You may laugh or you may cry...but don't say I didn't warn you...

Written on Friday, but connection dropped before it could be posted....

I have been touched today, by a beautiful, fragile-looking but incredibly strong older woman...she approached me today at the bus stop while I was waiting with Kharim, my English student at Gisimba....she began speaking in words I could not understand and Kharim said, "You're beautiful...she is saying you are beautiful." The woman is a house-mother at Gisimba. I reached for her hand, expressing much thanks and sincere gratitude for her kind words....she continued to speak in words I could not understand....as I stared into her eyes, I asked Kharim what she was saying..."I watch you with the children, you are beautiful with them, i love you very much...." It was all I could do not to shed the tears that were swelling up inside my eyes....All I could do was wrap my arms around her and hug her and rub her back, telling her how beautiful and sweet she was....how incredible it is that love can be shared so easily between complete strangers....a simple smile, a laugh, a hug....she has touched my soul....

I had another moment with an older woman at Gisimba on Tuesday. She was apparently another house mother, helping to pound cassava leaves. With some translation assistance, I asked her if I could take a try - she was so excited to show me how to position the body just right to achieve the most power with each movement! After my weak attempt, I was able to take a picture with her. She looked so deep in my eyes, grabbed at my shoulders and demanded with a firm smile that she get a copy of that photo :-) We hugged and hugged...what a beautiful moment for me to really connect with another...the incredible power of the older women here to communicate so intensely without a single word we understand together....it is so incredible...

KINDERGARDEN
So - here it is, Sunday, a full week has gone since my last post. And what a fun week it has been! During the recess break this week, two of the other teachers at the school have been trying to help me learn some of the fun playground songs in Kinyarwanda. :-) I try to mimic the teachers as they try and sing with the kids. I'm picking up some words, bahoro bahoro, but it will be a while before I will even think I would be able to sing one without their guidance. Hopefully with a couple months ahead of me, I can get at least one memorized!

Through the week, I have continued to work on songs from last week, including I'm a Little Teapot. The children have been making soooo much progress!! On Friday we were all standing and singing, doing all the body movements with the song, and although they are still struggling with some words, they were really quite entertaining! I even had to pull my camera out and take a video of them...Just watching them bounce their hips and tip over to pour out makes me smile with so much joy!! I am so proud of them and continue to feed off their enthusiasm....

Another project this week, which I believe will continue through my time here, is the memorizing of "A Story About a Frog." It consists of 6 pages, appearing to be pulled from a coloring book. Each page has a picture of Kermit the Frog talking about "some of the things I like to do." The way they teach here is so much more focused on memorizing things. The teacher will just repeat the first page over and over again and move to the second page when they can recite the correct sounds....Well this week I was asked to help color the pages of the book for each of the 39 students in the class!! So, while they are working on learning the Rwanda anthem or taking their breakfast break, I have been assigned to coloring - 6 pages for each of the 39 students!! There is another teacher assistant who is helping, and thank goodness I like to color, but I found this so interesting. They just photocopy the blank page and color in. I was trying to understand why they don't make this a coloring assignment, but those seem to be saved for things like vegetables and transportation, etc. I suppose this is like their "textbook" so the teachers want to give them a complete copy to "read" rather than color....can you imagine our teachers coloring our storybooks for us?? Such an interesting thought...

Ah yes...so speaking of books and repetition, one of my highlights this week was when I was able to bring calm to the class all on my own :-) After recess one day, the kids were out of control! You would think they would lose energy, but no...they just become more hyper! So, I grabbed one of my books, "Go, Dog, Go." I began to read the simple words from each page - Big dog, little dog, white dog, black dog... etc etc. The kids suddenly started paying attention to me! They would repeat each line I would say, of course, because that is what they think they are supposed to do, but it worked out great because there are so many parts in there concerning prepositions I had recently reviewed with them - such as up, down, above, below - so they were simultaneously getting a review of those words as I had them do different hand or body motions. For the first time, the teacher had to tell them to get their bags when the guardians were showing up before we had finished a lesson! Normally they are bouncing off the walls when it is time to go. It was such a joy for me! :-)

One more thought on the kindergarten kids....So, over time, in an effort for the kids to understand what I mean when I say, "Listen to me," I have adopted a habit of pulling at my ear lobes...I thought this would help them to realize that you must use your ears to listen....so, on Friday, after recess, I wanted to try and do more songs with them. I stood in front with my finger in front of my lips to attempt to silence their afternoon energy. Suddenly, one of the dramatic boys in the back opened his eyes really big, stood up, pulled at his ears and shouted, "Listen, listen, listen to me!!" LOL This was HILARIOUS!!! All the kids began doing the same thing! The teacher started laughing along with me as she tried to explain to them in Kinyarwanda that in order to "Listen to me," they had to stop saying so! LOL I laugh so much just remembering it. Soooooo adorable these kids are!!!

AT GISIMBA
So, many of the students who have been waiting to get materials to go to boarding school at Sunrise were finally able to depart on Tuesday afternoon. It made for very quiet afternoons the rest of this week because not only are some away at boarding school, but many those who remain are out and about during the day at local school. In any case, I have been able to bond more with some of the younger girls, doing all sorts of things: bouncing balls, singing songs, dancing, playing their version of hopscotch, even just sitting with each other, laughing at my attempts as they try to make me speak kinyarwanda. Such a joie de vivre these children have...it can be a bit therapeutic :-)

I have been able to make some progress with Kharim, as well - the 15 year old who cannot speak English. I found out he is in Primary 5 - the equivalent of fifth grade. He was showing me what he does in school, but it is so sad because he just copies things from his teacher but has no idea what he has even written in his notebook....On Thursday after kindergarten, there were two muzungus standing around at Gisimba - an older woman and a younger guy. They are volunteers from the Belgium organization that provides most of the international funding for Gisimba. It became evident that the woman had been here many times. She saw me and said, "You must be the one teaching Kharim English. He is so happy to have someone working with him." I learned that they all know his English but no one has thus far been able to really help him progress so she wished me well in that regard and said he seemed very excited to be working with me. Just hearing that really touched me....I pray I won't let him down.....I found out that there is someone who wants to sponsor him to go to a really good school in Uganda, but because of his English, he cannot go, so now he and I have even more motivation and push to keep trying! After getting some advice from my sister, I have been finding new ways to help him learn the alphabet, not just by memorizing the order, but actually comprehending the letters and recognizing them and writing them.....and on Friday we began working on their sounds....this will take a lot of time and effort, but I am really looking forward to the day he will be able to read a short simple book to me....what an accomplishment that will be for him!!

