CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS!

We're departing African soil tomorrow for a place far north where Santa Claus lives. Above is a picture of our little elve that will be travelling with us to meet him.

Rovaniemi is a city located on the Artic Circle in Finland.

After spending two nights in Helsinki, we arrive in Rovaniemi on Monday, ahead of the week's activities laid out for Chritmas! We will be visiting Santa and his post office, and will go husky dog-sleighing, reindeer sleighing, and snow-sledding, and may even have a glimpse of Northern Lights. For a once in a lifetime experience! We have never ever had a "white Christmas"! This year we will have a Christmas Eve dinner surrounded by snow. Wow, I am so excited, as I'm certain Paul and I will be transported back to a fantasy world. We can't wait to see the look on Torden's face when he sees this white, icy, fluffy stuff with which to build a snowman!

When we ask him what he wants for Christmas from Santa, his usual reply is: "I want a stinky shoe!" So now I have a "stinky hat" in my stocking, and Paul has a wishlist for a stinky sock. I have no idea where he gets that from....

And for those of you thinking about the cold, here's Rovaniemi's weather forecast from when we arrive next Monday, 22 December 2008;

Monday NightOvercast. Low: -6 °C . Wind light. Windchill: 0 °C Heat Index: 0 °C .
TuesdayPartly Cloudy. High: -4 °C . Wind NNW 10 km/h . Windchill: 0 °C Heat Index: 0 °C . Tuesday Night Scattered Clouds.Low: -16 °C Wind NNW 3 km/h Windchill: 0 °C Heat 0°C . WednesdayChance of Snow. Scattered Clouds. High: -5 °C . Wind South 10 km/h . Chance of precipitation 20%. Windchill: 0 °C . Heat Index: 0 °C .
Wednesday NightChance of Snow. Scattered Clouds. Low: -7 °C . Wind South 10 km/h . Chance of precipitation 20%. Windchill: 0 °C . Heat Index: 0 °C .

I'd like to wish all of you a Joyful Holiday Season, and an uplifting 2009!

FASHIONABLY LATE!

My husband has always been the timekeeper in the house. You see I came from a home where we were mostly on time, but it wasn't really an issue, if we were late for a party, a half an hour or so, it didn't matter to us, as we were not affected. But we were always on time for school, church, most functions etc. When I met Paul, things changed a bit, I started to see his side of things. I realised that being late for anything, be it an informal invitation to someone's house, a birthday party, meeting someone at a restaurant etc, was actually extremely rude and to keep the other party waiting for you was disrespectful! Where I come from, it is quite okay to be a little late, as it is a laidback city! The joke is always, " they call Cape Town the "mother city" as it takes 9 months for anything to happen!". Well, when I arrived in Kinshasa, I realised that this is the city where everyone is Fashionably Late! Even when you attend a wedding, the invite states a time, and all the guests arrive about 3 - 4 hours later! We attended an end-of-year function last Friday, and all the guests were late, now I'm talking about 2 hours late, which makes everything late, the serving of dinner, the speeches and of course, the time that you come home! The funny thing is it is expected that most people will arrive late! And somethings will never change!

LIKE A BIRD!

I AM AS FREE AS A BIRD

ALL I NEED IS WINGS TO FLY

TO ANOTHER DAY IN TIME

I HAVE TIME TO GROW AND SPACE TO CLIMB TO A HIGHER PURPOSE!

FORGE AHEAD AND DON'T LOOK DOWN, FEEL THE WIND BENEATH YOUR WINGS,

LOOK AT YOUR BEAUTY IN THE REFLECTION OF THE RIVER DOWN BELOW

THIS MOMENT IS YOURS

-Ingrid

THANKSGIVING!

We were fortunate to be invited by an American friend, to join her family for a belated Thanksgiving Dinner! We had never experienced this "famous" celebration before, so it was a real treat! The turkey is the main feature of the meal, and gammon ( I now know that folks in the US call it "ham").

What we found unusual was a yummy sweet potato dish with a marshmellow topping and pumpkin bread served as a main side dish ( these are two dishes that we would usually have as a dessert!)

First time for me was, cherry pie, and pumpkin pie. They're both delicious, and we have subsequently found out, that Kristen, our host, is a "fundi" on making sweet dishes.

(Kristen, hope you get to read this, but Paul is dying for some of your choc chip cookies).

Besides the food, we had great company amongst friends and people we would not have met otherwise!

We have the best of both worlds, we get to experience cultures, without having to visit the country!

I guess we have a lot to be thankful for surrounded by all the poverty here!

OUR LITTLE YOGA GROUP!

So we're not fully fledged yogis, but we try hard and meet bright and early on Mondays and Wednesdays. If there was one thing, I really wanted to try and keep on doing was my yoga classes, but never had the discipline to do it on my own. I even bought a DVD on yoga, and actually followed it for a while, but no luck when you have a spotted dog licking your face while doing the "downward dog". My Mom even, joined us while she was here and loved it. It really is a blessing to be around such positive people, and Meeja, you are an inspiration! NAMASTE!

SPA PAMPER DAY!

What a successful day, Serenod, had this past Saturday. Serenod, ( Serenity & Odossey) being the name we gave to a group of us, who enjoy getting together to share a likeness of meditation, giving Reiki workshops, watching enlightened movies or just chatting about what we could do to enhance our lives and the lives of others staying in Kinshasa. We then decided to do a Spa Pamper Day, as there are a lot of women ( and men), that enjoy being pampered, and there are lots of therapists ( locals alike), who can advertise themselves by a way of offering Mini-Treatments.

This afternoon event, brought about 50+ people, who enjoyed recieving free Reiki Treatments, free massage from myself and Vivianne and also facials, manicures, pedicures and Reflexology at a minimal fee.

