Getting Going - Early Preparations and PAV

When we first heard that we were going to Angola, it was September, and we've effectively been preparing in many ways ever since.

We started by heading down to the police station to get our criminal records run, and we also worked on getting copies of our diplomas. All this was submitted to the translating agent in Washington DC to then be authenticated by the Secretary of State. (Our diplomas and criminal records are translated into Portuguese, and made official by the "stamp" of Hillary Clinton's signature).

We also take a physical and then gather all this info to be sent off to the Ministry of Petroleum to be approved in conjunction with the job. BUT before we can accept the job in full, we are expected to visit our residence on a Pre-Assignment Visit (PAV).

This is a whirlwind of a trip. We arrive in the morning after getting some shut-eye on the Houston Express - a direct flight from Houston to Luanda, and we hit the ground running. We end up going to lunches with current expats, dinners, meeting the teams we will be working with, meeting the leadership team, visiting the housing that we will be staying in (if you have kiddos of school age, you visit the school), and seeing the clinic to understand what's available for medical support.

This is a great way for people to gut check whether they are up for the assignment and put at ease any unknowns that they might have. All that said, it's also a way for the business unit to make sure they think you're a fit. (there have been some horror stories in the expat community of PAVs leading to arrest, or other such wonders - like forgetting that you are entering another country, and acting like a general ass.)

Needless to say, we had our own adventure, which led to an extended experience learning more about the clinical system than we had expected. I'll post about that and link it in (that will be my technical challenge, and feat for the week!)

Below are some pictures of our community in Luanda Sul. We are living in a nice complex; all the houses are the same, so it's a bonus to understand ahead of time what to pack, what to measure, etc. And loads of people have done it before, so there is plenty of good advice!