"Proving My visa & Papers are Fine!,...Congo, 2012"

August 28, 2012: Tuesday on Station Katanti:

     Up early this morn.  Woke up in the morning, dreaming/feeling someone or something was in my room.  Turned out to be nothing,.....just bad dreams.....

     Breakfast of dry cereal we brought with us, powdered milk, freshly boiled water, scrambled eggs, & papaya.  The 'scrambled' eggs in Africa are VERY, VERY greasy,..and may contain things other than scrambled eggs!!  As my son in law Bob Veach likes to say,.."God, I'm putting it down,..now You please keep it down!" 

     Tom & I took his piki piki to Mapimu to see the Minister of Something re: our papers and particularly my visa, which the official had claimed wasn't 'authentic'.  The path was about 5 miles,..thru the jungle.  3/4ths of the way there, Tom's piki ran out of gas.  It wouldn't run at all on the 'reserve' tank,..due to dirty gas in there.  (Because we had to put a replacement carburetor on the piki,..and, because it wasn't exactly the correct one,....the piki was using more gas than usual).  Anyway, we left the piki on the path in the forest,..& walked the remaining way to see the Official.   The Minister of Something was busy,...so we were kept waiting for awhile, before we could see him.  (This too, is part of the 'hazing', & not unusual!).  Finally, we got in to see him.  Turned out to be a very pleasant man,..who exchanged pleasantries with us,  asking our reasons for visiting Station Katanti,-in his territory.  We didn't bring up the paperwork 'issues', & neither did he, PTL.  After a few minutes, he said we were ok, & we could go!  (Later we found out he already had local issues that morning,-that a big crowd had demonstrated against his handling of forest/garden rights).

     Tom & I put out the word that we needed to buy some gasoline in the plastic drink containers.  One of our friends went off to find some for us.  In the meantime, we looked at the items in a ramshackle path-side 'store'.  Actually, we needed a small pair of scissors,..but, they had everything BUT scissors.   One can buy a solar panel, colorful fabric,..etc...but NO scissors!!  Go figure!!    Did I mention the wide contrasts in Africa?????....OH,..& BTW,...local men were using a rudimentary scale to weigh tablespoons of gold dust, right out in public.  AMAZING!!

                                   Kathy teaching on the Full Armor of God,..each afternoon.....

Pastor/delegates at a Seminar Class

     We walked a mile back to where we had left the piki,..& waited for the man to come with the bottle of gas.  He arrived after a wait on our part,..so we put the gasoline into Tom's piki.  PTL,...it ran fine,..& took us back to Station Katanti.  Our "bodyguards",..i e houseboys,..were doing our laundry by hand behind the house.   They hung most of it in the attic over Jansen Hall. 

Mapendo teaching Seminar Class.....

     Then, it was time to start the Bible Leadership Seminar.  Tom, Kathy, Mapendo(the legal rep), & SaSimon all taught.  I went to the Seminar with them for the entire first day's meetings.  Tom taught on ""5 Major Doctrines of the Bible";  Kathy on the "Full Armor of God";  Mapendo on the book of "Corinthians",...& SaSimon did a daily wrapup. 

     About 35 men came to the Seminar,..and maybe 20 women.  It was the season to be burning the forest patches for gardens.  That meant the women could only come in the mid-afternoons, due to their garden work loads. 

Me, speaking thru Tom as an Interpreter,...end of first day,..

     At the end of Seminar Day One, I was asked to speak to the crowd.  I told them about my family, my extended family, & my God.  They seemed to really appreciate my words.  As for me, I was pretty emotional,.....

Roger & Kibekiangabo

     Kibekiangabo, (our longtime cook back in the day),...was ill & in his 90's now.  So, Kathy & I went with his daughter to see him.  What excitement & joy when he saw me/us!!  Altho pretty feeble, we had a great chat.  Also, we saw the graves of 5 or 6 of the Pastors who had worked with my Dad in the '50's & 60's. 

     After the Seminar that day, we sat and talked on my front porch,....it was hot, sticky, & humid!!  My 2 best friends from childhood came to see me:  their names are Yoanne, & Josef.  SO good to see them again.  Laughed, talked, cried, yelled, & basically had a grand old time, as guys everywhere love to do!....  Years ago we would go to the forest EVERY morning together at 5AM,..to hunt & trap squirrels.

     Last item for Tuesday,..the local pastor came & ask Tom to cut the Seminar from 5 days to 3 days.  The reasons:  1)they were running out of food to feed the delegates;  2) & they also need to be working in their gardens.  Tom promised a decision the next day,....

