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!