Let the fun begin...

I'm a Peace Corps Volunteer!  After thinking, planning and imagining for about a year and half here I am, it's real now!  The past few weeks have been a whirlwind to say the least and honestly I can barely remember what happened but I'll do my best to sum it all up. 

After Christmas we were all in a frenzy to get ready to go to site and more importantly pass our LPI (Language Proficiency Exam - I don't know what the 'I' stands for) and a few other random policy tests but the LPI was definitely the most important.  I was quite anxious about it as I didn't do well the the mock LPI we had the week before.  I spent the entire week devoting all my free time to studying and thankfully it paid off and I passed my test with flying colors.  New Years was actually pretty uneventful as we were all quite exhausted and had to force ourselves to stay up until midnight.  On New Years Day, myself and 6 other trainees hosted a party to say goodbye to our resource families.  We cooked a modified version of fajitas as well as some Rwandan food.  There were approximately 35-40 people who came but miraculously there was enough food for everyone.  It was complete chaos as there were people everywhere and the neighboring children kept jumping the fence and running in to steal food.  All in all though it was a complete success and everyone had a great time! 

New Years was also the day I skyped with my Grandpa who turned 101 on Christmas Eve.  It was so amazing to actually see him and I think he was in complete awe of the entire thing.  The changes he has seen in his 101 years are remarkable.  I'm so lucky to have such an amazing role model in my life.  Family has always been the most important thing to my Grandpa and he has instilled that in each of us but being away from home has truly taught me just how much my family means to me.  I am so grateful to come from such a strong supportive family.  Before I left and I had such a difficult time saying goodbye and my mom said to think of those that didn't have any trouble saying goodbye.  I've often thought how true those words are, if I didn't care that I was leaving then my life and what I am doing here would be far less meaningful.  I am overwhelmed with love in my life and there is nothing better to do than to share it. 

Anyway...sorry to go off on a tangent, on the 2nd we went off to Kigali for some last minute shopping for site and swearing in.  Then on Monday I, along with 64 others were sworn in as PCVs.  The ceremony was hosted at the U.S. Ambassador's home which was beautiful of course.  There were speeches given by trainees, the Ambassador as well as the Minister of Health here in Rwanda.  After the ceremony we were treated by the embassy to some amazing American food which incuded lasagna, quiche, cold pasta salad and there was even ice for our drinks!  Afterward we headed back to Nyanza and cooked the last meal with the far-side crew.  This was the group of girls I lived with and the boys who lived nearby.  We got the "far-side" nickname because we lived a significant distance from the rest of the trainees and were a little isolated from the others.  As a result though the 8 of us spent a lot of time together cooking and just hanging out. 

On Tuesday, bright and early people started leaving and the goodbyes began.  On Wednesday it was my turn and 5 of us set out for the Eastern Providence to each of our respective sites.  In the days leading up to this I had been feeling really good, I was done, I mean DONE with training and have been craving some independence and free time desperately.  So honestly I wasn't all the nervous or sad to go mostly just excited.  I had been feeling this way all day even until the Peace Corps van pulled away with the others, it all suddenly felt real and I was alone.  After a few deep breaths I mustered up the courage to go outside.  I needed to speak with my Headmaster so I decided I would see if I could find him.  I walked to the school (which is 100 yards away) but couldn't find him.  I decided to attempt to ask someone so I approached a man sitting on the side of the road that was trying to get my attention.  When I got to him he grabbed my arm and pulled as if to pull me to the ground so I pulled back and he stood up and immediately began to grab and pull at me and continued as I said no and pushed back.  Of course there was a crowd watching this entire interaction and after I finally pushed him off and stormed away I was informed that this man had some mental issues.  So happy this was the first person I chose to greet! 

After this I was feeling a little flustered and wanted only to run home as quick as I could and shut myself in but thankfully out of nowhere, like and angel, a colleague I had met earlier in the day swooped in to rescue me!  She took me to meet some people and get dinner and thanks to her I went to bed that night with hope and excitement rather than the fear and frustration I had been feeling ealier. 

