A quick note to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving. My wife is working today; I've pretty much taken the day off. The US embassy has today as a holiday, and TASOK is closed for Thanksgiving as well. This morning I got together with about a dozen other Americans for a game of flag football at TASOK. I haven't played football since high school, and it was a good time. There were a couple TASOK teachers, some of the Marines who are based here in Kinshasa, and a few employees from the embassy. Later tonight my wife and I are going to my boss' house for a Thankgiving feast. I was told that the turkeys she ordered arrived earlier this week, so I'm excited for a big meal.
Hope everyone back home is well - thinking of you all today and thankful for you and your emails, letters, and Skype calls.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Special guest blogger
I'd like to introduce a very special guest blogger for today's entry - my beautiful, charming, and intelligent wife. Take it away, wifey:
I feel the need to comment on the popularity of certain American presidents here in Africa. Hands down the most popular is Bill Clinton. In Senegal, where I was in Peace Corps, EVERYONE talked about Clinton. When he came to Senegal he visited their Grand Mosque and as a result there are now countless Senegalese named Bill Clinton (people name their child after someone to show honor and respect).
I was surprised to learn that he is even more popular in the DRC. Everyone knows about his trip to the Grand Mosque in Senegal but they also talk about his trip to Goree Island. Goree Island is an island off the coast of Dakar, the capital of Senegal, where slave ships picked up African prisoners. In the DRC, rumor has it that Bill Clinton actually cried when he was on the island. Another big rumor is that while visiting the Grand Mosque, Clinton said part of an Islamic prayer, which everyone interpreted as a conversion to Islam. Really, the stories go on and on.
So now, Obama has been elected and no matter how many tears Bill Clinton has shed, he isn't half-Kenyan. Many people here view America as a land of opportunity, which it is. They often think that simply being in America will lead to wealth and are sorely disappointed when they travel to the states and find out that isn't true. But Obama as president has given them a sense of pride and optimism. If a man who is one generation removed from Africa can become president of the most powerful country is the world, then maybe there's hope for Africa.
I feel the need to comment on the popularity of certain American presidents here in Africa. Hands down the most popular is Bill Clinton. In Senegal, where I was in Peace Corps, EVERYONE talked about Clinton. When he came to Senegal he visited their Grand Mosque and as a result there are now countless Senegalese named Bill Clinton (people name their child after someone to show honor and respect).
I was surprised to learn that he is even more popular in the DRC. Everyone knows about his trip to the Grand Mosque in Senegal but they also talk about his trip to Goree Island. Goree Island is an island off the coast of Dakar, the capital of Senegal, where slave ships picked up African prisoners. In the DRC, rumor has it that Bill Clinton actually cried when he was on the island. Another big rumor is that while visiting the Grand Mosque, Clinton said part of an Islamic prayer, which everyone interpreted as a conversion to Islam. Really, the stories go on and on.
So now, Obama has been elected and no matter how many tears Bill Clinton has shed, he isn't half-Kenyan. Many people here view America as a land of opportunity, which it is. They often think that simply being in America will lead to wealth and are sorely disappointed when they travel to the states and find out that isn't true. But Obama as president has given them a sense of pride and optimism. If a man who is one generation removed from Africa can become president of the most powerful country is the world, then maybe there's hope for Africa.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Whiling away the hours
It’s a hot and sunny Friday afternoon, and since I’m on the cusp of another weekend I figure this is as good a time as any to talk about what there is to do in Kinshasa for fun. Granted, a lot of my spare time on the weekends is spent fighting traffic to get to umpteen different supermarkets, playing dumb for the cops, or trying to sit as still as possible in my apartment when the power’s out and the AC doesn’t work so as to not make myself sweat any more than I already am, but I do find time to do other, more enjoyable, things.
There’s not much in the way of day trips out of Kinshasa. We’ve been camping already and seen the Bonobos – both were nice. Next weekend we may head a few hours outside the city to the botanical gardens, and Zongo Falls is supposed to worth a drive as well. Another popular activity among expats is to get a group together and rent a boat to float down the Congo River for a few hours.
