Early Saturday morning (18th July) we set off in search of gorillas in the Mikeno Forests in Virunga Park, North Kivu, DRC. We were one of few tourists visiting Bukima (one of the park patrol posts) since rebels attacked the Gorilla Sector in September 2007. Even now Virunga Park is still occupied by militia (believed [...]

My 1st week at the General Hospital of Bukavu flew past and at the end of the week I’d seen some really really severe cases of malnourishment but also some children making a great improvement! On Thursday evening I met up with my friend Brandy Walker who works at Panzi hospital. The idea was to [...]

Monday morning I met Sœur (sister) Helena Albarracin, a Catholic sister, at the Congregation Dorotee di Cemmo in Bukavu where she lives with other sisters who all work at various clinics, schools and prisons in and around Bukavu. From there we left for the General Hospital of Bukavu, where Sœur Helena assists in the running [...]

Meaning welcome in Swahili I’m finally here, in Bukavu! Arrived yesterday (Saturday 4th) with the speed boat and was met at the port by Sœur Helena (with whom I will be working at the General Hospital in Bukavu) and Franck, with whom I’ll be staying for my time in Bukavu. Some sort of VIP must [...]

July 1, 2009

If the heat hasn’t caused me a few sleepless nights in a row my nerves surely has! And no, just because I am from South Africa (living in the UK) doesn’t mean I ‘should be used to the heat’ (the general response I always get when complaining about the heat).
Anyhow, this is just [...]

May 19, 2009

Yesterday was the day I had put aside to visit the DR Congo embassy to apply for my visa. Now, along with hundreds of other logistical challenges I’ve been facing pulling this trip together, this was certainly one that has had me nearly chewing my wrists off in frustration.
Back in February I tried [...]

February 13, 2009
I am not quite sure what I should be writing for my first entry…learning how to use a ‘blog’…? I seem to be learning a lot of things these days…learning French, learning some Swahili, learning that vaccines are so terribly expensive, learning that you can go ‘loopy’ on malaria tablets, learning how to [...]