NYAMATA - an emotional experience...and may be graphic at times...
This weekend we all decided to stay in town which has been a nice change. However, yesterday was quite an emotionally exhausting and draining day. Three of us visited Nyamata - the site of a genocide memorial. I don't know that I can even go in to much detail right now, but I will share a few things about the site. When we arrived, the church was actually locked. But we were able to view through the doors and windows the rows of wooden benches covered with layer upon layer of the clothes worn by the 41,000 people from that area that were killed during the genocide....A deaf guard led us behind the church to a crypt area where we were led underground. Descending, we were faced with rows upon rows of caskets covered in purple and white cloth...this was such a hard place to be as I really felt like we were disturbing their peace...as we entered a second crypt, I was very unexpectedly faced with rows and rows of bones and skulls with their empty eye sockets staring back at me, each telling its own story with long cuts or small holes, each inflicted with the weapons of the war....I was so distraught seeing this and had such mixed emotions as I wanted to pay my respects but felt so strange seeing this raw, naked snapshot of the real individuals who lost their lives so prematurely...and something about the way they were lined up seemed so disrespectful for me to be there, seeing them lined up so orderly as if it was some storage room in a museum...As we were reflecting on the church from the outside, Charles Mugabe showed up. He ended up being our "guide" as he opened the church and began telling us the history of this site where 10,000 people stood shoulder to shoulder for three days until April 10 when masses of the perpetrators arrived and began the terror...There were marks on the doors of the church where men tried to shoot at the locks, but to no avail, so tried to get through with grenades instead, where the large crater on the cement floor and shrapnel in the ceiling tell the beginning of the story...what took a moment for us to realize was that Charles Mugabe was there on April 10, 1994 - an 8-year old boy, one of 13 people who walked out of that church, who was saved by his older brother who made him hide near the baptismal bowl and covered him with blood to make him appear dead. Charles witnessed the decapitation of his mother as she tried to prevent the hammering-to-death of his father...and faced reality the following morning that his 5 other siblings were murdered through the night....He told of a Hutu woman who, after refusing to kill her Tutsi husband, was forced upon the alter of the church where men proceeded to cut out the child she was carrying in her womb and had her bleed to death on the alter. Women who came to hunt with their husbands were charged with the mass killing of children, many by being picked up from their legs and swung like a bat against the brick walls until their heads were beaten in - blood stains on the wall still tell of these beatings...Ideology has somehow become more powerful than our natural instincts to protect, especially protection of innocent children...Humans seem to be the only species that will seek out to commit such mass atrocities against its own kind....can these acts come to an end before we bring about our own extinction?!

I am sorry my thoughts above may sound so dry, but my emotions have been so incredibly raw since seeing these sites...hearing the first hand accounts of a survivor and his struggles with forgiveness and yet to hear of his success with his studies and his promising future and interest in conflict resolution....what power for survival the human spirit can carry within...these unfathomable stories have left me so confused about the incredible power of propaganda and the ability for people to hang on to life when all seems lost....


OTHER NEWS
Friday was the last day for one of the volunteers that I had started working with at Gisimba, although she moved 10 days ago to another orphanage. We have another volunteer leaving on this Wednesday, so it will soon just be me and two others. Apparently there are no others coming at this placement next week, so in mid September when these two leave, I am hoping some more will be placed here in Kigali with me....thankfully I have really gotten along well with the others here and it adds a special dynamic to the entire experience. Actually, the girl still here from Germany will be joining me this coming weekend when I got on my Gorilla Trek. She isn't doing the trek, but will be hiking to Diane Fosey's tomb. It will be nice to travel with someone for this mini-adventure. We are currently planning a full extended weekend as we will be taking Friday off to begin the trip.

I returned yesterday from a weekend in Kiboye with the three other girls from the volunteer house. We decided to take a break and head this town on the coast of Lake Kivu. Kiboye is a quiet place, not well known by tourists, so it offered a fantastic opportunity to slow our pace for a couple of days and kick back to relax with a book and to enjoy some sun on the shore of the lake. It was really beautiful, as every place is when I travel out of Kigali. We had dinner at a local buffet, as all the locals seemed to be thrilled we enjoyed their traditional dishes. :-) Sunday morning we did the hour walk on the main road that circles the town, and the views were incredible. The lake just has a way of soothing the soul. Hazy but exciting-looking islands off in the distance; the sound of a fisherman singing his own tune, with the echo reverberating through the hills around us. Approaching the "marina," we saw the wooden fishing boats, narrow and long with sharp pieces of wood extending from both the front and back of each boat, interlocking them together on the shore. Taking in the scenes of the men and women, walking to church in their Sunday-best - the colors so brilliant! We walked by one of the more famous genocide memorials near a church where over 11,000 people were killed in less than three hours during the war. In front of the church, the memorial was established by members of the families of people who lost their lives there. Standing at the memorial, reflecting on the past, my soul was calmed by the incredible singing coming from within the very church these people died. It is magical how the community came together and rebuilt the church, placing breathtaking stain-glass windows in the places where grenades were thrown....and now to hear the beauty of their voices - it is really inspiring and quite moving.............



Completing last week was a nice milestone for me...the first week as a "teacher" and I still have found energy to wake up in the mornings! ;-) I have discovered that in kindergarten, repetition seems to be the key. I went over transportation every day since last Thursday, including today, and some of them the children still cannot seem to recall from the pictures. But hey, I will just blame that on my lack of artistic ability and less on the children's learning :-) But really, I do find that this will likely be a pattern over the next couple of months, which is actually a relief in some ways as I know that it is okay if not every child is getting it the first, or even the second day. Since I work on bringing kids up to point to the board and tell me the drawings, it helps me to know which ones are not getting it and then I can really have them watch my mouth as I speak so they can learn to say the words correctly - so really, it is a win-win.

Last week we introduced writing the little letter "a". I walked through the class while they practiced their writing and I have to admit, even that was more challenging than I thought it would be. You would be shocked at how young children interpret the little "tail" on the letter a LOL It is so adorable, but I end up with some kids drawing a circle with a tail coming from the top, out right, and looping down and around - so creative they are!! ;-) So for many of them, I would stand behind and hold their hand for one or two tries and then watch as they do a couple on their own. I found this to really help quite a bit, providing they could focus....for instance, there was a girl I was working with and as I stood behind her to help her right, I had a boy behind me continually tapping the back of my leg, a boy to my right calling "teacher! teacher!" grabbing the same arm I am using to help the girl write, and then a boy to my left who bent his head forward and proceeded to bite my stomach!! I pointed and looked at all three, "Oya, oya, oya!" and what do you know, they all erupted in laughter!! LOL At the moment, I was losing patience a little bit, but just bent down to each, said oya with a look of "I mean it," tapped their heads to show I still love them and then proceeded with the girl :-) It worked...for that moment anyway...it is fascinating how the children all look to me as "teacher" but they still try hard to get away with so many things. I think too, though, that some of it is cultural...they don't really have a sense of being quite while the teacher is talking - there is always a handful of kids having their own conversation. Also, whenever you see a raised had, it is 95% of the time accompanied by, "ME TEACHER! ME TEACHER!!!" It is soooo cute but a bit challenging to gain control of the class...

Last Friday was so exciting as they made more progress on "Farmer in the Dell!" I really must try to get a video of them singing before I leave here. But really, what has made me smile the most has been while teaching them, "I'm a little tea pot" and the "I love you" song from Barney. So, for the teapot song, I drew first on the board a tea cup and tea pot and pointed out the handle and the spout. I taught them the first two lines with clapping, "I'm a little tea pot, short and stout." For the handle and the spout, I have them do really full movements to get their arms in the correct places, one hand on one hip for the handle, and one hand pointing out by their shoulder for the spout. "When I get all steamed up, here me shout," is accompanied by shaking their hips...and they LOVE it!!! Their smiles are so bright that I cannot help but smile this very moment as I remember it....and then for "Tip me over and pour me out!" I won't be surprised if one of the kids lands on their head!! LOL They really enjoy that!! Even as of today, they need more practice with the words, but they sure make some fabulous dancers! :-)

The excitement with the Barney song was a bit less, but it was easier for them to catch on to the words. "I love you, you love me, we're a happy family! With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you, won't you say you love me too?" So for the "hug," I have them wrap their arms tightly around their shoulders and for the "kiss from me to you," they blow a kiss to each other :-) Soooo adorable too! I don't know if the idea of blowing a kiss is something they know or not, but they really had fun with that.

Today I had the chance to try and learn some Kinyarwanda songs...though I know I still have a lot to learn!! :-) My goal though, before I leave, is to learn at least one, though I will try for two, songs in Kinyarwanda. The teachers were helping me today at recess too. How fun it will be the day I sing along with these kids with their own songs....I am very much looking forward to it!

I tell you, each day as I drag myself across the city for an hour and a half, fighting through crowds, breathing in exhaust and dust, sweating under the sun...I just think of the laughter of these kids and it makes the day come together just right! :-) I cannot thank you all enough for helping me to get here....I really believe they are teaching me as much, if not more, than I am teaching them!

