Au Revoir RDC

So our time in the DRC came and went rather quickly. Strange to say that considering I've never seen my life move more slowly. I was even noticing one day when I was walking to the kitchen to do something, and even my pace to the kitchen was brutally slow. Life just seems to move slower. We honestly spent the majority of the time cooking, reading, eating, planning meals, and sleeping. Erick was busy in a training so there really wasn't much opportunity to get out.

After many days of not doing much, we planned out our last day. We were going to start in the morning at Kikula market, looking for fabrics and any other DRC treats. We were then going to visit the care centre in the afternoon and do home visits with the care workers. Yes, a well-planned day. Thom will get a nice community experience. And then Will and Thom woke up very ill. They lied around all day and decided they weren't well enough to carry out the plan. So Todd, Katie, and I did. We didn't spend long in the market, which was unfortunate. I love the markets. I could spend hours looking at fabrics. It feels like a bookstore to me; I'm scared if I leave before I look at everything, I'll miss a treasure. But I had to hurry on. But I did have time to stop and buy a Congolese Moo-Moo. So sweet. We walked to the care centre and were greeted warmly by the kids. This is the same community I blogged about earlier. It was so special to be there again. I was amazed to see the kids remember the songs we sang with them that last day. The English songs. I think the most beautiful part of that place is just the community the kids have formed. Parentless, some abandoned, children. The centre is a safe place for them to come together and be together. They know each other's names, they know where one another is if not at the centre. They eat together, play together, sing together, pray together. It's a really beautiful thing to be a part of.

We decided we needed to get Thom and Will tested for Malaria so arranged for a doctor to come to the house. After a lot of confusion and miscommunication, Will and Thom also ended up in Kikula at Pastor Jacob's house. The doctor came with his little Malaria tests. I'm quite familiar with this particular test. It's just a quick test that requires you to prick the finger, put in one of the spots and put solution in the other. If two lines show up, Malaria. So the doctor began by pricking Will's finger and putting it in the spot where the solution is supposed to go. He then pricked Thom's finger (using a different needle) and proceeded to drip his blood also in the spot where the solution is supposed to go. He then sat and waited. I've used these tests before and I know nothing will happen without the solution. I tried to talk to him in my very good French about the test and where the blood is supposed to go and where the solution is supposed to go. But the conversation ended with me saying, "You know." Of which I knew he didn't, but questioning authority here doesn't happen. So we waited. And then finally he pricked Thom's finger again and started to drip the blood in the correct spot on WILL'S test. Thom stopped him quickly. Disaster diverted. So now on each test there is blood in the solution spot and the blood spot. And we waited a bit more. He then dug up some sort of fluid in his bag and put some in both the blood spot and the solution spot. Will's test started magically working (imagine) and came up negative. Thom's took much, much longer. He said Thom's blood was too thick so it didn't move, but the rest of us knew blood dries out quickly and was probably clotted already. So eventually both came up negative and the doctor prescribed Will to drink coffee to bring down his blood pressure. But we're positive Will has Malaria so we're starting him on treatment anyway.

So I'm writing this on our last night here. Thom is fast asleep already and I'm sitting in the living room enjoying the company of Todd, Katie, and Will in candlelight. Power cuts are pretty classic here. We've been quite lucky and have been without power cuts for the last 4 or 5 days, but on our last night, what would be a proper send-off than candlelight.

Oh, and for Todd's sake I must say I burnt the cookies today.

We will stay Thursday night in Luanshya, Friday night in Lusaka, and Saturday and Sunday night in Livingstone. We arrive in South Africa on Monday.

That's all for now.

[Wrote this blog on Wednesday night, but posting now. We are in Livinstone. We decided to do the whole trip from Luanshya in one day. Loving it! Oh and Thom and Will are without Malaria. All is well]