela? Can you post some pics? Or email them to me and I'll post them for you...
Great to get the update, keep 'em coming when you can!
actually my boss is from angola indiana and left work early friday to catch the concord/angola football game. after an earlybird special dinner with his folks. who needs new york city???
man, you are in the same place my dad was working at.. luanda was his landing spot as well but back then they flew a copter into it. keep the posts MM.
Thanks all ya'll. I'm gonna try to get a bit more illustrative this week, if the raving nut of a Scottsman that I work for lets me sleep! Think Groundskeeper Willy meets Mojo-Jojo! That's (one of) my boss. Honestly, the strangest things about this place are really turning out to be the expatriates! Honestly, I have walked into a bad project situation that may cause the group I am with to have to return prematurely. I hate pre-existing political problems. Basically, there is a serious money disagreement between the developer & the architect. I think this job will go well...if we don't have to jamp back onto Houston Express this week.
Anyway, Let's see. Today me & the 'blokes' went to the beach. kind of looked like Sanibel Island, or the Keys, only with 10,000 teenagers/young adults 'cruising'. Oh yeah, and nobody that looked like they were from 'del Boca Vista'. Overall, the place was nice, but again, with Africa, so many contrasts - beach clubs catering to expats like us bordered by shanties.
At one point, me & Mike, my structural engr, were driving to pick up the other guys. We felt a crash & a 'BOOM' onto the roof. OK, we're the only Americans (yes, white boys) around for about a mile & traffic is packied in w/ 'sprited' kids/20-somethings around. Mike & I get ready to floor it, 'cause there's also a lot of booze around, too.
We figured, from the noise, a drunk guy had attacked our truck! Then... we see a pretty girl run after the volleyball that just bounced off our roof. She smiled @ me & said a sweet 'Sorry!' & waved - she & I both laughed. I looked over at 2 guys watching us & we all laughed - they knew how silly 2 white dudes felt for being startled about a volleyball. It turned into a chance to have a good laugh. If I was single, I might've talked to the girl! Hawhaw.
So far, I don't need anything except an alarm clck to wake me up for college football. However, one guy that I was emailing before I got here said he'd kill for Oreos. I still haven't sought him out because I'm re-thinking the value of oreos to me.
Todd, I am working right downtown on the 'Marginale' - the waterfront 'promenade'. Near a destroyed building with a sign on top that reads
"O Rei Do Frigidores', 'Amana' (AMana, King of Refrigerators), and not far from a building w/ 'Cuca' on top. Cuca is the local beer. Oh, I am right across Rua Jinga from a bldg that has an ancient 'FIAT' sign on it. That one is next to some gov't bldg w/ bullet pock-marks on it's exterior. That one is right next to the Chrysler dealership w/ two Crossfires in the showroom. Honestly, who here is gonna buy a Crossfire? Well, actually...I have seen 3 Hummer H2s. Probably gov't big-wigs & oil execs.
Liberty, my accomodations are quite good. A nice, large modern-colonial house shared w/ about 6 other expats - 3 of us from the USA & 3 from South Africa - really cool people. Food, booze, & housekeeping are all provided. We've even got drivers to take us anywhere we wanna go. We're in a great neighborhood, although you'd never know it from the exteriors of the buildings.
Ciao for now.
is 'ciao for now' your thing? no can do ciao reservations for later?
me&Mike :-) yay, cute. i bet you call everyone 'buddy' as well. i know you i dream of you. you're my kind of thing.
Mystery, if cellardoor's comments prompt you to keep writing, fantastic. If they don't, then ignore him/her - many people are enjoying hearing your story!
yes, your stories are interesting. thanks for sharing.
KMA celladoor.
I adore you Mystery!
any need for just outta school types over there?
MysteryMan - congrats on making the move. I made a similar exedus 4 years ago and never looked back. I'm not sure that I can make the comparison correctly as I've never been to Angola but it does seem to be the place of choice for Project Managers that used to be here (oddly enough one was a Scot)
I do think that this journey of your will prove to be something of a lasting experience. Forget the social experience aspect of it - what will get you is the way you work. You will begin to appreciate being able to order a part for your computer from the pc store down the road, instead of waiting for it to be air freighted in
I dig ya Jam-arch. But man, Oh man, have I stepped into a bee's nest.
