Life as a Mama Cat

Meet Quinton , Blondie and Blackie...

On Friday January 23rd, Liz came into my office around 4:30 saying their was a cat in a box. I got excited, of course, cause I love cats and we have been trying to warm Joel up to adding a cat to our menagerie of dogs and parrot! Up we went and sure enough their was crying coming from a box on the far side of an unused office space. When we opened up the box, lo and behold were three of the tiniest kittens I have ever seen. They were bundled into the middle of a plain cardboard box and although they cried a little, they seemed content to curl up around each other.

No one knows how the kittens got in the box; no one had fessed up to moving them. There are a lot of unknowns and everybody has their opinions: there was a cat raiding the food in the office kitchen that was chased out on several occasions, there is a cat that sleeps in one of the outside offices as evidenced by cat hair on the chair and it running out of the office in the mornings, the night guards see lots of different cats, the babies were in the outside basement, there is a cat who is often in the outside basement...the list goes on.

We decided to leave the kittens in the box in the same place we found them on Friday night, hoping that the momma cat would search for them and take them back. I came to the office first thing Saturday morning and the box hadn't been disturbed so I brought the kittens home. What an adventure that has been. Lots of Googling about raiding orphaned kittens gave me most of the information I needed to try to keep the kittens alive. Living in Congo means limited resources; I would love to be feeding them proper kitten milk replacement but you can't just pop around to the local pet store. My recipe of choice...powdered milk, corn oil, egg yolk and baby multivitamin delivered with a syringe. It isn't perfect, but two of them have finally got the hang of it. The next best part...mama cats stimulate the kittens to eliminate waste then clean up after them. A damp cotton pad does the trick for me.

Based on kitten development I have determined that the kittens are between 3 to 4 weeks old. There eyes are fully open, their ears erect and they are walking and climbing albeit very wobbly. Their weight, however, puts them around 2 weeks. It would really be best for them to be reunited with their mother. I tried again on Monday night to leave them at the office. This time in the back office where we know for sure a cat (hopefully the mother) sleeps a lot of the time. I even left 2 whole fish on the ground next to the box to try to lure her to them. It was an awful night for me; I cried and cried and worried about their safety, their warmth and their hunger. I went to check on them at 6am and...nothing. Fish not touched, kittens crying and covered in poop. Home we went for food and baths and warm hot bottles under the towel for warmth.

And so it has been. They come to work everyday and sleep, wake up, walk around, eat, eliminate, repeat. I worry constantly. The black kitten (Blackie for lack of a better name) is severely underweight and barely eats. His eyes weren't fully open the day I found them. I keep waiting for the morning that he doesn't wake up. But he has spunk... The light colored kitten has been dubbed Blondie, although I am pretty sure she's a he. I think Blondie has gotten formula in her lungs; when she is awake she coughs all the time. Plan is for a vet to see the kittens, but I don't know what we can do if she gets a bacterial infection in her lungs. I would say a shot of antibiotics, but this is Congo. Then there is the striped cat. His name is Quinton or Q for short; he's the kitten I will be keeping. He is the biggest and the strongest and the best eater. He completely recognizes me. He plays the most and loves to climb up over the edge of the box. He has the cutest stripes and loves to lay on his back and play with his feet in the air. I am so in love and attached.

Please help me to pray for God's protection over each one of the kittens. They were rudely taken from or abandoned by their mother and I am doing my best with limited resources to keep them alive. Also, pray for the next steps of weaning and potty training. Usually mom takes are of that, but since I am the mom...well, wish me luck.

My Balcony

I though you might like to see the place where I sit and relax on the weekends and the view I get to look at when I occasionally exercise. The couch and chair were made in Kampala for my old house and I had them brought over to Congo. The cushions are coming…in African time.

At night, with the candles lit and lightning flashing in the sky, it's kinda magical.

Just wanted you to know that sometimes it isn’t all that bad being in Bukavu.

Appearing for one day only….

This doesn’t happen often. Actually it is the first good hair day I have had with my new haircut since I came back to Africa. Nor do I often match my shirts, to my earrings to my toenail polish. But sometimes everything just comes together. Hurray!!!!!

