I just re-read my Sept 6 entry; there's really not much else to add. September has been very busy with the welcome receptions
for Bill's new section heads. So I will just leave you with a so long...we leave tomorrow evening for our very busy
month in the States. We're seeing lots of very good friends, enjoying Arena Stage plays, and going to a Nationals baseball
game (last home game of the season) as well as visiting family and getting medical check-ups -- and, of course, Bill's conference.
Have a great October. Should anything really interesting come up, I'll do an entry "from the road." Otherwise,
I'll be back in late October or early November.
Until then....
It's been a busy month. Since February, we have been doing "Section Lunches" on the first Friday of the month;
we invite a group of American & Locally Employed Staff (LES) to the Residence for a buffet lunch around the
pool. We usually have had 25-30 people each lunch. In August we did the General Services Office (motor pool,
travel, shipping, procurement, maintenance, facilities, etc.); because it's such a large section, we stretched the lunches
over 3 weeks, inviting about 65 people each week. We had another Section Lunch the last week of August too for a few
other sections; our intention was to have invited all the sections before we go on R&R. The last group also was
about 60. We still have ended up with one more section to go - Public Diplomacy. We plan to have them over the
first week of November. These lunches have been very popular with the employees, especially the LES; who
aren't often invited to the Residence.
Yesterday, Friday Sept 5, I hosted my second "Spouses' Lunch." New arrivals and "old-timers" got to know each other
a bit better. We had a security briefing by the Assistant Regional Security Officer and his staff. And, we chatted.
I plan to continue to host these lunches 2x/year; so probably in February or so again. FYI, neither the Section
nor Spouses' lunches are reimbursed by the State Dept (one of the biggest differences between private & public sectors);
but they are worth it -- they are a great way to get to know the Embassy Family better and they contribute to good morale.
Jendayi Frazer, Assistant Secretary for Africa, visited Aug 31 - Sept 2. It was, as always, a whirlwind visit. We
hosted a senior staff dinner on Sunday, and official breakfast, lunch & dinner on Monday. From what Bill & Sam
(DCM) have told me, it was a productive visit.
The weather is changing; rainy season is beginning. We have more sun and humidity than in the past 3 months.
It's funny, in dry season it looks like rain almost every day but it never rains. Nevertheless both seasons have lots
of sun. Rainy season is much hotter than dry season -- dry season is like the perfect June in DC - balmy and very comfortable
but too cool (at least for me) to swim. Rainy season builds up until in March/April then it is like the worst of July/August
in DC -- hot and sauna-level humid. We've already had two soft rains in the early mornings. But the effect
is dramatic; the dust is settling and my feet are not getting as dirty as they did last month.
I finally started Golf lessons. I've signed up for 10 lessons that I hope to complete before we go on R&R -
2 lessons a week.
The new year of the International Women's Club kicked off on Sept 2. We have excellent partipation, many volunteers
and fantastic ideas for activities. I think it's going to be a great year. The planning committee decided to go
with an interim volunteer board and then to hold elections on schedule in March. Hanne Dokolo, Norwegian Honorary Consel,
and I are co-presidents. In addition to the normal officers (VP, Treasurer, & Secretary), we also have committee
chairs for Hospitality (membership), Activities, Fund Raising, & Welfare. We have multiple co-chairs for each group.
We will be gone from Sept 23 - Oct 21 for R&R and Bill's African Chief of Missions Conference. Our R&R
is already just as busy, if not more so, than our weeks here. We going to see 3 Arena Stage plays, a Nationals baseball
game, attend PSI's YouthAids Gala, go to Michigan to visit family - we hope to see my niece compete in a swim
meet (for Univ of MN) at University of Mi and/or Michigan State, walk in the ALS D'Feet ALS walk in Grand Rapids, and
see doctors and the dentist. We also have to do a little shopping -- principally we need to send more of Sydney's
prescription food, which we cannot order online. Sydney will stay with some friends, who have become the dogsitters of
choice for a number of Embassy families.
Update on my great-niece Kristine who is battling Leukemia; she's in remission. To read her CarePages blog, go to links
in the left column of this blog. My great-nephew Tad is now deployed to the frontlines of Afghanistan. Please
put keep him & all service personnel in your thought & prayers.
The International Women's Club is planning to help a handicapped center ("Stand Proud"
http://standproud.org/) build toilets and showers using the specs we developed for the Grace de Dieu Orphanage. We also hope to work with
and provide support to a Dutch Association that rehabs classrooms and provides the students meals to improve nutrition
and attention spans and to encourage attendance. There is a World Bank/USAID and private effort to expand this
program to feed and encourage school attendence by the many, many street kids here in Kinshasa.
Sometimes the need here can be overwhelming -- how to help most effectively is the foremost question. It is a challenge
and it can be very gratifying -- but it never seems like enough.
Until next time....
