I have been neglecting my Blog.....

I feel terrible that for the last 3 months I have not kept up with my Blog.
At times I felt that I really did not have much to say . Living in Africa is not always that easy , and when you are feeling down everything goes grey!!!!
In the last three month we have done a few things and I will be adding them to the blog soon.....
A visit to South Africa, Zambia and a day visit to Botswana....... a lovely piano concert in Kinshasa.... at the British Embassy by Mr. Peebles who is travelling the world.Something to lift those grey moments :)
The other news I have, is we are leaving DR Congo and will be off to another country which is really something to look forward to as it will be something new to explore.
In the meantime we have been in Canada for a month , visiting our children and friends,it has been great fun and just what we needed.We have bought a new little project here in Canada on the Ontario side, I will be adding some picture of part of a little forest we have bought.....I love saying that...:) it is a very wooded piece of land with place to build a house when we are ready. A little lake near by that has the Ottawa River running into it, some deer, fox, wild turkeys, and other wild creatures, so its really nature at its best.
For now, its time to travel again and wrap up things in Kinshasa and move on so watch this space.....

Anniversaires....:)

C'était amusement pour célébrer l'anniversaire de Vianney. Nous avons célébré avec des amis et des collègues.


Fifi m'a aidé avec la préparation et le BBQ. La soirée était amusante, nous avons chanté le kareoki et joue de quilles dans le wii……


Merci a tous pour un bon soiree.

St.Valentines...........and Jazz Bars

A last minute booking for the evening to celebrate St. Valentines.....did not get us the best for our choice of Restaurant for the evening...but it sure had good company and a great evening out with friends...

We went to a Restaurant that serves Congolese traditional food....the decor was very pretty and played good music. The Restaurant has separate rooms as dining areas, so it did not feel very busy ..the service slow my pet hate!!!.....That is my favourite complaint with allot of places you go to here in Kinshasa you better have patients....everything takes time....
a After dinner we went to a local bar called "Ibiza Bar" for a night cap, where some guys come in to play ..... jazz ... I really enjoyed the evening !As far as jazz bars go I enjoyed the jamming `!!!! great fun !!!

Following a New Blog and I hope you do to....

This month,I received a note on my blog from a lady who is living in Goma, which is in the Eastern Congo.She asked me to link to her blog which I have done and I have started following... The pictures and stories she tells are of the real DRC and the woman living there...
I am sure many of you will find her blog inspiring...it is titled "From Congo"
http://fromcongo.blogspot.com/
I do hope that some of you that follow my blog now and again will take a look at the wonderful organisation she is managing and even try to support this very worthy cause "SHONA" . They are a small group of handicapped woman doing sewing in the Congo please read more about them and look at the beautiful items they have made that you can order on line..
http://www.shonacongo.com/
I have been really touched by the story's she tells.

Burns Night Celebration in Kinshasa!!!!

I would never have thought that I would get to celebrate my first ever "Burns Supper" in Kinshasa . All over the world on the 25January ....Burns suppers are held to celebrate the famous poets life.....read more about him at these links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Burns
http://www.worldburnsclub.com/begin/address_to_a_haggis.htm



It should have come as no surprise to find the Scots sticking to tradition and celebrating in great form and style.here in Kinshasa...The dinner the speeches and the "Address To A Haggis". It really was a lovely evening thank you to our Host and Hostess Rob and Celia Mills...



We had a real Scotman in the Kitchen.....no wonder the beans tasted so good...who says men can't cook and wear skirts :)

Visit to Lumbumbashi

I was lucky enough to once again visit Lubumbashi ...shortly after getting back from our busy two weeks in Canada.
We stayed at the Rose Hotel that has a little gym and swimming pool, that I got to enjoy every day all on my own...
For those of you going to visit Lubumbashi, The Rose Hotel is comfortable. It was clean but had some teething problems as it had just recently opened....so one day the bar was opened the next it was closed.The reason I enjoyed the bar was because it was a nice little place to go for a light lunch or supper..
There was no DsTv in the rooms but they where going to have it installed soon... . The Internet connection worked fine, so you are able to stay in touch!
Breakfasts in this Hotel, and the other two I have stayed in have one problem, when you arrive for breakfast in the morning you are not given a menu or choice but asked if you will have coffee...The coffee and an omelet with bread not toast is put in front of you.....I decided to buy yogurt,muesli and fruit to enjoy in the morning....they do not understand scrambled eggs or any other variations......
I am happy that I got spoilt by been taken away just to have a change of scenery ...and cooler weather..it was a mini holiday for me ...."merci mon ami"

I Have a French Teacher....

I want to introduce you my French Teacher......Professor Richard. He comes to the house every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning for an hour to give me my French Lesson.
I feel that I am starting to make sense of the French language with all its grammatical rules...! I do think M. Richard feels the same way!

There are times , that i can see a flicker of frustration passing over Prof. Richards face when I forget some the rules, while having a conversation with him....he has no hesitation in putting me on the right tract. It makes me try a little harder.!

Prof. Richard has been teaching French for many years here in the DRC. He has had experience of teaching different nationality"s and different levels....he has pointed out to me that in some ways I have been a little challenge to him.... I believe I have the habit of using all 3 tenses and more no matter which Tense I am supposed to be using....

My answer to this " Pas probleme....je essayer toujours!

Hello Kinshasa ..........................

A bit difficult to think that just two weeks ago I was in the snow , dressed in a warm coat...been a true "Canadian"..... having my say about the weather.....I hear the weather this past week has really been cold dipping down to -24C and that without the wind factor , which could bring it down a futher -10C.......on that note we are back in Kinshasa.

I will not say that it is sunny with a blue sky ....because most days here in Kinshasa are grey. When the wind blows the clouds and pollution away we have a blue sky !!!! The heat and humidity, that is a given, with temperatures always in the 30C+

Just before we left for Canada , we bought a beautiful side table and lamps for our house. We ordered the table in November from a work shop called "Artisanat et Developpement"

Artisans in Congo have worked in a chaotic situation of war, corruption and uncertainty. Exporters here face considerable obstacles, including the most expensive port in Africa. Artisanat et Développement is a local nonprofit artisans’ organization that provides training and marketing assistance to Congolese artisans, and ensures that they receive fair payment for their products. Other artisan benefits include interest-free loans for workshop construction, wood-drying kilns and other needs. Along with its export business, Artisanat et Développement runs a retail store in Kinshasa, Congo’s capital. Historically craftspeople in Congo were not respected. Because of these artisans’ involvement with Artisanat et Développement, they and their families are now more respected. They achieve dignity through this work.

Artisanat et Développement was established in 1997 with assistance of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), a U.S.-based relief and development organization and Ten Thousand Villages parent organization. Artisanat et Développement became independent in 2007. In 2003 Ten Thousand Villages was temporarily forced to stop importing from Congo due to local trade barriers including corruption and lack of infrastructure. But Ten Thousand Villages buyers continued to work with MCC offices in Congo and with the director of Artisanat et Développement to build artisan capacity. With the Congolese presidential and parliamentary elections held in 2006, Ten Thousand Villages was able to again resume trade with Artisanat et Développement. visit there website :http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/catalog/

http://www.artisandevelop.com/

We had an opportunity to buy a new painting to put a bit of colour into our apartment.....this we bought on a Sunday afternoon while visiting one of the Restaurants .... ...........

MY Holiday Away From - KINSHASA

With great excitement I watched the days drawing closer for my trip back to Canada to be with my family for the holidays.
Vianney and I had planned to spend two day in Geneva but unfortunately that went very wrong….I still travel on a South African Passport something I hope will change in the near future when I get my Canadian Citizenship, to explain further,…On the day we booked our luggage in at the Memling Hotel downtown Kinshasa , I was told that just two days previously the visa requirements for South Africans travelling to Switzerland had changed.... I now needed a SchengenVisa to travel . The Swiss had just signed a new agreement with the rest of the EU countries. I was unaware of this and my travel agents did not inform me ...

With our bags ready to be checked in and not enough time to apply for a visa…. we had to go along with plan B….. I would remain in Kinshasa for two days .