Most weekends, though, we stay in Kinshasa. I do regular stuff with my spare time like read books and watch DVDs, or play PS2. I’ve been reading a lot during power outages at our apartment (I’m in the middle of Steinbeck’s “In Dubious Battle”) or surf the web when the power is up. Expats around here swap DVDs pretty regularly. I’m not playing as much PS2 as I would have thought, but it does provide me with a hockey fix that I can’t find anywhere else apart from reading about the NHL on the internet.
I miss hockey – I used to play once or twice a week in the States, so that leaves running as my primary means of exercise. Most expats run in a large loop near the ambassadors’ residences along the Congo River. The loop is around a mile and a half. It’s a nice paved road without much traffic and there are a lot of expats and guards around, so you don’t need to worry about getting hassled by anyone besides a few hearty vendors who run alongside you and try to sell you postcards and wooden carvings. Running along the river offers a nice view, especially at dusk, although the clouds of bugs that you run through get annoying after a while. I’m not enjoying running as much as I did in Denver or Chicago so I only go twice a week, if that. My wife runs and also goes to a step class once a week that’s run by a German woman. She has a dance and art studio and offers aerobics, yoga, and step classes for expats.
Our Sunday afternoon ultimate Frisbee game at TASOK has caught on and I would say that’s become a highlight of the week for my wife and me. We usually get at least a dozen people to show up and it seems to be a different crowd of expats every time. It’s been a great way to meet people and get to know them better. TASOK also offers the opportunity to go running on a trail around the campus, and there’s a pool and tennis courts there too. We tried playing tennis but it was way less fun than we thought it would be. The TASOK pool is nice to have when it’s extra hot out and we have a free afternoon, or to jump in and cool off after two hours of ultimate Frisbee.
I’d say the biggest social activity around here is just getting together with people. There are restaurants to visit, dinner parties to host/attend, or game nights. We’ve made friends with some of the teachers at TASOK and that’s offered us a few weeknights of regular entertainment. Monday night is euchre night, which I never thought I would find in the DRC, and on Tuesday a group gets together to watch old episodes of “The Office” and share a big dinner. We’ve had Indian food, pizza, chili, pasta, and this past week we had fajitas. Not bad. Not bad at all.
By the way, I was at the embassy on November 5 to see the election results. People here are excited about Obama winning and a few random people have smiled and shouted “Obama” to me. That was cool.
There’s not much in the way of day trips out of Kinshasa. We’ve been camping already and seen the Bonobos – both were nice. Next weekend we may head a few hours outside the city to the botanical gardens, and Zongo Falls is supposed to worth a drive as well. Another popular activity among expats is to get a group together and rent a boat to float down the Congo River for a few hours.
Most weekends, though, we stay in Kinshasa. I do regular stuff with my spare time like read books and watch DVDs, or play PS2. I’ve been reading a lot during power outages at our apartment (I’m in the middle of Steinbeck’s “In Dubious Battle”) or surf the web when the power is up. Expats around here swap DVDs pretty regularly. I’m not playing as much PS2 as I would have thought, but it does provide me with a hockey fix that I can’t find anywhere else apart from reading about the NHL on the internet.
I miss hockey – I used to play once or twice a week in the States, so that leaves running as my primary means of exercise. Most expats run in a large loop near the ambassadors’ residences along the Congo River. The loop is around a mile and a half. It’s a nice paved road without much traffic and there are a lot of expats and guards around, so you don’t need to worry about getting hassled by anyone besides a few hearty vendors who run alongside you and try to sell you postcards and wooden carvings. Running along the river offers a nice view, especially at dusk, although the clouds of bugs that you run through get annoying after a while. I’m not enjoying running as much as I did in Denver or Chicago so I only go twice a week, if that. My wife runs and also goes to a step class once a week that’s run by a German woman. She has a dance and art studio and offers aerobics, yoga, and step classes for expats.
Our Sunday afternoon ultimate Frisbee game at TASOK has caught on and I would say that’s become a highlight of the week for my wife and me. We usually get at least a dozen people to show up and it seems to be a different crowd of expats every time. It’s been a great way to meet people and get to know them better. TASOK also offers the opportunity to go running on a trail around the campus, and there’s a pool and tennis courts there too. We tried playing tennis but it was way less fun than we thought it would be. The TASOK pool is nice to have when it’s extra hot out and we have a free afternoon, or to jump in and cool off after two hours of ultimate Frisbee.
