Nostalgia Defeats Nausea!

I woke up on my third day in the DRC to get ready for an early flight to Libenge, partway to my destination. To my chagrin, I woke up with "running belly" as my Jamaican friends call it. I was not pleased at all by the development. My stomach hurt and I wasn't sure I could safely eat or drink much. I managed to make it to the small municipal airport then bounced around from office to office as I navigated customs, immigration, etc. I had the sudden feeling I wasn't ever going to tell someone who is lost, unsure, or of a different language just to go somewhere. I was confused at each step of the process and a little more help at times would have been comforting. I am also sure those folks thought they were being clear and helpful.

The two flights on this plane were fine despite my stomach. I was looking forward to getting to Libenge then taking a smooth boat ride up the Ubangi River to Zongo where the UN facilities were. When I landed, the UN representatives met me and were very friendly. I was a bit dismayed when the told me that they would be taking me by car instead of by boat. I had an idea what that meant in terms of road conditions and my ailing stomach. My driver, Julius, was very friendly and I shared the trip with two other passengers going on to the Central African Republic. We didn't waste much tine and were off quickly. Off quickly as well was my notion that the roads in southern Tanzania were the worst roads in the world - hah! I am totally impressed by the Toyota Landcruiser. I laughed at the places that vehicle went. The driver, who also speaks Swahili, told me the roads were bad. I laughed and said, not bad just fun. He smiled. We crossed bridges I wouldn't walk over, dodged pigs in puddles, families on motorcycles, woman carrying ridiculous loads on their heads, and young kids who would veer off the road just in front of us crashing comically and smiling. Goats, chickens, ducks, dogs, and children were everywhere. The sixty mile journey took five hours.

 I needn't have worried about my stomach at all (I did forget the cardinal rule of travelling here - bring toilet paper!), for I was immediately immersed in a wonderful deja vu back to my days in Tanzania travelling all over. The road, the sites, the people, the animals, everything was familiar and comforting. Most of all, the hundreds of smiles and waves along the way distracted me from all things internal. We stopped by the refugee camp as we swapped out fuel pumps and I got my first distant glimpse of the reason I am here. I was very overwhelmed and humbled by the prospect of serving these people for two years.
An hour or so later we rolled into Zongo no worse for the wear. My two new friends headed off to the ferry for Bangui and I was introduced to my new lodgings and the supportive staff here at the UNHCR center. I slept soundly.,............
More soon

Julius, my excellent driver at the end of long journey.