Back Home in Africa (2001)

Excerpt from the draft of "Apostle to the Pygmies – The Doctor Jerry Galloway Story"

In July, I left for the U.S. to spend time with family and friends, returning to Kinshasa in October. Father Joseph, the provincial secretary, was with me on the trip and made it more enjoyable. We went through immigration and baggage inspection without any problems. They were more organized and polite than in the past.

As we drove through Kinshasa's outskirts, thousands of people walked along both sides of the road. There were outdoor markets every five or six blocks. Each market had 100 or more tables lit up by homemade oil lamps. There were all kinds of odors, from the smell of meat barbequing, the garbage piled up along the road, and the exhaust fumes belching out from old trucks without mufflers. Seeing the masses and smelling the odors, I knew I was back home in my beloved Africa.

I spent the next four mornings running around Kinshasa, buying clothes for the Botoa students and merchandise for the Botoa stores. There was a section with dozens of small stores operated by Chinese, Lebanese, Pakistani, and Senegalese. The clothes they sold were much cheaper than in the downtown stores. This section's roads were not paved and were either very dusty or very muddy, depending on if it rained or not. In the crowded shopping area, I stood out, for I was the only white person there. Most shopkeepers were Muslim, and they were friendly.

I arrived home on November 4. A large crowd welcomed me, and my students were happy to see me. They shouted, "Tator ateu bzakir esuki," which means, "Dad has come home! Hunger is over!" They often said this when their father came home from a hunt.