It was just one of those things I had to accept. I was so disappointed that we where not leaving together but it turned out well, we met in “Paris” and flew to Montreal together. ( Kind of romantic) , the first time for me to be asked.........“Lets meet in Paris!”
The winter weather , when we landed in Montreal hit us with a blast, plenty on snow on the ground and a -18 C temperature. After the temperatures here in Kinshasa that is always at 30+ it was very fresh start to our holiday break, from T shirts to Coats…….

Dorianne our daughter got us tickets to watch the Junior Hockey Championships, in Ottawa and the teams playing was Russia vs. Slovakia…(8-1)… I really enjoyed my first ever live Hockey Game .

Our time with the family was very special the only complaint, far too short, now we are back to reality…… “Living in Kinshasa”………………….

International Horse Jumping - Kinshasa

On the 27 November we had a 3 day International Horse Jumping Show in Kinshasa.
It was fun to watch South Africa, Kenya, and Zimbabwe competing against each other.



We spent an hour or two watching the younger riders going through there paces before the mosquitoes got the better of us... it was fun and entertaining!

Falling In Love with A Baby Bonobo.....

Bonobos, or pygmy chimpanzees (Pan paniscus), are the last of the great apes to have been

discovered, but they could well be the first to disappear.
A species unique to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), bonobos face the threat of extinction due to war, hunting, and deforestation.

Lola ya Bonobo is the bonobo sanctuary run by The Friends of Bonobos in the DRC (Les Amis des Bonobos du Congo or A.B.C.). Lola ya Bonobo is a unique project to protect bonobos through education of Congolese youth and lobbying for the enforcement of wildlife laws, including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

When I arrived at the nursery where the Congolese "mama's" look after the orphan bonobo's I knew that for me I had stumbled onto something so special.....love at first sight for me!!!!:)

The youngest bonobos remain in the care of substitute mothers (sanctuary staff) until they are fully rehabilitated and acclimated to their new environment.
The new site of "Lola ya Bonobo," where the sanctuary was moved in February 2002, provides the juvenile and adult bonobos with over 20 acres of enclosed forest where they can develop into a social group with minimal human interference. It provides an ideal environment for educational programs for school children, as well as for ethological observations.

http://www.ippl.org/2002-congo-sanctuary.php ( the site where I found some of my information) you might want to go there and read more and maybe offer some support for this organisation.

http://www.friendsofbonobos.org/ I am sure this organisation will appreciate any sponsorship that you can give them.... .......save a "Bonobo" ;)

"Enfin Bonobo Centre"-"Lola ya Bonobo"

Sunday has arrived again....and yes at last I get to visit the Bonobo Sanctuary.....we left the house at about 10.30am , I really thought that it was not going to be that far...but our driver had other plans for us!!!!

The trip should take about 45 minutes to get to the area where "Lac de ma Valee" is and the Bonobo Park is about 3kilometre from there but our driver took the wrong turning and took us on an hour long drive in the wrong direction....Talk about been stubborn, I told Vianney to tell him I have a feeling we are going in the wrong direction....but he said no he has been before and we are not..... Well after Vianney nearly lost his cool with him and telling him 3 times to stop asking for directions now and turn back he had no option but to listen but both Vianney and I where really fed up ....I saw my little adventure coming to an end....and once again no Bonobo Park..

When we got to the end of the road where we had gone wrong earlier, thirst was on my side ..and the sign said 3km to Bonobo Sanctuary...so off we went...

When we arrived to my surprise there where many people around picnic tables enjoying the

Sunday afternoon. There are small radis in the little river

that devides the restaurant from the bonobo Reserve.

the children where really enjoying themselves, swimming and
playing on the beach....

Vianney an I decide to go and have a very deserving "Primus Beer" or two and ordered some lunch - Steamed fish in Banana leaves cooked in a lovely juice served with rice....great lunch!

Then the walk up to Bonobo Centre ...where we followed a guide who explained the different behavior and habits of the Bonobo....

here another link to learn more about them and perhaps you would like to support them-
http://lolayabonobo.wildlifedirect.org/category/the-sanctuary/

http://www.bonoboducongo.free.fr/

lolayabonobo@ic.cd

I am going to move on to tell you how I fell in love with them.........well one little baby!

