Amakuru?

... which is news in Kinyarwanda, also used to ask someone how they are. Ciao abantu (people in Kinyarwanda)! I’ve been in my village for over a month now and would like to share some of my observations and experiences with you. 

Some cultural differences that I struggle with:  Traditionally whistling is only done by men.  Unfortunately, I love to whistle but I’ve been trying to stop myself.  Snapping is mainly done for babies and animals.  I also enjoy snapping.  In Rwanda, I am still a girl because there are not separate words for woman and wife.  So marital status determines whether or not you are a girl, not age or maturity like in the US.  I have tried, with my limited Kinyarwanda, to explain that in the US I am not a girl. Rwandan culture respects women who are married and have children, so it impacts the amount of respect I receive.  The word for friend is basically boyfriend/girlfriend, so I have to explain myself when I use it.  I like the word friend in English, but in Kinyarwanda I cannot overuse it.  I normally call people co-workers instead of friends to avoid confusion.  I have not found a word in Kinyarwanda for please, so I just say thank you more often. Additionally, some people in Rwanda consider getting fat to be a good thing, so it is not rude to comment that a person is fatter. Unfortunately, several people have told me lately that I am getting bigger (I shouldn't be getting fat in Africa, right? It must be all of the starches and oil.) It's not fun to hear.  I try to explain that in my culture it is rude to comment on a female’s weight.

I’ve been thinking, you become more aware of your impact on the world and how much you use without running water, electricity, garbage removal, etc.  I get my water from across the street and pay 20 RWF for each jerry can (a big jug).  I pour my water into a bucket for my shower and I highly doubt my showers in the States only required one bucket. I normally charge my computer twice a week, meaning I have about 8 hours of battery time. As a college students, there were definitely days when I was on my computer the whole day- studying, responding to emails, messages, etc.  Every time I go online, I have to use a USB modem to connect to the internet. It charges for the amount of data I send and receive, but fortunately there is a “free” (I doubt it) facebook website so I have been able to keep the cost down.  I do not think there is a national garbage removal system, people just burn or bury their trash.  It makes me more aware of the garbage I am creating, which has been reduced since Rwandans are not as package crazy as we are in the US. There is a national ban on plastic bags which has been nice to see.  Instead of having a light at night or a stove/ microwave to cook with, I have a kerosene lamp, kerosene stove, and charcoal stove.  I also recently purchased a charcoal iron, when you do not have electricity charcoal is the way to try to still look professional.  I have been buying my kerosene in Nyamata, which is about a 30 minute motorcycle ride away because it is cheaper there than it is in my village.  If I run out of kerosene, I have some candles to provide some light.  I’m adjusting to my house and my village and I’m even finding myself appreciating things I did not think I would. 

Every time I want to leave my village I have to take a motorcycle taxi (I’m not allowed to take a bicycle taxi and there are no buses that leave my village.) I have to pay 4,000 Rwandan Francs round trip (the conversion is about 600 RWF=1 dollar).  It adds up.  Due to the price and everyone in my village noticing my departure and arrival on the motorcycle, my mobility is limited.  As far as the goals of the Peace Corps goes, that is a good thing because this experience is not about travel.  Rather it is about staying in one place, getting to know that place, and attempting to become a neighbor instead of a guest.  Sometimes I hear people referring to me as a guest, I hope with time they realize I cannot be a guest for 2 years (in the US that would be overstaying your welcome, right?).

Some of the best things I have been doing in my village (Kabukuba- think Cuba, said with a Spanish accent) have been taking walks, attending churches, and attending choir at school.  Sometimes I take 2 hour walks which mean I get to see more of the area and meet new people along the way. Once a person walked with me for a while and another invited me to sit in her yard with her.  I’m trying to make a habit out of exploring the area.  Attending church here is important because it helps me to be visible, meet people, and because about 95% of Rwandans are religious. My Christian background makes me more relatable and where someone goes to church is a frequent topic of conversation. One Tuesday, I heard singing after school which caught my attention (as music does). Since then, I have been trying to sing with students on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school.  The choir is a small group of Adventist students that gather to sing. They do not have an adult director, but they sound great. Singing helps keep me happy, learn the language, and get to know some students.  I also started playing soccer with some of the students last week.  It is challenging because of the higher elevation, heat, and because I am one of two girls, but I think it is good for me to run around. 

