Well I knew my birthday would be nothing like any other birthday I've had but it was even more eventful then I could have predicted.
The day started out great. When I woke up my e-mail inbox was flooded. I had e-mails from so many people I never expected to even know my e-mail address let alone that it was my birthday. Turns out my mom had e-mailed everyone she knows to tell them it was my birthday. Since I've gotten here I've realized just how much support from everyone back home means to me and it was especially wonderful on my birthday! I told my mom it was like an electronic surprise birthday party! It was fabulous!
I didn't have to teach until 10 so I had a leisurely morning and made breakfast, drank coffee, did some yoga and prepared myself to have a wonderful day. I arrived at school to teach my 3 classes of the day back to back. Just before my first class the kids have a 15 minute break so they usually just wonder around the school grounds until class begins again. Often times they take their time heading back to class after the bell has rung (just to be clear, by "bell" I mean the student who bangs an old wrench on a piece of old rusty scrap metal) so some teachers have begun punishing them if they are late. This day the kids saw a couple students get into trouble so they all took off running to their classes. In the midst of the chaos 2 kids collided and one girl hit her head on the cement and was knocked unconscious. I didn't see it happen but came outside about a second later and saw 2 kids lying on the ground. Long story short, some students came and carried her to the health center nearby and she was then transferred to the hospital.
I've been afraid of something like this happening since I got here and knew it was just a matter of time. I'm in a difficult position because I have the background in health care but PC does not allow me to provide any medical care, even health volunteers provide health education only. I went with the student to the health center which was an extremely challenging experience for me. When someone is sick or injured I'm used to taking action and for the first time wasn't able to. I felt helpless. I wasn't sure of my role, I wanted to help and make sure the student was ok but I didn't want to seem like the know-it-all, bossy American so I found myself biting my tongue a lot. I ended up staying with her until she went to the hospital and did my own little assessments so I could at least tell someone if things started to get worse and for my own peace of mind. After spending the weekend at the hospital the student came back to school and is thankfully just fine but it was definitely a learning experience for me.
So after that whole ordeal I went home and began preparing dinner. I had invited some of the other teachers from my school over and I had warned them I was going to cook American food. I made a simple dinner of spaghetti (technically Italian) since tomatoes and garlic are in abundance here and I even baked a chocolate cake. It turned out to be a wonderful night. They sang "Happy Birthday" to me more than once and actually enjoyed the food. Rwandan's are used to a very limited diet in terms of variety so they are often not too excited about new foods but the spaghetti seemed to be a hit, the cake however was another story. The 3 guys that came each took a bite but that was all because they said it was too sweet. The girls on the other hand loved it and even finished what the boys didn't! Just goes to show we girls can't help our addiction to chocolate!
The day really turned out great. Everyone was so kind and it really made me feel more a part of the group and not just an outsider. I hope it made them realize I am here to be their friends and a part of the community just like them. With the night being such a success and all the messages and love sent from home, I went to bed that night feeling so excited for all the possibilities and overwhelmed with love and joy. It was an amazing day!
One of the best parts of my birthday, however, came the following day. As I said before I'm fairly close to a larger town called Rwamagana. This is where I go to do all my banking. I think it was the first time I went into the bank the man working said he liked my name and wanted to know what the meaning was but he meant my last name not my first. I told him I wasn't sure if it even had a meaning but I would ask my mom. He told me he would name his baby Pexa if he knew what it meant. I didn't actually think he was serious so I pretty much forgot about it. He asked again when I went back but it slipped my mind again.
A side-note about names in Rwanda; parents choose 2 names for their children, a Rwandan name which is sort of like a last name and another which is usually like a first name and typically something a little more recognizable in English or French. Sometimes they give all their children the same Rwandan name but not always.
So the day after my birthday I received a text from a friend that lives in Rwamagana, she asked if I knew the man from the bank because he had name his daughter Pexa! Turns out another volunteer had been in the bank and he was telling her that he gave his daughter an American name, Pexa, but she said she had never heard of it. I couldn't believe it! The next day I had to go to the bank and saw him. He confirmed that he did indeed name his daughter Pexa and that everyone asks where he got the name. I saw a picture of little Pexa and she is of course precious as can be. I was really hoping she had been born on my birthday but she had been born a couple weeks earlier. I told him that I hope I can one day meet her and that I would actually find out the meaning of the name!
