Holiday Weekend
June 30, 2008
Well it’s been quite a while since I did an update, so I figured that it was time to do another just to let everyone know that I’m still alive and kickin.
The project I’m working on still has the same snags as before, that being that I basically need additional training in the software that I’m supposed to be using. I still haven’t received the assistance I was looking for from my employer, even though he knows the severity of what the project entails here. I still hope that he’ll come through soon enough for me to get a firm grasp about where to go from here in training the staff.
Everything in Kinshasa has been relatively calm the past few weeks, and there’s nothing really new to report on that front. All in all that’s a very good thing. Even though it will be quite a ways into the future, MONUC has had some discussions about the pullout phase. How that will be achieved is beyond my comprehension though.
Friday nights have, as usual, been spent having dinner at the British Embassy, with the exception of last Friday. Friday evening I went out with the GIS Technical Administrator and had dinner at a place called Hunga Busta
A weird name for a pizza place, but great pizza for the depths of the Congo; a thick crust pizza, with lots of cheese, and a decent amount of toppings. While there, Louis and I were descended upon by the local street “merchants” selling whatever wares they might have in their possession. I ended up buying some really nice hand-painted cards for $7.00 from an elderly gentleman who had a whole portfolio of material from which to choose. This gentleman then offered his “services” in helping us procure additional souvenirs at a reduced price. By the time dinner was over, I had also snatched up a carved elephant for $15. As we were getting into our UN vehicle, we were again accosted by a different street vendor selling the 24” tall wooden statues of a man and a woman. Originally asking $60 for the pair, the vendor was quite taken aback when I explained in my broken French that I was almost out of cash and could not afford the $60. He was even more upset when I said I didn’t even have the newly reduced price of $30, and was quite in a bit of a fluster when I finally agreed to give him my last bit of cash, $21, for the pair of statues. I even went so far as to tell him that I would give him and additional $10 the “next time we saw each other”, both knowing that the chances of that would be slim to none. Still, overall a great dinner complete with several nice gifts for back home – assuming that I can figure out how to get everything there.
After dinner, Louis and I headed out on the town. Louis had never been to several of the Kinshasa clubs, and as it was a 3-day weekend (DRC Independence Day), it would prove to be a very memorable one indeed. We started the evening off at the Standing Club, where people normally purchase bottles of booze outright verses ordering by the drink. An eclectic place for expats, Standing offers great dance club music, and a packed vivid atmosphere.
Next up was a trip to the Club VIP, another well established place in the downtown part of the city. VIP is, more than anything else, a place where one goes when they desire the company of a Congolese lady. Yes, that kind of lady! Run by a non-English speaking Frenchman, the place is expensive if nothing else. Still though, it is usually frequented by a youthful group, even if it is sometimes just at heart.
We met up with John while there, an American finishing his Doctoral degree here. I’ve know John for a few weeks now, and have been out with him before; I’m well versed in how the evening will end up when I head out with him and his Belgian friend Steven. We closed the VIP at around 530am, and headed back to our various homes.
Saturday morning meant a hangover, naturally. Still though, I managed to do a few small thinks here at the hotel, and the late breakfast was unusually good. Saturday night meant another evening out. I had been invited to the British Embassy once again for an evening of frivolity and imbibing. It was the farewell party for two of the Embassy staff, and the booze flowed freely, and snacks were abundant.
John and Steven called at around 11:00pm, and it was once again off to the Standing. It was Steven’s last night in the DRC, as he was heading back to Antwerp Sunday evening. John and I were still a bit off from the previous evening, but we managed to plow forward. From the Standing it was off once again to the VIP, and then on to the Mombo Room, another place to pickup ladies. Having had quite my fill for the evening, I ended up leaving around 4:30am with another UN guy in a taxi who was heading my way.
Sunday was downtime, even though the Grand Hotel was having quite the celebration evening in honor of 48 years of Independence. The music blared until well after 2:00am, making for a fitful night of rest.
Today was much of the same…rest, relaxation, and TV.
Next weekend is the American celebration, and while I’m not sure if I will work on the 4th or not, the Americans who are here in Kinshasa have been invited to the US Embassy for a barbeque. I’ll let you know if the food compares to that of the Brits…
