A Good Long Day

5 July 2013

Thursday was a holiday here as well as in the USA. July 1 is Rwandan Independence (from Belgium) Day and July 4 is Rwandan Liberation (of Tutsi’s from genocide) Day. At IWE this year, no English classes are scheduled on Fridays; so on Thursday afternoon I took the bus from Rwamagana to Kigali and, after visiting with the Birds, spent the night at the AEE guest house, which Toby Clarke (Perth, Australia) manages. Early the next morning I was up, showered (Wow! Hot water coming out of a shower head!!) breakfasted, left my heavy love-box from Charissa with the reception desk, walked 20 minutes to the Remera bus station (that’s in eastern Kigali) bound for the Nyabugogo bus station (in north-western Kigali). From there I bought a ticket for Rukomo, a village near Byumba (in northern Rwanda). The newly widened highway has been paved almost all the way to Rukomo now, so not nearly as much dust as last time. Huge trucks pound their way to several gravel sites nearby, including just outside of Cyuru, so that road has been widened and flattened also, however it has not been paved. Instead a large water-tank truck sprays down the dust several times a day. My moto-taxi followed one up the mountainside from Rukomo which resulted in a splattering of mud from the knees down! At least we could breathe! The road conditions required me to keep a firm grip with my legs; more so than usual, and I could hardly stand when I dismounted! I was pretty wobbly walking to Bosco’s house.

The travel had gone very well so far. No missed busses or slanted seats, so I was trying to remain upbeat, but I was not looking forward to confronting Moses’ father about the house. The village children met me with squeals of delight and formed a parade (one child clutching each of my fingers) going to  Bosco’s house. He was very happy because his cows had been chosen as the best of Rwanda to present at the Agri-Fair this year in Kigali! We walked to Moses’ house and talked with his parents and little sister. Older sister, Clementine, is in Primary 3 but little sister, Imbabazi was in tears because she was not allowed to attend kindergarten even though she is old enough.  I explained to Papa Moses that if she wanted to go to school, he should allow her, because it would help her succeed in Primary 1 next year. He agreed that she could start 3rd term,  in August after school holiday. Moses has been in Primary 1 since the school year began in January. He is fifth in his class! Mama Moses had taken the fabric I gave her in May to a tailor and put on her beautiful outfit for me to see: skirt, blouse and turban. 

After some polite conversation, Bosco, Papa and I walked 30 minutes down the mountain path to the location of the new house. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the house. Not only were the walls finished, but somehow they were straighter and plumb; the doorway and window were squared. How could this be? When I asked Bosco, he replied that he felt responsible, as the new supervisor, to produce a quality project; therefore he made Papa tear down the crumbling walls to the stone foundation and start over! This time it was constructed correctly! Except for some minor work needed to prepare the floors, it is ready for the doors, windows and plaster work! After admiring Papa Moses’ craftsmanship, we discussed how the stones on the mountainside would be used to build a terraced yard. He would like me to come back on Saturday, 20 July, because he plans to finish it and move in by that date! The 2 exterior, 3 interior doors and 4 windows will cost $125. The 2 remaining pieces of tin roofing will cost $16. The brick mason will add bricks to conform to the roofline, plaster for the walls and cement surface for the floors. The cost for that is yet to be determined, but with Bosco’s supervision I have no fear that Papa Moses will sell these items for beer money! He was beaming with joy when I finished examining his handiwork and told him how his children will think highly of him for providing a home for them with two bedrooms: one for the children and one for the parents. The soil on his land is fertile and he will be able to grow bananas, cassava, sweet potatoes, corn, sorghum, avocados ...

The walk back up the mountainside took a little longer but by 2 p.m. we were eating lunch at Bosco’s house. Papa Moses and the children were enthralled with slide shows on my laptop of safari, Garden of the Gods, CO, The Classic Hot Air Balloon Festival and family portraits. The village chief joined us and told Papa Moses that a team of three was much stronger than any single man could be. Each of the men will know how much money has been given and what it is to be used for. They must all agree before it is spent. This gave Papa Moses some dignity, to be part of an elite team with the chief and Bosco. 

After eating and discussion, Bosco and I walked down to Rukomo to talk with the carpenter about the price of doors and windows. He pointed out a stand of eucalyptus on a far hillside and explained that he had purchased that last year for 400,000 RWF ($600). The first year he realized 200,000 RWF profit and he still owns the forest, which continues to produce wood annually. We were walking along at a brisk clip when we approached Rukomo. Bosco asked, “Aren’t you tired?” I responded, “Yes, but I’m doing all right. “ He was surprised that I could keep up the pace! Before talking with the carpenter, we visited a new cooperative bank where Bosco had to sign some papers because he is the president!

I boarded the 5pm bus to Nyabugogo, Kigali and clung tightly while the driver took the curvy road down the mountainside with all possible haste! I had made arrangements earlier in the week with the ALARM accountant, Peter, to deliver a check of mine to Sarah while he was in Rwamagana. On my return to Kigali, Peter called to tell me he had not given the check to Sarah, but that he would meet me at Nyabugogo. A few minutes later he called to say he couldn’t meet me at the bus station because he had a meeting with someone else!   He wanted me to come to the ALARM guest house to pick it up when I returned to Kigali. Argh! I explained that if did that I would miss the last bus back to Rwamagana. He agreed to meet me at Nyabugogo. I texted him to let him know where to meet me at the huge station. I waited with phone in hand at the designated location but it was so noisy I didn’t hear my phone ring. I missed 6 of his calls! Finally he found me and gave me the check. I found a moto-taxi to take me to Remera bus station because I had to pick up my box from AEE guest house on the way, and the timing was going to too tight to take the regular intra-city bus. I never saw such a bad traffic jam! The entire distance across the city was like a parking lot. The moto drove the painted lane divider (which was pretty safe because the cars weren’t moving!), and waited for me while I picked up my box; then drove me to the bus station which was a madhouse due to traffic delays. Still, I arrived at 7:15 and boarded the “last” bus to Rwamagana at 7:30pm. I took another moto home from the station and fell into bed at 9:30.

Well, that was what I did on Friday, July 5. What did you do? 

Holiday in Rwanda

Happy 4th of July!

The 4^th of July is a holiday in Rwanda too. So Happy 4^th from here to there! … Last weekend I went with my Australian friends, and their family, to the Akagera National Park — located in the northeastern part of Rwanda — for a 2 day safari! I will try to describe the beauty of this place in another entry. For now here’s one picture of the experience.

More local news: Charissa’s care package arrived this week, so we are enjoying some of the goodies! I came up to Kigali tonight so that I wouldn't have to ride the whole way from Rwamagana to Cyuru in one day. I am meeting Bosco, the village leader, the pastor, and hopefully, the sector secretary as well as Moses’ father. I don’t think he has finished his house yet! There wasn’t much to do, but he has been resistant. Related to Dobie Gillis’ friend, Maynard G. Krebs, I think: “Work!?” 

Sarah has a reservation to return to USA on Monday evening. The latest Dr. believes she either has an autoimmune disease or a tick related (i.e. Lyme) disease. She hopes that by leaving now she can get diagnosis and treatment in time to return for 3rd term. She is in such pain and her legs are so swollen! I taught her classes and Blaise’s classes last week and two days this week. Next week is review week so I will be teaching all classes again. The week of exams, however, they will hire Blaise to monitor the classes in my place, which will allow me to draft patterns for blouses, skirts and sew samples.

Jean Bosco came to Rwamagana to talk to the director of Gatarama School for the Blind. He and his wife, Patience, have followed my advice about stimulating baby Hannah Grace to become all she can be although she is blind. She is laughing, talking and exploring their house! I am thrilled for them! What a difference a year has made. Jean Bosco and Patience believe that Hannah Grace’s blindness has opened their eyes to the needs of the thousands of other Rwandan children who are also blind. The government has no programs for the blind other than the school in Rwamagana, which provides education for them once they turn 6 years of age. That is much too late! He will try to meet with Maddie when she returns from the USA. 

Charissa’s box arrived just in time to provide an emotional boost for me with Sarah leaving. Ingrid, who is 31 years old, from the Netherlands, lives across the courtyard/driveway from me and works as an adviser for schools in the Rwamagana district. I think we may start coordinating our food shopping and preparation so we don't have to eat alone.

The Fabric of Life

24 June 2013

Amani's brother, Nuru, has come to Rwamagana from Congo, so that he did not get swept up by the military to be a soldier. Since he arrived he has been coming to me for English lessons once a week. Last week he called and asked if he could meet more frequently! On Friday he arrived at 9 am and left at 2 pm!! My brain wasn't working very well by the time he left! But HE has improved tremendously! Namin, our Korean friend and English student, has returned from Kigali and hosted the expat Bible study for a Korean dinner which was fabulous!! Seaweed soup, sweet and sour pork, kim chee, pickled vegetables, sticky rice... We made fruit salad. Jonas (German) made carrot-tomato salad and we ate for hours over lovely conversation.

After meeting with the head of ALARM Saturday it appears they are going to ask the contractors to base their estimations for the library at IWE on the floor plans Ally drew up for them, according to the proper budget and calculations Ally made regarding what size it should be (in comparison to the old floor plans). Amazing! Ally just designed a building and its furnishings ... not your average 17 year old.

Below are some pictures of fabric, of me washing dishes, and of Rachel, one of my sewing students.

Seamstress & Architect

21 June 2013

Maja asked me to post today. She was very tired when we spoke at 2200 her time; but it was a good tired.

Again this week, she’s done most of the English teaching, because the swelling in Sarah’s legs is still preventing her from being on her feet much. After school she has divided her time between teaching sewing to two of the female teachers (Rachel and Claire) and redesigning the plans for the library, which is supposed to be built between now and the end of October. The sewing instruction is going well. Both girls are progressing quickly, but Claire seems to have “the knack,” which really excites Maja. Together with Maja they have used a Land’s End blouse of Maja’s to create a pattern from newspaper, transferred the pattern to vinyl, and begun cutting pieces to produce new, female-shaped blouses for the students. Despite the fact that they only have one, treadle sewing machine, the project is advancing. It’s good that the machine is not dependent on electricity, because last night the power went out, but Maja was able to continue sewing by candlelight (photo from www.cathywu.com).

She and Ally have invested hours in the library project. They were given the plans which the ALARM office had approved, only to discover that most of the building was dedicated to an admin office, with a library “room” on the side. The project’s instigators, however, had raised money to build a library building. So she and Ally have redesigned the building so that it will not only accommodate 4700 volumes (3000 of which will arrive in a shipping container later in the summer), but also have room for students to read at tables in the library. The new plans must be submitted for approval, both in Rwanda and back at ALARM’s headquarters – this process begins on Saturday, two days before Ally returns to America.

With four weeks left in the term, Maja asks that you continue to pray for wisdom as she negotiates cultural differences and stamina as she works on several projects at once (her health has been good for the past two weeks now). … Below is a photo of her and a group of the older students.

