Jinxed

So I'm not really allowed to write about what I'm doing here, but what about what I'm not doing? I've been here how long? 1,5 months? And I still haven't been able to go on a proper mission. Olivia thinks I'm jinxed, and I'm starting to believe her... I've planned to go on five missions - three have been cancelled and two were never approved. I've also prepared my first ever helicopter flight four times (only one connected to one of these missions), and they've all either been cancelled or replaced by a plane. This weekend was the worst. I had prepared to go to Tshonka - totally out in the bush and I was really excited to get out there. I borrowed a camping bed and packed all my stuff (which was a lot, but only half of the head of mission who was also going out for the first time). We were supposed to go on Friday. But something went wrong with the arrangement of the flight, and after much ado they rescheduled it to saturday 1030. When we reach the airport they tell us the flight is scheduled for 1230. But then the weather in Tshonka apparently turned bad, so they cancelled it. So after4,5 hrs wait we can do nothing but go back to Bukavu (1,5 hour bumpy ride...). The funniest thing was that I got a 'bon voyage' messagethis morning, and learnt that operations had resceduled the mission to today, without telling us who were going. Great.

Well,I got my next mission confimred today. Heading north by road next week. Inshallah. Maybe car works better for me than heli, but I wouldn't be surprised if the long since due rains start this weekend and make the roads impossible.



The great Antonov - so we met again (though it should have been heli). The Russian propeller plane/caravan I first went with to Goma.



Note the pilot, flashing his hairy chest and blingbling necklace.