I tried two different providers in the 2 months I’ve been here, and they both sucked for different reasons. One had was so new and unpopular I could never get credit recharges from street vendors, and the other one was too expensive, so I ended up going with the same provider that everyone in my… Continue reading Congostyle phone activation
I was walking by the other day, on the same stretch of road where I took the picture of the goats and saw this gorgeous arrangement: a set of trash cans, metal barrels welded onto a metal post at various angles in primary colors on a background of a cement staircase that looks like… Continue reading congostyle garbage cans
Every country has a Pep Boys. It’s a one-stop automotive supply store when you run in to get windshield wipers, headlight bulbs, tchotchkes for your dashboard, floor mats. Franck, who I mentioned earlier, needed new windshield wipers before the rainy season started in earnest so while we were stopped to buy sand, he called over… Continue reading congostyle pep boys
sturdier than it looks.
One of the things I have most enjoyed in my new job as “consultant administrative engineer” (I just made that up) of the The Stars International School of Pointe-Noire has been getting to know names of students who have attended the school throughout its 11 years of existence.
I’m finally back in Congo after a one year absence and finding the place eventful, fun, full of opportunities for hard work, rife with entertaining stories and frustrating as ever with daily black-outs.
Pointe-Noire is a city of taxis. I remember flying into Pointe-Noire’s Aghostino Neto airport in January of 2005 and as we flew in, I could see the shore, the grey waters of the Atlantic, swirling into mud at the shore, and the lush mango and palm trees, the dusty cite and its meander of streets,… Continue reading Pointe-Noire taxis
You know you’re in Africa when… The DJ plays Milli Vanilli and it’s not an attempt at sarcasm or a remix with wicked beats. It’s straight-up, cheesy-ass, lip-synching, Milli-freaking-Vanilli. I went out partying with a couple of friends last night. We drove into the cite at 11 PM, and headed first to a fantastic… Continue reading Milli Vanilli
My home is strange and dysfunctional and I love it, unquestionably, to death. It’s like a crazy aunt who says irreverent things at all the wrong times, but who is fun to be around, and without whom holiday dinners are just a bore. By now you already know about the intermittent electricity. Unexpectedly, we’ve had… Continue reading Tokens of home
Even the hellish travel experience is no damper on how nice it is to be home. They paved the roads of Pointe-Noire which was a major shocker to me. Most of the streets were dirt roads before, and lots of them were dirt roads covered in thick layers of sand–we’re by the ocean. There are… Continue reading being home
So, after I arrived in Brazzaville and got to the waiting area for my last flight, along with our dearest family friend Emile, we realized our plane had been canceled. The Congolese Government had requisitioned our noon plane and we ended up waiting from 10:30 AM to 6:30 PM for the plane to return. Omar… Continue reading Waiting in the southern hemisphere
Just keep in mind the following experience is made about 75% more pleasant by the fact it’s taking place in one of the three months of our “dry season”, or the closest thing Congo gets to winter, which means a cool 25 degrees Celsius and dry weather as opposed to 35 degree beating down heat… Continue reading Arriving in Brazzaville
I was at OSH again today to pick up another brackets for my hummingbird feeder. They’re coming up to my balcony now that the finches have found their feeder. With the hummingbirds, the finches and the squirrels, I’m turning into a regular Snow White! Who says there isn’t wildlife in LA? Anyway. I figured out… Continue reading the weather men
Congostyle is everywhere in Congo. Witness the latest photo from Nic’s Flickr set : “that’s an american plug taped to a normal electrical cable used as an adapter!!”
I don’t know why this picture makes me laugh. Tommy always has one eye open when Nic’s around (smart dog). Mom was probably not excited at all about the puppy being in the fridge, but Nic is too funny. I love how the dog is just chillin’ (hehe) rolling with it. Taking a nap.
My neighbor moved out this past weekend and decided to throw the couch over the balcony since it was going into the trash anyway. That was so congostyle and random that I asked them to wait so I could film it:
Can you tell I’m looking forward to going home? The pictures and posts from Nic are getting me so excited! This is the latest one that I love…this girl in the plane asked him for his sweater because she was cold. I. love. my. people.
I love this bag, and I’ve kept it for a couple of months and yesterday, I finally found a cool use for it: earring canvas!
In case you think you’re not reading right, it says “I killed a rat tonight!!” And he’s being literal.
The Three-Legged Duck 