international women's day

Monday, March 8th not only marked the beginning of my last week in Goma but also an amazing day for Congo. Monday was International Women’s day. It’s a day for the women of the Congo to stand up and be heard. In Goma they march through the streets, chanting, singing and smiling while wearing specially made Congo outfits. In a country that has been dubbed by the media “Hell on Earth” and “The Rape Capital of the World” this day represents a huge step forward for how the women are perceived by the global community. They are active not just passive victims. Unfortunately because of the strict laws I was unable to take photos of the event but the view will forever be in my mind.
As the sea of women stopped and surged down the main drag, men stood by watching from the sideline shouting the occasional comment. I shook some of the women’s hands and decided to call it an early day. I hissed down a moto, quickly bartered a “fair” price and took off beside the colourful parade. We were stuck in traffic amongst the hooting, hollering, exhaust and honking as women attempted to take over the road. This was their day and nothing or no one was going to take it away from them. While we were stuck in the traffic I asked my moto driver what he thought of the day’s events. He seemed to be supportive of the entire event. It was amazing to see the amount of women that participated.
If Congo is “Hell on Earth”, than hell can throw great party.

Time

Time is an interesting concept over on this side of the world. As i have mention previously everything moves slower, more relaxed even. I don’t mind the relaxed sense of time when it doesn’t inconvenience me. There is no rush to get anything done. “We can do it tomorrow”, “later”, “tomorrow” yada yada yada. I have found this easy to go along with because I have not had any future commitments while have been here. A friend of mine, Tella, described Goma as a bubble or black hole. She thought that it would be easy to show up here and before you know it a year has gone by. I think it’s because everything here moves at a manageable pace. Not to fast, not too slow. I think Goldie Locks would love it here.

However the my perfect relaxed nature is all about to change.

In 11 days i will be stepping on a plane and saying goodbye to the Great Lakes region of Africa. 11 days!! It is hard to comprehend that my time here is coming to end. Right now I have the same feeling one has during exam period. I am trying to get all of my work done while making the most out of everyday and night.

Today I had a brief glimpse of what I am in for once I touch down in Cairo. I was trying to come up with a plan of what I am going to do in the short amount of time I have and let me just say from what I have researched so far 9 days is not nearly enough time to see Egypt. But I have to make the best of what I have got. I will be thrown head first into a place bustling with energy. I will be restricted by bus and train schedules versus just meal times.

This sense of urgency with only be magnified once I get to Europe and then home to Vancouver. It is interesting how more tense and fast moving everything gets as I make my way closer and closer to home. Just thinking about applying for classes, going back to work, and then eventually going back to school is all very daunting.

What I have to work on now is not squander my time left in Goma. I can’t get ahead of myself