Le mois de juin

Cher tout le monde,

Apologies for my extreme lack of posting. My post rate seems to be at one per month right now. I’ll try to get that number up in the future. I recently purchased a computer so the updates should be a bit more frequent from now on. 

The last month has been fairly routine for me. I haven't taken any recent trips for work, because we are having some funding problems. In the mornings I go to the office of the NGO I work with PPR, where I work on french and various other things with some of my colleagues. Around 1 or 2, I leave the office and buy lunch which I to take the MCC office. I used to eat lunch at the PPR office, but I don't do that anymore because nobody else there eats lunch and I don't want to be the only one eating. I think most Congolese eat in the morning, in the afternoon around 4 or 5 when they return from work, and then maybe a third time between 7 and 10 and night. It's also generally seen as very poor manners to eat alone or in public. One of my Congolese friends once told me, I don't want to eat alone like a wizard. People find it very strange if they see me eating something while I walk to work. Food is something that is supposed to be shared.

After lunch I sit around the office napping or listening to the radio until 3 (or 15 as they say here, I'm not sure why but they use military time). From 3 to 4 I have a French lesson with my teacher Oscar. We often talk about Congolese history and politics. This week he showed me video that accuses Congolese President Joseph Kabila of being a Tutsi and not the real son of Laurant Kabila. Laurant Kabila was president of the Congo from 1997 to 2001. He was assassinated under suspicious circumstances. The assassin killed himself leaving his motive and potential accomplices unknown. Joseph Kabila, Laurant's son quickly consolidated power, and has managed to say in control of the Congo since then. For those who don't know what Tutsi means, it's a complicated ethnic identity that many Congolese see the way that some Americans might view Muslims. Google it if you want to know more. I'm fairly sure that the whole thing is simple a rumor. It reminds me of the rumor in the United States that Obama is a Muslim. I think the emotions behind the accusation, particularly the idea that Kabila is an outsider who isn't particularly concerned with the well being of him country and fairly valid. I just don't think the facts add up.

After work I go home. Two of my parents sons came home from school a few weeks ago. The older one, named Deni goes to college in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, where he is studying to become an architect. The younger one, David, goes to a high school a few hours from Bukavu. They are both home for the summer. I'm happy to have them around because it takes some of the paternal pressure off me (my Congolese host parents are very paternal). They also both speak English and are generally enjoyable to be around. My weekends are filled with various activities. I went to a wedding last weekend and will maybe go to another this weekend. I've also been playing bass at my church, where we had a concert a few weeks ago.

I recently got the chance to do some hiking with friends in Kahuzi-Biega national park. We were planning to do a fairly long hike to the top of a peak called Mount Kahuzi. Unfortunately, there was a patrol being done that day (people scouting for armed groups). This was disappointing, but we still got to do a shorter hike to see a couple of waterfalls. Even on this hike, we had to be accompanied by two armed guards (because there are armed groups in the forests). This probably sounds intense but I never felt insecure during the hike. I think it’s pretty uncommon for them to have any trouble, but I suppose it’s better to be safe than sorry. It’s unfortunate that the area cannot be more secure because it’s really beautiful.   

Serge, me, Mark, Ben, and Safari at the first waterfall. My pants are a bit wet from the mist.

Mark preparing to leave the second waterfall.

We were accompanied by a couple of armed guards during our hike, a necessary precaution because of the armed groups that live in the forests. 

This is a peninsula in Bukavu called the boot. There are a number of good store in the area. I've heard rumors of a place with a tennis court but I've never actually seen it. 

This is a picture of the papaya tree that grows in my host parents back yard. I've been told that someone who works for them climbs the tree to get the papayas, but I'm not sure how he does it. They also have a couple of orange trees (the oranges are actually green) and a plantain tree. As far as I can tell, the trees produce fruit pretty much year round. 

This is one of the guy who works for my host parents rounding up the goats and bringing them back into the compound. He takes them out into the street everyday so they can eat the grass on the side of the road. They live in a pen behind my room (I can see them from my bathroom window). They occasionally make noise but not as much as the chickens that crow in the early hours of the morning. I usually sleep through it anyway. 

Last Thursday, June 30th was Congolese independence day. This is the day that Congo gained it's independence from the Belgians and became the Republic of the Congo. This unfortunately plunged the country into a civil war influence by both cold war powers (the US and Russia) eventually leading to the rise of Mobutu and his 30 year dictatorship of what became known as Zaire. No matter how you view the countries independence, it's still a very important day in Congolese history. This song was written prior to the vote for independence and became one of the first pan african hits. It's also one of the first examples of Congolese Rumba. It's also a good song to play at your American independence day party. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y6BjNJD0ZM