Such an amazing day

The day started with more UN running around. We went to the airport for our helicopter ride and, for the third time, it didn't work out. Then we thought about driving into the jungle where we went with the UN convoy before but this time on our own. Our fixer assured us it would be fine. On the way we stopped at a market to pick up waters. In there there was a male Congolese customer and 4 Congolese women working the "store.". Somehow we got into a discussion about gender riles in the Congo vs US. (We tend to talk a lot). In Congo the women take care of the children, clean the " house," do the laundry, cook the food, work the fields, etc. And the men do nothing. Women are really second class citizens. We were telling them in the states that women are our equals and we do things that our wives ask us to and help out. The man was not buying a word of it but the women were entranced by the idea. On our way out of the store the man asked why were we saying this nonsence and where were we from. I said "we are from the future." Congo is definitely a country that would massively change for the better if it had a female president.

We drove through villages and savanna's  to get to the area where the Congolese army (FRDC) is stationed near the Rwandan border and in the mountains of the jungle.  It is in fact right in the national gorilla reserve. We had a 4x4 Land Cruiser that our driver tried to drive through ditches that were way too big, and over fallen trees that I would never try to drive over. We got stuck multiple times.  We got in situations where we had to uses the villagers machete to chop down some tree to try and fit up the mountain. It was ridiculous. We finally told our fixer that we would walk it was about an hour walk up the mountain he said. We got to the top where were met by various troops.  We were invited into their greeting hut to discuss why were there. After a while they agreed to let us meet the commander in charge. His name was Jacques, so we hit it off right away. He took us through the gorilla reserve (where we were not allowed to go) and up to his post where he and his troops live. It was less than living in a small tent. We were told not to film, but as you might imagine, how could we not?  When we got up top they showed is a pi tire on their cellphone of a large male gorrila that frequents their tents. After the troop took the picture the gorilla slapped his legs which apparently sent him flying quite high. It sounded frighteningly hilarious. After befriending the guys they let us do some filming with them. It was great. We really needed this kind of footage. From there we made it back for dinner and the were picked up by a UN patrol. We hopped in their armed patrol vehicles with them and got some amazing shots. I felt like a kid in a candy store. It seemed like we were playing call of duty. It was so much fun hanging of the sides of the vehicles holding the camera driving through the streets if Goma.

Time for bed and off to Rwanda tomorrow for a visit to the Genocide Memorial and out flight home

Another great adventure.

Conference was a HUGE success

What a wonderful end to a great conference. So proud to be a small part. Such potential in these individuals. They are looking beyond the challenges to a bright future. I am inspired by their drive.

We got a chance to say goodbye to our Maji Matulivu friends at the weekly UN party at Le Chalet. So nice to have a sense of community in such a foreign place. Said our goodbyes to so many.

Tomorrow is our last attempt at the helicopter ride.

Wish us luck. We have to be up in 5 hours so a crazy turn around after a long day.

Goodnight.

Fantastic news

Prince has been found. He got lost in a shuffle. He didn't have his passport so he walked into the closest professional looking building. As it turns out, it was the Congolese version of the FBI. He told them his story, but knew no local names or numbers and didn't have his passport. They didn't believe his story and detained him. The only number he was able to remember was Esters. He called her this morning and all is underway to get him back on the next airplane.

This is fantastic news.

Prayers or hopeful thoughts requested

In April when we came to Goma for the first time, we interviewed two young men that were selected to complete their last year of high school and their college degree in California.  They are going to be traveling to the states shortly, for their five year journey. Their names are Prince and Kabundo. Part of the logistics with this process is that they have to get a 5 year visa. That visa is only accessible through their capital of Kinshasa. One of the huge challenges for Congolese is travel. The cost of a flight from Goma to Kinshasa is $1000.  With Camille and Esters assistance they raised the money and went to pick up their visas.

Randy and I had been told that Kinshasa was a big city with tall buildings, a good sense of fashion and culture and a much more thriving economy. It is Congo's only connection to the ocean.  This trip, however, our impression has changed due to the stories we have been told by others. They say because it is a big city, things happen and no body questions it. You can get robbed while in a taxi and no one will do anything about it. Some feel it is more dangerous than Goma. A crazy thought.