This and That

15 June 2013

Updates: Sarah is suffering from an undiagnosed case of swelling in her legs. Up to her knee in her left leg. (One Dr. said it was a result of too much standing while teaching!) Her legs are very hot where they are swollen. She has been on antibiotics since Tuesday and the swelling is  going down. I had to take all her classes Mon - Thursday and it was a real strain for me. I am so happy to have had Ally with me. I don't see how I could have done it w/o her: No concentration or mental organization even with written lesson plans. I couldn't find my class schedule, forgot to take the chalk to class, or the resource book, or the reading text... Thank God that was on Thursday!

I brought Ally up to Kigali with me on Friday. We spent the day shopping for fabric for her Uncle Allen in Tucson who is an aerospace engineer and quilter! A young man whom her family sponsored in Uganda will come Saturday afternoon and spend the day with her. He is very special: When Ally’s parents began to sponsor him, they were unable to have children. They told him this was one of the reasons they were sponsoring him. He said he would pray that God would give them children. Soon thereafter Ally was conceived; two years later her brother arrived. Ally has helped me work with the modem and my computer so I have been successful in connecting every time I attempt to! That is such a relief! (Here is Ally and her first batch of guacamole.)

Last week when I got sick and vomited, teacher Rachel suggested that I might have been poisoned by a merchant (not an uncommon practice, evidently). Regina, who overheard part of this conversation is furious, and thinks Rachel was suggesting that it was she who poisoned me! Regina has talked to headmistress Theopiste, who then warned me that Rachel is a bad person and not to be friends with her! I am teaching Rachel about sewing: drafting patterns, using the machine, sewing garments, etc at my home, so when Regina came Thursday and saw her there, she became very upset. This is a spiritual battle! I tried to reason with Theopiste and she remained adamantly against Rachel. What will this mean for Rachel's teaching contract next year?! If they have difficulty forgiving in a situation like this, what does this say about the supposed culture of forgiveness toward the genocide perpetrators?!

Sarah and her brother Paul took a bus to Tanzania to check out the orphanage which their church in the U.S. has been sponsoring. The bus drove for 12 hours, then stopped. They had to find their own housing that night before continuing for another 12 hour ride the following day. The orphanage program turned out to be a scam. Nothing has been done toward the project after funding it for over a year! They had one day to see Tanzania on their own before the grueling two days of bus ride home again. And all this with Sarah's legs so swollen that she could hardly walk!

In a similar vein, as Sarah, Ally and I have looked in detail at the blueprints for the new library/admin building, we have realized that it is basically an admin building with a library room! The money was raised to build a library and that is NOT where it appears the money will be spent! We plan to  meet with Benjamin again this weekend. Please pray that he will be reasonable, as it seems he has his heart set on using the money for an administration building instead of a library.

Now it is time to have breakfast with the delicious tiny Rwandan strawberries!

The thought of concern and prayer from our friends has been very encouraging. A very necessary element of encouragement in my life here this trip!

Love to you all,

Maja

Conversational Update

4 June 2013

This update per Doug’s conversation with Maja today:

1. Clearly, connecting my computer with the internet has been an exercise in frustration. Over the weekend, I visited the MTN cellular store in Kigali, so the technicians there could make the appropriate adjustments. They seemed to be able to make it work, but when I am alone with "The Machine," I might as well be in the bowels of Cheyenne Mountain for all the connectivity I have with the outside world. I'm trying not to be cynical, but grrr...!

2. Sarah and her brother leave tomorrow for Tanzania for a week of vacation. She has prepared all the lesson plans ahead of time. So, while I will be alone in the classroom, I won't be completely on my own. Actually, I'm quite excited to continue the work we've been doing together. Our focus has been on using nouns and verbs in complete sentences. Alongside this basic skill, we're teaching them to recognize the difference between fragments and complete sentences, and we're working on comprehension by making them write simple sentence summaries of more complex paragraph compositions. We are pleased with the progress we've seen.

3. I now have a sewing machine from ALARM HQ in my house, and I've learned how Rwandans transpose measurements to patterns (made of newspaper). So I will make some patterns for different sizes of blouses, then transfer the patterns to reusable plastic sheeting. Then I'll teach a couple of the teachers how to use all this, so that when I depart, they can transfer these skills to the girls. ... The blouses the girls now wear were made from patterns for boy's shirts, which means there are no darts to accommodate female anatomy.

4. Benjamin (the Rwanda country director for ALARM) and I have established a good working relationship. I have a better understanding of the process involved in building the library. We still need to address some details regarding the building plans, but we are making progress. It seems that Bruinsma's Law (Everything takes longer!) applies world-wide.

5. Last weekend I made a trip back to Cyuru to visit Moses and his family. Charissa's friend Bosco acted as my interpreter. The good news is that Moses' father has begun building a livable home for his family. That's it. The not-so-good news: He's been selling items given to the family by Compassion (blankets, kitchen equipment, etc.) for money to buy booze. Also, instead of taking Moses to the clinic for medical care, he used "traditional" providers/methods. So Moses had a bad case of impetigo, which has left scars; and now he has an abscess on the skin at the base of his spine, which has erupted since I was there three weeks ago. Bosco and I took the dad to the local Compassion office, where we had a long talk about his responsibilities, and about possible consequences if he does not act. Compassion and Bosco said they will keep a closer eye on the situation.

6. Ally Pennell, the high school age daughter of one of the key organizers behind the library project, arrived today. She will be here for three weeks, adding her efforts to all that we do. I'm so glad to have someone staying in the house with me. She even brought a care package from Charissa, which included probiotics and Pedyalite -- Thank you, my gracious and thoughtful daughter!

New Friends!

25 May 2013

I don't feel strong! In the mornings. I have to pray in order to get out of bed; then I get out of bed and ask God for the strength to put one foot in front of the other. The 3 Day Walk for the Cure comes to mind. I can take one more step, yes, and just another step.... Maybe I can finish the race!

