I have four days to go, and I'm not sure I'm ready yet. Not that anyone can ever be prepared for a totally new experience, but I'm trying to be a mental boyscout. Last night was our orientation, and we got a general overview of what an election observer mission does from Derek Martens, who participated in the OAS observer group in Peru last year. Most of it was what I expected. I think our main concerns in the leadup are going to be with familiarizing ourselves with Congolese electoral law. But with just over a month in the country, I have other concerns in mind. There is the possibility of unrest or violence if the elections are not perceived to be fair, or that certain groups are not happy with the results. On a simpler level I'm also a little nervous about going to a country where I'll have to survive on my fading knowledge of French. I've been making a point of trying to use it as much as possible lately, but there is a big difference between casual conversations and surviving the streets of a new country. Sorting out the details of my accomodations last night helped to ease some of my nervousness, as I am now less burdened by the fear that I would have nowhere to stay for the duration of my time there. It seems that the congolese are a very hospitable people, and I get the feeling that I should have no trouble arranging accomodations for the later portion of my trip. Now all I have to do is figure out how I'm gonna pay for all of this. Not only am I volunteering my time, I am also taking on full responsibility for all of my costs. The plane ticket alone was over $3500, nevermind a month worth of accommodations, food, and transportation costs. For those of you who feel that this is a worthwhile venture I will gladly accept any donations to help defray these costs! And for those of you who can't afford to help financially, please help by telling people about what I'm doing, sending them this blog address, and encouraging people to think about what's going on in the DRC.
I've been informed that I MAY be able to access the internet somewhat regularly while I am in the Congo. If this is the case I will do my best to update you whenever I can.
-joel