Well, the plan was that that the boys would meet us back at the conference after getting the visas. When they arrived at the Kinshasa office for the visas,they discovered that the office's printer was broken. They then had yo extend their trip from 1 to 5 days because that was the time if the next available flight back.
When they went the to pick up their visas the next day, Prince disappeared.  Apparently they were at the office and he just disappeared in the shuffle.  And now he has been missing for days. They have been trying to figure out what to do.  They have put pictures up at the borders, contacted authorities, and still no word. The time has extended to the point where Kabundo needed to get on his flight. He is expected back today, but without Prince. We are dumbfounded and very worried.

That is why I ask for prayers and hopeful thoughts. I am horrified by the thoughts of this kid alone in a city he has no knowledge of.

Moving testimony

Yesterday the conference began with a couple of women speaking on the gender equality issue and sexual violence. The body language from the men in the audience was obviously not in full agreement with what they were describing. Then, a soft spoken woman got up to speak. She was very appreciative and humble in her delivery. She spoke in tribal language, so that had to be translated to French and then to English just for our camera. I choose not to fully repeat the horrors that she described from her life in this blog. It was too graphic that I have to question who might be reading this  She described the murder of her husband in front of her, the solders then raping her on his mutilated body, the subsequent raping of her two daughters. Very shortly after her in laws told her she brought disgrace and they sold all her (husbands) possessions. Then the daughters were pregnant from the soldiers raping them and didn't want to care for the babies, so she did.  People called her a witch and she was outcast.  It got to the point where even her daughters called her a witch. This story was so powerfully moving, people began weeping and then some began waling.  There were some that passed out from the emotional strain and had to be carried out for air. Men were sobbing inconsolably.  One man (boy) got up and asked to speak. He spoke in her native tongue a because it was his too.  He apologized for what the men had done and asked for her forgiveness. It was an amazingly brave gesture.

Originally when the conference was being planned it was said the real healing could only come if Rwandans were a part of the conference.  However, having Rwandans would make it too heated as one great source of the issues stem from the Rwandan genocide rebels that fled to Congo on a killing spree. For this reasons no Rwandans were sought to be included. Some of the men that broke down, however, turned out to be hiding that they were half Rwandan and overcome with guilt. There were trauma sessions set up to deal with those that needed help. No body expected this kind of response.

After, they went into the Sunday church service which was very appropriately held. All in all the kids were in the conference tent for 6 hours and were engaged the entire time.

A very powerful day.

The conference is underway

I have been unable to update on the blog because there is no WiFi (and no power) at the conference area. Things are underway. Tons of great activities, team building, dancing,  trauma discussions, etc. I can't imagine what this experience must be like for the kids. Some got stuck in a broken down bus with no mechanic for miles, others had issues when dignitaries found out where they were going and tried to stop them. However, over 200 kids have arrived from all over Congo and are loving it. Yesterday they started the sports and that was amazing to see them in the faces of the other teams, often including individuals from their same tribe, to support the efforts of their team. It is very awesome to watch the transitions. There is a leader who was chosen before the conference that was wanting to leave the first day because her team was too disrespectful. I one days time she is energized and vocal about defending her team.
We have chosen to commute instead of staying at the conference at nights.  I should be able to get back in the blog with a little more regularity.

Big days around Goma

Yesterday we got some good shots around Africa New Day (Camille and Ester's organization). We shot and edited a promotional video that they will air on TV.  We also got some footage of the training for the youth conference. Multiple times we had to dance for the UN during the day.  They requested us to go to the base to meet with this major or that coronel who are in charge of troop that we will interface with. We had to sign documents that had to go to the UN headquaters in New York for approval, and then wait for them to be signed and returned.  In between the UN trips we managed to get some great shots of one of the students at his house and at a library.  We also were able to interview his mom. Such a sweet lady.  His bedroom is about 5x8 ft. He often has to share it with his 2 cousins. The walls that divide the rooms are tarps hanging down. The floor is dirt and rock, yet they sweep up to make it look tidy. His street is all built on the lava flow that occurred a few years ago.

Today, we got to the Goma airport at 6:30am for our helicopter flight. It was surprising, after entering the gates that there are people living in airplane hangers, much like they do in the village.  There is laundry hanging to dry, small fires set up for cooking, and kids running around. Our Fixer says they are there in case they can get on a flight somewhere. They have been there for at least 6 months. 