I’d say the biggest social activity around here is just getting together with people. There are restaurants to visit, dinner parties to host/attend, or game nights. We’ve made friends with some of the teachers at TASOK and that’s offered us a few weeknights of regular entertainment. Monday night is euchre night, which I never thought I would find in the DRC, and on Tuesday a group gets together to watch old episodes of “The Office” and share a big dinner. We’ve had Indian food, pizza, chili, pasta, and this past week we had fajitas. Not bad. Not bad at all.
By the way, I was at the embassy on November 5 to see the election results. People here are excited about Obama winning and a few random people have smiled and shouted “Obama” to me. That was cool.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Some background info about what's going on in eastern DRC
Here's the text of an AP article I found on the web that explains more about the DRC and what's been going on out east. More than a few people have been emailing me with questions about what's going on out there, so hopefully this can help to answer a few questions...
Eastern Congo's brutal conflict is a result of decades-old ethnic tensions and a modern-day scramble for the region's mineral wealth. Some questions and answers on the region's complex history:
Q: Who are the Congolese?
A: Congo's population of more than 66 million is made up of more than 200 ethnic groups. About 70 percent are Christian, 10 percent Muslim and the rest adherents of indigenous beliefs. French is the official language, but dozens of African languages and dialects are widely spoken.
Q: What is Congo's economy based on?
A: Cobalt, copper, diamonds, gold, silver, tin and coltan, the essential ingredient of cell phones, make Congo one of Africa's most mineral-rich countries. It is also rich in coffee, rubber and palm oil. Its wealth, however, has only partially been exploited due to poor infrastructure and years of conflict.
Q: What is the origin of the conflict in eastern Congo?
A: The roots of Congo's instability trace back to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which hundreds of thousands of minority Tutsi were slaughtered. Tutsi rebels from Rwanda then overthrew the Hutu-dominated Rwandan government in an ensuing civil war, forcing millions of Hutu to flee to Congo. Among the refugees were top Rwandan army and government officials, as well as militias who together had orchestrated the mass slaughter. They later set up bases on Congolese soil, where many remain today. Rwanda invaded Congo twice in an effort to rout the Rwandan Hutu extremists, first in a 1996-1997 war, and again in a 1998-2002 war. Many accused Rwanda of getting sidetracked, however, in pursuit of diamonds, gold and other minerals.
Q: Since 1994, Congo's civil war and tribal conflicts have left some 4 million people dead through fighting, famine or disease. Who is behind the current fighting?
A: The current fighting pits Congo's army against rebels loyal to Laurent Nkunda, an ethnic Tutsi. The former general quit the army several years ago, claiming the government of President Joseph Kabila was not doing enough to protect minority Tutsi from Hutu extremists, whose continued presence has given him a reason to fight. Nkunda has accused the army of allying itself on the battlefield with the Hutu militias. The government denies the claims. Critics say Nkunda is a proxy of Rwanda's government and has exaggerated claims there is a serious threat to Tutsi in Congo. Nkunda's army has been accused of numerous human rights abuses, including rape campaigns and attacks on villages -- as have army soldiers and militias.
Q: Why has violence escalated in recent months?
A: Nkunda's forces signed a Jan. 23 peace deal, but mistrust remains deep. The deal committed all armed groups in the region to an immediate cease-fire, followed by the pullback of fighters from key areas that would then become a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone.But the pullback was messy, with government forces routinely facing off with Nkunda's men. The rebels have since accused the Congolese army of abandoning positions to Hutu militias. Caught in the middle, villagers have fled en masse.
Q: Why the recent attacks on U.N. buildings and tanks?
A: Villagers feel the 17,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force has failed to protect them. The rebel and army pullback was supposed to create U.N.-monitored buffer zones, but few, if any, of these zones are operational. In many areas, the pullback led to an escalation of violence.
Eastern Congo's brutal conflict is a result of decades-old ethnic tensions and a modern-day scramble for the region's mineral wealth. Some questions and answers on the region's complex history:
Q: Who are the Congolese?
