Ooh La La Moto Driver and Rocket Balloons

This morning I was in Kamonyi quite early (7am) and after mounting the moto (yes they require a specific mount/dismounting mastery) the driver hit a bump and literally used the term "Ooh La La". Cracked me up big time :) Among other charming moments of the past few days, I brought badminton to the neighbourhood kids. Fils, the boy I told you about in the last blog, momentarily resembled a typical ten year old boy. The creased forehead disappeared and was replaced by giggling and a wide smile. He was quite a pro too ! After that, it was rocket balloons. There were maybe 20 kids in total and watching them watch the balloons zip across the sky, was worth the 3 dollars the balloons cost.

I keep seeing things on the bus and thinking, I should blog about it but then forgetting to. Like, in the trees, are man-made beehives. They are rolled up like bundles of wood and then placed very high. They're everywhere. Also, most trees have have their bark stripped off. Just an observation. The level of CO2 emissions here is incredible. Dark, black puffs of exhaust from trucks, buses and motos combined with dirt being stirred up from the unpaved road makes breathing interesting some days. It's really humid right now too. I'm sure it'll improve in the rainy season.

I am eagerly anticipating the arrival of a new volunteer who will work in my district. The dynamics of the office, my commute and my workplan will all change from it being just me to being part of a mini-team. I am excited about this. The Italian leaves on Friday. They've paved the main road in Gitarama with tarmac. I received my first letter from London, Ontario from one of my favorite former students ! What a nice treat ! We had the first annual Gitfest on Saturday (Gitarama Festival) and everyone had to dress up in costumes acquired from the market. I went as a hippie. There are photos tagged on Facebook. Our water returned this morning after ONE WEEK of having no water. I've met a South African guy who works with JAM (another NGO) and he has running water so I took advantage and borrowed the shower there.

I'm beginning to get a bit of a travelling bug. I hear stories from people who have been to Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, even Ethiopia and think perhaps I can plan some trips too. I will keep you posted.

The weekend after next I have been invited to two weddings. One is a guy from the guest house I lived in the first month I was here, Emmanuel. In other news, Fulgence (remember I watched his law dissertation at ULK?) lost his sister on Saturday- she drowned in Lake Kivu. It is terribly sad however his friend Theo (also a guest house employee) just had a baby girl with his wife. It was a bad news, good news kind of day.

I have started running. I think the fact that I waited a few months to get acclimitized was a good idea. The runs here are planned based on which route will draw the least amount of gawkers. I try to run early in the morning as it's cooler. This is all a plan to get ready for Kili in November.

On the work front, I am on my way this afternoon to Nyamata to help another VSO with her Primary Methodology Training Workshops. It will be extremely helpful to me also. Unicef wrote a very kind letter to the VSO Office singing our praises and I have also passed my resume along to the Director for future consideration. OH ! I found a New England Patriots T-Shirt for 2 dollars in the market. Awesome ! And I have discovered chocolate ice cream for 1 dollar here in Kigali- there's hope yet...

Little things continue to irk me though, like the cap of my hand soap dispenser won't pump, or the domestic making food enough for 6 when it's just me (I hate the idea of wasting food), I have worn a hole straight through the heel of my only sandals, moto drivers and ladies in the market still feel inclined to rip the "muzungu" off with extortionate prices, our power cuts sometimes interfere with things like cooking or cut in the middle of Kerry's surprise party on Monday night so the laptop dies and there's no music and day to day household maintenance can (if you let it) occupy most of the day. I have laundry down to a science (it's a Saturday morning activity). I still hate the food here. Three neighbours yesterday solicited me for a) food b)money to finance the opening of her store and c) my English Language/Kinyarwanda book. Caterpillars are my new nemesis- DID YOU KNOW THEY BITE? And the other night ( no joke! ) there was a dog, or possibly werewolf, outside my gate, growling viciously for about an hour. I swear he must've shred a goat or something in the process or was suffering major irritability. We have bats too. They are just squeaky, I thought at first they were rats and I'm actually relieved because I think I prefer bats to rats.

Well, I'll leave you with some funny questions I've gotten recently.

"Do your freckles hurt?"

And then there's Bruce's classic encounter of a student asking him this existential question:

"Why am I?"

I like this one of me saying to the kids I'd be right back as I returned to the house to get more balloons mid-play yesterday and Peter yells after me: "Run!"

And on the shortcut route to the main road from my house, there is an older lady I pass who is always sitting on her mat, sometimes preparing food or working on handicraft. I have tried to engage her in conversation using my Kinya/French/English/Charades combo and she looks at me and laughs hysterically. It's not in a manner that makes me feel embarassed. I feel like I'm her days entertainment. She has such a grand belly laugh and I wonder, with the location of her house being hidden away along this path, perhaps I'm a little welcome distraction for her. Either way, I love it.