There are many people waiting for the helicopter and word is that they might take three.  So we sit and wait.

There were tons of people waiting for the helicopter, so it looks like we got bumped. That is actually fine because the helicopter was switched out to a larger one that we couldn't really shoot out of. We want one that we can fly with the doors open.

Still waiting. It appears there are some issues around the area we are flying to, so the ground time once we land has been reduced from 2 hours to 45 minutes.  There is a meeting right now in the situation room at the UN base.  There was some sort of fighting where we are going so we are awaiting word on the possibility of riding with four troops that are needed out there. So we wait, some more. 

Looks like no flights are going now and they say it is now due to weather. We are leaving and will see what might happen later

Came back to Maji Matulivu and had a wonderful interview with Nadine, Dr Joe and Lyn's daughter. It is pretty easy to see that she is the product of two fantastic people. So well spoken, so humble, and very passionate.

Looking forward to dinner.  Ready to just chill for the night.

Wow!

Just got back from a two day trip "off the grid."  We got in our vehicle at 6:30am on Saturday to meet with a group of female reporters who were heading to the same COB (a camp the the UN has set up to house FDLR (rebels that are still fighting) that turn in their weapons). They showed up in their Land Cruiser, we had ours (each with our respective fixers) and we met up with our UN escort. We had found out earlier that the IN gives roads one of three different distinctions: green, yellow or red. In Goma was green. Outside Goma toward where we were going was yellow, and the last half of our journey was red. Green is fine to travel on your own, yellow is with UN escort and red is with armed UN escort in front and behind in a convoy. The red areas are where there has been fighting and apparently there is added danger for Muzungu (white people). When you come up to villagers on your journey, they are generally happy to see you. It kinda feels like you are celebrity. But, apparently there are some that have ties to rebel forces that call ahead, letting them know you are coming and then they ambush you. This is why we have two vehicles on each end of the convoy with plenty if troops and machine guns, in addition to the bigger guns mounted on the vehicles. Needless to say, we felt pretty safe.
The drive was like no other. The Yellow road portion (3 hour long) was like no drive I have ever been on. Crazy bumpy pot hole abound dirt roads, but at a 30-40 mph clip. A road that a person would normally find difficult to maintain at 10 mph, and still have respect for the vehicle, we were taking at crazy speeds. These roads were either through small villages (people walking all over, or through mountainous windy terrain, it didn't matter, we would always be at a clip that we felt "are you kidding?" We had asked about the spare tire which we found out was mounted to the roof.  When we got out to look at it, there was so little tread on it. Then we made the mistake of looking at the four tires we were riding on, and they were worse. It was hard not to imagine us going over a cliff or taking out a couple of kids after a blow out. Thankfully, my imagination never became reality and we make the entire 14 hours of driving with no mechanical incident, other than a broken side view mirror and my window becoming inoperable.

OK. Enough about the drive. The terrain of this journey was a lot more like I originally expected to see before I came to Africa. We drove through the brush filled plains, though the lush river lined tertian and throughout the lush jungle. It was awesome.  Except that we had no air conditioner and the cars in front kicked up tons of dirt, and with out windows open, we were covered. OK. I swear I won't mention the driving conditions again.

A seven hour drive has a lot to mention so I will jump to our arrival in Kanyabayonga.  This is an amazing town/village amidst taro cotta colored hillsides.  This town still is very impoverished in my US eyes, but that doesn't mean it can not be beautiful.

