Alright folks, buckle up, it's been an interesting week.
I'll go back to chimp trekking and work from there. So, I cut trekking short because I was ill. I was disappointed at not seeing any chimps, gutted about quitting the hike (uncharacteristic of me) and finally devastated to learn that I couldn't find a way out of Nyungwe Forest as our driver had locked the keys in the car and my friends would be hiking for 3-4 more hours. I contemplated hitching or paying massive amounts for a moto ride back to town but finally opted to sit down quietly and think. Voila ! After our driver tried every nook and cranny with a wire hanger (it was actually quite funny watching him jam that thing into the windshield, the door frame, the bottom of the door- only to have me show him what all Macgyver fans know, you must insert the wire hanger in such a way as to lift up the lock from inside the window) he finally opened the door to retrieve his keys from the ignition. I still had to wait 4 hours for the girls, which was tricky. Four days of trying to nurse the flu with oranges, apples, Vitamin C capsules, self-diagnoses and rest later, two very good friends took me to the clinic where a quick finger prick revealed I had malaria. Not so bad, apparently lots of people get it. Took the meds and some antibiotics just to give it the boot. Rough weekend, returned to the doctor, switched the malaria meds, felt better for a day and then... wait for it...a case of food poisoning. Now, if I had to choose- not sure you get to choose, but if I could, I'd take the malaria. The food poisoning was about 2 and a half days of violent, painful vomiting. Okay, so here's the silver lining. On Monday, the day I returned from chimp trekking feeling very ill and vulnerable, my roommate, my guard and my domestic all turned up at my house. I can't describe to you what it feels like to wake up at 6pm with a fever to discover the power is out, you have no running water and you're alone. Then, as you make your way to the back door, you see two people huddled around a makeshift charcoal fire roasting you corn. (*I think God puts certain people in your path at certain times.) Likewise, when I became quite ill the following week, several friends championed around me, taking me to the doctor- one even slept overnight on my floor ! I am blessed.
So, here we are on Monday, June 29th and I am feeling much better. I have missed the Queen's Birthday bash at the British Embassy, Steve's party in Kigali, Tiga's goat roasting in Butare and postponed my own Canada Day celebrations. Insert Eeyore's face here :( However, I figure I am just getting the worst experiences out of the way first, so the next 10 months will be smooth sailing !
A few comical moments can be relayed here:
In an effort to rehydrate, I literally poured salt into a glass of apple juice !! When I started to feel a little better, I went for short walks.
On one walk, I ran into a bunch of kids from the Misericorde- the local special needs school. Amazingly, we began to communicate in American Sign Language. I don't know who enjoyed that more, me- who only knows how to sign from teaching my grade 2's every March, or them- probably a little shocked to see a muzungu and then to be able to communicate with her too!
On another walk, I asked a 13 year old boy if he liked school and his answer was classic: "I like school medium". I think most 13 year olds would agree with that statement.
A few days ago I spent nearly an hour boiling water in an effort to take a hot bath- (at that point I would've traded my left kidney for a comforting warm bath!) only to realize you'd need a lot more than that to heat the water in the tub.
Wondered briefly if ants were protein? I am still very challenged by the whole food situation here. I've dropped 25+ pounds in two months. It's mostly carbs- rice, potatoes, bananas, pasta, fruit and veggies and all the walking up and down hills keeps it off. I'm not complaining- would actually highly recommend the combination of Rwanda + illness as a successful diet. Just want to find a sustainable approach to eating. I am going to be here a year.
It never fails that the bus stop is by far the most interesting place for stories. Catching a late bus back from Kigali last week, a man was prosthelitizing about Jesus through the back window- at the top of his lungs. A quick glance to the woman beside me revealed that, yes, she too thought he was nuts!
