Trip to Gungu

For the past 3 days I’ve been in Gungu, DRC on a farm. Gungu, you could say, is the furthest you can get from civilization. We came out here for the long weekend (Monday and Tuesday are national holidays for the anniversary of the two former president’s deaths) to get out of the city for a little while and breathe some fresh air. Though Gungu is only about 75 Km (about 50 miles) from Goma it took us over 3 hours to drive because the road was so bad. The road had actually been impassible for the past two months because of the rainy season. When we arrived I felt like I was in a completely different world, enclosed by the mountains of North Kivu.

            When we arrived we walked inside the farmhouse to a fire burning in the fireplace and some fresh mountain water. We then decided to explore a little bit and visit the cheese and butter factories and where they plant their trees. Of course, on a farm one adventure led to the next and we found ourselves five minutes later in a dense bamboo forest. We then returned home after our two-hour adventure to have a dinner made only of the nicest and freshest food you can find on earth.

            The next day was much of the same. Visiting (and milking!) cows, seeing the sheep, and trying to avoid the African wasps as we explored the beautiful farm. Though it was an awesome experience being in this surreal and beautiful place, I realized that I take for granted the world around me. Though here at the farm there is almost everything within just a couple kilometers walk, I saw nothing that I haven’t seen before (except African wasps). It took being in a place like Gungu though that makes me conscious of my world, of our world.

            I am a city boy through and through, and I actually hate farms. They smell, you go long periods of time with nothing to do, and I feel like whatever I do at a farm gets me dirty. This time I was at a farm I thought a lot. I stood still for a minute (or maybe many long long minutes) to breath, think and feel. This world is just an amazing and breathtaking place with so many adventures to be had. I have been blessed to have seen so much of the world and I know that. After today though, it would be my strong encouragement to everyone to take some time every day to be still and enjoy the world around you. It will take your breath away. The earth gives you breath, and it has the beauty to take it away.