The Public Transport!

Almost two weeks have flown by!!! I’ve been doing lots!

So…let me at least begin with the pic that’s up. This is when I went to the event at the Protestant University of Kinshasa—when the cops stopped us. To the left of my is Gaelle (we are in the very back) who came with me and as you can see there is literally almost no women in the classroom! I’m going to try and go again with some of the girls I live with so the get more of a variety. J

I will start from last Friday—what an exciting day! In the morning I was able to go to the U.S. Embassy for a meeting with USAID. They had invited our institution to be there as part of the civil society in the DRC. USAID is currently looking into expanding the aid they give towards fighting malaria. I was able to go with one of the doctors and represent the nursing school—it was amazing to be there with people from the CDC and USAID that wanted our input—and there were others—like the regional head of the Red Cross and the president of the organization that heads all the DRC’s NGO’s. That was already amazing—and then I was invited to go to the Ambassadors residence for a concert that evening—being that it’s black history month. I had to rush back teach class, leave early, and finally take the public transport into town.

Here I can’t take the transport by myself—they (the people I live and work with) want me to always be accompanied—which makes. I was able to go with Joelle—who is the general secretary of ISSI (my immediate superior—I think—still trying to get myself organized J). Joelle was invited to go with the people from her choir so once we got there I was able to actually sit with people from Kinshasa. It was funny because there was a division in the seating arrangements—the expats all sat amongst themselves (it might also be because all the rest came a bit later, as is the custom) and the Congolese and a few others sat to the left of the stage. I loved being a part of that crowd that evening—I mingled with some of the diplomats and such, but mostly I was able to meet the people from the choir—who have all studied in the University of Kinshasa and are now doing their best to have jobs and make a life for themselves here.

I went to the event knowing that on the way back I would have to take the transport again, and luckily the choir let me go with them on the rented little bus until ron-point, where I would get off with one of the guys from the choir that lived close by and he would accompany me on another taxi we would take there.

--Let me make a side note about the transport here: There are no bus routes that exists, and def no trains whatsoever, and very few roads—there is literally only 2 routes that we can take into town and if both are blocked by some accident (its only one lane each way—highways do not exist) then you just cants get into town. So, you stand at the side of the road and make hand gestures to the location you want to go, or you ask. Normally you can either get in a normal car with the chauffer and three to four other people (which is more expensive) or you can take the taxi bus, which is like a small van crammed with people sitting in regular benches.---

I was able to take the taxi cars on the way in, but when we got back Serge and I had to look for a taxi bus. Mind you it was already about 9:45ish so it was dark, but we hassled around and were able to get into one—you have to push and shove—having no shame. I was so happy to take the transport because I finally got to experience what the people I live and work with have to take. On top of that I found out that Serge was a doctor who had finished his studies and now was lucky enough to have found work at a very poor medical center. As he told me about how little he gets paid and how he has to treat patients that he knows have no money and which he will have to help pay from his pocket—I could only think of how generous the people here are. They have so little to give, but give it all in their daily struggle. Here he was again, taking me home, generous enough to take on the burden of having to guide a mundele around—the looks the remarks and all. Ok, I will stop here and make another entry shortly—have lots more to tell about this week!