Making a Home, buying African Arts

In this picture....the cushion covers, I am so proud of, the wooden elephant, there is a papa that comes around selling African art...so now I have to find a place for him...(he is a bit big for the table) that's the elephant...not the papa :)

The cloth is made by the Pygmy Tribe that live in the forest in the Kivu Province near the borders of Rwanda, if you would like to know more about the Pygmy's I discovered this link :http://www.pygmee.nl/pygmy_algemeen.html very intersting and they need support!

This week we found a little shop down town Kinshasa, where they sell beautiful materials with African Prints on , lamps and other products imported from Kenya. I fell in love with the beautiful beaded sandals, kokois and hand bags for sale. A great little find!!!

So the past week I have been using the sewing machine I brought along, sewing, curtains for the passage and cushion covers for the sofa....trying to get rid of the glitter that adorned the existing cushions ....just wanting to put my own stamp on the apartment to make it feel more like a home....

This lovely Jug statue I found at "Artisan Development"http://www.artisandevelop.com/

They have some lovely pieces and the wood work is really beautiful....we have ordered a table and some lamps from them , I cannot wait for them to come ......

Visiting the Bralima Brewery

The past two week have been busy and fun.....The International Woman's Club organised a visit to the Bralima Brewery . They are a Dutch owned company and where established here in the DRC 80 years ago.....

Bralima, which employs 1,100 people in the DRC, has six production sites in the country, along with a bottling plant in Kinshasa. The Kinshasa production facility, which was recently modernized and equipped with state-of-the-art machinery, is running at its full production capacity of 1.2 million hectoliters.....that's some production!!!

The tour of the Brewery ended of course in the little pub they have on site, where they provided snacks and of course an ice cold beer....

Our Trip to « Lac de ma Valee »

Sunday morning we thought it would be a good idea to just stay home, take the breakfast /brunch later in the day at the “Le Cercle Gourmand” a lovely little outside restaurant at the Kinshasa Golf Club…..but the weather looked a little risqué to be sitting outside the canopy of trees……
We decided to go little further out of town about 45minute drive to “La de ma Valee”…what a beautiful little spot , it is a small lake surrounded by a beautiful forest of trees, its really pretty much like a little oasis in the middle of no where….
You can order your lunch at the small restaurant on the banks of the lake, then take the 6km walk around it…..hot but fun!!!!

We of course had the lunch first, as we met up with some friends unexpectedly that had come for the day…..
The lunch was delicious and well prepared …typical Congolese food, Chicken cooked in coconut milk served with rice and a Green Leaf Spinach called Manioc…..I found this Article and Recipe at this Web site http://www.congocookbook.com/
So here a Recipe again for you enjoy :)

Greens in Peanut Sauce

This recipe, variations of which are found all over Central and Southern Africa, combines greens with another common feature of African cuisine: the groundnut, or peanut, sauce.

What you need
one to two pounds (or more): cassava leaves ( Feuilles de Manioc), collards, kale, turnip greens or similar; or spinach; cleaned, stems removed; and shredded, or pounded in a mortar with a pestle
one ripe tomato, chopped (or canned tomato, drained)
one onion, finely chopped
one-half cup peanut butter (or peanuts)
salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper or red pepper (to taste)
What you do
If you are using peanuts (instead of peanut butter), make your own homemade peanut paste:Remove the peanuts' shells, roast the peanuts on a baking sheet in a hot oven, or in a large skillet on the stove, stirring often, then remove the skins. Place the peanuts in a saucepan, add a few tablespoons of water to partially cover them and bring to a slow boil, stirring often. Reduce heat. Crush peanuts with a potato-masher.
In a large pot bring two cups of water to a boil. Add greens. Cover and cook on high heat for ten minutes, stirring often.
Reduce heat. Remove most of the liquid from the pot and save half of it. Add tomatoes and onion to the greens, stir and simmer for ten minutes or more.
In a bowl combine the peanut butter with enough of the liquid from the cooking pot to allow it to be mixed until smooth.
Add peanut butter mixture to greens. Season to taste. Simmer on very low heat until greens are tender to your liking.

