Angola After One Week :)

So this is my first attempt at blogging...and my first trip to Angola :)  This is Sean's 4th time here...  We've now been here for just over a week.  Settling into things and still trying to find our feet/roles at the hospital.

For those of you who might have forgotten or just didn't know, Sean and I are now in Angola--SW Africa.  We're here with World Medical Mission working at hospital in Lubango for the a total of 6 weeks.  We're working with Dr. Steve Foster who is a surgeon here and has been for nearly 30 years (you can read the book Sword and Scalpel if you want to know more :)).  Porteguese is the official language--English is not at all spoken.  Spanish is kinda similar..so I can pick-up on a number of words, but am missing quite a bit.  Sean has been here enough that he knows a fair amount and is getting along well enough--which will only get better as we're here.  Anyways, I'm feeling quite at a loss with the language--hoping my ears will start picking more as I get settled in here...and that I'll learn some Porteguese along the way.

Right now, there's enough medical people here with doctors, residents, and med students that we've been able to divide up in teams.  Sean is on the surgery team and I'm on the medicine side.  We all kinda end up working together regardless.  I've been seeing a whole lot of malaria and Sean all kinds of things.  The first week was a short one.  Friday was an official country holiday and we all had the day off.  AND then of those first 4 days, I was at the hospital for 1.5 days, and home sick and then recovering for the other 2.5 days.  We're thinking the combination of some virus, the pregnancy, all the traveling, being in a new place/culture, and going virtually nonstop since the beginning of November all equated to me getting sick.  But no worries, I'm all better now and even feeling better than I have since arriving :)

We're currently spending the holiday on a "farm" about 4-5 hours drive from Lubango (but only 200km).  It's really just African bush, but is a farm by definition here in Angola--nothing like what I'd think of back in Nebraska/Kansas :)  Mainly raising cattle, starting a game park, and it'd be hard to explain what all is going on here---there's a clinic, church, the wife's a vet (Donna), many different families living on the farm and raising the cattle, and it's just beautiful.  The farm belongs to Steve's brother, Stirling, and his family.  Uncle Bob Foster and his wife are here living their last days at this home...  Sean has been here many times in past...so nothing new here for him except additions made since his previous visit and the 2 kids are growing up...

Well, that's probably enough writing and reading for now :)  We'll be trying to keep the updates coming, especially as some more interesting/exciting things come along...  And we're definitely coveting any and all prayers coming this way. :)

Ashley (for the both of us)