I don’t think I have described umuganda to you all.  The last Saturday of the month, Rwandans gather in the morning to cut grass, improve ditches, work on school property, etc.  I’ve heard sometimes the umuganda projects might be building a house or a school.  I guess it is a law that everyone does umuganda (which means pillar in Kinyarwanda), but I have not witnessed it being enforced.  Supposedly there is a fine you should pay if you do not do umuganda and some rich people choose to pay instead of participating. I’ve wondered how well umuganda would work in the US, I could see the majority of people not taking part or not wanting to.  Maybe I am being pessimistic. When I was in Nyanza, there were never enough tools, so I normally picked up garbage.  We’ve only had one umuganda since I’ve been in Kabukuba.  I used a cupa cupe to cut grass. It is a tool with a sharp edge on the bottom.  For many people, umuganda that day was watching me do umuganda.

All in all, I would say I’m adjusting to life in Kabukuba.  Weeks have been going by quickly and I have a few friends.  My closest friends are a wonderful family: a mother and father who have a 3-year-old girl and a month old girl.  They are very positive people and like me, love to laugh.  I’m happy to have had met them and happy that they have been so welcoming to me. 

Murakoze! Thank you for reading! I’m heading off to bed in a little, so good night!  Sweet dreams! 

Amahoro!

.. Meaning peace in Kinyrwanda or the house that I lived in during training.  

Greetings from Rwanda!! I’m sorry that it has been a while since I last blogged. 

I had an enjoyable Christmas with the other PCTs.  On Christmas Eve, we did a white elephant gift exchange and I received a sweet Obama plastic shopping bag with Obama’s smiling face, the White House, an American flag, and the phrase “Yes We Can.”  It was one of several Obama gifts, including some hats with his name.  After the white elephant, we had a talent show, dance, and dinner.  I sang “You and I” by Ingrid Michaelson with 2 friends, one who was playing the ukulele.  My house also sang “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” for kicks and giggles. 

I also had a nice birthday.  It was fun to have had the chance to celebrate in another country.  The highlight of my day was gathering with 4 other Peace Corps Volunteers and one Fulbright Scholar for lunch. Later on, I had dinner with a kind Rwandan family. 

In December I remember thinking…nothing like the smell of freshly machete-cut grass!  (I have not seen a lawn-mower since I’ve been in Rwanda, instead people cut grass with machetes.) I have to admit that at first it was a little bit jarring to see, but now it is becoming more normal to me. 

Living in a post conflict country was probably the thing that concerned me most before coming to Rwanda.  So far, it has not been as challenging for me as I thought it would be.  This could be due to the fact that my interaction with Rwandans is more limited during PST (pre-service training). Once I have developed more close relationships with Rwandans, I am sure I will hear more personal stories.  Something that has helped me living in this context has been the resilience of the Rwandan people.  For the most part society is keeping its focus on the future instead of dwelling in the past.  Since they have the strength to stay optimistic, I am trying to the same. 

Our training did not have very much focus on the genocide, but rather on the language (Kinyarwanda) and technical training for our teaching positions.  We have gone to two Genocide Memorials since we have been here.  Shortly after arriving, we went to the memorial in Kigali where 250,000 people are buried.  Later on during training, we went to the Murambi Genocide Memorial in the Southern province which was a much more difficult experience.  Many Tutsis fled to this former school during the genocide because they were told they would be safe there.  Unfortunately that was not the case and around 45,000 Tutsis were murdered.  The Murambi Memorial was much more challenging for me because there are around 20 rooms with bodies on display.  These bodies were found in a mass grave and preserved with lime.

