Life in the Submarine - The Mill Hill Missionaries

secondary education proper), and became a day school. The school buildingsat Bonkita returned to their original destination to accommodate the A.I.F.(Année Initiatique de Formation), a one year preparatory course for candidatesfor the major seminary, a brain child of the ever creative bishop Matondo, ofwhich I was initially put in charge. The main U shaped building consisting ofthe student dormitory, chapel and accommodation for teaching staff wastransformed into a much needed pastoral centre for group trainings, retreats,workshops and the like.As for me, I was happy to be able to keep my base at Bonkita, but as aconsequence of my new responsibilities began to lead a quite nomadicexistence. Over the next seven years till I left the diocese in 1988 I travelledthe length and breadth of the diocese ( some 800 kms from one end to theother) several times a year, got hopelessly stuck in swamps on numerousoccasions, had to cut my way through the forest once to circumvent one ofthose giant rainforest trees which had fallen over the road, and generally led anomadic existence. I enjoyed moving around, visiting fellow missionaries inevery corner of the diocese, and giving whatever assistance I could to wellmeaningbut struggling headmasters and inadequate or dishonest ones alike.Willy Lokose, an expert teacher of French, became a trusted companion forduring my final years on some of these trips. He would occasionally give modellessons and would generally be quick in picking up relational or other problemsraging underneath the surface. One day he rescued me from a particularlysticky situation when an irate teacher threatened me with a machete. I reallysympathised with the man because was going to be made redundant for lackof proper qualification. I only wish he had chosen someone else to vent hisanger on! The sad fact was that the payment of teachers during the course ofthe 1980s became more and more erratic and the level of remunerationwoefully insufficient as the country slid further down the road of economic ruindue to Mobutu’s increasingly kleptocratic regime.The 4x4 Toyota Landcuiser was our preferred means of transport on the oftentreacherous forest roads.The rainforest equivalent of the desert camel. Minewas equipped with a winch and a specially adapted jack to lift the car whenoccasionally a wheel would slide into the space between two logs on makeshiftbridges, especially after a heavy downpour. On one of those trips, a 2-3 weekodyssey to visit the far end of the diocese, the Bongando area, the car wasoverloaded as often happened. Some 20 kms out of Basankusu I had to stopbecause the load began to shift. When I tried to readjust a piece of luggage Iviolently hit the back of my head against a protruding piece of metal at the car’s