Safe and Sound

Just to put everyone's mind at ease, we are indeed in Belgium. We've even been evacuated! That was exciting. Here's the story.

We were planned to leave Ivory Coast on the 5th of November, after the second tour of the elections.
The first tour went smoothly, we just had to stay on the plantation for a while. We all foresaw trouble at the second round, but as we were leaving permanently, my husband had some loose end to work through on his job and of course we had all this packing to do.
Come friday the fifth, we had packed and wee living in an empty house, but Ivory Coast closed it's borders. No way in, no way out.
By Saturday, the company had decided to evacuate all women and children and we tried to get a plane... to anywhere, because Brussels Airlines had stopped landing in Abidjan as soon as Laurent Gbagbo (previous Ivorian president) had launched curfew.
We ended up having the Sophia airplane land on the plantation, because it was too dangerous to take the road with all these people to San Pedro airport.

We said our goodbyes to all our staff in a wave of tears and emotions, because we had a really close staff, and I know that I will forever miss Mariam, our nanny/cook, who had become a close friend, and just about the only person I really talked to.

Here's a picture of our car and the plane on the plantation's landing strip. 

Here we are all waiting for the last people to arrive. 14 of us left, leaving only 4 other expats on the plantation.

Our evacuation experience took 52 hours. We Took off on the plantation, landed in San Pedro to pick up some other people. Then we landed again in Abidjan, where we would be taking the same small plane to Accra, Ghana. 

The plane was scheduled to leave just after lunch. We all waited in the 'lounge' with the seven kids and five women and two men. 

When we got on the plane again, there appeared to be something wrong with the radio, so out we went again.

We waited another six hours in that sad excuse for a lounge to eventually find out that plane would not be taking us to Ghana. 

So of to the hotel it was, which meant we had to drive through the entire city. We didn't want to take the risk of multiple cars, so all 14 of us with our ton of bags squeezed into the hotel bus.

The morning after we took an Ethiopian plane that came from Monrovia direction Accra.

And finally we were safe!

We spent another day in Ghana, in a hotel, where we ate and changed our clothes and even went for a swim, and in the evening we took another plane first to Frankfurt and then - many security checks later - yet another one to Belgium.

It was quite an experience. 

The best things happen when you're gone

Of course when you'll be moving, suddenly you get all the good invitations. We've already been invited to two new year's eve parties, but we won't be here.
And now we find out that there will be a new hotel opening in Grand Bereby, by the same owner as the Italian restaurant we have been going to every Sunday for nine months now.
They're even putting a bar on the beach.

Ugh... all the good things happen when we're gone.

moving

As if I had a sixth sense, the day has come: in a little over a month we'll be leaving Ivory Coast. For good? Who knows... maybe we'll come back in a couple of years. At least here I would want to come back, whereas in Cameroon that wasn't really on the top of my list and I was glad to go.

So how am I feeling? Right now pretty good. Really excited about the prospect and happy to find new dwellings... Also very happy to leave a rather poisonous social situation. But I have to admit it really hurts too.
I have grown to love this country, and its people. I have found my way...
I must admit - in a way - I have settled.

And where it really stings is that we will be leaving Mariam, our nanny/cook. She has been like a second mother to my child and we wee rather close. I don't know how my daughter will cope with leaving here for good.
We have already told her we would be moving to another country and we woudn't be coming back, but that's rather abstract for a two year old. She must aprehend something, because she's very clingy the last couple of weeks...
I dread the day I have to pack her room.

So in a while it will be all boxes again (I've already started, but really in slow motion). And then we'll have a long holiday in Belgium. And then my husband will be leaving us again to go to our new home before us... ugh.

We're not sure of the destination yet, so I'll let you know in due time.

Sedentary??? Or not?

I don't write here anymore... well, if you're a regular here, you might already know that. There's numerous reasons for this...

I had a conversation with my husband's boss a while back, he is an older man, on his way to retirement and has spent nearly his entire career in Africa. He said he used to keep journals... when he was traveling a lot, and they became pages and pages of text, filled with experiences and sensations. Then he bacame more stable, got to live on plantations... and the writing stopped.

I guess that's what kind of happened with this blog.

On the one hand I got different interests - before this blog was the only hobby I kept, next to some crafting and cooking - now there's the little one and I have a million projects I am working out.
But on the other hand... I have been feeling rather sedentary. Even though I have been living in Ivory Coast for less than two years, it kind of feels like I've seen and experienced everything that the region has to offer.
I've almost finished my house... Time to move, no?