I've had 3 full days now here since.  Thursday I met some of my neighbors.  I guess you could say my house is in the center of town and by that I mean there is a small bank and 3 little shops but there are always people moving around the area.  So I've hung out a little in each of the shops and have gotten to know the owners.  Friday I stopped by one to say hello and finally got back home 5 hours later after I was taken to the other store for a fanta and then ended up at one of the woman's homes.  After I made it back I then went to the market in my village with one of the shop owners.  The market is only on Fridays and it was obvious it was market day just by the shear volume of people walking outside, it's the Rwandan version of rush hour.  After about a 15 minute walk we arrived at the market which was actually much better than I had expected, there were clothes, shoes, school supplies and of course all the standard market food (potatoes, avocado, tomatoes, onion, bananas, cabbage, etc.)  We didn't stay long as it was quite crowded so I didn't have a lot of time to explore but I'm excited to check it out more in the future.  Today (Saturday) I went into Rwamagana the large city nearby.  I met up with some other volunteers to do some shopping.  There are about 7-8 volunteers that are all within an hour of Rwamagana.  It's pretty crazy, I definitely thought I would be much more isolated and that it would be months before I would see another volunteer.  I guess that's pretty much impossible when you cram 120 volunteers into such a tiny country. 

My house is small but really nice.  When I arrived on Wednesday they were still painting (a nice bright blue in case you were wondering) so I stayed next door but moved in on Friday.  My place used to be one big room but they put in a divider so now I have two.  I have a brand new latrine and shower just behind the house.  I'm not too keen on venturing out at night to use the bathroom, right now at least but thankfully my days as a nurse taught me I can go a long time without going to the bathroom.  I don't have any furniture yet so in the next few days I will find someone who can build me some of the basics. (bed, table, chairs, etc.)  I'm really looking forward to unpacking, decorating and just getting settled in. 

Although my days are filled with awkward moments and miscommunication I'm actually starting to feel at home.  Places and people are starting to look familiar and let me tell you seeing a face I recognize here is just about the best feeling in the world!  Today I was thinking about the exciting life changes that happen in the course of 2 years, births, weddings, etc. and I get to be a part of them while I'm here.  I guess that's one of the main reasons I chose to do the Peace Corps and live here for 2 years.  I want to really feel part of my community, not just an outsider that comes and then leaves again a few weeks or months later.  Two years is a long time but I know it will be well worth it in the end.

All my love,
Annie

p.s. I do love getting mail, however please hold off sending any for now.  I will be getting a new post box here at my site.  I'll update soon!

love actually is all around...

Merry Christmas everyone!  I hope you all enjoyed time with those you love! 
My Christmas was definitely different than past years but we all made the most of it. The festivities began Christmas Eve with a white elephant gift exchange.  This place is a gold mine for gag gifts so it was quite entertaining.  Then we had our talent show and let me tell you this wasn't just your average talent show.  I was blown away by my fellow trainees, there is some real talent in this group.  There were multiple songs beautifully sung, a story told by a trainee (who is a professional storyteller) and her husband about the secret to a lasting relationship (they've been married 42 years) and a rendition of the 12 days of Christmas which was rewritten to be the 12 days of model school.  It was all absolutely amazing and my cheeks ached the rest of the night from smiling so much!  I participated with my house and the boys who live near us.  We did a song called Crayola Doesn't Make a Color.  It's pretty much the cutest song ever mostly because I think of my nephews and niece everytime I hear it.  I recommend checking it out, you'll love it too!  My essential role was to keep the beat using my fanta bottle and a knife and then I chimed in during the chorus.  My roommates are quite talented so it turned out well and was a lot of fun!  The night then turned into one big dance party!  We had a blast but I think the Rwandans watching us the whole night were even more entertained!  When I thought the day couldn't have gotten any better I watched my family open their Christmas presents via Skype.  It was truly the best Chrsitmas present ever and there were lots of tears but lots of smiles and laughter too!  It was a magical night! 
Christmas was much more low-key.  We did a little baking in the morning and had delicious lunch of chili and cornbread.  Some very generous trainees donated their recipes and spices from America to the cause and fed all of us! It was definitely one of the best meals I've had since I got here!  Then I spent the rest of the day in a food coma watching movies, it was just like home!  We were able to clear out one of the classrooms and put about 12 matresses on the floor and projected the movies onto the wall. We all brought pillows and blankets and lounged around, it was fabulous!  Best of all we got to watch Love Actually which is not only the best Christmas movie but definitely one of all time favorites!  All in all it truly was a wonderful Christmas.  
Now we just have about a week and a half before we all scatter across the country to our respective sites. On January 3rd we will swear in as volunteers in Kigali, between the 4th and the 7th (I go on the 5th) the Peace Corps will deliver each of us and all of our things to our sites and on January 10th school begins.  I am really looking forward to teaching.  It has always been something I wanted to do and I'm so grateful for the opportunity.  I'm absolutely terrified though as well and know the first trimester will be a complete mess but with timehopefully it will all fall into place!  I'll take any advice from any of the teachers out there though! 
Other news since my last post:

• We went to a national park here in Rwanda a week ago, after a 3 hour ride there we hiked for about and hour and half when it began to down pour and then hail!  Who knew it could hail in Africa!  Then we got on the bus soaked through for a 3 hour ride home.  I wore my hiking boots and when I got home I was able to wring out the water from my socks.  It was ridiculous, however the scenery was beautiful and we saw 2 monkeys so it was worth it.