Another bus ride back from Kigali, we listened to a local soccer game. Not just any soccer game- several stars of the English Premier League were playing the Rwandan National Team at Amahoro Stadium. Pretty cool ! Listening to the commentator shout "Drogba! Drogba! Drogba!" while exchanging notes with the man to my right as to whether all this excitement/Kinyarwanda chatter meant a goal or not and discussing that Rwandan really needed to place 3 defenders on Didier Drogba was tons of fun !
Every Tuesday there is "Gachacha" which means court is in session and all of Gitarama is shut down. So, power is out, water is off and all the stores are closed. If I want to make it to work I have to catch a very early bus because after that the town is dead. I know the trials are very important, but I have to say that economically it makes no sense to have the entire town shut down and have people hang around all day so frequently! The past 4 Tuesdays the entire town has shut ! I'm a little biased because it's a HUGE inconvenience. There are also many days of commemoration but that's different as there are ceremonies and speeches and understandably we want to be respectful of that. I guess I just need to adapt and be more sensitive.
I watched Gorillas in the Mist and Hotel Rwanda last week. I am now reading Dian Fossey's book. I plan to visit the gorillas next year. It is cheaper with a green card and I haven't gotten around to that yet. Really want to see my friend Patrick in Tanzania at the end of July and VSO friend Crystal who is working there as a nurse but the logistics are becoming very challenging and I might abort.
The last Saturday of every month is Umuganda. This means that in the morning, EVERYONE is obliged to volunteer. Yup, mandatory volunteering. Contrary to gachacha, I really respect this tradition. On my street, all the neighbours were busy repairing the road with shovels, hoes and wheelbarrows of dirt. I respect the idea of volunteering so much, that as I walked home from my friend's house at 7:30am, still a little woozy on Saturday morning from the illness, I decided to get my guard's hoe and try to pitch in. It was a little comical as I had no energy but I made a few friends and after about 15 minutes called it in. The neighbours knew I had been sick and the one guy said I got "partial points" for coming out while decreeing that "in Canada you have machines that do this for you." Next month, I will make sure I put in the whole morning's work.
Having my basketball/hiphop buddy ask me to get him a VISA is a real bummer. Having my buddy the landlord's nephew ask me to help him with his store is also a bummer. Returning from a long day at work, after a long commute to have a forty year old man say "Muzungu! Amafaranga!" absolutely sucks ! (That means- whitey, give me your money! although it's generally not completely as offensive as it sounds. I just think that as an older gentleman he should know better. I expect it from the kids).
So I'm guessing there's a bit of a tone to this blog. I'm a little worn out. In the past few days I have skyped or phone several people from home and it is quite a spirit-lifter. David and Leah, Will and Shannon I am so grateful for your support- you have no idea. Also, yesterday in Gitarama I had one of the most charming experiences since coming to Rwanda- spending the day at the Urukondo Foundation Home for Children, where I go to church each Sunday. We attended a baby-naming ceremony where 4 newborns were christened with names. I also played basketball and soccer with kids- haven't laughed like that in weeks !!) I will blog about it soon but right now it still feels like a private moment, I'm not quite ready to share. Also, I can't find the right words.
Well, friends, Happy Canada Day, Happy Summer Holidays, Ana have an AMAZING time in Hawaii, David good luck with your talk today, Shannon take a day off work already. Miss you and think of you all often.
Becky
Monday, June 29, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
VSO
Anna Maceachern of VSO-Canada, I have tried to email you but it bounces back. Here is my address: rebeccajyoung@live.com. Send me a message :)
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Blessings be counted !
Hi friends,
I am feeling short of words today so I'm going to start with some quotes.
"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude."
Denis Waitley
"I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual... O how I laugh when I think of my vague indefinite riches. No run on my bank can drain it for my wealth is not possession but enjoyment."
Henry David Thoreau
I have had an eventful week. Chimp trekking was quite an adventure.. a really great group of friends and as they say it's the "journey not the destination" that matters most. The logistics of actually getting into the forest- including having the guesthouse reservations fall through on the day and our driver lock the keys in the car and leaving at 2am to begin hiking at 5:30am and riding 3 hours on the flatbed of a pickup truck and being stopped by a police check and stumbling through really dense tropical forest and being bitten by army ants and paying the entrance fee of someone who has a green card even though I don't have mine yet (yay discount!) and seeing monkeys but only up by the road after we had hiked for 3 hours in the valley looking for them- was far more fun than the actual monkey sightings (of which there were very few by the way).
My school visits continue to be delightful. I would love to share the professional side of things with my teacher colleagues back in London. I'm sure they would find it equally fascinating and also have some wonderful suggestions. When I get a little daunted by the task ahead, I try to picture one of my schools with a classroom full of didactic materials and lessons being taught with eager student participation and complete knowledge acquisition. I picture this happening about 6 months from now. Yup, I'm probably being far too idealistic but one can hope.
I forgot to mention that I have acquired a guitar !! I remember my friends advising me on this decision pre-Rwanda (as I really wanted to bring one from home) and wouldn't you know it- the prison in Gitarama makes guitars and I now own one ! It is pretty hard to tune and play but I just like the soulful feel that a guitar gives to the house. Terry, your harmonica is also a favorite memento of mine.
In other news, I wanted to share with you how loved I feel. I know that sounds a little cheesy but I don't care. When you are halfway around the world, far from the people who know you best and who you can usually depend on, it can make you feel a little vulnerable. So, there is a group of people here that I have affectionately called "my surrogate family". This includes a new roommate (who works with an Italian NGO and has a wicked sense of humor), a new nightguard (a sweet guy named Emmanuel), a domestic (the ever-dedicated Delphine) and an assortment of expats who have been very kind, caring and thoughtful. I am very grateful for their presence. On top of this, I am becoming well acquainted with my neighbours. They make the walk to and from home a joy. Often, the little ones will come running up and hug me, all smiles. There are maybe a dozen children and I am trying to learn all their names. Jean-Paul is the smallest (less than a year) and he looks at me with these big brown eyes- melts the heart. Ariel and her sister are my direct neighbours and they kick ball around with me or throw the Frisbee. (For the record, before I even bought a can opener or other kitchen essentials, I had bought a soccerball, a basketball and a Frisbee. Where are my priorities??) I have even played "Flinch" with the boys- with hilarious reactions.. makes me think of my old classes back at PAFI. Rosa is always in a pretty little dress, some of the smaller kids and/or girls often get excluded from play because the older ones dominate however the boys got a little lesson in "never underestimate a muzungu's soccer skills" as I stripped the ball off the 12 year old and made his friends keel over laughing. Funny thing is, after work and on weekends, I'm often hanging around in my Adidas splashpants and a t-shirt. This prompts the ladies of the neighbourhood to inquire "Are you going to do sport?". How do I tell them that, no, these are my comfy clothes and that I won't be in skirts/dresses except for Sunday church clothes?
Well, as I lean out the window of the Internet cafe, the sun is setting a hot pink in the distance. There is music playing (as there usually is in downtown Gitarama) and I am off to "muzungu" dinner, our regular Sunday gathering of expats. I'm not sure what the week holds, there is always so much I want to share with everyone but by the time I get in front of the computer, my mind is blank. I am missing people from home a little bit. I have called a few of you for very brief conversations which has been really nice and I will get skype set up here soon, I hope. For all my teacher friends, best of luck with the final push to summer. I'm excited for you guys, because I know how nice the feeling is of having completed another school year. I hope everyone has good summer plans ahead, even if it is just a hammock and a book- well earned rest. I hope everyone's little ones are doing well- would love to hear stories of how Gaby and Isaac and Tess, etc are. Keep in touch. My new address here is P.O. Box 155 Gitarama Rwanda. I have sent a few postcards, hopefully they find you well.