We went to the UN camp where the rebels are being held and it was a very odd situation. The camp is run very well and the FDLR soldiers and their families are taken good care of with food, shelter, bathrooms, etc. Often, the conditions they are in are better than the ones they left. When we arrived, the UN commander in charge of the base introduced us to the major of the FDRC that is in charge of his troops in the base.  Yes, we were just as confused at that as you might be reading this. The combatants that are in the camp having layed down their weapons are still organized from within the camp. And, to make matters worse, the major gets to leave the camp to go back in the jungle and meet with his superiors to let them know how it is going inside. Crazy. So when we get there the rebels are all lined up in formation at the command of their general. Then we are given permission to talk to them yet they can not speak about key aspects that we are most concerned about. And when we do question them, one of their commanding officer is standing over our shoulder, so they won't dare sleek freely. It was such an odd show. And these were some of the men that were a part of the Rwandan genocide and they would not sleek of their involvement or what they had witnessed.  A fabulous experience but so guarded by the rebels themselves. So the UN gave them 6 months for the FDLR to turn in there weapons and themselves. We are 3 months into that. If they don't do so, the UN will take aggression like they did with the M23 in Goma the end of last year (the only time the UN has had a peace making mission as apposed to peace keeping).  After the three months and assuming they disarm, they will then be transported and transfered to the Congolese government who will set up camps for them. Once there, they will sift through who is who, what country they really belong to and go from there.  Right now, Rwanda doesn't want these people they label as Genosiders so they have to try and get them to take them, and not kill them. As an aside, right now the US just agreed to take in 30,000+ Congolese from a Tanzanian Camp that were not allowed back to their villages.

Enough confusing East Africa conflict for the night. For those of you still reading, Randy and I have risen to the ranks of Roughing It. We opted against the $5 hotel room and went with the $15 one that had a bathroom. Of course, that meant a shower, toilet and sink but with no running water.  We did get one bucket of water to use for all three utilities, though.  We opted out of all meals on this two day trip and went with granola bars and trail mix.

On the ride back we apparently had a journey that everyone is telling us is unheard of. We saw Baboons close up, Antelope about 50 ft away, giraffes in the distance, and African Elephants close enough to touch. We had not expected a safari, but somehow got one. It made for a remarkable journey within a journey.

Back home in Goma

It is amazing to come across the border of such a foreign country and feel a sense of home coming. Camille and Esther were there to greet us and get us through safely (and grease the necessary palms). This time we got held up by the department of health. They took our passports and went into an office.  One if the rules of traveling is to never let your passport leave your sight. On these trips I have failed that rule and Camille told me that if I stood around, they will want money. We got our passports back and all was fine.

The weather in Goma is notably different than before. The temperature is the same, with a little less on the humidity.
Camille says that it's Goma's dry season. It's their Winter!  Apparently there is not as much rain so the dust and smog hangs in the air. It is thick!  There is a great sense of hope here, though. Things have changed. Roads are beginning  construction because they feel peace is underway and can now begin rebuilding.  They have bricks laying in the center being prepared to become a center island.  The chiropractic adjustment features of the roads have certainly diminished. A very wonderful sign.

After having lunch with Prashan and his team, we were asked to go directly to Congo's version of the CIA. They needed to have us fill out paperwork and interview us for our permits to film outside of Goma.  We went inside the gates and were asked to leave our cell phones outside. A very stoic and intimidating woman in a structure no more sophisticated than that of a child's tree house was our first line of questioning. We signed in and then she escorted us to the side of a building where we went into basement-like room to meet a man, more stoic and more intimidating than the woman, and his assistant at another desk.  It was quite difficult for the three of us, Camille and the fixer to fit in the room. We were asked questions which came through various translations. We had a few pages of detailed forms that included info on our schooling from elementary on, info about our parents, our wives and kids, and criminal records. For some reason they had a hard time believing we all had no convictions. Everything was done on paper. No computers. Before we arrived there we were told the cost was $50/person for this process. After we were done our fixer asked about the payment.  The discussion got weird. We couldn't really understand but it seemed confused and maybe taking a bad turn. Then Camille said we should go. On my way out I said "Asante" (goodbye) to the men and they both changed their attitude immediately. The had big smiles and chuckled a bit. When we got out to the car Camille identified that he had never witnessed anything like what took place in that office. The men actually said "no" to the fee (bribe). They asked who told us there was a fee. The fixer wouldn't give the person up to them, who was actually the first woman. Definitely a HUGE sign of change in a region where corruption has ruled for years.

We then dropped our stuff off at Maji (Dr Joe's compound) and then ran to a meeting at the UN  with a man that our fixer had waiting for us. This guy is wonderful.  He handles all the access for CNN, BBC, and all media outlets. He really took a liking to us and set up a meeting with the head guy in charge of the entire eastern region conflicts for tomorrow morning. Normally this takes weeks. He plans on setting us up with troops to take us out into a jungle village where militia are surrendering into UN camps. We will go on Saturday and return on Sunday. He also is setting us up  in a helicopter and heading out over the jungle, through the valleys, and into the Lake of Fire (the volcano).  What an amazing and fruitful day.  Time to get some sleep.

