Welcome to Kin, and watch out for the gunshots

Hello everyone, thanks for tuning in. I've already been in Kinshasa for two weeks and I dove right into lots of work, very motivating stuff. Happy to hang around with my brother, Kim, and getting to know the city in its everyday workings.

My very first day, 12 hours after landing in, I had a great view of a political demonstration from my office. Things got rough, police shot in the air, a few cars were vandalized but it quieted down really quickly. Kinshasa is, generally, a safe city (more on my run in with pickpockets for another time!).

As some of you know, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (ex-Zaire, DRC, Congo-Kinshasa) is coming out of two major wars. It is also a month a way from its first national elections in 45 years and is home to a UN peace keeping mission. These upcoming events and others, such as the ongoing sporadic conflict in the east, will be interesting to follow in the coming months. Of course, I'm sure every day life will have its experiences as well.

This blog is meant for my family and friends near and far to keep up with me. If you're a stranger, hope you find it entertaining!