Saturday, 29 May

Plane to Congo Originally uploaded by jweatherlake.

I got up early to do my packing after only a couple of hours sleep. My packing kept my thoughts focused - so not much time for having second thoughts. Though it seems inevitable that I will miss Paris, I will miss the good friends I made there more than anything. I said 'au revoir' to Ed and Andrea before heading to CDG airport on RER B. I had a good flight with Air France (apart from when the turbulence spilt my coffee)! I felt a mix of excitement and anticipation on my first visit to Africa and my first job in the field for which I have trained for so long. However, after all that I still do not feel prepared for where I am going - there is not much in the way of current information on living conditions for international workers in Congo.
I did not see much of the country until arriving in Kinshasa. When the door of the plane was opened hot, damp air entered the cabin making breathing slightly more difficult. I walked from the aircraft to the terminal building under a dark grey sky. In the terminal I was met with a man with a UN sign and waited with a group of other new arrivals. I got on a UN bus which would take me to my hotel along with Richard, a fuel distribution officer and Stefan, a security officr who had arrived on the same flight. After a half-hour bus ride into Kinshasa and a chance to experience at first hand the poor quality Congolese roads I arrived at the Fontana Hotel. After doing some unpacking and setting up my mosquito net I was ready for bed on my first night in Congo. Whilst preparing for bed I was quite suprised to hear CNN reporting a sex scandal involving UN staff in Congo!