Use Words When Necessary: Congo Update

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.

These guys are just outside of Butembo.

I’m still in the DR Congo.

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.

Flight from Goma to Kinshasa

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.

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.

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.

Bug Trap

Ladies selling bugs. They sang as I ate my first one. It tasted like it looked.

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.

Picture of me with the four students I will be working with.

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.

Protein deficiency causes the children to retain water.

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.

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.

Trickster

Butembo Trafic

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.