My Birthday in Goma

I woke up on Saturday the 29th with a meeting planned for that morning. It never happened. The guy I was supposed to meet with was asked by Lyn that morning to do something before they left (and they are gone now) and so we rescheduled the meeting and I had nothing to do. I jumped in the lake and ate breakfast. Louise was leaving and she was going to go to the border and I decided why not go along and see it? We went to the hospital for an hour or so and then to the border. It was kind of cool, but nothing special. Then back to the hospital because one of the girls was giving a talk.

I was in the computer lab just messing around and Christina asked if I wanted to join her and some other people for Indian food. I figured sure, why not? We get in the car and go from the computer lab to the hospital. There outside the hospital was a UN truk with two Indian guys in it and 3 people Christina knew. We followed them to the airport and after a little negotiation with the guards (we had to park outside and couldn't drive into the Indian UN part... the congolese guard wouldn't let us) we went in to the helicopter division of the Indian Army.

The officers club had couches, soft chairs, a nice cable TV (Australia was trouncing India in Cricket), and... A/C. It was cool (finally in more ways than one) and we just talked to these pilots for a while. The food was still being cooked, and I had little in common with them, but we talked about each other's lives and what we did.

Then the food was served in the mess hall, which was also A/C'd. It was amazing. The food was so good and as we were eating it, one guy kept walking around with two dishes at a time (there were five and rice all together) asking if we wanted more. Needless to say, I ate too much.

Then it was time for dessert. He brought out Chocolate ice cream and we scooped that onto our plates. Nuts were brought to the table along with little cake like bar things, and then he came around with vanilla ice cream. And then he came around again with the ice cream. needless to say, I ate too much of that too. It was so good, and I don't think I'll have ice cream again for a very long time.

I thought we were done, but then it was picture time. We all formed for a group picture and there were 6 normal people and these 2 UN pilots. It was sweet. Then we walked around a bit. They have a tennis court, a volleyball court, a basketball court, a screen where they project movies, and we saw the helicopters. He showed us (very simply and matter of factly) that when you fly, if you push forward on the control stick you go forward, pull back and go backwards, left you go left, and you get it if you go right. He made it sound like that was it, definitely showing off, but it was pretty fun. We got some pics in the helicopters too so that was nice. They also said to come back for a movie or to play some sports or something, so I have a feeling I might meet them again someday.

Back at the house I was chilling, reading, and doing nothing. I was really full when dinner came around but I sat down and socialized a bit. The girls were going to a party, but I wasn't going to go. It was a suitcase party where you bring a change of clothes in a bag and then switch with someone. I was just going to enjoy writing about the day and sending some e-mails.

Well, someone knocks on my door and here its Christina and 3 people I don't know summoning me to the party. There was no way I was going to spend my 21 birthday alone in my room. I would have protested, but the one guy was really big, so I grabbed a bag of badger clothing (thanks mom!) and headed out.

It was a very interesting group of people, many of them pilots for an organization here, and other foreigners from all over. Maybe there were 20 people or so and when the bags were passed out, it was definitely a gender switch. I ended up with a black skirt and tank top and some white beads and some sort of headwrap thing. I figured it out eventually.

The UN pilots showed up too and we had Indian music and they were dancing Indian style and we were sort of copying them and creating some sort of jumbled up confusion. I didn't dance much but it was all right anyways. As with all cross dressing events though, someone goes too far, so I just ignored those people. I don't think I'll go to all the parties that go on, but I'll probably catch a couple. There was lots of Coke and Fanta anyways, so it was a bonus.

All in all, it was a pretty sweet day thanks to the Man upstairs looking out for me and making sure I was fed well.

The Team is leaving...

Life continues in Goma as the Eastbrook team prepares to head back to Milwaukee. My roommate left yesterday and there is another person leaving on Saturday. I'm staying down here for at least a year, and then there are two people staying till around December, one staying a couple more months, and a couple people coming back that were gone in the states for a while. It is an ever changing landscape and there is always someone interesting to talk to.

The moringa planting has started. We are doing some trials of different things at Mawe Hai and will see what works the best. We have one trial that soaked the seeds overnight to speed germination, and the other trial just used dry seeds. Then we have each of those trials in soil and in pots to see which one grows best. All together there are close to 800 Moringa seeds planted. We also planted branches of Moringa to see what happens. The cuttings of the Moringa tree (from the guesthouse) are 50 cm long and we just stuck them into the ground and they are supposed to grow. I guess its called the Miracle Tree for a reason. That sounds pretty amazing to me.

Jo and Lyn will be leaving for the month of October, so while they're gone I'll be working on the Moringa project, the two other medicinal plants, and working on proposals for other projects, so it will be a good month I think. This next month might set up what I do for the rest of my time here, so I'm excited to see what happens.

