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...."

Day 3

Well it's the 3rd day in The Congo, and Kim has survived. Besides the humidity, and the car sickness she experiences, she is happy to be here. We've been to the river for a long walk this morning with "Spotty 1 and 2"( Fin and Torden), and endured the sun which came out of the clouds just at the time we started walking. I showed her Brazaville, which one can see from across the river. We pointed out all the ambassadorial residences by representation of the flags. We are not able to go outdoors too long with Torden, as he still has a slight fever, and apparently the light may be too bright for his eyes. So this afternoon, we are summoned to watch High School Musical, Torden's favourite. Tonight, we are going out to a house party at a German friend, so looking forward to seeing all my friends and introducing Kim to them. We told her about our extremely funny Pakistani friend, whose accent just about puts us in fits of laughter everytime she opens her mouth. So should be a fun-filled evening!

Yipee she's arrived!

We were greeted this morning to a very spotty child, and realised that the real reason why Torden was so out of it yesterday was that he in fact had chicken-pox. It is all over his body, and worse in the neck, back and his face. We try to make him feel better by comparing him to our spotty dog, Fin. Now he thinks that is the biggest joke! Now he has to stay out of school until Monday, which spoils the fact that I was going to show Kim around town, but nonetheless, we shall take Spotty along.

After our long wait at the airport, Kim, finally came out of the airport building with Eric, who takes " care" of all the finalities. ( Bribes etc.) Kim looked flustered and tired, she gets motion sickness, so the ride home was awful for her. There was so much traffic, it took us much longer than it normally would. But Kinshasa has a lovely "welcoming" effect on one! Hope she will stay her full 2 weeks.......

After a long Skype session to my folks back home, she has retired to bed, and will hopefully be refreshed in the morning.

I was living in the future for so long, it is about time that I am finally shoved back to living in the "Now"!

A Special Visitor

My anticipation is eating me up, only 1 more sleep before my sister arrives. Although I saw her in March on my last trip to Cape Town, it will definitely be different. Especially how she will find out how we live, and how different life is up here. A few people have asked what we are going to do with her, as they themselves find it boring, and long to go elsewhere for a holiday! I do agree to some extent, but for someone who wants to get away from it all, relax, laze around the pool, take nature walks, and to just simply be in a different environment, away from the rat race, this is the answer! I do have an itinerary for her, and I will be the tourist guide, seeing that it was my previous profession. This time, however, it won't be as easy as Cape Town is so naturally scenic. The nightlife is pretty good we will visit Ibiza Bar, Standing, and some good restaurants. I will keep you updated intended for anyone who may be interested on an insert called " PLACES TO GO AND THINGS TO DO IN KINSHASA"

Live Life to the Fullest!

The moment you cross the boundary of the known, fear arises, because now you will be ignorant, now you will not know what to do and what not to do. Now you will not be so sure of yourself, now mistakes can be made, you can go astray. That is the fear that keeps people tethered to the known, and once a person is tethered to the known, she is lost to this great adventure of life.

In this world there is always danger for those who are afraid of it - George Bernard Shaw

Dedicate to you Mr B.

Yes you know who you are? I decided to write on my blog today, and only because you asked me to. I kinda like the fact that my blog has become popular. Not that it's great reading material, but I suppose it's because I tell it like it is. I would love more comments? I've now even added a revenue counter, which encourages me even more to write. At first, I thought only friends and family would read it. Now I realise that more than just a few people view it everyday. I also enjoy reading other blogs, like the one I found yesterday, where a young girl sells all her second hand clothing on her website. And the one where 3 ladies come together almost everyday, and bake and share their recipes. I also have a friend who is now living in Dubai since January. It's great to see how her expat life differs from mine.

My inspiration for the day must be to share that I tune in to Oprah.com everynight, where I listen to an interview she has with Eckhart Tolle about his new book "A New Earth". There is great joy to be found in nature, and we can be inspired in our own back garden by a leaf, or a flower etc. Just by looking at it as if for the first time, to not have to know the name of the flower, just to see it for what it is. I feel that when I watch my son, who is sitting right next to me at this moment, being creative. He is punching holes into paper for the first time, and I'm happy because it is keeping him busy, but he is experiencing sheer concentration by every punched hole.

So Mr B. you are leaving Kin soon, and yes that is a good thing for you. We are going to miss you, our South African counterpart and neighbour. We hope that life takes you on a good journey! May you be inspired to read from the other side!

Desperately Seeking Roberg's!

I have decided to do a geneology search for my ancestral heritage. Where, why and what for? I've always wanted to know my roots, and figure out if I have any living relatives in Norway.
It took me one week on the internet to figure out that I've come to a stumbling block. I can't read or write Norwegian, and trying to read a census from 1888 ( The year my Grandfather was born in Norway) is ludicrous! Although there are many links from those Roberg's that migrated to the USA from the 1900's, that is just not where my roots are from.
I have visited Norway, stayed with Paul's Norwegian family, loved the beautiful countryside and the snow! I have a sense of knowing that when I looked down over Oslo from the airplane, that this was really home! My Grandfather was an engineer on a whaling ship, that docked in Cape Town, en route to Antartica. He fell in love with the city, and my Grandmother, who was from Italian stock.

My next big step is try and read through the Digital Archives, and search for Church records of the place where my Grandfather was born. It will be a major milestone to find one bit of info, to put the puzzle together! Wish me luck!

The Housekeeper Diaries Part 2

Well I am glad to say that I my fourth Housekeeper, Aimee, is here to stay! Ok so she ironed a hole in Paul's favourite Columbia shorts. And she crumples up all the clothes that have just been through the wash, she even puts them in a cooler box that she found somewhere in our house, ready and waiting to be ironed a few days later. All this is forgotten, by the simple fact that she has the friendliest smile, and says "Merci" every single day before she goes home,and that's just because she is happy to be working for us. She brings Torden gifts, like fruit, as that is all she has to offer him. She wishes that she was his Nanny, she teases him, and plays games with him. The fact that she is making curtains for my spare room, and made Torden and I a local outfit in a modest black and white material, so unlike the bright hand-made local gear.

I love the way she corrects my French, and calls me "Madame Intelligent". Ha ha, if she only knew that I copy word for word sentences from my French Tutor. Oh and today was the first time I asked for something in French, and the person, who happened to be a stranger, had no idea I couldn't really speak the language!