Mara – MARA (SEIBERT) CHAN

There and Back Again

I’ve been trying to write about being back for a while. Thinking about it, the idea pulsing in the back of my mind waiting to shine brighter if I would really examine it. But that’s just it. I’d have to examine it- being back that is. Back from Brazzaville. Examining it however, doing that deep, [...]

Of Queens and Hope: A Loan Officer’s Story

I always liked her name. Reine. Queen. A name like that affects how you carry yourself. Head held high, a clear, steady gaze and a determination that has carried her through life. “Ever since I was little, I’ve never viewed life like everyone else,” Reine says. Reine has always seen things differently. She is one [...]

A Foreigner’s Guide to Congolese Weddings

If you come from North America or Europe, chances are your expectation of a wedding is generally as follows: a ceremony in a church or at the courthouse and voila you’re married! Things are… a little bit different in the Republic of Congo. Marriage season apparently comes in waves, and both in August and December [...]

Look at My Hands

Look at my hands. If I don’t work, it’s like I don’t exist Two cabbages appeared on Annaelle’s desk. She called me downstairs to investigate. Large, healthy plants, I took the cabbages in my hands and examined them. A client named Papa Moïse had brought them in along with several photos to leave with Annaelle, [...]

Sunbeams, Pens & Cars: Christie’s Story

The sun in Brazzaville covers the city like a blanket of heat. Drying muddy puddles after a heavy rain, warming up concrete buildings and burning your skin. One particular day a few months ago the same sun was blazing down as I stepped out the HOPE Congo gate, clanging the metal door behind me as [...]

Catching my Breath – Part 2

We stayed at a hostel in Cape Town for a week and easily could have stayed longer. After being so used the routine of living in Brazzaville where there is very little time or opportunity for leisure activities, Cape Town appeared as a treasure trove of things to do. What better way to start out [...]

Catching My Breath

Clouds cascaded off the cliffs like a waterfall, flowing down the rocky mountain and touching the rainbow of wildflowers in shades of bright red, yellow, purple and blue. It was so green here. I felt like I was on top of the world, looking down on the city nestled between the deep blue and turquoise [...]

A Life of Service: Jean’s Story

It was a Wednesday and I had been there before. I learned it had been a house once – but that was before the war. Destroyed by arms and bombs, the land had been reused. Now it was a church that seemed to claim defiance over its past life with the name “Victory and Life.” [...]

Video: Hello From Congo!

Since a lot of people enjoyed the last video, here’s another quick video intro on what I do as a Field Communications Fellow! Plus a really beautiful view at the beginning of the Congo River. Soundtrack: “C’est Ma Terre” by Christophe Maé (I felt the song needed to be in French to fit in) Special thanks to [...]

A Sea of Blue

I could not wait to get out of the car. My eyes were glued to the window. We pulled onto the sand and I hopped out, camera in hand, breathing in the salty air. I quickly took off my sandals (to the smiles of my hosts) and walked towards the shoreline, savoring the feeling of [...]