Last weekend I spent the weekend with Catherine and Julian.
They live not far from the ship in a beautiful house that Julian built, and they had
invited Krissy and I to spend the weekend with them.
Neither of us was sure if we could spare the time. Both of
us were behind on work after a busy week and I had to leave at 11am on Sunday to
drive to the airport to pick up four British doctors who were helping us run
one of our healthcare education courses. However, there is always ‘more work
that can be done’ and I needed the break.
Within minutes of arriving we were in the pool, cold drinks
in hand and feeling the sun on our backs. Catherine and Krissy were speaking French
and translating the bits I didn’t understand. I have been trying to study
harder recently in preparation for language school in the summer and I could
feel the benefit.
The ship has a hairdresser but she left recently and my hair
desperately needed cutting. I had resorted to ‘wearing it up’ as most girls do
when their hair has lost any semblance of style! I intended to wait to get it
cut until I go home in June, but the subject came up in conversation with
Catherine. SO while we were still in the pool, Catherine leaned over, grabbed
her phone and rang Eveline, her hairdresser, and arranged an appointment that
afternoon.
With refreshingly cool water running over my head and Eveline
massaging my head, I began to relax. As Eveline chopped into my mop of hair, I
trusted she knew how to cut western hair because she was recommended by
Catherine! Blow drying wasn’t an option, the electricity was out (common occurrence
in Africa) and Eveline joked with me saying, ‘put your head outside the door
and it will dry quicker!’
Best haircut ever. Thanks to Eveline. And she didn’t charge me a penny. ‘Its nothing’
she said, when I asked her the cost, ‘You are from Mercy Ships’.
Twilight walk on the beach at Malonda Lodge, and more French
conversation so that my brain felt liked it was being squeezed until there was
nothing left! Think I fell asleep in the car on the way home.
Thankfully the evening’s dinner party was conducted mostly in English with friends of Catherine and Julian. As six of us sat around the table we represented 6 nationalities, French, Congolese, English, America, German and Bosnian. Catherine’s husband Julian is Congolese. He was born in Brazzaville after his father had fled there with the remains of the French government and military during World War II. His mother came to Brazzaville after she was released from Auschwitz aged 18 years and weighing 18 kg. She was actually on route to Leopoldville (now called Kinshasa), in the old Belgium Congo, but never made it across the Congo River because she met and married Julian’s father. Julian is a great story-teller and in a mixture of mostly English and some French, tales abounded as we drank French champagne and ate Moroccan food, with Krissy and Catherine acting as translators when necessary!
Thankfully the evening’s dinner party was conducted mostly in English with friends of Catherine and Julian. As six of us sat around the table we represented 6 nationalities, French, Congolese, English, America, German and Bosnian. Catherine’s husband Julian is Congolese. He was born in Brazzaville after his father had fled there with the remains of the French government and military during World War II. His mother came to Brazzaville after she was released from Auschwitz aged 18 years and weighing 18 kg. She was actually on route to Leopoldville (now called Kinshasa), in the old Belgium Congo, but never made it across the Congo River because she met and married Julian’s father. Julian is a great story-teller and in a mixture of mostly English and some French, tales abounded as we drank French champagne and ate Moroccan food, with Krissy and Catherine acting as translators when necessary!
Julian and Catherine met flying. And that was what was on
our agenda for Sunday morning. They are both pilots and fly microlight planes.
Soon I was flying an aqua-plane with Julian’s brother Robert, while Krissy flew
with Julian.
We flew over the coastline, and saw all the ships and oil platforms just off the coast which were familiar from the sail into Pointe Noire 10 months ago. And I held the joystick as we flew over the Mercy Ship which looked small as she sat in the huge harbour.
And our aqua-plane with Robert and I, landed and took off again on the lagoon at Malonda lodge. That was my favourite part. The flight was stunning. Now I can understand the attraction of flying light aircraft. Having been here for 10 months it was an amazing experience to be able to see things from the air and recognise familiar places.
We flew over the coastline, and saw all the ships and oil platforms just off the coast which were familiar from the sail into Pointe Noire 10 months ago. And I held the joystick as we flew over the Mercy Ship which looked small as she sat in the huge harbour.
And our aqua-plane with Robert and I, landed and took off again on the lagoon at Malonda lodge. That was my favourite part. The flight was stunning. Now I can understand the attraction of flying light aircraft. Having been here for 10 months it was an amazing experience to be able to see things from the air and recognise familiar places.
Safely back on terra firma, and one final luxury: an
excellent expresso coffee, some water to rehydrate and then it was time to
leave.
It was almost 11 o’clock and time for my airport run – best 24
hours ever.
Thank you very much - Catherine and Julian – may God bless
your abundant generosity..