And yet it's not like nothing happens. The last couple of month have been particularly trialing for our family. Our dog probably has epilepsy, we had several hospital trips for the little one (button up the nose, severe fever, dislocated nerve), and I had my own medical scares. And all that was combined with a general unhappiness and an awkward group dynamic on the plantation.

But I don't like to write about this kind of things, they are too days of our lives... So I don't write.

But I bet I'll have a lot to write about soon :)

The Africa Experience

Like many a foreigner who has lived in present day Africa, this experience leaves us with contradictory emotions.
On the one hand, we can't be leaving here fast enough. We are eager to leave behind the many inconveniences of living in tropical West-Africa: the hours of bumpy roads, the penetrating, nausiating smells, the struggle to provide in ones basic needs, the moisture and mold, the insects and diseases, the insecurity...
Yet on the other hand, we already knows that if the day comes that we will be actually leaving we will be heartbroken and forever long for what we have left. There are things here in Africa I think one can find nowhere else. The fish and seafood and tropical fruits will never taste the same. Never again will we have such devoted personell (if you don't count Jean-Pierre).
On top of that we have come to love African fabrics, their colors and designs who brighten markets and roads and who are different in every country. The possibility of having clothes tailor made for no cost at all. The deserted beaches who seem to be waiting there for nobody but me. The way they approach children. The way they dress up for occasions, making a company party feel like the gala event of the year.

If we ever leave, we will be leaving so much behind. Will we be gettinig as much in return?

African Summer

We've been back from a four week holiday - of which we spent ten days in Turkey and the rest in Belgium - for a week now. The weather is really amazing.
Apparently they had the wettest rainy season in years, but that passed unnoticed as the most violent days were during our leave.
Last year it hardly rained at all and it was just terribly dry and souring hot.
Now, there's an amazingly fresh breeze ever since we came back and the sun shines brightly, without it being too hot.

As it is school vacation, every day, the roads and pool are filled with children, so my daughter has a lot of interactions. Sometimes, they come over here and spend the afternoon under our 'paillote' colouring and drawing.

Making friends

In the comments of one of my recent entries, some of you were wondering how I do it to make friends very time we move, and how I integrate.
I have been wondering about that. I'm not the most outgoing person, character-wize, but I must admit that over these few years, I have learned to open up. To invite people over, to talk to people as I meet them in the supermarket or other random places. Before all the moving and stuff I might not have been so extravert. I did have a lot of random chatter, but that was usually because strangers talked to me (I've always thought I must have that kind of face, you know :) )
The first six months we lived in Cameroun, I have hardly interacted with anyone. By the end of that scope of time, I was really bewildered I could hardly follow a conversation without drifting off in my mind. I was so desperate for social interaction, I would stalk the plumber and the electrician when they came around. So maybe I learned the hard way.
Anyhow, ever since that first period of expat experience, I now try to welcome others as well aspossible, if they are new to plantation life. I try to organise things every so often.
And here in Ivory Coast, I have made friends outside the company as well. But that is still limited, because they imperatively live in San Pedro, which is rather far for us.

So you could say it is a gradual learning process. I can believe not everybody is up for this kind of life, but on the other hand, it is so rich in experiences and encounters, and so unique, I wouldn't want to change it so far.

between here and there

We usually follow a five month/one month program, which means we spend five months over here in Ivory Coast and one month holidays in Europe. Now I have gotten so frustrated from being in Europe the last couple of times I told my husband I would rather not go any more, or if we do, we spend the entire holiday somewhere other than Belgium.

So this time, we set off with the idea that we'd be here until september... unless for some reason it would be necessary for us to go sooner. Which meant nine months over here.

Now I thought that would make things easier once I was here. You should know normally, about three months in, I get this desire to go back, and all I do really is looking forward to our holiday. And since that holiday is so far away now, I thought that longng would be postponed, more so because I generally really don't like our holidays.

But guess again! We have been here for three months now (what did I tell you) and already I am looking forward to leaving. But looking forward to what exactly? I can hardly blog or read my email over there. I have to run behind the little one all the time - that doesn't bother me, but combined to the fact that I cannot go out because all activities are to far away and I don't drive... It's a recipe to go bananas.

I seriously couldn't tell you... Except I want to do some shopping... If only we could get our webshopping delivered here, there would be no reason whatsoever to go to Belgium every five months any more.

