One Month In...

I waited a bit over a month to actually publish a post here. I didn't want to confuse anyone with my excitement of moving here to Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo and then get all complain-y.  I am still me after all! I am happy I made the decision to take the job here for two years; I love Congo. (Not as much as I love my dog Izzy, but more than all other countries (except 'Merica) and more than US Weekly. For some perspective.) Although I have traveled to Congo many times in the past five years,  I think living here will give me a different perspective and hopefully the opportunity to travel the country and actually have conversations with others who live here. (Maybe even actual Congolese!) I am settling in: I like my apartment and the Embassy community has been very nice and generous. I have my car. It's kind of a joke, but I guess even Americans (i.e. the woman I bought the car from) get all cheap and corrupt when they live here. It definitely is a survival of the fittest mentality. That's for sure. But I guess when you don't know what tomorrow will bring, that's the way to roll. Well, I will leave with some notables, but I plan to make this blog a way to efficiently stay in touch with family and friends, while getting on my pedestal about Congo stuff (since this probably is the least offensive way for me to do that because it will have few readers). I might post pictures of things I bake too, just to add to the random-ness.


For now, some notables:

• I hate bugs. HATE BUGS! I thought I really hated mosquitoes. Then I met the biting black fly. Those little monsters land on you in herds, bite you--each leaving a trail of blood in their wake--and if that is not enough, hours later a giant, itchy, red bump swells at the location of each bite. It's ridiculousness. Like this country, with all it's poverty and diseases (Ebola, anyone?) and rebels need biting black flies too? 

• Sleeping here is difficult. I don't know what it is, maybe the weird rotation of the Earth right at the Equator makes sleeping difficult? I used to think when I just visited here that it was jet lag. It's not. I wake up, without fail, at least once a night. Usually between 1:30 and 3:00am. I am hoping once I actually get my cozy down comforter (my apt is thoroughly air conditioned) that the sleeping will improve. Embassy-issued blankets are not up to par and are scratchy against my delicate, porcelain skin. 

• Grocery shopping is interesting. One can definitely survive on the local market. A lot of things are just fine. Example: tons of fruit! pineapples, papayas, mangoes, watermelons, passion fruit. The list goes on. And it's not terribly expensive, although the vegetable stand lady totally up-charges the 'mundele.' There is a grocery store that has good chicken. Yay. But baking soda? Vanilla extract? Chocolate chips? Forget it. I can live without those things because there is Netgrocer and parents that will send them. PS-Send Oreos, specifically the Halloween ones that are sure to be coming out soon-ish!

• I don't like AFN (Armed Forces Network). I hear it will grow on me. I am not convinced. Is "Gary Not Married" and "Deal or No Deal" really the quality programming that AFN wants to expose to emotionally-fragile Americans living overseas, some of whom are in war zones?  I realize I should be thankful that I have any TV at all and there are people in the world that blah blah blah.

And to end on a positive...thanks to my family, friends, and internet shopping for easing the adjustment period with lovely packages and emails!


Some teasers for upcoming posts: Kisangani, Patriotism, and My Own Stupidity