Leaving Kinshasa
Greetings from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I arrived in the US on Sunday, aching in all sorts of ways I had not imagined.
The week before I left Kinshasa, after maintaining good health for the entire year, I spent a few days sick. And it was hard to get better while running around. Perhaps my illness was a reminder to take care of myself. I also spent the last 8 days without electricity (including running water) at the house where I was living. The longest spell of my stay, but still a situation that the vast majority of Kinois would consider mild when service frequently disappears for months at a time.
And then there was the traffic. The road to the airport was incredible on Saturday. I left at 6 pm and arrived after 9 pm (for what should be less than 1 hour on the road). It was incredible. Thankfully a friend was in the car with me--having someone there to talk to took the edge off the stress of being incredible late. I did not arrive at the airport until nearly 30 minutes after the plane was schedule to depart. I was the last (or perhaps second to last) passenger to board. Peter, the US Embassy expediter, did a great job. I arrived with no boarding pass but went right to the gate anyway and they had the boarding pass there waiting for me. And in Kinshasa, by gate I mean tarmac. You walk across the runway and up the stairs. And after breaking through the traffic jam (around Quartier 1 in Ndjili) the driver was going well over 100 mph to get me there. And he did a good job. I mean there was really not a minute to spare. The driver said it was one of the worst traffic jams he had ever seen. We were completely blocked in… First we ere stuck behind the gas station at Salongo, then on Université. Then we made it out to Echangeur ok through some backroads, but got caught again on Boulevard Lumumba, which is the sole road to the airport. Blocked in completely. Wow. But, I sat in my seat on the flight at Ndjili Airport, perspiring and breathing heavily and saying goodbye to people on my cell phone until the flight attendant asked me to turn it off mid-conversation.
The week before I left Kinshasa, after maintaining good health for the entire year, I spent a few days sick. And it was hard to get better while running around. Perhaps my illness was a reminder to take care of myself. I also spent the last 8 days without electricity (including running water) at the house where I was living. The longest spell of my stay, but still a situation that the vast majority of Kinois would consider mild when service frequently disappears for months at a time.
And then there was the traffic. The road to the airport was incredible on Saturday. I left at 6 pm and arrived after 9 pm (for what should be less than 1 hour on the road). It was incredible. Thankfully a friend was in the car with me--having someone there to talk to took the edge off the stress of being incredible late. I did not arrive at the airport until nearly 30 minutes after the plane was schedule to depart. I was the last (or perhaps second to last) passenger to board. Peter, the US Embassy expediter, did a great job. I arrived with no boarding pass but went right to the gate anyway and they had the boarding pass there waiting for me. And in Kinshasa, by gate I mean tarmac. You walk across the runway and up the stairs. And after breaking through the traffic jam (around Quartier 1 in Ndjili) the driver was going well over 100 mph to get me there. And he did a good job. I mean there was really not a minute to spare. The driver said it was one of the worst traffic jams he had ever seen. We were completely blocked in… First we ere stuck behind the gas station at Salongo, then on Université. Then we made it out to Echangeur ok through some backroads, but got caught again on Boulevard Lumumba, which is the sole road to the airport. Blocked in completely. Wow. But, I sat in my seat on the flight at Ndjili Airport, perspiring and breathing heavily and saying goodbye to people on my cell phone until the flight attendant asked me to turn it off mid-conversation.
posted by irad at 1:24 PM
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