Friday List

SARAH'S LIST:

Some thoughts on Africa. If it's possible to have "some thoughts" about an entire continent. Perhaps that's this article's first hypocritical flaw.

  by  shroncin 

We have a new Prime Minister! While the conspiracy theories swirl, word on the street about him has been mostly positive.

An entire book about our Sapeurs. These guys truly deserve their own post. And this book is out of print, I think. Stay tuned and we'll bring you the Mama Congo story behind these fascinating guys. In an country where the average income is about $300 a year, these guys still manage to wear designer clothes. "A Congolese Sapeur is a happy man even if he does not eat, because wearing proper clothes feeds the soul and gives pleasure to the body."

No Pink Arrow Required.

Perhaps you saw my homage to Shoprite. Could we possibly also get a Pick n Pay? It's an invasion of affordable South African groceries!

JILL'S LIST: 

Completely off Africa-topic, but as someone who grew up going to the Outer Banks every summer, this mystery dominated my childhood imagination.  Crazy new clues emerge...

Turning fake-shopping into real shopping for once.  I've been considering this, this, & this for Mother's Day...(Mom, any opinions?)

 Working feverishly to organize our Kima Mbangu (Run Fast!) 5K Run/Walk.  It's happening May 12th and everything goes to support a really fab local organization that the folks at the Carter Center told us about: Le Fonds pour les Femmes Congolaises.  Remember when I wrote about this? (I love this crazy girl on our poster & t-shirts...):

Totally ordering this in anticipation of another year beneath the equatorial sun.  If it's as good as Joanna says it is, it is the holy grail for those of us (cough...Sarah and I) who fall under the category: unbelievably pale.

Feeling totally jealous that my friends got to hang out with these guys this week.  In Indiana of all places...   Also on the music front, Johan is fighting with Amazon.com about whether or not he has the right to download MP3s in the Congo. 

Rationing the last of our amazing Cape Town coffee and dreaming of our options once we arrive stateside. 

New blog in my hometown.  Favorite feature: Behind Bars - because "waiters and bartenders have a unique and privileged vantage point on whatever’s buzzing in town."  Proud of my friends who are making this happen.

Also, Johan found a new Congo blog today.

Speaking of Johan, we celebrate 10 Years of being married tomorrow.  Yep. Amazing.  Who would have thought we'd be popping the champagne in Kinshasa?  I'm off to find some traditional tin or aluminum to present to my fair spouse...