Each day I take a moment to myself and remember how lucky I am to be here and to have the support of family and friends. I know that not everyone can have an adventure like this. I am certain that on my 90th birthday, I will reflect upon the fact that at 32 years old I went to live in Rwanda for a year. Today I am counting my blessings... and they are many.
I am feeling short of words today so I'm going to start with some quotes.
"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude."
Denis Waitley
"I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual... O how I laugh when I think of my vague indefinite riches. No run on my bank can drain it for my wealth is not possession but enjoyment."
Henry David Thoreau
I have had an eventful week. Chimp trekking was quite an adventure.. a really great group of friends and as they say it's the "journey not the destination" that matters most. The logistics of actually getting into the forest- including having the guesthouse reservations fall through on the day and our driver lock the keys in the car and leaving at 2am to begin hiking at 5:30am and riding 3 hours on the flatbed of a pickup truck and being stopped by a police check and stumbling through really dense tropical forest and being bitten by army ants and paying the entrance fee of someone who has a green card even though I don't have mine yet (yay discount!) and seeing monkeys but only up by the road after we had hiked for 3 hours in the valley looking for them- was far more fun than the actual monkey sightings (of which there were very few by the way).
My school visits continue to be delightful. I would love to share the professional side of things with my teacher colleagues back in London. I'm sure they would find it equally fascinating and also have some wonderful suggestions. When I get a little daunted by the task ahead, I try to picture one of my schools with a classroom full of didactic materials and lessons being taught with eager student participation and complete knowledge acquisition. I picture this happening about 6 months from now. Yup, I'm probably being far too idealistic but one can hope.
I forgot to mention that I have acquired a guitar !! I remember my friends advising me on this decision pre-Rwanda (as I really wanted to bring one from home) and wouldn't you know it- the prison in Gitarama makes guitars and I now own one ! It is pretty hard to tune and play but I just like the soulful feel that a guitar gives to the house. Terry, your harmonica is also a favorite memento of mine.
In other news, I wanted to share with you how loved I feel. I know that sounds a little cheesy but I don't care. When you are halfway around the world, far from the people who know you best and who you can usually depend on, it can make you feel a little vulnerable. So, there is a group of people here that I have affectionately called "my surrogate family". This includes a new roommate (who works with an Italian NGO and has a wicked sense of humor), a new nightguard (a sweet guy named Emmanuel), a domestic (the ever-dedicated Delphine) and an assortment of expats who have been very kind, caring and thoughtful. I am very grateful for their presence. On top of this, I am becoming well acquainted with my neighbours. They make the walk to and from home a joy. Often, the little ones will come running up and hug me, all smiles. There are maybe a dozen children and I am trying to learn all their names. Jean-Paul is the smallest (less than a year) and he looks at me with these big brown eyes- melts the heart. Ariel and her sister are my direct neighbours and they kick ball around with me or throw the Frisbee. (For the record, before I even bought a can opener or other kitchen essentials, I had bought a soccerball, a basketball and a Frisbee. Where are my priorities??) I have even played "Flinch" with the boys- with hilarious reactions.. makes me think of my old classes back at PAFI. Rosa is always in a pretty little dress, some of the smaller kids and/or girls often get excluded from play because the older ones dominate however the boys got a little lesson in "never underestimate a muzungu's soccer skills" as I stripped the ball off the 12 year old and made his friends keel over laughing. Funny thing is, after work and on weekends, I'm often hanging around in my Adidas splashpants and a t-shirt. This prompts the ladies of the neighbourhood to inquire "Are you going to do sport?". How do I tell them that, no, these are my comfy clothes and that I won't be in skirts/dresses except for Sunday church clothes?