    Went to bed under a beautiful 3/4moon,..shining where the window was 'supposed to be!'  Don't hear wildlife in the forest like we did back in the day,.......

     Couldn't wait to see what the next day would bring,.....

Rogers/Banuamazi

    

"Enjoying Time @ 'Home', w/Friends from 'the day',..

    
                "Enjoying Time @ 'Home', w/African Friends from back in the day,.....

August 27, 2012, Monday, Cont'd.

                                               A welcoming group showed up to serenade us!,.....

     Still on our first day back at my home in the Congo,...we talked & talked, & had great times with the Africans.  A few were very elderly, & remembered working with my parents.  Others were sons/daughters of the 'old-timers', and even grandchildren.  However, as soon as I was introduced as 'Banuamazi, wa SaKatumbi',..i e: Roger Green of Ernest Green,.......EVERYONE remembered immediately!  I knew many, many of them as well.  What a reunion!,......

     Can you believe it????!!!!!   These poor people have next to NOTHING of their own,..however, herein lies the reason I call Congo a 'Land of Unbelievable Contrasts & Contradictions!!'  The group who came to serenade us, had bought a small solar panel & some batteries in Bukavu, the border town.  They trekked it over 200 miles thru the jungle to Station Katanti.  After they got it to Station Katanti, they hooked up the solar panel, batteries, & an inverter, to charge the batteries.  This allows them to play electric Stratocaster guitars, & use amplification,......all in the middle of NOWHERE!!  YIKES!!  The group sang/danced 9 songs. 

What's left of the 'girl's' bathroom from dormitory days...

What's left of the 'boy's' bathroom from dormitory days,.......

     After dark we took turns taking 'spit baths' in what's left of the old concrete tub, in the larger 'girls' bathroom from the dormitory back in my day.  Altho' the tub still drains, we save the 'grey water' for more 'spit baths'.  If you get my drift,..the last person used 'quite used' grey water for their spit bath.  So, we rotated,......The water was cold,..but oh well, better than nothing!  Even a spit bath refreshed us after almost 8 hours 'on the path!'  Each of us trekked in 1 towel & 1 wash cloth with us in our travelling bag/backpack.  The toilet had long ago been torn out of the girl's bathroom.  Across the hall is a smaller bathroom,-which was used for the boys of the dormitory,-back in the day.  It's toilet is still there,..and is flushable with a bucket.  (No running water anywhere).  Don't ask where the flush goes,..I have no idea,..and really don't need to know!!   Again, we conserve water as much as possible, since the best source is rain,..and this is the 'dry' season.   OH,..you wanted a toilet SEAT???????   Sorry, that had been missing for decades, so we just had to sit on the porcelain!,.......

                                                              Dinner in my Dining Room

Dinner with Mapendo & SaSimon

     Dinner was served by the 4 'bodyguards' at around 8 pm.  BTW, we were relieved to find they had boiled drinking water for our use,..and will do so daily.  Our own meager rations of bottled water are now depleted.  We had rice, sombe(greens), chicken in palm oil, & bugali(manioc root mush).  It tasted WONDERFUL,..just like I remembered from my youth!  YUMMY!  Another thing about the bugali(manioc root mush) is that it expands in your stomach to make you feel full.  Hence, it is a staple across much of Africa,-in various forms.

     Our beds were made up with mosquito nets,..which are essential.  One of the NGO'S(Non-Government Organizations) gave every African 3 mosquito nets a year or so ago.  Probably to fight malaria.....just a mat on a low wicker platform, one sheet, and the mosquito net.  You wanted a pillow????,..get serious already,  T I A,..This Is Africa...................

     Before going to bed one of the Africans informed us that the local Minister of 'Something' had heard we'd arrived, & wanted to see our papers,..i e passport, visa, & Go Pass.  So we sent them by runner to his place, probably 4 miles away, a place called Mapimu.  The runner returned to say that Kathy's paperwork was fine,...however, the Minister wanted to see Tom & Roger in person re: visa issues.  Specifically, the Minister sent word that my visa was invalid!!  Oh, really,.... So, it being late,..we decided to go appear before the Minister of 'Something'  the next day,.........neither Tom nor I were in any shape to have another 'standoff' over 'papers...............STAY TUNED,.....

                          My 'bedroom', in what was the Pantry, back in the day,.......
                        

     As I said,..STAY TUNED,.......
Rogers Banuamazi