Kinshasa First Impressions

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo became my new home on July 30th after long flights from Washington D.C. to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Kinshasa. I finally arrived at the bright yellow airport with a mix of feelings/wonders. Am I really back on the continent that I so sadly had to leave a few years ago? How will the new teachers be? What will the campus be like? Will the city be safe?

I am now almost a week in and I must say that this was an excellent choice. The people at TASOK are awesome. My administrators have made the transition so easy, and life here is good. I feel a lot more comfortable in this city than I did in Guate. I have been really busy lately, so I haven't been able to be quite specific; however, here are some of the highlights of the welcome week in no particular order:

1. Losing a bag at the airport then finding it shortly after (anxiety)
2. Mama Colonel's Chicken (a treat for new teachers)
3. The visit to the bonobo sanctuary (human being's closest relatives)
4. Meeting all the new teachers and learning about my new home of TASOK and Kinshasa.
5. Session 1 on the Tembo and a late night with Channing, Matt, Marc, and Erin.
6. Seeing Kinshasa at night in all of its darkness and crowdedness.
7. A Congolese dinner at Steve's house composed of goat meat, chicken, rice, beans, greens, termites, and tree worms and yes I tried all of the above.
8. Endless shopping for household goods, groceries, and liquor bottles
9. Seeing my very large classroom.
10. Irene already having to get rid of my maid.
11. Buying patio furniture at the local furniture place
12. Desperately needing to study French based on all my interactions with locals
13. Moving into my house
14. M and Ms on sale for $14.60
15. Discovering a store for cheap meats

I am looking forward to my years in Kinshasa, and I will have much more to write. The restaurants are plenty (Lebanese, Chinese, Pizza, Korean wooo hooo, and much more), some of the grocery items are very expensive but some are not, so you have to know where to go and what to buy. Overall, most of the stuff is cheaper than what it is in South Korea!

I just wanted to keep everyone posted on my life thus far. Until next time!