Well, as I lean out the window of the Internet cafe, the sun is setting a hot pink in the distance. There is music playing (as there usually is in downtown Gitarama) and I am off to "muzungu" dinner, our regular Sunday gathering of expats. I'm not sure what the week holds, there is always so much I want to share with everyone but by the time I get in front of the computer, my mind is blank. I am missing people from home a little bit. I have called a few of you for very brief conversations which has been really nice and I will get skype set up here soon, I hope. For all my teacher friends, best of luck with the final push to summer. I'm excited for you guys, because I know how nice the feeling is of having completed another school year. I hope everyone has good summer plans ahead, even if it is just a hammock and a book- well earned rest. I hope everyone's little ones are doing well- would love to hear stories of how Gaby and Isaac and Tess, etc are. Keep in touch. My new address here is P.O. Box 155 Gitarama Rwanda. I have sent a few postcards, hopefully they find you well.
Each day I take a moment to myself and remember how lucky I am to be here and to have the support of family and friends. I know that not everyone can have an adventure like this. I am certain that on my 90th birthday, I will reflect upon the fact that at 32 years old I went to live in Rwanda for a year. Today I am counting my blessings... and they are many.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Sweetness Follows
This blog will be done in R.E.M. form (as in the song "It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine") so that I can squish as many stories into the small space as possible. The blog title is inspired by the inevitability here that after one bad experience, a positive one follows.
In the past week, since my last blog, I've learned that it only takes a Rwandan 3.5 minutes to change a flat tire on a bus, the sound of a tire popping is like a gunshot, when you kill a few little spiders in your house a big Mafia spider shows up to taunt you and then sneaks back down the drain after a few missed shoe hits, when wearing a skirt on a moto your legs accumulate dirt shrapnel wounds, the bus drivers give each other secret hand signals to alert when there's a police check, said police checks are random and can either last a minute or 20, a green lollipop that a girl on the bus buys for you is extra sweet, a melange is the quickest thing to order at the restaurant and consists of pasta, rice, fries, beans, spinach and unidentified meat- portions of which are much too big to finish, firing a nightguard is unpleasant, my neighbour the hiphop artist gave me his CD- it's not bad, the universal law of childhood is to behave blissfully unaware of your future challenges and in Rwanda to smile/hug strangers every afternoon on their way home from work, this much I know is true- there is nothing, NOTHING sweeter than the 2 year old boy who comes running down my path to hug my knees each afternoon, Rolos and ricecakes on the bus ride home from Kigali are worth sneaking even if it violates some appropriate "code" Rwandans have about not eating in public, having 5 employees at District Office stare jaws agape as I type is really funny (I am a wicked fast typer, but nonetheless), hot water is overrated I actually LOVE my cold showers, having an eight year old boy respond with "blahblahblah" when I tried to speak Kinyarwanda with him is also amusing, watching the children at Mama's orphanage give Sunday service is heartwrenchingly beautiful; little David is by far the "scene-stealer" as he toddles from one lap to the other and last Sunday I watched a 12 year old boy look after a sleeping 3 year old with such tenderness- 12 year olds at home (atleast the ones I've met) don't have that compassion in them, having a women breastfeed her baby beside me on the bus can be forgiven because his little hand was wrapped around my pinkie finger and he had a cherubic face, sitting through a 7 and 1/2 hour staff meeting in Kinyarwanda might be the most challenging thing I do this week, oh besides trying to buy vegetables on the hill- which apparently isn't just a gathering of a few hundred random Rwandans as I first thought- it's actually where you buy your vegetables, my pet gecko Bill now has a lady friend gecko Sally- both are welcome if they continue to keep the flies/mozzies away, you have to knock on the window if you want to be let off the bus, was asked if I was a francophone and I answered no "anglophone with french tendencies", went all the way to Kamonyi (bus and moto one hour) to discover the power was out and couldn't get any work done so went back down to main road and caught bus to Kigali and then back (an hour bus) to Gitarama at day's end- that was my Monday!! only met 3 crazy men this week (that's an average low), talked politics with a guy from Guinea at dinner, met a cow named "Peace" who was irritable on account of they just inseminated her- or so said the Headteacher, oh yeah and someone I work with (who will remain anonymous) has the voice and demeanor of King Julien from the Madagascar movies- cannot keep a straight face around this man and he is quite important in Kamonyi ! Oh dear ! And finally, watching Monty Python's Meaning of Life projected onto the wall of your own living room which is full of new friends from England, Australia, USA, the Phillipines, Italy and Ireland (Belgian was absent) is AWESOME !!!