• We learned to bake here in Rwanda with basically a dutch oven over our charcoal stove.  We tested it last weekend and made pumpkin chocolate chip bread, it was heaven!  It baked perfectly and didn't even burn a bit!  There were 6 of us sharing it and we didn't even bother to cut it we just dug right in with our forks!  The fact that it is possible to bake here is a comfort and I can't wait to experimenting with it.  My roommate (who's site is close to mine) and I have already made plans for weekends filled with baking! 

• I had clothes made for the first time!  Here everyone has many of their clothes custom made by a tailor, you just buy the fabric and tell them what you want.  In Nyanza there is a tailor that is well known to all the PCV's to be the best around so we have all been overwhelming her with orders.  I had a dress and a wrap skirt made, they both fit prefectly and look great.  The total cost, approximately $13!  Seriously!

There isn't much else going on otherwise.  This next week we will all be busy studying our Kinyarwanda, on Thursday we will be tested on our proficieny and could potential not be sworn in if we are not at an intermediate-low level.  Keep your fingers crossed I won't get a one way ticket back to MN. 
All my love!
Annie

More pictures

I'm spenidng my day at the PC center working on lesson plans for next week  I figures I would take advantage of the free wifi and post some more pics!  Enjoy!

One of our many cooking adventures in our backyard (and my fabulous roommates!)

The view from the PC center

Dancing at the wedding

The view from the back of my house

A couple pictures finally!

Here's one from one of the weddings I attended

Here is one of the classrooms I will teach in, it will hold 50-60 students

This is my house (so far) the middle door is mine.  They are building a fence around it for more privacy

This is a view of the lake that is about a 1 hour walk from my house

Long over due...

I’m alive!  Thankfully my lack of communication does not mean I have died or am gravely ill but that things have been insanely busy here lately. 

I’ll start at the beginning. 

About 3 weeks ago now I had my site visit.  It was quite an extraordinary feat of coordination that all 68 of us were sent to all ends of the country, managed to find someone who knew we even existed and then made it back again in one piece.  The purpose of the site visit was to explore where we will be living and meet our co-workers and other important people of the community.  The biggest thing I got out of the week was some motivation to keep going.  Training is getting long and grueling, like my sister says, “it’s Peace Corps boot camp” and I needed to see a light at the end of the tunnel.  Site visit was just that.  I was able to see my school which is a boarding school and there are about 260 students in levels S1-S3 which is about the equivalent of 8^th, 9^th and 10^th grade. I was told that I will be teaching S2 Biology which is exactly what I want.  I’m fearful it’s a little too good to be true and that when I get to site in January they will surprise me with chemistry or physics classes.  Keep your fingers crossed this doesn’t happen!

My site is about 1 hour east of Kigali.  I took 2 buses to get there and then had a 15 minute moto ride to get to get to my village.  Let me just paint a picture; by moto mean dirt bike and I’m riding on the back to my village through an area where it is likely many people have never even seen a white person.  I have my large backpacking backpack and best of all the Peace Corps issued helmet.  This is not the ordinary motorcycle helmets the Rwandans wear, no this is a shiny, black and white dirt biking helmet complete with a jaw protector and a visor which rammed into the driver’s helmet every time we hit a bump.  Needless to say I was quite a spectacle.  The only comforting thought was that at the same time there were 67 other muzungus all over Rwanda having the exact same experience. 

I was in my village for 5 days and was hosted by the head teacher of the school.  The school has some dorm rooms for teachers that live far from school to stay in so that is where I stayed.  It was a nice place but I gained a new appreciation for the luxury I am currently living in.  Thankful I didn’t find cockroaches in my luggage as other volunteers did but I didn’t have to listen to the bats in my ceiling all night long.  Normally I would have freaked out but each night I climbed into bed and tucked my mosquito net under the mattress as tight as I could and slept like a baby.  It was fabulous!