After a very exhausting but enjoyable day, I felt that there was a definite necessity for more of these organised events. On Thursday afternoon, Serenod, is having our own Pamper Day, to regenerate ourselves, and over lunch we will discuss opportunities for 2009! As well as at least one of our very own Holisitic Festivals! Watch this space......

Sickly Season!

After my Mom left on Monday morning, I felt really bad as she boarded the plane, feeling ill since last week. She kept a brave face, and try to enjoy her last few days with us. I booked the doctor to come see Torden, as he has also had a very bad cough. This time of year calls for many germs and with the high humidity and rainy season in full swing, Malaria, the dreaded disease is also making another appearance. With Paul and Torden being so sick last year this time, we try to take all precautions but it's never good enough. At the moment, I have another friend, with her son of 6 years, being treated in Johannesburg for Malaria, and a few kids at the school also down with it. The good thing is that we have the medication available to treat it, but many children die every year here in the Congo, without adequate treatment. I know I've mentioned this topic before, so sorry if I bore you.
We as a family take the following precautions;

1. We always use a mosquito net while sleeping at night. We have one shaped like a dome tent with 2 zips on either side. The other ones also work, but you need to close it with a peg, so it doesn't flap open while sleeping.
2. We don't use prophylactics, as longterm use can damage the liver or other vital organs. It also doesn't show a proper diagnosis when having tests done for malaria, as it hides it. ( That's what happened to Paul, as he caught it while he was on Mefliam)
3. We use Tabbard, mostly the stick form, as it's supposedly the strongest ( more DEET).
4. That is our perfume for our evening when we go out, or outside. The spray is useful, but a tip from my husband, "don't use it in the house, or in the car, like I stupidly do, " I say " at least if I spray on my legs, while in the car, the car gets a free spray" About cars, there are loads of Mosquitoes in the car, don't ask me how they get inside.
5. We try to wear long sleeved clothing and pants with socks, ha ha, in this heat, but cotton is bearable!

And that is how we keep those darn things at bay!

Any other suggestions?

TIME!

With my Mom being here, I try to point out all the things that really irritate me in the Congo. As she goes along with me everyday, and I do what I usually do, my viewpoint is strongly enforced. It's only because I know she makes comparisons. Today we decided to do a little trip, so that we could return before the Boks play Scotland on the telly. We went to a place called, Jardine d'Eden, which is about 20minutes past the airport. I saw this place advertised on a huge billboard on the boulevard, and remember a guy showed me pics, a while back, when we were still staying at the hotel, when we first arrived. I didn't expect much, and it wasn't much, except that you could sit on the river's edge and have an ice cold soda or beer. They serve lunch, but it was exceptionally hot today(37degC), so we never bothered. I was glad we never, as on our way back to the car, we found 3 lonely monkeys in a cage not far from our car. Just while we were looking at the cages, this guy brought over this black pig, with it's feet all tied up and just plonked him over a wall, we knew he would be attended to later on. I felt a lump forming in my throat, and I knew that this would be hard to explain to a four year old. Oh Paul, why did you mention the D word in the car? Luckily Torden didn't need too much convincing that the pig would be saved.
Question: Would you return to this place one day?
Answer: Yes, but not in a hurry.
Question: Is it a trip you could do in one full day or half a day?
Answer: Definitely takes up a half a day.
Question: Would you come back for lunch?
Answer: Yes, they serve all the fish from the river
Question: Are there activities for kids?
Answer: Not really, there is one play ground, and they can go on a 5min boat ride.

I invite all interested parties, to contact me, to organise a group get together on a Saturday morning next year, 2009!

Out with the old, and in with the New!

I feel so good about starting afresh, that I decided to give our hallway and lounge a new lick of paint today, just in time to make me feel better, as I am celebrating my 38th Birthday tomorrow! Not that I'm feeling old, just knowing that turning 40 is so close, it's scary when you get close to another decade! Doing something special is also on my birthday wishlist. My Mom is still here, and that's also a birthday wish. Paul decided to take a day off, and we're going to do something nice tomorrow, like visit a Coffee shop or restaurant. Torden will be at school, he told me he will help me blow out my candles, and I will need all the help I can get with those candles! In the evening we will be having a couple of friends over for a drink! I also have some gifts to open, one from Paul that he bought on his last shopping trip. I now cause, I have been staring at that "Carrol Boyes" giftpack for the last month. One gift that my Mom brought up from my sister in Cape Town. What an awesome time I will have tomorrow morning! It will be great to feel spoilt, especially when you hardly get to shop for nice things up here. So here's to a new me .......

LIVING IT UP!

I'm not sure if it's because our lives are different, or if we see life differently?
We take partying seriously now, not that we never partied back home in SA. We were out almost every weekend, somehow we took our surroundings for granted, maybe we took our friends for granted, we had house parties, and socialised in restaurants, we saw our friends maybe twice a month, and then we did our own thing. There were always things to do.
On Saturday, there was a Beerfest a little out of town, and almost everyone I knew attended, we knew a lot of people, and although we were at different tables, we made sure that we mingled. It was lots of fun! We arrived to find some people dressed in full Bavarian wear. The live "Lumpen" Band was playing. We sat in rows of benches, just like they do at the Oktoberfest. Our South African friends from Vodacom, who were in Berlin in October, and couldn't get into any of the Oktoberfest's, decided to dress up make up for their loss at the Kinshasa one. The greatest benefit, was all the beer and soda was included, so some folk filled up their "free beer mugs" as much as they could possibly consume. Later after midnight, the party got a bit wilder, my dear friend, Christoph, decided to pour some beer onto my lap, well while he wasn't expecting it a little while later, I opted to get him back, by giving him a "bee shower"! This took me back to my days when I was in the travel industry, I had so much fun at all the functions we had to attend. One of those stood out, I had a little row with my good friend, Kelly, at the time, and she threw a little cocktail at me, well I retaliated with a bigger cocktail, and at the beginning of the evening, she was drenched. She never spoke to me after that for quite a number of years. We now are FaceBook friends. I was so young, and carefree, and we really knew how to party. That is exactly what this life reminds me of, remembering how to party?

