I'm Back

Tires screech to a halt and horns blow hysterically. These are sounds I’ve become accustomed to because I live right next to a main city street. Next came the murmuring of all the people around including the local market. Because after only 3 minutes the murmuring had died down so I knew without having to leave my house to see for myself that whatever had happened no one had to go to the hospital and the car or cars were still drivable. Car accidents happen for a variety of reasons. Some times the drivers are drunk, some times they are idiots, and always they drive way too fast on the newly repaired road. The biggest problem of course is lack of a judicial system. Anyone can get a drivers license even if the person has never even been inside a vehicle. Additionally the police will never fine someone for being drunk or driving hazardously.
It used to be wherever I went and whatever I did people called after me muzungu (white person). Now that has started to change. Whenever I take my motorcycle somewhere people get the realization that a woman is riding a motorcycle and I hear them behind me exclaiming mwanamuke (woman) in total disbelief. I guess being a woman riding a motorcycle is more strange or interesting than being white.
I found out my neighbor’s husband of over 15 years left her while I was in Zambia. I have no idea why and haven’t decided if it’s culturally a good idea to ask questions about it or not. For me it totally came out of the blue. They really seemed happy and are both wonderful people I would trust with my life. It is so sad how urban Africa is embracing divorce like we do in Western society. Unfortunately without alimony, child support, government assistance, or a value on education or careers for women, a divorced woman really suffers here. Luckily for my neighbor she is one of the few women I know who is employed. She doesn’t make much its enough to keep a roof over her kids heads and food in their bellies. The real test will be if Claude, their father, will pay for their kids to finish school.

Back in Congo

I arrived at the Congo border and went through without any difficulties. I found a taxi and read a book as I waited for it to fill with people. I was surprised at how fast people came and soon we were off. Once we reached Lubumbashi we paid the driver. One guy in the back was in a drunken stupor. They tried and tried to wake him up and when they finally did it turned out he didn’t have enough money for the ride. I had asked the taxi driver to take me to a store first to buy some food then to the bus stop to catch a bus to Likasi. So I was the last one in the taxi with the drunk guy. The taxi driver went to the police station to try to force him to pay. I had to go in to be a witness. Chances are the police will threaten him with jail time and he will call friends and family and beg for the money which someone will probably give him. It all took time. Maybe 20 minutes but it put me behind schedule to arrive home before dark. I wasn’t able to get what I needed from the store (in Africa inventory management is an unknown concept). I did manage to get on a nice bus that filled quickly to go home with my luggage inside the bus which is important in rainy season. I arrived in Likasi around 7:45 got a taxi and went home only to realize there was no electricity. I used the light from my phone to get some candles and discovered there was water on the floor. I had anticipated this and had everything off the floor. So in the dark I was trying to sweep and mop at least a little bit put sheets on my bed and went to sleep. Luckily at 6am the next day the power came back on. I have got a lot of cleaning to do.