This is an old old drawing I did for an art class. It must have been right when I started high school from the look of my signature. I grew up as a foreign service brat, and had lived in Zaire for a little more than a few years before moving back to the U.S. I really had a hard time adjusting, and really missed many things about Zaire. We had moved months before the country went to crap, so we were lucky to have left when we did.
I still remember a lot of beautiful things about the country. This drawing shows Zongo Falls. We had driven four hours from the city out into the country where some parts of the roads had been washed away. Sometimes when we past little mud hut villages, the children would come out running after our cars to just smile and wave at us as we went by. My experience at Zongo Falls was exhiliarating. Everything was so natural and as it was. Even the restaurant that was located upstream seemed in its place. They served authentic Zairian food, and it was delicious. I ordered Chicken Mwambwe, a kind of spicy tomato stew, and Fu-Fu, a leafy green local favorite. Afterwards a guide took us on a hike towards the falls. He lead us to about the middle portion of the falls so we could see the water coming over the ledge and into the crevice. My brother, friend and I dared to walk on the slippery rocks to look over the ledge a little more and to be in the mist of the falls. So that was some of what I remember of Zaire. A beautiful country and lots of memories!
