Sunday, 30 May

My hotel room Originally uploaded by jweatherlake.

I woke up quite late after wondering for some time how to spend my first day - a free day as I was not due to report to work until Monday. I was especially aware of the security situation. I did some more unpacking and got ready to see some of the town. As I had no money and it was Sunday I did not take breakfast. Almost immediately I was followed by a shoeshine boy who stayed with me for the next couple of hours and waited while I went to the local church. I felt quite restricted when it came to walking around Kinshasa. Most Westerners drive around the city. However, with no car I had to do the local thing and go on foot. The highlight of the day was a visit to the artist market. There were some very colourful pictures of Congolese landscapes and some nice boxes made of various hard woods.
I look forward to settling in quickly - I do not like staying in a hotel and shopping in shops designed especially for foreigners. It is possible to buy most things that are available in Europe – at a cost. Example prices are: Can of Coke – Eur.0.75, Mars Bar – Eur.1, Mineral Water – Eur.2… - the cost of living here is equal to anything Paris or London can offer. Fortunately I met a friendly local that works in the local internet café called Anthony. He has been a useful mine of local information. Whilst eating dinner in the hotel I met another Brit called Dan who is doing the same job as me. He warned me that my first week would be taken up by paper work and not to expect to start working on my job for at least 10 days.