Back to Buhozi

One of the first things I did when I got back was visit the feeding centre in Buhozi with our FH driver Israel. You may remember from a previous post that the feeding centre in Buhozi is a non-FH funded centre that feeds approx. 70 malnourished children in a community just outside of Bukavu. It is funded by our ex-Country Director’s Church and was over seen by his wife Katie. If you remember, I am taking care of the finances till August and Israel is purchasing and delivering the food as well as general centre related issues.

It was a Friday holiday and Israel needed to take the remainder of January’s food to the mama’s who cook and care for the children. Unfortunately, due to the holiday, things were getting a slow start and they weren’t really ready for visitors. Some of the children came and played this neat game in the courtyard with a ball and several beans. I of course took pictures, which always causes a scene as the children push at each other to “see” the photo on the screen.

It is hard being stuck in the office always working on the behind the scenes but never actually seeing the change that is occurring in our fields. So even though the feeding centre is not an FH project, it is good for me to see how God’s love is played out in communities here in Congo.

One of the Mama's with a load of food for the month of January

The game with the ball and the beans

The Cupboard Under the Stairs

Ever wondered what it must have felt like for Harry Potter sleeping in the cupboard under the stairs? Probably not…but I got to find out anyway!

Sleeping in a newly created room in the space under the stairs and sidewalk of my London Victoria area hotel furnished with a TV, sink, bed and space heater (shared bathroom inside hotel): £20

Getting to feel like Harry Potter for a few nights: PRICELESS

Going Home

How great was going home? OK...rhetorical question. Being at home was the best thing to happen for me in months. I was able to take 6 weeks away from Congo. I spent the first few days in Kampala and Mbale visiting with friends and my beloved Bufukhula. Then came the long trip home. Luckily it was uneventful; I managed to navigate London Heathrow Terminal 5 in hour and make my connection to Vancouver. I was really hoping for an inconspicuous arrival; I didn't want any pomp and circumstance. And I got it...in "typical" fashion no one was at the airport to pick me up. Dad...let me remind you. Know one takes the Lions Gate Bridge to the airport on a Wednesday evening when the person arriving gets in at 6:30pm!

What a shock coming from Kampala with a sunburn after 32 degree heat...to Brrrrrrr! Luckily I had 2 weeks home to acclimatize before the snows started. Being home was so wonderful. You never forget it; the sight, the sounds, the lights of Grouse Mountain. Coming home is like snuggling under a warm quilt in front of a crackling fire with a hot cup of tea. But is it a shock like everyone asks? I am not sure if it bodes well or bad for me, but I didn't find it hard being home. It is surprising how easy it is to fall back into the wealth and consumerism. You don't want to...but how can you avoid it. You have to eat, to shop, to visit with friends. But I know my attitude has changed. You don't take it all so seriously; you respect what blessings were provided to you growing up middle class. You remember not to waste water and to improvise when the sink is plugged and you aren't sure you can wash the Christmas dinner plates in the kitchen sink. Africa teaches you to improvise.

I had so many wonderful moments at home with my parents, my support group, my home group, my pastors. Hanging out with my mom felt like old times. (as did the occasional fight!) But just as important was the quiet time, the time for reflection. After having a rough couple of months, I needed that time to look and reflect back on where God had taken me over the past year and to look forward to the new year and it's limitless possibilities. It was an interesting month. When I left Africa the last week of November I had my heart set on seeeing out 8 more months of my contract and coming home after two years. But with much introspection, a little counseling and a lot of pastoral care, I was able to look back at the past difficult eight months, see them as the growth and learning opportunities they were and know that I hadn't seen why God brought me to the Congo and that I wasn't prepared to leave until I was sure I had made a difference here.

Being home for Christmas this year was so great. Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year. I love the family time and this year was no different (although it was a lot different than last years 32 plus degrees Christmas morning Frisbee and volleyball matches!). The snow almost out a crimp in our plans; we almost cancelled Christmas! Being at my aunt's place, on the hills of West Vancouver, made for some difficult driving times. But persistence, chains and the miracle of the snow plow made all the difference. Christmas was back on and a wonderful time with family and friends, old and new. I couldn't have asked for a more precious time home.

