One Month into Things

It’s my guess that a majority of you, readers, have seen the pictures that my brother, Adam, took. I hope that they give you a better idea of what it’s like here. I do my best to explain it here in my blog, but like they say “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

School is going well. The “newness” of it is beginning to wear off, but I still like it overall. I am struggling in few subjects. Sadly, French 1 is not any better the second time around. Foreign languages do not click in my head…but then again, not many things click in my head. Each class has its challenges and I must “keep my head in the game” if I wish to succeed.

Speaking of school, we did not have school yesterday (Tuesday) because it was a teacher workday. That’s okay with me; it was nice to have a little break. It’s not like I sat around and did nothing though. I worked on an instrument inventory list for my dad, and I studied for several tests and quizzes that will be coming later this week.

One of our guards at school has a very funny habit of saying “yes please”. His name is Ferdinand; he is one of the sweetest guys I know, and he has obviously worked very hard to perfect his English. I’ll often approach the gate and say “Hi Ferdinand! Can you open the gate for me?” And he’ll reply, “Yes please!” One day last week, he had fallen asleep in his chair and my mom walked up to him and gently called his name to wake him up. He abruptly stood up and said “Yes please!”

Most of the roads are paved, but there are also plenty of roads that are not. Some roads are just dirt roads that are easy to ride on, but then there are other roads that are just ridiculous. You can’t help but laugh as you go bumping down the road. There is one dirt road in particular that has speed bumps. Speed bumps on a bumpy dirt road. Absolutely hilarious!

We have found a house-helper! Her name is Margaret. She is very kind and she clearly knows what she’s doing. She cleans the house and does the laundry and ironing faster than anyone I know. She went to the Market for us on Monday. (Being a national means that she will be able to get a much better price for food compared to us, white Americans.) She bought some sugar cane upon Miles’ request. It’s quite interesting! You chew it and suck the “juice” and then you spit out the “fiber”. I’m not sure that I care for the taste; I’ll have to give it another try sometime.

I was told that after about a month of being here, I would begin to really miss “things”. And sure enough, 32 days later…I’m missing American food, and my car, and convenience, and all sorts of things that Americans take for granted.  I know one thing for sure; I’m going to have a long list of places to go and food to eat next summer!

Several of my friends gave my very thoughtful letters to read on the long airplane ride. Of course I kept them all. They have been sitting in my Converse “keep-sake box”. Tonight I decided that I would like to go through my box and read all of those sweet letters plus look at pictures and old birthday cards. Unfortunately it wasn’t a “nice little walk down memory lane”. No, quite the opposite. I miss my friends and family so much. Living thousands of miles away has made me realize that I had begun to rely on the fact that they were always around. Now that I don’t get to see these people on a regular basis, I realize how important they really are to me. 10^th grade was a significant year for me, and I think back to all of the people that were a part of my life this past year, and I thank God for each and every one of them. I can’t wait until next summer when I get to hug their necks and see their beautiful faces again!

I feel so incredibly blessed to be living in Kigali, Rwanda. How many 16 year olds get this opportunity? Sure I miss everyone like crazy, but I know, with confidence, that I will see them again one day; either here on earth or in our eternal home. I’m meeting people from all over the world, trying new things, learning new things, and experiencing life in a foreign country. God definitely wants me and my family in Rwanda right now, and I am all for following the Lord and doing His will, and so I can honestly say that I wouldn’t rather me anywhere else!

Life Continues

On Sunday morning we visited another church, CLA (Christ Life Assembly). I really enjoyed the service. We sang for about thirty minutes, and the pastor preached for a little over an hour. It was so cool to look around the room (that was about the size of a gymnasium) at the sea of black, and occasionally see a few dots of white. We sat on long wooden benches that were, frankly, less than comfortable. The congregation moved around a lot during the singing, and it was evident that God was being glorified.

On Friday night, we ate dinner at a friend’s house. While at dinner, we learned that it considered rude to have food out in public. Even if you are just carrying an apple, it needs to be in a brown paper bag, or hidden in some way. My dad and I have been eating breakfast every morning on the way to school, and everyone that we pass, stares at us. We thought that they were staring at us because we are mzungus (white people) and we get stared at all the time. Little did we know, they were staring at us because we were being rude. We were eating in front of them. Last Friday was the last time I’ll ever eat breakfast on the way to school again.

I drove in for the very first time on Sunday evening! I only drove up to the school, but hey, I drove in a foreign country! In my book, that’s a big deal.

According to the Rwandan Nationals, the rainy season has officially started. It’s about 4 weeks early. This rainy season will go until December, and then we’ll have a second rainy season for several months in the first part of the year. When it rains here, it pours. The wind is crazy! If I leave my windows open in the morning, I need to plan on sleeping in a wet bed. I will be bringing a rain jack and/or a poncho with me from now on.

Funny Fact: Some American friends of ours have a dog that only responds to commands given in Kinyarwanda (the national language).

I believe that you have not fully experienced Africa until you have taken a cold shower. Last night the whole street (and possibly the whole neighborhood) was out of hot water. I was in need of a shower, so I went for it. Not only was the water unbearably cold, it was also trickling out of the shower head. It took me a long time to shower, but at least I got clean!

School is going well, but it's taking me a little while to get adjusted to the different teaching styles. For the past three years, I’ve read all of my assignments and done all of my work at my own pace. Now, I have to figure out eight different teaching styles, and try to keep up with the fast paced lectures. It’s a challenge. It’s also a little weird to spend eight hours in school, and then come home and spend another two to four hours on…school.

Miles has been waking up with bites on his face, neck, and arms each morning for the past week and a half. At first we thought they were mosquito bites, even though he has been sleeping with a mosquito net. He tried sleeping without the mosquito net for a couple of nights, and was still waking up with the bites, so we wondered if they were bed bug bites. We put his bed, and mattress, and bedding out in the sun and sprayed if with bug repellent. He continued to wake up with the bites. We looked a little more closely at the pattern of the bites, and came to the conclusion that the bites were in the shape of a hat…or a helmet. Miles rode a motto two Thursday ago. We think that he’s probably being bitten by a bug that was in the motto helmet. The only thing that throws the theory is that I have started getting bites on the lower part of my arms and hands. They are little red dots that itch so badly! We’re still not sure what it is, or what’s causing it, but we sure do hope it goes away soon!

Life is continuing here, in Kigali. It’s crazy to think that this coming Sunday will be our one month anniversary. A whole month! Life is fun, exciting, and it keeps you on your toes. From hot water to eating in public, there’s always something to learn and experience here in Kigali.

First Week of School? Check.

Whew! I made it through the first week of school. It was...normal. I have discovered that it doesn't matter if you live in America or Africa, 11th grade is definitely your hardest year.

I start my morning off, with my favorite teacher, in Comparative Government, then I move on to American Literature. After that, I have a 10 minute "Chai break", and no, we don't actually drink Chai. (It's just a little break to help you make it through the rest of the morning.) Following Chai, I go to Algebra 2, and then I either have P.E. or Bible, depending on if it's an A or a B week. Then, I head to Chemistry. After Chemistry I have lunch...that's right, folks, 5 whole periods before lunch! After lunch I have French 1, and then downstairs to Band for 7th period. And that concludes my school day. I do like the school, so far, and like I said, it's normal. All of the teachers expect a lot out of us, and they give homework each night. Side note: You know your going to a Christian school when all of the kids have a biblical name. It's kind of humorous actually. I have not met everyone yet, but I would venture to say that at least half of the kids have a biblical name.

Because I've been spending a majority of my day on school, I haven't been into the city at all this week. So, sadly I don't have any exciting stories to share.

I did ride another motto on Tuesday afternoon. Those things are so cool! I would motto everywhere if I could. Also on Tuesday, we celebrated our first African birthday. We had some balloons from the States, so we blew up a couple balloons and made a sign that said "Happy Birthday Mom!" She felt loved and appreciated,  even though it was simple.

It has rained almost every day this week, and I'm told that it's not the rainy season yet...okay, whatever you say. Today (Friday) is actually the first warm day of the week (and it's raining right now, even though the sun is out). The rainy season is not supposed to start until mid- September, I believe.

We are still looking for a house-helper, we did try one out yesterday, but she wasn't quite right for us. There are several pros to having a house-helper. In the States, we would never dream of hiring someone to do our chores, but here, it's a very normal thing. By hiring someone to work for us, we are investing in their lives. Also, we (and when I say "we", I mean my mom) can't do the laundry, and the dishes, and the ironing, and then cleaning, and the cooking by herself. It's not as easy to do things here as it is in America.

I will do my best to keep everyone updated on how things are going here. It may get a little tricky once school really gets going, and I also won't have quite as much to say, because I'll be spending a majority of my time in school, and as much as you guys want to hear about what's going on here, I'm sure you don't want to hear about school all the time. I'll try to take chances and be a little bit risky, to make for better stories!

Uh, There's a Gecko on the Ceiling....

I had planned on updating my blog a few days ago, but each day kept passing by very quickly, and before I knew it, I was exhausted and ready to go to bed. So here I am on this mild Saturday afternoon updating my blog.

This week has (like I said) passed by rather quickly. I have had many tasks at the school to keep me occupied. I have met several more people my age, and I am really looking forward to the start of school so that I can get to know more of the students.

On Monday night, I saw my first gecko inside our house. (Hence the title…I told you I was trying to come up with a more creative title) I get the feeling that geckos are about as common as ants. They’re not really bothering anything and they do keep the other bugs away. Better geckos then snakes…  

Yesterday we (the KICS staff) left the city of Kigali and went out into the country. We drove about 25 kilometers to Lake Muhazi. (It took us about an hour to get there.) It was a lot more like what I pictured Africa to be like…dirt roads, lots of people on bikes, and animals walking around. It was pretty cool. Anytime we would pass by a field, the people would stop - machetes in mid air- and stare and us as we drove by. We probably looked pretty funny…35 mzungus (white people) in 4 vehicles. We ate lunch at Lake Muhazi, but we were not able to swim because apparently the lake is infested with snail larva. Anyways, I really enjoyed getting away from the city for a day, and seeing more of The Land of A Thousand Hills. (Rwanda’s nickname- it is a rather mountainous country.)

Today I rode my first motto! It was awesome! It’s surprisingly a pretty smooth ride, especially if I swayed with the motto, rather than remaining very still. After we left the ABC (African Bagel Co-op) this morning, my dad and I went into town, and my mom and brothers went back to the house. This was about my 5^th or 6^th time going into town, so I’m really starting to find my way around…and I’m even recognizing some of the people on the streets that try to sell me everything from plastic sunglasses to mangoes. My dad and I purchased a large fan, a full length mirror, a small lamp, a cheese grater, and a loaf of bread…and we took a motto home. (We each had our own.) It was pretty funny trying to balance the mirror and keep in from blowing away in the wind. But no one gave us a second look because you see all kinds of things strapped to bikes and mottos on a daily basis.

More things that you might enjoy knowing....

*We only have hot water in the upstairs bathroom

*We don’t have a dishwasher- we have to hand wash all of our dishes

*We do have a washing machine, but it’s not like a washing machine that you would find in an appliance store 

in the states.  We hang our clothes, sheets and towels on a clothes line in the backyard.

*There are a wide variety of birds in Kigali (and probably all throughout Rwanda.) They each have some very unique (and somewhat obnoxious) calls. One bird sounds like a car alarm is going off…another bird sounds almost like we’re getting a skype call.

*On Tuesday night we had our first Rwandan dinner. It was delicious!  There was nothing strange about it. Rwandan Nationals eat lots of beans and rice or potatoes. They maybe eat meat once or twice a week.

*Lemons are green and sweet potatoes are white

*The bananas are about half the size of what they are in the states…and they taste better too. Usually, we would want to eat a banana when it is completely yellow, and after it gets too many brown spots on it, we consider it to not be good anymore, but over here, the more brown spots a banana has, the better it tastes. It is a little tricky to try to tell my mind that it’s okay to eat a brown banana.

We have a Meet and Greet at the school in about an hour. Instead of meeting the teachers, (I already know all of them) I’ll be using this time as an opportunity to meet the kids in my class. School will start in a few days, and things will slow down a little bit. I’ll probably make a few more trips to town this next week, and I’ll continue to enjoy life in Kigali. 

Life in Kigali- Day 8

I need to come up with a new title for my entries because (1) it's starting to get old, and (2) I don't want to continue to keep track of the days...imagine "Life in Kigali- Day 134".... Hopefully, the creative juices will start flowing in the title department pretty soon.

We visited a church yesterday morning. It is located diagonally across from the school, so we were able to walk to the church in about five or six minutes. I did enjoy the service, but I have to admit, I miss being at Friendly Hills (my home church). It's a nondenominational church. I think that I might prefer nondenominational churches because I believe that churches get too caught up in their denomination and they end up forgetting that eventually denominations won't even exist. We sang a lot of songs, some in English, some in Swahili, and possibly a few other languages..not quite sure. We sat in white, plastic lawn chairs, and  instead of a sermon, they had an open discussion about adoption. God has laid adoption and foster care on the pastor's heart, and he is wanting the families in the church to consider adoption too. I've been wanting to adopt a little baby girl practically my entire life, so I enjoyed the discussion. (I would like to go back on a different Sunday so that I can hear him preach.) The church lost power about four or five times during the service. No one stopped singing/ playing/ talking when the power went out, they just kept going and acted like it didn't even happen. It was kind of funny, but by the third time, we were used to it too.

In the afternoons (or in our free time) we unpack, hang pictures, and move things around in our house. Already, after only a week of being here, it feels more like a home rather than a house. I've met a few people my age, but so far I've just been hanging around the teachers helping them get ready for the start of school next Tuesday. I'll probably walk down the road after lunch to Woodlands to finish school supply shopping and get a few grocery items.

There is not too much else to report right now, but I will be sure to keep you updated on new and exciting things that are happening here in Kigali.

Life in Kigali- Day 6

So far the days have been fun and enjoyable. The container that was shipped from the U.S. in early April arrived at the school on Wednesday night. We unloaded the container all day Thursday. There was a ton of new P.E. equipment, arts supplies, text books, filing cabinets, and instruments on the container. It was so exciting to open up a box and see all of the new supplies that we will get to use this school year. We had a few personal items on the container too, so it was really nice to be able to put a little bit of "home" into our new house.

Today we (The KICS teachers) went to the ABC...the African Bagel Company. The ABC is a little shop on the other side of town that sells bagels....duh. They also sell pizza and bread. It's open Monday-Saturday, but Saturday is the only day that they make donuts. These donuts are amazing. My expectations were really low, but after I had my first bite, I decided that these donuts were even better than Krispy Kreme. It's really quite impressive. After breakfast at the ABC, my family and I went downtown alone- meaning that we did not have anyone from KICS to help us communicate or figure things out. It was pretty overwhelming, and exhausting. This afternoon made me really miss home. (friends, family, the convenience of America) Up until now it has almost felt like a vacation. (I haven't really been here long enough for it to feel like a new home.) It really sunk in today: We moved here...we're not leaving anytime soon. Part of me really wishes that I would just wake up and things would be "back to normal", but deep down I know that's not really what I want. I like it here. God wants me and my family here, and so this is where we need to be.

Random things that you might like to know: 

~I sleep under a mosquito net
~I have to constantly remind myself to not run my tooth brush under the faucet
~Rwanda uses francs....not dollars
~The local Rwandans are friendly, and most of them speak a little bit of English, but it's still pretty hard to        communicate. (I'm working on their language: Kinyarwanda)
~Surprisingly, I don't miss ice cream...yet
~I miss being able to hop into the car and drive to a store and get whatever I need/want
~Everything takes a lot more time here
~I like the simplicity of life here in Africa, but I miss the craziness of life in America
~I love how I'm "forced" to exercise, because we don't have a car

I'm sure that I will have these days- days that I miss home. And that's okay. I enjoy being here, and before I know it, it'll be May 29th, and I'll be boarding a plane to fly back to North Carolina.

Life in Kigali- Day 3

It starts to feel more like home a little bit each day. I’ve been to town twice now. It’s about a 10-15 minute drive from our house. We do not own a car, so we’ve been relying on one of the teachers from KICS (Kigali International Community School) to transport us. Driving in Kigali is wild.  People drive in the middle of the road, and if someone is coming towards you, you either swerve to the left or right depending on which side is less busy. There are mottos everywhere. (Mottos are motorcycle taxis.) People are walking every direction, and pedestrians do not have the right of way here in Kigali.  The speed limit is 40 kph on every road (25mph in America), but people drive much faster than that.

We can walk to school, we can walk to Woodlands Market (which is basically like a grocery store), we can walk to the one and only fast-food restaurant in Kigali. They only serve chicken and chips (French fries).  

We have a gate around our house, along with a neighborhood security team. Basically anyone above poverty has a gate around their house, and/or a guard. Kigali is known as the safest country in Africa. We can shower, wash our hands, and wash dishes with the water, but it is advised that we brush our teeth and drink the filtered water. 

The weather here is wonderful. Technically it is winter here, because we are in the Southern Hemisphere. But, we are currently in the “dry season” meaning that it is the hottest part of the year. The “rainy season” starts in September and lasts for the majority of the year.  The temperature is about 70 degrees in the morning, and upper 80’s in the afternoon. It’s quite hot in the afternoon, because of the intensity of the sun- being so close to the equator.  The sunrises at 6:00 every morning, and sets at 6:00 every evening.  Again, because of being so close to the equator.

We went to the Market this afternoon.  (The 5 of us, along with another married couple, and a teacher from KICS.) It was one of the greatest experiences!  The market is right in the middle of town. As soon as the market was in view, boys in yellow jackets started running beside our car asking if they could watch our car while we shopped, or carry our bags for us.  The Market is almost like a large warehouse, with no windows or doors.  You can buy fruits, vegetables, rice, fabric, hardware…basically anything. There are about 30 long aisles to walk down, stocked with fruits and vegetables. (The other items are across the alley) We had a boy named Peter helping us. He was carrying our bags and helping us find the best price. We did bargain a little bit with some of the merchants. Peter did help us communicate with the other people, but language was not too much of an issue.  

School starts in 13 days. In the next week in a half, we will continue to get acclimated with life in Kigali. We are learning the language a little bit at a time. Life here is simple, but I like it.