Well, it's been a while!

Hello all! Well, it's been a while huh?!? So many exciting things have happened since the last post. Most importantly, Libolo won the cup!!! Woo hoo Forca Libolo! After a devasting loss to D'Agosto the first game out, we came back and won the next two games. The team that we beat is considered to be the top team in Angola as well as the top team in Africa. They have won the cup for the last 6 years. It was history in the making as Reggie likes to say. He was also the MVP of the cup; what a personal accomplishment for him. the team had a great dinner that night to celebrate. Of course it was at our usual and favorite restaurant, Veneza. Most of the staff wanted to take pictures, which was so funny. Reggie kept the cup after the game. It is so huge! It stands as tall as my belly button. Not that that is saying much for me, but it's such a huge trophy. It's currently in our living room! :) After the final of the cup we went straight into TOP 4 games. We lost our first game against Petro, unfortunately. My opinion is that all the players were coming of a long demanding week and didn't have enough rest time between games. We won our next game against ASA, which was good. The next game is scheduled for Monday against Agosto, and I'll let you know how it goes!

This week has been wonderful. I have been in touch with another American woman who is living here with her family. Since I have been in touch with her, so many opportunites have opened to me. We met Tuesday at the mall for the first time. We sat and tlaked for a few hours. It's so nice to sit and speak English with someone with ease. Wednesday was my first meeting with the American Women's Association of Angola. This is a group of American and/or Canadian women. There are monthly meetings, and I jstu happened to catch the last one. This is a great opportunity to meet other Americans in Luanda. Another member of the organization was kind enough to offer me aride to the meeting which was so nice! Riding together was a great opportunity to get to know eachother. We have planned more events for the weekend and upcoming week and I can't wait! Going back the the meeting; the organization participates in lots of volunteer work, charity work, and establishing relationships within the organization. Since this was the last meeting I will have to wait until next season to become a member but I am so excited for the social aspect of the group and especially the volunteering opportunities. My friend was so kind to lend Reggie and I some movies, TV series on DVD, magazines, AND two boxes of MAC-N-CHEESE! Now if you know me, you know how much I love Mac-n-cheese. This was quite possibly the highlight of my day! It was such a nice gesture and a little bit of home.

Today a small group of women met for a yoga class. It was so nice to be able to remove myself from the teaching position and take a class for myself. I drove myself to the house that the class was held. It was very near to where we live so there wasn't much of a problem. Until I couldn't find the right street! After driving down a few different streets, making a few phone calls, and asking a security guard if I was on the right street (in Portuguse by the way!), I finally found my destination! The class was so much fun! Ironically, the teacher is from northern California. She has only been in Luanda for a few weeks and is teaching at a small studio in town. It's such a small world. I'm hoping to join her for her other classes, in addition to the weekly classes with the AWA members. It was a great way to start the day.

Tomorrow Pam, the lady that offered me a ride to the meeting, and I are going to Benfica market tomorrow. I am not entirely sure what to expect besides there are negotiations to be made when purchasing items! there are lots of arts and crafts which are great memorabilia to take home. We're also going to the local International School fair to support fellow AWA members and check out the school. It should be a very fun day.

Next week we have three games!! Woo hoo! I am also planning on volunteering with a group of women at a local orphanage and going fabric shopping! I can't wait!