From Rwanda to DRC

We arrive last night in the Rwandan airport after a full day of flying. We landed only to find that one piece of our luggage was not on the plane. Unfortunately it was Randy's bag with all his clothes. It also had the tripod in it, so that has the potential to slow us down. We had a great night sleep at the same hotel we stayed in last time we came through Rwanda.  Now that we are in east Africa, we have to be on our guard with all we ingest, including, brushing teeth with bottled water, taking showers without allowing water to get in our eyes or mouth, even if we drink coffee we need to remember that the cup wasn't washed in clean water. It becomes very easy to forget.

We are now on the three to four hour drive to Goma on  mountainous roads. Randy's bag will hopefully be picked up tomorrow and brought to the border where we can pick it up.

On the road, our contact who is helping get us from Kigali to Goma, is teaching us some Congolese songs. My son, Ryan, who loves playing zombie video games, will be excited to hear that the word for God in Swahili is Zambe, which sounds a lot like zombie. I found it humorously ironic that both have some eternal representation.

Looking forward to arrival in Goma, seeing our Congolese friends and getting to the Maji Matalivu.

Off to Kigali

Yesterday we finished up with Dr Joe. He graciously shared his experience of losing his wife to cancer. As most of you that know me can imagine, I didn't do too good a job keeping it together. He was very honest and forthcoming. He also shared some hilarious and touching stories of their lives together. After that we got to spend a few hours in London before heading to a flat that Doug found. We were there about 4 hour for a quick nap before heading to the airport at 4:30am to catch our flight to Kigali.

A new perspective on the Rwandan Genocide.

We spent the day yesterday interviewing Dr Joe on his experiences through the various regimes that have ruled over Congo in his lifetime. One point of that discussion was his association with Rwanda during the 100 days that 800,000 people were killed. As a doctor he chose to go into Rwanda to assist with medical necessities. He would work on an individual injured by machete or gun, and then the next day, that Tutsi individual would be gone. When questioning of the patients whereabouts, the nurse would tell him to shut up and not to ask questions. Dr Joe, looking Hutu-like, was in danger from the Tutsis at the same time in danger from the Hutus for aiding the Tutsis. A very uncomfortable position to offer assistance.  More with Dr Joe today then off to Rwanda for the wild drive into Congo. I am going to miss our western accommodations, unquestionable water and warm showers. Oh well. :)

An Uber Day

We had a very insightful day. That statement of a great woman being behind every great man proves true. We got some wonderful exposure to Dr Joes wife, Lyn Lusi, as told by her sister Marion here in England. It is amazing how one person can make such an impact across the globe.   Her story is one that is proving to be very inspiring. Many have said her name stood for Love Your Neighbor.   The story of her courtship with Dr Joe is a wonderful love story set in 1974, when interracial marriages were less than tolerated. She wrote in his bible when they met, something to the effect of, one has not lived until they have discovered what to live for. Unfortunately, she lost her life two years ago to cancer, but even with what little I know of her so far, you can clearly see that her heart continues to spread love across the globe. I am anxious to learn more about her.

We were graciously treated to a lovely home cooked meal by Marion. I must add that the three of us had a great time watching Germany take the World Cup.  Very nice time to be in Europe.

Merry Old England

We arrived in Southampton a few hours ago.  We landed in London/Heathrow and picked up a rental car for the drive to Southampton, about 1 hour 45 minute. Randy did the honors on driving backwards (on the left side of the road). We opted for the automatic.  One less thing to worry about.

We headed for lunch at a pub. British Steak and Ale pie for me and fish and chips for Randy and Doug. Then to the hotel for a nap (we had been up for about 30 hours). We then woke up and headed to a pub for the Brazil/Netherland World Cup match. We brought in some amazing vegetarian Indian food from next store into the pub. It was Amazing!  A nice travel day and ready for work tomorrow. We are meeting with Dr Joe who is in town and our reason for this British detour.  Looking forward to a good night sleep.

I think we may actually decide to run off and start a British band called The Ruins. I have added the photo we will use for our album cover.