Democratic Republic of Congo
Jungle
There is ironically and sadly, only one positive side effect to the raping of the earth for these minerals. This would be the inadvertent preservation of the Congo River basin’s jungle. See the thing is, the minerals are so lucrative that they simply bypass the plentiful jungles of this region. It is far easier and…
Read MoreMinerals
The final jet fighter maneuver that took the plane around for final landing into Goma couldn’t even be described as comparable to a roller coaster; not even Montezuma’s Revenge. It came unexpectedly. I had been warned, but even that wasn’t sufficient to prepare oneself. Suddenly there was part of me that wondered if I was…
Read MoreOn the Road Again
As you might have gathered from my last post, I’m on the road again. This year might make the record for the long time on the road while actually not living overseas. I’ll basically be summering in Africa. Schedules are made to be broken, but the most likely scenario will be Burundi, DRC, Zimbabwe, and…
Read MoreI have lived so many lives
There is a Nelly Furtado song called “Try” that has been on my iPod for the last year. I first remember really listening to the words a year ago when I was driving through my favorite stretch of DRC. One of the opening lines says, “I have lived so many lives, though I’m not old.”…
Read MoreIn Her Element
My husband always remarks when I return that Africa suits me. I’m always looking and feeling good, despite the long journey (or at least he is smart enough to tell me this!). It’s been fun to have a colleague on my recent travels who also likes to take photos. This means I have more pictures…
Read MoreResidency in Congo
I’ve now reached my marker for having “lived in a place”. I had set this as five months, given that my study abroad programs in college were one semester each, where I lived in Ecuador and Australia (going back for a second round in Australia to co-lead the program there. This is what I had…
Read MoreToy Soliders
Being a soldier anywhere is hard work, but particularly in Africa. While unnamed wars still drag on, the continent is now seeing a bit of a reprieve from the last several decades of fighting seen in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Angola, Mozambique, Somalia; the list goes on. On my last trip to Congo, I was struck…
Read MoreFishnets and Corsets
Going out in Africa is often part of being an expatriate. Whether you are 20 something or 50 something, I would venture to say that most of us go out more often when we are on the road or living abroad than we would in our own everyday lives. While I certainly enjoy going out…
Read MoreInflux of Whites to Rwanda
My colleague here on Congo tipped me off to this great blog, This is Africa, that covers many of my stomping grounds within Africa. I haven’t had a chance to explore more of his blog, but based on this first post I will definitely be back for more. Rwandan officials appeal to Western governments: Please,…
Read MoreNi Paix Ni Guerre
Neither peace nor war. It says so much. This is how eastern Democractic Republic of Congo was described in a report that was developed on the joint assessment trip that I wrapped up last week (though I’ve stuck around DRC – in Goma now – for a couple of additional weeks). As you can see…
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