Today, I met my friend from AZ at the airport, and he had a 65lb suitcase full of candy, cereal, cleaning wipes, and Halloween stuff--all for us! It was just like Christmas when the kids got home from school. My personal favorite, was a 5lb bag of Good 'N Plenty! The best part about this, is that I'm the only one that likes these, so they're all for me!
Our excitement for tonight was an infestation of termites! At least that's what I think they were. We were all just hanging out, and all of the sudden started seeing little bugs crawling across the floor. Dustin killed them with the fly swatter, but no sooner had he done that, then we saw more. There did not seem to be any rhyme or reason to where they were coming from--we were finding them everywhere. Jensen is extremely bug-a-phobic, so while Dustin was swatting the bugs, and I was vacuuming them up, Jensen was standing on the couch screaming everytime she saw one move. After awhile, it seemed that I saw a large concentration of them coming from the garage. They were coming in under the door. So, I stood there with the vacuum in "suck" mode, and sucked them up as they came under the door. Then I sprayed the doorway with bug spray, and then used my handy dandy packing tape, and proceeded to tape up the entire door. I did this to all 3 of our doors, and this seems to have stopped them from coming in for now. There's a billion of them all over our front porch--mostly all dead. I think the rain has something to do with them showing up all of the sudden.
Speaking of rain, rainy season has hit--hard! Yesterday, we had an extreme storm with thunder, lightning, strong wind, and pouring rain. It sounded like our roof was going to fall in, and I thought our fence was going to blow over. It went on like this for about 45 minutes, then stopped, and when you looked outside, you could hardly tell it had rained. Well, it started up again about an hour later, though not quite so long, or so forceful. Then, it started again at about 9:00 PM, and one more hit at about 3:00 AM. It has rained now everyday since Saturday. I think the rainy season is here to stay! Unfortunately, our poor dog Kami, is not handling rainy season very well. She was so scared yesterday that she just paced around the house, shaking, and with her tail between her legs. No amount of comforting helped her. I'm not sure she will make it through 6 months of this. I may need to consider getting her some anti-anxiety medication. If anyone has any suggestions about dealing with a storm-phobic dog (and a bug-phobic daughter), let me know!
Laurie
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Our visit to the mine site
A termite mound at the mine site.
The new homes that Bill's company built when they relocated some of the villages.
The old homes at the village of Fungurume.
At the "green wall".
The bananas off our tree!
Hi everyone,
This weekend we all went up to the mine site where Bill works, called Tenke Fungurume. It is named after the villages that are there. We flew up Friday afternoon on the company plane (seats about 12 people). It is about a 30 minute plane ride.
It is beautiful up here—very green! This morning, when we walked out of our room, the first thing that we all said was that it reminded us of the Lair. For those of you that don’t know what the Lair is, it’s a family camp in Northern California that we go to every year—very beautiful and green.
This morning we went up to the “green wall”. This is an area of the mine site that is so full of copper that the little hills look green. We all had fun picking up pieces of copper.
This afternoon we drove to an area of the mine called Kwateabala, where we picked up gorgeous pieces of malachite and copper. You can’t believe how much there was. The area we went to had just been blasted with dynamite, so there were many pieces just lying all over the ground. This was the best part of the trip for the kids—they really enjoyed running all over the place picking up the copper. Bill and I enjoyed it too. We all had to wear safety vests, hard hats, and safety goggles.
After that, we drove through some of the local villages here. Bill’s company has had to relocate some of these villages to different areas, but when they did the relocation, they built new housing, medical facilities, and schools for the relocated people. The houses they have built for them are not nice by our standards, but certainly a huge improvement from what they had. The houses they had were literally 4 wood poles with a straw roof—no actual walls. The new houses they have are made of brick. Additionally, Bill’s company employs many of the people from the villages. Apparently there is some squabbling between tribes. One tribe believes that the company is hiring more people from another tribe, than from their own tribe. There is someone from Bill’s company that is supposed to be making sure things stay even between the tribes, but I’m not sure how even things actually stay.
Another interesting thing that we noted about the villages and all the areas around the mine site is the way they do their farming. They plant all their gardens/crops up the sides of hills—not just small little hills, but hills that none of us would even want to climb, let alone farm on them. I’m not sure of the reasoning for this. It may have something to do with all the rain they get here, or it may have something to do with the space they have available. Bill was not sure of the reason either.
