DRC #12-Lake Kivu Paradise, Apr. 10

Yes, Lake Kivu really is this beautiful...

DRC #11-Ngungu, May 10

I took a quick trip up to Ngungu to see how one of the WASH (WAter Sanitation and Hygiene) projects I'm managing is coming along. Things seem to be going well, and Ngungu is still gorgeous...

Kigali, May 10

I took advantage of a long weekend to visit Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. It was a nice break, and chance to have a little bit of normality, with coffee shops, 24-hour supermarkets, and more.

DRC #10-Fun in Goma/Gisenyi, Apr. 2010

Since I arrived in Goma, I've been fortunate to meet some great people, and despite all the work, managed to have a good time...

DRC #9-Walikale/Ndjingala, Mar. 2010

One of our projects is in Walikale Territory, about 200km west of Goma in the forest. We've been installing a water system and other similar projects for people who have been displaced by conflict in the area.

For more information, see the captions...

DRC #8-Rutshuru School Opening, Apr. 2010

As we've been finishing up one of our education projects, we held a ceremonial opening for a few of the schools we built in Rutshuru Territory, north of Goma in Virunga National Park. We traveled as a group there at the end of March to participate, and inaugurate the new buildings...

DRC #7-Gisenyi/Goma, Mar. 2010

We all need to be able to take a break, and for those of us in Goma, we're fortunate to have Gisenyi, Rwanda just across the border... It's a nice break, and they even have a beach.

I promise that life really can be challenging here, photos of paradise aside...

DRC #5-Walkikale NFI Fairs Part 1, Mar. 2010

I traveled to Walikale, about 200km west of Goma, in the forest. We were organizing NFI (non-food-item) fairs, where people who had been displaced by war are given vouchers that they can use to purchase things like mattresses, cookware, clothing, and more.

DRC #6-Walkikale NFI Fairs Part 2, Mar. 2010

More photos from the Non-Food-Item Fairs in Walikale

DRC #3- Rutshuru Part 1

I traveled to Rutshuru, a region about 85 kilometers north of Goma in the middle of Virunga National Park. We've been working on a project there to build new schools, pay teachers, and provide supplies for communities that have been displaced by war throughout the region.

As a bonus, the area is absolutely stunningly beautiful, as you'll see below...

DRC #4-Rutshuru Part 2

More pictures from the trip to Rutshuru and the villages in and around Virunga National Park

DRC #2-Ngungu Baseline

For my first visit, I traveled to the small town of Ngungu, about 80 kilometers from Goma, in the mountains of Masisi Territory. We're working on a project to improve access to clean water for people in the community, and helping to promote better hygiene habits where we can. It's a long process, and not an easy one, but we can at least make a start of it. As a bonus, the area is stunningly beautiful, as you'll see below...

DRC #1-Welcome to Goma

Back in the days when this was the Belgian Congo, Goma used to be something of a resort town for the colonial settlers. With the scenery around here, it's easy to understand why... Unfortunately the authorities here are very touchy about taking photos in town, so there's only so many pictures I can post- I'll do what I can though.

N'Djamena, January 2010

I had the chance to go back to Chad, although only for about a week due to a change of plans. I was able to visit a few old friends, and see some of the places I remembered, which was truly memorable.

Unfortunately, due to extremely heavy restrictions on photography in N'Djamena, I was only able to take a few photos, mostly of the people I met and a few places I was able to take pictures out a window in passing. I'll post these few though, and hopefully give you a sense of what life in the Chadian capital looks like today...

Europe Trip-#8, The Julefrokost Reunion

My main purpose in going to Denmark was for an unofficial reunion of the Europe in the World international journalism program, which I participated in during 2002-2003. We gathered for a 'Julefrokost,' a traditional Danish 'Christmas Lunch' in the small town of Nørre Aaby, also on the island of Fyn. 10 people (out of the 20) attended, from Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, the UK, Lithuania...and me, from the US via Cameroon, I suppose. and it was wonderful to see everyone again- people move on though- marriages, kids, houses, everything. I guess that how it goes as you get older- in any case, it was wonderful to reunite, and I'm looking forward to the next get-together, wherever and whenever it may be.

Europe Trip-#7, Copenhagen & Odense

Leaving Switzerland, I went to Denmark, possibly the one person flying to Copenhagen at that time with absolutely nothing to with the COP15 conference on climate change, which happened to coincide with the class reunion I'd come to attend. The city was blanketed in things related to the conference, but it was still possible to see some of the normal touristy stuff. The problem, unfortunately, was the almost all the hotel rooms were booked, meaning that I could only afford to stay in the one place I found for one night, and move on.

It wasn't too bad though- I went to Odense the next day, on the island of Fyn, one of the larger cities in the country. An interesting place, and fun to walk around...

A few of my favorites first, followed by the album.

Nyhavn, the famous (and picturesque) harbor

At the City Hall plaza, full of climate change exhibitions

Banners like this were everywhere.

The main cathedral in Odense, which holds the bones of a saint- see the album for details...

Europe Trip-#6, Lausanne (Pts. 1 & 2)

After Chamonix, I traveled back to Switzerland, and spent a couple nights in Lausanne, a city about 65km from Geneva, also on Lac Léman. Lausanne is the home of the International Olympic Committee, and the Olympic Museum, has a beautiful cathedral, and is surrounded by incredible mountain scenery.

A few of my favorites, followed by two albums; the first highlighting the lake, the cathedral, and a truly unforgettable sunset over the mountains, the second in and around the Olympic Museum.

Looking from the center of town towards the water's edge

Cathédrale Notre-Dame, in Lausanne

Inside the cathedral

A sculpture in Lausanne Harbor

Lac Léman and the Jura Mountains on the other side

A sculpture at the Olympic Museum on the edge of the lake

Sunset over the lake, truly incredible

Europe Trip-#5, Chamonix

I went from Geneva on a quick overnight trip to Chamonix, France, a few hours by train. Unfortunately the trip ended up being a bit of a dud, as the beautiful Alpine views I'd been hoping for were replaced by beautiful views of rain clouds. Nevertheless, I was able to get at least a few nice shots of the town, and one or two of the mountains...

Europe Trip-#4, Geneva (Pts. 1 & 2)

I spent a few days in Geneva, staying with a friend of mine who I served with in the Peace Corps- I'd never spent any significant amount of time in Switzerland before, and Geneva was a beautiful place to start. The first album is mostly pictures of all the international things the city is known for, like the UN and the Red Cross, as well as a few photos from the Salève, a cliff overlooking the city. The second album is around the city itself, especially the Old Town and the St. Pierre Cathedral, inside and out.

As with most of these entries, I'm going to post a few standouts, followed by the albums themselves...

Looking down from the Salève, into Geneva and Lac Léman

Perfect timing for a rainbow.

Waiting for the télépherique, the cable car, on the way down...

The St. Pierre Cathedral

Along the Rhone, in the center of the city.

At the UN office, a sculpture representing victims of land mines.

The Palais des Nations, the European home of the UN.

A view of the city, from the top of the cathedral

Europe Trip-#3, Wangen (Alsace)

I visited the Szobody family, formerly missionaries in Chad, in the small village of Wangen, France, about 30km outside of Strasbourg. After being in Paris and then Strasbourg, it was a really nice change to get out to the countryside.

Paul & Teresa, who I first met in Gounou-Gaya, Chad.

With a few of the kids (l-r): Matthias, Micah, Mercy, Phillip, and Tytus.

Walking along the fields in the countryside...