Goma driving

Driving here is pretty interesting. The very few paved roads that exist
are ridden with not only pot holes, but also the occasional speed bump,
some of which rival those of the Philippines. And the road is used for
carts, motorcycles, people, bicycles, cars, and huge semi-like flatbed
trucks. There are times when there is barely a way through a huge
stretch of road because there are so many people, and when there are
cars going in opposite directions... well the people usually move after
beeping a few times but its still close. Some of the people here are
kind of crazy drivers, and the motorcyclists have a mind of their own.
And that is on the paved roads.

The majority of the roads are just paths over the lava with occasional
gravel filling in the low spots. They not only have potholes but also
odd shaped pieces of lava and softball sized rocks just laying in the
road. they are always there. I don't know if they are natural or
people just put them there because the road was too smooth before, but
they are pretty annoying. And the lava isn't smooth at all. There are
drop offs and all sorts of juts and holes. Needless to say driving is a
little different here than in the US, but not impossible.

I was getting kind of intimidated at the thought of driving here until
we rode with a taxi driver over the weekend. Unlike his New York
counterparts, this guy drove a van and was a safe driver. Not slow or
obnoxious, just safe, and I thought "hey, I could drive here if this guy
can." We had a lot in common (well, really not much at all that I know
about because he only spoke Swahili) at least when it came to driving,
and I was getting at ease a bit about driving. Although the stick shift
(all but one of the cars at HEAL) is still a bit intimidating given the
circumstances.

And I was fine driving. I knew I could handle it. I drove the other
day, but that was the only time so far, and then something happened to
boost my confidence even more.

Yesterday and today we rode to Mawe Hai with the same guy. I should
have known something was up when we were driving the automatic and we
were parked in front of a brick wall and instead of backing up he
lurches forward. Okay, the signs are in English and he's used to
French... yeah, I buy that. We're driving and the steering wheel is on
the right of the car, and we are driving more on the left side of the
road than the middle or the right like you are supposed to. I don't
understand that one. He drives really slow at unnecessary times, beeps
constantly, and when it comes to potholes and paths through the lava, he
misses all the little ones and just hits the big ones head on.

And then today... joy. We're leaving Mawe Hai and it is a steep,
coarse rock road (notice I said rock and not gravel). The tires are
balder than Dopey the dwarf, and we're going up (in a stick shift today)
and then we stop about two thirds of the way up. Instead of backing
down the hill and trying again from a better angle, he puts it into gear
on a hill and the car was moaning, but he got it into gear, we bumped
around not going anywhere and the tires were spinning like it was on
ice, and the car stalls. He puts his foot on the clutch and doesn't
break and I don't know if he was trying to back up and just wasn't used
to it or what, but the story ends with one tire off a 2 foot rock drop
off and we're not going anywhere.

We got out all right with pushing from me and like 6 guys, but with his
slaughtering of the car and the people inside, I decided I wouldn't mind
driving here, just not like him.

Moringa

So how does one plant on rock? Well, in pots of course. At least to start with. Today I went to Mawe Hai to make a planting bed for the Moringa. The lava rocks are used as a boarder around the planting area (a very good use of the rocks) and then we constructed the shade. The workers there had already done the posts (I'm not really sure how they managed to do that) and then Wilfrida and I made the shade. Wilfrida is going to be "in charge" of me, or will be my mentor as I learn what's going on.
To make shade mats you use small bamboo and two lines of twine about two and a half feet apart. The sticks for the bamboo are about three and a half feet long. The process involves tying a knot in the rope after each piece of bamboo is put down and it makes a rather nice shade cloth.
I made the mistake of looking at my hands (they didn't hurt, but I hadn't done work in a long time so I just changed how I was doing things) and then Wilfreda wanted to change jobs. She didn't say anything, but I knew she was doing it because she thought my hands were sore.
Once the posts and shade were made, and the area enclosed, the soil was brought in. We are going to try planting the moringa on the soil and in pots and see which one does better.
Oh, and I drove today. It was only for like 15 minutes, but it was all right. It was a gravel road for a while and then a dirt/lava road for a while and then a paved road (with pot holes). It was actually kind of fun. There were a gazillion more people than cars and the steering wheel was on the right (but we drive on the right too, there are just about a 50/50 mix left and right steering wheeled cars). I don't have my license yet, but It wasn't far and their weren't any police so it was all right. Pretty soon I'll be driving like the natives, weaving in and out of people and carts and being in general, crazy.

The Weekend

So pretty much the guest house looks like a resort the way it is. During the weekend though, when nobody has anything to do and we just hang around, it definitely looks like a resort. Saturday (because the team was here) we went around town a bit and saw a green volcanic lake (nothing cool, its just green because of algae) and then went to the market and a wood carving shop. Those last two were pretty cool and I can't wait till I learn some Swahili and I can talk to the people. And that was pretty much it. I know I went swimming like 3 different times and just relaxed, did some reading, and just had a very relaxing time. Almost too much so since I don't feel pressured during the week either. I almost felt like I was wasting time... almost.