The area my village is in is quite populated making it difficult to tell where one ends and another begins and there are people everywhere.  But the large population means more resources.  Directly behind my school there is a large Catholic Church and convent where the nuns run a small orphanage where I can hopefully become involved.  One of the best things about the village is the health center that is about a 5 minute walk from my house.  I was able to get a tour and was quite impressed with the programs they already have in place such as vaccinations, family planning, pre-natal care, malnutrition clinic, etc.  I met the director and he seemed interested in me helping out there so I’m really looking forward to that. 

Side Note:  There is a Partners in Health (Paul Farmer’s organization), health center about an hour away from me.  Check out the book Mountains Beyond Mountains if you haven’t heard of him.

My house is still under construction.  I will be living in a compound of sorts with my headmaster and another teacher.  I will have my own entrance and bathroom (latrine).  They are currently building a wall in my room so I have 2 separate rooms and fence outside for some privacy. The house is directly next to the school so I won’t have far to walk each day.  I will have electricity (thank god!) but no running water which really isn’t a big deal.  I think it will be great and I’m already thinking about the furniture I need and how I can decorate!

All in all is was a great visit and I’m really excited about my site.  Since I even began thinking about the Peace Corps I’ve been picturing what my site might look like and now that I know it is so wonderful to picture myself in a real place and think of all the possibilities.  It all seems real now. 

After we got back from site we immediately began planning Thanksgiving.  We are normally served 3 meals a day at the center but for Thanksgiving we decided to cook a traditional dinner ourselves (about 100 people).  The menu included Turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, gravy, and apple crisp for dessert.  Not too complicated, I’m sure most of our mother’s have done it before, however; we had to make this meal without a stove or oven.  I was put in charge of team mashed potatoes and we began peeling all 45kg (95lbs) the day before then cooked them all on charcoal stoves. The Turkeys (11 of them) were wrapped in foil and buried with charcoal and left to roast for 12 hours.  Miraculously they cooked and were actually quite tasty.  It was a Thanksgiving unlike any other but we had fun and enjoyed a good meal nonetheless. 

Last Sunday I attended not one but two weddings with my resource mother.  I knew we were going to one but with my limited Kinyarwanda and her complete lack of English after the 1^st wedding, I unknowingly agreed to go to another.  It was a long day but a great one.  The best part was that my resource mother insisted I wear a traditional Rwandan dress.  It is basically a one shoulder, flowy, draped dress, it’s simple but very pretty.  When we arrived at the wedding and I walked the tent the other guests already there literally applauded because they were so excited to see me in my dress.   It was just slightly awkward.  

Needless to say Rwandan weddings are drastically different than traditional American weddings, it was also a Muslim wedding so that was a new experience as well.  All the guests were seated outside under a tent, there were seats from the bride and groom and the wedding party in the middle.  I really don’t know what exactly was happening most of the time because no one there spoke English to explain it to me but there was some exchanging on gifts and money so I assume that was the dowry then nearly everyone there gave a long speech which I have discovered is a common occurrence at organized events.  They exchanged vows and rings and then they handed out plates of food to everyone and we sat right where we were and ate our food. Then we left, there was no reception to greet the bride and groom, dance or anything.  The second wedding was basically the same but far more entertaining as there was lots of traditional dancing a singing during the ceremony.  I absolutely love the traditional Rwandan dance.  The art, music or dance of Rwanda is not something we see here on a regular basis so I forget about that aspect of the culture then every time I do experience it, it reminds me of the rich history and culture of the country.  It is the stereotypical idea of Africa that I had in my head before I came here and seeing it reminds me that I really am in Africa.  It moves me every time.

 Now my days are dedicated to model school which is basically student teaching.  The students are currently on break so Peace Corps gathers all the local kids and invites them to come to school 5 days a week from 8-12pm.  This is completely voluntary but we have about 600 kids that come because they can stay home and work or go to school. (this would never happen in the states!)  So I am teaching Biology 4 days a week to kids that range in age from 12 to about 16.  The first week went well but was definitely eye opening.  It is not only challenging to try and teach biology and keep the kids engaged but English is a 2^nd and often 3^rd language for most kids so simplifying the language so they understand is difficult but they also have a very difficult time understanding out accent so blank stares mean can mean they don’t understand the info, the language, or simply how I am speaking.  It’s not easy but model school is an invaluable experience and I have learned so much already in just 4 days of teaching.