The other thing we noted was all the termite mounds. There are tons of them, all over the place, and they are huge! These things are so huge that trees grow out the tops of them!
This weekend we all went up to the mine site where Bill works, called Tenke Fungurume. It is named after the villages that are there. We flew up Friday afternoon on the company plane (seats about 12 people). It is about a 30 minute plane ride.
It is beautiful up here—very green! This morning, when we walked out of our room, the first thing that we all said was that it reminded us of the Lair. For those of you that don’t know what the Lair is, it’s a family camp in Northern California that we go to every year—very beautiful and green.
This morning we went up to the “green wall”. This is an area of the mine site that is so full of copper that the little hills look green. We all had fun picking up pieces of copper.
This afternoon we drove to an area of the mine called Kwateabala, where we picked up gorgeous pieces of malachite and copper. You can’t believe how much there was. The area we went to had just been blasted with dynamite, so there were many pieces just lying all over the ground. This was the best part of the trip for the kids—they really enjoyed running all over the place picking up the copper. Bill and I enjoyed it too. We all had to wear safety vests, hard hats, and safety goggles.
After that, we drove through some of the local villages here. Bill’s company has had to relocate some of these villages to different areas, but when they did the relocation, they built new housing, medical facilities, and schools for the relocated people. The houses they have built for them are not nice by our standards, but certainly a huge improvement from what they had. The houses they had were literally 4 wood poles with a straw roof—no actual walls. The new houses they have are made of brick. Additionally, Bill’s company employs many of the people from the villages. Apparently there is some squabbling between tribes. One tribe believes that the company is hiring more people from another tribe, than from their own tribe. There is someone from Bill’s company that is supposed to be making sure things stay even between the tribes, but I’m not sure how even things actually stay.
Another interesting thing that we noted about the villages and all the areas around the mine site is the way they do their farming. They plant all their gardens/crops up the sides of hills—not just small little hills, but hills that none of us would even want to climb, let alone farm on them. I’m not sure of the reasoning for this. It may have something to do with all the rain they get here, or it may have something to do with the space they have available. Bill was not sure of the reason either.
The other thing we noted was all the termite mounds. There are tons of them, all over the place, and they are huge! These things are so huge that trees grow out the tops of them!
Now we are on our way home—we just stayed for one night. The company plane does not fly on the weekends, so we are driving home. The drive home is about 3 hours, though it used to be 4. Bill’s company has paved much of the road between the mine site and Lubumbashi, so this has cut down on the driving time. Though even with the work Bill’s company has done on the roads, they still are quite bumpy.
Okay, we just saw the grossest thing! As you drive through little villages, you see people on the side of the road selling things, such as fruits and vegetables. Well, guess what we just saw people selling? You absolutely will not believe it! Young boys were selling cooked rats on a stick! Apparently, there used to be elephants and other animals roaming the area, but during the war, they were all killed off for food. Well now, the only animals left to kill (and eat!) are rats! Is that the sickest thing you have ever heard? We asked our driver if they were good, and he said, “yes”! Ewwwww! Too gross! Apparently, in this area, if you ask for a 6 pack, rather than getting beer, you will get 6 rats on a stick!
Okay, on that note, I think I will end this. However, I did want to add one more thing. Many of you may have been watching the news in the last few days, and may have seen that there is fighting going on in the Congo. This is quite a distance from us, and our security people are on top of it. They did send us out a security bulletin (I’ll try to include it here) that told us to go about our normal business. The only precaution they told us to take was to stay away from MONUC buildings and vehicles, which I have learned is the U.N. Anyway, I didn’t want anyone to worry about us over here. We are all doing fine, and are safe!
Okay, we just saw the grossest thing! As you drive through little villages, you see people on the side of the road selling things, such as fruits and vegetables. Well, guess what we just saw people selling? You absolutely will not believe it! Young boys were selling cooked rats on a stick! Apparently, there used to be elephants and other animals roaming the area, but during the war, they were all killed off for food. Well now, the only animals left to kill (and eat!) are rats! Is that the sickest thing you have ever heard? We asked our driver if they were good, and he said, “yes”! Ewwwww! Too gross! Apparently, in this area, if you ask for a 6 pack, rather than getting beer, you will get 6 rats on a stick!
