Although hearing of Congo's forests may evoke images from Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, with adventurers facing the perils of the river and the forest and all that come with it, our trip to Congo's Virunga National Park was a far cry from roughing it.
Read MoreVisiting Congo's Mountain Gorillas
We stayed with the gorillas for an hour, watching the mothers and babies interact, and looking in awe at the huge silverback - the male patriarch of the family.
Read MoreFriendships, Not Walls - Goma, Congo
We arrived in Goma with 100 young people, mostly from Eastern Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda, all attending a conference put on by our program for university student leaders - Africa Youth Leadership Forum. For three days, we listened to inspiring leaders from the region and we discussed topics relevant to becoming better leaders for our communities and nations.
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