Finally: we are on our way

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December, 15th, 2004

Dear friends,

after months of preparations, jumping through bureaucratic hoops and countless assessments, we received final approval from the Congolese high commissioner and collected our passports at the embassy in the Hague. We went straight back to the headquarters of Médecins Sans Frontières (Artsen zonder Grenzen / Doctors Without Borders, MSF) in good old Amsterdam. Our local contact, the Belgian virologist Hubert Staersmede immediately got on the phone to the MSF station in Bunia, the capital of the Ituri Province in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mumbasa was relieved to hear everything was going to be in order after all, and suggested we bring a turkey stuffed with antibiotics for Christmas dinner. That way, the rebel factions would not find them that easy. Harhar. I still cannot get used to the 'jokes' about kidnappings, raids and bombings that seem commonplace in the MSF ranks. I have kept this from my parents for obvious reasons.

Two days we have to pack our bags, say goodbye to friends and family, and then we're off on a flight to Kinshasa with about 30 other MSF medical volunteers who will work in the DRC for a few weeks or months.


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edit: December, 17th, 2004

Thanks Eric and Suus for throwing that killer surprise party - I'm still a little shaky, but that will probably only help me sleep on the direct flight to Kinshasa. Thanks everyone for the books, sweets, mosquito repellents and , erm , assorted preservatifs. You all have a very twisted view of the medical community, no doubt grace a grey's and other subversive hospital shows. I'm not really sure what to do with 'Blood and Gold - a compendium to African Tribal Spirits' from some Howard Philips' bookshop (so it says on a note stuck to the inside cover), but it seems like a good read. I hope to finish it before leaving Kinshasa again, because we will be travelling light.

Allright, time to beat the hangover and gather my stuff. I hope to post again from the Dark Continent: Africa!

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