How many muddy roads must a man walk down?

Evening of contemporary dance: Choreographer and lead dancer is a friend with whom we’re working on several projects.

African dance class: Instructor is Ramatu and Gloria is a student.

So...the other lady missionaries are envious of my Pagnes.  One of the longer term ladies told us of a great fabric store she knew about it.  So we all piled into our truck, Ro and the wheel and off we went.   I know for sure I have NEVER seen a place like this one.   Piles and piles of fabric. All walls covered with hanging displays of every kind and color you can imagine.  Religious fabric is a biggie here, really lots of women wear full dresses made with some of this kind.  (Almost got my sewing juices flowing again.  I picked up two more pieces, will have my sewing man make a new pagne and some play pants.   I am taking an African Dancing class, in a hot, un -airconditioned room....BUT I LOVE IT!!!  But I need something really cool to wear. 
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Piles of decaying garbage all over the place.  This is in a village we are working with, but one block away from where we live there are piles just like this.  The only areas that are kept nicely are the President's house, anyone who takes pride in their property (not many)  Any property owned by the L.D.S. Church and about two blocks around where we live which is the "show place" of the city.  Otherwise, the roads and garbage collection is non-existent.   BUT....Tadaaahhhhh I love it HERE! 

Our dear DEAR AND ADORABLE friend Eloi (age 30 something, unmarried, (really nasty divorce) orphaned, absolutely preciously adorable, can you help me find him a wife?)  He is an attorney, has his own car, dresses nice, tall, nice looking, kind, good and just GOOOOOOOD!   Has his own farm a three hour drive from Kinshasa.  He showed up at our office this week with more avocados, (we are eating guacamole like crazy) carrots, a HUGE bag of tomatoes, a huge pineapple  and are you ready....Heart of the Cow! (I don't know how to write it in French or Lingala)  It is a fruit, we are to wait until it is soft and then peal it and eat it.  Will report, it is currently sitting on the counter ripening.  It is called Heart of the Cow because it is shaped like a cow heart..ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.  This man also eats caterpillars with his fufu, can he be trusted?????  :-)  

This and the next nine photos are from the village of Lubudi: The purpose of these photos is to send them to a physician specializing in tropical diseases so he can prepare a graphic to show people what diseases can be contracted from open piles of untreated garbage that we have to walk through when we visit villages.  The physician and his wife have been called on a medical mission to the Congo (other DRC mission, not ours). Besides the garbage, check out the pot of “fufu”.

Photos of the village of Mfini and many many muddy roads: Actually, just when I think I’ve seen the worst streets ever, I’m treated with something even more spectacular.  The following week I got lost in a section of Kinshasa where the roads were so bad people wouldn’t drive on the roads; they attempted to drive on the sidewalks (unpaved of course but with shallower holes and bodies of stagnant water).  Probably 90% of the streets are unpaved and they just get torn up somehow.

After a Saturday fabric shopping trip with the other lady missionaries (Ro was our driver and translator so he got to go with the ladies)  We went to NICE CREAM.  And yes it is NICE!  Expensive.  Over $7 for 1/2 liter (two flavors)  Vanilla for Ro and chocolate for me.   The chocolate was named Obama Cookies!   Not bad I must say. 

It is kind of hard to see from this pose that the pagne is a wrap around skirt worn by 99% of Congolese women. (they get a real real charge out of my wearing one) I now own 3 pagnes with fabric for several more.   Note the Old Navy Tee top courtesy of Linz (more photos with other tops from Linz to come)  Finding a simple Tee top here is a major undertaking.  Something that would cost less than $10  at Old Navy in the US would cost at least $40 here and then it would have bling all over it.   Note the blue necklace ....that is my Yumi necklace.   Hilary and I went bead shopping and necklace production several days prior to Yumi's birth.   I think of her every time I wear it. 

More great pagne fabric.

This and the next three photos: Main school building; hall where African dance class is held; omnipresent pile of garbage and entrance  to courtyard where we are considering offering to put down a layer of nice fine gravel if the school will remove the garbage and level out the ground by removing big chunks of rock and filling in holes.

Downtown of a village near Kinshasa: Just a drive by shot, I liked the colorful laundry hanging out front.   THESE PEOPLE KNOW COLOR!!!  I love their colorful clothing....nothing and everything is in style! 

I do not know this woman.  We were in a village and she came up and begged to have her picture taken.  The adorable Congolese people LOVE to have their picture taken.  So folks....here she is!   PS.  While they love to have their picture taken, we have missed hundreds of pictures that would better show what life is like here because, I don't want to intrude on their privacy.  I am sure if I asked if I could take their pictures they would say yes, it is a paradox...hard to explain.   Some photo ops happen so fast there is no time to get out a phone or camera and the moment is missed.