February 18, 2010

Although I have much to tell about being here in Byumba, I would first like to tell you that my nephew, Drew Neilson, just competed in the Winter Olympics in downhill Boardercross. For youse not in the know, it’s where five, (I think five), snowboarders start at the top of a mountain and race to the bottom. The boarder that gets to the bottom first is the winner. Drew finished eleventh in the world! Way to go, Drew!!

Since last entry I am feeling a lot better and seem to have adjusted to the altitude. I still get tired but I think that’s just old age! I am feeling more settled in my little house, finding places for things and getting my schedule streamlined.

They told me I would lose weight but would you believe I’m three notches in on my belt now??? Not buying meat here has turned me into a vegetarian and I must admit, it agrees with me.

There are so many things you just cannot get here. Unless you know someone with cows, you buy powdered milk. I’d kill for a jar of Miracle Whip and a tub of peanut butter. They do have peanut butter here but it is laced with sugar. Brown bread is only available in Kigali and it is very dear.

Today I walked all the way up the hill to find lima beans to make manipulatives for math and to find clothes hangers. Came home with nothing but sore hips. Oh, and I’m also wanting a conical coffee maker thing that you put a filter into, spoon in the coffee and then pour hot water through. The Turkish style coffee maker I have splurts all over my stove and doesn’t really make very good coffee.

Anyway, on to more interesting news. Meg took me to a tea factory. It is very close to the Rwandan border and in the area where Paul Kagame had his headquarters when he was leading the Rwandan Patriotic Front, (RPF). I expected this factory to be similar to the ramshackle sugar factory I saw in Mexico but was pleasantly surprised to see a very well-run place. We saw many tea-pickers along the way as we were jouncing over the dirt roads. Apparently, only the very top three leaves are picked for the best quality tea.

In the factory we saw the complete drying process. I bought some tea at the factory and although I have never tasted a tea that I like as well as coffee, this is darn good tea.

I decided to buy a refrigerator. I found a little, bar-sized fridge at Nakamutt in Kigali. Including the surge-protector, it cost $249 CND. It is difficult planning meals when you have to eat the food before it spoils. A FRIDGE is a huge luxury here though. The majority of the people do not have fridges and for the matter, don`t even have enough food.

The Sunday we picked up the fridge, Pastor Thaddee, two others and I attended an HIV/Aids outdoor conference in Gitarama which is south and west of Kigali. It was attended by all faiths minus the Catholics. There were many impassioned speeches promoting the use of condoms, all in Kinyarwanda. I spent the time admiring the fashions the ladies wore, everything from traditional African dresses to Muslim suits. The African women wind cloth around their heads in such a fetching way.

Finally, Thaddee and I got my green card. I won’t bore you with the long, long process but I have it now and can legally work.

Two days ago Thaddee took me to the Anglican Diocese Elementary school which is across the street from where I live. He gathered all the teachers together to formally introduce me and I gave a little account of what I was there for, where I was from, etc. Then Pascal, the Head Teacher, (Principal), took me and introduced me to every class.

I am struggling to find the words to make a picture for you of what I saw. Picture a long U-shaped building made of bricks. There are glassed windows, (this school is lucky, most schools just have holes for windows), only on the inner side of the U which may open or close. Inside the classrooms are rough desks that seat three. Two sides of the room have very crude blackboards, (don’t know what they’re made of but they’re not slate). There is no electricity so on cold ,rainy days, it is too dark to see what is written on the blackboard.

Class sizes are up to 70. Each room is a sea of lovely, black faces, all with shorn heads so it’s hard to tell the girls from the boys until they stand up and then you can see if they are wearing a skirt. They have split the school population in two, half go in the morning and the other half attend in the afternoon. Teachers start at 7:00 and leave at 5:00. Apparently, they are very poorly paid, as well, and in the words of my friend Penina, the Education Manager, education is not happening very well because teachers are not motivated. No wonder!

There are NO materials. The teachers only have chalk.

I watched a lesson where the teacher was teaching them to simply say and write, “good morning, teacher.” She wrote it on the blackboard, had them repeat it in chorus, then asked several of the 70 kids to repeat it, and then asked for volunteers to write it on the board. Only 10 of the 70 got to practise. The others were to write it in their notebooks but only a handful actually had a notebook or even a piece of paper. This whole process took over over 30 minutes. It’s heartbreaking!

I think my music is going to be useful here. I taught a little music in some of the classes and they loved it. When Pascal was introducing me to the children in each class he asked if anyone would like to sing in a choir. ALL hands went up. Yikes! There are over 1,000 kids in this school.

There is so much more I would like to express about this country. It is hard to put into words the thoughts and feelings I have. I am in awe when I realize how far this little country has come in 16 short years since the genocide. Think about it, if you were plopped into a totally devastated country, a million orphans, infrastructure destroyed, most educated people dead, what would you do first? It is mind-boggling what they have accomplished. I feel such anger at the foreign powers that are responsible for what happened in Rwanda.

There is a huge, rust-coloured, bee/bug about 1 ½ inches long, flying around my fluorescent light and it’s bugging me. I’ve given him three chances to leave so now he must die. Can you believe I cannot find a fly swatter in this country? I use my rubber glove.

This morning I took a picture from my back door because I could see not one, but three of the Virungi volcanoes. I’ll see if I can download it as I have been told that I need to reduce the size of my photos if I want them to download in less than 10 minutes each.

That’s it for now.