My apologies to those who have been eagerly awaiting my next blog posting- the internet is a bit less accessible than I originally thought (and I've been working like crazy, seriously!) Life has been fairly uneventful so far, but I'm heading out of town tomorrow and should have more stories to tell.

Missionaries, misfits and mercenaries

Supposedly, those are the three types of people you find in a place like Burundi, and on the continent of Africa and the developing world in general….those who want to save the world, those who want to find a world where they can belong and those who just want to live on the edge. The unusual melange of expatriates that you find here definitely redefine the concept of eclectic community. So far, I’ve fit right in so which one am I?? Feel free to cast your votes in the comment section.

When I landed late at the airport, my host was playing volleyball at the beach. Flights into Burundi are few: a total of 3 airplanes take off and land each day at the Bujumbura International Airport. It’s highly convenient when picking up visitors at the airport- the flights are spaced far enough apart that you only need to listen for an airplane flying overhead to know when someone has arrived.

Some highlights so far:
My lost luggage was recovered on Monday afternoon. Apparently, my flight was overloaded and they needed to leave a few pieces behind in Ethiopia, but they sent it on the next flight.

I went running last night around the local golf course/horse club. During the colonial era, the Belgians imported a bit of home away from home and built stables, a golf course and badminton courts. Not the extracurricular activities I would’ve expected, but it’s a social hub of the expat community.

Staying up til 3:30 to watch the Super Bowl halftime show live on ESPN, then falling asleep to the early morning Muslim call to prayer from the Egyptian embassy next door.

Being a passenger on both the left and right sides of the car- both kinds of cars are on the road. Fortunately, they’re all driving on the right side of the road (if you don’t count swerving to pass overloaded bush taxis, people wandering into traffic and bicycles carrying entire families and 50 pound sacks of potatoes).


Safety, so far, has not been a problem. There are four dogs and two security guards monitoring our gated compound around the clock.

My days have been spent editing and revising and ‘translating’ Tanzanian/Burundian/Dutch/French English into standard English. Along the way, I’ve been amazed at all that LWF is doing to support refugees who are returning after they fled during various uprisings and civil wars that tore the country apart. The political climate remains unstable, and an influx of people whose needs outweigh the country’s resources could tip the scales toward fighting again. This relief and development

Tomorrow we’re heading to Ruyigi, in eastern Burundi where the majority of the relief and development projects are taking place, then on to Kibondo, Tanzania to a refugee camp and possibly the transit center where refugees headed for resettlement in the U.S. and other countries receive orientation.

I’ve been working too hard to make it back to the beach yet (I know, feel sorry for me- the weather so far has been perfectly summery)….

Pictures later (internet won't upload)...comments are very welcome and virtually my only form of communication from home.