Congo calling...

Our meeting with the Consul at the US Embassy in Kinshasa was timed perfectly as the embassy announced changes to the adoption-related immigrant visa process.  The embassy wants to help families limit the amount of time they will need to be in country.  To do that the adoption unit will begin the required orphan investigation for each child upon receipt of parents' I-600 application requesting their child be recognized as an immediate relative. We are excited from our discussion with the Consul and the embassy's move on these changes -- it means when Congo calls, our families will be making just one short trip to complete their adoption!!

In visiting more area orphanages we were greeted by smiling faces and warm welcomes. We look forward to working with these centers to lend a hand toward improving the lives of the children in their care through attention to nutrition, education and medical needs. 

We discovered Congolese dining at its best at Le Panoramic Lunch Bar today. We dined on authentic cuisine of the Congo with dishes such as rice, kidney beans, beef tips, chicken, okra stew, collard greens, plantains, and the hottest chili sauce ever .... Debra can attest to that personally!!  This delicious adventure lead me to surf the net tonight for Congo recipes and I found ... "The Congo Cookbook" and a recipe for plantains at http://congocookbook.com/vegetable_and_side_dish_recipes/plantains_in_palm_oil.html. Oh, and Fanta fans you will be happy to note we have seen your favorite orange soda almost everywhere...LOL!!!

Tomorrow is sadly our last day in the Congo this trip and our schedule is full, so we will be hitting the deck early.  We will try to post again before heading to Kampala, Uganda on Sunday.

Happy trails to all this weekend!!!

Debra & Robin