NANNA & POPS COME TO VISIT FROM SA!

Taking a boat out on the river almost every Sunday, is a great way to get away from it all.

Flamboyant Trees in full bloom.

Now you can understand that the reason why I have not been able to write is that I have been busy playing tour guide to my parents.

Kinshasa may not be a city for tourists, but it can be so social! We have showed them that this town is not a "sleepy hollow".

Playing golf with Dad, partying Friday night with the Spanish. A lovely Saturday morning drive to the rapids, followed by a lazy Saturday afternoon watching the Currie Cup Final on t.v.

But most fun was had by an exciting outing on the river yesterday. We managed to just get back to the boat club in time, as a storm passed over. With jet skiing, swimming and having a braai on a river island.

Cool Kinshasa!

After yesterday's heat, we experienced a lot cooler weather today, oh about 25degC. Mostly cloudy! It was awesome, a little bit of rain was just what was necessary to wash down the dust from the air. I was on a high this morning, had a great yoga class, followed by my French lesson, then the rain, but it all came crashing down, when I couldn't get the DSTV technician to secure my dish (sattelite) as it had been moved over the weekend by the storm. He had promised since Sunday to come and assist. My wee petite French did not help get my frustration and anger across, and he made me huff smoke, after I had speaking English to him all along, and he insisted that I spoke French. WELL that was THAT! I had had it! All that humiliation, and it never worked, he still only arrived after 4pm, after getting a colleague at Paul's work to call his office manager. The job couldn't have taken longer than 15minutes.
All this makes me realise that you have to accept and move on, no matter how difficult it is. After chatting with with some "new arrivals" yesterday, I have also come to the realisation that we are visitors here, this is how life carries on here, and when we leave, they(locals) will still be here, and life goes on at the same pace here. It will undoubtedly change, not for us, not for anyone!

FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!

I did mention about the beginning of this year, that I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about bringing meat into the country. I do agree, it's a bit ridiculous when you can get just about everything here, at a price of course. But, we all love our food, and we get used to a certain kind of lifestyle when it comes to food. We are spoilt for choice in a Western World, especially when you think of retail food stores like "Woolies" for all you South Africans. Convenience, at it's best! You just cannot get any better. Today I went shopping at new place called Kin Foods, and it's a cold food storage warehouse, where a list of meat products are displayed on a black board, and you order off the board. Well, just about everything I wanted was out of stock, excepting the frozen chicken pieces. I then had to go to another store "Hasson & Frere"to buy something else, and then another store to buy bread " Pelou", as I couldn't find the bread aisle at all, either that, or they were also out of stock. That's the story of shopping experiences, it could take you an entire morning to do fill one grocery bag. Take for instance, I was looking for Pili-Pili ( the strong chillies -homegrown) in a plastic bottle. I had bought it before, and seen it at the one shop, but last Friday, I needed it for Paul to take with for my cousin, who had requested it. I went from shop to shop, but only found these huge bottles. Never did find it, until today, it popped up while shopping for cheese.
Well now I have just emailed a long list of meat for Paul to bring back with him. I must say, it's relatively easy on SAA, just pop it into a cooler bag, and checked it through from Johannesburg. The only problem we have is, that we always have to stay over one night en route, as there are no early morning flights to make the connection from Cape Town. So the oddest request is usually to ask housekeeping at the hotel to store it for you. Phew! What a mission! But well worth it!

NEEDLESS TO SAY!

This evening the lightning and thunder and the start of heavy rains, shook my entire household! Fin ( the spotty dog), aka "Needless to say" ( the name printed on his thoroughbred papers!), continued to remind us, by his deafening bark, that he was in charge of the house, not the thunder. This went on for about 2 hours, right through Torden's bed time. It usually lasts the entire night.

I feel so lonely and sad, as Paul left this morning for his long round trip via Kenya to Cape Town. Just the thought of him going home, saddens me, the mere fact that he will be where I would like to be right now. Don't get me wrong, it's not homesickness, it's not that I don't like living here, it's just how I feel, and I don't think anything will make it better. That's just how it is.

But I'm going to make the most of this week, by clearing the clutter, cleaning up the house, seeing friends and by being fully present with whatever comes my way.
My folks arrive next week Sunday, and I am so looking forward to spending time with them in the Congo. I don't have any plans, but I know we will plan as we go along.

Just to summarise my week, I had yoga on Monday with French , Tuesday was fun at the Women's Group, and then a few of us had lunch afterwards at the Chinese Restaurant. Wednesday was yoga again, then our Reiki group, in the evening our favourite Frenchie friend came over for dinner. We discussed our December holiday with him in Europe. Thursday was French lessons, and then came the weekend. We ended up having dinner last night at the Italian place, as a family, it's a great place to go.

HARRY POTTER'S BIRTHDAY!

"Harry Potter and the Wizard Hat Cake"

Torden turned 4 on the 2nd of October. He had his party in the afternoon after school. 3 hours of magical fun! With games led by Prof Dumbledore ( Dad) and Prof McGonnogel ( Mom).

Our dining room had turned into a classroom at Hogwarts School of Magic!

