I'm hot

I arrived in Beni yesterday on a two propeller, 15 seat plane. It was a pretty good ride considering it was cloudy and overcast. A bit bumpy at the end, and visibility was poor, but I slept for about half the 50 minute ride. In classic Congo fashion, everyone on the plane applauded and clapped when we touched down. Let's just say there is a reason people pay a lot more to fly TMK than the other airlines in Congo.

My other travels were uneventful, except that God is awesome. The day before I left I met some people from church who work with a Rwandan organization with a guest house, so when I got to Kigali, they picked me up and I stayed there for the night. It's always good knowing someone is looking out for you. Goma was good too, although I was only there for a day. I saw a couple friends and there were two people at the guesthouse who come and go every year, and they are there now so it was cool to see them again. Everyone else there was new, and Joe and Lyn were gone, so it was different, but it was cool to be back. The flowers were beautiful and the lake was refreshing after two days of travelling.

The only other really interesting thing about my travels was the immigration official in the Goma airport who charged me $10 to write Beni on my VISA along with Goma. Apparently the officials at the boarder should have wrote it in, but I didn't know that, and apparently it's a new rule after the first of the year. I'm not sure how true that is though because I argued that last year I didn't need it and he never told me when the rule came into effect until after I told him I was there last year. Oh well. On the plus side, I understood everything he was telling me in Swahili, and even though I didn't like it, I still followed it all and was arguing for a long time. I actually wouldn't have given up except I heard them call my flight on the PA so paid him the money and got going.

Arriving at the Kasali's house was like coming home. The family there does such a good job of making you feel like family. Everyone was excited to see me, and whether I thought I accomplished a lot last time or not, everyone thanked me for my time before and thanked me for coming again. Everyone also asks about my fiance and where she is, and wonder when she is coming back to Congo too.

It is good to be back, and there is much to write about, but no time to write it. For now, it's 2:15 and lunch just arrived, so I'm off to eat.