It’s been months since I wrote a blog entry. I’m waiting on
some paperwork so while I’m waiting I'll just keep writing- Excuse the grammar.
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| These guys are just outside of Butembo. |
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| I’m still in the DR Congo. |
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| Former Ambasador to South Africa Jendayi Frazer (middle) traveled with us. |
Last month, I took part in Texas A&M’s institutional assessment in the DRC. We visited about 13 institutions (mostly universities). Our team of 3 traveled to Butembo, Beni, Kinshasa, Kisingani, Bukavu and Goma. I have no idea why but we were told to have low expectations. We found the quality and dedication of professors was incredible. Considering the context, I was extremely impressed.
Last week I traveled to the capital of the DRC (Kinshasa) to take part in a agricultural development conference. The conference was intended to impart confidence in investors but between the power outages, late starts and missing Congolese dignitaries, some people might have left with a negative perception. But the day before the conference, the M23 rebel group surrendered. I bet the Prime Ministers absence was attributable to that. If I were an investor, satiability in the country is more important than power and it’s definitely excuses his absence.
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| Flight from Goma to Kinshasa |
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| This is the type of plane I take to Butembo and the last time I took it I was the only passenger! |
During the conference I enjoyed meeting with the provincial
ministers of agriculture. They are down to earth and approachable. They always
seem genuinely interested in the work I’m doing.
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| Minister of Agriculture for North Kivu Province. I'm clearly a lot more excited to meet him than he is to meet me! |
I was very sick during the conference so I didn’t get to
enjoy the huge free buffets, ice cream, or open bar (ok being sick didn’t stop
me from making myself more sick with ice cream). I went to the meetings, took
notes and crashed each night.
If you are
going to be sick anywhere in the Congo a nice hotel with AC, internet and TV is
not a bad place to do it.
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| That huge container is filled with ICE CREAM! I'm eating with Dr. Makia! |
Bugs are in season in Butembo. BUGS. I’m not sure if they
made me sick but I think I’ve had my fill. My neighbor has a large homemade
trap for the bugs. It consists of reflective metal and a very very bright
light. The light attacks the bugs (moths and grasshoppers) and the metal sheets
funnel them into bags where they are collected. Throughout the night I hear
kids laughing and screaming as they collect the bugs.
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| Bug Trap |
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| Ladies selling bugs. They sang as I ate my first one. It tasted like it looked. |
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| One of the four types of bugs I have eaten. |
I’m currently assisting Texas A&M’s Bush School of
Government and Public Service and the University Catholic of Graben (DRC)
develop two research projects- sever malnutrition recovery and child soldier
reintegration. We are still in the preliminary phase of research that consists
of obtaining information.
I asked UCG to provide me with four students to work with. This could be one of my best ideas or worst. I hope to learn more about the university, train people to assist me with data collection and maybe delegate a little bit of work. I hope the students gain valuable experience while having some fun. Everyone that has worked with me before knows the having fun part is not the concern : ) Motivating the team to work without financially compensating them might prove to be difficult. Last week I had my first meeting with the students and I was impressed- two agronomists and two medical students.
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Picture of me with the four students I will be working with.
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During my first day at the malnutrition clinic I witnessed a priest preforming last rights on a two year old who weight just over 10 pounds. It was really sad. Fortunately since my first day I have seen a lot of malnourished children recover at UCG. UCG maintains a 97% recovery rate for malnutrition- extremely high. It’s incredible how enflamed, grief stricken, and sick the children look when they are brought in, but just a few days after receiving food every two hours the kids look happy and are energetic. A majority of the cases of malnutrition are not attributable to a lack of calories. Instead the children are not consuming protein.
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| Protein deficiency causes the children to retain water. |
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| The feet give away this child's malnutrition. If you were to gently press on your thumb against them the indentation would stay for a few seconds- so I have read. I don't want to cause any more discomfort than they are already in. |
I spend a lot of time at UCG’s health clinic. They have what
might be the fastest internet connection in the city. Their connection costs
$700 a month and provides speeds that might allow me to watch a youtube video
on the lowest setting with occasional buffering. I don’t watch youtube videos.
I do upload and download documents for work.
I have started working out. It’s not easy when calories are so
difficult to come by. I lift “African water jugs” and run up the hill to work.
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| That's custom made for $15 |
Renewing my visa in the DRC proved to be a wild ride. To
make a long story short, I ended up giving a large tip ($10) to a low
government official that didn’t ask for a dime when she helped me find
something to eat the exact taxi fare ($1) to the big shot official that
demanded $30, my plane ticket for his own use (I didn’t give), left me waiting
in his office for three hours and repeatedly demanded extra compensation for
his services- which were abysmal. Normally because I’m positive and make people
laugh I excel in these types of situations. But this big shoot official said
something horrible about a female friend of mine. I didn’t immediately react to
what he said but I also didn’t forget it… I shouldn’t have thrown the dollar on
his desk and handed the female official the large tip with a warm thank you but
at least I didn’t say much. I should
have handled the situation a little more diplomatically. I will next time.
This parrot lives at the hotel that I often visit to use
their internet. The bird sticks its head out tempting people to give him a scratch.
The bird sells this enjoyment by shutting
his eyes and fluffing his feathers but suddenly the bird jerks his head around
and bites. Luckily, I tested the bird intentions with my pepper spray bottle so
I wasn’t bitten. Every time I visit the hotel I scratch the bird head with the
pepper spray and every time the bird suddenly jerks his head around and bites
it.
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| Trickster |
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| Butembo Trafic |
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| Never take picture of anyone with a gun. Those guys on the bottom right are military. I only noticed them after I took the picture. I ducked into a hotel to avoid an awkward / potentially dangerous situation. |
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| In Butembo every day is bring your child to work day |
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| The malnutrition center raises rabbits, guinea pigs and rats for the children to eat. |