A: Congo's population of more than 66 million is made up of more than 200 ethnic groups. About 70 percent are Christian, 10 percent Muslim and the rest adherents of indigenous beliefs. French is the official language, but dozens of African languages and dialects are widely spoken.
Q: What is Congo's economy based on?
A: Cobalt, copper, diamonds, gold, silver, tin and coltan, the essential ingredient of cell phones, make Congo one of Africa's most mineral-rich countries. It is also rich in coffee, rubber and palm oil. Its wealth, however, has only partially been exploited due to poor infrastructure and years of conflict.
Q: What is the origin of the conflict in eastern Congo?
A: The roots of Congo's instability trace back to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which hundreds of thousands of minority Tutsi were slaughtered. Tutsi rebels from Rwanda then overthrew the Hutu-dominated Rwandan government in an ensuing civil war, forcing millions of Hutu to flee to Congo. Among the refugees were top Rwandan army and government officials, as well as militias who together had orchestrated the mass slaughter. They later set up bases on Congolese soil, where many remain today. Rwanda invaded Congo twice in an effort to rout the Rwandan Hutu extremists, first in a 1996-1997 war, and again in a 1998-2002 war. Many accused Rwanda of getting sidetracked, however, in pursuit of diamonds, gold and other minerals.
Q: Since 1994, Congo's civil war and tribal conflicts have left some 4 million people dead through fighting, famine or disease. Who is behind the current fighting?
A: The current fighting pits Congo's army against rebels loyal to Laurent Nkunda, an ethnic Tutsi. The former general quit the army several years ago, claiming the government of President Joseph Kabila was not doing enough to protect minority Tutsi from Hutu extremists, whose continued presence has given him a reason to fight. Nkunda has accused the army of allying itself on the battlefield with the Hutu militias. The government denies the claims. Critics say Nkunda is a proxy of Rwanda's government and has exaggerated claims there is a serious threat to Tutsi in Congo. Nkunda's army has been accused of numerous human rights abuses, including rape campaigns and attacks on villages -- as have army soldiers and militias.
Q: Why has violence escalated in recent months?
A: Nkunda's forces signed a Jan. 23 peace deal, but mistrust remains deep. The deal committed all armed groups in the region to an immediate cease-fire, followed by the pullback of fighters from key areas that would then become a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone.But the pullback was messy, with government forces routinely facing off with Nkunda's men. The rebels have since accused the Congolese army of abandoning positions to Hutu militias. Caught in the middle, villagers have fled en masse.
Q: Why the recent attacks on U.N. buildings and tanks?
A: Villagers feel the 17,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force has failed to protect them. The rebel and army pullback was supposed to create U.N.-monitored buffer zones, but few, if any, of these zones are operational. In many areas, the pullback led to an escalation of violence.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Street magic
You know, last week I was thinking to myself how I’ve settled into more of a routine here in Kinshasa and I didn’t know how many new and novel events I’d be able to blog about. My blog entries would consist of weird news stories from the web, humorous pictures, or those goofy surveys that bloggers fill out (e.g. “How well does your best friend REALLY know you?” “What kind of Smurf are you?”). Thankfully, Kinshasa does not disappoint when it comes to adding some spice to one’s life.
On Saturday, after we finished our morning’s grocery shopping, my wife and I went to the Avenue de Commerce. It’s an area we’ve previously avoided, mainly because we’ve been able to get all of our shopping taken care of without having to deal with the mobs of people and traffic on the Avenue. On Saturday, though, we went there as my wife was shopping for fabric to have a dress made. She had been told by several people that there were good fabric shops there, but was never able to get specific directions to a store. After driving up and down the streets around Avenue de Commerce once or twice and not seeing anything, we decided to park and make a go of it on foot.
The Avenue de Commerce is, well, a street of stores. There are all kinds of stores selling most anything you can imagine – appliances, electrical parts, tools, clothing, shoes, cell phones, music, etc, etc. There are storefronts and street vendors everywhere, and umpteen numbers of people walking around. I guess it’s like a commercial district anywhere else in the world, just dirtier and more vibrant. It was as we were walking down the street, looking for a fabric store, that a small group of guys brushed past me in a narrow section of the sidewalk and I felt one of them graze my left hand, which was at my side. I figured they were just being rude (not uncommon here) and didn’t think twice.
