Things have been a whirlwind of out of the ordinary activity for me the past two days.
On Sunday, I met and drank champagne with President Denis S. Nguesso's brother and received a gift of golden shoes. More about this later.
On Monday I appeared on Congolese television with Congo's Minister of Communication and the American Embassy's Public Affairs Officer. We were sitting in three chairs arranged in a neat line on what looked like a tennis court carpeted with shockingly green artificial turf for the broadcast. The minister gave a quick speech about the importance of the English Language Fellow Program to his country, and then we moved to cocktail hour where we toasted to the success of the program with orange Fanta poured from old-fashioned glass bottles into champagne flukes. My co-worker at the embassy said he saw me live on television.
I realize how important this program is to the journalists and to the ministry. I want this 10 months to be a success, while at the same time mentally processing unexpected novelties of each day, which often arrive in my ear whispering in too rapid French.
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