From Salsa to Savanna

You know you're in a tropical country when, just getting off the plane, you're hit by the heat. Welcome home, you could hear. It took us so long to get out of the airport that my oldest son said: "Mama, Congo nein, casa" (translated: I don't want to go to Congo, I want to go back home). The reason it took a while was that a machine brake down twice while we were going through immigration. Instead of sending us to another booth, they made us wait -with a baby and a toddler. Not such a good idea. But nothing could take away our enthusiasm. We were just happy to have arrived. I would say this is, along with the heat, the first similarity you’ll notice between Congo and Cuba: they both take their time and go slow - ve suave que te derrites (go slow, or you'll melt). This reflects the clear connection between the heat and the laid-back pace of life among these two countries. At home, we were warmly welcomed. The first thing my husband's aunt told me was "...

And then April 4th, 2025 arrives -Día de los Niños in Cuba (Children's Day). Couldn't have picked a better day, right? We had booked the tickets in July 2024, nine months earlier. A one-way flight. At 4:00 in the morning, we were heading to the airport with six large suitcases, four carry-ons, two backpacks, and a trolley. All of them overweight, of course -true African style. After a one-and-a-half-hour delay in Düsseldorf, we thought we were going to miss our main flight to Brazzaville. We were literally running through the airport in Paris to reach our gate, and made it just in time, at the last call. What luck! And then the Boeing took off, and we finally let ourselves relax. We enjoyed eight hours of doing absolutely nothing. Something we hadn’t done in ages. The adventure had just begun. After nearly 14 years living in Germany, it was time to say goodbye. Thank you for everything, Düsseldorf!