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It was one week ago that I took off from Brazzaville on a 31-hour return trip to the United States. Since last Friday evening I have been back in North Carolina, surrounded by countless comforts and luxuries that I hadn't known or seen for more than four months. Hot water, refrigerators, ovens, air conditioning and central heating, paned windows, and more. I'm also returned to the land of droves of cars and endless traffic. There's also the fast food, and with that I'm shocked to see how many obese people I was able to see during the midday rush at McDonald's. I can't help but admit these are my first impressions after having left the country for only a few months. 


We certainly live the 'good life' here in the US. I'm privileged to enjoy it myself. In Brazzaville I met a lot of friends who did all they could to make the most of the life they had and the conditions in which they found themselves. I'm older now and hopefully wiser than I was four years ago when I first traveled to Senegal. I realize now the slight discomfort I feel isn't a wholesale judgment of the society and the culture in which I was raised. Things here are just... different. Time is different, money is different. Relationships and careers are different. 


My four months in the Congo has helped me realize I have a gift for seeing these differences and for adapting my behavior and actions. Whether I'm in Brazzaville of Pinehurst, it has also reinforced the importance of making the most of one's time and energy. Even the 'good life' can be misused and lost, if we so wish. 

$170/month

That's the price AZUR pays for dial-up internet that, for the past two months, continues to become slower and slower. With three or four colleagues online at once there is a virtual logjam where no one is able to navigate without cutting someone else's connection. 

$170/month. That's almost equal to the rent AZUR pays for the house where we all work. 

The Congo and other countries in the region are in the process of building a new underground fiber-optic network that will connect to the rest of the world. I know very little about the trans-atlantic fiber-optic cable or any others for that matter, but it basically means that in a few years' time the Congo will have better quality and faster internet for its customers, which in theory should lead to an increase in demand and lower prices. In theory. 

Fourth of July at the American Embassy

Yesterday evening I attended an event hosted by the American Embassy in Brazzaville in the celebration of our national holiday. My boss Sylvie had received an invitation from the Embassy for herself and a guest, though she wasn’t feeling well enough yesterday afternoon to attend the party. So this ‘guest’ grabbed the invitation and took off for the party.

I am constantly intrigued and impressed by how well the security is coordinated at such events, and at the Embassy in general. As I approached by taxi the avenue leading to the Embassy the entire road had been blocked and there were several armed Congolese Special Forces stationed in front of the barricade. I descended from the taxi and was directed to an off-site shuttle that would take me to the Embassy entrance: walking to the front gate was not an option.

After exiting the security building, I was immediately ushered into a line to shake hands with the Ambassador and his wife. I was rather excited and nervous to be able to finally meet the Ambassador, though the introduction was fairly brief. The party was outdoors on the lawn beside the Embassy, with a large tent and outdoor bars and high-top tables. There were string lights and miniature American flags everywhere. The catering was the best I have seen in the Congo, in terms of cleanliness, friendliness of the servers and the quality of the drinks. (Seriously, I’ve had some less than pleasant experiences.) Still, there was no tonic water and at one point I was given vodka and coke instead of whiskey and coke. I eventually settled for a lukewarm gin and soda. The music at the party was, in a word, awesome: Beach Boys, Cheap Trick, Skynyrd, Otis Redding and other classics. The national anthem was performed by an American gospel quarter visiting the Congo and followed by another group singing the Congolese national anthem, which, I have to admit, was pretty catchy. There were even two Marines stationed in Kinshasa who came to the event to walk and hoist the flag.

Towards the end of the evening I found a few minutes to chat with the Ambassador. He asked me about my experience thus far in the Congo and told me he was pleased, if not a bit surprised, to see a young American involved to the degree that I am here in Brazzaville. The Ambassador was familiar with AZUR Développement and the association’s prior work in collaboration with the Embassy.

Alas, there were no fireworks to cap off the evening, but between the open bar, classic rock and meeting the Ambassador and other consular officers, it was a memorable Fourth of July.