Typical Sunday in Brazzaville

I woke up at the time that I don't want to know. Luckily water came back so I could wash my face , brush teeth and use the toilet. I have 2nd thought about that house in Mpyla but will go look at the house of Anais today or will see with Lillian. The plane tickets of my husband and myself are now secured. He only need to do the one of teh two girls back to Bangkok this year end. I am glad that my husband will join me end of the year to vacation in Thailand. ANd I really will ahve to book Krabee for them asap.And we still also need to go to Korat and see Pi Kosol, Pi Amorn and many others. Well how about Janelle and John are they already there in Singapore and I did not hear back from Arunaa either. One can only do so much in a day and I feel like practicing yoga this morning. If I don't do it now it will never get picked up again. I will also go to yoga class chez Veronique Goblet on Thursday. The girl near the airport is so simple and I saw her house already. WHat are the new house I can look. In Mpyla that area could work for me. Or where else could I see. O.K. there is this guy Maitre De Villers . He did get anything back yet. So who else do I look again. It is like in Thailand when there are so much Farang came to Korat. my father also built 4-5 houses for Farang. It was not to their standard but it was the best they can find there in Korat. I remember the farang taht I saw. Even a black family,now I am in teh same situation. But believe it or not I am the farang in search for a rented house.I will not do much for this any more.This is only for 3 years and now we already spend 4 months in the Chevron apartment. Will the owner finished teh house or not the broker doesn't know and I feel that we might be ready to negotiate with the people now. But before that I want to talk with
the owner today if possible.

Saturday in Brazzaville searching for a house

Well this is my first Saturday in Brazzaville that I feel really here. Everything had been packed move from Pointe Noire to Barzzaville. And today we did go to purchase our palne tickets direct flight to Bangkok. From Brazzaville to Adis ababa and direct to Bangkok. It will be and adventure and I am surprise to see that the ticketing clerk were quite efficient. i even feel like working some where in the computer or ticketing or something in this city. They ahve quite a lot of thing to offer. I am not too sure if I should do that as I am always absent. but if I can help why not. I am not sure if I will do some benevole or something but I am sure I can do something for sure. There are more to do here than in Pointe Noire or I can go practice golf again. So we got our tickets and confirm but we can not pay by credit card so we can only pay cash on Monday when teh bank will be open. Teh african chauffeur I have is rather unreasonable and I am not too keen about keeping him. It was not common

The City Life style

I have been wanting to live in a city like San Francisco. Moving from the suburb of Danville /San Ramon area to the city life. But again the universe send me to Brazzaville. Like when I ask to be by the beach , the universe sent me to the petroleum town of Pointe Noire. There must be the reason why I am here and I want to cross teh river to Kinshasa asap to visit the old compound where I use to be. I already ahve my golf bag. That also I want to do. Going to play golf. May be I will find a good teacher here what I can have in Pointe Noire. We will see. But first I need to find a house. My husband has found a chauffeur for me. Not very professional like Armel, the one trained by Willy in Pointe Noire but nevertheless. Ramane is really a jack of all trade. He use to be and still is military person with certain political inclination. He use to work with the president company doing the security for his trading office in town. I think he has problem of payment and has been providing service without getting pay so he quit.Then he do the garage to repair cars and again it is very difficult to get paid for service you gave in Africa. So he prefer to work with expats and render his service through an agency. That's why he end up as our chaufferur right now. HE seem to know every street and every car in Brazzaville. We will see what's next. I also met this guy Jean Claude who ask that I pay his taxi for him to come to meet me at the Meridienne hotel. That is strange and Ramane my chauffeur also agree on that too. Fulvia, I think got the service of Destin the contractor guy to drive her here and there and Ramane use to be the fill in for Destin when he is on holidays. I am quite surprise when he asked me to sit next to him instead of staying behind like most of the time. Anyway, I don't mind and I can see Armel also not wanting lift suitcases. I can see how pretentious thsi cadres are. And that's African. I think the mentality of this habit in Thailand has die down already. Anyway, I think I found the house that I like and it is very city style and I can't believe that I will like a house that has no yard and no swimming pool. I think my children will not like it for sure. No place for sun bathing but they can do that somewhere else. Like the Meridienne or Olympic or go to Kenya or what. My two girls will probably come for a little bit but I don't think my son will ever come to Africa again. He is fading from from our routine life. We just meet together 3 times briefly over the holidays season. And even that, I feel the energy of that is fading too. Meaning I will have my life back more and more. Children they are all going their own ways. Only the two us left together. So the house must reflect that kind of life style and not have to think about the children bedrooms permanantly all the time. Anything that is not this Chevron apartment will be o.k. with me. WOnder if I still have Dian ( PA Deang) myspace page. I like to look again. She has her life the way she like now and she went traveling to many part of the world looking for her companion. I like the Burmese restautant I went with Pa Deang and Dini before we came here. Africa , Africa, I am sure I will be finished with it soon. Today I learn about the good president of Congo Marien Guabi. They have his monument up, they name a university and square and road after him.He must be a good president and he was assasinate in his own house like Gabila in Zaire. These AFrican countries still have a long way to go toward leaders as states man. So far we know only Nelson Mandela.