The weekend after my birthday I went to the northern part of Rwanda to visit my friend Nicole and enjoy a little mini-vacation (I did have some official PC business though as well). It was about a 4 hour trip to get there through the beautiful landscape of Rwanda. I felt like I was really going "up North" too. It's is cooler, greener, hillier (mountainous actually), and there is a huge lake similar to Lake Superior, all just like in Northern Minnesota. It was a strange and comforting feeling. My friend lives near Gisenyi which is a really beautiful city on the shore of Lake Kivu. There is a gorgeous beach and a park-like area which is not something you find often around here. It was a great weekend of cooking, watching movies, talking and laughing. It truly made my entire birthday week perfect!
All the events of the week were exactly what I needed. Sometimes I get caught up in over analyzing things, wondering if I'm doing enough, and if I'm doing the right things, that I end up putting so much pressure on myself and lose focus. I needed to take a step back and breathe a little. I felt like myself again, relying on my own judgment to make decisions and not letting all the questions and doubt cloud my mind.
Thanks again to everyone who sent birthday wishes! It was so great to know you were all thinking of me! It made my day so special!
All my love!
Annie
More Pictures! They are from my trip to Gisenyi and are meant to entice you all to come visit me!
https://picasaweb.google.com/AnniePexa/20110225?authkey=Gv1sRgCNTJ2ZjS8bKmFg&feat=directlink
Friday, February 25, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Well my trip to Kigali was quite successful and I accomplished all I had set out to do. I left early Saturday morning and met up with another volunteer on the bus. When we arrived in Kigali we were walking away from the bus stop when I thought I heard my name. I turned to see 2 other volunteers that had come in for the weekend. We ran to each other and made an embarrassing large scene for all the Rwandans around us to watch. We never noticed a thing though, we were so happy to each one another. After we settled down we proceeded to Bourbon Coffee which is Mecca to a foreigner here in Rwanda. You can get everything from iced mochas, burgers to ice cream and wireless internet. Needless to say we spent a lot of time there over the weekend! I had come to Kigali with a huge list of things I needed to buy and places I wanted to go but most of my time was spent sitting around catching up with the other volunteers. I did manage to get a few things I needed though and most importantly went to the PC office. Since we came to Rwanda all of our mail has been going to the PC post box in Kigali, occasionally during training they brought mail to us but I had only received one card that my mom had sent the day after I left. I had been told there were some things on their way so I was anticipating a nice pile of cards and packages when I got to the office and I was not disappointed. I was literally shaking with excitement opening all the letters and packages. It was so wonderful to have things from home and it wasn't so much about what the things were but just that they were from home. My sister sent some beautiful pictures made by the kids, spices and some other treats but in one of the packages was a plastic bag with leaves from fall. She said that Anna picked them out to send to me and I know this sounds completely ridiculous but I love the idea that she was the last one to touch them and now I had them and was touching them. (So cheesy, I know!) It was so fun to read all the cards and notes from everyone back home.
The rest of the trip was spent just hanging out, eating some good food and laughing about all the bizarre and awkward situations each of us have found ourselves in on multiple occasions. It was a much needed weekend to relax and recharge.
I was talking with a friend today about how great it is to go to Kigali but it's also such a strange feeling. We talked about how as PC volunteers we sort of live dual lives here but don't quite fit into either one. We have our lives in the village where we interact with Rwandans daily and integrate into the culture and community but clearly we are always on the outside to a certain extent. And then there is the ex-pat community in Kigali. These are the people that live in Rwanda but don't really live in Rwanda. They spend all or most of their time in Kigali, have electricity and running water and spend their free time shopping at the "muzungu" stores and eating at the expensive restaurants. As PC volunteers we definitely indulge ourselves and enter this world when we can but still are never fully a part of it. It's an interesting contrast that I'm still trying to figure out and feel comfortable with.
In other news, I found out Friday I will be teaching English. The Rwandan education system is rather complicated and the S1 students (freshman) just began classes last week. The school had planned the schedule for 3 sections but ended up getting more students than they had anticipated so they decided to add another section and asked me to help with English. I'm actually really excited about it. Unlike Biology the national curriculum for English is very vague (Example, Objective: Speak interestingly) which leaves a lot of room for creativity. I will be able to do fun activities with the kids since we won't have specific material we have to cover and I can take my time to make sure the kids really understand what I'm teaching.
I'm off to bed now, I have my first visitor coming tomorrow. Another volunteer who lives nearby is coming for the day. I'm looking forward to showing her my village and introducing her to my friends here and to seeing their reaction to her. Should be interesting!
