writing travel

Update from Sandra Basgall on her travel to the eastern frontier of the Congo

2010-02-08T13:11:56-06:00

Note: This is Sandra's January 22 report from Goma. Next stop on her itinerary is Bukavu. I am anxiously awaiting more news.

Goma in Eastern DR Congo has a frontier town feeling. Beautifully situated on Lake Kiva, one of the African Great Lakes, and the Micumba Mountains, this eastern border town lies along the Great Rift Valley where many of the African Great Lakes are found as well as many active volcanoes. The most active volcano in Africa, Mount Nyiragongo, sits to Goma’s north. In 2002, lava flowed through the center of town for the fourth time in a century. Some buildings that were two-story are now one-story with basements. The lava rock is everywhere and is used for building walls and making into brick. Many of the roads are just lava rock, and this makes for quite a bumpy ride.

It is easier to come here through Rwanda whose border is only ten minutes away than to travel from Kinshasa, and many of the aid workers here never get to the capital as they enter and exit through Rwanda. For me to get here, I had to leave my home at 5 a.m. in Kinshasa for a 9 a.m. UN flight. That morning there were three flights, one to Goma, one to Bukavu, and another on which only UN troops flew.

The UN troops were from many different countries and they all wore their own uniform with a flag patch and name of their country on the left arm and a UN patch on their right arm and the UN blue hats. They were from Guinea, Paraguay, Pakistan, Israel, India, and elsewhere. I would have loved a picture of a Pakistan soldier sitting for some time talking to an Indian soldier. Their disputes are set aside when they work for the UN.

Two and a half hours after we boarded, we set down for an hour at the UN base in Kalemie, formerly known as Albertville and that name is still on one of the airport buildings. As Albertville, it was a thriving railroad terminus connecting to Tanzania and the Indian Ocean. Because of this, it was also an ideal staging ground for the rebel armies during the 1990s. Much of its infrastructure was destroyed by a 6.8 earthquake in 2005. Today, it is mainly populated by locals, NGO aid workers and UN officials. The locals still fish on Lake Tanganyika which is the second largest of the African Great Lakes and very, very deep. Kalemie had little to offer as it was hot and dry. The only excitement for me was a trio of pied crows in formal wear.

From there, it was an hour flight to the cool, verdant mountain area of Goma. As we flew lower for landing, I saw many beautiful houses and hotels situated on the lake, and the colorful houses gave it a party atmosphere.

Upon our arrival, all I wanted to do was take a shower and have a nap as the trip was exhausting, but my energy perked up as I took in the sights of the people and the town.

Just as we entered town, a colorful funeral was in progress at the local cemetery with well over 200 people in attendance. I began to see women and men in more traditional dress. The women had infants tied to their backs with shawls and carried huge loads of fruit and other things on their heads.

I then saw the most amazing wooden bikes made out of a tilting plant with a wooden fork and handle bars and wheels cut from rounds of trees. They were used by young boys to cart incredible loads around town. Often, the boys would stand on the rear of the plank as they whizzed down an incline. I was told the bikes were invented and made here, but have caught on throughout the area. There were also similarly made wooden wheelbarrows that carried very heavy loads.

Goma is a prosperous looking town with many buildings and houses being built and the people seem to be quite industrious. They have the most amazingly fresh vegetables and fruit and I have been eating my fill. There are a number of lovely hotels, even though the area is sometimes not safe because of the rebels, and there is a huge, thriving tourist industry.

Virunga National Park, declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979, is one of the "must sees" of Africa. It is home to two of the most active volcanoes in the world, the last remaining population of mountain gorillas, and a mountain range that has the only glaciers in Africa. It is also the only park populated by three of the four great ape species—the mountain gorilla, the lowland gorilla, and the chimpanzee. All of the apes are endangered because of poaching and because of the influx of refugees from local hostility and from Rwanda during its genocide.

