Category Archives: Ch. 1: Africa
Home, Sweet Home
A little over two months and 20 lbs later (yes, out of Africa with too much food and alcohol around…I’ve started rock climbing and doing hot yoga to ahem, slim down), I’m preparing to move to London for a Master’s … Continue reading
Sleeping In Stairwells, Couchsurfing and Lajumies Out of Africa
Early morning sun, birds chirping and that beginning of summer chill–would have been another lovely start to the day if I hadn’t spent the whole night out for the umpteenth day in a row. Realizing I had left my keys … Continue reading
Return to the “Big Bad City”
Jolted awake, my first thoughts were, “OH MY GOD I’M GOING TO DIE.” This quickly changed to relief when I peered out the window and realized the plane was only landing at another city before reaching Kinshasa. Earlier that morning … Continue reading
Back To Kinshasa Part II: Chicken eggs, thunderstorms and village children
Children ran naked in puddles as the rain bore down and turned the dirt roads into rivers. Hit by a sudden thunderstorm, my two drivers and I watching forlornly as the motorbikes (and my bags!) were getting soaked through. Beneath … Continue reading
Whirlwind Journey Back to Kinshasa Part I: You Have to Go…Now
Mash-room, Mash-room, Mash-room, the teenage boys accompanying me on my last Sunday walk on May 22nd to Ndele were chanting this new word incessantly. I had shown off earlier, pointing to a bright red fruit one was eating and said … Continue reading
Today I learned Bonobos are Teases…
Being woken up by a thunderstorm around midnight is usually one of my favorite feelings: the wind blowing, the flashing of lights, rain falling on the rooftops and knowing I have several hours left of sleep. But on this particular … Continue reading
YumYum.
It’s strange the things you miss after awhile—particularly foods—and how this effects your olfactory sense. I could have sworn I caught a whiff of waffle cones while walking through the forest which naturally made me think of peppermint ice cream…leading … Continue reading
Are you achin’ for some bacon?
“Madame, look me,” whispered my Congolese guide for the morning, Gideon. This translated into “Wait here, don’t move.” Left on a steep hill hidden among the duff and tucked beneath a decaying tree trunk, I felt embarrassingly like a newborn … Continue reading
Bees and Bonobos
Less then half a day after hiking into Iyema with barely any sleep, I found myself up at 320AM and speed walking in the dark after the Congolese pisteurs and The PhD to arrive at the bonobo nest sites before … Continue reading