Safe for the shopping. I'm good here. I'm fairly happy most of the time. There's hardly any appeal to go to Belgium, so what is this longing??? I think we have been conditioned by the 5 month system. I think the fact that we know this is not OUR house, makes us not feel like we are living here, just residing. Another thing that makes it equally bad is that we never know when we're moving. We could just as easy be here another six months as another two years. Now how are you supposed to settle in under those conditions?

Over those four years we've been doing the moving game, I never really felt at home in my house. I always did my best to decorate where I live, but it's not the same as when you are there indefinately. There's always those little things you don't do... or hesitate.

Pfffff.

I want to shop!!! NOW

Told the husband he needs to find an excuse to go to Abidjan, but he says he has none... grr

Not So Lazy Sunday Routine

I've noticed we've been establishing this wonderful routine on Sundays. This is how it goes:

The little girl wakes us up, around 6.30 or 7 in the morning. We put the dog outside for his morning pee and start cooking breakfast. Most often it is scrambled eggs, omelette or pancakes/some juice/fruit and chicoree for me.

We take our time eating breakfast and chatting away. Then we asses the situation.

If both our little critters are very active, we'll go off on a walk (and end up carrying both of them to get back), which last about an hour or so, sometimes we stop by our neighbors' house.

If they are too tired, we will just chill in front of the TV and watch some TV series on DVD until 11.

At 11 or 11.30 we drive to Béréby and have lunch at Jardin d'Italie, mostly pizza and mousse au chocolat. And then we are off to La Baie des Sirènes for the afternoon. We spend our time there swimming with the daughter and the dog (who really likes swimming in the ocean nowadays), building sandcastles, playing in the shower. On most occasions, another family will join us and the kids will play together in the sand.

Those are the most wonderful Sundays, that leave us completely recharged for the week.

What's your routine?

Stability... for now

The country has stabilized again, for now, since a new government has been established a week ago. At the time all is quiet again, there have been no more marches. People just go on with their daily activities.

I go around San Pedro a lot lately, and am getting to know quite a lot of people. Most of the shops here are owned by women who's husbands are working in the larger companies. Some of them have been here quite a while.

I met a woman today (I had actually met her before, but we only really talked today) who has lived in San Pedro for 12 years now. She owns a little gift and furniture shop. She kept the store open even through the "evenements", and only closed three days!

I went into her shop to buy a doll for DD. I might have to tell you the story behind this: she got a doll for her christmas from her mamie, but it disappeared from the luggage, and I didn't bother to bring my old baby dolls from Belgium. Now she really liked baby dolls,and when we went to Abidjan, that was the first thing she ran to in the toy store. So we decided to buy her one, but cheapskates as we are, we got the cheapest. You can imagine after mothering that baby doll for about an hour, it's arm came off.

Now, three weeks later, that poor doll has no limbs left (some of the dismemberment is to blame on the dog too). So I decided it might be time to get her a better doll.

Meanwhile, little cutie is asking about her mamie and dede a lot, and runs into the back room whenever it is open, to fetch the photoalbum. It really breaks my heart.

The longest stay

A few weeks from now, we'll be living in this house for a year and a month. Which will at the same time be our longest stay in the same house in six years. And we'll probably add a considerable amount of months to it.

I'm happy to have been here this long and for once to have been able to finish decorating the house. Ok, I'm not quite finished yet, I still have to get some small pieces of furniture and I think I'll have a table and chairs made for the little one. I wanted to upoad some pics from the house, but upon viewing them, I realized I had again changed a whole lot since I took them, so you're going to have to wait until I take some new ones.

Yet still I'm very eager to move on and discover new places. I like Cote d'Ivoire a lot, but it hasn't stolen my heart.

Any frequent movers among my readers? How do you experience that?

Marches end in violence

Whereas the country was really in an uplifting movement, people are now frustrated and in disagreement with what's going on. There was another discours by the prime minister this week, stating that there was a government had yet to be created and people should remain calm.
No more needed to be said to get people on the streets. Before, all were hopeful and the future looked bright... now, nobody knows what is going to happen and elections seem lightyears away.
We left Abidjan yesterday, to find yet another march in San Pedro. In Gagnoua this week a march had a bloody end, with several deaths after police used live ammo to disperse the demonstrators. You really start feeling the tention all around.

