Last post again.

Last Sunday I arrived at Schiphol Aiport; 2 more days in the Netherlands and then back to New York City. So, hereby my last post on this blog for now.

It’s a small world

Last Saturday, after a six-hour drive through Rwanda, I arrived in hotel Beausejour. Later that evening, while I was working in the hotel’s common room, I heard “Peter: you here!?” It were Laetitia and Stefan; friends of mine who work for the IRC in Bukavu. We spent the rest of the evening in a great Italian restaurant nearby.

Leatitia and Stefan were coming from Kinshasa (Congo’s capital) and were heading to Bukavu (Congo’s 4th biggest city). The fastest way to do this (and I am not joking) was to fly to Nairobi, then to Kigali and then drive 6 hours by car to enter the Congo again.

Stefan told me another Congo-style story. Last week the IRC received for the first time post in Kinshasa. The mail was sent from Brazzaville; a city right on the other side of the Congo river (one can see it from Kinshasa). The letter was sent in... 2004! It gets better. The mailman, after delivering the letter, asked the IRC for some money to cover the transport costs.

The next day, early last Sunday morning, I was at the airport in Nairobi and again heard “Peter, you here!?” It was Mark, the TUUNGANE boss for Haut Katanga. About two weeks ago I spend several days at his office in Lubumbashi. It’s a small world, indeed.

It’s a scary world.

It’s also a scary world. When I arrived at Schiphol airport I walked towards customs. Shortly before taking the electronic stairs down, two Africans asked me in French “Sir. You came from Bukavu, no?”

I was shocked. I had never seen them before, and it is impossible for them to have had the same trip as me from Bukavu: 6 hours car, night in Kigali, flight Kigali -> Bujumbura -> Nairobi -> Amsterdam.

I asked them who they were, how they knew me, and where they were from. To the first two questions they only smiled. To the third they responded: "We live in Rwanda, right across the border, but we are Congolese." Before I could react, they had walked on.

So, Congolese intelligence? Probably not for two reasons. First, I am really not that interesting to be followed. Secondly, even if, Congo can't pay for a mailman, let alone have the money to buy plane tickets to Amsterdam. It scared the hell out me, though.

Two utterly random things.

• After a month of cold bucket showers, last Sunday I took a shower with pressure and warm water. Amazing!
• As I am sure you know, Gmail puts adds on your Gmail screen. These adds are adjusted to you. Last Saturday in Kigali, Gmail gave me the following ad: “Cabot Position on Coltan - www.cabot-corp.com/tantalum - Cabot has not, and will not, mine tantalum in the Dem. Rep. of Congo.” Weird!

Two final things.

• IRINNEWS had a news item on how IDPs in North Kivu are still being abducted by armed groups for forced labor.
• I started my first post last January talking about money; how I would love to be a Congolese MPs and earn over $8,000 per month. Well, actually, I do not want to be that anymore. Now I want to be Mugabe’s bodyguard and earn around $5,000 dollar a day. How fucked up is this world?!

Last post for now.

Ok, so this is my last post for now. But no worries. First, I will continue on Africa and Columbia. Secondly, I should be back in the Democratic Republic of Congo in a matter of months; probably June or July. I’m already looking forward!