TL;DR: Still very happy!

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 7^th 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?