Expat Mommy In Angola

As an expat living in a foreign country you get faced with some pretty weird and awkward situations when dealing with people from other nationalities and culture. When i first arrived to Angola, specially with the language barrier, i used to shy away from initiating conversation or even contemplate the thought of opening a discussion with a non-arabic /french or english speaking person. But then when i did learn portuguese and i did adapt into the living surrounding of Luanda, i was more at ease in communication. And this is where it all started , the frequently asked questions about being Lebanese or Lebanon in general : -the one that wins them all and that almost pops out in every conversation, be it with Angolan nationals, French expats and so on : Question How come your Lebanese but you are not veiled(Muslim headscarf that some choose to wear for modesty)?! Answer Well no am not, but I am Lebanese and not every Lebanese is veiled and so you go on...

After a 4 hours flight to Johannesburg, staying the night at the hotel airport, and then another 4 hours flight we finally made it to Mauritius! From the moment we left the airport, and started heading south of the island, the clear blue waters and sandy beaches and sugar cane fields surrounding the islands were remarkable.                        We spent the first couple of days on the beach and on the pool in Le Morne area south of the island.      We then headed to Flic En Flac. And of course we had to venture into a Safari ride at the Casella nature reserve . There was a lot to see and so little time. The only thing we missed out on was meeting the lion cubs and walking with the lions because of the young age of the kids. We got to experience viewing more than a hundred species of birds , parrots and ducks and turkeys just casually...

I guess this is part of expat as well, meeting people from the 4 corners of the world. However I met Kari through instagram and she asked me to write a heartfelt blogpost to be included in her weekly World Mama section. Thank you Kari for letting me share with your own followers my story.  Below is the post that was first published on her blog columnsbykari   Let's start with basics. I grew up in Beirut, Lebanon. For 5 years I worked in the media field as an Editor and anchor of the English News on a local tv channel. I met my husband, we got married and BOOM, we moved to Luanda, Angola. We had to kids; a boy(6) and girl (3). That's basically it, normal no? but no, it isn't because nothing about Angola is basic or falls within the norms of anything i was accustomed to. Angola is located on the African continent and Luanda is the second most expensive city in the world. It’s not your average expat- country or a comfortable place to live with...

Its christmas decoration time! Its summer here in Angola and the closest thing we have to cold and wintery snowy ambiance is through our crafts! Watch this video for the easiest and custest snowman that even your youngest toddler can create. What yo u will need . White socks . Cotton or rice for filling . A smaller sock for the hat . Buttons . Glue We filled ours with rice. So they were pretty heavy and made really cute door stoppers!

Over the past 5 years, since i had my first child, my surroundings have been a bit skeptical about having to continue living in Angola. I always tell them that i would never put my kids safety at risk and that its a livable country once you know how to make it your own home.  This is why i have no problem raising my kids in expat and most  specifically Africa  1-  My other choice at the moment is Lebanon and personally I don't see it as a healthy environment for my kids with all the sectarianism embedded in the roots of the country , not to mention the garbage problem that i've had friends in Angola asking me about it here!  2-  My kids have friends from Lebanon, Angola , France , Portugal and so on , and never once has my almost 6 year old asked me or even distinguished that they are somehow different. 3-  A lot of outdoor play of exploring, not playgrounds and parks, but inventing games and getting dirty with anythin...

Facebook just reminded me that 8 years ago I was in Atlanta , Georgia on a fellowship program at CNN for a month.  I was sent by the local tv station I used to work for in Lebanon as the editor and anchor of the english news bulletin. I was lucky enough to witness first hand the election of Barack Obama. Yes i was a journalist. Fast forward 8 years later . I am in Luanda, Angola , the second most expensive city in the world that is currently immersed in an unprecedented economic crisis making everyday life run oh not so very smoothly , with even more rise on prices of basics. Married with two children and a kind of a stay at home mom. Regrets in these 8 years? Not at all . Being a journalist makes you excited about problematic events and issues, and we have had our share of those in Beirut. From covering the 2006 war between Lebanon and Israel , the different explosions and car bombs that rocked Lebanon , to the time we were forced to stay in our news station all nig...

Last week Karim made these scrumptuous chocolate chip cookies, recipe from Averycooks.com . Believe me when i tell you that this is the yummiest out there because karim's grandma aka my mama tried them all! and this one is surely the winner!! Karim took them to his best friend Nada's birthday party and there weren't any crumbs left! These are the ingredients for the cookie and make sure to watch Karim's video below for the step by step tutorial 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed (I use light) 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons cornstarch 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt, optional and to taste 6 ounces (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips 6 ounces bittersweet or dark baking chocolate, chopped into bite-sized chunks   PS: Chill the cookie dough before baking it!

We have been accustomed lately into using Emirates when flying back and forth from Angola to Lebanon. And I have created a habit, maybe a bad one, of extending the usual 9hours stopover in Dubai of the Beirut-Luanda flight to a couple of days or more. Each time we go there I find new things to do with the kids, with a regular visit to the aquarium of the Dubail Mall as requested each time by my son. So whether you decide to visit Dubai for a family vacation or a 24 hours stopover before your next destination, there's surely something exciting to discover and do every single time. Below are my top destinations for visiting Dubai with kids, these are places we visited over the past two years of stopovers (lets keep calling them this way:) ) 1- The Green Planet Dubai   thegreenplanetdubai.com Prepared to be wowed before your kids! From the moment you enter a huge indoor vertical rainforest with numerous types of tropical birds, insects and animals. Definitely worth a visit...