Hi-ho the dairy-o....

So, two days of Kindergarten has so far been a success! :-) I must say that the first day chaos was mostly due to it being just that - the first day back. I arrived yesterday and the teacher had left a "lesson plan" for me and the assistant. I worked on teaching about fruit and transportation, among other things. The students didn't have paper or anything in front of them, so I would draw things on the chalk board and after a lot of repetition, would bring students up to tell me what the drawings were, and to tell me the colors of the fruits. With transportation, I drew pictures of a bus, a car, a plane, a boat and two stick people walking :-) Under the bus I drew "many" stick people; under the car I drew "a few" stick people, and under the plane "a lot" of stick people. The boat only had fish :-) I explained about the sizes of each and did different hand motions with them repeating after me. So, when I would do a hand motion without speaking or point to the board, they would tell me what it was....Today we focused a lot on prepositions such as behind, in front of, between, beside, up, down, in and out. The teacher left these for me to do so I don't really have a choice but to try and follow. I decided to bring a few kids at a time up in front of the class to help illustrate each of the concepts. They really seemed to have fun while doing it. :-) The students here don't really participate until the teacher is telling them in Kinyarwanda to be loud, and my goodness, are they loud! I have to make myself not plug my ears! :-) They are sooo adorable!

Oh yes, and the alphabet. Today they all tried to sing their ABC's, but they only know the letters up to about G, and then it is a lot of garbled sounds :-) Apparently, it is not until next year that the teachers will make them know the entire thing. However, I still wrote every letter on the board and went over it forwards and backwards and then picked out individual letters and had them repeat after me. No reason why they can't start recognizing letters now :-)

Around 10am they take their snack/breakfast, so I walk around and help them open their bags of biscuits, open their thermos' and just supervise a bit while turning down the food they are all offering to me :-) After snack time is recess. The kids really do go quite crazy! I end up having three kids pulling on each arm, a couple attached to my legs - it seems in the beginning all they want t do is to play with me. :-) So I follow their lead on certain games or rhymes, many of which I have NO idea what they are singing about, but I try to pick out sounds and sing along with them; it is really quite fun! I also try to introduce a few games with them. As fun as it is, I must admit, it is really quite exhausting, too! Their enthusiasm is contagious, as is their laughter, but they drain a lot of my energy....LOL

After their recess, we come back and sing songs or play simple games. They already kind of know "Little baby spider" and "Twinkle little star." So the last two days I worked on teaching them, "The farmer in the dell..." It is taking a while for them to get the third line when it switches up, but all in all, they actually have picked up some of the words! :-) It is soooo exciting! And I have to say, too, when they sing "Little baby spider," about the only word they really do know is "WAHSED the spider out!" they sing that one word soooo loud! LOL It is hilarious! I am also trying to introduce reading after recess, but that seems to be a challenge...the teacher wanted to translate everything I was reading into Kinyarwanda so that the kids would understand. I guess I have a different perspective. I was thinking that even if they don't understand all of the words, listening to my English while I point to the pictures of what i am reading about, would be just as beneficial. I could be crazy, but younger kids here in the states are read books that they may not always know....I'll still try to get that worked in - we shall see. :-)

So, my post on Monday I mentioned that no volunteers stayed here in Kigali; that they all went to Gisenyi. However, when I got home that evening, there was a girl from Germany that stayed here for the Literacy program, teaching in a local school. She is really well traveled, having studied in Isreal and will be going to Oxford this school year, too. She will be around for one month, so we are happy to have a new face; someone to bring new perspectives. :-) That is one thing we can always relay on - our "home" is never boring :-)

Well, this is about all I have for now. I'm looking forward to seeing how the rest of this week goes. I will be meeting with the Director on Monday, so by then, my days will be adjusting slightly, yet again :-)

Hugs to all!

TO-MAY-TO :-) & Kindergarten anyone?

Thursday night was quite enjoyable as we all settled down in a pizza joint in the city to enjoy some "American" food while we bid farewell to three volunteers. It was really a fun place to be, out on a patio with a sliver of an orange moon hanging in the distance, listening to their live entertainment, hearing music from Rwandan songs to country and even some song people refer to as the Cuba anthem...though it wasn't but apparently appears in a lot of movies or something... LOL That was something I was unaware of... Overall, it was a great time!

It is going to be interesting to see how people come and go. There were volunteers that arrived this last weekend, but the three of them were all placed in Gisenyi where FVA has just recently started some programs there. So our guesthouse is down to 4 and two of them leave at the end of this month! The other leaves in the middle of September, so I an curious to see who will join me here at the end of the month :-)

On Friday, we got word that Gisimba was preparing for some visitors that were coming that evening before the start of school today, so the kids were all going to be busy. Instead of going to Gisimba, the other volunteer and I went to watch a play put on by a departing volunteer's theater group. This was something they had decided to do during their 2-3 week break. They had worked so hard preparing so we thought it would be great to give them a little audience to perform in front of. The 9:30am "start" time that was expected to actually start at 11 did not end of beginning until shortly after 1pm!!!! When someone comments about "African" time or Rwandan time, they are not joking! :-) And people here already know that and expect it, too. There was a bit of a reason for the delay; waiting for the sound guy. Apparently, their play required the use of microphones and music during "scene" changes - which mostly consisted of 1-2 minutes while the teenagers gathered themselves in the back room :-) So yes, at any rate, around 1pm the play began! And what an intense topic it was. The students performed a story that one of the actors actually wrote about a young girl going from her rural life to school, meeting some girls who were with the "wrong" group, being introduced to a "player" and, after he guilted her to being with him using things like money, she contracted AIDS...Although the play certainly wouldn't have been worked out well enough to have been performed on a stage at any American school, it was actually a really interesting look into the lives of these teenagers, in more ways than one, learning about how they perceive "bad guys" versus "good guys" and getting to see what they do know about AIDS and battling some of the stigmas about it. There were only maybe 20 of their friends in the audience, but what I was REALLY impressed with, was through their nervous laughter, they were all paying very close attention to the story. And at the end, the "director" came out and talked about what everyone saw on stage and asked certain people from the audience to come up and talk about what went wrong with the girl, things she could have done differently, types of behaviors to avoid, etc....it opened up a dialogue. For that, I think, the play was a success - for them, it was both entertainment and educational.....just what they were looking to do....And I must admit, the teenagers playing the main girl who got sick and her mother, they were quite the actresses. When they were at the doctor and found out about being both pregnant and having AIDS, their shrills actually sent chills up my spine - I was moved....

By Saturday morning, three of us headed out to Nyungwe Forest National Park. Through all of my reading, we had decided that arriving in the morning would take about 3 - 3 1/2 hours. We decided we would stay two nights (although when we tried to call for reservations, we could not get through, so we decided to just, show up). And we knew we would be paying a substantial amount for 2-3 days in the park - a package fee. Nothing really went according to plan. Our bus was to depart Kigali at 8am, so with the three of us sleeping a little longer than we had planned, we found ourselves running to catch our first taxi-bus to get to Kigali....the 20-25 minute walk was a 15 jog, with heavy bags, loaded for a weekend away. By the time we made it to the bus station for our ride out of town, it was 10 til 8, and they hadn't even started loading yet! Luck was on our side :-) or so we thought... As we loaded the bus, the ticket-taker directed all three of us to different places on the bus - we decided he just wanted to have control because he was haphazardly placing people in different places all through the bus. Alright, no worries....

The bus takes off and a younger girl sitting the front became car sick. She must have been around 8-10. A rasta guy sitting next to her practically "adopted" her. Without any family on the bus, he was left to help nurture her while she continued to empty her stomach about every 20 minutes. The poor thing was dry heaving so badly! I could see her reflection in the front window and she looked just miserable! The roads here are very bumpy, going up and down and around and around - no wonder car sickness is so common here. At any rate, what I found so remarkable was how he took care of her. This is one thing we all have noticed - everyone looks after the children here, just as if they were their own - no questions asked. I guess all the billboards along the side of the major roads, declaring "Treat every child as if they were your own," really is serving its purpose!!