Leaving was difficult, although with a new sense of purpose, not as hard as I thought. I weaned myself back into Africa by making a pit stop in London and seeing the Musical Wicked. The title says it all! The last leg of my journey was a bit rough (waking up in London with a sore throat, 9 hours in Heathrow, 9 hour flight to Entebbe, the unexpected new ticket to Kigali I had to purchase, then a grueling 6 hour drive through Rwanda to Congo. Not fun when you are sick and exhausted. But it felt good to be back in Congo; a relief to be back in my house. It is home for now and there really is nothing like HOME.

Obama Mania

The back of a Matatu in Nairobi. A Matatu is a taxi bus...African public transport. Enough said.....

More Zanzibar Photo's

Here's a couple more of my favorite Zanzibar shots. For even more photo's click on the album on the right.

The view from my room
AMAZINGThe steps down to the water and the beachThat's my hotel in the distance....I walked that far out!

Nairobi and Zanzibar

I got the opportunity to attend a 3 day USAID Rules & Regulations training in Nairobi in the beginning of October. It was my first time in Nairobi and unfortunately there isn’t much I can say. The extent of my NairobiAfrica. I ate thin crust pizza from the Italian restaurant and Japanese food grilled to perfection right in front of me at the Japanese restaurant. And most importantly I learned to stop complaining about Congo. I met a bunch of ladies who work in Juba in Southern Sudan. They talked about rat infested houses and offices, bathing in brown Nile water, being sick all the time because of the brown Nile water. And to top it all off…one of the girls, on the last day of training, got word that her friend had been air evacuated to Nairobi because she had oozing sores all over her body. YUCK! Never again will I complain, cause while my living conditions might not be a good as they were in Kampala, they are 5 star compared to Juba. experience was the drive to and from the airport. The rest of the time I stayed at the most amazing resort where the conference was held. I won’t bore you with the details of the training. But I did get the chance to meet some amazing men and women who are serving in different countries around

Leaving Nairobi I headed to Zanzibar for a week of R&R. Exciting and intriguing as Zanzibar sounds, it really does suck to vacation alone. And Zanzibar really is one of those places you need to enjoy in the company of friends or loved ones. That being said, I really enjoyed Stone Town and it’s wonderful Arabic architecture. The narrow, shop filled lanes were exciting to explore. The shopping was a little depressing as it was the exact same East African arts & crafts you can buy in Uganda yet more expensive. I did manage to buy a few treasures that I couldn’t find anywhere else.

I spent two nights in Stone Town and went on a spice tour one of the days. That was really fun. Who knew that’s what some of the spices looked like in their raw form? I was able to buy a ton of fresh spices which made a wonderful Christmas present for my brother the Chef.

Nutmeg and Mace - Nutmeg is the seed in the middle and the red membrane on the outside is the mace

Vanilla Beans on the vine before they are dried

Turmeric just pulled from the ground

From Stone Town I headed to Pongwe Beach on Zanzibars East Coast. As things turned out, I didn’t stay at the hotel I had originally booked with, but rather at their annex. It was a lovely spot with lovely staff, but didn’t have the white beach at my doorstep as I was looking forward too. At high tide, the water came right up to the cliff at the edge of the hotel. But when tide was low, you could climb down the stairs and walk for miles on soft white sandy beach or halfway out to the coral reef that rings the east coast of the Island. My morning walks were truly a peaceful time. Local women and children harvest sea snails and seaweed so as soon as the tide went out the sea floor was scoured for these delectable treats (not to me…but I am sure there are others who find them delectable!!!)

My favorite moment…finding Nemo’s cousin Bob or Barbara in a small sea anemone. I went back three days in a row to say hi.

Of course, no R&R for me is complete without some sort of disaster (Remember I was on my first R&R in Uganda in July when I found out about the fire in my room). I got my first cold since leaving Canada (it was a doozy) and my back went out so bad I couldn’t hardly walk or sit for two days. Then of course there was the heat…it was sooo hot and my room had no air conditioning, just a fan. So while it is nice to get away, sometimes it isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Can you Believe It?

