Halfway down the Danube

Bonobos

Today was a good day.

I haven't been thinking that a lot, here.  Nothing bad has happened to me in Kinshasa, but I haven't really fallen in love with it, either. 

But today?  Good day.

I got to sleep half an hour longer (good).  Then went with the team to breakfast at the one French patisserie downtown.  I went there on the last trip, but that was for lunch and it was crowded.  Breakfast is better.  Leisurely breakfast, with coffee and conversation: good!

(Most mornings I've been skipping breakfast, because the hotel charges $30 for the breakfast buffet.  Also skipping lunch a lot.  I bought a couple of 400-gram bags of peanut M&Ms, and have been surviving until dinnertime by snacking on them.  Yeah, I know.)

Long-time readers may recall that on these trips, we usually have a half-day free on the first weekend to do something interesting.  This time, we decided to visit a bonobo rehabilitation place about an hour outside Kinshasa.

It was awesome.

Down to Congo

None of the jobs came through.

It’s a disappointment.  On the other hand, it removes a lot of uncertainty.  There’s one other job still out there, but it can’t happen until December at the earliest.  So, we have another season in Fladungen – and we know this, which allows us to make plans.

And I have work, at least for the moment.  I’m writing this in Kinshasa, Congo.  I’ll be in the Congo until October 5, looking at agricultural supply chains.  So there’s that.

So.  Down to the Congo we go, once more!  How was it?

And then the first day of school

Third grade for Alan, second for David.

David is still crossing the street.  Alan is now riding the bus to Nordheim, 7 km away.  This morning everyone was up early!  Alan had a big ceremonial breakfast of eggs and bacon.  Alan went out the door, David went out the door...

I went back to bed.

As of Day One, Alan likes his new school.  It has a beehive!  And lots of stuffed birds!  And an aquarium, with those shiny little blue guys!  And his teacher is nice!  And he made a new friend, who says he has all the Bakugans!

It's a dismal damp grey day, so once they did their homework we settled down for an episode of Mythbusters.  (We're on a big Mythbusters kick right now.)  We're watching Season One, most of which we saw when they first came out, six years ago, in Romania.

In other news... there is no other news.  Still waiting to hear on jobs.  I'm traveling to the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Friday.  (Kinshasa again, then the provincial town of Bandundu.)

Anyway.  Schoolboys!