I’ve met another young couple; they are Australians who share Maddy's house in Kigali: Liz and Joel. They have a refrigerator and chocolate in a variety of forms. Last night Liz made me a glass of cold chocolate from fresh milk, and gave me a chocolate bar! This morning we ate fresh pancakes with mixed fruit salad topping.

Liz is quite the artist. She draws, paints and SEWS!! We hit it off immediately and since my plans to go to Cyuru this weekend were put to a halt because of national work day (no bus transportation because everyone must help work on the community project) Liz and I are driving her car to downtown Kigali and looking at fabric. It is much cheaper here, because it is the wholesale market where other towns and shops (including Josephine) buy their fabrics. I'm so excited!! Liz even has an electric sewing machine!

They live near the Kigali airport and will host me any time I’m in town. So now I have two options! I will also look at small refrigerators and microwaves today, both of which can be repurchased by other expats when I leave. This is the first time in weeks that I have felt enlivened. Thank God!

 Below are three photos:

1. The road I walk to IWE

2. Flowers by the road

3. Young ladies in one of my classes

This and That

20 May 2013

On Friday I shared a budget spreadsheet with our housekeeper, Regina. Together we filled in the regular expenses. She will keep track of the occasional expenses and plug them in at the end of the month. She does not have a concept of saving monthly for large expenses looming ahead, so she operates from panic mode. I think seeing it all written out helped her accept the reason we gave her for our necessity of cutting back her work hours. We just don’t have money in our budget to pay her at the current rate! This will also encourage her to find new employment before she runs out of money again. It was a relief to get through this process and help her see that we are still friends and that we appreciate the high quality of work she does for us and others.

My friend, Amani, is the man who has taught English at IWE since 2008. He worked on his BA in law during the same time.  Sarah took his position full time when he graduated and moved on to a legal position with the Rwandan government! We enjoyed a short visit one evening when he stopped in Rwamagana on his way home from a business trip last week. He filled us in on his family’s difficulties: many years ago, they moved to Congo to escape persecution in Rwanda. Now the Congolese are fighting the many Rwandan’s who moved there as refugees and have become successful herdsmen and farmers. His mother is going to stay there with his sister and her family, but his brother, Nuru, had to seek shelter in Rwanda. The schools here will not let him begin attending mid-year so he will take English lessons from us in preparation for the new school year in January. He has a basic knowledge of English, but has never spoken it. I must speak very slowly, but he is picking it up very well. We will meet regularly on Fridays.

Our landlord sent a technician to repair the rain gutters and he did an excellent job. I just hope it rains again before the rainy season begins again next September!

Bosco was the village sponsor for Charissa when she served in the Peace Corps. He called me on Wednesday to let me know he was in to Rwamagana for a funeral of his wife’s family  and wanted to meet with me. We talked at length over a bottle of Fanta about his family and Moses’ family. Compassion had purchased a second mattress for Moses’ family as well as six new cooking pots. Moses’ father sold everything for beer money! Then while he was drunk he walked to the Compassion office and yelled at the personnel to give him money to buy medication for Moses’ and his sister, Mbabazi’s, impetigo. Compassion had purchased Medical insurance for the family so all he had to do was take the children to the medical clinic for treatment. The truth is he wanted the money to buy more beer! Bosco will introduce me to the church pastor who is the local link with Compassion and oversees the distribution of finances to Moses’ family. He will need to be extra diligent! World Vision organization has bought some property and built a house on it for Moses’ family. It is almost ready to move into but Father does not want to move so far away from the bar!!! Bosco and I will need the wisdom of Solomon to work out a solution! It is sad that there is no treatment program for alcoholics in Rwanda. That is what he needs most.

I met the Rwandan family which hosts Sarah when she stays in Kigali. They work for the Good News organization which is a support group for widows and orphans from the genocide. They are a wonderful family and are doing a great work. They had a special speaker for their bi-monthly meeting on Sunday, which I attended.  Dr. Phil Cotton is an Englishman married to a Scottish woman. Their home is in Glasgow, but they have traveled the world doing charity work for various groups. He is now in Rwanda to reorganize the university system, so that there will be a uniform model of teaching methodology and course requirements. He lives near Green Hills Academy where Charissa taught for the last six months she was in Rwanda after she finished her Peace Corps commitment. He lives there with his son in a large house with many bedrooms. He has offered to host me anytime I need to spend the night in Kigali! Lack of housing has been a problem which has kept me from coming to Kigali since I arrived in country!

I also heard from Charissa’s friend and co-teacher at Green Hills, Madie, who came to Rwanda to begin the first program for special needs children. If I am well enough to travel this week, I will spend Friday with her and travel to Cyuru on Saturday to deal with Moses’ father; then stay with Madie to attend church on Sunday.

Apparently my gut is very susceptible to bacterial disruption. I ate beef on Sunday morning which I had cooked on Friday and by Sunday night was hearing disturbing noises. Monday morning I suffered the inevitable results. God was gracious to me as I rode a moto-taxi to Stella bus station, made it to a clean latrine, bought a ticket for an hour-long bus trip to Rwamagana, rode a moto-taxi home just in time to use my own bathroom. I was dreading asking the bus driver to pull over on the highway for me to use a gutter! I have put myself on the BRAT diet again and have begun taking medication, but I did not try to teach. I stayed home in bed.

While on my precarious Stella bus trip from Kigali to Rwamagana, I sat next to a man in a business suit. I introduced myself to him and told him that I was an English teacher in Rwamagana. He asked if I was a volunteer, because I reminded him of a volunteer he knew from Cyuru named Clarissa! I explained that I was her mother! (I did not explain to him that he had misremembered her name!) He told me that he now lives in Kigali and works as a consultant, but that he returns to Cyuru to visit old friends. Did I know his friend, Bosco? God uses my bus trips to arrange for divine appointments!