Rwanda is a beautiful country and it saddens me that it is only known because of its painful history.  Rwandans affectionately call it the Land of a Thousand Hills.  Nyanza, where I lived for training, definitely has beautiful rolling hills.  It is impressive to see the way the hills are terraced for agriculture.  The north of Rwanda has volcanoes and gorillas, which I am hoping to see before I leave.  Rwanda is fertile and grows delicious pineapples, bananas, and avocados. I fear that I will not be satisfied with these foods once I get home because they are much more flavorful here.  The main exports of Rwanda are coffee and tea.  Another fun fact about Rwanda is that it is in the Great Lakes region of Africa, which makes me feel more at home knowing that a lake cannot be too far away.  Obviously these lakes aren’t quite as great as Lake Superior, but I will be continually disappointed throughout my life if Lake Superior is my golden standard. 

An update about my life…  The end of training was by far the busiest with intensive language (4-5 hours a day), teaching, and lesson planning.  It was also very helpful, as it gave me the opportunity to try teaching in a Rwandan classroom.  I am feeling more comfortable with language as well. It is still a challenge but Rwandans are encouraging and are even impressed when I can say good morning or good afternoon.

Once training was concluded, we traveled as a group to Kigali and participated in a swearing in ceremony on January 3^rd.  It was held at the US Ambassador’s residence, which was beautiful.  There were speeches given in English, French, Kinyarwanda, and music for the occasion.  We were served delicious American food afterwards. 

I moved to my village the day after.  My house was not ready when I arrived, so I stayed with the couple that I had stayed with during site visit.  I recently moved into my house, so I am still getting settled.  My favorite things in my house right are my kerosene lamp and my radio.  I can even listen to Voice of America (thank you Douglas) and BBC!  It has been quite a bit adjustment going from living with around 70 Americans to being the only American in a village, but as they say in Kinyarwanda “buhoro buhoro” which means little by little. 

Last week school technically started, but rather than teaching teachers gave supplemental exams for students that had not passed before.  Classes are starting this week, but all of the students have not yet

arrived.  My S4 students (10^th graders) might not come until February because they have not received the results for their exams to know whether or not they have passed.  Regardless, I have been enjoying getting to know the other teachers at school and answering their questions. 

Something that makes me smile is that some children are learning my name throughout my village.  “Umuzungu” is the Kinyarwanda word for white person and I hear this word daily.  I am trying to teach the children that although I may have white skin, my name is Allison and not umuzungu.  It feels like an accomplishment when they call me by my name.  I also think I have identified a good person that can tutor me in Kinyarwanda.  Hopefully we can start next week or sooner.

Thank you for all of the kind birthday wishes.  I appreciate the love!  

Happy belated Thanksgiving!

Hello gente (Spanish for people)! I have a hard time believing that it has almost been a month since I last blogged.  Thank you so much to all of you that have taken the time to read and comment on my blog. I appreciate knowing that I have the support of so many great people.  J

Some things I love seeing in Rwanda (in no particular order):

Goats: they are so cute. Babies! Especially on the backs of women. It is adorable to see two little feet poking out from behind a woman’s back.  People walking around with dead chickens in their hands or hanging off bikes, something I have never seen in the states.  I am still impressed with people carrying things on their heads. I carried a smaller jug of milk on my head the other day and ended up having some milk in my hair; apparently I need to work on my technique.  Hills are really great to see as well!

Something that is fresh on my mind is Thanksgiving! I had a really great time preparing for the holiday with the other trainees.  Our efforts were impressive, as was all of the teamwork that went into recreating Thanksgiving for about 90 people in Rwanda.  Multiple shopping trips were made, teams were assembled, and good food was the end result.  We successfully made mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes with a pineapple chutney and a ginger syrup, green bean casserole with beer batter onion rings, stuffing, ten turkeys, apple crisp, hot apple cider, and chai all without ovens and over charcoal stoves.  It was a lot of work, but I think we were all satisfied with the food and happy that we did not let the day go uncelebrated. 

