A Birthday to remember...

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