a little bit of adventure

view of a sunset over Bangui from Brigitte's porch

God’s creation is so beautiful and even here in the city of Bangui there’s a lot of beauty. Living in the middle of a dirty bustling city without many parks or places to go hiking on my own is sometimes annoying but I am managing to find adventures still. Last week I was really frustrated because I was getting sick of sitting in front of my computer in the office. I’m not a fan of office work. This week has been a blessing because I’m getting to do things I love: hang out with middle schoolers and high schoolers, explore, and enjoy nature!

At the PHC center this week there is a high school spiritual formation camp. The kids are spending the night at the center but Caitlin and I have been going during the day to build relationships with the teenage orphans. We’ve been sitting through a lot of lectures, which isn’t that exciting because I don’t understand French and I’m still not fluent in Sango. From what I've understood the talks have been really good. People have been attempting to translate for me. I’m getting good at filling in what I don't understand and pretending to understand more than I do.

taste-testing fish

This afternoon we ate lunch with the students. That was an adventure in itself. I’ve made friends with the cooks and I always go and taste test what they’re cooking for the kids' lunches. Today there were some nasty looking fish cooking in big pots when Caitlin and I dropped into the kitchen area and of course we had to try it. Surprisingly it was really tasty! We also ate some gozo and cormeal stuff along with a sauce. The girls had to teach me how to eat it all with my hands.

a crew of helpful boys

The afternoon activity was the best part of the day! We all hiked up the mountain behind the center and had a blast climbing and laughing and taking pictures. “Hiked” might not be the right word for what I did though. It was more like I got pulled up and down the mountain by strong African high school boys. I made it to the top, enjoyed the beautiful view of Bangui, practiced my Sango along the way, and I got really dirty in the process. (Most of the girls stopped before getting to the top but I wasn’t about to stop before the top and get outdone by any highschool boys! I was happy a couple girls decided to be extra adventurous and come with me.) By the time I got back down the mountain I looked a bit more African than normal with my arms and legs covered in black soot. For hunting purposes they burn a lot of the landscape here and the mountainside had recently been burnt so there were ashes all over. The kids laughed when I told them I wasn't a "boundjou" (a white person) anymore.

It was a fun day! The next adventure I have planned is going to Bayanga, a village 14ish hours southwest of Bangui with a wildlife reserve where you can trek into the jungle to see elephants and Gorillas.

me and my friend Francine

hiking buddies!

looking down on the PHC center and the outskirts of Bangui

looking in the direction of Congo and my house