I touched down Wednesday in Newark after a couple of lengthy flights and a layover in Brussels. It’s Friday now, Aug. 10, and I still haven’t unpacked or went through the over 3,000 photos I took.

The enduring impression I have is that Kinshasa, DRC, is not Africa – at least as I imagined it. There is a haze that clings to the city and it all but blots out the sun. I didn’t see the African night sky once, something I was very much looking forward to.

I learned a ton though and met some beautiful people. I have stories too – like how I was detained at a Chinese hospital in Kin and had to pay a guard off to let me go – that I’ll be posting here, along with photos, in the coming days and weeks.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned.