Kamaliza's Suitcase: Toto, I don't think we're in Kibungo anymore.

Dorothy's clue that she wasn't in Kansas were the little people and all that colour. My clue I'm not in Kibungo....the SNOW!

My small (suitable for carry-on) suitcase is unpacked and will likely remain so. No, I’m not staying in Canada but I need to travel back to Rwanda with a big one, what with all the Sidekicks and everything. It’s surprising to me how easily I have become accustomed to life back in Canada. I can’t decide if it’s because I’m just visiting and haven’t actually had to work while here or if sliding back into life was just that easy. More likely its what another volunteer friend of mine said – you use one part of your brain for Canada and another for Rwanda. So, as I sit here for a quick recap, remember that I have 7 days left of snow before I destined for the land of banana trees and geckos.

I arrived in a haze that lasted for a few days and made my way into my school to say hello and give a short presentation for some students who raised money for the library project. Being in the school was surreal and I’d forgotten completely how to talk to students. I was visiting one class and someone hit the light switch by accident. The classroom went dark and my first thought was “Uh oh. There goes the electricity….” I had a chance on Wednesday to get together with a bunch of friends for drinks at a sports bar with a t.v the size of my house. Instead of the entire town gathered around a 20inch t.v. to watch a soccer match, it was televisions everywhere and sensory overload. Thursday was hot tub and Cesar’s at Ang’s but Easter came and went and the traditional family dinner – which includes, always, my brother and I fighting over hidden Easter eggs, was postponed so that my parents could get a head start on their vacation. Instead, I spent Easter with Amanda and Aimey, a few bottles of wine and the card game Wizard. Coincidently, I spent the next day with a hangover.

Easter Sunday Aimey and I went geocaching, which is essentially finding a hiding cache from coordinates. Sounds easy if you have a fancy GPS but our first one was a “micro” cache and we didn’t find it. The second was much more successful and we left Easter mini-eggs as a treat. Geocaching is new to me but apparently the whole world has been doing it for years. It's a great idea and I'm already wondering how to use this when I'm teaching next year. Great to teach kids about coordinates. (Follow the link above for more info). I’ve also had a chance to get out to the mountains to enjoy Banff like a tourist. And I felt it….I was FREEZING. It snowed and we still decided to hike up Sulfur mountain. I had just bought trekking poles – which is to save my knees when we hike Kili this summer – and I’ve realized that I will NEVER hike without them again. They look hard core, which I definitely am not, but my knees whispered “thank you” when I was finished.

Today I’m enjoying the snow and, unlike most Calgarians, am not pissed off that it’s the 12^th of April and STILL snowing. I’ve been enjoying swimming any day that I can – and NOT at risk for catching Bilharzia. I’ve been enjoying the CBC and hearing the news as it happens. I’ve been enjoying Starbucks and the ability to get food whenever I want it as well as showers that don’t take an hour to prepare. I’m also enjoying anonymity of not standing out like a novelty every time I walk down the street. BUT I am missing a few things: I’m missing the taste of avocados. Yes, you can buy them here – in the WINTER – but they have no flavour. I miss bananas and pineapples and Rwandan coffee. I miss the wind whistling over my motorcycle helmet as I wind through the valleys of the Eastern province. I miss getting up close and personal with my fellow Rwandans when I take the bus. I miss busy chores that make me tired and fall asleep as soon as I hit the pillow. I miss being able to say “Nte kibazo” when something goes wrong and I miss the slow pace of life. So, besides realizing that I have an awful lot of friends who’s names begin with the letter A, I’m realizing that Jeremy was right. You are where you are. Enjoy it.