Okay, on that note, I think I will end this. However, I did want to add one more thing. Many of you may have been watching the news in the last few days, and may have seen that there is fighting going on in the Congo. This is quite a distance from us, and our security people are on top of it. They did send us out a security bulletin (I’ll try to include it here) that told us to go about our normal business. The only precaution they told us to take was to stay away from MONUC buildings and vehicles, which I have learned is the U.N. Anyway, I didn’t want anyone to worry about us over here. We are all doing fine, and are safe!
SECURITY / SÉCURITÉ
Information bulletin / Bulletin d’information
Situation in Eastern DRC / Situation dans l’est de la RDC
(29-10-08)
In the last few days, fighting has intensified between FARDC (Congolese Army) and General Nkunda’s rebel group CNDP (Congrès National pour la Défense du Peuple). Most of the fighting is happening North of GOMA, the provincial capital of North Kivu. The army base of Rumanbago and the city of Rutshuru (60 km north of Goma) were recaptured by Nkunda’s troops.
It is estimated that 200 000 IDP (Internally Displaced Person) were fleeing the combat zone.
MONUC has pledged to defend GOMA and the international community is actively seeking ways to stop the violence and force Nkunda to withdraw.
Late yesterday, while his troops were rapidly advancing into Goma outskirt, Nkunda announced a ceasefire. It is not clear if his troop will withdraw north. We should see more clearly later in the day.
At this stage, there is no indication that fighting will erupt in other part of the country. In most area, including Katanga, it is business as usual.
In the last few days, MONUC has been accused of not doing enough to restore peace and has been the target of violent demonstrations in GOMA. This may spread elsewhere in the country. Consequently, be cautious when in proximity of MONUC locations or vehicles.
Security is closely monitoring the situation and any negative developments will be promptly broadcasted to all employees.
There is no requirement to change your work and living habits. However, current events are a good reminder that the situation remains volatile and basic security measures must be applied. It is also a good time to discuss basic security issues with your family.
Don’t hesitate to contact security for any questions you may have.
Information bulletin / Bulletin d’information
Situation in Eastern DRC / Situation dans l’est de la RDC
(29-10-08)
In the last few days, fighting has intensified between FARDC (Congolese Army) and General Nkunda’s rebel group CNDP (Congrès National pour la Défense du Peuple). Most of the fighting is happening North of GOMA, the provincial capital of North Kivu. The army base of Rumanbago and the city of Rutshuru (60 km north of Goma) were recaptured by Nkunda’s troops.
It is estimated that 200 000 IDP (Internally Displaced Person) were fleeing the combat zone.
MONUC has pledged to defend GOMA and the international community is actively seeking ways to stop the violence and force Nkunda to withdraw.
Late yesterday, while his troops were rapidly advancing into Goma outskirt, Nkunda announced a ceasefire. It is not clear if his troop will withdraw north. We should see more clearly later in the day.
At this stage, there is no indication that fighting will erupt in other part of the country. In most area, including Katanga, it is business as usual.
In the last few days, MONUC has been accused of not doing enough to restore peace and has been the target of violent demonstrations in GOMA. This may spread elsewhere in the country. Consequently, be cautious when in proximity of MONUC locations or vehicles.
Security is closely monitoring the situation and any negative developments will be promptly broadcasted to all employees.
There is no requirement to change your work and living habits. However, current events are a good reminder that the situation remains volatile and basic security measures must be applied. It is also a good time to discuss basic security issues with your family.
Don’t hesitate to contact security for any questions you may have.
Oh yeah—Happy Halloween! They don’t celebrate Halloween here, so my kids were a little sad yesterday. However, next week, we are having a Halloween party for all the American kids, so they’ll still get to have some fun. Many families are out of town this week, which is why we are doing the party next week.
One more thing. When we got home, our guard told us that our banana tree had fallen down during the storm. The whole tree did not fall, but the huge bunch of bananas that was on the tree fell. This was actually not a bad thing, as I wasn’t sure how we were going to get them down. I took a picture so you could see the bananas! They’re all green now, but I hope they will ripen up.
Will write again soon!
Laurie
One more thing. When we got home, our guard told us that our banana tree had fallen down during the storm. The whole tree did not fall, but the huge bunch of bananas that was on the tree fell. This was actually not a bad thing, as I wasn’t sure how we were going to get them down. I took a picture so you could see the bananas! They’re all green now, but I hope they will ripen up.
Will write again soon!
Laurie
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