Yesterday we celebrated our 2-year anniversary here in DRC. How time flies! This year has been full of adventures — well, after spending the first 3 months of the year in medical quarantine in Florida. (Which was fun in its own way, spending time with Mom & Rudy, then seeing lots of friends & family on a grand U.S. tour.) Seb and I celebrated his birthday in April on the island paradise of Seychelles, followed by a stop in Ethiopia to visit a friend of mine from grad school. Then in June, we brought Seb’s folks from Québec and mine from Kansas to join us for a camping safari in Botswana. Fantastic! There’s nothing like sleeping under the stars hearing lions roar in the distance, while hoping the elephants knocking down trees all night long don’t accidentally step on your tent.
Sometimes the medicine appears worse than the disease
I must be crazy to post these online for the world to see, I know. But I’ve so appreciated others who have done it before me, I want to help them raise awareness about skin cancer and this particular treatment called fluorouracil (brand name Efudex or Carac or Fluoroplex). I’m using the generic in 5% strength.
Fluorouracil is a topical chemotherapy, an anti-metabolite for you chemistry types. Basically it destroys the DNA of the cells that absorb it. Since abnormal cells multiply more rapidly than normal cells, only the abnormal ones end up absorbing it. It doesn’t last long enough to affect normal skin cells. So wherever the stuff causes a reaction, like redness, swelling, blistering… that’s where the bad cells are lurking.
The types of cells specifically targeted by this treatment are superficial basal cell carcinomas (an active cancer, though not terribly dangerous) and actinic keratoses (the earliest stage of squamous cell carcinoma, which can be more dangerous). I have both types.
Warning! Truly disgusting photos follow. Do not read further if you are squeamish! Continue reading
The Sunshine State?
So how is it that I’m enjoying North American internet, yet it’s the beginning of February when I should be back “home” with my husband? Well, lucky me, I’m still on Christmas vacation!
I’m at my Mom’s place in Florida — have been since January 1, will be until March 1 — which is fun, relaxing, and comfortable, for the most part. I’m here for so long because I need to treat my face and arms for skin cancer, which is not so fun. No need for alarm, it’s not a melanoma or anything life-threatening… I’ve just had a lot of basal cell carcinomas (the most common and least dangerous kind of skin cancer) and lots of sun damage, and need to be proactive. This time around, the doc blasted two AK’s on my face (actinic keratoses, the precancerous version of squamous cell carcinoma, which is more dangerous than basal cell and runs throughout my Dad’s family) and took 5 biopsies elsewhere, 4 of which were thankfully negative. The 5th was an active basal cell on my arm, which I had spotted while I was enjoying a bit of sunshine on the French Riviera a few months ago.
Time Flies When You’re Having Good Internet
The other morning I sat down at my computer with one goal in mind: To respond to a friend’s email buried somewhere way down in my inbox. I read it while we were boarding a plane and couldn’t respond just then. The problem was, before I could start searching for that email, I had to read my new emails in bright red at the top. (Who can resist clearing that little “unread email” flag?) And one of them reminded me that I was in the middle of doing some online research that I never finished, so since I’m feeling productive, why don’t I just switch over and finish that up real quick? As my internet browser loads with 9 tabs of unfinished business, I see a little flag on the Facebook tab showing a notification of some kind, so of course I must click on that and see what’s going on. Oh look at that – someone posted a video of cute kittens! I must check this out. This video leads me to another one, and another, then I remember there was a video I wanted to watch but couldn’t from our remote post in Africa… so let me just search for that real quick. My search leads me through a few unrelated-but-interesting-nonetheless videos before I’ve long forgotten what video I was searching for to begin with.
Swimming with Sultans
Oh, what to pack for a beach vacation in the Sultanate of Oman? Are bikinis allowed? Swimming suits in general? Will I have to invest in a burkini like the one Nigella Lawson wore earlier this year?
Onward!
The election results were supposed to be announced December 6, which was then pushed to December 8, time to be announced. Yesterday morning we heard they were supposed to announce the results at 6pm. Then a message was sent to change the expected time to 8pm. Then a third message announcing 10pm. This morning we hear it will be delayed another day. This must be what my Nigerian professor meant when he described “African time.”
But this is good news for us, selfishly. Every day this week international flights have been cancelled, then added back, then cancelled again. Yesterday we were thrilled to hear that even though our Ethiopian flights were cancelled, our company charter plane could take us to Ndola, Zambia. It would be a relief to be somewhere with a functioning airport, even if getting to our ultimate destination would take much longer. So it’s even nicer to arrive at the mine airport this morning and find out the original plan is back on! Of course I won’t believe it until we’re sitting in our seats, drinks in hand.
I haven’t yet posted where we are heading for a little pre-Christmas break! And I haven’t told my family yet, either, mostly because it will freak them out. So that’s hint #1. Hint #2 – It’s northeast of us. Hint #3 – It’s very warm. Hint #4 – It’s well-developed, safe, good for tourists, but you wouldn’t think so based on its region.
Any guesses???
Elections, Congo-Style
So, this little thing called a presidential election is happening right now in Congo. No big deal. It might be the country’s second democratic election in the last 40 years… it might be happening in a country that is still considered mired in a civil war… and it might be happening on a continent known for less-than-civil civics, short on smooth-running elections overall… but hey, hakuna matata.
Jambo Bwana
I heard this song recently and it stuck in my head for days. Last night I asked a social worker here if she knew the song. Not only could she sing it perfectly, but she wrote down the words for me and gave me my first official Swahili lesson!
Jambo (hello)
Jambo Bwana (hello mister)
Habari Gani? (how are you?)
Musuri Sana! (very well!)
Wageni (visitors)
Mwa Kari Bishwa (you are welcome)
Congo Yetu (Congo is ours)
Hakuna Matata! (no worries!)
The song is originally from Kenya. Here’s for a little listen. Beware, it’s very catchy! http://mwanasimba.online.fr/music/jambo.mp3
Après la pause…
I wouldn’t blame you for thinking I’d abandoned you. My posts last August came to an abrupt halt when I jumped on a plane for France. I was going to tell you about it; really I was. It was supposed to be seamless. I even loaded a bunch of photos and story ideas for you on my iPad, and downloaded the WordPress app as soon as I reached civilization. But it never worked. Every time I started WordPress, my iPad would crash and I’d be staring at my last-played Sudoku game instead.
One Year in Congo!
One year ago today we arrived at our new home in Congo. What a year it has been! The time has flown by, actually. I remember how exciting it was when we first arrived… everything so new, so different. And gratefully, the “magic” is still there for me now. On walks around town or trips to the city or local market, I still pinch myself all the time. So many incredible sights to observe.
Adventures in Congo 