(Note: this is a continuation of the previous post, but it was too big so I cut it up into two. But they should be read as one. Unfortunately, the blogs post them like they do, so you have to read the first one to the bottom, then come to the top of this one to continue. C'est la vie.)

I’m excited but not too excited because, well, my life doesn’t work well when I’m focused on the future too much. But I can’t forget the fact that Karen and I are going to language school in Belgium in less than a week!! We leave DRC next Wedneday and fly from Kigali to Brussels directly, over Wednesday night, and on Thursday will check into the place we secured through AirBnB to be our home for the next 7 weeks. We’re looking forward to this trip for many reasons, but especially because it will be so wonderful to not always be struggling to communicate with people here.

We got kicked out of the place we’d been playing ultimate. That place was a 5 minutes walk from our place. But other than the location, actually, I’m happy to be gone. Because… we found a better place to play! This place has nice grass, and we don’t get mobbed by children who hang out in the end zone and mess up our ability to use the space, and they’re not demanding money either. It’s a 20-30 min drive away, up on a hill on the edge of town. And yes, it is really pretty. Probably around 300 feet above town, the cliff sweeps down and gives a fantastic view of Bukavu. Here’s some pictures.

 

 

Also, I am clean-shaven for the first time in Congo (it was 8 months!). Karen loves it. A woman at church asked me if it was my first time there. And then was mildly embarrassed but laughed really hard when Karen told her that I was the same person, I just shaved. I was told yesterday I look 18. That’s why I wear the beard. It doesn’t make me look old, it just prevents me from looking too young.

I now feel comfortable on the motorcycle. It’s becoming fun to ride it. I always wear pants, a full-face helmet, a jacket, and shoes (normally boots) when I ride. Despite the “full-face” helmet, the eye-glass/shield/visor thing is gone, so I get a TON of dust in my face. I wear sunglasses, so it doesn’t get in my eyes at all. But after a particularly long ride, I look this :

 

 

Thanks for reading! As always, we would love to hear your thoughts, questions, and comments.