Here are some of the reasons that 2016 wasn't totally unbearable.
In January of last year the night before I left on my trip I had a going away party in Ottawa and about 30 people came despite the fact that there was a snow storm which was pretty wonderful. On top of that about 20 people wrote me letters that I brought with me and read throughout my trip. Some of them were really funny, some contained beautiful art and others reminded me of close friendships. What a joy.
There are some pretty amazing things to share about Bukavu too. Bukavu is naturally beautiful with trees, hills, flowers and a lake which is great when it's not exploding (which is like 99.999% of the time) (this isn't a joke, look up exploding lakes). The temperature was always perfect and I greatly enjoyed kayaking on Lake Kivu and playing ultimate frisbee over the weekends while most of you were suffering through a Canadian Winter.
Being in Bukavu also let me develop friendships with some pretty special people. The first set of friendships were with other expats, with whom I was able to develop much closer bonds with in comparison to my other trips to the African continent. This led to baking parties, tea parties and chats and drinking at a bar called Wendy's which is literally a shack on the side of the road in the nice part of town (I really wish I had taken a picture of it). The second set of friendships was made with some incredibly brave Congolese colleagues who shared their city, work and lives with me who remain very close to my heart.
During my research I also got to meet some amazing Congolese people who are risking their comfort and sometimes lives to promote human rights and peace. This is done through trainings, radio shows, workshops, direct livelihoods support and medical interventions and advocacy campaigns. I feel that the mere existence of these organisations and their staff in such difficult circumstances is reason enough on its own for both the Congolese and the World to believe that peace is possible. I'm really looking forward to being able to write about these amazing contributions in my thesis.
I also occasionally got to help while I was in Bukavu. It brought me great pleasure to pay for medical treatment for a baby in my neighbourhood who had a hot iron fall on her face, and for choir uniforms for her older sisters. I also found some enjoyment out of teaching the staff at the organisations that I was working with some English and I learned that language instruction is hard.
Beyond the DRC I also had some other great opportunities to travel. I spent the better part of a week in Kigali where I enjoyed restaurants, shopping, seeing the legislative buildings, vising the Genocide Memorial and more. It was also a great pleasure to return to Kampala and visit old friends, go salsa dancing, go swimming, eat cake and go to a comedy show while I was in the region. I also went to conferences in Halifax and Washington DC where my research received much positive feedback. In Halifax I enjoyed visiting friends and being by the Ocean and in Washington I visited the national mall, the Woodley Park Zoo and the craft Smithsonian. I even managed to fit in time for some conferencing and enjoyed learning about other people's work.... Oh and last but not least I also visited Quebec City and Rimouski where I took in natural and heritage sites and got to spend time with my friend Nigel! Such adventures!
As for things on the professional side, although I don't think I'll be seeking a reference from my summer employer, my efforts in the position ultimately led to four women from conflict affected countries receiving visas to come to Canada and receive mentorship from the organisation. I also had an opportunity to meet these women whose program I helped to design which was super.
Further, although finding a clear path to finishing my thesis was a struggle, I now have a very clear idea where to take my research once I finish my Ph.D. and I see continued opportunities to contribute to research on both peacebuilding and the DRC if I so choose. I'm also ultimately satisfied with the breakup with my thesis supervisor. Throughout the process I felt like my needs were prioritized, my relationship with my new supervisor is going really well AND I'm feeling much less stressed.
Last but not least since I've come home I've also found great joy in spending time with my friends, in a way I don't remember experiencing before. It's a really nice feeling which I can't easily capture in text form.
Come back tomorrow and find out just why I've been so grateful for these friendships.
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