CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS:

What are YOU giving for Christmas?
Here are a few ideas I would like to propose for any of you wanting to give a gift to children in Africa this Christmas.

If you are wanting to donate in honor of someone else, please include their name and address with your gift. I can have a gift card sent out to them letting them know the gift you passed on in their name.

Sending gifts to the Congo is very expensive, so all I can do is give it on your behalf, after I receive it. Now that you have almost decided….one last thing to add, because these projects are outside of the Elikia Village Project, I’m afraid it must be directed to me personally, leaving no room for tax receipts.

Please write all cheques payable to:

Tanya Morrison
c/o 1323 Parker St.
White Rock, BC V4B 4S4

CURRENT PROJECTS:

1) Georgette’s Orphanage: Kinshasa, Congo.
Georgette runs an orphanage for 54 children. She is registered as an NGO here in Kinshasa. Their finances are extremely tight. Your donation would go towards their housing, need for a well, food and education.

2) 3000 kids Christmas Bash! Goma, N.E. Congo
Our friend, Esther Ntoto is hosting a Christmas Party for 3000 kids in war-torn Goma. She started this 2 years ag0 with only 50 children. She will have the UN force help to cook and serve the meal. We will also be volunteering together with them at Christmas. Your donation will contribute to this celebration for food and gifts at Christmas.

I know that many people have said to me “How can I get involved”? Personally, I think these are 2 excellent ways of making a huge difference for Congolese children who have so little this Christmas. As well, I am happy to say that I can personally guarantee 100% deposit of your gift into the hands of these little ones.

Thanks for sharing your love this Christmas!

Tanya

Eat & Run Congo Style.....

Here's me before the feast!






So - HAPPY AMERICAN THANKSGIVING!! Don't think i've ever celebrated this one before. Actually, we tried to go undercover (only 3 of us Canadians amidst 20 Americans) we tried using ''huh" instead of "eh". Ouch. I know I deserve a few punches for that one. Anyways, the food was soo great. All the works: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes...........AND pumpkin pie and whip cream! So great. We were all hanging out enjoying after dinner chit chat (i was playing with some kid in the other room) All of a sudden people were coming out with their chairs, empty pots, kids and keys. "What's going on"? I ask. "Everyone's getting out of the city", someone said as they rushed by me. Within about 2 min. all 23 of us were out of there, leaving our hosts behind with the dirty dishes and an empty house. {Someone received a phone call warning them of political unrest and building tension in the city and that we should all go home.} I think it was all just a rumor that someone started to get us out of washing the dishes! haha

Anyways, it seems as though the runner-up in the elections is not leaving quietly. We didn't see anything as we drove out of town. I checked it out on-line. http://www.congodaily.com/ We hear there's going to be some political demonstration happening this Saturday....but one never knows.




Part of the expat crew that work here.







Our happy hosts - the Turners!
(These guys have lived here about 32 years)
They don't scare easily.








Currently at
Station
Sango Malamu
(where i can email & blog the night away)

This may be a new buzzword in certain circles.
It is something that resonates with me
and I would like it to be true about my life.
Perhaps it's a little vulnerable to put this 'out there'....

INTEGRITY:

Integrity is about consistency of living
that allows the character of one's soul
to find expression in the living of one's life
- in word and deed.
Integrity is about truth, honesty, trust and consistency,
it is a matter of character.

Blogging Fever Today

O.k....reality is sinking in (a bit). I just realized that we're gonna be on our own in about 7 days. Jim (president of the radio station and family friend) is going back to Canada after being here a few months already. Not sure what the draw is...maybe the 7 grandkids at Christmas or something like that ! He's been taking care of us and getting us where we need to go, introducing us to all the people we need to know, etc. Anyways, further adventures for Cammie and I! We're currently smokin' on the French...''ou est la salle de bain" (whatever).

