Driving With Impunity

There is a lot of impunity in Congo. Do a google news search on Congo and a majority of the articles will discuss the lack of a functioning justice system and the culture of impunity that extends from the highest levels of the government and military to a low-level "traffic" cop. My focus today will address the latter, traffic. I have mentioned the driving here in Kinshasa before, but really one post on driving in Kinshasa is not sufficient. It's insanity out there.

Ridiculous-ness.

I detest when cars blink their lights at you. I am getting angry typing about it right now; I risk breaking my keyboard. When a driver wants to make a turn, instead of using the TURN SIGNAL (which, by the way, is the universal device for notifying other drivers that one wants to turn) he/she blinks his lights. Not to mention, the blinking of the lights is so egotistical. The driver blinking his lights is like, "I want to turn, so you, other driver coming the other direction and who has the right-of-way, you, must stop and allow me to make a turn as I am sooooooooooo much more important than you and cannot wait for a break in the traffic to make my turn, but I must make it now, at this moment, and not wait 30 seconds for you to pass me." I will now caveat this rant by saying that a lot of cars in Kinshasa do not have working turn signals or lights, so sometimes the driver of the car will flip his/her hand out of the window at you as an indication that he/she would like to turn, which is equally as awesome as blinking the lights.

The impatience of drivers here drives me nuts.  I am not claiming to be a patient driver, but in relation to the patience of the Congolese, I have the patience of a Zimbabwean waiting for Mugabe to kick it. (Haha, a little African humor.) These impatient people make more traffic. For example, I was driving home from work on Friday by way of the Blvd due to ongoing construction on my normal route. While in line to make a right turn off the Blvd, cars and mini buses filled to the brim with people were driving up the right side of the lane I was in (which was not a lane) to cut ahead. Other cars and mini buses were driving through a parking lot to get ahead in line. One mini bus that was behind me in line cut through the parking lot and cut in ahead of the mini bus in front of me, so clearly cutting line resulted in big gains.

If I were dictator of Congo for a day I would institute a mandatory vehicle inspection service with standards equivalent to those in America or another country that doesn't allow cars with non-working turn signals, one door, and no front windshield to operate. A combination of crappy roads and decrepit vehicles does not allow anyone to travel above 40km/hour (I don't even know how much 40km/hour is equal to in miles/hour, but it is not fast). One often gets stuck behind a vehicle that tops out at 5-10 km/hour, no joke. Walking is faster in most cases. There are activists out there that want to fix Congo's insecurity issues, reform the military, stop violence against civilians. I say we start out small: Vehicle Inspections for Everyone!

Woah, It's Been Awhile!

At at Christmas Market with gluehwein.

It's been a long three months in Congo. I was traveling a lot and it has been busy at work. I have been distracted, both good and bad. Sleep still eludes me and hypotheses as to why continue to abound. I am convinced that Kinshasa's location nearly right on the Equator messes with the tidal rhythms, and thus, the mind's ability to know when to sleep and when to be awake. I clearly am just making stuff up at this point, but soon, hopefully, I will get some Ambian, and it will make everything go away for 8 hours each night. Now to a recap of some key events:






Hanging with the chillen's.

• I visited Lubumbashi in southeastern Congo from late November-early December. It was my second trip there, the first was in 2007. A lot has changed--road construction, more restaurants, hotels, and the like--but one thing that hasn't is the much smaller, and less frantic pace compared to Kinshasa. It was nice to get out of the big city and slow down a bit. The weather also is nicer; it is much dryer and a bit cooler in Lubumbashi. It was nice to wear a light cardigan at night, and man, do I love cardigans. I single-handedly keep J Crew in the black, especially during these hard, economic times. 
• I was in Germany for three weeks in December for work, but it was an opportune time because the Christmas markets were in full swing, and that means Gluehwein! Yes, gluehwein, the delicious, warm, spiced wine that comes in a handy souvenir mug to keep one warm as they peruse the markets. It also snowed nearly everyday I was in Germany and we had a white Christmas! Oh, and there's beer in Germany too, so.much.beer.
• I took a quick jaunt down to South Africa for a New Year's safari. It was a great trip, despite my stomach flu, and I saw the big five: rhino, leopard, buffalo, elephant, and lion. The lion siting was barely a siting, but I saw a paw, so I think it still counts.



The National Museum in Lubumbashi

• I traveled to Goma and Bukavu in eastern Congo in February. It was a great trip: ferry rides in Lake Kivu, a sightseeing trip to the outskirts of Bukavu, a run-in with Ben Affleck, and some fun time with the kids at a displaced persons camp. 

My next trip will be to the States in April. I can't wait to go to Target and IHOP!