Local politics Brazzaville

Actually this is not the country politics but the office one. I am glad to finish teh packing and now back in Brazzaville 4th floor office again. I can feel the tension that has been building upver the years with Willy and the locals. Each time there is a change of expats they start to ask to do this and that. But they are not capable to to organise anything so in the end it was Willy who has to organise all that. This year they want to do do much and there are a lot more expats and expats houses to atke care. I wonder if Willy will be able to do all. I remember how we have to work with the locals here. They really need details instruction and guidance. Actually they need supervision every step of teh work. WOnder what will happen if everything is leave to them to organised. Actually tehy have to fall back to the white people again. Like RDC they still need super power for support before they can do anything. RC Congo right now want to get China involved. They want support from China that's why right now this year, I am going to go to Thailand with Ethiopian airline. A lotof Congolese Chinese people travel this route and avoid Europe all together. I am very keen on having the house in Brazzaville soon. I went to see Myriam yesterday and after seeing her ,it look very promising that I will get a house for sure but I have to keep looking. I have enough connection to do all these. Also I need to get pedicure and MAssage and many other peripherals service. I don't want to go to salon. There are less expats here than somewhere else. Lilianne De la Court has an old house on river bank. I think it is more romantic and less violent than teh sea or teh ocean. We did enjoy the ocean for 4 years. Now the people I have diner with last night want to go to Malonda. They don't like to go away for Christmas. It was a good idea because they can do so much in Pointe Noire and relax. Now that there are 4000 expats at least in Pointe Noire , there are more activities than before during Christmas time. I am glad we decided to go to Thailand. And in March go to Belgium to take care of teh registration. I think it is important to do that and I still don't see the bill for Isabelle's schooling yet.Did Franklin organise everything for the plane ticket yet. I will ahve to do mine myself. i prefer. Now everything is stuck. I want to buy rice today. WHat kind of rice do I want to buy. Do I need to explain everything to the cook. Can he do thing the way I want. He is polite but eh doesn't know much what to do. Wil he definitely follow my instruction. I wonder what kind of thing he is going to make. What elase do we do next. May be I have to go down and let them know what to do. There is no way to call or anything. And they don't want to come up and bother me. I think. My intention today is to find the correct house. I am not going to stay in that unfinished one that Sylvie show me.

arranging the move

I am sitting in teh 4th floor dining room waiting for the car to pick me up to go to Maya Maya airport on my way to go back to Pointe NOire to pack. It was funny the first time I arrived in Pointe Noire, It was so sad and I thought it wouldn't work but I really enjoyed my stay and for now I think it is better than here in Brazzaville,the city. But I havw yet to discover Brazzaville. Not sure if my children will think teh same way. If we find the house and all and move in get thing organised, we might still be o.k. I am impressed with teh french lawyer yesterday and I feel good about getting a house form him. He must ahve a o.k. house. i am sicka nd tired of the agence immobilier.They really do not understand what I need and I decided not to work with them any more. tehy can talk all day long or listen to teh amount of maney and calculate in their head what tehy are going to receive but other than that they don't realise what we need. Luckily here in Africa , landlorad and tenant and tenant can specify I only want white people and a long contract. I am glad to say that I onlt want to work with white agent who will understand my need. I am not even sure fi I should even talk with Farnklin about that. In California ,you talk like this your licence will eb at risk right away. they want real estate people to be colour blind. This will never work here. teh way people live here are so difference and what is acceptable to one might not be the case with other. Anyway, I prefer my hosue in Poinet Noire so far but who knows I might find something more interesting here too. I will ahve to move first and start my exploration.

Last night I read teh BBC report saying Brazzaville is the worst city in world to live in and I really agree with them . But they also say that Pointe Noire is one of teh at risk place to live also. That ,I don't agree. But that was old assesssment. I am not sure about right now.

In Brazzaville

Today is Oct.4 and I am already on the 4th floor of Chevron office apartment in Brazzaville.I arrived since yesterday Oct 3 but was too tired to do anything. Actually today ,I suggested to my daughter to go practice yoga and I should also do that. There are so much thing to do and so much to put in order. But first we need to find the house. This is not going to be easy. We are renting from the Chevron office right now and I have to walk up and down stairs everyday. Better than nothing but tomorrow we are going to take a look at the 3 bed rooms apartment. may be it will be better for me. I change my life style a lot eversince I come to Africa. I will see Fulvia soon and may be will also see the people who do yoga also. MAy be I will do it for an hour right now. It's great to back with my husband again and I keep in touch with daughter.We are not too intersted in bringing too many thing to Africa. I feel like retiring soon. Kids are bigs now and they have their own way more and more. Now I want to take acre of myself and my husband. Actually how about finishing teh 3 track of the light body's volume. I am not too jetlag but will email to Sylvie and ask about yoga first. I need to get into teh swing of thing.

In CDG Novotel

Finally I am back in this Novotel CDG again. Finished the writing workshop in Scotland's Lendrick lodge and got so inspired to do fire. I even suggested to have firewalk as a part of the workshop next year and Steven is ready to organise it as optional. My experience in Sterling was not that great, There are no parking and in Edinburg airport, I can not check my suitcases through to Brazzaville so I have all the two big suitcases with me here in the room to night.Wonder if I will be fit enough to go to Paris tomorow or not. Too tired and not intersted in doing any more shopping or sight seeing. If I can see some freinds I would make teh trip especially but Liza is already gone back to U.K. may be I will just spend teh day rearranging teh suitcases and find out about how to check teh big suitcases in or get a taxi to take me to the terminal. With these two big suitcases, I have a very hard time coming to teh hotel with the tube. Also , I need to call teh bank for Isabelle account wonder if she got any news from HSB yet. She did not reply about the mail. And I want to set up the on line group for the Scot writing workshop