Activities!

I am having a hard time of late trying to keep up a schedule as it's become so full. I now give our driver a "program" as he requested it, on a weekly basis. Today I started a new class of African/Salsa, very interesting dance class. We have an extremely vibrant teacher, who comes over from Brazzaville ( across the river) every to teach an exhilirating class. He also gives Torden Hip Hop classes on a Monday. I must say, I've been to a few salsa lessons in Cape Town, and after a while I get bored, not sure if it's the music that has the same beat, or a different tune, or if it's not my style of dance. I grew up in modern dance shoes, and always loved that. In actual fact, I love any form of dance, so these classes are the most fun, even though we are exercising for an hour. The mix of African dance eliminates any form of boredom!

I was talking to a friend of mind, about all these happenings in Kinshasa, and we think it's a new arrival of expats, a definite increase in volume, and an interest in the DRC in general. The greatest part of all, is we are all here at the same level, we're all foreigners either helping the country directly or indirectly. We also have to stick together, to make life more bearable here, as the loneliness, if you allow it, can get hold of you. We make life! Life doesn't make us! ( Wow, what did I just say?)

BIRTHDAY PARTIES!

I must say, we've had really full weekends over the last 2 weeks. Been out on the river, been invited to house parties, and we have another one coming up on Saturday. I enjoy giving parties, just as much as receiving an invite. On Saturday afternoon, we went to a party of a friend of mine from Paraguay. It was a very special one! Her son, Agust, turned 5. I found it amazing that the Mom put so much emphasis on providing the children with entertainment, that she herself, dressed up as a clown and joined in on the fun! Now that reminds me of Torden's 1st birthday party, which was a clown theme. I also had a wig on, and painted my face, but there was a problem in that Torden was petrified of clowns for the next two years. He was even a bit sceptical of the clown at this particular party.

Now it's my turn to prepare for Torden's party on Thursday.

I also had the most amazing boost for writing on my blog, a blogger friend, who had been reading my blog from Canada, made contact with me. She is now living in Kinshasa, and when we spoke on the telephone, it felt as if we'd known each other for years. I feel so inspired now, that I will remain loyal, and try to write almost everyday. It has also inspired me to write more about the DRC. So here's to more blogging.

"When you fail to plan, you plan to fail"

I've taken yet another morning procrastinating ( putting off things). I was supposed to be planning Torden's 4th birthday for next week, but I washed the dog, I helped Aimee with the washing, I daydreamed, I had coffee, I checked my emails, called a friend, and it's now 10:30am and I only have 2 hours until he ( the thief of time) comes home from school. I need to get out his invitations, so I better make this blog short. Sorry!

I have only one more thing to say and that is: " Some people do things and take things at the expense of other people's hard work". My next of kin, is very smart, and he enjoys what he does for a living, but I take it personally, when I see him being used. It saddens me to think there are people in this world that use friendship as a means to get what they want from people. The good thing is, you learn from experiences, and I can be assured that this will not happen more than once.

PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR INTENTION

I really had no plans this morning at the start of my day. As I experienced a very bad day yesterday, got a bug, I really did not want to commit myself. So I cancelled my yoga, and a dance class thereafter that I was really looking forward to. I was also supposed to go to a gathering of Reiki therapists at 10am ,but cancelled that yesterday already. So I thought I was free. Well the Universe had other plans for me. They wanted to get a message through to me. The friend who was hosting the gathering, called me at the time when they were about to start, to ask how I was feeling, and whether I was up to it, she could come fetch me, as they were only going to start the movie at. Well, 4 hours later, I returned home, with so much more than I bargained for. I watched a meaningful movie, James Redfield's, The Celestian Phrophecy, of which I had read ages ago, but did nothing for me back then. I learnt only one thing, and that is to listen to your intuition, and go your own way, not to be distracted, and do what you are meant to do. My intentions are not set clearly. I need to write them down, and really feel the need to pursue them. Asking myself along the way, do I like the feeling that it will give me if I did such and such. I have so many options and so many people to help me get there. I now know that I couldn't do it all by myself, I need help to focus and plan. If this makes sense at all. If it doesn't, it wasn't meant for you.

ONE YEAR ALREADY!

It's hard to believe a year has past since being here. In the beginning I really wished my life away, hoping that Paul's contract would end sooner, just so we could find another place to go to, another country perhaps, yearning for a "normal" place. It felt as if I would never fit in, never be happy, and that my family back home would never be happy without us. Boy was I wrong, everyone gets on with their lives nonetheless, and our lives turn into so called "normal" lives anyway. We have friends, we do great things over the weekends, we go out for dinner, Paul goes to work, Torden goes to school and he has friends that come over. I really feel that we've made a life here, and it works! Now I don't hope the next year goes too quickly, as there is so much for us to do. I have an opportunity to offer a drama curriculumn at the American school, I visit an orphanage for boys where we do crafts, and there is a need to pursue lots of exciting things here at the moment. I have also joined a Reiki group of "likeminded" individuals that meet once a week. So life is not dull up here. I love the fact that everyone makes an effort to meet up and connect. It's a way of life and I wouldn't give it up, not right now!

Welcome! Welkom! Benvenue! Wilkommen! Boa Vinda! Recepcion!

I know it's been a long time. We had a long break for the holidays, and there is always so much to do! So now I'm looking forward to more blogging.

Arrived back in Kinshasa on Sunday, the weather is not too warm (33degC), and it's so dry here. Everyone can't wait for the rain. I particularly like it as it is. Not too humid, and there are no mozzies buzzzzzzing around.
Started off my week with a yoga group, new intake of USAid wives. Mostly American. They're all lovely, and fun to be with.

