CONGO

Kigali was a very nice city. Once we had felt as though we felt it out we had two choices:... start to work our way back to Kampala, the capital of Uganda, where we would catch a flight to Tanzania in order to catch our flight home, or spend the last precious days of our trip journying deeper into the heart of central Africa. Anyone who knows me knows the decision that we made. We hopped on a bus that took us three ours west, into the haert of the jungle, western Rwanda. The scenery kept getting more and more beautiful and the signs of westernization and the quality of the road became less and less. As mentioned, Rwanda is simply a continous chain of steep tall hills in every direction. You see terraced landscapes and mud huts built into the hillside. We arrived in Gisenyi, a Rwandan city on the edge of Lake Kivu, the second largest in Africa, and also bordering Goma, one of the most dangerous cities in the DR Congo, which, of course, is one of the most dangerous countries in the world. Arriving in Goma we walked around, acquanted ourselves with the town and grabbed some fries on the beach. It was about time to connect with a local. We met a man from the Congo on the beach trying to sell wooden African Masks. We turned down the masks( later we got one), but I asked him about the Congo. The wheels were turing. I asked him if he would be willing to serve as a guide. His english was limited and I did not totally trust his eyes, but he was the best we had. He turned us down, but said he had a friend. We did not even think that he fully understood our request so we went on our way. While we were diving off a dock into the lake with some locals he caught up with us and introduced us to Patrick. He was gold. I trusted his eyes and his english was really good. Very successful, relative to the area, and just solid through and through. We chatted and established a plan. That afternoon he took us to his village on the top of one of the neighboring hills. AMAZING. THe village was basically made out of mud, surrounded by jungle. We got a tour of their bannana farms and the other crops that they grew. He took us up to the top where we experienced one of the most beautiful views of my life. The huge Congolese Volcano in the background. We tried to explore a cove but were prevented by the army... a killer afternoon. This morning we woke up early. I removed my ring and my watch. We took a camera and nothing else. I carefully counted my money to make sure that we had just the right ammount of money to make it across the border and for transport within. We hid our money in our shoes and pockets and belt. We jumped on the back of a couple bicycles (Gisenyi's tai service), Nelson, Patrick and Myself, and we headed into the one of the most dangerous cities in one of the most dangerous countries in the world. Why did we go?... just had to see what it was all about. THe night before we had talked to several local, who themselves told us that it was very dangerous and that we should not take the trek lightly. We were a little sketched, but similar to the feeling as you here the thunder right before a class five rapid. Crossing the border seemed normal and stable enough. A couple minutes into the country we heard an explosion!... here we go, I tought Turns out that it was just an exploding tire. We proceeded with caution, just slipping our camera out for a second to snap a sho then straight back into our pockets. After we had been there some time we relaxed. It seemed normal. Normal people doing normal things. You imagine the "congo" as a place were only unaccountable craziness happens, but isn't that just the way it always goes. Until you have experience, we fear something and villanize ad mythacize an area. The people were good and kind. We hired a car for a couple hours and drove all over Goma. We went as far west as we could go.. driving down jungle roads, when the driver stopped and turned around. I was confused and wanted to go further. He was determined, like a dog who haults for danger when its master in oblivious. Turns out that any further down that raod and we face severe danger. Ok... lets turn around. Everywhere we go, I have been checking the exhorbitant prices of electronics, as I have been contemplating business as well as humanitarian assisstence as well this journey. Lastly we made it to the camp. This is a huge refugee camp for refugees of norther Congo. Most of us do not know that there has been a mass killing over the last couple years, very similar to the nature of Darfur, but it dwarfs both Darfur and Rwanda conmibed, over two million dead. There is a reason that we don't hear about it. Sad. SO the ones that escape walk for miles and miles and miles to get away from the bullets. They live on top of each other in straw-like structures covered by a tarp. They do nothing. They wait for their month rations of beans and corn and then they cook it in the ovens they have made from mud. I have never seen anything like this. It was my first refugee camp experience, and my heart went out. Like most of the places that I go, I created a mental map of the things that I would do differently if I were in charge such projects. There is so much that could be done that would take no money and little effort, in order to drastically improve the quality of lives. It seems that the World groups are content to keep them alive and that's about it. THousands and THousands populated the camp and we were able to meet and talk to many, through our french translator. It was raining, which seemed appropriate, to get the whole congo experience, and we made our way back to the border. We arrived safely home( home being Rwanda). It is funny how quickly a place can assume "home status." Congo, check. We have nailed five countries this journey and have learned more than could be imaginable. Everything else from here is downhill. We board a bus a four in the morning tomorrow, to Kigali, three hours. Then a ten hour bus back into Uganda to Kampala. Half a day there then onto Entebbe, also Uganda, for our flight to Dar es Saalam in Tanzania. A night there, then on the plane for London. An evening and night there then back to LAX, for a bitter sweet arrival. I really miss home. I miss my fam and the life that I know so well. But I will surely miss Athuman, Mwana, Washington, Jane, Dida, Patrick and all the others we have come to love so much. I will miss the adventures and the uncertainty. I will miss the freedom to fly like a bird and spend hours on a bus just thinking and raeding. I will miss the time that I have had to imagine and dream. I will miss Africa. Africa is better than you would ever imagine it to be. Africa is worse than you could possibly imagine. It is a land where the lizards and the thorns and the bird are unbelievabley huge. The plants are all either poisonous or life saving, and the snakes can take you six feet under in twenty minutes. Diseases and poverty abound. It is not a place for the faint hearted. But the people are wonderful. We can learn a lot from them. The way that they work directly with the flow of nature. The way that they take care of each other. The way that they struggle and the way that they survive. You cannot imagine their stories, they make us look like whimps of the most extreme. I am so grateful for the life changing opportunity to travel through the dark continent and expereince the university of Africa. Africa needs our attention, and in a way, each of us need Africa. When some one needs your help and you reach out a helping hand, who benifits? This is one world. We are one family. Whether from a religous or anthropological perspective, we all share one common mother and one father. You have brothers and sisters who are waiting for us to understand the family ties.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. I promise to have all my pics up within a week on my photobucket account, keep an eye on my blog for details, I promise they will be worthwhile. I will upated my blog as I progress in building SCHAP, my non-profit org that I have hand sculpted to accurately and effectivley empower the capable. So many lives can be saved and enhanced by smaller means than you would believe. Contact me @ coryglazier@gmail.com if you would like any further information about SCHAP. By small means, great and marvelous things come to pass... yeah, by very small means.