It’s been awhile and I have to admit I’ve been putting off writing this blog.  About 3 weeks ago my grandpa died.  I’m heartbroken just like everyone else in my family and all the others who knew him.   He was one of kind.  All he had seen and experienced made him truly remarkable.  His wisdom was evident not by lectures he gave about how to live life but by how he lived his.  He was humble, generous, sincere and loving.  And of course funny.  He loved to make people laugh; the waitress at the restaurant, his neighbors or one of his many great-grandchildren.  He just wanted to make people happy.  There so many wonderful memories I have of my grandpa but I will never forget is this look he had.  Whether it was family, friends, or a stranger, it didn’t matter; he looked at you with his gentle eyes and just a small sweet smile and it was like you got a glimpse of the peace he felt in his life; the peace that can come only from 101 years of life.  I instantly felt calmed, like nothing else really mattered and overwhelmed with love.  Everytime.   

My life won’t be the same without him but it will never be the same for having him a part of it.  I’m so lucky. 

My grandpa and I

And so life goes on. 

I just got back from Uganda.  I went with 3 friends for the 4^th of July.  It just so happens that the 4^th here in Rwanda is also a holiday as it marks the end of the Genocide so we had a long weekend.  We visited Lake Bunyooni just over the Rwandan border.  It’s known for its beautiful scenery and islands.  When we arrived at the lake we took a dugout canoe to the island where we were staying.  On the way we passed a school on one of the islands just as school was finishing.  The kids all filed down to the dock and packed onto one of the canoes with one of the students in the back rowing them all to shore and home for the day.  Their version of a school bus. 

When we got to our island we climbed out of the boat and up the hill where we found an open air lounge with tables and couches where some visitors were reading, eating, playing games or just talking and enjoying the scenery.  We were greeted by the staff and shown to our rooms.  We booked the geodomes, which are hut-like structures made of bamboo and grasses.  They are circular but on one side there is no door or wall and it open up to a large deck that overlooks the lake.  Inside there were 2 beds with mosquito nets so it was like we were sleeping outside but still protected from the bugs and rain.  It was beautiful

So we spent our time eating (the food was awesome!) relaxing and talking.  On Saturday my friend Kerianne and I decided we would rent one of the canoes and take it out to explore one of the nearby islands.  Before the trip I had read about the lake in a travel book.  They talked about how visitors can take canoes out but often have difficulty steering the boats as they are not exactly built like the canoes we are used to and they often end up spinning in circles referred to as ‘muzungu circles.’  I unfortunately have to admit Kerianne and I did our fair share of ‘muzungu circles’  There was talk of me getting out of the boat and swimming it back to shore but thankfully we got the hang of it towards the end.  Needless to say though we never made it to the other island.  Later we took the boat out again and went swimming which is a pretty big deal because most of the lakes around here are infested with a parasite but this lake is at a high elevation and much colder so the parasite doesn’t live in it.  And let me tell you, that lake was cold but oh so worth it! 

After our 2 nights at the lake we went to Mbarara where a friend I traveled with has a friend living.  We stayed at his house and cooked a great dinner of grilled kabobs and even had s’mores for dessert.  It was a real 4^th of July celebration!  (minus the fireworks)  

Lake Bunyooni wait for our boat

Our geodome

The view from our deck

The canoes

Genevieve, Kerianne and I in our geodome 

Boat ride back to the mainland

Our 4th of July dinner

And now to my other titles, volunteer, teacher, nurse, etc. I can now add chicken farmer.  After hiring a local carpenter to build me a chicken house I have purchased 2 Rwandan hens.  I say Rwandan because there is another common breed that lay nice big eggs everyday called of course muzungu chickens, because according to Rwandans “white people love eggs.”  I opted for the local breed though because I really don’t need eggs every day.  After I got them I was telling a friend how things were going she compared me to a new parent.  I didn’t know what to do, how to feed it, how to even pick it up.  I’m learning slowly and they’re still alive though so I must being doing something right. 

The day I got the hens a couple weeks ago, I came home from church and I went out to use the bathroom.  My chicken house was built right next to the latrine and as I approached it looked different, the doors were latched shut the lock had some wire on it.  I began to open the door and a chicken started clucking at me.  The man who I bought the chickens from had dropped one of them off while I was away.  I was sort of stunned and just sat there looking at it for a while.  I went inside paced a little and then went back out and looked at it again.  I did this routine about 3 times.  I just didn’t know what to do.  People here just let their chickens roam around the village during the day which is what I planned to do with mine.  Everyone assured me that they will go out during the day but will always return at night. 

Now I wish I had a good excuse for what I did next but I don’t, it was nothing other than sheer stupidity. 

I concluded that I should let it out.  I decided I would open the door and just let it do what it wanted.  I stood there and watched it for a little while and it didn’t really seem to do anything so I figured I’d go back in the house and come back in a few minutes.  I didn’t really think it would fly down from its house (not true) and I figured if it did I would see it walk by (definitely NOT true).  As anyone can guess when I went back outside the chicken was gone.  I had a chicken for less than 1 hour and I had already lost it.  I went and looked around for a few minutes with no sign of her.  My neighbor came home and sheepishly I admitted that the chicken was gone.  We went to the neighbors asking if they had seen it and then across the street another neighbor pointed at a hen wondering about and asked if it was mine.  The truth is I looked at my chicken for a while but only in its dark house through the chicken wire and wasn’t really thinking about what it looked like.  I yelled yes that it was mine while in the back of my mind praying that it actually was my chicken.  So with the help of some neighbors we cornered her and snatched her up.  This is also quite a site to see, several grown adults stalking and chasing after a chicken.  After that entire fiasco and she was locked up safely in her house she laid an egg!  Now I was like a proud parent!  It also made me question a little more whether or not she was my hen but no one has said anything about any missing chickens so I think I’m in the clear.  It’s been a fun new challenge for me and hopefully I reap some of the benefits too.  

My chicken house, it is separated into 2 one for each chicken

Henrietta and her first egg (back in the corner)

My house with the sunflowers I planted

The terms almost over, we have exams next week and then a 3 week break.  I don’t have much planned just visit a few friends and relax.  I’ve been jealous of all those teachers with nice long breaks for years and now I finally get it too!  I may never want to give it up!

All my love,

Annie