John and I are nearing 8 weeks in Congo. It's amazing to me what has and hasn't happened. I've never lived anywhere this long without a residence- this is like the entire duration of my summer camp without unpacking- a little unbelievable. The upside is that when we do move into our place it will be the most wonderful place we've ever lived. I love the neighborhood- it is so quiet and residential bordered by only one main street so there is no thru-traffic.
Yesterday, we took a long walk from where we are staying all the way to where we will be living- perhaps an hours walk. On the way, we decided to stop in at the tennis club- the one with the kid's pool and playground that we had applied for when we first arrived. We had to take down a sign we'd posted looking for used furniture and appliances anyway (though the sign did us well- through it we have completely furnished our house :-) ) and so I just happened to ask a guy working there about when the next meeting would be. Turns out we'd already been accepted, just no one had called us- so that was an exciting moment. There is a baby club there on Wednesday mornings and I think it's possible that there are kid's trikes to use on this little track they have. I'll post pictures eventually (we're still having our camera problem so I'll try to borrow someone else's this week).
We may be going to Pointe Noire this week- if our visas are returned to us (it's been 4 weeks). If we do go we'll be able to meet with BREAD's microfinance coordinator for the city (though she's on maternity leave). That should really help us with understanding the work of BREAD. We'd also be bringing back our dog, Bruiser (he's a german shepherd too- have I mentioned our hope of puppies?). We will look at a 1998 Toyota Prado that is for sale there too- if we get a good price we might buy it and ship it up to Brazzaville (and stuff it with goods that are cheaper in Pointe Noire). And, to top it off- we'll do a little site-seeing while we're there- maybe a chimpanzee reserve and the beach. Should be a good 4-5 days if we can do it.
The thing I like best about the idea of going now to Pointe Noire is that when we get back we'll be able to move into our house (I think), so we could settle down a bit. Otherwise, we'll be moving in and then going to Pointe Noire next month, along with Sibiti- the other site of project activities.
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