Salty Apple Juice

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