I have discovered why I was stopped by the police on Friday evening! It was actually the first time that I had walked back home from the college. I had walked that route to the college several times and thought that the reverse direction would not be a problem but at one point along the path I walked to the right of a tree which stood in the centre of the path. What I didn’t realise or notice was that the path divided at that point and I had headed on a different path running parallel to my intended route and although I was only about 5 meters off course the two paths are separated by a razor wire barrier hidden in the shrubs. I don’t know why that path is a no go area protected by a police check point though.
Work is progressing slowly. I have partial records of some 330 students on file and I have all the necessary data to be able to print out the student ID cards. It is not easy to grasp the year / class / subject structure used and how to convert that into a database.
After work this evening I was offered a lift back home as one of the college lecturers was going to the Wood’s for a meeting. On the back of his little motor bike!! Good job that I have ridden a bike and could relax on the back. I had to brace myself for the corrugation in the road but the breeze was blissful!! This is my driver and his bike!
Janice’s turn! No, I will not be accepting any motorbike lifts!! I will stick to walking and/or being shaken to bits in the car!!
I received Happy Mothers Day emails from the family yesterday. A lovely surprise; and a comment from Mark said it must be the most unusual place I’ve been in on Mothers Day! He’s right! It was Market day shopping again on Saturday. Sainsbury’s and High street shopping will seem very tame after experiencing Congo markets!
In the evening a number of young Doctors came for a meal followed by a presentation and discussion on ‘Malaria in SubSaharan Africa’. This is a regular opportunity for them to practice their English, and they took turns to read the information projected on the wall. We helped with pronunciations!!
Sunday morning we walked to a Service at a large French speaking church of 1000 plus. If you find Bunia DRC on Google Earth and look at the pictures, you’ll find one of this Church. More greetings for us, and we had to introduce ourselves etc. More fantastic singing from a ladies choir, and also from a superb Male Voice group! I have videoed some singing on my camera.
After lunch we walked to visit a family in what you would think of as a typical remote African village. Caroline and her 3 young daughters and baby son and an orphan relative live in a tiny house with only a charcoal fuelled 1 ring burner outside to cook on! She is a cheerful Christian young Mother, with a very sad history typical of many in the Congo. She fled with her 3 tiny daughters in the 2003 war, but her husband was killed. Nancy found her in a refugee camp and helped get her some temporary domestic work with some missionaries. Then last year she was attacked and raped, resulting in the birth of baby Joshua! Another example of the care that Nancy and Philip have for families, and finding some monetary support for them via their home church in Canada.
We then went on to have an evening meal at the home of the Nursing College’s manager. Walking back home from there [with Nancy and Philip] in the pitch dark plus torches and head lights was another new experience!
We were both at the Nurses College this morning. John is working very hard with his computing.
I think this must be all for this evening. Thank you for keeping up with us via the Blog! We now wait to see if we can get internet connection to send it! I wish we could answer more individual Emails, but, as we’ve said before, it isn’t easy!! We have to grab the moments!
God Bless,
Janice
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