Forces of Nature

Yesterday evening we had another wind/rainstorm that blew down yet ANOTHER tree in our garden (actually, this storm blew down two trees - the above pictured tree and a papaya tree). However, this time the tree that fell landed on our back fence. It effectively crushed the fence and took out one of our many security lights. Because today is Sunday and the embassy is closed tomorrow due to Memorial Day, the clean up crew won't be able to repair the fence, razor wire, and security light until at least Tuesday if I'm lucky. In the mean time, we have an additional security guard to make sure that no one from the adjoining property wanders over to our plot. As you can see, our guards are on high alert and looking quite intimidating. Or something.

Anders, Anson, and Soren were rather thrilled to have a new play area created by the toppled tree. They took some shovels and started tunneling under the tree so that they could have their very own bunker. They became completely caked with mud by the time they finished their burrowing, and so I had them go swimming in our pool before I allowed them back into the house.

I took a close up picture of the tree so you can see why we have so many trees falling over on a regular basis.

One of the boys' favorite things to do is to go on "toad hunts" at night (don't worry - we aren't actually "hunting" the toads, we are just temporarily catching them). Because we live near the river, we have swarms of toads hopping around in our garden. I'm quite grateful for the toads because they devour some of the insects that continually plague us, and I've always found the little critters cute in a quirky sort of way. During our toad hunt this evening, I found an insect that glows like a firefly. Anders witnessed it as well and so I know that I wasn't merely hallucinating from my sinus medication. Do any of you entomologists out there know which type of insects in the DRC region glow?

Bollywood Night

A few weeks ago I hosted a "Bollywood Night" at our residence. The event was actually planned by my wonderful friends Astha and Shamshad, and they did an incredible job! Astha arranged for the DJ and sound system, and Shamshad organized the catering. Thank you so, so much!!! In case you are not familiar with Bollywood, it is the Indian version of Hollywood. The movies are massively popular in India as well as in many other countries in the world. If you are ever looking for a good escape-from-reality type of movie with a lot of singing, dancing, and drama, then I would definitely recommend a Bollywood movie. Around 40 or 50 people came to Bollywood Night, and we had a good mix of people from the embassy community, ex-pat community, as well as from the Indian community.I absolutely love Indian food, and I want to thank Shamshad again for planning such a perfect menu.

After we ate, we danced the night away to Indian pop music as well as to western dance music. Praveen did an excellent job as a DJ, and I only wish that the DJs in the local clubs were as good as him!

Later in the evening it start POURING rain. However, the intrepid dancers carried on under our covered veranda. I thought that the rain added a nice touch of drama, because it seems like there are quite a few rain scenes in Bollywood movies.

Thank you to everyone who came to the party!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Today Soren woke up early to cook me breakfast and decorate the dining room for Mother's Day. He closed the doors to the dining room so that it would be a big surprise when I walked in.

Soren cut out all sorts of hearts and taped them all over the walls and furniture, and he placed the presents that he wrapped by himself in the middle of the table, along with the cards that all of the boys made. Anders made me a tissue paper rose in school, and Anson made a huge stack of cards and pictures. Soren wrote me a comic book entitled "Super Hamster and the Dark Brotherhood." He also made me a bowl that was formed out of clay from the Congo River, and he also glazed and had it fired in a kiln. Earlier this week Soren had our driver take him to City Market so that he could buy me some presents as a surprise (Belgian chocolates, dark chocolate, and Ferrero Rocher hazelnut chocolates - he knows me well!). He also set the table with china and crystal so that he could serve me the breakfast that he cooked for me (cheese quesadillas).

Both Anders and Anson decorated my chair with sweet, little notes that they wrote. Soren helped Anson with the spelling. They certainly turned my dining room chair into a throne!

Soren also made me a huge card out of poster board. He wrote, "Dear Mom thank you for taking us to the park, playing with us, being kind to us, and doing fun things with us. Happy Mother's day. Love, Soren" (he also had Anders and Anson sign the card). Soren commented, "It was a LOT of work decorating for Mother's Day. Now I know how much work you do for our birthdays!" I was absolutely amazed that the boys did all of this by themselves with no input from anyone. Sometimes I wonder if what I do is significant or of any major importance, but this definitely reminds me of who I truly want to impress. I absolutely love Soren, Anders, and Anson, and I want to thank them for being my boys. I couldn't have asked for a better Mother's Day!

I also want to thank my Mom for being the best mother that I could ask for. She was always there for us, and she provided a wonderful example through her hard work, love of learning, positive attitude, and service to others. We always KNEW that we were important to her and that she loved us. I never doubted that, and I know that my boys now feel that same way about her. Happy Mother's Day Mom! I love you!!!

***Please note - Charles was on a work-related trip to the States and Switzerland on Mother's Day (No, I was not jealous. Not at all. Why would I be jealous that Charles was in the States and Switzerland, while I was in the lovely vacation hot-spot of Kinshasa? Really, I wasn't jealous in the least), and that is why he did not contribute to the day's festivities. And yes, he did bring back a lovely piece of jewelry as a Mother's Day gift. Thank you Charles!