One such adventure will be Cammie (seniority rules!@*#) driving like a mad woman down the crazy streets. Our main goal will be to stay out of rush hour. This can be anywhere from 5 - 10pm at night on any given day. Rush hour means that on a 2 lane road (filled with potholes) you may have 4 rows of cars squished side by side - you could even reach out the window and shake the guy's hand beside you. Now this is fine (minus the copious amounts of black emission from the cars around) until someone decides to go down the left lane and start a 5th row in the oncoming traffic. Voila - grid lock!!! Hours later, you find that what was causing the whole jam was a huge bus that decided to stop right in the middle of the road to let everyone off. Or...some guy that tried turning his car around to avoid the jam and got stuck sideways. Anyways...i think you have the visual. Any of you that have travelled in a 3rd world country probably are re-living the scenes. Here are a few visuals for the road ahead:

DRIVING THROUGH

THE MARKET

ON THE WAY HOME

All that's missing is a person on the top!

BEFORE the 5 lanes of traffic!

NEW LIFE!!!

WELCOME TO THIS WORLD BABY THEIA BOOKER KAMIYA!!!!

I look forward to the day I can meet you in person.

You're beeeeuuutiful!

My French/Lingala lesson

Consists of 10 vibrant kids mimicking me & shouting out words in French mixed with Lingala. A bit of English thrown in, a round of head & shoulders knees & toes, a few pics. and now we're friends for life! I know I have so many pics. of cute kids.....they're everywhere! These guys live just outside our front gate and hang out in the dirt at their house with the 'free range chickens' My question...How do they know whose chicken is whose. Maybe the neighbor ends up eating their chicken for dinner? Anyways...random thoughts.

How cute is THIS little one? She doesn't say a word.

BRIGHT EYES!

Random Thoughts...

~ TOP 5’s in NOVEMBER ~

In AFRICA:
- awesome thunder & lightning storms
- cool nights under the mosquito net
- Friday nights at A.S.K. with the expat crew

- lots of water for the wells
- having electricity, internet & water at the same time!

In JAPAN:
- Merron, Masataka,Clyde & one soon to come …

- Oden, Nabe, Katsunikomi Udon & Okonomiyaki - yum yum

- any local matsuri that's happening
- taking pics of fall leaves in Nara
- sitting under the warm kotatsu with a mofu
- (and a Mercury Joe live) heh heh

In CANADA:
- JJ Bean 8oz. latte (any month!!)

- spicy curry on a cold night
- Breakfast at Snug on Bowen with Oz
- Value Village ‘worst dressed for $10 in 20 min.’

- curling up under my comforter with a foreign flick

THE RESULTS ARE IN:

As of Wednesday, Nov.15 the elction results were finally announced!
The past president was voted in again. The tension lies in the opposition not receiving this news well. There’s talk of gun firing again and the Turner’s house is barackaded off at night. (glad we’re not staying there)
My undercover photographer (Cammie) took her life in her hands (haha) as she managed to get these photos on our way to the radio station the same day of the results.

Georgette's Orphanage

I know I tend to be wordy so I think these pictures will tell the story of our day at Georgette's orphanage.
She is the one I mentioned in my 2nd blog. There are 54 kids here, the youngest is 1.5yrs to 17yrs.
The kids all share single bunk beds and they eat fou fou (a thick porridge substance) once a day. They are full of joy, but the need is still great. Many of them go to school.

PICTURES INSTEAD OF 1000 WORDS!

JOYFUL DAY!!! (at Georgette's Orphanage)

A BIG THANKS TO MY MOM AND SIS FOR PROVIDING SO MANY BRIGHT CLOTHES FOR THE KIDS.

CHECK IT OUT!!! It was hilarious. The boys wanted the pants so bad they were wearing them below their butt...

(just like J-Bone - haha)

1 boy had a top that was above his belly button,

then he's wearing a girl's outfit, but he doesn't care!

This is my nana's neighbor Phyllis (in Canada). She crocheted about 30 bears and asked me to take them to the orphans in Congo! We handed out a few to the small children at the orphanage we visited last week (more to come)...

BABY IDA!!!! (only 3 months old) Esther Ida Nicole