Miss you guys, hope all is well at home. Off to forage for dinner now and hope the water is back on when I get home (it's off for some unknown reason).
Be well- Becky
In the past week, since my last blog, I've learned that it only takes a Rwandan 3.5 minutes to change a flat tire on a bus, the sound of a tire popping is like a gunshot, when you kill a few little spiders in your house a big Mafia spider shows up to taunt you and then sneaks back down the drain after a few missed shoe hits, when wearing a skirt on a moto your legs accumulate dirt shrapnel wounds, the bus drivers give each other secret hand signals to alert when there's a police check, said police checks are random and can either last a minute or 20, a green lollipop that a girl on the bus buys for you is extra sweet, a melange is the quickest thing to order at the restaurant and consists of pasta, rice, fries, beans, spinach and unidentified meat- portions of which are much too big to finish, firing a nightguard is unpleasant, my neighbour the hiphop artist gave me his CD- it's not bad, the universal law of childhood is to behave blissfully unaware of your future challenges and in Rwanda to smile/hug strangers every afternoon on their way home from work, this much I know is true- there is nothing, NOTHING sweeter than the 2 year old boy who comes running down my path to hug my knees each afternoon, Rolos and ricecakes on the bus ride home from Kigali are worth sneaking even if it violates some appropriate "code" Rwandans have about not eating in public, having 5 employees at District Office stare jaws agape as I type is really funny (I am a wicked fast typer, but nonetheless), hot water is overrated I actually LOVE my cold showers, having an eight year old boy respond with "blahblahblah" when I tried to speak Kinyarwanda with him is also amusing, watching the children at Mama's orphanage give Sunday service is heartwrenchingly beautiful; little David is by far the "scene-stealer" as he toddles from one lap to the other and last Sunday I watched a 12 year old boy look after a sleeping 3 year old with such tenderness- 12 year olds at home (atleast the ones I've met) don't have that compassion in them, having a women breastfeed her baby beside me on the bus can be forgiven because his little hand was wrapped around my pinkie finger and he had a cherubic face, sitting through a 7 and 1/2 hour staff meeting in Kinyarwanda might be the most challenging thing I do this week, oh besides trying to buy vegetables on the hill- which apparently isn't just a gathering of a few hundred random Rwandans as I first thought- it's actually where you buy your vegetables, my pet gecko Bill now has a lady friend gecko Sally- both are welcome if they continue to keep the flies/mozzies away, you have to knock on the window if you want to be let off the bus, was asked if I was a francophone and I answered no "anglophone with french tendencies", went all the way to Kamonyi (bus and moto one hour) to discover the power was out and couldn't get any work done so went back down to main road and caught bus to Kigali and then back (an hour bus) to Gitarama at day's end- that was my Monday!! only met 3 crazy men this week (that's an average low), talked politics with a guy from Guinea at dinner, met a cow named "Peace" who was irritable on account of they just inseminated her- or so said the Headteacher, oh yeah and someone I work with (who will remain anonymous) has the voice and demeanor of King Julien from the Madagascar movies- cannot keep a straight face around this man and he is quite important in Kamonyi ! Oh dear ! And finally, watching Monty Python's Meaning of Life projected onto the wall of your own living room which is full of new friends from England, Australia, USA, the Phillipines, Italy and Ireland (Belgian was absent) is AWESOME !!!
Miss you guys, hope all is well at home. Off to forage for dinner now and hope the water is back on when I get home (it's off for some unknown reason).
Be well- Becky
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.JPG)
.JPG)