Below are two pictures from my trip to visit Moses, one with his whole family, other with just the two of  us.

Happy Birthday, Moses!

6 May 2013

Moses lives in Cyuru, the village Charissa lived in while serving in the Peace Corps. Doug and I have sponsored him through Compassion International and have received communications from him through his school. His birthday is May 8, and he turned 8 years old this year. I bought clothes for him and his family while in Colorado Springs as birthday gifts. Regina arranged to go with me last Saturday so I would have an interpreter. We planned to leave Rwamagana on the 7 a.m. bus for Kigali, so we could do our visiting and head home before nightfall; but Regina texted me that her Kenyan employer, Arnold, would be willing to drive us to Kigali. While waiting for him to arrive, I spent my morning hand-sewing a caftan of the red tie-dyed fabric I purchased the previous week. I cut a wedge off both ends to even it up, cut a neckhole and front slit, then used the red scraps I had cut off to make neck binding which contrasted nicely against the black stripes radiating from the neckhole. I turned up a hem and sewed it, then left the side seams until I could fit it to Mama Fidela, the wife of Charissa's village sponsor who fed her dinner for 2 ½ years!

Arnold did not appear until 11:15; then we parked at a crossroads for awhile, waiting to pick up another friend who also wanted a ride to Kigali. Two rifle-toting policemen pulled up on motorcycles to check out our driver, because his rear tire was not completely off the road onto the shoulder, but they let us go with a warning to fasten our seatbelts; so we continued down the road without waiting any longer! After a somewhat hair-raising dash to Kigali, we took another detour to pick up a friend of Arnold’s before dropping us off at Nyabugogo bus station. Regina asked for help in finding the next bus leaving for Rukomo; we were delighted to find we were the first aboard. We chose two seats together, next to a window for good ventilation, and I stowed my big dufflebag under a seat. Regina left me there and went to buy some delicious meat-stuffed pastries and bananas for lunch. After awhile the bus driver informed us that we would not arrive in Rukomo for 4 hours because his bus went to another city first. We disembarked and found another bus which had two spaces for purchase; center aisle jumpseats, two rows apart. We finally departed Kigali sometime after 1 p.m.. So much for an early start!

The pot-holed highway which heads north has been repaved recently, for ¾ of the way to Rukomo. But road construction from that point on delayed the trip over and over. Heavy rains in the north have left enormous mudslides and cascading waterfalls plunging down the mountainside. The highlight of the trip, though, was seeing a huge 18-wheeler lying upside down where it had slid off the road into a ravine.  We didn't see it happen, but it was a recent tragedy. When we finally arrived at our stop in Rukomo almost 2 hours later, Regina and I negotiated the price for motorcycle taxis to Cyuru even higher up in the mountains. Even with a helmet on my head I heard cries of “Charissa!” from pedestrians we passed on the dirt road. Apparently there is a greater resemblance between mother and daughter than I imagine!

Moses was at Compassion Center for Saturday school when we arrived in Cyuru at 3:15, but we were immediately surrounded by all the other children in the little village. With the children eagerly chattering away in Kinyarwanda and hanging onto each of my fingers, the little parade made its way to Charissa's old house where the new Peace Corps worker, Anna, is living. She knew all about me from talk in the village about “Mama Charissa who was Moses’ sponsor!” In Rwanda, the women become identified by the name of their first born child and drop the name given to them a birth. We had a tour of the house and a nice chat with Anna. The front room has floor to ceiling bookshelves filled with books and teaching supplies! She shared her phone number with me, so now I have a local contact who will keep me up to date with more details about Moses.

Then the parade moved on to Mama Fidela's house, where we found her with three beautiful daughters: Teta, just a year old, Raisa, four, and Fidela, seven years old. The baby was frightened by the presence of a white person in her home and cried if I stood too near her. It didn't help that she was sick, although I never found out with what. I had brought clothes for her girls and the red caftan for Mama, which I fitted and marked for finishing later. Moses arrived shortly after and came running into the gated compound looking for me. His eyes lit up when I came outside and he launched himself into my arms and hugged me fiercely! He has grown in height and no longer suffers from the characteristics of malnutrition, although his chin was covered with the scabs of untreated impetigo. Instead of dirty and barefoot, he was bathed and wore plastic sandals commonly seen on poor children. I am not happy that his school uniform was anything but new; but he enjoys school and he has learned how to hold a pen and write, although English lessons won’t begin until Primary level 3, two years from now.

The parade increased in size as we made our way to Moses’ house, where we were greeted by his parents and escorted into their one-room windowless abode. The “house” has one stool, a one-person-sized table — which held the clothes I had bought for Moses last year up off the floor — a mattress on the floor where all five in the family sleep. The floor was swept clean, but the walls are made of unplastered adobe. Into this empty home I brought a duffle bag full of shoes and clothes. I explained that in the US we celebrated birthdays with gifts, and since it had been a year since I had seen them last, each of them had turned a year older; so I had brought birthday gifts for each of them. There were ahhs of delight, and each one took turns slipping away to put on their new clothes. Everything I brought fit perfectly! Moses has a younger 5 year old sister, Uwimbabazi, and an older sister, Clementine, whose t-shirt was in rags, exposing her maturing body. I didn't give them everything I brought for them from the US this first visit. I want to help them learn how to care for their new things and not overwhelm them when they have no place to keep an abundance. This is an issue I will take up with Compassion office in Kigali. I think some of the money I send should be delegated toward the household in general and health care.

