Our "Top Ten Things We Love About Living in Bunia" List

1. The People - We have dear, close friends here, both expatriate and Congolese.  We are constantly touched and humbled by how generous people are with their time and resources.

Two of our American friends made and decorated this gorgeous cake when we arrived in July.

2. The Clothes - Congolese women and men love bright, colorful patterns. Most women here wear traditional African cloth outfits, especially to church or on a special occasion. Tailoring is truly an art form. We have a particular tailor that we like, and he has made nice outfits for both of us (below). People literally stop us in the street to say how marvelous we look. They seem to love the fact that we appreciate Congolese fashion enough to wear it ourselves.

Janvier in his shop, tailoring a skirt for Jennings



Our Christmas outfits

It's always fun to see the different styles and designs that people wear.  And spotting a burly young man with a hot pink, tasseled messenger bag or a lavender "My Little Pony" backpack... that can just make your day.

Members of a choir often have outfits of matching cloth, but with individual style

An impromptu photo calls for just a bit of "spiffing up".

3. Singing - On a Sunday morning, there can be 4 or 5 different local choirs performing at church: full-throated, exuberant singing, with choreographed movements.  Generally the songs are in Lingala or Swahili, but sometimes they are in French. Thrilling!

4. Rainstorms - We get *serious* rainstorms here - drenching, full-on downpours, complete with thunder and lightning. They come down from the Blue Mountains, pushing delicious cool breezes in front of them. Wonderful!

5. The sunsets - stunning!!! (... we have not yet seen so many sunrises)

6. Goma cheese - Surprise! We get better cheese here than we did in Nairobi! Goma cheese (from the North Kivu region) comes in one-kilo rounds and is great "as is" or melted on stuff. It can fill in for many varieties of Western cheese to make grilled cheese sandwiches, pizza, lasagna, you name it. It is one of the brightest spots in our meals here.

7. Fresh produce - Passion fruit and papaya from the market, pineapple from our friends' garden, different kinds of local greens (leafy vegetables)... we love them all! Passion fruit is great by itself, and it also makes delicious juice.

Still life with Goma cheese and passion fruit

Those aren't hats on the kids' heads; they're to help them balance baskets of corn.

8. Fresh milk - Delivered to the front gate: just boil, skim and drink! Collect the cream and whip into butter! One of the advantages of living in a cow-raising region.

9. Slow walking - When the sun is high during dry season, it can be hot out there, and dusty. You do *not* want to be trying to rush somewhere, working yourself into a sweat (and kicking up dust clouds).  Plus, the roads and paths are far from even, and you might twist your ankle if you aren't careful. So just take your time. Sloooow down. Amble. Look around you... that's how everyone walks! And they're right! Greet people, breathe, relax... now, isn't that better?

10. The "Being There" Factor - When we first arrived, Congolese would ask how long we were going to be here, assuming we were visiting.  When we answered "Nous sommes là!" ("We are here!"), we were rewarded with huge smiles and vigorous handshakes.  There is something very fundamental about sharing life together, about being in the same place, being part of their lives, experiencing (a very small part of) the struggles they experience.  It's more than physical presence, it's solidarity, empathy.  It's a high value here.   "Tuko pamoja"... "We are together".

White Christmas (by Jennings)

When I (Jennings) was growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, a local radio station had a contest to win a "White Christmas"... that is, to have fake snow dumped on your front lawn from a helicopter the morning of Dec. 25.  Little did we think that Alabama would ever have a real "white Christmas"... and yet is has come to pass.

Which has gotten me thinking about the images and cultural baggage that come with the "Christmas season".  We certainly have plenty of it in our own country, some good, some not so good... time with family and friends, charitable giving, singing on the one hand... excessive spending, excessive eating, seasonal depression on the other.  Our iconic images of Christmas come from elsewhere -- New England snow, German cooking, English carolers -- and may not reflect the way people or nature look where we live.  I have never ridden a sleigh or needed a woolly hat on December 25.  Sometimes we barely needed long sleeves.

When I moved to Nairobi, Kenya in 2004, it was even more striking to see how these images of Christmas were imported there.  Billboards of Santa Claus drinking Coke in a winter wonderland.  The mechanical Santa (made in China) outside Nakumatt supermarket who danced to such Christmas classics as "Yellow Rose of Texas".  A "Santa's Grotto"... complete with fake snow... at an upscale mall.  Christmas means snow, luxury, extravagant food and gifts.  Unlike most of Africa, there are actually Kenyans in Nairobi who can afford to "do" Christmas this (expensive, foreign) way.  But for most, it is way beyond their reach.  An article in the Daily Nation a few years ago declared that "Christmas is for the rich"... at least that is how it seems to many.

This is not to say that Kenyan Christians do not celebrate Jesus' birth - they certainly do! But the cultural, Western "Christmas" is shoved in your face everywhere, and available to very few.

So it was rather gratifying to see that Christmas is much less commercial in Bunia.  Some merchants sold plastic trees and ornaments, and churches were decorated with shiny lanterns and tinsel.  But, according to friends, the main activity surrounding Christmas (and New Year's) is going to church and getting together for a big meal with family and friends. Not shopping, not snow. When we asked one friend about Christmas when he was growing up, he remembered people traveling to be near the large churches that would have the good preaching and services.

This was our first Congolese Christmas, and admittedly, we it included a lot of traditions from our home culture.  On Christmas Eve, we went to a party for English-speakers given by a Congolese pastor, and later to a carol sing (also in English).  Christmas morning, I made sweet rolls, using Douglas' Mom's recipe - a tradition we've had for a few years now.  We played carols on the stereo and opened fun gifts sent by family, and gifts to each other (including Douglas' first Congolese shirt, below).

In the afternoon, British, American, Congolese and German friends came for Christmas dinner, featuring pot roast, pork, manioc leaves, sweet potatoes and mince pies. Later, we gathered again at our friends' house to join their Christmas night tradition -- opening gifts together, drinking tea, eating (more) mince pies and Christmas cake, and playing Uno.

No snow, but magical just the same.