Maybe the highlight of the week would be having little Rhia sit on my lap and try to pick at my sparkly nailpolish, after I had decided that spinning was a fun game I had needed to sit down for a moment to gather myself :) I really hope to acquire more Kinyarwanda because my experiences with the kids are so limited by my lack of language. They don't speak French, or have only had a year or so in school. Charades come in handy. I have learned to say "You are my friend" and "May God bless you".

Well, off to find a bus to Nyamata. Would love to hear how everyone is doing at home. Can you believe it's almost August ?!!

Take Care,

Becky

This country will break your heart

This blog is not for the sensitive reader.
The past two phone calls home to David and to Shannon have made me realize that there are alot of unpleasant things I'm seeing/experiencing here that are going unprocessed. I'm going to (with hesitation) share some of them with you. I'll use point form, easier for me, easier for you.
*Street kid projectile vomiting on the street. Nobody stops to help. He looks scared and unsure of what's happening to him but just continues walking when he's through.
*That's not jam down the front of the baby's shirt on the bus. Her mom is patting her mouth with a napkin but it's not much use. The baby is vomiting blood, clearly quite ill.
*Same man every day, missing a leg (and wearing a Backstreet Boys t-shirt) asks me for money. It's been 6 weeks and I always give him the same response. Tomorrow he'll ask again.
*At the Kigali bus stop, there is a man missing the entire lower half of his body. He is maybe in his 30s. He comes on the bus to panhandle. Like the old lady with a stump for a hand or the orange hat guy with no leg or the peanut salesman in a wheelchair or the lady by the telephone pole on the way to Bruce's with contorted ankles or the scruffy, hungry street kids, he is greeted by me with the same few Kinyarwanda expressions I know and a wish for better fortune to come his way.
*An hour ago, I watched my little soccer buddy Peter getting beat up by two older men on our street. I wasn't sure if they were just roughhousing but it became clear soon they weren't. Three neighbourhood ladies intervened verbally but that didn't stop it. I walked home, hoping maybe I could bring Erick (the shopowner) out to help the situation. Five minutes later, Peter passed by, in tears but trying to be stoic. As my blog title says, this country will break your heart.
*Saturday was Umuganda, the mandatory volunteering day. I helped pave the road in front of the house. A town hall style meeting followed, which I attended-assisted by translation by Destin. Problems ranged from prostitution issues in the area to a borrowed cell phone that had been dropped down a latrine. The government has started a vulnerable children's screening so the neighbourhood is asked to identify neglected or malnourished kids in the area. I watched "Fils", Peter's friend, stand by himself in front of 60 men and women and tell them he needed help. I thought Fils was a neighbour's child. He always plays soccer with us, and although he is dressed in the same t-shirt everyday, that didn't strike me as unusual. He has what I call a "creased forehead" meaning he wears an expression of worry that causes a wrinkle in between his eyebrows. He is very sweet to speak to though. I was devastated at him having to identify himself- he can't be more than 10 years old !
*A lady stood up and said she was taking care of her friend's son, as her friend had recently passed away from AIDS. She also has it and is worried that if she gets sick, the child won't be looked after. Another lady stood and said she had taken in a street child but had no means to support him.
I was struck by the community's approach to caring for each other. Other grievances were aired, mostly security, littering and border/property line issues. Each month they meet on the grass of the hill by my house and speak to each other about their needs and how they can be there for each other. I knew there was poverty and there's quite obviously challenging situations here but I don't think I realized how deep they ran. It's hard to think of JeanBaptiste, Peter and Fils as anything more than my soccer buddies with big smiles. How many other people that I see everyday are going home to a lack of food and basic necessities? And how, tell me how, do they continue to smile, laugh and pray each day?
Okay, so I won't leave you with this. I have a few other frustrations that are quite comical. Might lighten the mood a little. By comical I don't mean "funny haha".. I mean "funny-laugh-a-couple-of-days-later".
I bought a bottle of Head and Shoulders Shampoo at twice the price, just as a treat for myself. Brought it home to find out it is a watered down version of the local shampoo- not H and S at all!
My soccer ball lasted two weeks, it is now deflated :( I think it's the rocky ground, need to start collecting plastic bags so I can fashion an african-style soccer ball.
Our water has been off for 3 days ! I am desperate for a shower that is not out of a bucket !
Power went out last week while I was sitting in the cold bath. Pitch black, sitting in an ice cold tub. You have to laugh at yourself, don't you?
My electric stove died last week. The kerosene stove that VSO gave me has no wick in it. Charming, eh? Have half a charcoal stove but left it outside in a (very surprising and out of season) thunderstorm so the charcoal got soaked. The water filter nozzle is broken too.
None of these things are a big deal. Things break. Things stop working. You plan meetings with people and they don't show up or show up at 2pm instead of 9am. I know I need to increase my patience and exercise my flexibility. I know that, but...
There are other things that fall under the "cultural sensitivity" framework that I find myself questioning whether or not I should have to compromise on. Due to the massive amount of unemployment in the country, there are many groups of men just "hanging around". Often you see women working in the field with babies on their backs or carrying jerrycans full of water on their heads and groups of men lounging under a tree. Not a blanket generalisation, although it sounds that way. I've met and worked with some amazing men, teachers, headmasters and see men doing road construction (with a pickaxe, I realize how hard that is, reminds me of my Habitat for Humanity build). The headteacher of Rubona is quite a keen, enthusiastic and intelligent colleague. The Unicef head is very articulate and well educated and determined to make a difference. I guess where I'm going with this is, I don't like being hassled by these bored randoms. There is a bar I must pass on my way to and from my house and at 7am, there are a dozen or so men getting started on their "day". Enough said. Not to worry- (mom and dad) this is a safe and wonderful country. I have lots of great friends and my neighbours are kind and loving.
Last anecdote: yesterday (Sunday) at 6:30am I got a phone call from the headteacher of my model school. He just wanted to see how my day was. I told him that at 6:30 AM ON A SUNDAY, my day had not yet started !!
Miss everyone and am wishing you well. Thank you for sharing this adventure with me, the good and the not so good. Just remember that after the negative incident this morning with Peter and the two men, something wonderful will happen this afternoon. That's how things work here.
Be well,
Becky

