The Tshukudu Movie Club came back from its winter sleep that
night. Admittedly, the winter sleep was induced by my antisocial
tendencies, topped up with kazi mingi (brush up on your swahili for
that one).
But then Benoit came back from where he was, and Habibi came back
from where he was, and even Ponyito was home, and then German decided
to take a nap on our sofa, pretending he was participating, so Movie
Nights were definitely back.
On top of that, we (Benoit) offered the Oscar-winner foreign
language film of 2015, which happens to be Hungarian. Not a very
cheerful one, but certainly one with a very unique point of view. One
of the many things I enjoy about this otherwise surreal life setup is
that I get to proudly show around things „my people” have made
and done. Including the ball point pen and the Rubik cube.
And there, in the living room, between guacamole and Danish (?)
brie cheese, I just realized that it was an anniversary. I'm a
terribly nostalgic person, I remember what I was wearing when I first
met somebody important, or that I was buying mango juice with the
Chief when I realized I was missing somebody, so it's somewhat normal
that I remember that it was the 7th June when I arrived to
this mission. I remember how I was explaining to the immigration
officer at the Entebbe airport that I don't need a visa because I
will be working for the United Nations, how utterly bizarre it
sounded, and how disappointed she was that she couldn't make me pay
for it.
Accounts of those first days can be read
here
and
here , and although you could follow the last two (2!! TWO!) years through
this blog, I'm not sure it can really reflect just how far I've come.
Professionally, which is important, since no longer enjoying anything
at work was the primary reason for quitting the old job, but
ironically, coming here made me see just how much I learned on the
old job. And how important it is to call it quits when it's time.
Personally, too – I figure
everybody is changing , and
while „maturity” isn't necessarily the adjective that comes to
mind when you're talking about a person who is excited about the
trampoline in her sister's garden, there is certainly personal
development to be noted. Development not in the sense that what was
before needed fixing, but development in the sense that exposure and
time makes all experiences richer. I'm not saying I'm afraid of fewer
things now, but maybe of different things, and I'm more open-minded
towards my fears. And a lot more confident about the few things I
know. And the many things I have an opinion about. I don't fear Game
of Thrones debates, because I have about as much of a chance at being
right, as does anybody else. Even Marcello.
Important to note that this personal development or discovery or
epiphany is not necessarily location-specific. I'm sure the lovely
breeze of North Kivu has done me good, but I think most credit needs
to go to all the amazingly weird people I've met here. Again, I don't
think that North Kivu is the only place to meet amazingly weird
people. We are everywhere. I'm just particularly lucky about this
specific set of weirdos, because they are, just like The Animal
Parties, happily aware of their own weirdness. And embrace it.
These lovely weirdos have - if unknowingly – helped me a lot in
my learning to let go exercise. I've counted 7 (seven!) flatmates in the last two years, and all of them have been a blessing - one way or another. The movie nights have almost completely changed its audience, but it hasn't changed its nature - depressing and disturbing movies (almost) every Tuesday.
I am a rather clingy,
please-don't-leave-me, together forever kinda girl. It is known. But
my Goma-weirdos come and go faster than I could change my hair
colour, and there is nothing I can do about it. And this, ultimately,
is a great lesson. Not to say I have been a model student all along,
but somewhere in the past two years I learned to appreciate the
moments we have, and mope a little less over the ones we can no
longer have.
There are more specific lessons I've benefited from as well. One
of the many great things about my line of work is that I get to meet
all kinds of professions. And since they think they depend on me
(they don't), they tend to be a little more sociable. I get to ask
questions, and learn about what they do – and they do some really
cool stuff, and come from places I never heard of before (and
definitely couldn't have placed on a map), and have very different
life experiences. And a story. Everybody has a story!
I love stories. And cheese. I get them both here. What else can I
ask for?
