Congo

Since before Oliver came home I have dreamed of going to Congo. I spent a summer in Kenya when I was in college, loved the country and have always wanted to go back to Africa. But having a son born in a country I had never been to made that desire intense and unrelenting. I wanted to walk and breathe and experience life in the city he was born in and spent his first six months of life. I wanted to physically be a part of his world before he came to us. 

Three years ago I had the wonderful opportunity to join the board of Giving Back to Africa. I met the founder, Ann Marie, shortly after Oliver arrived and was immediately compelled by the way GBA works, and also found a fast friend in Ann Marie.

After reading the reports from our work in DRC and hearing about our amazing teachers and students, and meeting Dr. Jerry, our Congolese director, while he was here in the States, I was even more determined that someday I wanted to see it all with my own eyes. 

That day finally came. After our first scheduled trip was cancelled, we finally obtained visas and booked tickets in what appeared to be a time of peace in what is often a troubled political climate. After almost 24 hours of travel, we landed in Kinshasa DRC. 

I cried. Because it was a dream come true, because my son spent the first part his life in the lights of the city I could see from my window, because I was excited and nervous (and probably because I was really tired). 

Dr. Jerry met us at the airport and our driver skillfully deposited  us at our guesthouse. I say skillfully because driving in Kinshasa is unlike any other driving I have ever experienced. I came to have such appreciation for our capable driver. I think he literally kept us alive. It was that crazy on the roads. 

The first morning I woke up to this lovely view, warm air, open windows, birds singing, and the constant background noise of the nearby traffic. 

 We hit the ground running because we only had 7 days to pack in several meetings, monitoring and evaluation at the schools we are working with, and more meetings. After a day of planning and a visit to UPC (the large university that keeps us under their "umbrella" until we file for NGO status in DRC), we headed out to Mpasa, the home of College de Savior, our main partner school. 

In this extremely poor community we stood out with our car--plus we are white:)--so we drew a crowd of excited kids. 

 We spent the day meeting with the school's administration, holding focus groups with the kids, taking a walk around Mpasa, eating, and just being with new friends. 

For me, it was honestly a very stretching experience (open air toilets and foam mattresses are a luxury here, so it was humbling to feel out of my comfort zone)...it required flexibility and openness, but I was so thankful to be a part of what we were doing. 

 I met some beautiful children with stories that would make you sad and hopeful all at once. 

Kinshasa holds a lot of heartache and inequity, and just as much resilience and courage and hope. 

 There were so many things to process--things I was seeing, feeling, hearing, and tasting. Given that I don't know Lingala or much French, I was limited in how much I could express, but a smile goes a long way in making connections. 

In the afternoon the women let me help them do some cooking. I was amazed at their ability to work with limited tools and their ingenuity. (Not once did I taste gummy rice, and I saw no measuring cups, directions, rice cookers, or timers. And still I have yet to make comparable rice at home).

We came back from our overnight stay at the school exhausted and very dirty, but I was so full. To meet the teachers I have read about and shake their hands and see them in action was exciting. And to meet the students I know about and see them recite poems, and speak extemporaneously about what they are learning, and guide me around their community was so good. 

 Our group--Aaron, Ann Marie, Mr. Malivo, and Dr. Jerry--spent a lot of time together driving, working, and going to meetings. 

Towards the end of the week we spent the night at Dr. Jerry's house. He has a beautiful family and a wife that can do just about anything. She and her sister made me this beautiful dress (they made it for me before I came so the measurements, while close, were a bit off, which made it difficult to breathe at times...especially during the 3 hour church service). 

 No car, bus, or bike in Kinshasa is ever too full for just one more person. 

 The church backs up to the Congo River--a gorgeous view!

On our last full day in Kinshasa, Aaron (whose daughter is also from DRC) and I had arranged for our kids' foster moms to come to our guesthouse. I wasn't sure what to expect out of this meeting--I didn't really know how Oliver's foster mom felt about me or what she remembered of him. So I had my expectations low. The moment Therese walked in the door and we hugged, I knew that this was something I would never ever forget. I cannot describe (at least not without a lot tears) what a tremendous gift it was to meet her and her daughters. To touch this woman who cared for and loved Oliver before we ever met him was overwhelming. To hear them describe him and ooh and aah over pictures of him was emotional. To sit with people who chose to invest in a child they knew the could not keep was humbling. To know that he was loved so well by them, as well as cared for so tenderly by God from the beginning, was too much for my already tender emotions (read: I was a total wreck and cried most of the time I was with them). It was all just so good, and such a gift. It felt like sacred ground, and it is a priceless and precious memory for me that I hope will also help Oliver as he grows and processes his adoption. 

We even got to facetime with Oliver so that they could see him and he could say hi. I couldn't even believe it was really happening. What a gift. 

We ended the trip with a few more meetings (that communicated to us how intriguing and promising our curriculum is to other much larger NGO's) and then headed to the airport. There was political upheaval during our week there, and so we had to take a few precautions; one of which was putting leaves on the front of our car to show our support for a popular leader. 

We told our driver that we had to have his picture before we left. Seriously, this guy is the most amazing driver to never use a rearview mirror I have ever seen. The fact that we didn't die or maim a pedestrian is no small thing--and we owe all that to Ramon. 

 Final pictures before leaving....It was hard to believe that after all the dreaming and planning it was over. I left feeling full of good things, new friends, precious gifts, and the dream of returning.