Big news! I now know and have been to the site where I will be spending my Peace Corps service! I have been placed in the Eastern province, in Bugesera district, in a town called Juru.  I will be teaching at the secondary school in Juru.  My trip from Nyanza (where I am currently) to Juru involved a two hour bus to Kigali, an hour bus to Nyamata, and then a 20 minute motorcycle ride to Juru.  You should all imagine me with a large hiking backpack and a required Peace Corps motor-cross looking helmet on the back of a motorcycle. I am pretty confident it was an amusing sight.  The Eastern province is flatter and hotter than other parts of Rwanda.  Unfortunately I will not have running water or electricity at my house in Juru, but I am trying to romanticize the idea of using lamps and candles at night.  The headmaster, teachers, other community leaders, were very welcoming in Juru and took time to show me around and make me feel welcomed. 

Kinyarwanda is still a challenge for me, but I try to keep in mind that learning a language is not a race and does take time and patience.  Something that is particularly challenging for me is that there are 16 noun classes in Kinyarwanda. English has 2- singular and plural, Spanish has 4- singular feminine, singular masculine, plural feminine, plural masculine, Kinyarwanda has 16.  The noun is the central part of a sentence and depending on which class it falls in, it will change the way you construct the verb, adjective, etc.  Something that I can appreciate about the noun classes, however, is that it makes the sentence has quite a few alliterations which makes the language flow (and potentially become a tongue twister).  For example: the word for two is kabiri.  If you want to say I have two children, you would not say Mfite abana (I have children) kabiri.  You would say Mfite abana babiri. It sounds nice, but it can also provide some challenges.  I am find it interesting as I am learning to try to think about what the language can teach me about cultural differences.   

From what I have observed, it is more common in Rwanda than in the US to have hired help for cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc.  Someone pointed our to me the other day that part of the reason it may be more common is because people in the US own machines that simplify these tasks and save time.  For example, I have not seen a washer, dryer, oven, microwave, dishwasher, toaster, coffee pot, refrigerator, freezer, vacuum cleaner, etc.  Some people pay a person to fetch water for them since having running water is a luxury.     

Next week we start model school which I am somewhat nervous about.  Since it is currently summer break in Rwanda and we need to practice teaching, we are offering 3 weeks of English instruction for local students.  Each class will have about 40 students and we will be teaching 7^th and 8^th graders.  It should be a good learning experience for us because in addition to teaching, we will be observing our fellow trainees as they teach. 

So…. we are still in training until January and I am enjoying spending time with the other trainees.  Tomorrow we might attempt to make pancakes and no bake cookies since we get some free time on Sundays.  Should be fun! 

Sending sunshine your way,

Allison 

Santa Vaca.. I'm in Rwanda!

Muraho (hello in Kinyarwanda) and greetings from Nyanza, Rwanda!
I've been in Rwanda for over a week now, but today has been the first day that we've been given some free time so I can write. I hope that this blog can be interactive, so please post your comments and questions below. That way I will also know that people are reading!

Where to start? I guess I could begin with Philly where we had staging- a short orientation to the Peace Corps. I had the opportunity to fly to Philly the day before which was great because I was able to meet some of the other Peace Corps Trainees (PCTs, we are not technically volunteers until we've completed training and sworn in).  I also was able to get a good night's sleep before the orientation started.  At home, in Wisconsin, it was easy to be somewhat nerous about the experience that was awatining me, but once I got to Philly it was very encouraging to meet the 70 people that are also currently training in Rwanda with me.  And the packing and preparations were done, so I was able to start enjoying the experience.  We were only in Philly for two nights but that was enough time for me to eat some Philly pizza, a Philly cheese steak sandwich, some Ben and Jerry's ice cream, and  take hot showers! After receiving a yellow fever shot (the first of many shots), we boarded two buses for JFK's airport.  Two people on the trip brought ukuleles and we were serenaded while driving. I also loved that another PCT, played the song Africa by Toto as we approached JFK and once we landed in Kigali.  I'm sure that song will continue to make me smile in the future. 