My room in the VIP Hotel is lovely and I have very interesting neighbors, two grey-crowned storks who make their home in the garden. They are quite shy and it is hard not to want to go toward them to touch them as they are majestic and beautiful. They stand about three feet high and their heads are topped with a golden crown that one of my colleagues dubbed toilet bowl brushes. They visit that same colleague regularly by climbing her steps and greeting her when she opens her door (and leaving her presents). She says she is never sure who is the most scared, but that what she hates the most is that when she is returning to her room and they are up there. She is afraid to shoo them off and has to ask for help.

My first night here, I ate Capitaine (Nile Perch) and loved it as much as the first time. I thank my former Togo Peace Corps friend for telling me I had to have some if I found it. It is throughout much of Africa and quite delicious. It’s a shame we do not have it in the United States as it’s a lovely big fish.

There recently was an outbreak of cholera because of bad hygiene and tainted water. Many children die annually because of diarrhea from not drinking clean water and using appropriate hygiene. The easy part of the project is building the water and sanitation facilities which includes chlorination of the drinking water. The hard part is changing people’s habits. Using a restroom or washing our hands is second nature to us. The hard part is getting someone to walk for two or three blocks to use a latrine instead of using the ditch right by the field.

Building the facilities, then, is not the hard work. Changing people’s behaviors are the most difficult, often the area most overlooked, and the area in which the project will have an impact on people’s well being.

Over the weekend, I will catch the ferry to Bukavu and a two-hour ride down Lake Kiva, which I have been told is wonderful.

Originally from the United States, but currently living in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sandra Basgall works for Catholic Relief Services for Central Africa as their Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor. She has provided similar services to government agencies, NGOs/PVDOs, the United Nations, and educational institutions throughout the world. Organizations for which she has worked include UNESCO, the International Rescue Committee, BRAC Bangladesh, the Jamaican-Dominican Republic Integrated Rural Development Project, Pan American Health Organization, Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute, and USAID. She has also taught undergraduate and graduate courses at the University of Iowa and the School for International Training.

Sandra has extensive experience working, living, and traveling in many cultures and countries—Vietnam, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Northern Caucasus States of Ossetia, Ingushetia and Chechnya, Russia, Bangladesh, Singapore, Mexico, Burundi, Rwanda, France, Denmark, Panama, Trinidad-Tobago, Jamaica, to name a few—and in various states in the United States.

Join the beta test of Wazzamba and compete for a Paris getaway

2010-02-08T11:26:11-06:00

I don't ordinarily post unedited press releases, but this one seems worthy of attention.

And who knew there was a real place called Zug in Switzerland?

WAZZAMBA TO AWARD VALENTINE GETAWAY
Virtual World Players Can Win Real-World Romantic Vacation in Paris

Zug, Switzerland – February 8, 2010 – Wazzamba (www.wazzamba.com), the first online virtual world to give away real-world travel prizes, has announced a contest for a romantic trip for two to Paris in celebration of Valentine’s Day. Potential players can log on to www.wazzamba.com and try for the highest daily score anytime during the week of February 8 in order to win the Paris GetAway.

This special two-person, eight-day Paris Getaway includes two days of guided sightseeing tours, full buffet breakfast, local host service, welcome pack with useful information and city map, a free one-day metro ticket and discounts at the famous Galeries Lafayette and other leading department stores.

Wazzamba is a unique online virtual world that combines exploration with skill-based casual games to provide a rich and rewarding experience allowing players to win real world travel prizes every week.

The Wazzamba virtual world provides more than 30 explorable areas where players can learn about places, play games, and earn points to win DreamTrips® and GetAway Trips in the real world.
Currently in open beta, Wazzamba will be awarding up to four trips per week with other February contests including trips to New Orleans and Hawaii.

"Wazzamba is really looking forward to giving away our most romantic trip to date," says CEO Rocco Pellegrinelli. It would be a great surprise to win a GetAway to Paris and present it to your loved one on Valentine’s Day.

