I bitch and complain about how frustrating, slow, and relative Goma is. It sometimes seems that whenever I am having a conversation about what is going on here or whenever I write about my time here it is always some sort of grumble or groan about life on the African continent. I have to say that this is not a fair impression of Goma or Congo for that matter.
Along with the bad comes the good. You guys, reading this blog, must have a pretty skewed idea of what life here is like. Here is a Goma fun fact: it’s not all bad.
If you add up all the annoyingly frustrating days that I have had within the past month, today washes them all away. I woke up today and wasn’t overly tired. That’s weird. I put on some Charlie Brown’s Christmas tracks, sipped my coffee and thought to myself, “Samo, today is gonna be a good one!”
When I showed up at HEAL I was met with the wonderfully surprising sight of my carpenter, Rubin, working hard to finish my shelving project for the container. The Internet was good, not great, but then again I am in Goma so I can’t set my Internet bar too high.
Lyn invited me to sit in on a press conference that was being held to announce the launch of DNA testing for rape victims at HEAL Africa. This is the first time this has been offered in the DRC. Its a step in the right direction.
At the end of the day my shelving unit was completely finished and I was approached by some laborers who are keen and ready to get to work in the morning. The puzzle that is my work life is slowing taking shape.
I got home, listened to some newly downloaded tunes, took a dip in the lake and enjoyed a cold one with some friends. Does it get any better than this? December in DR Congo, whoda thunk it.
It kills me to know that there can be days like this. Everything just seemed to fit into place. Though, it’s the tough days that make the days like today so sweet. And as it seems with every experience here, I gained a new sense of perspective and a new appreciation for the relativity of my reality.
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