The flights went well to Kigali, Rwanda and we arrived without even losing any luggage. Miraculous!
Since Rwanda is right near the ecuator, the sun rises and sets around the same time all year long. Our hours of sunlight are approximately 6 am- 6 pm, which meant that when we arrived in Kigali the sun was already down.  We awoke the next morning to the surprise of our new surroundings.  Rwanda is green, lush, (it is currently the short rainy season) and very hilly.  I'm loving the beautiful landscape.  We spent a couple days in Kigali which served as our introduction for Pre-Service Training (PST) which is the training that I am currently in.  PST focuses on language training, training about medical concerns, safety and security, cross-cultural training, and technical training which in our case is education.  All 70 of us will be treachers here in Rwanda. The majority will be English teacheres and the others will be science or math teachers.  After Kigali, we took a bus for a few hours and arrived in Nyanza, where we are having PST.  I like that Nyanza is a smaller town and is less crowded.  I live in a house with 9 fellow trainees and 2 Language and Culture Trainers (LCTs). 

I'll explain briefly what a typical day in PST is like for me.  There is a lot of material to be covered, so days are long and we have scheduled activities on Saturdays and Sundays as well.  I wake up around 6:00 and get out of my bed that is covered by a mosquito net (my princess net, I'm thinking of it as) and get ready for the day by showering.  Sometimes there is running water and sometimes there is not.  Where there is not, I take a bucket shower.  I'm gettting better at this new approach to showering, it just takes some learning. We have breakfast from 7-8, sessions until 10, followed by a tea/coffee break, more sessions, lunch, sessions, and then dinner around 6 or so.  Sometimes we have things going on after dinner, but normally by that point I'm ready to unwind and go to bed. 

One thing that has been fun for me is that each of us is assigned to a resource family.  Peace Corps is new in Rwanda and host families were not an option, but this is a great way for me to learn more about Rwanda.  I cook and eat with my family twice a week and spend about 4 hours there each time that I go.  I have 4 resource siblings and they are 14, 12, 7 and 5 years old. It is nice for me to be with a family. The children are adorable and I love when they sing and dance. 

I know some of you are probably wondering about food, which is a pretty important thing.  So far I think they've been giving us a  mixture of Rwandan and American food to ease us into a new diet.  We've mainly been eating plantains, rice, potatos, pasta, meat, beans, cooked vegetables, etc for lunch and dinner.  For breakfast we normally have bread with peanut butter or jelly or omelets.  The fruit has been good. We've had small bananas, passion fruit, papaya, and another fruit called Japanese tree tomatoes (I think). 

Kinyarwanda is the most widely spoken language in Rwanda, although some more educated people also know some French and English.  It's a pretty challenging language, but I realize I have only been here about a week and cannot expect things to click just yet.  I can say hello, how are you, what's your name, and other greetings.  Kinyarwanda has quite a few sounds that my mouth is not yet used to making, consonant combinations that do not exist in English- mf, mw, mb, etc.  Words seem to be pretty long, for example the word for volunteer is umukorerabushake. Hopefully I will get pretty good at saying it! Right now I am tongue tied!  

The weather has been nice. It feels like spring or summer most days.  Compared to the majority of African countries, the climate is pretty mild.  I have worn a sweatshirt at night a couple of times and have even uttured the words: "I'm cold."  Being that the weather is not as hot, the risks are not as serious for certain diseases compared to Niger, for example. 
So thankfully, I've been feeling healthy and my body is reacting well to all of the food we've been eating.  Rwanda is at a considerably higher altitude, so I find myself getting out of breath, but I am sure my body will adjust.  

I am sorry if there are errors in this post, I have been trying to type quickly.  Disclaimer: I don't know how frequently I will have access to the internet, but my goal is to post about once a month.  Please be patient with my communication.  

Lots of love from Rwanda,
Wishing you all well,

Allison