My Surprise Trip To South Africa

Vianney, came home one night and told me that he was going down to Lubumbashi for a week. Surprise, he had bought me a ticket to go with him, we sat chatting about it that evening and I told him it would be fun to go to South Africa to do some shopping, well Vianney just said why don't we organise that for you. So off we went to the Travel agent and we booked my ticket for Sunday morning. We both went to the airport as he was leaving later in the day for Lubumbashi .

My daughter Tanya and her family where at the Airport to meet me, as I stayed with them, it was a time to get to know her two children Lizel nearly 7 and Theo 2 years of age, as I have not seen them for almost 6 years. Its strange to be called Nana ....guess I will just have to get used to it.!!! loved all the hugs I received from them.....it was fun!

I spent time meeting, friends, shopping and going out to some really good restaurants.
I was delighted with the growth of South Africa and the way the people treat each other with respect....I know that South Africans find the crime and the cost of living very high, I guess this is true for them but I still think that it is one of the best and most beautiful country's in the world.

I had a great time in SA and also enjoyed my birthday there but wow it is good to be back home with V again ....we really missed each other.....

Have a great week ..!!!

Lunching at Embassy's doing Crafts and Cooking lessons

This past week has just been so full of different outings , meeting new people and learning new things. I have become a member of the International Woman's Club here in Kinshasa...they really seem to keep us busy....mind you as busy and involved as you want to be....

I joined the Arts and Craft class really had some fun learning to do something different with a lovely young woman called Rania....

Rania not only does craft she is a excellent cook so , on the Thursday we went back to her house where she showed how to to prepare "Rough Wheat Tomato" in her country it is a poor mans supper , it is delicious, you eat it with the Lebanese pita bread, and chopped onions( I could have the name of the bread wrong...but I will give you the recipe....great for vegetarians, at a BBQ...just give it a bash I love it!!!!!

ROUGH WHEAT TOMATO- (Lebanese Dish)

1. Little Oil in a pot.

2. 3-4 Onions chopped fine...add to oil and brown.

3. 1 Tin of Chick Peas -washed and drained, add to onions.

4. 4 grated tomatoes - add to pot with a 1/4 up water.

5. 1 teaspoon tomato puree added to pot.

6. 1 Teaspoon cinnamon added .

7 1 Cup of Rough Wheat

8. 3/4 cup Water added to the pot with a pinch of salt.

Cover the pot , simmer, stir occasionally, and it will be ready to eat in 10 minutes or when most of the liquid has been absorbed.....

I really think that this dish is great hot or cold, eaten on its own or as a side dish........ENJOY!!!

Now about luncheon, at the Belgium Embassy, with another lady"s group called "Femme de Kin Accueil" its run very much the same way as the IWC ... I was invited to this very posh lunch where we where served champagne in the garden, while meeting ladies of Kinshasa Woman's Club... Lunch was a served in the dining room of the Embassy...we had 4 waiters catering to all our needs .....it was really fun.

I want to add that this organisation does allot of work for various charities here in Kinshasa, I feel very honoured to be part of such organisation doing there bit to help others less fortunate.......so you see we get involved and try our best while supporting our husbands in what they do..................

.The woman that accomany there husbands, all over the world are really remarkable....and do there utmost to enjoy the new experience as an ex-pat wife!!!! bravo!!

Malaria and Hospitals in DRC

What a strange weekend.... after a great week...all of a sudden things go weird. The first thing that happened is on Saturday late afternoon, we see allot of activity going on at the pool and the next thing two little boys run past the house shouting "his dead...definitely dead" with one adult telling us, no don't listen to that there was an accident one of the boys about 9yrs old was at the pool playing but could not swim and ended up nearly drowning. Thanks to the 3 adults that where present who managed to rescue him and resuscitate him the story ended well....



On to the next event , we went out for dinner after this with some friends, but the service was not the best and my Vianney was not feeling himself. I put it down to the little boy episode but when we got home he said his head felt like it was about to burst...So sunday our day that we planned to go to Lac de ma Valee was canceled. Vianney had a fever,body ache and really felt awful, he just spent the whole day sleeping hoping it was a one day flu..........

Monday morning again after not having a good night, we decided to go to the clinic to have a blood test done for malaria...I must be honest if you are on the outside of the clinic you would not want to go in for treatment. Once in, the staff tried to be very helpful and accommodating. It was a long process but finally by 11.30am we where on our way after seeing the doctor.