It's sad really, people were so hopeful, and ready to take the step towards a bright future. And more sick of the violence and the status quo.
It must have been a great country once. David met a French woman who had lived here before the war. She said she wept when she saw Cote d'Ivoire after all that time. She told him it was such a safe, modern, nice and beautiful country. You could decide to drive off to an animal park in the middle of the night, safety was not an issue. We are now far far away from that.

As far a sthe plantation is concerned, we're still very much spared from all this. The strike has ended peacefully and all is going back to usual.

Trouble in paradise

I haven't been on here for a while, because it's been really busy. I see there's some new followers on there, please leave a comment... It's nice to get some feedback. It's kind of freaky to know so many people read my blog and not to know why or what they are thinking. I can assure you that when someone I vaguely know mentions he or she has been following my blog for an extended period of time, without my knowledge... It's a bit weird. So please just take a minute to leave a comment, tell me what you are thinking.

It has been hectic lately. Hubby had some security consultants over to draw up safety and evacuation plans. Ironically, during their stay (last friday) Gbagbo, Côte d'Ivoire's president had a discours on national television in which he dissolved the government and the electoral commission. He demanded a new government was assigned by monday, but we're now wednesday and there's still no change.

This of course means that the elections, which were planned for march (and had already been postponed previous to this, several times) will not take place. This combined with the recurrent failing of the power network is creating a rather tense atmosphere, but so far the situation remains stable.

Meanwhile at the plantation, we are experiencing a strike. So the women and children have been evacuated to San Pedro, as a preventative safety measure which actually means they're at the pool having a company paid holiday hehe). Hubby and I moved on to Abidjan from there. he's still occupied with the safety consultants.

We are in Abidjan until Saturday and hope that by then the situation on the plantation will be resolved.

I think I might take advantage of the premium internet here in Abidjan to get some pics up.

Greets

L

Trip to Abidjan aftermath

The trip to Abidjan was a bit shorter than we expected. We had been wanting to take the Sophia plane back in the afternoon, but they changed the schedule again and we ended up flying in the morning. So that kind of wrecked our entire shopping. Anyhow, we're already flying back there on Sunday.
We did get to visit V*, which was wonderful after all this time. She's now living in Aboisso. We also did some quick shopping on the road to Bassam, this is a two kilometer long strip of road, with back to back artisanat shops. And prices are quite ok. We're really discovering Abidjan, and it makes me want to visit more of Ivory Coast.

When waiting for the Sophia plane back to San Pedro, I went to the bathroom. Previously, the usual sort of text could be found on the bathroom door. Stating who had been there, who was in love with whom... Yet this time... All text had been replaced with hateful messages against Gbagbo and his regime. Messages enciting violence and hate. It was quite scary, really.

elections... developments...

So I'm not quite sure if I had mentioned it, but the elections that were planned for the end of last year never took place... Nobody quite knows when the elections will happen. Prognosis would be march this year... But who knows?
Yet we are noticing quite some change around here. The hotel we visit often during the weekend (La Baie des Sirenes) is being renovated and this weekend the owner had arrived with a fleet of small aircrafts. There's a new restaurant in Bereby that's quite worthwile. (Maybe I'll finally get to post some pics when I go to San Pedro tomorrow)
San Pedro is evolving too. In the last couple of months, two new supermarkets opened and another is being installed. Sophia Airlines and the Sophia hotel were sold and are being completely revamped (Sophia airlines now even has hostesses and a check in counter, unimagineable). La Canelle was sold and is being renovated. And sadly, one of our favourite restaurants, La Langouste, is now closed.

Community life

Living on a plantation the way we do means you have to do with the few people around you. Now you have a few options:
You can either exclude yourself totally from community life, and while that may work when you are yourself the expat, and in fact have a job, when you're the wife and you're unable to get a job for whatever the reason, that might become lonely, and eventually very boring.
You can search friends outside the community, but that is not always possible, some countries are very poor security wise and then it's not advised to search outside the plantation for anything, really.
Or you can go with what you have and try to make the best of it. Which ultimately means you'll be befriending people you would probably never meet in normal life (in that I mean, non-plantation, non-expat life). People who differ from you in age, beliefs, way of life, etc... The only point you have in common is that for one reason or another you and they chose to live abroad. And this is where the trouble lies. Now you may be of good faith and try to be the social glue, try to make everybody happy etc... there's always going to be one or more people who do want to join in on the fun, but only on their terms, and who have such poor social skills, they end up sewing disparity wherever they go.