All my love!
Annie
The rest of the trip was spent just hanging out, eating some good food and laughing about all the bizarre and awkward situations each of us have found ourselves in on multiple occasions. It was a much needed weekend to relax and recharge.
I was talking with a friend today about how great it is to go to Kigali but it's also such a strange feeling. We talked about how as PC volunteers we sort of live dual lives here but don't quite fit into either one. We have our lives in the village where we interact with Rwandans daily and integrate into the culture and community but clearly we are always on the outside to a certain extent. And then there is the ex-pat community in Kigali. These are the people that live in Rwanda but don't really live in Rwanda. They spend all or most of their time in Kigali, have electricity and running water and spend their free time shopping at the "muzungu" stores and eating at the expensive restaurants. As PC volunteers we definitely indulge ourselves and enter this world when we can but still are never fully a part of it. It's an interesting contrast that I'm still trying to figure out and feel comfortable with.
In other news, I found out Friday I will be teaching English. The Rwandan education system is rather complicated and the S1 students (freshman) just began classes last week. The school had planned the schedule for 3 sections but ended up getting more students than they had anticipated so they decided to add another section and asked me to help with English. I'm actually really excited about it. Unlike Biology the national curriculum for English is very vague (Example, Objective: Speak interestingly) which leaves a lot of room for creativity. I will be able to do fun activities with the kids since we won't have specific material we have to cover and I can take my time to make sure the kids really understand what I'm teaching.
I'm off to bed now, I have my first visitor coming tomorrow. Another volunteer who lives nearby is coming for the day. I'm looking forward to showing her my village and introducing her to my friends here and to seeing their reaction to her. Should be interesting!
All my love!
Annie
Friday, February 4, 2011
A little of this and that
I was on a roll there for a little while but have fallen behind on my blog posts. I'm not sure if that means I've gotten busier or that my life here has started to seem more routine, a little of both probably.
I have sort of fallen into a routine here which is nice and the days pass by quickly. Teaching is going well. The kids don't seem quite as intimidated by me and are more willing to talk and ask questions. I'm also beginning to learn some of there names which is really a much bigger deal then I would have thought. I gave one of my classes a quiz the other day and most did pretty well so hopefully that means they are actually learning something.
I've been here at site for almost a month now and to celebrate a bunch of us are going to Kigali (the capitol) to meet up, use wireless internet, sip iced lattes, eat American food and in the process spend a lot of money! Kigali is great because you are able to find many of the foods and luxuries we enjoy in America but it definitely comes at a price. Here in my village to eat a meal at a restaurant it cost about 600-1000 francs ($1.00-$1.50) but in Kigali it's pretty easy to spend 5,000-10,000 francs on one meal. It's worth it though for an occasional treat and I can't wait to relax and spend time with other PCV's. The best part of going to Kigali is that I will FINALLY get to pick up my mail. Some of it was sent in November and I still haven't gotten it so I'm dying to pick it up!
So nothing terribly exciting or noteworthy has happened in the past couple weeks but here are some of the highlights.
- Last Saturday was Umuganda, it is an event that occurs the last Saturday of each month. Everything closes and everyone in Rwanda is expected to participate in community service. People help build schools, repair roads, pick up trash etc. When I told a couple people in my village I wanted to help they laughed at me but I did convince one of my friends to let me tag along with her. The events are organized in each village and the current project was to build a house for a family. So we when we got to the site we helped by bringing mud bricks from an old building that had been torn down to the new one that would be built. The bricks were surprisingly heavy so my friend and I used a rice sack to carry one brick together, however most of the others were transferring bricks one at a time on their head. So while we, and most of the other women brought bricks the men mixed mud with their feet which was used to lay the bricks, a process just slightly different than in the US!
- Today I didn't make it to the market because a major rainstorm came through and when it was over everything was terribly muddy. A friend was visiting and I told her I had wanted to buy bananas and plantains. We were sitting outside my house which is on the road to the market so there were many people passing by with their items to sell so my friend began to flag down everyone walking by to see if they had any of the items I wanted. One woman had a huge bunch of plantains she was carrying on her head, she came over to where we were sitting and spun in a circle so we could see the quality of the bunch. I felt like I was in the dressing room with my mom or a friend who was modeling some item of clothing. It ended up that she wanted too much for them so she continued on. My friend then made a phone call and afterward she pointed to a bunch of trees near my house and said "how do those look?" At first I wasn't quite sure what she meant and then realized she was pointing and the bunch of plantains still hanging in the tree. She had called the owner of the trees and negotiated the price and on Monday she said I will be able to pick them up. Later a woman came by with bananas I was able to buy. So I managed to buy everything I needed from the market without even leaving my front yard.