What a delight to see them all, but the exertions of the trip caught up with me. I spent Wed at home in bed with gut issues and a very sore back. I spent over three hours on the bus rides between Kigali and Rukomo on a jump seat which tilted precipitously to the side. Although the highway has been newly paved for three-quarters of the distance, the constant turning from side to side took a toll on my back. After a day of pain killers and bed rest, the back pain was greatly reduced, so I was able to return to teach on Thursday, although the gut issue is still not resolved. If it were worse I would suspect amoeba, but it’s just bad enough to be annoying, not a health risk. One of the teachers informed me that the water I had been given by the kitchen as “boiled” was probably just out of the rain barrel and is likely what has made me sick.

More on other items in the next post ... and maybe some pictures.

"You Are My Sunshine"

1 May 2013

This update has been constructed over the period of a week as I have been suffering from depression; not that I feel sad, but lacking in energy and motivation. Last year, Charissa was still living in Kigali and I lived with her while I acclimated to the new time zone and climate. This year was quite different emotionally for me with no family or even Amani, with whom I taught the previous two years. Apparently the added stress of not being able to sleep through the night, not being able to communicate with the USA due to modem problems, no refrigerator (no cold food), new spider bites every night, no running or hot water, not to mention missing Doug, has taken its toll on me.

On the other hand I am enjoying living so close to school and teaching with Sarah (actually having a curriculum instead of teaching spontaneous, unplanned lessons). Receiving a warm reception from the teachers and students has also been very positive and encouraging. Today was a holiday for Rwandan workers, similar to Labor Day. I slept soundly for 10 hours last night and have felt upbeat all day.

Sarah and I are fast becoming friends as well as team teachers. Last week we met some of the teachers at the banquet room of the Eastern Club (a bar) to watch a soccer match between Arsenol and Manchester United. I found it much more interesting than the children’s matches I have been used to watching in the USA! I am now an Arsenol fan! Today, she and I met Rachel downtown, shopped for vegetables and igitenje (pronounced Ee-jee-TEN-jay) — the African fabric I have used to sew shopping totes. Olive, the 7B shop owner did not speak English, but we negotiated by writing prices on a paper. She also helped me find a shop which sold thread! The fabric came in handy as the skies opened up with a deluge while we were walking home. We unfolded the fabric and used it as raincoats and ran the rest of the way home! Heaven knows we need the rain as we have not received enough during this rainy season.

While at ALARM center in Kigali I was shown the sewing machines which used I discovered in a storeroom at IWE last year. They have all been repaired by a technician and are ready for use. I want to see if they will send two of them back to IWE, so that I can teach the students and several eager IWE teachers how to sew on them. Transporting them back to Rwamagana without breaking them again will be a challenge, and no classroom space is available at the school; so perhaps I can set them up in the little main room of our house. Sarah is hoping to teach at IWE through the entire school year, so even after I leave the machines would be available for use to the school. This will take some negotiation!

Another problem solved: On Friday I asked the computer sciences teacher at IWE, Antoinne, why Sarah’s modem wouldn't work on my computer. He explained that it was configured to an Apple system and my computer uses Windows! Tonight I searched my suitcases again and actually found the modem which Charissa sent to me which is configured for Windows. As soon as Antoinne helps me set it up I will be able to access the internet on my own computer instead of transferring everything to Sarah’s, as I am doing now.

The Korean friend I met last year in Rwamagana, David, visited with a young lady named Namin, newly arrived from Korea who contracted with Sarah and me to teach 20 hours of English over the following two weeks. I met with her on Friday and Saturday for 4 hours. The instruction and materials I received from Barbara and Dwight Gradin's language classes have turned out to be very valuable, especially the diagram of phonetic physiology and use of a mirror for her to check her mouth for correct formation! She made remarkable progress in those two days as she had been exposed to English vocabulary but had not spent any time speaking the language!

Monday’s schedule was cut short by a surprise faculty meeting. Of the many issues discussed, the one which most seriously affected the English teachers was the proposal to remove Sarah and Blaise — the student teacher, or intern, as they are known here — from the classes they are currently teaching and assign two classes to me, two new classes to Blaise and four classes to Sarah, whereas I have been aiding Blaise and Sarah in all 8 classes as I did last year. This was done in the name of continuity for the students! The students had complained that Sarah was focusing too much on verbal communication, reading and writing and not enough on grammar! Eventually we convinced Theogene and Theopiste (the headmistress) that grammar taught out of context was useless; so they will keep the classroom assignments remain as they are presently. The faculty meeting was dismissed at 7 pm! Sarah and I were so glad to find that our housekeeper — my dear friend from last year, Regina — had made dinner for us before she left for home!

I will close with a highlight of the week for me. During a particularly heavy lesson, I promised the students that if they would concentrate and finish quickly, we could end the class with a session of singing songs I had taught them last year. They eagerly cooperated! The first song they wanted to sing was “You Are My Sunshine!” followed by the round, “Praise the Lord Together Singing Alleluiah!” (which really impressed me, because singing in the round was a new concept for them, yet they had practiced it during my absence!) They closed by begging me to sing the Rwandan song I learned 2 years ago and cheering enthusiastically when I finished successfully.

A Long Way From Home

27 April

Since Maja is having some connectivity problems, I will pass along a couple of items from our conversation this morning.

1. She is thankful to be living with Sarah. They get along well and the house is adequate. Yesterday she supervised the installation of some shelves in her bedroom. Now she can keep her clothes up off the floor, which will prevent the cockroaches from nesting in them.