Interested players can visit www.wazzamba.com to create their own personal avatar and enter the world of Wazzamba. Players can join for free and qualify for weekly GetAway Trips or can upgrade to Silver or Gold Membership to qualify for more GetAways and DreamTrip vacations.

About Wazzamba

Wazzamba SA, Luxemburg, is the developer of the Wazzamba virtual world (www.wazzamba.com) which is published by Wazzamba World AG, Zug, Switzerland. The companies were formed in 2008 by Rocco Pellegrinelli, a serial entrepreneur best known for founding Brainpower, which went public on the Frankfurt stock exchange in 2000 and was sold to Bloomberg in 2006. Mr. Pellegrinelli teamed up with successful professionals from the video game, virtual world and online casual gaming industries in order to realize his vision of combining online entertainment with tangible rewards.

Sandra Basgall: Settling into my Kinshasa bungalow

2010-01-20T13:17:24-06:00

Guest post by Sandra Basgall, Catholic Relief Services Central Africa

I may never return to the United States as my new furnished bungalow in Kinshasa is so nice. I am in a compound with about ten other bungalows and a good sized swimming pool. My bungalow is separated from the others with nice plantings and grass, and it feels quite private. There is a heavy gate with two guards that make sure the residents are safe.

I have three bedrooms and three bathrooms. Now don’t get too excited, the small bath is just as you enter the house and for guests. The middle is for the two smaller bathrooms and has a nice shower. And the master bath has all the comforts of home as well as a nice tub! There are lovely built in drawers, shelves, and closets in the two small bedrooms and a large set in the hallway going into the master bedroom suite. What more could a girl ask for? And there is plenty of room for guests.

Now, the hard part is getting the sheets, pillows, and duvet. Those just for my bed were $150 and I bargained hard! Things all have to be imported and they are expensive. It took $650 to buy the cleaning supplies needed for the house and I almost had a heart attack when I paid.

There is massive leather furniture in the living room and a long glass topped table in the dinning room, and I have my own ‘live-in lizard’ that hangs out on the back wall next to the house. I am used to geckos in the house, but I have only seen lizards outside. I do not know if there are house geckos here or not. I also have an occasional bug or spider, but they have not yet overtaken me.

One of the funniest things has been my adventure with having a mosquito net installed. First some papa came and pounded wooden poles up on four sides of my bed. When I put the mosquito net on later that night, it would not go down over the bed as the poles at the head were attached at the top of the bed. A mosquito the size of a microwave could have gotten through.

That happened on a Friday, so I was not able to do anything about it until I went to work on Monday. There I drew a detailed plan of what I wanted. When the papa came by to talk to me (I spoke English and he French and it was translated), he was reluctant to do what I had designed so I gave in and said to just do it. He bought the wood and came the next afternoon. What he did was beautiful, but I could tell from the beginning he was in trouble as he drilled holes in the frame into which to put the ropes to hold it up. The problem was that with the netting on top, there was no place for the ropes to come through. I helped him tie it on the bottom of the frame and decided I would take care of it myself later, but it would be fine for a few days.

That night, I went to bed safely under my mosquito netting. I had been asleep for about an hour and then everything—the frame and mosquito netting—dropped on me as it was too heavy for the hook in the ceiling. I was startled awake and not hurt, but it took me a good long time to extricate myself from the netting as it was everywhere. The frame and the netting are now sitting beside my bed. I guess if I see a mosquito, I’ll just throw the mess over it and trap it!

Originally from the United States, but currently living in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sandra Basgall works for Catholic Relief Services for Central Africa as their Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor. She has provided similar services to government agencies, NGOs/PVDOs, the United Nations, and educational institutions throughout the world. Organizations for which she has worked include UNESCO, the International Rescue Committee, BRAC Bangladesh, the Jamaican-Dominican Republic Integrated Rural Development Project, Pan American Health Organization, Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute, and USAID. She has also taught undergraduate and graduate courses at the University of Iowa and the School for International Training.