We've decided to take exercise seriously, we bought a Wii Fit. Ha ha! Only spent about 30min so far, and it seems pretty easy. Hopefully, we'll be able to be monitored and will be more enthusiastic about getting trim.

Just waiting for a new computer to be installed, then should be able to give more constant updates with photo's.

DOING MY BIT FOR ANIMALS!

Please understand that I needed to go to the zoo to see for myself what it was like to be kept captive in a 3rd world country. I did a brave thing, as I invited two friends and their children to come along. Not knowing what to expect, we arrived unanounced. We are all animal lovers, and some of us were warned, others opted not to go, and I was told that it was not as bad as some other zoo's in neighbouring countries. We had all been to the private sanctuary for the Bonobo's ( Apes), and was told that this zoo was also private. But alas, it is state owned, and as the country is battling with supporting it's own humans, how on earth are they to support a mere subordinate, those from the animal kingdom. I am writing this article on behalf of them, the mere animals, who I fear is not well kept. Some of them are in a condition that is to be expected, they are being fed, but that is all. I generally do not like the idea of a zoo in any country, it is a show for most people along with their families to see an animal they most likely not to come across unless they are in a cage.

There were lots of monkeys, 2 leopards, an owl, a minature squirrel, a python from India, local snakes, African Grey Parrots, 4 crocodiles, and a few baboons, as well as a few horses and a donkey.

My wish after seeing this sorry sight, is that some organisation will come along and donate money for upgrading the standard of this zoo. I do hope that my child along with his two friends, will forget this experience!

An Education in itself!

On Saturday, we were invited on behalf of the company, to the last day of the school year at Immaculate Conception School, situated about 40minutes out of Kinshasa. The school is owned by a generous and vibrant Congelese lady, who out of her own funding bought the available land. The property is huge, and overlooks a beautiful valley. The only problem is that most of the parents cannot afford to pay more than is necessary for the school fees, and therefore as there is not much government funding, they only have limited resources for equipment, toilets, classrooms etc. The teachers are also paid a minimal fee of under $50 a month. I cannot believe that anyone can survive on that small amount of money. Yet, they were happiest that day, when they had their scholars put on a little play for us, showing us their many talents of dance, music and poetry. Even a poem or two in broken English.

The children had the most beautiful smiles, and we were greeted with such grandeur, it made me feel like we were dignatories, yet we are a "normal white family" experiencing Africa for the first time in our lives. As there were no toilets, on our way home, Torden needed to go urgently, and there was hardly a spot on the road to stop at, so Paul desperately talked him through the whole episode. Needless to say, he couldn't hold it in any longer, and cried out aloud " I need to go wee and poo right now" . I must say I felt guilty trying to get a 3 year old to hold it in.

The Night the sky lit up!

We had a lovely visitor all the way from Cape Town last week. Petiswa, we sincerely hope you are not too shell shocked from your visit to the city of Kin. You are always welcome.....

It was a lovely Friday evening, and while we were enjoying a Fondue with John & Joan ( Paul's boss and his wife), what sounded like gun shots was in actual fact an enormous light display that took to the blackened skies of the almost boring city. We were at the right place at the right time, as we had the perfect view sitting from our window seats in the restaurant. The fireworks were part of the celebration of the 2nd year of the Jazz Festival. One of the many things this city has to offer. No, it doesn't compare to Cape Town, but then again who needs perfection! At least we have excitement!

SCHOOL'S OUT!

I'm sorry for not keeping my blog up to date this past week. Firstly, we are having problems with our computer. Don't ask me what it is, but it needs to be updated. Paul has asked his brother to look into finding parts in SA. With all the abrupt power cuts, and the motherboard, ( not sure what that is and why they call it that), all the info and and and....... Besides that we also recently had a virus, which was eradicated with Norton ( I do like him)! I also tried to write an entry on Monday, and I got an error report and lost my entire page.

Okay, enough excuses, school also finished last week for the big "Summer Break! Last night we watched an excellent show at Torden's Little Jewels International School. A lot of people are packing up and heading out for the holidays, it feels quite strange, as in SA it's really cold at the moment. And here most people are going to Europe, where it's supposedly warm.

The Mom's around here have been great, everyday having a turn for the children to play at their homes. Today was my turn, and my friend, Joan, the American Lady with no kids, brought around beads for the kids to make bracelets with. They loved it! We all did I think!
It's also quite strange for me, to not have a Nanny here for Torden, and most of the children do. So with all 6 kids, came along, 5 Nannies. And of the 5 Nannies, I would only say that 2 of them were really interested in the children. Quite sad, if you think, that they get paid to literally just look at the chilren, and wipe their snotty noses now and again! Anyway, maybe one day, when I'b big, I'll get one to look after Torden.

Housekeeper Diaries Part III

I'm not sure if the work on our home in Kinshasa will every be complete, but that's all part of the excitement we get to experience here. During the week, I asked my Aimee (our housekeeper), to clean the curtain rails and hang up our new curtains in the dining room. She had to use a ladder, which has been made use of by every contractor that comes to work on our home. Of both the companies, that we use, neither of them have any tools, including hammers, screw drivers etc, and they make the biggest mess, and never clean up after they have left, be it inside or outside.

I was busy with my French lesson on the verandah, when we realised poor Aimee, had taken a tumble. We both ran to her aid as she was sprawled flat on the floor, and the ladder had split in two. She had a really bad gash to her leg, and said her knee was paining. We pulled her to the side, and I called Paul, who is very good at First Aid, luckily his office is only 2 minutes away. He cleaned her up, and Lepauld took her home. The next day, she went to hospital where they gave her a tetanus injection and changed the wound. She has been booked off until Monday, where she goes for another check-up on her wound.