Two blocks later, a stranger came out of nowhere and handed me my driver’s license and debit card. He looked to be young, maybe eighteen, and when I looked down to see what he put in my hand I realized what had happened. I had been pickpocketed, and he was returning everything except my cash to me. Yes – I was the victim of a pickpocket, but at least he or one of his cohorts had the heart to give me back what they didn’t need. All I was carrying in my money clip was about $30 in cash, my DRC driver’s license, and my debit card.
A very strange feeling of helplessness and amazement set in. Yes, I was mad that I had been the victim of a pickpocket, but what I haven’t been able to shake since then is t
he thoughts of how’d-they-do-that. I had my money in a clip in my front pants pocket, with my hand practically in my pocket as I was walking down the street. My keys were in the same pocket, and my cell phone was in my other front pocket. Some master sleight-of-hand artist was able to get just what he wanted, and then was able to RETURN MY LICENSE AND DEBIT CARD. All the while I had no idea what was going on. He honestly could have pulled a canned ham from behind my ear and I wouldn’t have been more amazed. It was kind of like encountering a street magician who charged $30 to perform a trick (er, illusion) on me.
There wasn’t much to really do after I got my stuff back (sans cash, of course). We had no idea who the thief was, and I‘m one hundred percent certain that the helpful pedestrian who returned my stuff to me was not the actual thief, nor would he help us apprehend the villain. He sort of disappeared into the crowd after giving me my stuff.
The thief got roughly $30 in cash from me which, in the grand scheme of things, isn’t all that much. I had much more in cash on me in a different zippered pocket. Maybe next time this talented sleight-of-hand artist can try making something from my zippered pocket disappear. I’d pay $40 to see that.
On a more serious note, I was pretty upset about it for a few hours afterwards. It’s not so much about losing the $30 as it was feeling, well, violated (is that too strong a word?). On top of that, other people had told us that the Avenue de Commerce is a big area for pickpockets and I should have been more alert and not carrying anything in unsecured pockets. There’s some phrase about vision and 20/20 and hindsight… I wish I could remember what it was.
The rest of the weekend was pretty enjoyable. We went to a Halloween party on Friday night. The theme was the Wizard of Oz, but costumes of any sort were welcome. Thanks to a friend at TASOK, my wife and I were able to raid the theater department’s costume closet. I went as a London Bobby, and my wife wore a bedsheet and went as an ancient Greek. The party was really nice. We saw lots of people we’ve met over the last few months in Kinshasa and it was good to say hello and talk for a bit with them. We enjoyed sushi, chicken wings, and Halloween candy, and stayed out till almost 1 in the morning. It was a big night.
On Saturday night my wife and I went out for dinner to Le Roi du Cossa. It’s a seafood restaurant in Kinshasa famed for its prawns and they did not disappoint. For $30, you get an enormous plate of freshwater prawns served with a garlic and chili (called pili-pili) butter sauce. The food was excellent and I left a satisfied patron.
I’ve been keeping an eye on the news on all that’s happening out east. It’s a big topic of conversation around town and no one is sure how things are going to turn out, though obviously everyone hopes for the best. Apparently the anti-UN sentiment around the DRC is growing. We haven’t noticed a change in anyone’s attitude towards us, but of course neither my wife nor I work for the UN. For all those reading at home, don’t worry – we’re being very safe and staying abreast of any news. The US Embassy does a great job of keeping us informed of what’s going on in the city.
Oh, and everyone around here is excited for the US election. At the US Embassy on Wednesday morning, there’s going to be a big event with election coverage, Congolese analysis of the results, and some panel discussions. Both locals and ex-pats have been asking us about our thoughts on the race.
On Saturday, after we finished our morning’s grocery shopping, my wife and I went to the Avenue de Commerce. It’s an area we’ve previously avoided, mainly because we’ve been able to get all of our shopping taken care of without having to deal with the mobs of people and traffic on the Avenue. On Saturday, though, we went there as my wife was shopping for fabric to have a dress made. She had been told by several people that there were good fabric shops there, but was never able to get specific directions to a store. After driving up and down the streets around Avenue de Commerce once or twice and not seeing anything, we decided to park and make a go of it on foot.
