On the Way to the Airport

7-15-13

Good Afternoon from Kinshasa, 

I am boxed in by people and luggage in a crammed van, on a street on which we're boxed in by vehicles that are just as crowded. The car's air conditioning system is bringing in pollution, and I'm nervous that we're getting carbon monoxide poisoning. We're crawling to the airport, and we have left six and a half hours ahead of our departure case just in case of bad traffic. Thank goodness we did! 

Scenes on the way to the airport 

Enjoying Our Last Days in Kinshasa

Good Afternoon from Kinshasa, 

We went to sleep without Godson screaming, and guess what? He awoke peacefully too! Progress! After watching cartoons (and, for Mama, following the Trayvon Martin news--sickening), we spent the morning outside talking to a new friend who works for a different adoption agency about her own (personal) adoptions. The children had a blast picking up and pushing around the driveway rocks in the stroller, which we just introduced them to yesterday, and going to see the "bad"--the broken-winged hawk kept as a pet at the guesthouse. Now, Godson is down for his earliest nap ever (so happy about this!), and my mom, Shekina, and I are watching a movie in English (everything is usually in French, so this is definitely a nice surprise). We had baguette and croissants with tuna for lunch (so much better than the strong-smelling sardines the kids prefer), along with a Primus, the local beer, and plantains dipped in mayo. Thanks to the Belgians' history here, mayo is served with many foods, and the kids love it. 

We have no outing planned for the day since it is Sunday, but that's ok, because along with the DGM (immigration office), we also visited Shop Rite. Why did we just get the chance to visit this place after ten days in country? Fellow Congo visitors, Shop Rite is your friend, believe me. It has the most beautiful produce, and very much of it is safe for you to eat. It also has a large selection of affordable wine, prepared foods, baked goods, and it's very clean and new. Finally, there is a nice pharmacy immediately next door, and it all feels very Western and safe. I'm all for immersing yourself in the local culture and doing things the local way, but sometimes one needs a mental break. I liken it to the times I would pick up a USA Today and take it to Burger King when I lived in Budapest. Sometimes you need to feel like you are way back West. 

We still haven't heard back from our travel agent yet, but we do have tickets on hold for tomorrow (Monday) night. Until then, we are going to enjoy the last 24 hours of our unfettered time with the kids, going swimming, playing with them, and loving on them. Hope everyone is well! 

Anna 

Shekina and Koko Vickie watching a movie together while Godson naps in the background. 

Godson, about to go swimming. He had a BLAST for about ten minutes, then fell asleep in the pool on my shoulder. 

Our guide, Papa Fils, two days ago, when we went to eat lunch on the Congo River. 

All By Our Lonesome

Early Tuesday morning, I received a text from our guide, Fils, saying that his baby had been taken to the hospital with a high fever, and he wouldn't be able to pick us up. He would be in touch later in the day. What did we do with a day alone at Sunny Days? Let me tell you, it was a beautiful day! 

First, with nowhere to be, we lounged around watching cartoons and watching a happy Godson smile (he still rations them, but not quite so much) and play. Then, because of a problem with medical appointment scheduling, two ladies who work for a different agency and are staying here at SD suddenly played host to 10 kids under the age of 6, many of them 2- and 3-year olds. Their impromptu visit included chicken and bananas by the pool, followed by swimming and playing in the grassy area nearby. Godson was napping during this time, but Shekina and I sat out there and watched. She and Koko Vickie played ring around the rosy, and Shekina played a French song/dance game with one of that agency's nannies and some of their kids. Shekina was very shy, didn't want to get in the pool with the other kids, but she did stick her feet in the water. She started expressing some needs to me ("Mama, mayi?"--can I have some water?), so we went back to the room for a bit. I truly think she was nervous she was going to be sent off in the van with all that agency's children when they left. She felt more comfortable after we went back to the room for a bit. 

By then it was lunchtime, and Godson was awake. Tired of baguettes, peanut butter, and the few snacks we had left in the room, we decided to venture out on our own for the first time. Going out solo is not recommended, but there is a restaurant just around the block--a five minute walk--so we strapped Godson to my back in the Ergo carrier and started walking. We encountered zero problems, and when we walked in the door of the Eros restaurant, we pretty much discovered heaven in Kinshasa. Kinshasa is one of the poorest cities in the world in one of the poorest countries in the world--more on that later--so whenever we find a  nice, clean place where we can trust the safety of the food and we feel safe ourselves, we're happy. Eros is a Greek restaurant with AC, cold beer, delicious food, and a waitstaff who didn't mind fixing small bowls of chicken and rice for our two kids. We thought we had died and gone to heaven, especially when we found out they take credit cards! Eros has an attached boulangerie and patisserie that we hope to visit this morning if we have time before we meet with our lawyer. 

Why the meeting? We are supposed to depart for Istanbul tonight at 8:50, and we haven't yet received our exit letter. On top of that, our lawyer neglected to respond to any of our agency rep's emails or our guide's calls yesterday. We're pretty annoyed right now, so that's why we're having the meeting. We shall see what happens. Right now, though we are supposed to leave on Wednesday night, the lawyer says we'll get our exit letters on Thursday. 

Personally, I am in no rush to fly back, mainly because I know it will be extremely difficult with two children and because I am worried about poor Godson's ears on the flight. That being said, it does not feel good to be strung along like we are now, sitting here in limbo. Also, my parents need to get back to work, and it will be quite costly to change five airline tickets. 

Anyway, to leave things on a positive note, let me tell you about the trip to the pool we took after lunch yesterday. Shekina jumped off the steps to me in the water many times, and then she even jumped off the side of the pool and into my arms twice. What a brave little chickadee! She is going to be swimming in no time. Godson, who at that point had been fever-free for 48 hours and was feeling great, was happy and wanted to go outside, so we put a swim diaper on him, and guess what? He loved it! He splashed, and laughed and laughed when Shekina or I would splash him back. We are so enjoying seeing this boy come out of his sickness and into the light! 

All right, I should try to go to back to sleep now, as it's 5:54 am and we have that appointment this morning. I hope my next post contains some sort of good news about the exit letter.

A Congolese specialty: Cossa cossa (shrimp) 

After our fun swim, Shekina made bracelets for Mama and Koko Vickie using pipe cleaners and beads.