To top it all off, we have a house guest, and 2 extra dogs, which really makes the house look that extra untidy! Well today, Paul put our curtains up, which look stunning, but oops, I just heard a crash, oh no, apparently a bottle of red wine that was on top of our wine cabinet, dropped off and spilled onto the new curtains. Well, I'm too afraid to go and look at the damage. Do you think these curtians may be cursed.....

Feels like Christmas...

Yipee, our container finally arrived! Not sure how long we have been waiting for some goodies to arrive, a couple of months. This afternoon was so exciting as we watched a guy in a bakkie drop it off, then we waited until Paul came home before opening it up. Torden was happy with his share of things, and managed to store all of it, including a box of chocolates, Otee's and Oros juices in his bedroom cupboard. It's a joy to see how excited he gets and knows that all his goodies came from "Afrique du Sud" as he now calls it. Just last week, he told us at dinner time, that he doesn't belong here, " I belong in West Beach" he said. We both looked at each other, and tried to contain our laughter. It happens more and more, where we try so hard not to laugh at the grown up things he says. But the cutest of all is when he climbs into bed with us, puts both his arms around us, and says " I love you guys"!

This morning was our last coffee meeting for the year ( The new year starts in September) with the International Women's Club. It was held at the American Embassey Residence along the river, which is a great spot. Lovely for a coolish dry season ( I want to say winter) morning. We had a speaker from Proctor and Gamble talking of statistics within the DRC, as well as marketing of a sachet to purify water. Interestingly, only 1,5% of the population have HIV/Aids, half the population uses birth control, a large percentage of women die of illnesses related to problems after having too many children close to one another and malaria, is the biggest cause of death amongst children up to the age of 5.

So yes it does feel like Christmas as Paul also received his belated birthday gift from me, a " Tin Tin in the Congo" special edition hard cover. He also got his own ipod speaker system that we are going to us outside and in the bedroom, Paul and his toys! As well as everything seems to be coming to a close here in Kinshasa, lots of friends taking off for far away places as soon as next week. We also attended a painful end of year school play at the Belgian school. I never ordered the year book at Torden's school, and apparently there is a lovely picture of him in his class. Hopefully, I will be able to attain a copy somehow.

Season Changes!

It's that time of the year when you can feel that something different is happening with regards to the weather. Although they say, there are only 2 seasons here, the rainy and the dry season, it definitely feels a bit cooler than usual especially early morning and late afternoon/evening. At around 5pm, the humidity normally rises, but over these last few days, it has been cooler, more breezes, which makes a huge difference on how comfortable you are. I now enjoy sitting more out on the verandah, where most afternoons, it's unbearable. The temperature still soars to 31 deg C, but at least not to 38 or 40 deg C. This is what they call the dry season, with more grey skies, but not much rain.

We are also experiencing changes, like for instance, Torden has a runny nose, in fact most of the children he plays with have it. I had a sore throat yesterday with an upset stomach most of the weekend. Paul calls it the "kinshasa shuffle", a term, most expats use, specifically knowing that someday or other, you will come across it. It could be the water you perhaps drank, the fruit in the salad that wasn't washed properly or simply some or other bug you picked up.

We are just happy that most of the pre-warned marches that took place since last week, regarding the imprisonment of Bemba, by the Belgians, was peaceful! That feeling of anxiety has left me this week.

TIA!

I really don't like to be negative. Most of all, I don't like to talk about Africa this way, especially all that it has experienced, will always be compared to the Western World. And, especially since I am living in Africa. BUT, there are somedays, when I cannot stop myself from saying "This is Africa......" Days like, yesterday, when our generator, that is supposed to generate power to our home, just blows up and catches alight. mmmmm I then wonder........

It was about 7pm, and the guards came running to tell Paul, as we were saying goodbye to some guests who had come over for tea. He immediately ran to fetch the fire extinguisher, and then put out the flames, on failing which would've blown up 120litres of diesel, not too mention the 80litres of diesel in the tank of the car as well. So for 12 hours we had no electricity. It has now resumed, but who knows for how long, and how long will it take the maintenance guy to replace the old one. At times I ask myself only one question ? What am I doing here.... that topic I will cover another day as I know we have a purpose to fill here....

RALLY to Zongo Falls

On Saturday morning at 9am we left Kinshasa on a rally that was to be an experience of a lifetime. There were about 40 cars on an organised off-road ralley sponsored by Castel Beer. When I talk about off-road I not only mean off the normal road, but off the beaten track, and into a whole new world beyond the borders of the towns. Tiny villages with children, dogs and goats in the middle of nowhere. Most of the huts were made of clay, and no electricity, running water and the convenience of anything remote to modern day. You could've easily been on a time warp back in time about 100 years or more. There were only tire tracks, no roads on a 4x4 dream world. Our Toyota Prado, slid over every wide canyon crack, every sandbank, every hole or mud trench like a boat takes to water. On our first day I was quite shocked at the co-pilot's ( moi) list of interpreting every route on a given route map sketched out in tiny drawings with the odd French word for "Careful steep accent" etc. Each section was about about 4km with 90km for the first stretch and then another 60km towards the end . Wow, I never worked so hard on a long journey being a passenger as that. I thoroughly enjoyed being in more control though than the driver. My very own driver was my husband the " Camel Man". Huge Congratulations on winning the overall trophy. Babes, I never knew you could handle a steering wheel and low four gears the way you did! And your organisation skills were superb as there you were helping a fellow contestant who got stuck in the mud behind us. Tow rope, wellington boots and 2 way radios all organised by yourself. On arrival at Zongo Falls, we had to take the shower that "nature" had organised for us, it was the most energising shower I have had since our arrival in Kinshasa. Wow, what a powerful spray! The Frenchies with their "douche" gel, and all. We set up tent with about 10 friends, all French speaking, except for us and Abby, our American friend, who co-piloted for Moose, our friend that travelled most of the way with us. We had fun that night, with an organised buffet, and partying and dancing coming mostly from our site, until midnight. The air was still warm, however, but cooler than Kinshasa. The next morning, we were up and raring to go, only the Europeans seem to do everything after 9am, which is unfortunate as that set the time back for our arrival back home at about 6:30pm which is after dark here. Along route we stopped at a beautiful botanical garden for lunch, and then went on to see an amazing African sunset. We were so tired on arrival and ready for a clean up, I had mud all over my shoes from stepping out the car to witness the car in front of us overturn, and then some locals helped them get the car back on it's 4 wheels, amazingly no-one was hurt, and the car was unscathed too. We we never stayed for the results which came out at about 11pm. We came 25th overall, which I think is not bad at all for our first ever rally. We shall return next year, South African spirit and all.