The Avenue de Commerce is, well, a street of stores. There are all kinds of stores selling most anything you can imagine – appliances, electrical parts, tools, clothing, shoes, cell phones, music, etc, etc. There are storefronts and street vendors everywhere, and umpteen numbers of people walking around. I guess it’s like a commercial district anywhere else in the world, just dirtier and more vibrant. It was as we were walking down the street, looking for a fabric store, that a small group of guys brushed past me in a narrow section of the sidewalk and I felt one of them graze my left hand, which was at my side. I figured they were just being rude (not uncommon here) and didn’t think twice.
Two blocks later, a stranger came out of nowhere and handed me my driver’s license and debit card. He looked to be young, maybe eighteen, and when I looked down to see what he put in my hand I realized what had happened. I had been pickpocketed, and he was returning everything except my cash to me. Yes – I was the victim of a pickpocket, but at least he or one of his cohorts had the heart to give me back what they didn’t need. All I was carrying in my money clip was about $30 in cash, my DRC driver’s license, and my debit card.
A very strange feeling of helplessness and amazement set in. Yes, I was mad that I had been the victim of a pickpocket, but what I haven’t been able to shake since then is t
he thoughts of how’d-they-do-that. I had my money in a clip in my front pants pocket, with my hand practically in my pocket as I was walking down the street. My keys were in the same pocket, and my cell phone was in my other front pocket. Some master sleight-of-hand artist was able to get just what he wanted, and then was able to RETURN MY LICENSE AND DEBIT CARD. All the while I had no idea what was going on. He honestly could have pulled a canned ham from behind my ear and I wouldn’t have been more amazed. It was kind of like encountering a street magician who charged $30 to perform a trick (er, illusion) on me.There wasn’t much to really do after I got my stuff back (sans cash, of course). We had no idea who the thief was, and I‘m one hundred percent certain that the helpful pedestrian who returned my stuff to me was not the actual thief, nor would he help us apprehend the villain. He sort of disappeared into the crowd after giving me my stuff.
The thief got roughly $30 in cash from me which, in the grand scheme of things, isn’t all that much. I had much more in cash on me in a different zippered pocket. Maybe next time this talented sleight-of-hand artist can try making something from my zippered pocket disappear. I’d pay $40 to see that.
On a more serious note, I was pretty upset about it for a few hours afterwards. It’s not so much about losing the $30 as it was feeling, well, violated (is that too strong a word?). On top of that, other people had told us that the Avenue de Commerce is a big area for pickpockets and I should have been more alert and not carrying anything in unsecured pockets. There’s some phrase about vision and 20/20 and hindsight… I wish I could remember what it was.
The rest of the weekend was pretty enjoyable. We went to a Halloween party on Friday night. The theme was the Wizard of Oz, but costumes of any sort were welcome. Thanks to a friend at TASOK, my wife and I were able to raid the theater department’s costume closet. I went as a London Bobby, and my wife wore a bedsheet and went as an ancient Greek. The party was really nice. We saw lots of people we’ve met over the last few months in Kinshasa and it was good to say hello and talk for a bit with them. We enjoyed sushi, chicken wings, and Halloween candy, and stayed out till almost 1 in the morning. It was a big night.
On Saturday night my wife and I went out for dinner to Le Roi du Cossa. It’s a seafood restaurant in Kinshasa famed for its prawns and they did not disappoint. For $30, you get an enormous plate of freshwater prawns served with a garlic and chili (called pili-pili) butter sauce. The food was excellent and I left a satisfied patron.
I’ve been keeping an eye on the news on all that’s happening out east. It’s a big topic of conversation around town and no one is sure how things are going to turn out, though obviously everyone hopes for the best. Apparently the anti-UN sentiment around the DRC is growing. We haven’t noticed a change in anyone’s attitude towards us, but of course neither my wife nor I work for the UN. For all those reading at home, don’t worry – we’re being very safe and staying abreast of any news. The US Embassy does a great job of keeping us informed of what’s going on in the city.
Oh, and everyone around here is excited for the US election. At the US Embassy on Wednesday morning, there’s going to be a big event with election coverage, Congolese analysis of the results, and some panel discussions. Both locals and ex-pats have been asking us about our thoughts on the race.
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