But in the interest of keeping things interesting, I thought it might be worthwhile to write a weekly post about things I like here in Kinshasa. It's good to be grateful and focused on the positive, something that is all too easy to lose track of here in the city. I figure I won't make it a long list (not really sure how sustainable it will be to continue finding things I like in Kin) and it could even morph into "things I wonder about" or "questions that remain."
For this Friday, I have three ideas- things I like about living in Kinshasa (and I've even begun a list for the future- during an hour + traffic jam - things I don't like but suffer through....that's another post.) SO, in random order- things I notice and/or appreciate about living in Kinshasa:
1. Women police officers. I actually have a great appreciation for many of the police officers, especially the ones who help to right all the traffic wrongs of the city. Without them, a two hour jam could easily turn into an eternity. But what I really notice most often is the number of women police officers. Although everything I read suggests DRC has a long way to go in incorporating women into the military and police- this article says a mere 5.11% of police officers are women- and it's no secret that Congo has been called the worst place to be a woman. In fact, the only encouraging thing I could find about female police officers was this article from 2010 about a training center just outside Kisangani. However, in my day to day, I see a ton of female police officers. And that's just with my preliminary collection of data. I'm sure if I actually started counting, there would be a bunch more. What I really mean is, they are visible. And that's the first step. If I was a young girl, I would see them out there and know it is a possibility.
2. My other two "likes" this week are a bit more personal. After a particularly hard sleep over (some of the kids stayed up until 2 am which meant mom didn't actually get to bed until 5am) I broke down and ordered pizza delivery for lunch. While this is a regular thing for many of the teachers on campus, it is something that just doesn't usually fit my budget (especially when I make a pretty mean pizza myself.) But, as any kid can tell you, there is something magical about delivery- having food piping hot and ready to eat brought to your doorstep-and so it seemed like just the treat to spice up a Kinshasa afternoon. Even more magical, O'Poeta pizza delivery guys arrive on motorcycle and this one managed to bring his moto up the driveway, over the lawn and directly to our back door. Pizza delivery indeed. I barely had to get out of my chair. There are days when I can really appreciate that.
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| Mohamed and a friend collecting the delivery on our back porch |
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| Sunset and a small piece of rain forest in my backyard |
Yeah, I really live here. It's almost magical.