Congolese Day!

Thank goodness that we finally have a public holiday in the Congo tomorrow. I assume it's Congolese Day, as we were asked to dress the children in traditional clothes for school today. I must say it was a very vibrant atmosphere when I dropped Torden off this morning. Tiny tots as well as the older children all dressed up in brightly coloured outfits. I will post a picture tomorrow. The Congo is known for it's bright waxed sealed cotton fabric, and is definitely exclusive to this country. West Africa definitely has a different type of fabric and the colours are not as bright. The women wear tight fitting long skirts with matching blouses that usually has a long cuff or a frill. Most expats, as well as myself have had an outfit or two made, just to wear to an event or just for fun. The Congolese take great pride in their appearances, all women no matter how poor, will always have a piece of material either tied in a sarong or in a dress, usually beautifully clothed from head to toe. Well it's been a busy week, and still haven't managed to get to the Golf Club. I have a date tomorrow with a friend who knows how to play, but not sure if I will make it as I did something weird to my lower back. There is no chiropractor in Kinshasa, so will have to get someone to try to click my back. You know that one, where you stand back to back with someone, and they lift you up with the arms. I wonder if it will work with Paul....

Today I....

Today I am happy...

because I started my day with my most successful Lesson Francaise to date, I have been at it for 2 months now, and have yet to construct a French sentence until now.

C'est bon! Hats off to Monsier Jean-Pierre, our tutor, whose patience and persistance is paying off.

Today I am at peace...

with the universe and what is unfolding for me. I started my first meditation at home with 2 interested parties, there will be more next week, as the interest spreads.

My subject chosen revolved around the following poem. It is unknown who wrote it.

DESIDERATA

Go placidly amid the noise and haste.

And remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly, and listen to others,even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may becomevain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesserpersons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;

it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs;for the world is full of trickery.

But let not this blind you to what virtue there is;many persons strive for high ideals and everywherelife is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.Neither be cynical about love;

for on the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass,

Take kindly to counsel of the years, gracefully surrenderingthe things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune,

But do not distress yourself with imaginings, many fears areborn of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees or stars;

you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe isunfolding as it should.

Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be,

And whatever your labours and aspirations in the noisy confusion of life,

keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams.

It is still a beautiful world.Be cheerful, strive to be happy.

Today I ate...

bran muffins for breakfast. This is the last of my ready-mix Snowflake mixture that I bought on my previous shopping trip in South Africa.

Today I drank...

Lipton's Lemon Ice Tea. I found it on special, would usually pay around double that. ( $4) The fact is even if tried, I would not be able to find it again in the shop. Will have to make my own.

Today I played...

card games with my son. We had fun while I massaged him with almond oil, after his afternoon swim. He hasn't allowed me to massage him since he was about 2 years old. I am hoping it will help with the scars from his chicken-pox.

Today I wish..

that all the little lonely children of the world receive a distant hug. x

May you all have a blessed week ahead!

Mort

Most of you can make out what the French word " Mort" means. Derived from mortuary, hence the word in English "Death". I had to actually look the word up this morning in my French/English Dictionary. Our driver has been off work for 2 days, we had a replacement driver, so everything appeared to be normal around here. Although, we really don't like the change, the reason being, Lepauld, our chaffeur ( as he likes to be called), is the best out of all the Maersk drivers, and there are about 10 of them. We were first to be assigned to him ( not vice versa), as we are the priveleged folk. I can't explain, but we clicked, not right away, but gradually. The first day, Paul, said he needed a new driver as he doesn't like the fact that he can't speak a word of English. Only to discover, most of them, can't speak English. Lepauld just has fewer English words in his vocabulary. This has actually become an advantage, as I practise my French with him, and he corrects me most of the time.
Lepauld manages to get out of any traffic situation, using back roads, side roads and using the Prado to the limit. He was also an ex military driver, and has retired thereof. At age 50, he is rather fit, and extremely cautious, acts like our bodyguard! He is almost part of the family, and as a driver, gets to know quite a lot about us, as he spends most of his time with us in the car, doing our day to day things.
I was very sad to hear that his little 3 year old daughter had passed away on Tuesday, and only heard about it this morning upon his return to work. She was in hospital with an illness that we are yet to find out about. This is not an abnormal situation for parents of children under 5 years of age to be in. I just can't understand, and probably never will, how little children just slip away in a poverty stricken country, where basic medical care is not a human right! And boy, it should be!

