"Hillywood"

Since training began we have had a few different PCV’s come and do learning sessions for us.  It is so exciting to get an idea of what things will be like when we get to post and these are by far my favorite classes.  The PCV that came last week titled her presentation “Hillywood” which compared living in Rwanda to being a celebrity in the U.S.  This is very true and a bit overwhelming to say the least. Here are a few examples she used in her presentation.

·         You are on display all the time

·         You will be followed and stared at

·         You will be paraded around and shown off

·         People will scrutinize what you do, where you go, who you are with, etc.

·         You will be judged by your appearance

I have experienced all of these on several occasions already.  Sunday I attended a meeting for a religious women’s group my reference mother is a part of.  I sat in the front of a crowded room of about 30 women who all stared and laughed at me every time I tried to speak.  Afterward we stopped at all the neighbor’s homes where I was again stared and laughed at. On Saturday I went for a walk with a friend.  On our way back we were suddenly joined by about 15 boys.  It started to rain and luckily another PC house was nearby so we ran to their porch to hide and all 15 followed us right onto the porch and didn’t leave until we went into the house.  This is how it is all the time.  It’s pretty much impossible to go anywhere outside without drawing a crowd.  Even at our house there are children who sit at our fence and look into our windows so we have to keep the curtains in the front closed at all times, luckily our backyard is completely fenced and they can’t see in so we can hang out back there.  Once I get to my post and people get to know me I won’t be such a novelty anymore so hopefully some of it will fade but I will definitely be watched closely my entire time there.  The plus side to that is they will also be very protective and help keep me safe. 

This past weekend was amazing!  On Sunday, for the first time in probably months, I didn’t set an alarm!  I still woke up at 6 am but I laid around in bed until 8, it felt so good!  It was a very low key day spent washing clothes, cleaning a little, writing some cards, spending time with my resource family, and then ended with a nice long phone call with my parents.  I didn’t realize just how much I needed some time to myself, to do things I would normally do at home in the states and regain some of my independence.  It was a perfect day and I feel completely recharged!

This week is pretty much like the others except on Thursday we get our site assignments!  I cannot wait to find out where I will be for the next 2 years.  We had interviews and were able to discuss our preferences I didn’t really say too much because I don’t really know enough to feel confident in making a choice.  I did however, request to go somewhere I will teach biology and not chemistry or physics and someplace that has electricity which almost all the places do.  Next week they thrust us out of our little PC bubble and send us to our sites for a visit.  They haven’t even let us take a local bus by ourselves but now they will send us across the country all alone.  I’m sure it will be just fine though, they always make sure we are well prepared.