- Today all over Rwanda local elections were held for village chief, secretary and other positions. I was out walking this morning and ran into a teacher from my school who was on her way to vote so I went along with her just to see what the process was. We went to a huge open field where there were 3 large groups of people gathering each representing a different village. People gathered around a few people talking who were apparently the candidates. After the spoke for a little while each positioned themselves in front of everyone a few feet apart. Everyone in the crowd then lined up behind the candidate they wanted to vote for. Once everyone was in a line there were a few voting officials that went through and counted each person. This was done for each open position and apparently continued all day long. I was told for other elections they do have private ballots but at the village level this is how they vote. An interesting process to say the least.
All my love!
Annie
I have sort of fallen into a routine here which is nice and the days pass by quickly. Teaching is going well. The kids don't seem quite as intimidated by me and are more willing to talk and ask questions. I'm also beginning to learn some of there names which is really a much bigger deal then I would have thought. I gave one of my classes a quiz the other day and most did pretty well so hopefully that means they are actually learning something.
I've been here at site for almost a month now and to celebrate a bunch of us are going to Kigali (the capitol) to meet up, use wireless internet, sip iced lattes, eat American food and in the process spend a lot of money! Kigali is great because you are able to find many of the foods and luxuries we enjoy in America but it definitely comes at a price. Here in my village to eat a meal at a restaurant it cost about 600-1000 francs ($1.00-$1.50) but in Kigali it's pretty easy to spend 5,000-10,000 francs on one meal. It's worth it though for an occasional treat and I can't wait to relax and spend time with other PCV's. The best part of going to Kigali is that I will FINALLY get to pick up my mail. Some of it was sent in November and I still haven't gotten it so I'm dying to pick it up!
So nothing terribly exciting or noteworthy has happened in the past couple weeks but here are some of the highlights.
- Last Saturday was Umuganda, it is an event that occurs the last Saturday of each month. Everything closes and everyone in Rwanda is expected to participate in community service. People help build schools, repair roads, pick up trash etc. When I told a couple people in my village I wanted to help they laughed at me but I did convince one of my friends to let me tag along with her. The events are organized in each village and the current project was to build a house for a family. So we when we got to the site we helped by bringing mud bricks from an old building that had been torn down to the new one that would be built. The bricks were surprisingly heavy so my friend and I used a rice sack to carry one brick together, however most of the others were transferring bricks one at a time on their head. So while we, and most of the other women brought bricks the men mixed mud with their feet which was used to lay the bricks, a process just slightly different than in the US!
- Today I didn't make it to the market because a major rainstorm came through and when it was over everything was terribly muddy. A friend was visiting and I told her I had wanted to buy bananas and plantains. We were sitting outside my house which is on the road to the market so there were many people passing by with their items to sell so my friend began to flag down everyone walking by to see if they had any of the items I wanted. One woman had a huge bunch of plantains she was carrying on her head, she came over to where we were sitting and spun in a circle so we could see the quality of the bunch. I felt like I was in the dressing room with my mom or a friend who was modeling some item of clothing. It ended up that she wanted too much for them so she continued on. My friend then made a phone call and afterward she pointed to a bunch of trees near my house and said "how do those look?" At first I wasn't quite sure what she meant and then realized she was pointing and the bunch of plantains still hanging in the tree. She had called the owner of the trees and negotiated the price and on Monday she said I will be able to pick them up. Later a woman came by with bananas I was able to buy. So I managed to buy everything I needed from the market without even leaving my front yard.
- Today all over Rwanda local elections were held for village chief, secretary and other positions. I was out walking this morning and ran into a teacher from my school who was on her way to vote so I went along with her just to see what the process was. We went to a huge open field where there were 3 large groups of people gathering each representing a different village. People gathered around a few people talking who were apparently the candidates. After the spoke for a little while each positioned themselves in front of everyone a few feet apart. Everyone in the crowd then lined up behind the candidate they wanted to vote for. Once everyone was in a line there were a few voting officials that went through and counted each person. This was done for each open position and apparently continued all day long. I was told for other elections they do have private ballots but at the village level this is how they vote. An interesting process to say the least.
All my love!
Annie
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