Jason, Suzanne, Anna, Victor, Eliane - my new work family in Rwanda!
My office in Ngoma district!
My first meal in Kibungo!
Living Room with our landlords furniture. The couches don't have feels and are lovely to sit on Sunday mornings when you hear the sounds of music outside.
Our kitchen. Note keronsene stove to the bottom left, jerry can on the right. We recently modernized with a Canadian flag to cover the holes and another shelf. Woo hoo.
The front of our house, which is hidden from the street by a gate. My room is the far one on the right.
The back.
The view out ourliving room to our front yard. Note large gate.
My room. I've added a Rwandan basket for my trash. The candle burning is great for trapping bugs. I found a dead one in it recently.
Note the lovely imported mosquito net (made in China, not impregnated...) but it keeps the bugs out. Note the teleophone on the floor by my bed. Don't know why it is there. There is not dial tone. But Tina did tell me that it ran once last year.
The bathroom. Beautiful view outside makes up for lack of decor inside. Note jerry can and bucket full of emergency water.
Our backyard. Yes, those are banana trees out there.
More of our backyard. The buildings are a traditional African kitchen and where we put our trash. I stay away from it.....I’m boiling water right now for our filter. Better to do it now while there is water. It has gone off each day I’ve been here but thankfully for not that long. We have two jerry cans of emergency water and a basin in the bathroom to flush the toilet, should the need arise. When the water goes out, we use a saying I learned as a kid staying at Lake Lebarge – “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.” But for now, I count myself as the luck volunteer with running water and electricity. I thought I would give you a description of our house here in Kibungo. I’ve taken some pictures and am hoping that internet somewhere will help me upload them. You should know that picture taking was an ordeal. Inside shots I use my little camera but the battery died. No problem! I’ll use the ones I bought in Kigali. They are FANTASTIC. So fantastic that everytime I “took” a picture, it shut off. You know how little things can make you cry? Well, this did! Why? I don’t know. But I do know that keeping this little blog is my outlet. I know most of you won’t be able to make the journey to Rwanda – (hasn’t it always been somewhere you’ve wanted to go?) – so I need to share my experience with you as a way of keeping myself sane. But I digress….Suffice to say, I took some pictures.
Our house is off the main highway to Tanzania. It’s not in Kibungo town itself but I don’t think there is a distinguishable town centre anyway. Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa so there are houses, schools, shops and people everywhere. The front of our house is a white gate, so you really can’t even see the house. When we enter, though we walk along the gravel with the mango tree to our right. It’s dying and there will likely be no fruit. There are 3 bedrooms and one “dodgy” room, as Tina calls it, where we store extra water. The floor is concrete and the wall might be brick. The floor in the entire house was probably painted green at some point, but that’s mostly gone now. The furniture in the house is probably the best attribute. Normally each volunteer is entitled to 2 chairs, a big table, a small table, 2 sitting chairs, a bed. That’s it. But the landlord has his furniture here and so we have 2 sofas and three arm chairs (all which had fleas until recently), a large dining table with four chairs and a large hutch for storage, plus a coffee table. It’s great! The bathroom is dodgy. The shower drains into a hole in the ground and there is no curtain as such. When I got here, Danny made sure to show me the splash zone so I knew where not to keep my dry clothes. The toilet flushes – most of the time – even if it’s constantly running and the sink works. Granted, you can’t use the water for your teeth or anything. The view is the best part! Hills and valleys and banana trees. The kitchen includes two stoves (kerosene stoves) on the floor, a large water filter, two bins of fruit and vegetables, a storage shelf and a cooking table. My bedroom is large but dark. I have, according to most volunteers, the best VSO bed. It even has little shelves to put my head lamp and books. There is a large built in shelf for my clothes. I’ve asked VSO for my lockable cupboard and small table (which I’m entitled) to fill the room. Plus, there is a local craft shop where I hope to buy a mat this weekend. The back yard has a large brick fence but you can still see the banana trees over the top. It’s all stone with a fire pit in the middle. We should be using it this weekend (I hope!). The laundry lines chris-cross (is that how you spell that) the back, as well. There are some “outbuildings” – one is a traditional African kitchen which I think we’ll try some day and one is a place for our guard (Jean) to keep his things. They are pretty sketchy so I wouldn’t spend anytime there.
All in all, it’s a great little house – complete with geckos, ants, and grasshoppers. Tina has seen more vermin and rodents and bugs so I’m sure I will too. I am not looking forward to that day but suppose I will survive. Personally, I don’t need to “prove myself” in Africa by killing and dealing with them so I’d be happy if they all hid away for the next year. I count myself lucky though. Many volunteers have no water or power. Many move into empty houses alone. Jason, himself, had to sleep on the floor (bed was no good) with mice in a house where locals are taking his water. I have a cozy little house with two great roommates. You are all welcome to come for a visit!
