Mornings in Congo

market 9
Originally uploaded by wycliffeimc

3.18.08



I realized that you all have no idea what it feels like to wake up in DR Congo. It’s different....



I know it’s different because I wake up at about 6 am or so to the sound of the hotel staff setting up our tables for breakfast (I’ll get back to that) and then I roll over and go back to sleep. At about 7, I wake up and spend the next 10 minutes trying to get out of bed. 



Eventually I do and then I have to do a quick logic problem on par with Federal Tax Code: If I had hot water last night, then I have already showered, but if there wasn’t, then I need to check to see if there is any today. If there is hot water now, then I need to shower, if not, then I need to figure out how many days it’s been since I last showered. Has it been more than two? Then I need to shower any way.



After working that out, I get dressed and step out of my room into a walkway which doubles as a balcony over looking the southwest of Bunia. There, waiting patiently by my door is a white plastic outdoor furniture set consisting of a small table and a chair. The table is covered with a blue and white checked table cloth, and there, placed neatly on the table are: a thermos of hot water, tea bags, one or two tubes of Nescafe Instant Coffee, sugar that looks like sugar in the raw, dehydrated milk, three or so slices of white bread, butter, a jam of some sort, a chocolate spread that is better than Nutella, and fruit. The fruit is the part that makes me think of you the most: most days it is either passion fruit or apple-bananas, other days it’s papaya.



I then spend the next hour sipping tea or coffee, enjoying a slice of bread, and nibbling on some fruit while I read the Economist, or edit video; these days it’s more the latter.

The next person to get up is Dustin (did you catch that? I’m up first!) who is two rooms down from me, and after he’s had break he usually comes over, and we talk about the plans for the day. Dustin, the person on the team who I had the least previous experience with, is proving himself to be a great working colleague and trustworthy friend. He usually is the one planning where we are supposed to be, when, and with who. Typically, from there Sean comes up to my table, and we talk out what we need to get today and what needs to happen. Borghy usually comes over around this time as well.



Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Jon, are you really that cool?” I’m afraid the answer is “no.” It’s just that all the gear is in my room, so that ends up being the meeting place.



From there, we head out for the day... more on that later. :)



-Jon