Jungle Tasting

On Sunday we travelled about 15 km outside of Impfondo to an Aaka (pygmy) village to go to church. This particular village consisted of about 10 mud and thatch buildings, one of which was their church. It was amazing to see how even out in the jungle of the Congo there was a small congregation of Christians. They sang for us and Sarah Speer (a missionary from Canada that has been there for about 25 years) gave a lesson on Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; tying in God is present even when there are only a few are believers. You couldn’t help but be in awe at the display of faith. They were also very welcoming, and when we started out on our jungle hike right from their backyard, half of the village followed. They were showing us various trees, leaves, and plants they used for natural remedies for problems from eye infections to tooth aches. They blazed a trail for us with machetes and axes and offered us some interesting treats. Back into the jungle, there was a grove of cacao trees, so they broke open a few of them and let us try the sweet covering of the cacao nut. They don’t refine cacao here, so they dry it and sell it to vendors. I was tempted to try to figure out if I could find out the refining process so we could get some chocolate… We also witnessed how they get a little refreshment when they are out gathering. They cut down a limb of a certain tree or vine (I couldn’t quite ever tell what it really was) and when you tilt the limb a trickle of water comes out. I was wary at first, but then I couldn’t help but try it…it was fairly sweet with a bit of a woodsy twinge to it.

Of course, you can’t go into the jungle without swinging on some vines and climbing trees, so we certainly joined in on those activities. The natives were valiantly trying to explain to us how they lived in the jungle so they reverted to charades, which we could get a good bit of understanding out of. In one instance they were showing us how they put up shelter with a few tree limbs and palm fronds, and one of the women got in with her baby and pretended to be sleeping. I’d say the charades worked quite well. It was fun going with so many people. I thought it would make us go too slowly but it gave me time to actually look around and take in the jungle canopy, the softness of the jungle floor, and the color pops of flora.

So thank goodness that we had that weekend because this past week was certainly a lemon. The week progressively got more exhausting and lead up to a slightly overwhelming Thursday. It was just a busy day in general, then after our shift, Sarah and I took the dressing changes upon ourselves. They weren’t done because there were several surgeries going on, so the surgical team didn’t have the time. So we were at the hospital till late, and thankfully Steven (the pediatrics MD) offered to drive us back to the house instead of us riding back in the dark with bugs flying at our headlamps and into our faces. To make up for our day, we had pancake night early. It’s usually Friday nights, but since we had all had a trying week, we decided to treat ourselves. Getting back up the next morning was difficult, but we made it and got off work at a decent hour. Which was enough to prepare for a second dose of pancake night…we invited the Liberty team, the Harvey girls (Olivia, Claire, and Isabelle), Tabitha Marsh (one of the RNs daughters), and Meduna (a med student from the states that arrived this week). We cooked up a whole load of pancakes, and the Liberty girls even gave us a most special gift of semi-sweet chocolate chips (!!!), so of course, we made chocolate chip banana pancakes! Along with a few pieces of cinnamon toast, makeshift lattes, and multipurpose granola, our pancake night went off without a hitch and had plenty of fabulous conversation. It saddens me that this is the teams last weekend here…they are leaving Tuesday for Brazzaville then for the states next weekend. Having them here was a blessing, in work at the hospital, adding to the mission community, and becoming new friends. If only they could stay longer!

As for staying longer…Twice in one week I have heard the offer to extend my stay. It is certainly something to ponder…