Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Isettled intheguestbedroomandquicklywenttousethebathroom.Aquickaside:
above the toilet they had a sign that read, “If it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown send it
down.” When I washed my hand in the sink, the water went into a small bucket which was
used to send brown things down. Oddly enough, I kept this maxim for the rest of my life
whenever I worked overseas.
Afterquicklywashingup,wehoppedonhismotorbiketolookforabicycletirebut
had no luck.
Their home was packed with toys and books and had a beautiful country kitchen.
Thechildrenweresopoliteandhadagreatconceptofsharing.Theyrespectedeachother's
toys and always listened to their dad. Their mom, Marylyn was out for a few days teaching
nursing in Kinshasa and would be returning in a few days.
We sat down to eat dinner and Erica wanted me to say grace. Richard made very
flat pancakes that the children didn't like for he forgot the baking powder and salt…but
hey,formeitwasfoodanditwasmostwelcome.WhileRichardandIchatted,thechildren
made fudge brownies for dessert. When I mentioned that my visa was to expire soon, he
suggested that I could stay with his family until it got renewed.
The children were very eager to hear my stories and so we stayed up as I told them
of my experiences in Africa. It was time for bed for they had to wake up before 6:00 a.m.
and leave by 7:15 to go to school. The kids wanted me to stay for a few more days. I told
them that it all depended on what would happen in the immigration office the next day. I
felt at home here but in the back of mind knew that the longer I stayed the harder it would
be for me to leave.
When I awoke the next morning, the children were already up. They had set the
table and Karina was making toast. We all sat down and after holding hands and singing
praise, we ate. They prepared their snacks for school and off they went. Not soon after, a
huge storm came and it rained for hours. I went to the immigration office and met the dir-
ector. He was in fact a very kind man. I explained who I was and showed my letters of ref-
erence. His eyes lit up when I mentioned that I was staying with the Derksens. Richard, as
it turned out, was highly respected in this town and the surrounding area. He and Marylyn
were renowned for their work. Marylyn locally taught nursing and Richard had a music
studio which he let local musicians use for free. The officer told me to come back in an
hour. When I returned, his secretary was very professional and helped me fill out a form. I
asked about the cost. It was 3.5 million zaïres (about $2 Canadian) for the paperwork and
nothing for the visa.
I returned to the house quite early and waited to have lunch with the children. I
met their teacher and Aunt Barbara, a nurse, who came to check up on Erica. The children
taught me a valuable lesson on selfless giving. While I was in the home, I kept nibbling
on the brownies that they made to the point where I ate 5 of the 7 brownies. When Aunt
Barbara came, the children placed the last 2 brownies on a plate and offered them to Bar-
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