What’s my learning curve been like? Huge! Massive! Today – big day. Apparently none of my work colleagues did not notice my brown and grey fashion disaster so I was safe. I worked in the office on a few things (writing my introduction letter, familiarizing myself with the curriculum) and then met Danny at Moderne for mélange lunch. We then walked to Kabare I Primary school where I saw my first Rwandan school close up. The schools have double shift. This means that half of the students attend school in the morning (7:30 to 12:30) and the other half come in the afternoon (1:00 to 5pm). The next day the groups switch. This is because there aren’t enough teachers or schools to teach all the children. The benefit is that this keeps class sizes below 50 (in most cases). The problem is that it means teachers get few breaks and work very long days. The “bell” rang at about 1pm. This was the student banging on an old wheel rim. Immediately the Primary 5 and Primary 6 (P5 and P6) students went to clean and flush out the latrines. The students filed in. The girls wearing blue and the boys wearing yellow uniforms. It’s helpful to know this because the boys look the same as the girls – it’s a law that all students must shave their heads. This prevents the spread of lice. I observed a P6 English lesson – P6 includes all ages as students may have started school older or not have completed the level. The oldest student might have been 16 or so. The English teacher did his best to encourage comprehension but I’m not sure the students knew what they were saying. However, they could all repeat the three types of adjectives (I still don’t know them!). The P5 lesson was interesting. The students were reading about bicycles. I think they know what a bicycle is but none of the other words were understood. They would all recite the words in unison but unfortunately did not know their meaning. It’s not he teacher’s fault. All teachers speak Kinyarwanda as their first language, have been teaching in French for ever and last year were told to start teaching in English. Imagine you, a teacher in Canada, being told you were to all of a sudden begin teaching in your THIRD language! The students were wonderful, though, and all greeted the Mzungu with huge smiles!
In the afternoon I scrubbed the water filter and then met Jason and Suzanne (one of the heads) for a tour of the Kibungo town. I know know where the post office, hospital, prison and internet café is. The walk back was in the dark and a number of students could see the mzungu from meters away. They began shouting “Mzungu! Mzungu” and grabbing at my arms – until Suzanne shouted at them. Uh oh. How will I deal with this constantly? The four of us had dinner together. It was my first time cooking on the kerosene stove! We made pasta with vegetables which was a welcome change from mélange and goat. A great day and another learning curve. I will try to post some pictures but will hopefully spend the day snapping pictures of my house and my town so you can see where I live.
NB: I have written a lot on my first reflections of Kibungo in the next post.
Tina had warned me that the guard would try to show me how good he was at his job by sweeping the yard clean at 5:30 am. At 5:30 sharp, as if right on cue, I heard the sweep, sweep, sweep of his broom. That was okay because I had been drifting in and out of sleep for the past hour. I had to go to the bathroom but kept remembering Tina’s story of the tarantula and wanted to wait. But I got a great phone call from Aimey to see how my first night in Kibungo was. I got a little homesick but then wandered out to have breakfast with Danny and Tina. I got ready for work this morning in the bright sunshine but on my walk up the hill realized I was about to make my first faux pas. I was wearing brown sandals with grey pants! Uh oh. What will my new collegues think of me?
Reflections on Kigali
Monday September 7, 2009
I am nearing the end of my In Country Training in Kigali. I feel like now I am finally starting to do what I was brought here to do. Since arriving bleary-eyed, groggy and still on Mountain Time, I think I’ve already learned so much. We’ve been spoiled at this guest house – reliable electricity and running water (mine hasn’t gone off once), even if the showers are cold! Food is prepared for us (even if it is the same thing every meal). The place is clean (even if I think there is something dead in my bathroom because it smells like rotten mouse). We’ve developed into a little family here too and I think I will miss the camaraderie of the new volunteers. Having said that, it’s time to begin my job. Today all us mzungus went into town to spend our living grant. I’m lucky to be moving into a house with another volunteer and one that had just been vacated. Everything we need is in the house, so I didn’t have to spend my money on jerry cans but rather bought us an electric toaster! We all had to buy sheets, blankets, buckets and the like. Then we piled our things into a truck so it could be taken back to our guest house. We were a sight and the attraction for the moment. Following that we had a briefing from the British Ambassador. VSO began in the UK and as a result, we are all able to access support from the British Embassy. Good thing too, considering the Canadian Embassy didn’t exactly bring out the welcoming committee. Both the British and American Embassies have weekly events. The Canadians – not so much. They are probably all over at the British Embassy for their Thursday night pub. All in all, Rwanda seems to be the darling of Africa and an example of what is going right. The biggest safety is the potential for dangerous earth quakes.
