Oh Congo....

So, there is this old song about Congo....it goes....

"Nothing can go wrong-o,
I'm in the Cong-o."

However, we are quite sure the person that wrote those lyrics has not been to Congo.  All day we have been singing...

"If it can go wrong-o,
It will because it's Cong-o"

And then our conversation this morning goes....

Keela:  "Hey, remember when we went to Congo and you got robbed?"
Luke:  "And you got malaria?  Good thing we didn't have a severely injured kid with us!"

Bahaha!

So, yeah - Congo is crazy.

On Wednesday all the vendors up and down the street by our guest house were literally run off by the police in what is called "Operation Kin Propre".  Every 3 months or so the Congolese police go and violently destroy all the street vendors setups (tents, chairs, goods they are selling) and literally chase the vendors down the streets.  We were on the street about a hour before it happened and then we went back out and everything was destroyed.  However, most of them were back by today.

Yesterday we found out I have malaria - awesome.  I am taking doxycycline as a preventative measure, but apparently this little parasite is resistant to it.  It was caught early, so it is not too bad, but I'm taking "the cure" that is fairly rough on a person.  Luke was supposed to leave this morning and thank God he was able to push his flight to Monday.

Imara is doing so-so.  Her abdominal pain is getting worse and we believe she has an internal infection in her abdomen.

With her issued medical visa, we are working to get her an exit letter.  This is a difficult thing because Congo has a suspension on exit letters for adoptive children.  Imara has not been adopted, but they are very suspicious of any child leaving with a foreigner.  We are needing a document from the commune in order to submit her exit letter request and we have been waiting on it for over 2 weeks - and we still do not have it!!!

On top of that, DGM stated today that they will not be issuing exit letters to any foreigner taking a minor child out of the country, even for medical visas!!!  AHHHH!  Seriously?!?!  So apparently 100 children were attempted to be smuggled over a Congo border on Tuesday, so now all exit letters are being suspended.  The ridiculous thing is, the child smugglers were not trying to use the legal process - they weren't applying for legal exit letters - they were smuggling kids over the border.  Why shut down the legal process for the kids that are are trying to legally leave the country - particularly the ones who need outside medical care to survive.  Then we heard that DGM will issue exit letters to medical visa holders, but the case has to go through the judicial system and then be signed off by the President.  Hmmmm - that is no easy feat...would probably take a month.

We are looking at two options.  First, get her case approved by the court and then by the President.  (Anyone know the President?) Second, have her escorted to the U.S. by a Congolese citizen.  The problem DGM is having is with foreigners leaving with Congolese children, but all Imara needs is to get to the U.S. hospital that will treat her, so being escorted by a Congolese citizen is just fine.  Getting a Congolese citizen a U.S. visa is no easy or quick feat.  Does anyone know a Congolese person that has a valid U.S. visa?