So Much to tell you.

Year end is over! The auditor has packed his bags and headed off, not noticing that opening reserves do not balance (I am not sure we received the most thorough audit).

But I am getting ahead of myself. The last time I wrote was November. Since then we have had Christmas, New Year, 2007 year end and an office move. Let me start properly at the beginning with Christmas.

Christmas in the Congo was a logistical feet. I volunteered GOAL to cook Christmas lunch for the handful of friends I expected to be staying in town over the festive period. What started as a handful of friends turned into 23 hungry mouths. 9 of these were my fault. GOAL had a party just before Christmas where the 'Turkey problem' came up. There are no turkeys in Goma. To get a Turkey it needs to be flown in and this is where the 'problem' kicks off. You need to find someone who is going to Uganda and has time to buy a turkey. This is the problem that was being discussed at the party when Airserve pipped up that they would provide a Turkey if we promised to feed them. This seemed like a reasonable compromise. There were three pilots stationed in Goma and though I knew to expect hungry mouths 3 seemed manageable. Bargain struck plans got underway for a feast. The Christmas pudding and cake were made to Mum's adapted home recipes and as preparations continued pilots started turning up. First off there were the two new pilots that started flying from Goma. 5 - Not to Bad, still mangeable, a little cheeky for not clarifying during the bargaining but fair enough. But then another one! 6 - I did not realise they had that many planes. Then the Kalemie pilot flew into town. 7 - Ummm. Then an engineer and a Finance Guy. 9 - Hang on a minute thats a lot of people and still no Turkey! But it's Christmas and 'The more the merrier' has to be the moto of the season so Christmas day approaches. Veggies are brought from the market and the phone call finally comes 'How many Turkeys do you want?'

GOAL worked upto the Friday before Christmas and then Christmas was upon us. And with the Christmas season came the tightened security restrictions. Our CD went on Holiday and we had a temporary CD step into the breach who liked the idea of lock downs, relocations and no moving after dark a little too much. A little knocked back by the security measures Christmas continued. We had the staff Christmas party on Christmas eve that then went into a Christmas eve party with friends and then Christmas Day, a seven o'clock start to begin cooking. And Cooking was the order for much of the day. All hands to the pumps and it quickly became obvious that none of us had ever cooked a Christmas lunch before. However, we had all cooked bits of one. Loyse got the turkey. Two Turkeys one oven! Andrew got to manage finding a second oven. Nic and I tackled the veggies, stuffing and gravy. The hungry mouths turned up to help set up and the wine started flowing as everyone began arriving.

Lunch was fantastic (even if I say so myself). Onion and goats cheese tart to start, a full Turkey dinner and christmas pudding, cake and fruit salade to finish. 23 hungry mouths were fed and we had leftovers! Drinks and chat made up the rest of the day. I went to bed at eleven exhausted and full. A Christmas Congo Style. I missed home but Congo can come up trumps if you just put in a little planning.

Boxing day rolled around, a day of snoozing and sleeping in late. Unless you are GOAL with a security conscious CD! Boxing day started for me at 7am when I needed to be at the office to empty the safe and collect my computer ahead of a temporary relocation to Rwanda. I am still not sure why we had a temporary relocation. A Peace conference was due in town on the 27th and the idea was that increased security around the conference might start problems in the Goma tinder box. But we were the only ones crossing boarders! Not a popular decision on behalf of our temporary CD. But looking back I have to admit I was wrong. Not about the security risk, the conference was delayed for a couple of weeks and when it did happen we hardly noticed. But about the brilliance of an idea that requires you to go and stay in a hotel free of charge just after cooking Christmas lunch. You effectively walk away from all the leftovers, and the slightly grubby floors and have someone else to do your cooking for a bit, and best of all there’s a pool!

The relocation consisted of three great days sitting by the pool, relaxing and exploring Gisenyi, the town directly across the boarder from Goma.

We were back in Goma for New Years which GOAL decided we were not hosting. Instead we met up with friends at Coco’s the local bar/restaurant/club. A cheesy evening of food and dancing that was a little let down by no midnight count down. At midnight the music just continued and we all stood around feeling a little confused. Someone ended up having a word with the DJ and after a little explaining the New Year came into Goma a couple of minutes late.

So that was Christmas and New Year in the Congo. But it seems ages ago now. Lots more has happened in 2008.

The year end finances started and have pretty much continued. I have new sympathy for anyone who has to get their numbers out as part of a fast turn around. Bridget (USAID expert from Head Office) came out for a quick USAID review on her way through to Sudan and we had the year end auditor turn up as well. For those of you who are doing audits now take note. Sitting in an office looking at paper for a week will not tell you anything about a company or its issues. Get out and talk to people. Our guy was great (from a being audited point of view). He liked his cupboard, in fact I think he got very attached to it, as he never came out. Maybe he had heard about the bad things that that can happen in Goma and he was taking no chances, but he stayed in his cupboard for a week, and at the end came and told me everything was fine and could he please go home now.

We all got a little shook up when an earthquake hit Bukavu and the surrounding area. I am a big fan of ground that stays put. Especially when you live close to a volcano and an explosive lake!

Combined with a new year has been the close of the Goma office and a move of all the administrative functions to Lubumbashi. Lubumbashi is DRC’s second largest town situated in the south of DRC, the capital of the Katanga district and home to NGO’s and mining companies. GOAL is moving as following the close of our operations in South Kivu in December our main projects are now in Manono which is in the Katanga district. All the coordination meetings for Katanga are in Lubumbashi so it makes more sense for us to be down here.

January and February in Goma saw staff applying for new jobs, going to interviews and in a few cases getting hired. We have moved a few of the most senior staff with us to Lubumbashi but most will need to find new jobs in Goma. My cashier Nestor is one of those who moved to Lubumbashi with us and so for the audit and office close he was in Lubumbashi and Marie our finance assistant came back from maternity leave to help me get through the close and audit.

At the same time Lubumbashi was starting up. I got to make a quick two day visit for recruitment interviews and to find a bank before heading back to Goma for a mad packing session.

A busy couple of months but they are now behind me. I am writing to you from my new Lubumbashi office. Move complete and staff hired. I go on holiday in just over a week and am looking forward to seeing Mum and Phil again and a break.

If anyone is interested there is a FinCo job coming up with GOAL DRC in June. Start April/May. Any takers?

Julia