International Women's Club

Yesterday was my first meeting of the International Women's club. As these associations operate all over the world, I felt in sync with other women that are in the same situation, as well as with women across the world that are visitors in the country in which they currently preside. I am a foreigner, and it feels strange, as it should. I know that there are many foreigners living in Kinshasa, but it still feels as though you are the small percentage that are fortunate enough to drive in a chaffeur driven car, as though you have loads of money! When your car drives slow enough for little children, and other passengers to peer at you through you car window. When these little boys, ( no girls),ask for money, you often hand over some "flip-flops" ( what we call the local Congo francs)

Back to the Women's Club. We pay a fee to join the club, and have events througout the year to raise money for charity. Next week, the club, is handing over benches, that was made through the money that was raised last year, to an Art School for children. So a good cause and very necessary for a country that has little or no support from the government. There are also social gatherings, French reading classes and outings throughout each month. I found it most interesting to meet up with people, like the Japanese Ambassador's wife, a lecturer in English from Massachusets, a Dutch expat, a Peruvian expat, an old Belgian women looking for a Bridge partner etc. We had an exhibition of tie-dye products from a local women, coffee and croissants at the Memling Hotel. One thing that surprised me, is that the Chairwoman, expected us to dig into our pockets that she thought was very deep filled with lots of dollars several times, like pay S20 for shop bought necklaces that was made in China for charity, $10 or more for the charity box, $100 per person tickets to a dance to support a school, buying the tie-dye products on sale( yes very nice products), but it could end up being a very expensive morning. Sorry, I would love to support everyone, but have to still feed my family in this very expensive city!

Normality!

Back to normal as most folks would say. What is it actually? Routines, schedule, getting on with your life. After Kim's departure, and being out of routine, I am going to be doing a few new things, one of them is, reading or studying a new book that is on Oprah's book club, A New Earth - by Eckhart Tolle. His previous book, The Power of Now, was excellent, so looking forward to this one. My new motto in life, is not going to be looking into the future, or dabbling on about my past(a few fond memories are nice to keep). I will try, and I know it's going to be difficult, to live in the present moment. So I have set aside a newish schedule, typed up a list of things that I will doing with my free time. Yes I do have lots of time, but still don't get all the things I always plan to do, done in a week.

A few words about my past 2 weeks. Kim, I loved having you here, discovering all the new places we found in Kinshasa, and just enjoying the time with you. Our time together, and especially time spent with Torden, was more valued. It just shows, that being in a different place, at a different time, seems to being out more special moments. May you return to us anytime, wherever we may be....

This afternoon, we are going to another birthday party for a little 2 year old boy from South Africa. He has already had cerebral malaria, was also evacuated to SA in February, but is doing well.
I'm off to collect Torden from school and en route can't wait to listen to my ipod with new downloaded music.

Some pics from Kim's itinerary!

Freedom Day Celebrations!

We were quite impressed when our invite arrived from the South African Embassey last week. The fact that we were invited to a function to celebrate Freedom Day. I have met the First Lady, but not yet the Ambassador. So was looking forward to our meeting with all our compatriots. Paul is still convinced, the reason we were invited, is that we have a humungous SA flag attached to our spare tyre wheel cover on the Prado. I'm still not happy driving in the car and just knowing that everyone now knows where we are from. I like to be a bit more discreet, or keep them guessing? Also, in a city like Kin, everyone can spot where you've been, and no secrets are spared as to what time you left a certain establishment. I thought it would be a slightly smaller cocktail party with a few guests. Well, us South Africans don't do anything on a small scale. It had to be held in a huge Marquee tent, with loads of outdoor space for the band, and overlooking the pool. It was held at the South African compound, down the road from us. A beautiful spot, that overlooks the river onto Brazzaville. Probably, the neatest, cleanest place inside 4walls in Kinshasa. We met all our Vodacom Expats there, and a few other embassey staff. We were offered a buffet meal of BBQ meats,spinach, butternut, beans, samp and sauce. Most of the foods were flown in especially for the function, as I haven't tasted such good SA taste in 2 months. The only thing that didn't go down so well was the rainy, cooler weather ( 23 deg C) with a few bolts of lightning overhead. Well Done SA, you still keep me proud! Now I really know that I have to learn the Xhosa part of the National Anthem.

That thing Malaria!

Well it's time to get it all out in the open. I have been meaning to write about this topic for a while now. Maybe it's time to do so, especially since most people think that AIDS is what most humans die of in Africa. I'm not saying that it's worse than Malaria, but one can't compare. It seems to kill more people, and there is no prevention. You will get bitten by a mozzie no matter what, if that female is out to bite you and bring you the dreaded Malaria, she will get to you nets, tabard and all. I know this from experience. Take for example, myself, I smear myself with tabard every night, I sleep under a mosquito net, we have the house sprayed once a month, and we have the garden sprayed once a week. We keep the doors closed most of the time, we don't go outside without long pants, long sleeve shirts and enough Tabard to keep me from buying my favourite perfume (part of the Kenzo range, because I never get to use the current one, as it is overpowered by the African range. Now, Paul hardly gets bitten, and yet he was the one that got hit with Cerebral Malaria. Aimee, our housekeeper, has a little boy, only 10 years old, living in Kisangani which is a 6 day trip on a barge up the river. He has been admitted to a clinic with Malaria, and statistics say that most children under 5 years don't survive. Well most people don't survive the cerebral malaria, or are misdiagnosed, and don't receive the proper treatment.
We will pray for him, and this is not the last that I will be writing about this topic.....

Kim in the Congo!

Lac de Ma Valee (translated " Lake of my valley") We did a 6km walk around the lake. Felt like we were in the middle of the Jungle. We sang excerpts from Jungle Book, especially for Torden, "well I'm the King of the jungle....roobee doo wanna be like you, wanna walk like you...."