I think I would get bored if our lives were ever normal........ yup pretty sure I would!
Today is a day to record in the history books.
First things first.............. I drove today WOOT WOOT WOOT, happy dance inserted right here!
I have not driven since leaving Calgary just about 7 weeks ago. Evan and I received our drivers licenses today and I drove home from work! Now doesn't sound like a big deal but it really is, driving is CRAZY out this way. No rules, no lines, no lights, no stop signs, no shoulders, just traffic in every direction and people walking out into the middle of the road. As much fun as it was to drive and drive standard at that it is totally sensory overload! It will get better when we get used to it!
Also we got to experience a little unrest in Kinshasa today. I was supposed to teach this afternoon from 1-2. Freddie dropped me off at the club and I walked into a completely empty clinic and studio....no one in sight!
Called Evan who was with Freddie to come back and get me, so Freddie left Evan at the Western Union and came and got me.
On our way to get Evan my phone rings and Evan is calling saying that he couldn't get out of the Western Union until now because they locked everyone who was inside in and everyone who was outside out. There was a huge protest march happening down the main boulevard in Kinshasa, hundreds of people marching and singing. After we picked up Evan we had to head to yet another Western Union and from behind us you could see tear gas going off to break up the protest.
I got home that afternoon and opened my e-mail to find a mass e-mail being sent out to everyone who works at UN, us-aid and a couple of the other larger companies that a lot of ex-patriots work for stating that they are not recommending any unnecessary travel into the city due to tear gas and shots fired.
I still went to work but no one else showed up........ oh well!
We are all safe and sound, as crazy as it sounds I thought is was a pretty cool experience and never once worried about our safety.
All in a days work.
2 comments:
Thanks for all your posts and gald you guys are still safe. That is awesome that you get to drive now. Hope things are getting easier for you out there. I had a few questions for you the other day, but now I can't remember what they are. I will have to ask them another time.
Sounds like a regular Mel type day :)
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