While we where waiting a young guy was brought into emergency, after suffering a heart attack...very scary to watch but the staff where there ready to deal with the emergency.

The result of our visit Vianney has malaria, so he is been treated for 5 days with Quinine and will go back to be retested, after completing the medication.....I am sure that this too will end with a positive result...

Meeting New People and Trying New Restaurants!

This week has been full of new, people , good restaurants and happenings in my life !!!! On Tuesday I went off to the International Woman's Meeting at the Canadian Embassy. We had a speaker who chatted to us about the impact of deforestation here in Africa and the effects it has on Global Warming.



I was really happy to join this group of ex-pat as it opens the door to many more activities and new people in my life. The most important happening for me was meeting "Ingrid" " who writes the blog"Life as in Kin" , she really is a delightful, positive young woman. I think that if you have been following my blog from the beginning, you realised that at first I was very negative about coming to the DRC until Dorianne my daughter found Ingrid's blog and of course the rest is history it turned things around for me completely,and more positive about joining the ex-pat life here in the DRC.

Thanks Ingrid you are really an inspiration, and described life here in Kin very accurately. You just have to make the most of all opportunity's thrown your way in life.

Now to the subject of the restaurants, a group of us went to the Mandarin Chinese Restaurant after the meeting where the view is just so beautiful. You look across the Congo river and see Brazzaville very clearly on the other side. The other restaurant was the the Taj-Tandoori which is on the top of a building with a fabulous view of the city lights in the evening. In fact you could be anywhere in the world having a evening out with friends.... the only off putting thing about going to this restaurant is the small lift that only takes 3 people....it is very claustrophobic....but guess to enjoy we need to pay a small price....

Lumbumbashi

Finally on Saturday I left for Lubumbashi with Vianney. Leaving for the Airport at about 11.30 am thinking we would leave at 2.30pm well think again... in Africa time takes on a new meaning...we arrived safely after a two and a half hour flight in Lubumbashi, with Air Zimbabwe. Lisa was at the airport to meet us so getting our luggage went smoothly , finally at 8pm we checked into our very modest Hotel called "Nazim" with its fake palm trees outside, flashing their welcome!!!

We went off to meet the rest of the consultants at the Belgium Club for dinner . It was a good supper, what surprised we was finding a place where you can do some 10 pin bowling...2 lanes but thats not bad !!!

Lubumbashi is much smaller than Kinshasa , the main road is ina very good condition not one pothole. There are traffic lights and unlike Kinshasa people obey the rules of the road.

The little Hotel we where staying in was quiet funny , in the morning you have no choice of what breakfast you are going to have, the old Papa comes along with your tea or coffee and 5 minutes later you get a little oily omelet with two slices of bread and a blob of jam.. so off to the nearest little shop I went to buy some yogurt and muesli....this was much better for me.

Lubumbashi is very dusty due to all the mines around and also the fact that the roads leading off the main road are in a shocking condition, potholes , soil erosion ...so as a result you have this red brown dust all over...everywhere dust....apart from that I enjoyed Lubumbashi....

They have some great restaurants most of them associated with a Club eg..Italian Club, Greek Club, Belgium Club then we have Holly Bum which is a Restaurant and Guest house, Chez Robert

has the same concept and is really cute....it has a pool , nice little garden with lots of bird life around.

On Sunday for lunch we all went a place called "Bush Camp" where we had a great lunch, you get to choose you meat which can be anything from sausage , crocodile, ostrich or game they barbeque this and you help yourself to salads and cooked vegetables...

We flew back to Kinshasa on Wednesday with CA Airlines it was not bad at all, I was just surprised that after an hours flight we stopped at a town called Mbumbayi , looking down you see these huge mining holes....and I believe this is where allot of the diamonds come from. Mbunbayi is in the middle of the country...we stopped there for refuelling and of course more passenger.....it was funny to see some of the household goods they loaded onto the plane...stoves beds some plastic chairs...its different in Africa but wow what an opportunity....

So I am back in Kinshasa settling down in my home and Vianney has gone off to Matadi , maybe one day I will get to visit this little town too........