Latrine Projects

All but the last five photos were taken at various school sites where we have latrine projects.

The Congo River...and rapids!

Congolese Happiness Quotient

My daughter Hilary recently asked me a question about people being happy here.  We have thought about this a lot and talked about it a lot and even chatted with others including locals about it.  Ro could probably comment more intellectually on the topic but the man is a maniac working on contracts, wells and latrines.  He has turned into a work-a-holic.   Again...the Church is darn lucky to have him.

I think the Congolese people in general know nothing more than survival.

Our dear Eloi (the friend with the garden and gives us produce.....no lettuce though).  As we trekked through the jungle together yesterday I talked to him about life as a young person in DRC. (he is 30 something)  He said, "my mother taught me that food is the most important thing to have, if you do not have food you cannot think, you cannot work, you cannot do anything".  These people spend 99.9% of their time trying to figure out how and what they are going to eat or feed their family next.  They have virtually no vision, no perspective on anything else in life.  If you were to ask a child or young person what they wanted to be when they grew up, they would mostly probably give you a blank look and wonder if they really would live long enough to grow up. 

We see a lot of very thin people but not starvation thin.  There are also a fair number of "traditionally" sized people especially women. 
 
However, even though I think most of the people really have very little hope for a life any differently than their parents and give little thought of what tomorrow will bring they seem relatively happy.  They have lovely lovely smiles and they respond instantaneously to a cheery "bonjour" or "mbote".  They don't have lost looks in their eyes.  The little children are beyond cute and have bright happy faces and eyes. 

As a result of not thinking ahead and what the future even tomorrow might bring, they are NOT careful about safety.  The trails in the villages are covered with stagnating mud, water, decaying garbage and broken glass.  All kinds of safety hazards.   When they refer to someone dying from something like malaria (we hear about it all the time)  it is almost like, "well there goes another one"....strange responses, even when it is their own child.   We learned yesterday of a man who was in a "taxi" (only you would really know what the taxi's are like), the door was open he was on the end seat, the driver made a fast turn the man flew out of the taxi landed on the street a truck ran over his head and decapitated him.   It took four days for his family to find his body then only because of a mark on his hand they knew about could they identify him because his head was totally mutilated. 
Even with such a gruesome end the family is sort of ...."well...that is how it goes"... (all the while I am throwing up in the bathroom and I didn't even know him). 

I am sure what seems like an extremely hard life to us is just second nature to them.  But it doesn't make it any easier to take.  However, I love it here.  I give my daughter Hilary and her friend Heba (who traveled across the African continent) all the credit for my love of this land and people.  Already I get teary eyed when I think I will have to leave and come back to "civilization".   

Comments?  Questions?  I love to talk about his place but again not sure my observations are very profound or clear.  The quest of a humanitarian is daunting EVERYONE NEEDS HELP.....but we pray every day to be lead to those the Lord wants us to help and they pop up in interesting places and we seem to instantly know this is the person or the place that we need to be helping at this moment.   Extremely gratifying are all those who jump in and want to serve.   I truly am in the presence of greatness constantly whether they be humble locals or expats with bucks.

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.