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.