2. A young Korean girl has moved to Rwamagana as part of the Korean version of Peace Corps. Her first task is to do intensive English language study. Maja has become her teacher: the girl reads well, but has no confidence in speaking. So Maja is very grateful for the training she received from Dwight and Barb Gradin concerning how to use various parts of the mouth to make word sounds. After one more week of this intense training, Maja will remain her language mentor for the rest of her time in country.

3. There have been some surprises at school. One of the teachers has been made “dean” of the faculty and has made changes to the teaching rotations without consulting the headmistress or the teachers involved. Maja and Sarah have managed to delay implementation until they are able to have more discussion with him. So they’d like prayer for wisdom in their deliberations and an ability to persuade him to organize the classes more effectively.

Relying on your prayerful support,

Doug

The Next Step: Rwamagana

20 April 2013

I had a hard time on the flights fighting the remainder of my cold. It’s a good thing that I brought along a cloth hankie, because it was used to capacity! Arriving in Kigali was a breeze. Even though my backpack was heavy with two laptops, I was able to bring it onboard; and my checked bags arrived on the same flight as I did! I quickly divested one bag of over 20 pounds of equipment which I brought over for Paul, a new employee of ALARM. Since ALARM’s car was at the mechanic’s when I arrived 17 April, Benjamin hired a taxi to pick me up and I spent the night at the guest house in Kigali. There I met Jeff and Brooke Hartman, a young couple who work for World Next Door, an agency founded by Barry Rodriquez of  Indianapolis, which addresses global social injustice issues. They have spent 3 months here documenting the work done by ALARM in Rwanda. You can see their report on their internet magazine at www.WorldNextDoor.org.

I also met Barbara and Charles, a retired couple from S Carolina who are volunteering for ALARM to revitalize a coffee plantation in Cyimbili (pronounced chim-BEE-lee), on the shores of Lake Kivu in western Rwanda, a four-hour drive from Kigali. It is called Hope for 1000 Hills! They are restoring the guest house for tourist business and have replanted and pruned 40,000 trees. The unprocessed coffee beans are encased in a fleshy berry, and the plantation now harvests a ton of berries per day! They still need to find a local means of roasting the beans in order to be profitable. The sale of this coffee will help support ALARM programs in Rwanda.

Sarah (my future teaching partner) had come to Kigali for the weekend and came to the guest house to meet me. We took a bus downtown to exchange my dollars for Rwandan francs. I turned in four $100 bills; two new and two used. I had to conduct two transactions since the new bills were worth 665 RF per dollar and the used bills were worth 650 RF per dollar! That has changed quite a bit from last year when the best exchange rate was 613 RF per dollar.

By the time I returned to the ALARM guest house it was too late to drag my two heavy suitcases downtown and buy 3 bus tickets for myself and my bags to Rwamagana, so I spent another night in Kigali. When I pictured maneuvering those bags in the rain across the Bedlam bus lot, trying to dodge vans jockeying for position, I decided that it was worth the cost of taking a taxi to Rwamagana ($60) instead of risking my life at the bus depot. My friend and housekeeper from last year, Regina, met the taxi at the main highway, and we greeted each other with hugs and tears of joy. She guided us through town toward the school and Sarah’s house. Sarah’s unit is one of two duplexes which face each other across a stone-paved driveway behind a large locked gate. One of our neighbors is a Rwandan policeman who parks his truck at the end of the drive.

I believe I will stay with Sarah, even though her house is half the size of the one I lived in last year. It has electricity. It also has a rain catchment system, although it has no running water. It does have an indoor toilet and a shower area. We just use a bucket of water to flush with. I can handle that! Regina heated some water for me in an electric kettle and I mixed it with cold water to bathe and wash my hair Friday evening. We also have a two-burner electric hot plate but no refrigerator. The cooking area is in one corner of the living room and the bedrooms are located off either side of the LR. Regina’s sons, Maniple (pronounced Ma-NIP-poo-lay) aged 14 years, and Manzi, aged 10 years, walked over to spend the day with me. What a great visit we had! Maniple will leave for the new term at boarding school in Kigali on Saturday, so Regina will bring over his bed, which means I don’t have to buy a new one. She brought over the set of towels and the pillow I left with her when I departed last year. I have no closet or furniture in my bedroom, so I folded my clothes and stacked them in categories along one wall. I may invest in a pegboard, so I can hang up some of my clothes.

Amani (with whom I taught last year) lives in another town now in the Southern province and will come to visit me when he can. Sarah and I will be the official English teachers at IWE. She has downloaded the official Rwandan Secondary Curriculum outline and we will design lesson plans based on that progression. She also downloaded the Primary Curriculum so we can use that to bring the girls who are below grade level up to date. I'm really looking forward to what we can accomplish together!

School starts tomorrow ...

Rwanda At Last

18 April, 2013

Long-time friends Joy and John Hosier picked me up from Midway Airport on Monday, 15 April, and brought me to their home in Naperville. It was great to eat dinner and spend the evening catching up with their family. They drove me to the International Terminal at O’Hare Airport on Tuesday and we bid our fond farewells. I had two of the largest, lightest-weight suitcases on the market packed to the gills. One weighed 50 pounds exactly and the other weighed 58 pounds. I packed clothes for the family of Moses, the Rwandan boy we sponsor, and for some other friends; technical equipment for an American who just moved to Kigali to work for my sending agency, ALARM; and educational materials (including 3 cameras and a laptop) for IWE where I will teach English. I also brought some clothes to teach in!

Last week I was fighting a cold, but seemed to beat it; however the day before I left I started sneezing and suffering post nasal drip, which made my throat sore. The plane rides to Chicago and Rwanda were uneventful except for fighting this cold. I sat alone at a window seat on all three planes! The biggest disappointment was finding that the WiFi in Amsterdam was down so I couldn't check in with Doug. I arrived there at 0600 and walked through the terminals window shopping until 0900, when I bought a croissant & hot tea at a shop with free WiFi, which was, again, a bust, but the croissant was good!

