Weekend List!

Sarah's List:

Look what I found while packing up our house...

Compare that total to this, giving birth in the U.S. is more expensive than any other country in the world. Total costs average $18,329 for a vaginal delivery and $27,866 for a C-section, with the bulk of the bill going to insurers. However, families with insurance still have to pay about $3,400 out of pocket. Wowzers! Thank you South Africa for my first class and affordable birth.


A fascinating read on the man who first "discovered" Ebola and his return to Congo 40 years later.

  by  theglobalpanorama 

Congratulations to the first female coach in men's top-tier, professional soccer!

Roger Federer just had his second set of twins?! Those Swiss are so gosh darn efficient.

Ever notice how many novels about Africa have an orange sky and acacia tree on the cover?

From Africa is a Country.

We're making our shopping list for our summer trip to the States. Check out The Sweethome. They do all the comparison shopping for you.

And here's their sister site for electronics: The Wirecutter.

Not that I'm in the market for one, but has anyone ever heard of Korea's answer to the Ergo baby carrier? Folks on Amazon are freaking out over the Pognae.

Pognae USA!

Jill's List:

Congolese airport as playground.  "The Land" in real-life. (If you want to see more truly spectacular images from around the world, check out Michael Christopher Brown's Instagram and professional pages.)

Permission to use photograph given by artist.  Thanks, Michael!

A new, stylish online mothering magazine.  Happy Mother's Day!

Go here to read beautifully photographed articles about magazine-y type topics with a mother-twist.

And then, there's Instagram moms.

Fancy coffee.  Can't wait to occasionally indulge at a few of these spots.

Johan's Father's Day fancy coffee 2013.  This year, he'll be celebrating NY style.

Rappers rule (linguistically speaking). 

Robots tackle malaria.

Loulou explained in the moment above, "This is my baby, Mary. She has malaria."

What do your children call their Baby Boomer grandparents?  Us:  Omi & Pop, Gma & Boss.  (Yes, there is a story behind "Boss".)  A non-traditional favorite of mine?  "Pippi"!  I have two friends who use this instead of "Grandma".

This video made me think of the Ndaya original we have in our house.  Leaving Congo and want an amazing reminder of your time here while supporting a local artisan?  Try a handmade guitar.  Call Ndaya (center, below) and he'll meet you in an alleyway in Bandal which doubles as his workshop. 

And.  KIMA MBANGU (Run Fast)!  Our Annual 5K Run/Walk will be held next Saturday, May 17 on the TASOK campus for those of you in Kinshasa.  Even if you are in a different time zone, you should still take the time to read about Les Fonds Pour les Femmes Congolaises, an amazing local organization making a real, visible and holistic impact on the lives of Congolese women.  All of our proceeds will go to these great projects for the third year in a row.  An excellent partnership!

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Friday List!

Jill's List:

How does a blogger decide which social media outlet is best?  Oh Joy! explains...

My hair is back to it's frizzy self, despite this, this, and this.  Sigh.  Garance understands.

  by  hoosadork 

Looking for an esoteric movie to watch projector-style on our porch this weekend.  Considering these.  (Also, planning on sprinkling popcorn with harrisa olive oil. Other popcorn recipes here.)

Happy to have fancy paprika found on sale at this Brooklyn joint in my Kinshasa pantry.  Made this to celebrate.

  by  roboppy 

Thinking of Goma.  It's not good on the other side this week.

Also pondering jail.  Who has been let out and who has been put in and what that means.

Everyone has been taking this introvert quiz.  So, are you?

My old professor on forgiving killers.

Looking for local Kinshasa online news sources for my Middle Schoolers (and myself). I've got this one, but need suggestions for others!  Any thoughts?

Obviously, not this one.

What do you think about this Psychology Today article?

Johan and I had a moment this week when we thought that our daughter was a musical prodigy and had written a beautiful little ditty called "Get Up in the Morning and See the Sun."  Until Elias outted her as a plagarizer.

And. The new African photographers. (Thanks, Mary Hope!)


Sarah's List:

Language learning as an adult really is the worst. Take this experience for example: Or Perhaps You Are Too Stupid To Learn French.

When Adam and I first started our French learning quest, we went here to this school and loved it. Even if our class was made up entirely of European teenagers learning their 4th language and a Don Bosco monk.

Parlez-vous Français?

  by  Orange County Archives 

Have you seen this? It's the rest of Europe according to France. And in reference to the above link, if the United States was included, they would probably think we're just a bunch of one-language-speaking fools.

In keeping with the language-learning theme, the first few weeks of American school are pretty rough. Especially when you don't speak English. So we've spent a lot of time reading this book. I Hate English!

I Hate English! by Ellen Levine

How do people who change gender choose a name, you ask? Don't worry BBC's on it.


So Tina Fey says her 2-year-old is a sociopath. Aren't all children sociopaths and our job is to make sure they grow out of by the time they go to school? Or at least by the time they go to college?

Just working the sociopath out of 'em.

14 words that are their own opposites. Can you think of just one before looking? Oh man, it's no wonder they make entire children's books about hating this language. 


And a very happy birthday to my first favorite newborn, my little sister. You remember her, of Mama Congo fame here and here and here. Katie doesn't waste her time on silly blogs, but her husband is our biggest fan, so maybe he'll tip her off to the mention. P.S. Katie, you married well.

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Friday List!

Sarah's List:

Really, really glad I don't have to learn how to speak English. If you're a native English speaker, a poem to make you feel thankful.

Anyone ever heard of Hippo Paint? Search a picture of anything, and you can paint it. "The web is your coloring book." I literally had to rip the computer away from Adam painting his search for "big noses."

Nice little slideshow on changing names, from The Last Name Project.

Retronaut. I cannot get enough of slightly old pictures. For example, check out the evolution of Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever. It's amazing what taking out a few Indian headdresses and adding a few bows will do to modernize a book.

Had our traditional Drunken Risotto this week. I know I said the house chef got the night off for our anniversary, but I lied.

  by  nebulux76 

Totally, totally entranced by these photos. The tiling on the floor, the clunky strollers, the high-tops. It must be 1989.

And I would link to Playboy Magazine's article ranking my alma mater as the #1 Party School, but our employer hosted internet filters out such nonsense as "playboy" and "party school." But I really just wanted to read the article!

Jill's List:

Worked really hard to get this to download.  And it was worth it.  I'm not saying any more right now...

   Shout out to EpiPens!  They save people's lives.  If you know you are seriously allergic, or might be seriously allergic to something, GET AN EPI PEN and carry it with you all the time.   End of nurse-rant.  (Thanks, Mom, for shipping EpiPens to the Congo last month....)

 Oh, Goma.

Photo by Emily Cavan Lynch

Some German friends recently told us about these plastic bikes for kids, which they described as "necessary."   Basically, Euro-Big Wheels.

Photo from Babyccino Kids

A fellow teacher brought this magical find to my office (see below) today.  Almost enough to make me start believing in gnomes and fairies.  Ornithology experts - any ideas as to the creator of this kapok-lined nest?

AAANNNND.  Happy, happy almost-birthday to our own Sarah!  Go 30!

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