So – what’s life been like here in the big city? Our laundry gets down for us. Hand washed and hung to dry, ironed and returned to you – although I’m still waiting for clothes from Thursday. Bonus to this that, although the handwashing is rough on clothes, they are not dried in a dryer so your jeans always fit when you put them on. None of those lunges across the bedroom floor just so your ass can breathe a little bit. Shopping in Kigali is great! Well, not NYC great but you can get what you need. Some things are more expensive than others (a bottle of contact lens solution is, if I do the math right, is close to $50) everything you need is available. Tina is a fan of marshmallows I’ve picked up a bag to bring with me to Kibungo. There were three bags in the entire town of Kigali and certainly not like the marshmallows we have back home. Choice here is limited in comparison, that is until I saw a local man in a Sport Chek uniform! That’s right folks, a SPORT CHEK uniform!! The company that is my nemesis (insofar as its possible for a person to have a greedy corporation as its nemesis). I had to laugh and of course texted Emily right away to tell her. It should go without saying but there isn’t an actual Sport Chek in Kigali – just the shirt. If he was an employee he surely would have asked to “put his number” on anything I was carrying.
The weather has been great. Hot during the day (maybe around 30 degrees) but the nights are comfortable. Unfortunately women can’t wear shorts here and skirts aren’t always comfortable. What women will never admit, but I will always complain about, is that in hot weather your thighs rub together in a skirt and honestly, it is SO uncomfortable. Come on girls! Admit it. It happens to you to. Surely, I can’t be the only one. Bonus to having to wear pants all the time is that shaving your legs (in freezing water, not to mention the cost of razors) does not have to happen frequently. The downside, no tan. My feet are getting the sun. Yesterday I thought my feet were covered in dust and dirt but it turns out that, after a little rinse in the cold water, the rest was actually what you call a “tan.” The sun here isn’t hot enough to warrant sunscreen on warm days, even for me. The dust and diesel, however, is enough to have me running toward Tanzania (which I will be doing Wednesday, as I’m an hour or so from the border). The rains will start soon. It feels like it does back home when there is a build up to a storm. The temperature will drop a few degrees and the wind picks up. The sky turns grey but then it doesn’t rain. It heats up again. We are watching the sky with anticipation. In fact, the other day at lunch someone noticed it was sprinkling outside, ran to the door and turned to say “It’s raining!” It’s akin to Canadians looking out the window mid-October and saying “It’s snowing!” We both know that it isn’t the REAL thing but we’re excited to see the change of seasons which I have always felt is important in indicating the passage of time.
I’ve learned that Rwandans have a sixth sense, which I have yet to hone in on. They have an ability to walk, run, bike, play soccer and “beep” each other on cell phones in the pitch black. How they manage to avoid collisions with each other, with vehicles and with potholes and drainage systems all over is a mystery to me. You’ll be walking along when all of a sudden there is a person saying “Miriwe!” You’re in their face before you have a chance to respond. Thankfully MTN cell phones are equipped with flashlights. Good for seeing the holes and ensuring that vehicles see you as well. The best part about In Country Training has been the people I’ve met. We seem to be able to meet for meals and have conversations with ease. I think that, without saying it, we’re all a little bit apprehensive about what to expect but know that the support network we’ve established in the last week or so will serve us well in the next year. So, Kibungo on Wednesday! What will life be like there? Keep posted to find out!
Oh and speaking of keeping “posted” – if anyone was going to “post” something to me, here are the things I’ve been craving/wishing for: Reese Peanut Butter Cups, Visine (for my dry eyes) and nice smelling candles. You know, incase my family is reading this blog!
Welcome to Kibungo, Rwanda
Wednesday September 9th
I have arrived! Wow! I can’t believe I’m actually sitting here, in my bedroom in Kibungo. I don’t live in Kibungo town but on the highway in Kibungo Secteur which is in Ngoma District, in the Eastern Province of Rwanda. There are only 5 provinces in the country, including Kigali. I have a double bed and a mosquito net and a chair and a cupboard. I feel like a queen. I’m totally overwhelmed at the moment. I have met so many people and seen so many things that my head is spinning. My house is wonderful. Tina had been to the market and bought material for art for the walls and curtains for the bathroom. She’d also bought food for Jason and I so that we had something to eat when we arrived. She also told our domestique to make sure my room was really clean because she knows I hate spiders. I met Suzanne who is the head master at a school in Remera Secteur and Bosco who is the charge for Sport, Youth and Culture in Ngoma District. I’ve also met Victor who is the Director of Education for the district. I’ve met Epi, a Rwandan-Canadian teaching near by, a girl named Anna, our domestique named Julie and our guard named Jean De Dieu. (Yes, John of God is the translation). I’ve also met Danny from England who is teaching teachers how to use computers at Suzanne’s school. Jason, Tina, Suzanne and I went for mélange lunch (basically Rwanda buffet). I opened a bank account and then we went to the market. I unpacked and Tina boiled water for our new filter. Tina and I made fruit salad and guacamole (okay, she made it, I helped) and after a fit of yawning at the table, I headed to bed. I’m getting settled in but will admit that I’m terribly overwhelmed and may be having a case of the “How will I do this for an entire year!?!!?!?!” I suppose I thought that when I got to Kigali and got used to that pretty quickly. When my head stops spinning, I’ll tell you more. Miss you all!