Flying straight from Amsterdam to Kigali made a much easier and shorter time in transit. I was relieved to have my two big suitcases show up on the carousel in Kigali, and to recognize Ben, the head of ALARM, Rwanda at the airport to pick me up. I was also met by an ALARM employee who relieved me of over 20 pounds of equipment which I had brought for him. After warm greetings, Ben and I took a taxi to the ALARM guest house in Kigali where I spent the night. I had succeeded in staying awake on the 7-hour flight from Amsterdam so it was not difficult to fall into bed after a lovely shower.

 I am still taking cold medication but the symptoms are not as severe this morning. The ALARM car is in the garage for repairs; so it is not clear how or when I will continue to Rwamagana to meet Sarah, my housemate and fellow teacher at IWE! It sounds like big drops of rain are hitting the tin roof but it may just be the sun warming it up!

Photo Memories from Rwanda

After the latest round of genocide was brought to an end in Rwanda in 1994, the people elected Paul Kigame to be their president. Refugees returned from near and far.  No family was without a horror story, either in committing murder or having members murdered. Countless women were infected with AIDS through rape. Huge numbers of children were left orphaned. Many more would be orphaned in coming years as their mothers  died from AIDS. Many neighbors took in orphaned boys and girls to help in their homes and fields, but many more were left to fend for themselves on the streets.

ALARM (Africa Leadership And Reconciliation Mission) held conferences in villages throughout the Rwanda, helping old neighbors who had become enemies face each other to reconcile. They established IWE and brought in seven orphaned girls from the streets, offering housing, food and education. Last year, those first seven girls graduated! When I first visited IWE in 2011 with Taylor University, there were 250 girls sleeping in one dormitory and studying in 7 classrooms. When I returned to teach English for a full 3-month term in 2012, ALARM had built a second dormitory, opened another classroom by utilizing the old office/faculty rooms, and enrolled 460 students! Like all the schools in Rwanda, the students had no textbooks; so they hand-copied their lessons into notebooks from information the teachers wrote on the blackboards, which were rough, cracked and glazed. Initially I couldn't understand why the teachers wore white lab coats regardless of the subject taught, but it was a simple way to protect their clothes from the clouds of chalk dust which rained down on them!

One way of making a break from their colonial past was to depart from using French, the language imposed upon them by the Belgians for education and business transactions. Most new technological literature was written in English, therefore the decision was made to have all classes and business transactions conducted in English. Unfortunately most of the teachers didn't speak English! They wrote their lessons on the board in English, but they didn't engage the students in English conversation! Language transition was not the only problem; their educational philosophy also obstructed learning, in that like much of the world, Rwandans equated education with memorization instead of grasping concepts. 

It took a while, but eventually I not only taught English classes to the students but after classes ended for the day, I taught English to the teachers as well. Initially hesitant, the teachers became my most eager students! They are also open to learning and implementing more effective educational philosophies which will be one of my main goals this year.

Maja

Here are photos of some of the students and teachers from my trips to IWE in Rwamagana, Rwanda in 2011-2012.

Scenes from my first 3-day visit to IWE in 2011:

Looking back down the Main highway heading east from Kigali to Rwamagana.

Taylor students in the bus on our way to  Rwamagana.

One of the students writes a love note on the blackboard after I taught an English lesson. Notice the chalk dust on the wall and floor!

Waiting in the field before the basketball game started. They only have one hoop!

A few of the English students eager to be photographed with a muzungu from America.

The Twins, who choreographed this gospel music dance.

Students put on a Traditional Dance at a Farewell Ceremony for Taylor U. students.

 Photos from my 3-month stay at IWE in 2012:

Composing Final English Examinations in the teachers' room.

English Teacher, Amani, who is working on his law degree, in front of one of the 8 World Maps donated to IWE by National Geographic Society.

Physics and CalculusTeacher, Noah, who takes the bus from Rwamagana to Kigali every weekend to see his wife & son.

French teacher, Sylvia.

Business Teacher, Rachel, writing examinations in the IWE teachers' room.
Notice the hanging white lab coat; sitting on the floor, the only globe at IWE; and on the table, a handy blue box of chalk! The teachers are required to keep all student notebooks and exams in boxes on the shelves for 5 years in case of a dispute!

Packing For the Trip

12 March 2013 - I have just celebrated my 63rd birthday and I'm leaving tomorrow to visit my family in Northern California before I leave for Rwanda.

For those who are new, I first visited Rwanda with Taylor University's Student Mission Trip in 2011. We were sponsored by ALARM, Africa Leadership And Reconciliation Mission. I spent 2 weeks based in the capital, Kigali, and traveling with Taylor students to serve meals to the poor at a hospital, encourage women at a Leadership Conference, and teach English at a Secondary school, IWE (pronounced EE-way) the Institute for Women of Excellence, a girls' orphanage in Rwamagana, 60 km east of Kigali, and a Technical School which teaches masonry, carpentry, plumbing and electrician (ry?!)

When the students traveled on to Uganda, I hooked up with our elder daughter, Charissa, who was teaching at a secondary school in Mulinyi and living in the VERY little village of Cyuru (pronounced CHEW-roo) with the Peace Corps. We worked together for 3 weeks with me acting as her teacher's aide. The village had no running water or electricity, and we slept together on a floor pad under a mosquito net.

I fell in love with the people of Rwanda and returned in 2012 to teach a full term at IWE, from April to July. I will return this year for the same term, departing 15 April and returning in late July.

Watch for photos, as soon as I learn how to post them!!
~Maja