Throughout the bus ride, I tried so hard to sketch images in my brain of all the sights around me:
-- passing a wedding party walking to their reception along a dusty red-dirt road, the bride and groom smiling in front of a huge crowd, dancing and singing along the road;
-- the older woman working so hard in the rice fields in every valley we passed, bent over, with heads wrapped to keep the sun at bay and their bright colors reflecting off the mix of greens and browns in the fields;
-- the young boys and girls carrying massive heaps of sticks on their heads, more full and round than their own little bodies;
-- a man walking with 3, I said 3 bright red crates of Fanta/Coca Cola bottles on his head;
-- the young bicycle drivers, peddling hard uphill with young girls riding on the back, shuttling them from place to place;
-- the sharp edges of pick hammers, being heaved up and down as the men worked along the sides of the roads, digging into rock and dirt to place down fibre-optic cables; -- the way the hills glide up and down, rolling almost into each other...sort of like when you interlock your fingers and the shape your knuckles take - as soon as one hill is turning into a valley, another hills rolls in to take its place...

So...the drive to the front of the park took 3 1/2 hours.....then we had another hour to get through the park to the only place where non-camping accommodations were. As we arrived to Gisakura Tea Estate, I had told the driver to drop off the three muzungus. Exiting the bus, we found ourselves pretty much in the middle of nowhere - tea fields all around with the massive forest close behind. Following the only map we had in my guidebook, we were lucky to find the guesthouse, nestled behind a little driveway going to a Conservation Desk, which we were only hoping would take us there! We found out at the reception counter that they only had rooms for that night - no rooms for Sunday. We decided we would take the room and just figure out the rest as it came to us. By this time, it was nearly 2pm - so much for spending Saturday on hiking trails! We went to the reception counter of the conservation office to find out about the trails and were told that the two trails that we could get to without a car were no longer accessible that day - all trails require guides. However, there were trails near the Uwinka Lodge, 30 minutes back into the forest, but we would need a car to get there....after must debate and confusion over the fees owed for "2 days" which were to be less than 24 hours in the park, we ended up paying for the permit for both days and had to pay for a driver to take us into the park so we could at least do something that day! The drive and the forest really were incredible! It is one place where the rolling green hills of crops turns into rich, dark greens of forest trees! I loved it!! And the air was sooo fresh!

The hike we took that afternoon was about 2 hours and led us to a canopy walkway where the views were spectacular! We were able to see two different groups of Blue Monkeys, as well, so all in all, the afternoon was really quite enjoyable :-) The evening was so nice with the three of us bonding a bit and enjoying a nice "simple dinner" as the waiter called it, since none of us wanted any meat :-)

By Sunday morning, we were trying to make come phone calls to reserve seats on a bus coming from an hour away (there are no buses leaving this area). However, what we discovered when we tried to place the calls was that since school was starting on Monday, and many people send their kids to boarding schools, ALL of the buses were booked! This is not normal....usually if you check in the morning you can get something in the afternoon....so, we put this aside and headed out with an amazing guide to embark on the 4.5 hour, 10K, "Waterfall Trail." And my goodness, it was spectacular! The first hour we spent walking through the tea fields where our guide taught us about how the tea fields being near the park actually helps deter people from poaching and other illegal activities because tea provides such great economic benefits. He told us how they pick tea and all about the process of harvesting. It was really very interesting! After that first hour, we found ourselves in the forest learning all about the various trees in the forest and their ancient uses. We must have crossed over small streams a handful of times, each time noticing with relief how the temperature shifts so dramatically with elevation change as we neared water. Approaching the waterfall, we took a really narrow switchback trail down to the waters edge. As we walked up to face the waterfall, it took my breath away...I almost teared up! :-) Ridiculous, I know, but I just feel soooo at peace in a place like that, and it was really so beautiful!

The entire walk back to the conservation reception counter, our guide kept giving us phone numbers we could call to try and find a small bus to at least get us to the next major city - Butare. No such luck. By 1 pm, we were back at the main gate with filled water bottles and a sign in hand - "Going to Butare or Kigali??" (With the "or" in all three languages!!) We started what we thought was going to be a VERY long walk....From the moment we started, cars would pass and slow down to show us how full they were. One group stopped and said they could only take 1, which we knew wasn't going to work for us! However, within 10 minutes a truck delivering tomatoes stopped. There were three people sitting in the front and they asked us to go to the back. When they unlocked we back, our bags were gently set inside with the stacks of tomatoes due for delivery. We thought we were going to sit in the storage spot behind the driver's seat, but surprise surprise, there were two ladies back there already!! Myself and one other squeezed in the back with our knees to our chest, practically sitting on our heels while the third volunteer sat in the front, sharing a seat with three others, nearly sitting on the shifter! About two hours into the drive, we had our first "tomato drop." We actually helped them unload the bags of tomatoes, during which EVERYONE got a good laugh at us. :-) At that stop we lost one guy up front, making a little more room in back as we rotated seats. During two other stops, we lost the two ladies. The 4.75 bus trip there turned into a 6 hour adventure back to Kigali! During the journey, besides stopping to drop off tomatoes, there were numerous other "police checks" where we had to duck down in the back so as to not be seen by the police - it was really a bit nerve-racking....but we count our lucky stars that we made it back safe and sound....and the driver at the end wasn't even expecting any payment!! That was just plain crazy. We gave him most of what we would have paid for our tickets home and thanked him profusely!! Rwanda isn't exactly an inexpensive place to travel...so being able to make it home was really quite the blessing!

So today school started back up again all around Rwanda. Back at Gisimba, in the morning there are kindergarten classes. I was asked to help one of the teachers in a class of 5 year olds. It seems every time I start to get comfortable working with certain kids, then things just change! :-) I am definitely learning how to just go with the flow around here - my plans just go straight out the window! So I will see how this week goes. When I told the director I wasn't sure how to teach kindergarten, he just said to me, "Don't worry - just think back and remember what you did in kindergarten and do the same thing! Easy!" LOL Easy for who? The kids today did make me smile a lot, playing so many games and trying to see what they could get away with with me. Thank goodness another teacher was there - but I have no idea what to expect in the morning. We shall see soon enough! So yeah, if you remember what you did in kindergarten, feel free to share :-)

Hugs to all!!

To be able to read is such a treasured gift...

First thing I must say is THANK YOU to mom, Candyce, Shawna and Kim for your comments about m blog...and thank you to everyone else who has emailed me while I am here. Your support really has meant more to me than you will ever know. It does get hard here sometimes to "see the light," but all of your words have really helped reignight my spirit! Murakoze!

I really cannot believe it is already Thursday. Monday was the Presidential elections, so everything around Rwanda was pretty quiet as people did their duty to go to the polls. It was so interesting, as I walked around town with another volunteer, to see all the cars on the road, all driving in the same directions, towards various polling stations. We had been out to find an internet cafe, but unfortuntaley, they were all closed. There was voting going on at Gisimba, so we did not go to work that day. Instead, to make use of our time, the two of us did our laundry, after which I must say that I can no longer complain about going to the laundry room back home! There was no sink or anything to use at the house, so Tory and I kneeled down, bent over a wash bucket and a rinse bucket, in the hot afternoon sun. With all the up and down, up and down to hang pieces on the line a couple at a time, I did start to get a little lightheaded, but overall, it was a very rewarding experience! HA! It is so nice, like when you clean your house top to bottom, to know that you just completed a huge task! So yeah, that was the excitment of my Monday :-) Actually, it was a little strange because we do not have a local news channel at the house so we couldn't even watch to see the results come in...although we all knew who was winning.....

