As I write this post I am in-transit on my way to Angola. There are so many emotions rushing through my head, but the most prominent is excitement. I've been waiting for this trip for several months now, and it has finally come!
I will be landing in Luanda (North-West Angola on the coast of the South Atlantic Ocean). From there, I'll travel south to Lubango where I will be volunteering with the Centro Evangelico de Medicina de Lubango (CEML) until mid-February 2009. From time-to-time I will fly to Caluquembe (Kalukembe), a small town where I will be doing work in a more remote hospital setting.The Republic of Angola
Angola is located in south-central Africa, bordered by Namibia to the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Zambia to the east and the South Atlantic Ocean to the west. From the 16th century to independence in 1975, Angola was a Portuguese colony. Although Angola is the second-largest petroleum and diamond producer in sub-Saharan Africa, its people are some of Africa's poorest.
The first parliamentary election since 1992 was held in early September 2008 with the winning party receiving 81% of the votes. This was followed by 10% for the opposition party. Angola is divided into 18 provinces. Luanda, the capital of Angola, is one of the eighteen provinces. CEML is located in Lubango, the capital of the province of Huila. Caluquembe is in the northern part of the province of Huila.
Angola is the world's 23rd largest country, about five times the area of the United Kingdom! Just thinking of the recent snow storms in Canada, I can already picture the average temperatures in Angola. The average temperature is 21 Celsius in the summer and 16 Celsius in the winter!
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