Democratic Republic of Congo
Twins in Africa
Being a twin, I tend to spot others more easily. This pair of twins wasn’t hard to notice here in DRCongo. Living in Ghana as a Peace Corps Volunteer, being a twin took on even more of a special meaning. Ghana has the highest number of twins per capita in the world, and they believe…
Read MoreDukes of Hazards
Life in general certainly has its hazard, no matter where you. I don’t believe that anyone who has travelled to developing countries would disagree with the notion that there are simply more risks in certain places in the world. In the West, we try our best to mitigate risk and make things as safe as…
Read MoreImpunity
Impunity is something that is mentioned often when discussing the issue of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is thrown around at Congressional hearings and discussed at round tables of well-meaning NGO types like myself. According to the dictionary, it means: 1. exemption from punishment. 2. immunity from detrimental effects, as of…
Read MoreAvatar
As I’m cruising through the hours of endless forest, I stop to consider how crazy it is that one day I’m, for instance people watching in the affluence of Friendship Heights, DC, and then next in the heart of Africa. In both places just as comfortable, yet transformed like a chameleon between the two; different…
Read MoreMacGyver Moves
One big part of traveling, particularly to the places that I go to, is the need to go with the flow and improvise when need be. For those of you who are Americans, or lived through the 80s, you might know of MacGyver, who was legendary at fixing anything with a little improvising, as the…
Read MoreKing Leopold’s Ghost
Part of me wonders what it was like in the colonial and pre-colonial era. A book called King Leopold’s Ghost, by Adam Hochschild, has been on my wishlist to read for some time. I imagine it would give insight into the roots of Congo. Looking at the once beautiful colonial housing along the vast Congo…
Read MoreWild West of Congo – Orientale Province
When we arrived in Kinsangani, Orientale Province of DRC, it was clear right away that things were different. The city reminded me immediately of Kinshasa and Bujumbura, with its wide boulevards and colonial feel. In fact, the city feels as though it never left the colonial era. Most of the buildings date back to the…
Read MoreMonkeys and Bananas
A key learning in my masters level ethics class was the relativity that perspective brings to the discussion. Sure we can say what is right and wrong, but it all depends on where you are standing. In field of international development this is a tenuous line that we walk. As always, I’ve been using my…
Read MoreMaking Connections Wherever I Am
I officially have one of the worse flight schedules possible, but it still doesn’t compare to those who first circumnavigated the globe. I’ve got for flights this time around – DC – Amsterdam – Nairobi – Bujumbura – Kigali and then drive six hours to Bukavu, DRC tomorrow. All in all about 48 hours, but…
Read MoreShort Notice
With a job like mine you’ve got to be one step away from having a bag packed. My goal this weekend was actually to unpack from our holiday travels. In the end I was packing instead. At around 5pm on Friday the possibility of me going to DRC came up as a possibility, and by…
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