I thought I had a feel for CA, but these guys take the cake on generating a pAper trail. Plus, this firm has...geesh, what a mess.
I really like the expat experience, my komrades are very capable & I'm starting to figure it out. But the b.s. level exceeds anything I've ever seen. It is one step sideways & 10 back. Everybody is brand new, except for my kind of boss, who has 5 yrs of this project in his head. I've got 6 days...and I'm one of the 'old salts'.
I just had a guy arrive that is supposed to do shop dwg submittals, but suddenly found out that he is really not actually on my team - he is on loan from Exxon for maybe a couple of weeks. Great guy, super smart, but gonna be working for someone else. GAWD!!! I just got my secretary today - wonderful young lady. Smart, eager & organized. But when she needs me to train her - I'm pulled into a b.s. meeting by my (kind of) boss to listen to 2 electrical 'designers' have a pissing match about switch gear. I tell them (nicely) 'call the supplier'. 'Uh, oh, yeah, I guess we could do that.' meanwhile, the Portuguese contractor is either praying, or cussing under his breath (I might join him soon). GAWD!!!
Mojo-Jojo/Groundskeeper Willy (Mojo-Willy for short) is OK today. Whew!
We've gotta make dozens of copies for everything, we've gotta TrAnscribe red-marks to all of these copies. Didn't these guys (I wanna call 'em something) ever hear of a copy machine!!?? And yes, they are American! Let me put it this way: It seems like everyone here is prepping themselves for a lawsuit. I really don't know how much of that I can take.
I can take Luanda, the poverty like nothing else, the overcrowded city, the stink, the noise, the decay of a former colony, the hustle & bustle. Those things make this an adventure. The dumb approach to CA can really make this un-fun. When they finally give me the reigns to this jalopy. My kind of boss is leaving Thursday - good thing too, I think this visit is taking its toll on his health. he looked good when we got here, but now he's drawn out. I don't like that, 'cause he's a helluva guy.
Honestly, I am keeping a positive attitude, but I have gotta make this situation change, or this whole team will go on vacation & not come back. I want this to work, but man-O-man. We'll see what happens tomorrrow.
So Mystery can we expect to hear you singing HASH songs fairly soon? It is the mantra of a well seasoned expat...
sORRY jAM,
I'm a bit of a square (cause I'm brain dead): What's a HASH song? Is it something that us bitch-n-moan types whine about? Sounds like a good topic. Anyway, I had a better day, today...then, it turns out I might have to fire someone. My favorite job- NOT.
Jeez, a week on the job and your firing people? Things move fast over there...
Hey Mystery - an update? I watched "Sahara" this weekend and it made me worried for you....hope all is well.
WOW. My mom is from Angola, I've been hunting around for ways to get over there and help them rebuild--I thought my only option was on a govt' aid contract--how did you end up there???? I would love to be helping Angola. Are there actually architectural opportunities, for real???? I'm AMAZED.
Still alive-n-kickin'. Have had no time for anything (well, maybe, I had my 53rd beer last weekend). Simply put - at this point, my first paycheck should be there. If so, I'll stick around. If not, I guess that I'll stow-away on a Halliburton boat.
In summary, it's still strange, but I am enjoying the place as much as I can (which ain't much). But this company, (starts w/ an E, has an 'I' at the end & one more letter in the middle, HQ'd in Houston) really sucks. However, they promised to buy me a printer & a filing cabinet. Oh, actually I forgot, they did spring for a power strip today! Wow, now I can really crank on those 1000 submittals & RFIs by Janurary. Yeah, right! Oh, get this: The construction mgr (T*r*er Constr******) cut off my water supply! I'm waiting for the bathrooms to get locked next.
If I ever get the dorks to buy my plane ticket for my first 'rotation' out for 2 weeks, I might stay gone.
Bad decision? maybe, we'll see. I'm not joking about stuff like the 'power strip' & water.. I have been pushing hard to get my group staffed & a facility built, or acquied. If this can happen, this job actually has a fighting chance to succeed. If not, this will have been a royal waste of time & money (theirs).
