From the DR Congo all things are difficult.To the DR Congo all things are difficult. Inside the DR Congo all things are difficult.

Yet there is an optimism here that far surpasses all the problems. I expect to learn from these people. Already I have learned how to walk along difficult streets, and talk, and avoid puddles, and avoid vehicles, and talk nicely (but curtly) to aggressive street folks. And at the same time think about how this is so removed from the NFL football schedule and the pending Grey Cup game in Canada.

To continue our walk on a dry Sunday afternoon. Today, the roads were flooded with rain and the only photo I have from Sunday that shows a puddle of consequence is this:

Things were much wetter today than they were on the Sunday walk. So the next photo is of a way back street, yet not far from the center of this, well, struggling city:

And this also is near the core of the town, yet shows the once powerful rail lines that once took products to the river and then to foreign ports and then to make riches for no one who lives on the street:

Next we have an election sign showing the President of this country who is facing an election next Monday. He has been in power for a decade:

Not sure if this is a side street or a back street, but you can get your hair cut there:

And for the last photo (I did take more, but the system to upload and send photos from here is so meticulous that it requires I do five calculus calculations and three transpositions into algebra before I can send a photograph). I send to you my softer side. Some folks think I am a bit of a hard ass, former military type. But to correct that I send this photo because I like it's mix of pink and chartreuse tones: