Krutchless in Kigali

I have a pretty decent amount to share…I really should get better at updating my blog right as things happen rather than waiting for the events to pile up, resulting in long posts.

The first thing I’d like to report is that I’m a free woman. I no longer walk with crutches. It’s a glorious feeling! Not only that, I also no longer have pain of any kind in my ankle. I’m able to walk and put full weight on my ankle. Praise be to the Lord! I do wear a brace on my ankle when I’m doing P.E. for extra protection because I am rather susceptible to re-injury.  Other than that, I’m completely back to normal.

More good news: second semester is, overall, much better than first semester. I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say that I’ve made it through the long dark tunnel of culture shock and trials and testings of my faith. I made it…barely. I only made it with the Lord’s help; I could not have done it without Him. I now have this joy about me from a day to day basis. It’s not just happiness…it’s more than that. It’s joy.

How do I go about being joyful? It comes from the Lord. I have been committing multiple scriptures to memory and I have also been memorizing the book of Colossians with a teacher/friend of mine. I’ve discovered that when you have the Word of God in you, your actions and thoughts and countenance change. I’m positive, I have a different look on things, I’m joyful, I’m thankful, I’m in step with the Lord. It’s a wonderful place to be!

School in the academic sense is okay. I’ve been frustrated with my grades because I feel like I’m putting forth a lot of effort and not receiving the grades that match the effort. I’ve started meeting with one of the teachers at school once a week and she has been helping with study skills and test taking habits. I’ve learned that I’m actually an oral learner. Funny story: I’ve been trying to be a visual learner for most of my life…no wonder I wasn’t getting anywhere. I’m pleased with the progress that I’m making. I’m learning how to learn and my grades are getting better buhoro, buhoro (slowly by slowly).  

How’s the friend situation, Grace? It’s better. People talk to me, people smile at me. It’s a welcome change. I hung out with a small group of guys and girls a couple weeks ago. There is not a whole lot to do in Kigali as far as “hanging out” goes so we walked around town for a while. The good news is that Kigali is growing and expanding. There is actually a building in the center of town called Kigali Tower. It just recently opened and it’s supposed to be like a mall. There are only a few stores open so far, but once it’s finished it will be pretty cool. Anyway, there is one aspect to Kigali Tower where you can ride an elevator up eighteen stories and then walk up two more flights of stairs. After accomplishing this task you will find yourself on the roof of Kigali Tower. This part of Kigali Tower is not open yet, but we ran into a friend of ours who works for President Kagame. He pulled some strings and took us up to the top of Kigali Tower. It was awesome! The city was all lit up with street lights (because it was night) and we could see for miles and miles. It was definitely a “once in a lifetime” kind of experience.

This past Wednesday (3-7-12) I had the opportunity to speak in chapel. I encouraged the 7^th through 12^th graders at KICS to seek the Lord and follow His plan for their lives. I told them that it would not be easy, but I also told them that it would be worth it. I shared multiple verses with them that have been an encouragement to me: 1 Peter 4:19, James 1:2-3, James 1:12, 1 Peter 5:8-9, and 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, to name a few. I recognize that God has given me a talent in public speaking. I never get nervous in front of people, in fact I find speaking and performing to be so much fun. I wanted to tell people about the work that God has done in my life and bring glory to Him. I prayed for His blessing over my talk and He answered my prayers. The talk went very well and I believe that the students, in general, listened to me and heard what I had to say. I’m thankful to the Lord.

Last weekend I went to Mbarara, Uganda by myself. When I say “by myself” I really mean “without my family.” I was visiting three single girls (AIM missionaries). It was a great weekend and I enjoyed it thoroughly. One of the girls came down on Wednesday (2-29-11) to see KICS (because she is a teacher) and then we rode the bus back up to Mbarara together on Friday. The bus ride itself was easy and uneventful. It takes about four hours to get to Mbarara, not including the hour it takes to cross the border. That night, Friday night, the four of us went into town on boda-bodas (The equivalent to motos or motorcycle taxis.) As we approached the center of town my eyes started watering. I had this terrible taste my mouth and my nose and throat were burning like crazy. Tear gas! Yes, the police officers had just sprayed tear gas to break up a political riot that was going on in town. Our boda drivers quickly turned around and drove us back to the safety of the girl’s home.  It was quite an eventful night! By the next morning everything had settled down and it was safe for us to go into town again. The girls showed me around the small town of Mbarara. That night the girls invited their AIM team over for a game night. The power went out around 8:00 that night and stayed off for the next 21 (or so) hours. The cool thing about power outages in Africa is that it’s almost like the power is still on. Everyone keeps doing what needs to be done. You just learn how to function without power. We went to church on Sunday morning and then two of the three girls took me to the market. The Mbarara market is much smaller than the Kigali market. You can buy fruits and vegetables and meat and pretty much anything at that market, just like the one in Kigali. On Sunday night the four of us hung out at their house. We talked and laughed and had a great time with each other. It was great to just be a girl and talk about girl things. On Monday morning I boarded the bus for Kigali…by myself. That was exciting! Traveling from Uganda to Rwanda all by myself. I was the only mzungu (white person) on the bus. I didn’t feel weird about it at all. I got through the border without any complications. There is a law in Rwanda that makes plastic bags illegal and so once we got to the border everyone had to open their suitcases and take their plastic bags out…that took a while, but I found it humorous. Before I knew it I was back in wonderful Kigali. I always love leaving the city for a few days, but there is just something about coming back to Kigali that is ever so welcoming. All in all, it was a great weekend and I would love to do it again sometime.

Second semester is already half-way over! It’s amazing how fast this year is going. It’s so easy to start thinking about how close we are to summer and about all the great things that I’ll get to do and the things that await me in the States, such as family and friends and clothes and food and my car…I could go on for a while. I’m not counting down yet, because it’s still too far out and I don’t want to miss what’s right in front of me.

One final funny story to share: This morning at church the usher at the door said “Good morning!” to me. I didn’t know what to say in reply. I was about to respond in Kinyarwanda, but then I realized that he hadn’t said anything in Kinyarwanda so I switched over to French. He smiled at me, and as I walked away I realized that he had said “good morning” in English.  Oh, the life of a TCK (Third Culture Kid). Learning two foreign languages at the same time has its challenges.

I love Kigali and I love the experience and the opportunities I’m getting. Life is great. I’m intending to make the most of every opportunity and enjoy my last few months of 11^th grade for all they’re worth. I’ll be back home before I know it!