So come Tuesday, I was told at the beginning of the morning that the English teacher wasn't going to be able to make it....so I was asked to teach adjectives... LOL OK, so maybe I wasn't laughing then...I was asking, "Remind me please, what is an adjective?!" LOL At any rate, with some help from the other volunteer who stayed home, I was able to put together what I thought was a decent plan....however, arriging to Gisimba, the place was quite a wreck. Apparently, no one had cleaned up the callrooms from the voting the day before, so there I was, recruting the older boys to help me clean up the rooms, to move the desks back in, and to find something as simple as a piece of chalk! At any rate, class started, but thankfully, the instructor did show up not too long after....so I was soon able to fall back into my comfort zone of teaching body parts to younger kids and teaching them songs like "Head, shoulders, knees and toes" and "Hokey Pokey." Actually, it is hilarious! Many of them already know Hokey Pokey, but they only know the tune, not the words....so it's a bunch of, "ah daaa da daaaa da daaaa da ah da daaaa da daaa ah daa..." LOL It is so cute... I wrote the words on the chalk board, but I still don't think that helped :-)

Tuesday night I actually went to a night school with two other volunteers who are helping to teach English to some professionals who are trying to improve their skills. After my failure in the morning with adjectives(ha,ha) I had decided to just be present and watch the oter volunteer and walked around the class to help review their work and make corrections. I can definitely say that for right now, until I can get a better grip on how to make a 2 hour lesson plan, I prefer to teach in a non-structured way...I also remind myself that when I can sit down with four competitive girls and teach them how to play Memory Match without turning over all the cards at once, or sneaking a peak when "no one" is looking, or fighting over whos turn it is, then I am also teaching them life skills, how to follow rules and respect each other...I think this is more my comfort zone....for now ;-)

I have spent the last few days at Gisimba doing a lot of reading to the kids, too. I have loaded my backpack every day with books upong books, some of which I brought and some that I found in their storage. It is incredible to see how these kids really are craving to learn the English language. In fact, just today, I was reading to some younger kids when a 17 year old came over, who speaks decent English. He brought by an Arthur book (from PBS cartoon) which I read to the kids. I then asked if he wasnted to read it with me, and I soon realized, he doesn't know how to read.... I can only imagine how frustrating it may be when a seven year old next to him is reading the words that he is struggling with. So, I sat with him for an hour until we got through that one book. It is sooo crazy! I never would have guessed because he can speak alright, I had just assumed. Some of the younger kids know how to "read" but don't comprehend a thing and cannot atually speak the language - it is so backwards....at least I am very happy that I am here long term because I already feel as though I am developing relationships with some of these kids and a sense of mutual respect, too - which is sooo important....

Before closing, I must also mention that was I was honored to have been able to meet yesterday morning for two hours with the local Archbishop! This woman Peg, whom I met through the run, was able to set up an appointment with him and brought me along. I was able to share some stories of the place I am working at, of the places where other volunteers are working, and even more exciting, to learn about different development projects he has been working on throughout the country. It was a fascinating conversation and it was such an honor to meet with "His Grace." I am looking forward to being able to visit some communities through Peg's assistance to see how his projects have been coming along. He asked me about my work back in the states and is so fascinated by EARTH, too :-) It was a very exciting conversation...

So, I should probably bring this to a close...I am heading to meet with the other volunteers for dinner in Kigali as there are three that are leaving back to the states this weekend. It is going to be very interesting to see so many people come and go during my time here, but I am really excited to have the opportunity to meet such extraordinary individuals!

If I said being here was easy, I would be lying....

My goodness....so many days between posts, I just know I am forgetting some things....first thing first....Just yesterday, I was able to travel to Byumba just north of the city. The bus ride there was absolutely amazing!! Talk about "land of a thousand hills," this place is gorgeous, especially when you get out of the city! There were layers upon layers of mountains, where you could see rows of how they cultivate the land on the hills to grow crops. Hills are just covered with bananas, sugar cane, cassava, sorghum, and potatoes, with the low lying areas covered with tea and rice fields. None of the pictures I took do this countryside any justice. I learned what is apparently a famous saying, "God roams the world during the day, but sleeps in Rwanda;" and having been here, I can see why.....

So, at any rate, this trip to Byumba was to participate in a run in conjunction with a run in the US. In Colorado, my sister was participating in Run for Rwanda, sponsored by a church in its third year fundraising for a medical clinic in Byumba. Ever since I found out about the run when I was back in the states, I knew I was going to participate in the simultaneous run in the small town, Kibali. So, another volunteer here with me, Tori, joined me on the journey. In contacting the pastor of the town, I was put in touch with a phenomenal woman, Peg, who is affiliated with the church in Colorado and travels around Rwanda on behalf of the church, working on development projects in various areas. She met Tori and I yesterday afternoon in Byumba. Although much of the community was preparing for the run, we were able o sit, the three of us, and learn about the incredible history of the community in Kibali and how the church there has established various projects that Colorado's sister church has been able to help provide funding for. It is really a remarkable relationship. By about 3:30pm here, we were picked up by Pastor Robert and taken on an extremely bumping ride to Kibali - the start time was due for 4pm here, but because of the morning being used to clean to prep for voting tomorrow, we were a little behind schedule. It was an incredible feeling - Peg on the phone in this small car talking to race directors in Colorado Springs, asking for a 10 minute delay - as a runner, I know that runners don't particularly like delays, but because of the uniqueness of this run, I guess some exceptions were made. Here in Kibali, the runners were in various groups, the first being the boys ages 12-30 (or something like that). But the directors wanted Jenn and I to start at the same time, so I was able to start with that first group. We arrived just after 4 and as we jumped out of the car, the Bishop was on the phone with directors in Colorado, and he begin a prayer....at the end of the prayer, we were off! And let me tell you, these boys can RUN!! The beginning was so incredibly emotional for me, in a selfish sense, knowing that this was one time where I knew both Jenn and I were doing the exact same thing, thinking of each other...talk about bridging the gap between two continents - it was an amazing feeling! But it took just a few tears and a couple selfish moments to remember the big picture - my sister and I almost symbolically representing the single human family, spread across two continents, working together at the exact same time to help achieve one common goal - building a medical clinic. It was overwhelming...with tears coming down my face, I ran with children on both sides of me, telling me, I am sure, to keep running....probably thinking it so funny that I was so far behind all the others! :-) and then the hills - the amazing hills - it took my breath away....there are really no words to explain the intense emotions running through me. For 5 kilometers, I watched children of all ages, running on a dirt and rocky path, most of which had no shoes at all, or only flip-flops if they were lucky...and they were running with each other, for their own community - and not just children! The old women who ran by me, cheering me on, with eyes wide and smiles spreading ear to ear - saying words I could not understand, but knowing they were supporting my run, just the same - the first muzungu to participate in Run for Rwanda....and the people on the sides of the road!!! I passed them all shouting "miriwe" - good afternoon.....and their laughter and cheering - I would not have been surprised if I had finished with dusty teeth because I could not stop smiling the entire time! Turning the corner halfway, the ease of the downhill quickly became a huge challenge as I was fighting uphill for half the run. But I did the entire thing with the same children waiting for me as I slowed, speeding up with me as I gained strength - their support for me was far more than I would have ever dreamed of - it was incredible.....and the amazement didn't stop there. Upon finishing, the crowd was waiting for the Bishop to cross the finish line - he had decided just the day before that he would participate when Peg offered to find him sponsors - it was such an incredible thing for the community to t\see their bishop supporting the run by actually running the same course with them. We all had so much fun seeing the Bishop so proud of his first place finish in his category - being he was the sole runner in his category :-) As everyone crossed the finish line, we were all gathered together to sit in a huge field overlooking the hills, as we prayed, waited for distribution of water or coca cola or fanta, enjoying the company of those around us, and concluding with the presentation of the awards. Near the end, they asked me to stand and introduce myself and explain why I was there....I was terrified I wouldn't have the words, but just saying how I was running with my twin, representing our one family working towards a common goal, the smiles lit up their faces and hands were clapping...I was so happy we all understood; we all felt the same connection....it was truly inspiring to see what we can all do when we collaborate together...