So while I was in Kalemie, Flory, our regional accountant was getting ready to pay a supplier. What you see below is $100 US in Congolese Francs. At the time, $1 was 550 CF's.


Side note: With the world's economies in crisis, the Congolese Franc rose to 1000 CF's to the US dollar last week. I believe it has gone down to around 700, but unfortunately shops have not changed their prices.

Military Bases and Beaches

I got the opportunity to head back south to our field site in Kalemie which is situated on the northern end of Lake Tanganyika. Kalemie is much hotter than Bukavu. Luckily, since the FH expat house was full, I was bunked on the UN base where they rent rooms to NGO’s. Why would I say luckily….my room had air conditioning and it was really, really hot! The accomodations were a long trailer separated into 5 units. There were two units with en-suite bathrooms, but sadly mine did not.

My room at the UN Base
The lady who took me to my room said that since there were no guys staying there I could use the men’s washroom/shower trailer as it had hot water showers. Of course, that was only one night of the 7 I spent there. So my only real option was the women’s shower; since you don’t find too many women heading off to stay at a UN base in southern Congo, the women’s washroom/shower was a concrete room with one toilet and one shower. No hot water, bugs on the floor, one sink and no mirror. Good times! Now, you need to know that I intensely dislike cold showers…unless it is so hot that at the end of the day all you can think of is getting rid of layers of sweat and grime and a cold shower is the most refreshing thing in the world and doesn’t really feel that cold since your body is already overheated. And the other nice thing about being on the base was the cantina or Welfare Club as it is called. CNN, good food, wine…it was a nice respite. I worked lots and hard, but also got a chance to relax at the beach on Lake Tanganyika with my friend Keith. It was a good trip and I look forward to going back again in February 2009. This time for a month…but I am hoping to stay at the FH residence this time. I am not sure I can take a whole month of cold showers no matter how good they might feel!

Me running on the beach
Keith and I enjoying Cokes at the beach cantina

Where Did You Go?

I should start out by apologizing for not updating my blog since September and I should probably start by telling you why. The last blog was about celebrating my 1 year anniversary in Africa. It wasn’t the worst year ever by far, but it also had a lot of ups and downs. The months after my last year are ones that I would love to have back. They weren’t happy months; they were dark and dreary and depressing months (And not in the weather sense!)

In September several things happened. I finally caught on that we were majorly overspending on a large USAID grant that was going into it’s final months. As I brought that into the open, there were major consequences to our programming and ultimately to the job of our Country Director. That was a stressful time for me. In some respects I was the golden child who was here to “fix” years of problems; that is something that can’t be done overnight. I felt unspoken pressure to work as long and hard as I could to fix the problems. Then came time to get our upcoming Fiscal Year 2009 budgets uploaded into our accounting system. Three days before they were due, I was told that I would be doing them. And with that piece of news my Finance Director went on holidays. WHAT??????? Talk about more stress than I could handle. Add to that the major culture stress I was going through living in Congo. Then October rolled around and so did the resumption of war in North Kivu. While we were distanced from the fighting, the repercussions spread to Bukavu and resulted in a female colleague and I being evacuated to Rwanda for a 24 hour period. This did little to relieve the overwhelming amount of stress my mind was fighting.

The result of all this…I pulled away. I isolated myself from friends and reality. I spent a lot of time on my own watching TV on my laptop or on the TV. I stopped going to church, refused to go to Sunday Bible Study and even stopped wanting to attend Tuesday night women’s group. And worst of all, there was absolutely nothing positive I could say about Congo or the Congolese. And that was definitely not who I am. But the more I felt that way the worst I felt; and the farther away I felt from God. It was like I was drowning, could see the hand reaching towards me but refused to grab hold. And as I sank deeper and deeper the less I felt like doing simple things…like updating my blog. Depression…maybe. But I think it was more major culture stress, language stress, work stress all taking a big bite out of my psyche. By the beginning of November I knew that if I didn’t get out of Congo and Africa for a break, I would be packing up my bags and leaving for good.

Now the good news…I went home. I will tell you all about that and what it means to be back in DRC later. But now I need to go back and tell you about some of the things that happened between September and December…..