Thursday, November 12, 2009

Baby Got Back...and all the little things that I notice when the power is off

After a number of weeks of searching for things to do at the office, I was excited to come back from ICT2 with a lot to do. I had to finalize two workshops for Thursday and Friday, as well as one on Monday. I was planning to go away for the weekend and would have no time then to do it. So…I started out. Full steam ahead!! I had little food in my house on account of missing Saturday market day and having been in Kigali but decided I could live on tuna, eggs and the bananas I had bought in the city. Plus Aimey sent me a great package that included my favourite chocolates as well as Halloween decorations….It was just too bad that Canada Post decided to take it’s sweet time delivering it. (Notice how I blame Canada Post….don’t we all?)

Tuesday night, though, I started to feel ill. No big deal – just a sore throat! So, I put on “27 Dresses” (thanks Ang!) and settled in for a movie. The power was off and it was dark but something caught my eye. There, on the floor was a moving, flashing light. What was that? So…I grabbed my light and my camera and took a video. It was a bug with a flashing bum! I have never seen one before. Imagine – having a bum that flashed! The complexes that female bum-flashing-bugs might have, as if fitting into Gap Jeans wasn’t difficult enough. These bugs have the added attention of “hey look at me! I can barely fit into a size 14 and it flashes!” Sort of like a tail lights. I wonder if Sir Bugs-A-Lot would write a song about it. “Baby Got Backlit” Hmmmm…..

Anyway…enough of that. I slept like crap and continued to feel worse. I made an executive decision (which I’m not sure I’m entitled to make considering I’m not an executive). I did not go to work Wednesday and postponed the workshops just incase I was still not feeling well in Thursday. I’ve decided to not take any chances with my health here. Having a cold in Canada is no big deal and I don’t think I’ve ever called a sub for it. But here….well…..I just would rather be cautious. In the end, Wednesday helped a tonne. It was made better, of course, by a visit from Christine, where we ate a meal in the dark (power out again), watched “In Bruges” and ate mini-Reese peanut butter cups that Aimey sent. The workshops have been moved to next week which makes me uber busy then. Four workshop in five days. That’s okay – it also means two moto rides!

Because the workshop was postponed and I ended up being in the office anyhow, many head teachers were around. It was good to see them and do some more planning. I will be trying to register a few schools on the Global Gateway website so that they can apply for the VSO Global Partnership Program. This is where a Rwandan school partners with a school in the UK. As it is now, the program that VSO sponsors doesn’t include Canadian schools but I would suggest that if you’re. interested in pairing with a school somewhere, to go on the website and register. The website itself is for schools all over the world. www.globalgateway.uk.org

Tonight I’ll spend another relaxing night. The power just came on. It was off while I cooked dinner but long enough to notice, when I turned off my head lamp, lights buzzing about in the back. I think that I saw fire flies for the first time in my life! Unless the blinking bum bug was one too.

To sum it up…the week has been good but less busy than I anticipated. Less busy, though, is good sometimes. It gives us time to stop, look up, and see the rainbows and other pretty things around us. 


A beautiful rainbow above the motorcycle garage next to my house. What you don't see is the throng of people behind me, watching me take the photo and thrilled to learn the English word for rainbow (which is, incidently, rainbow). They might have forgotten it now but I've forgotten the Kinyarwanda word for it too. 

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