This morning we were invited to attend church in Kibali. As the community has outgrown its mud-rick chapel, we all gathered on benches outside, under the hot Rwanda sun, high on the hills with the occasional breeze rustling in the trees - there was a presence there that was just overwhelming! The two-hour plus service began with some singing and dancing by various groups, one of which Tori and I stood to dance along with the teenagers. What a truly enjoyable moment - sharing in their praise and appreciation for all things around them. Again, there are so many more ways to communicate than words - we don't speak a common language, but we all could share our joy and spirit through dance and song :-) This particular service also included a special offering since it is the time of the harvest....following the monetary offering, the women and children walked back up the hill to the chapel and retrieved their baskets filled with what they could offer the community from their recent harvest. After all the baskets were presented to Pastor Robert, they were opened and you could see that sorghum was the primary crop of this harvest....Pastor walked through blessing each basket and then blessing each individual who brought one down. It was really quite moving. The community works together to help redistribute these offerings to the 30 most vulnerable families in their community. It was really quite a special occasion to be a part of, especially when we found out they only do this type of offering twice per year! And the morning wrapped up with a tour of the clinic that has made remarkable progress since the fundraising began in 2007, making rooms for pre-natal care, the maternity ward, and other hospital-type rooms. And to know that members of that community worked together to get the buildings up; still much to be finished, but the progress is truly remarkable.

It is easy to just take in everything happening around me, but when I think about life, that these women and men work every day in their fields, day in and day out, working towards a common vision for their community, it moves me to tears. And it is hard, too, when I watch the children and see their smiles, and hold their hands, and pat their heads and I think to myself of the life they have, experiencing hardships I will not even be able to fathom, and to see the resilience and sense of community that binds them together, and experiencing the immense hospitality and generosity they show to their guests - it, too, is so moving and fills me with more questions than answers. Every day that I actually think about the differences in our lives, I cannot help but be baffled by the indifferences in this world. And I am realizing slowly by slowly, buhoro buhoro, that I will never be able to understand....and unfortunately I have to let that be okay.

Moving on from this weekend, last week at Gisimba, I was able to really begin tackling my own fears of failure and started working with one particular boy, Danifique, probably about 11, tutoring him in English. Thursday I started by trying to get a sense of his understanding of the alphabet, going over letters and sounds, and coming up with words. Friday I used some basic books - first having him read a simple one to me, and then moving on to a few Spot books with slightly bigger words. What I discovered is that he has been taught fairly well to read, but comprehension is about nil...I discovered this by pointing to pictures asking, What is this, or What color is this and his response was a blank face. So, realizing he doesn't even really know what I am saying, but the end of Friday, I was able to teach him six colors and six words, as he demonstrated to me at the end of the session by matching the right color to the right word! I was so proud of him!! While I was working with him, I had gotten things like playdough and coloring books for the younger other kids; when it was time for his break, it was so cool to see that he didn't ant to go color; he was practicing writing words to the alphabet!!! :-) This was the joy of my week! That afternoon, I was walking around and started talking to some younger girls. Well, what you have to understand is their English is VERY basic, so talking usually consists more of gestures and repeating basic words and pointing. A any rate, I sat down with another young girl and started reading with her. I realized the same thing - these kids have been taught pronunciation, but they don't know what they are reading. It was a book about a diary of a worm, and it was soooo fun to explain to them through gestures and words the translation of the story - to see their eyes light up in understanding is just so exciting!!

I still feel nervous thinking about my planning my days there. It really seems to be up to each volunteer to decide what they ant to do there, day by day. There is very little direction, but I am enjoying spending time teaching. Without any experience, I am just trying to learn some things from other volunteers here who are teachers and to know I can borrow more books from them also helps. I always seem to have that little butterfly in my tummy, the fear that I will do something wrong or miss an opportunity. It is challenging for me to have so little structure, but I understand it is very good for me, as well - not only are the children hopefully learning and growing, but I, too, am learning about my limits and trying hard to expand them, buhoro buhoro...

Speaking of expanding my limits.....we have been without water at the guesthouse since Tuesday. They bring in jerry cans for us to use to shower, but it is challenging to find the best ways to brush our teeth and wash our hands without wasting water...To both help conserve, and due to the regular challenge of washing hair during a bucket bath, not to mention when there is a limited supply of water, I went from from Monday night to last night not washing my hair...and last night, it was so funny, because being in the hills it was actually very cold outside, so although I was THRILLED to having water pouring from a shower head, it was cold as ice!!!! LOL You really learn to count your blessings and appreciate the small things here... :-)

There are many other random thoughts, but here I have been over an hour and still emails to catch up on...every days is an opportunity to observe and learn and value life and love....It has really been more challenging for me than I thought it would be....I'm trying hard to let go of expectations and just live in the moment - there really isn't any other way...

Ijoro ryiza! (good night!)

My goodness...just a few days on the ground and I have so many thoughts already...

Sunday I spent most of the day getting lost around Kigali with two other volunteers....you would think following a map in a guidebook to an arts and crafts cooperative would have been an easy task for three intelligent women..apparently we were wrong! After walking for a few hours after my last post, unbeknown to us, we walked in one huge circle around the city and never made it close to the co-op...but really, we were not entirely to blame...somehow the map I had in my book has street names but no one, I mean NO ONE knows ANY street name here! It is really quite interesting...it would have been better to have directions staying, "make a sharp right at the blue sign at the bottom of the hill where the bus turns after the second round-about..." LOL that is how people give directions here :-) At any rate, although we did not accomplish our goal, I feel confident I can find myself around town here now, no problem!!

Monday was our orientation day for the new volunteers so I spent the day with three others and our coordinator, Claire. After a morning of introductions, we went to exchange money where I learned that they really do take it seriously when they say they won't exchange bills before 2003! Apparently $20 printed before 2003 has no value here....it makes absolutely no sense to me, what it is what it is....oh well, at least I know I will come home with at least $20 in my pocket! :-)........After the exchange bureau we went to have lunch at another Rwanda buffet....I have to say, I am loving the food here! A traditional plate costs just around $4 and will fill you up for the day, with rice, beans, green bananas (cooked like boiled potatoes), cassava leaves, fruit, vegetables, salad and meat....pretty much like what I mentioned in the last post, but every place seems to have their own flavor....it's really nice.....after lunch we headed to the Rwanda Memorial Center which is really an amazing remembrance for the victims of the 1994 genocide. It took us a few hours to make it through all of the exhibits. They detailed the intense history between all the peoples of Rwanada over the last couple hundred years, the constant exodus of certain groups from the country based on other battles, and then talked about how the Belgium's influences further divided the country....and it was really interesting to see the facts proving how the genocide really had been planned for years, as leaders had spent numerous resources importing machetes and clubs etc from various countries. It was turning the corner and seeing the images of the bodies left to rot in the churches that really choked me up.....There were videos with some survivors talking in various exhibits about their experiences during the killing, about forgiveness and about remembering the loved ones they lost. It was really quite moving for me, but what continues to amaze me is the resilience of the people in the country to bounce back so well from such maddening hatred....really, it was like people just went mad! One of the most interesting parts of the exhibit were the videos of the Gucaca, which are the semi-trials where the perpetrators actually face the family members of their victims and talk about what happened...in some ways, with bodies lost, this is the only real closure some people could get...it was really very interested to watch the human dynamics of that process....Two quotes I remember from the site include:

"To save one life is to save the world."

and

"There will be no humanity without forgiveness; there will be no forgiveness without justice; but justice will be impossible without forgiveness."

