Deuxieme jour... un long jour...

So I had a long day orientation today on the organization, the DR Congo, and the work that I'll be doing here. We began the day with a wrap-up of the previous's day training on program framework. It was pretty interesting to see how the program framework was being applied in actuality, and to hear from those involved in the field about efforts to ensure community participation in the projects.

After the wrap up, I met with the country director. He's french and is very knowledgeable on the organization, the Congo, and the humanitarian field. I appreciated the overview he gave me on the DRC, issues that he highlighted included why the conflict arose, the colonization period, the effects of the colonization, impacts on the population, etc. It was also difficult to hear the continued danger and pillaging that persists in the east of the country, where militias from uganda and rwanda still roam free in the mountains and attack small villages almost weekly. This is where the organization also has its gender based violence programs, given the emergency response needs and violence against women committed. It was also very nice to see how knowledgeable everyone is on the Congo, its history, and the interplays between the state, civil society, and the market. I also appreciated the encouragement and provision of literature and studies that have been written on Congo to help give me a more contextualized understanding of what is taking place today in this country.

I spent the rest of the day beginning to work on grants. It was cool to spend a bit of time with some of my Congolese workers and to break the ice. One of the guys discussed music and played some local traditional sounds. It was very neat and upbeat, and I could definitely see the power of music to help people get through everyday here. Kinshasa was a bit crazy again today. We were told that street kids had taken over one of the main streets, were throwing rocks at cars, and were making them pay a toll fee. Apparently, this was "things going back to normal." I guess getting adjusted to the security situation is still a bit tough and nerve-wrecking.

I went to the supermarket.. and oh my are things overpriced. Cheese, $5, chocolate, $10. Just ridiculous.