Blogger's Block

Okay, I haven't blogged in three weeks and now I have too much to tell you so I have writer's block. An idea from my friend Meghan's blog is to ask me questions (by email preferrably: rebeccajyoung@live.com) which I can then answer on my blog.
Here is a quick version of what I've been up to the past few days.
I gave the sermon at Mama's church. Topic: Random Acts of Kindness. I really enjoyed speaking to and interacting with the kids. I'm trying hard to learn names and someday I hope to know the Kinyarwanda verses to some of the songs they sing. This Sunday morning tradition continues to be a real spirit-lifter and I am going to make it a priority each week.
I visited my domestic Delphine's house on an invitation to attend her little brother's first communion. There, I also tried sorghum and banana beer- yuck ! I met about 40 or so relatives and one eccentric uninvited guest who ended up being quite entertaining (re: " a little off") and was well tolerated by the guests. Delphine lives about an hour's hike up in the hills of rural Gitarama.
I watched a fascinating concert at Orion Nightclub in which most of the hip-hop stars lip-synched to a recorded track. The star of the show was "The Ben" (his hip-hop name) and man could he dance !
I finally hosted my Canada Party-ironically on July 4th. The irony was not lost on our British friend Tom who decided to wear an American flag t-shirt. My friends were put through the paces of some of my best game ideas. We played waterbottle bowling with a football (did you know footballs don't roll?), musical chairs, had a Canadian Flag drawing competition, "Truth or Dare" Jenga, a blindfold/spin/can you find the wall game, waterballoon volleyball (in which karma paid a visit and Tom was the only one to get soaked!) and finally Canadian Trivia. I have to say, I thought the question "Can you name a Canadian Prime Minister, ANY Canadian Prime Minister?" was one of the easier ones, but the British, American, Phillipino and Irish participants were stumped. Too funny.
On actual Canada Day, I passed around a bunch of balloons to the neighbourhood kids. It was really fun to see their reactions and explain why Canada had a birthday on July 1st. I even caught some adults joining in the fun. Besides the great comraderie of the day and feeling proud to be Canadian, a true highlight of this event was asking the neighbourhood kids to help me decorate my front gate with chalk art. We wrote "I love Canada" and "I love Rwanda" and soon the gate was covered. I collected all of the chalk back- or so I thought. A few days later, I started to notice little additions of writing in small blank pockets on the gate. Now, at home you would think that vandalism by kids under 12 would result in some embarassing or slightly inappropriate language/pictures. This is what my gate said in children's handwriting: "We love you Rebecca. We are all family. We are all friends." This little story captures the spirit of what it's like living in Rwanda.
The rest of the 2nd week was a little tough as I was sick again. I'm completely recovered and am eating my veggies/taking my Vitamin C hoping to avoid feeling that way again.
Now, UNICEF. I was fortunate enough to have the good sense to say "yes" when the VSO Office asked for a few volunteers to help Unicef run a workshop on active, child-centred methodology. This led to having my best week in Rwanda to date. We ran a workshop for four days to support Unicef's initiative of creating "Child-Friendly Schools". I will be preparing a longer blog and posting more pics about this at a future date. I think what I love best about being here, is the nature of my work. Bridging the gap between the traditional style of "chalk and talk" teaching and my preferred method of QDPA- making learning fun- style of teaching is fascinating. I had teachers making leaf art, texture sketching, playing Simon says, making musical instruments from found materials, playing Ship to Shore, singing the alphabet song- while including an emphasis on cross-curricular lesson planning. I remember when I first became a teacher and I felt inspired by the role of being a teacher. I'm so glad that feeling has returned. I am so passionate about this kind of work.
Well, I think I've covered about 25% of what's happened here in the last 3 weeks. As always, there are far too many stories, and far too few moments I can run to the Internet cafe.
Hope all is well and everyone is 100% into their relaxing summer routines.
Be well,
Becky