The good thing is that, as a group, my 'colleagues' are pretty tight & fun people to be around. We have some great bullchit sessions w/ some adventurous South Africans, a coy Brit (Dr.Evil), a boisterous as hell Fat-Bastard-of-a-Scot, & a 'tell-it-like-it-is, SHow-Me state Missouri guy , a career ex-pat Interior Designer from Mississippi...err, California & somebody''s Daucshund. Without this group, i'd have already been back home.
With a little bit of luck, we're all gonna play hooky on Friday & rent a boat for some Deep-Sea Fishing. I have heard that this is great here. Also, the place, near Mussulo (sp), has a beautiful resort. I think we all need it - only Wednsday & I've already exceeded my contract req't of 40hrs.
oh well, No malaria, or food poioning yet. And, at least I haven't had to fire anyone lately.
Mystery! SO pleased to know you are still alive!
Actually it sounds pretty rough out there. Some deep sea fishing may be just what's needed, get offshore a bit and have a good physical fight with something besides the faceless entity that is your employer. Poor fish won't know what hit 'em....
My husband's birthday is next week. I'm getting him floor jacks so he can get to work on Ruby (the T-Bird) over Thanksgiving...is that a good present or a self-centered one?!
Take care Mystery Man.
Go MysteryMan!
We need some photos, frappr maps etc, etc, for those of us who are geographically and visually curious. Keep it up.
http://images.google.com/images?q=Kissama+National
http://www.jembas.com/apps/flexitree/items/Quicombo,%20Rio%20Cubal%20-%20Kwanza%20Sul%20-%20Quicombo,%20Cubal%20River.jpg
http://www.mangais.com/english/2-h_Fotografias_Mussulo_MiradouroLua_eng.htm
Mistery, first of all good luck. I have some friends and company mates working in Luanda, i'm portuguese,so...The company i work for is a major constructor there it's called SDC-Soares da Costa. The guys from there told me some stories about the trashy streets, the open air sewers, and the street police guys that ask money for everything, even an untied shoe!! ;-)) but they say it' getting better, there no thefts every day now, diseases are controled, and one thing you can be shure of, no terrorist. But a lot of poor people beging, some chineses and some fat portuguese, and my friend their the best to keep in a good frienship. So Mistery, good luck for you adventure, but be very careful with some stuff like...bar chicks, food, etc.
I think that what I will do with my architectural career is travel. I have worked in Los Angeles for a very successful residential architect. He made gobs of money, but he worked 24/7, literally. Always marketing, always coordinating. I have realized that I do not have that sort of commitment. I am extremely passionate about architecture, but also enjoy friends, family, surfing, etc.
So I started looking for work elsewhere (outside of LA), first thing that I found was in Bermuda. I have been here 4 weeks now, move into my new place Dec. 1st, drive a moped to the office (5 min. commute), explore the island on the weekends with wife and daughter, stream KCRW at work… going to find out if this place gets waves tomorrow morning.
I will miss getting coffee at The Cow every morning (along with other things, I'm sure), but hey, a couple of years couldn’t hurt! I think I like the idea of moving around a bit. Good luck, Mystery, I hope something good comes out of your move…
Hey Liberty. I like the name 'Ruby'. One of our main sources of entertainment, here, is the Discovery Channel. At least I'm keeping up on 'American Hotrod' & American Chopper'. Oh, & the other form of entertainment is going to Clube Royale...I've never felt so violated in all my life...
Lud,
I'm afraid to say too much now. I am geting to know Soares de Costa pretty well. Overall, a pretty good group. We probably know the same people. Small World. Seu amigos falar o verdade para isso cidade! Muito obrigado por os palavras simpaticas....e desculpe por meu Portugues!
3D, you may have given me the idea for my next job after this one!
BTW,
Sorry for not geting any photos uploaded yet - I've been busier than a bee on cocaine. But maybe over the next few days I can get something to ya'll - I might start w/ photos of the Fire Test i've gotta go witness in Johannesbourg on Monday. Ahhhh, to be back in the 'world' for a day or two.
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