She has extensive experience working, living, and traveling in many cultures and countries include Vietnam, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Northern Caucasus States of Ossetia, Ingushetia and Chechnya, Russia, Bangladesh, Singapore, Mexico, Burundi, Rwanda, France, Denmark, Panama, Trinidad-Tobago, Jamaica, to name a few—and in various states in the United States.

Week 2 in Kinshasa ... and not counting

2010-01-14T19:30:23-06:00

Guest post by Sandra Basgall, Catholic Relief Services Central Africa

The unsung heroes in the development world are the local staff. If it were not for the regional administrative assistant, I would be completely in the dark.

He has organized temporary housing and working on permanent housing; he has helped me interview and hire household help; he has made sure I have drivers to take me around and without them, I would be lost; he has made sure that I get groceries; and he has just been there to answer questions. He works long hard hours, juggles many priorities, is constantly on the move, and an amazing asset. I take my hat off to him and others like him who have taken care of me around the world.

The house is in the works and I hope, if there are no glitches, to move in the end of the week. I have hired a widow with six children to work five days a week for me. She has some English and will clean, wash and iron my clothes, and cook for me. It’s a little incestuous as she is the sister of one of my colleague’s housekeepers and the aunt of another. Just goes to show that it pays to have connections. As soon as I can move in, we, she and I will go the house and see what we need and go out and buy it. I look forward to getting settled.

I inadvertently pulled out the refrigerator plug and lost all my food. I was already concerned about it as the refrigerator was not on when I put it in and about an hour later, I lost power for a couple of hours. I was concerned it never initially got cold enough, so I was reluctant to eat most of the stuff in there. It was a relief just to throw it away since I was concerned. I went to a new market that is owned by Jews and so was not open when I went shopping with colleagues last Saturday. They have really nice meat and lots of cooking equipment. This is where we will probably go when we stock the house. There are a number of markets and each seems to be better in some areas than others. There is one with lots of cheese and a great deli and another which has lots of fruits and vegetables.

I had to buy a five litter water container for $20 and will fill it up for a $1 when it gets empty. I do not know if there will be a filter on the water in my new house, but if there is, I will boil the water before I use it. If not, I will continue with the bottled water. Interestingly enough, the place is owned by Lebanese.

Friday night, I went out to eat and dance with my regional director and another colleague and their husbands, plus some other people from other organizations. The place was in a big open building with mud cloth on the ceilings and walls. There must have been several hundred people there and the music was great – Afro Pop They had a buffet and the food was tasty, but I reconfirmed that I do not like plantain and I did not eat the grubs! The rest was very good.

We have two days off for Christmas and New Year and most of the staff will be gone so I will probably just stay in my new digs, watch TV, play on the computer, and relax. I went swimming yesterday in the pool where I am staying and I plan on doing the same where I will be moving.

Originally from the United States, but currently living in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sandra Basgall works for Catholic Relief Services for Central Africa as their Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor. She has provided similar services to government agencies, NGOs/PVDOs, the United Nations, and educational institutions throughout the world. Organizations for which she has worked include UNESCO, the International Rescue Committee, BRAC Bangladesh, the Jamaican-Dominican Republic Integrated Rural Development Project, Pan American Health Organization, Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute, and USAID. She has also taught undergraduate and graduate courses at the University of Iowa and the School for International Training.

She has extensive experience working, living, and traveling in many cultures and countries include Vietnam, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Northern Caucasus States of Ossetia, Ingushetia and Chechnya, Russia, Bangladesh, Singapore, Mexico, Burundi, Rwanda, France, Denmark, Panama, Trinidad-Tobago, Jamaica, to name a few—and in various states in the United States.

Shopping in Kinshasa: Tide for $28.00

2010-01-14T19:15:17-06:00

Tide for $28.00, originally uploaded by congogirl.