As we walked through the crowded dirt road in a small Kinshasa village we could hear the distant cries of "Mindele!, Mindele!" Which I soon learned meant "white people".
The littered streets were crowded with street vendors and small children walking hand in hand along the dusty path.
The cries of "Mindele!, Mindele!" continued as we walked past small brick homes with women washing clothes in plastic buckets or cooking over small coal filled pots, and men sitting on stoops or broken plastic chairs.
We passed men and women carrying their wares on their heads.
We stopped at the office of the Village Chief long enough for him to put his suit coat on a join us as we walked to the sight he had determined would be the best spot for his village well.
The cries of "Mindele, Mindele", continued and soon I was lagging behind the group.
I had noticed a small group of children walking close behind us.
I stopped long enough to give high fives and "knock the rock" like my grandchildren do with their daddy.
They squealed with laughter as my white hand bumped their clenched fist.
Sister Johnson was waving and calling out "Mbute!, Mbute!", which means "hello, hello". We passed old women squatting next to small tables of wilted fruits and vegetables. As we passed Sister Johnson would cheerfully say, "Mbote Mama!", and the woman would smile and reply, "Ahhh..... Mbute Mama!"
I must say, I was really enjoying the hike down this dusty trail strewn with litter.
Sure I was hot, and sweaty and I was wishing I had left my long pants at home in favor of a lightweight skirt like Sister Johnson was wearing, but it wasn't long before I found myself smiling and calling out "Mbute Mama!".
Now this is what I had been waiting for,
I was out of the office, walking through an African Village, surrounded by the most friendly people I had ever met.
It wasn't long before we stopped at this hole in the ground,
which was actually a small well where the villagers fetched their water
This man showed me how it works then gestured for me to take his picture
I am not sure what these young men were doing there but they looked "too cool" to not take their picture
Each time we stopped to look at something,
I quickly found some children who were more than happy to have their picture taken. This grandma was so cute trying to get them all in the picture.
They made me laugh as they giggled and pointed to themselves when I showed them the photo in my camera
One of the things that touched me most was how sweet the older boys were to the younger ones
It wasn't uncommon to see boys of 7 or 8 walking along with their arms around each other.
This group was funny because the little boy in the blue shirt kept wanting to pose with a "tuff guy" face.
Along the path we saw men getting a shave, or women getting their hair cut, or braided, or having extensions put in.
The red stuff on the ground is hair.
As we headed back to the car I found myself behind this little girl carrying her sister on her hip.
The chief led us to the location where he wanted the well and we met these wonderful women. One woman came up to me and did a little dance, pointing to the sky and praying. I don't know what she was trying to say, but I think it had something to do with our bringing water to their village.
The lady in the green scrubs came out of a small medical clinic nearby and joined us. She laughed and laughed when she saw herself in my photo.
I will never forget this day
The day of "Mindele" and "Mubote Mama!"
The day that the white people passed through a small village in Africa