Sunday was very cool. We went to the French service at the church and that was cool. The sermon was pretty good (translated) and I think once I learn a language here it will be very beneficial to go. After church everyone at the guest house went to a hotel where they had a buffet lunch. It was Mexican and very good. The stuffed peppers and grilled goat were particularly delicious. And after the buffet they served dinner at the guest house anyways. Granted it was like 5 hours later, but no one was hungry.

Once I know what's going on more and fall into a routine, I think the weekends will be great. I can go shopping, relax, sleep, swim, read, walk around, do nothing, etc... Everything is just slower here and I really like it.

What Josh is up to...

I know what I’ll be doing at least for part of my stay here. Lyn got a lot of Moringa seeds from a friend in Rwanda and she wants me to spearhead the Moringa production at Mawe Hai. The Moringa will be grown in pots with soil bought from either the banana plantation or the brewery (because Goma is built entirely on lava rock), and then they will be distributed to five communities. The communities are part of the Nehemiah projects that HEAL does (the Nehemiah projects are their community outreach programs that I don’t fully understand yet, but I’m working on it) and there are 10 core families in each area. The first run of the Moringa will be a trial run of 500 plants, half under shade cover and half not and then we can start planting more on a larger scale as soon as we see which is working best. Then the members of the five communities will be called to Mawe Hai and they will be trained in the uses, production, multiplication, and benefits of Moringa. A week or so after that (when they have had time to prepare for it, but not enough time to loose excitement) we will then take the plants into the communities and distribute them to the 10 families at each place.

And that will be the start of my work. After that, there are two other medicinal plants (Neem and Artemisia) that I’m supposed to look into and I’ll see where it goes from there. Lyn gave me a booklet to read called “Project Cycle Management” and it has to do with project management, starting projects, and planning stages that need to happen before projects are started. It also talks about logical frameworks and project proposals and summaries and so on. So when I get bored because the Moringa is just growing and nothing else is really going on, I can work on proposing another project that will be considered and if it is well thought out, probably approved. It’s pretty exciting to finally be using all the knowledge that I have been gaining for the last 3 years in college and years before that in readings.

So besides figuring out what I’ll be doing, how is life in Goma? Well, I’m staying at a walled compound and it is on a lake. The water is a little cool when you first jump in but you get used to it very quickly and swimming is a major part of the program. I would say at least every other day I jump in. When we eat we eat right next to the water. They have a sort of patio there and some shade and that is where most meals are. If its raining or really windy, then we move inside, but otherwise its outside in the fresh air perfumed by the huge flower garden (either with great smelling flowers, or fermenting crap that is used for fertilizer).

The generator goes off at 10 pm so unless I want to use lots of batteries or are good at doing stuff via candle light, or are blessed with sporadic city power, I pretty much go to bed around 10 every night. This is conducive to waking up early, like at 6 or 6:30am. Breakfast is at 8 which leaves plenty of time for Bible study and general laziness in the morning (they also play tennis at a hotel down the road from 6:30-7:30. I haven’t played yet, but I think my time will come). I usually catch a vehicle around 9 to go wherever I have to go, and then am on my way back around 4:30 or 5 at the latest. It’s not too bad at all.

So far during the day I’ve just been seeing things, but starting on Monday I’ll be working on the Moringa project. And if I never mentioned it before, Mawe Hai is a demonstration farm less than a half hour from the city.

Refugees

Goma has quite a few refugees right now. They have been coming in for a long time and only the most recent ones have made the news. They are all fleeing the fighting from Nkunda and the different armies that want him and his men destroyed. We visited a project of HEAL Africa’s where kids, many of them orphans or refugees, are put in a safe environment where they can share what their experiences are and other things that they think and fear and where they’ve come from:

I was in school when we first heard the gunshots. We all went out and went back to the village but already all the people were gone. My father, family, and I fled the village but the way was blocked by the military. We had 5 cots (sleeping mats) with us, but when the military saw us, they told us to leave the area and took our cots. There was nothing we could do and I was so scared because that was all we had.

I left the village with my mother and family and we had some food and other things with us. As we were walking we were stopped by the soldiers and they took our food and things and so we had nothing. Now we are here in Goma. My father before was a carpenter – he made furniture. Now he does nothing. My mother also does nothing. There is nothing to do. But I feel safer here than there. There is no war here.

The program has two groups of about 15 children each, but when the others see the children having fun, playing, and interacting with each other, they all want a part. They don’t say no to anyone so today with three foreigners watching, the crowd swelled as they played some local games, including a variation of tag. It was great to see the psychological and emotional healing going on, but there was so much that was not available to these kids. They are not in school, are malnourished, hungry, and don’t have much of anything. Some of the kids they actually have to encourage to play because its been so long since they have really played with other kids. I felt privileged to see that.