Now obviously, I chose the last option. Learning from my first plantation experince in Cameroon, I swore to myself, if I could help it, nobody would be on a plantation with me and feel lonely, except by choice. And so I try to find out what people like, try to organise social gatherings etc... And yet each and every time I end up with one person not speaking to me.
So I wonder? Is it that hard for other people to make the effort to just to get along with each other? I don't mean everybody has to be best friends, but it doesn't hurt to try not to insult the other people in the community, now does it.
And another thing I'm asking myself: why do so few people realize that when there's something plaging you, it's better to talk it through than to sit on it... Nobody's going to come solve your problems for you.

Until next time
L

Life as usual

So we've taken up our life again the way it was... Or should I say a better version of how it was. With the new expat couple and their kids, a lot more things seem to get organized. So much so that I hardly have time to get on the internet. I brought the Sims3 from Belgium, because before leaving I had some spare time and I thought I would use that to play. But spare time is becoming almost non-existing. We've been going to the beach, to San Pedro, doing some shopping, aquagym, making social calls and what not. Yet still when people in Belgium ask me what the hell I do all day long, I manage to come up with no answer whatsoever.

So people, stop asking me what I do all day long. Do I ask you what you do at work all day long? No. I assume you work and that's that, no questions needed. Well, I'm a stay at home expatriate mom. Is it that hard to imagine that I have things to do?

Oops, this started off as a post to say that we're doing fine and life is going it's pace, but I think this is slowly turning into a rant, so I'm going to leave it at this.

Bye for now!

Found a good internet connexion!

Happy New Year and best wishes to all of you. For this new year I will once again try to be more fruitful on this blog, if you guys in return post some more comments!

So we've been back in Ivory Coast for two and a half weeks now. Internet at home had to be reestablished first and then turned out to be just as crappy as before. But now I have discovered a wifi connexion in San Pedro, so I think this will be my spot from now on and maybe I will be able to get a weekly update on here now.

My parents have joined us on our return and have so far had a splendid holiday. Frankly, I'm wondering if we'll be able to get them on the plane on friday (I think my father is looking for a hiding place). It's going to be very hard having them leave, because we have gotten quite used to having them around. Bare in mind that I had already passed almost two months in Belgium before we came back. I fear it might turn out very lonely again.

As I mentioned, we've been having a great time so far. Going to the beach, having super dinners and lunches... Sadly the plantation's pool is out of order, but sweet hubby has rented us a car (a very crappy one, we already had a lot of car trouble: the back door won't open, windows won't close and we've spent one hour on the road waiting for another car to pick us up because the breaks didn't let go). So we've been getting around visiting beaches, going to San Pedro. If possible a more detailed report will follow later on.

Next post I'll get some pictures up.

posting from home

Wondering if I will be able to upload this message, since it is the first time in weeks that I've been able to connect to my blogger account due to crappy African internet.
Holidays are coming up for me, as I am leaving for Belgium with the little one on the 16th. Hubby will be joinging us the 7th of december. Initially we planned my early departure because of the iminent elections, but lately it is becoming clear that they won't be happening. Nothing nis know officially, but unofficially they will be postponed as far as next year. That's what seems logical to us, because so far there has been no talk of candidates, nor are there campaigns.
I will be taking advantage of this extra time in Europe to get somre doctors appointments, spend some time with my family and - to my great joy - prepare Christmas and let Aini have her first Sinterklaas. I'm trying to convince my dad to play Sinterklaas for her. hehe.

All has been quiet this past weeks. Mainly because first Aini had the Flu and then me too. She recuperated much quicker then I did though! Must be the breastmilk.
Next week another expat woman will be joining her husband on the plantation. They have two kids so I'm hoping they'll get along with our daughter, which would give her an extra playmate. (Because she's wearing out our neighbour's little boy!)

Update

Having some more internet problems, resulting in no internet at the house since tuesday! So, here's a quick update.
David's superior from Brussels was here the past week... Sadly, we didn't get any security about where we're headed. We only know he's been included in next years budget, so we're all the lmess sure about when we'll be moving again. All the more reason to get the house in perfect condition! Gives us another excuse to have our new furniture made!!!
So yesterday we had a smallish party at the hubbies boss' house. We ended up dancing to 90s music until twelve! We had a jolly good time indeed! Haha!!
Aini has been sleeping in her own room since monday and she's doing really well. She only wakes up once at night now and she can even get herself to fall asleep every now and again.

On a sad note, our puppy (we had "reserved") was born on september 1st, but died shortly after. They should get another litter around the 28th so lets hope there's a male for us!