Yesterday was our first day going to the orphanages. We started by going to the FVA office to go through all of the supplies that we brought. We then went to see a plot of land that FVA has purchased ad is started to develop another orphanage that likely will not be ready for years, but will hopefully house up to 500 or so children! It was an incredibly beautiful area and would truly be a great place for lost children to call home....We drove to another place that I am not working at, but two other volunteers will be. It is called Pefa Orphanage, and compared to Gisimba where I am and saw afterward, Gisimba is like the Royal Palace compared to Pefa. The woman running the place took it over herself after her husband dies in 2005 - it was his original project, but they have lost some funding since his death. She is really having a difficult time, it seemed, though she is pouring her love out as much as she can for these kids. She herself gave birth to 12 kids but has just 10 of them now, and they live in the orphanage with 65 other children. The place I must say had a smell that was a bit challenging to cope with at first, but as the children ran up to you, all that mattered, all that you noticed, was their love for you and your immediate love for these innocent lives....They ran up to give all of us hugs, kids were jumping into my arms, grabbing at my legs, begging to be picked up, all with smiles ear to ear....Their clothes were soiled and wet and some of the children had visible health issues, including a couple who had some serious eye infections. They wanted so badly to have their pictures taken and would grab at my camera taking pictures of their friends. Kneeling down, at one point I had girls all over me, pulling at my ears and my hair and trying to dig the sunglasses out of my bag that I foolishly stuffed away too late :-) I have to be honest and say I as a bit unprepared for the conditions of this particular place. I am really looking forward to getting back to the house tonight to hear from the other two volunteers about their experience there today....

After visiting Pefa, we all went to the place I have been assigned, Gisimba. This place gets a lot of funding from a group in Belgium, I believe, and actually has it's own water filtering system...Let me tell you, running water is a HUGE thing here. After speaking with of the directors there, we went through some of the goodies I brought and were passing out balloons, harmonicas, bouncy balls, etc. It was so exciting to see! A couple of girls played hand games with me, me teaching them some from my childhood and them teaching me some that they have learned. It was such fun...I met this incredible student who would be an inspiration to some of the other students, I am sure. He is actually teaching English at this place for a couple of weeks before he goes to South Africa, having just received a scholarship to finish his secondary school there. As a Rwandan who has overcome what I can only imagine are numerous challenges in his life, he is an example of what education and determination and dedication and motivation can really do for someone's future....

I didn't stay much longer than a couple of hours last night, but was able to spend my first full day there today. I started the morning with the younger kids, trying to teach them Red Light, Green Light. :-) I am smiling to myself now as I recall their difficulty understanding that they don't have to stay green the ENTIRE time until someone touches them...lol...maybe tomorrow we will progress :-) When it was time for some classes, I went with some of the older teenagers and spent a lot of time just talking with them, each of us sharing our interests and them trying to teach me some Kinyarwanda words. We spent a lot of the morning making the Rwanda beads that are rolled and made from paper scrapes...it was really quite a good time getting to know them. And who knows, someone on day will be wearing a necklace rolled with beads from a Muzungu :-) After bead rolling, I found some of the games I brought, including a matching game, snakes and ladders, checkers and scrabble. I started first with the young kids teaching them snakes and ladders, helping them follow rules as simple as counting to more their pieces forward :-) then when I brought out checkers, they older kids immediately started playing, although, with their rules, they can move the pieces backwards before anyone gets "kinged" :-) Then I pulled out Scrabble. Although we didn't follow all the rules exactly, it was a great way to help them practice some English words. There are at least 2 teenagers that are deaf and mute. After they played checkers, I pulled them over to play scrabble. After playing words like "should" and "but" and them looking confused, I realized that I should let them take the lead on making words. I started reading their signing to each other of letters they were looking for, and helped them spell correctly words they were trying to make and showed them how to match them to words already on the board. It was really quite interesting finding completely new ways of communicating. :-) I have learned "thank you" but I would really like to learn more signing from them before I leave. There are also two young men that have mental handicaps and although are accepted by everyone, they don't get too involved in playing. I would like to see if teaching the match game or something would be good. When I introduced myself, the one just called me muzungu, which was good enough for me :-) After lunch, the kids wanted to tackle the games some more, but now I've found another girl that I would like to "work" with. She is a bit of a bully, it seems, but she is so young, maybe 7 or something? I have no idea how, but I would like to work with her a bit in some way....for that young, she can surly change her ways with a little guidance......the other volunteer at this place with me will be here another month. She just started there last Friday. She is studying to be an ESL teacher, so she spent a lot of time with the Engligh teacher. But I think tomorrow, with her guidance, I am going to try and help a couple of kids who have received sponsorship for a private secondary school, but cannot write in English...I will be attempting to teach tomorrow....I'm excited and terrified at the same time!! :-)

Speaking of teaching, there are some things I have learned here and observed here that are really quite challenging for me to accept....all school here comes with a price. Children at Gisimba are sponsored to at least attend the basic schools, and some even get sponsors to attend the private schools. However, children in a place like Pefa have absolutely no sustained education. The chalk board in their orphanage is a black rectangle painted on the wall....some children may get a term sponsored here and there, but otherwise the only education they receive is when volunteers pass through and teach a few things; not at all what you would call sustainable...and regardless of which orphanage the kids are at, when they get into their 20's, if they don't get to college, there are little to no real options for them in this country....This reminds me of a book I just read last spring looking at international aid and how governments and families both face a constant battle to set priorities and let other areas fail....I asked Claire about taxes here, and they go primarily to fund infrastructure projects, which are surly needed. In the book I read, the author makes you "president for a day" faced with the statistics of the average Africa country. When you look at all the needs of a developing nation, it is literally impossible to do it all, and not everyone is going to agree with the priorities, but what options do you have...I was so frustrated and upset because I refuse to believe that smart and dedicated children can miss the chance for college simply because a sponsor hasn't discovered them yet. Education really is power, and I suppose that although one cannot save all the children in the world, starting with one child at a time, while other support structures are being developed to create a sustainable higher-education system, is good start; it has to be, right? I would actually welcome all your feedback on this as it is something I am really struggling with. I asked a 20 year old today what he plans to do when he is done with secondary school next year and he is looking at schools, but doesn't have resources to go....

OMG....thank you GOGGLE!! So we just lost power, which actually happens quite sporadically here, and this entire blog saved! Whoo-hoo, or this was going to be one unhappy chick!!!

Just one more thought about the orphanage, I am actually looking at their systems and would really love to find a way to learn more about biodigeters from EARTH :-) Since Gisimba already has running water, what a great thing to work on their waste management! Which after one and a half days, I can already see could use a little improvement....although the country itself, is actaully really surprisingly quite clean!

So, enough of that for now, I must tell you about how I ge to and from work so I can talk about my trip home yesterday :-) So, I walk every day for about 15 minutes to a round-about called Sonatube where I wait for a "bus" (which is really a van they pack full of people). I take this bus to "mu-mugyi", which is the center of Kigali, and then I take another bus to Nyambriambo (or some town spelled something like that). As you ma know, the Presidential election will be on Monday. Running up to the election, which is every seven years here, there are HUGE rallies and gatherings all over the country for Kagame (yes, they only seem to be for Kagame). Yesterday, I made it to the city center just fine, but when I went to get my second bus, the line was literally a couple of Atlanta block long!!! Apparently, there was a drive-by of Kagame at Sonatube that afternoon and all buses shut down, so there was both a huge back up of people wanting a bus and a huge traffic jam, too. My bus rides normally cost 180 between Sonatube and Kigali, or I can take a moto for 800. Obviously the bus would win on a normal day, but that was no normally day....we opted for the motos...and these motos don't seem to worry about traffic, which I experienced first hand! My driver first goes up on a sidewalk passing a "do not enter" sign and then proceed to drive on the right side of the road against the traffic! When the cars were really stopped, he had no problem weaving in between all of them, crossing two lanes and the sidewalk with absolute ease, though I was really quite terrified....people asked me if I thought skydiving was scary...skydiving was a piece of cake compared to my fear on that bike! But I was to say, it was a bit exciting!! :-) Thank goodness, I did make it home in one piece, only having bumped up against two cars :-)

As I mentioned, the election is on Monday, so it will be interesting to see how much more crazy it gets here. Just getting to the city today, there was a huge "motorcage" type of tings with supporters decorating big trucks and motos and driving down the road honking horns and singing songs...it gets more interesting every hour actually! :-)

I suppose I should wrap this up....hope you haven't given up reading this by now :-) With some of the volunteers here being only 18 and 19 years old, it is so interesting listening to their thoughts on helping internationally and how they have similar conflicting views about how you decide what help is really going to be sustainable and make a lasting impact....After a lot of discussion and sharing ideas, and recalling past conversations I've had back home, we broke our goal down to two words - enabling empowerment.....if we can do that for even just one person, then our time here was worth it....

Mu-Mugyi...to the city....

Hello friends and family!! So, I cannot even think of everything that has passed through my mind the last 48 hours....been taking in A LOT of sights, and I must say that the first thing I have d\noticed is how incredibly polite people are here. Anytime I have a question, everyone is so willing to help find the answer for you.....There have not been too many cultural challenges, but I think that is because I haven't started my work yet. Orientation is tomorrow and my work at the orphanage will begin Tuesday.

Today I have just started wandering through the city center of Kigali, from my introduction to the city yesterday. I went to buy my permit today for the Gorilla trek. They apparently really do not take bills that are torn....not even like a centimeter! As I was trying to pay for my permit, the lady handed me back a quarter of the bills I gave her saying the bank wont take them....very interesting...hoping the forex bureau won't be as picky....very interesting...at any rate, she is holding my spot for Sunday, September 5. I will be able to take a bus to the city on Saturday, stay the night, and do my trek that morning....it is exciting to have that on my schedule to look forward to now! I just have to come back tomorrow to finish paying for the permit :-)

So....yesterday was a pretty amazing day....I will actually be very surprised if I remember all the things I was thinking and observing and contemplating through the day. I got a new roommate...she will be here just 2 weeks, but it is nice to have someone to talk to about our observations...Four of us headed to the city center yesterday for our first tour of the town. The streets were eerily quiet and as we waiting for a bus, we were told it was National Cleaning Day - the last Saturday of every months. And yesterday they were spending the day cleaning the polling places for elections next Tuesday. So, until noon, no buses and no businesses are running. We decided to take a very long walk all the way to the city. I really wish I knew how long it was, but it took us over an hour, up and down...We had a pretty interesting tour of a city that was so desolate, like a scene from a ghost town in a wild west movie or something...

On our venture into town, I saw some huge amazing white pelican type birds high up in the trees. I couldn't see them today, but yesterday they were flying all over and I was able to see them actually feeding the little baby birds in the nests! They were so beautiful!

On the main road to Kigali that we walked, there were many construction workers paving one side of the street. There was a car driving by filled with Asians and as we got up the hill, they were out with what appeared to be some locals, almost surveying the work. It is interesting to observe such things and see what I have rad in the papers in real life. From what I understand, Kagame has been working hard to clean up the country to attract investment opportunities, many from China. I found myself wondering if perhaps these men represented a company investing in the project or another company that perhaps Rwanda is trying to peak their interest to invest and was showing updated infrastructure....it was kinda cool for me to make the connection :-)

Once in Kigali, we got to see the Hotel Mille Collines, which is the hotel made famous by the movie, Hotel Rwanda...there is nothing there that reflects it being in the movie, so the main reason to see the hotel was because they have a pool and hot showers! :-) So if I am every craving a pool or hot shower, for a small fee, I know where I can go to feel a bit at home :-) It was actually really quite gorgeous, as well, the pool overlooking the hills all around Kigali! In fact, all the scenery is amazing here, though a bit bitter-sweet. So far, the views of the hills lend themselves more towards red metal roofs packed together quite like sardines with the highest, green part of the mountains fogged over by a dusting of smog. I asked one of the other volunteers about the strong smokey smell here. I haven't seen anyone burning anything, but but apparently it comes from the smoke of the charcoal or wood stoves they use in the back of their homes to do the cooking.... So my mind immeditaely though - biodigesters anyone?! :-) I really do wonder what organizations around this country may work on such projects. I would be so interested to see the countryside and find ways to introduce things EARTH Universtiy does, such a peri-urban agriculture. I have seen some women carrying some fruit around, but not like when I was in Ghana. I know their terrain is quite different but I wonder where they are growing and getting this fruit from. It really is not abundant like I was obviously falsely expecting! Also, I have been surprised that there are not any street vendors....just goes to show, EVERY culture is VERY different!!

During our trip in Kigali yesterday, we had lunch at our first Kigali Buffet :-) This is where the locals eat. What delicious foods we had - fruit, salad, rice, beans, greens, fries, and meat, if one so chose (though I did skip this part...)

Upon getting our first bus back to Remera, we decided to try and find the Hero's Memorial where some famous people from Rwanda's political history have been burried, along with a Tomb of the Unknown. After a couple mile walk to the stadium, we were to go just a few hundred meters past to see the cemetary...we had to have gone a few hundred thousand!! lol After many unsuccessful attempts at stopping people to see if they knew where it was, even asking in broken French, we finally circled back around and found it behind quite a large gated area. However, because it was a public holiday, it was locked!! Our attempt at the door only startled the security people with guns,getting up to come our way, so we quickly dispersed....a bit of a disappointment, but it was an interesting adventure.

Ah...so language here is something that has been interesting to observe. You know me...I' too shy to try my french unless I have to, but one girl here is so great at just throwing it out there. She will even speak in French while they respond in English...I found myself very curious as to why they wouldn't talk back in French if it would be easier for them. I am getting the sense, and after much discussion over dinner last night, that knowing English is something people are very proud of and probably are eager to continue speaking it at every opportunity. Apparently, French will eventually fade out and the two languages that will remain will be English and Kinyarwanda - of which I am trying to learn! :-) Miramutsé for good morning; murakoze for Thank You; and mu-mugyi for downtown (Kigali). Very fun trying to learn :-) Actually, while looking for the cemetary, i was trying to talk to a young woman in French. In asking about the cemetery, she started talking about a Technical University down the road! LOL apparently I am not very good at expressing myself! So then I asked about the Hotel de Printemps (another landmark that was supposed to be near it), but she must have thought I asked her just about spring (which is Printemps in french) because she started talking about the sun!! LOL so yeah, I may be giving up on my french here!! :-)

Ah, oh yes!! so, the election coming next week, there are sooooo many people out on the streets, driving cars with flags hanging out the windows, sitting in the back of trucks singing songs about Kagame...it is very interesting to see such outward support of the president...but I must say, the songs are pretty catchy! :-) At lunch I was bouncing around to a song and suddenly found myself singing the chorus because I realized what I was saying, "Tora tora tora Ka-ga-me" Vote, vote Vote Kagame! Yeah, we kinda got a good laugh at it. I won't really go much more into politics than that :-)

I am really looking forward to starting my work at the orphanage on Tuesday. We passed some kids on the streets today and I just cannot wait to meet that ones that I can really get to know. They just look up and smile and greeting them, they just roll their heads back and laugh....soooo adorable!!

Well, my time is quickly coming to a close. I should be back on in a week, if not sooner and I am sure it will be full of my impressions from my first week with the kids. Thanks again to you all for your support getting me here! I hope this helps keep you posted...