Other than that I’m continuing to adapt my new Rwandan life.  Today (Sunday) is my day off.  Sundays have never been as sweet as they are here. We run all week long so I keep a list of things to do on Sunday and I love when the day comes and I can just cross them all (or most of them) off.  It reminds me of days at home.  This morning we made a breakfast of toast, scrambled and hard boiled eggs, and bananas.  We had planned to make French toast but when I went to crack the eggs I had bought were actually hard boiled so we modified our meal but it was great.  Next on my list is to wash some clothes, clean my room, write some letters, study Kinyarwanda with my resource brother, make lesson plans and paint my toes.  Tonight we are making grilled cheese for dinner and watching a movie. With the sun shining outside and some good music playing it makes for a truly fabulous Sunday! 

All my love from Rwanda!

p.s. I will post some pictures soon, I promise!

"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. 

Updates

Hello Everyone

I'm sorry I haven't been better about updating.  I don't have interent on my computer and all my free time is consumed by studying or sleeping.  they are keeping us very busy.  Here are a couple blogs I wrote a few days ago.  I will try and write more often and post them all at once when I get a chance.  Hope you all are doing well. 
Annie

10.30.10
Posh Corps

Every time I begin feeling overwhelmed and frustrated by the lack of running water or the 6 hours it takes to make one meal, I remind myself just how great we have it here in Rwanda compared to PCV’s.  Take for example, Niger where our medical officer was working before coming to Rwanda.  He estimated that only about 15% of us will have issues with dysentery during our service as opposed to the 75% he estimated get it in Niger.  We also have a consistent 75-80 degree temperature range, not a 100 degree average.  The other perks of Rwanda would include the beautiful scenery, amazing fruits and vegetables, and most importantly (so far) no large furry bugs or critters living in my house!  Rwanda is perfect for me! 
Today was an amazing day, it was like Christmas, and we each got brand new mountain bikes!  Each came equipped with a light, water bottle, air pump, helmet and a nifty tool that has far more parts than I know what to do with.  Tomorrow we have a bike maintenance class to learn how to take care of them.  These bikes couldn’t have come at a better time.  The house I live in is at least 3 miles to the training center, other volunteer’s houses, and the city center and I was really starting to feel isolated.  Now that I have a bike I finally have some independence again to go out and explore.  Tomorrow we have ½ the day off which is the first time they have given us any free time at all so I’m very excited to do what I choose!
A couple nights ago we cooked our first meal at our house.  We joined forces with the one of the boy’s houses that’s right by us so there was 11 of us cooking.  We went to the market to buy our food at 5pm, we got home around 7, began cooking and finally ate at 11pm.  This was not a pleasurable experience and I learned quickly how difficult it is to cook with no stove or oven.  We had 3 little grill like things where we heat charcoal and then place a pot on top to cook.  We have no counter to cut vegetables on so we put cutting boards on the ground and chopped all the vegetables on them, no sink or running water to wash dishes so we did it in buckets outside.  This experience made me realize how challenging cooking for myself in Rwanda will be and that I will likely be eating a lot of peanut butter (they have it here mom!) and jelly sandwiches! 


10.29.10
Rwanda Time

Oh my…where do I begin!  My entire concept of time is gone!  I’ve been in Rwanda just over a week yet I feel like it’s been weeks and the days go by so fast but at the end, what happened in the morning feels like it was days ago!  I’m constantly taking in new information and I feel like a child because I have to learn even the simplest things.
Our days have been nonstop!  We left Kigali (the capital) on Sunday and we are now staying in Nyanza which is where we will be for the rest of our training.  It is still a large city but much more manageable than Kigali.  We are all split up into about 5 houses and have to walk each day to the training center.  Our house has one large main room and then 3 bedrooms and a bathroom.   We have electricity (most of the time) but no running water.  Our house has a brick fence around it and a gate.  We have 2 guards (one for the day and one for the night) that stay at the house all the time, they get water for us, clean the house and today he even did our laundry!  I’ve never had such luxuries!  Apparently this is fairly common and when we get to site we can choose to have someone do our chores for us as well.  I live with 3 other PCT’s (Peace Corps Trainees) and 2 LCF’s (Language and Culture Facilitators) who are both Rwandan.  Their job is to teach us how to live like Rwandans; how to cook our food outdoors with charcoal (there is no kitchen) how to buy things in the market, how to ride the bus, etc. etc.  They also spend lots of time work with us on our language skills. 
So each morning we get up and go to the training center by 7 am for breakfast then we have classes.  We usually have a couple language classes each day, a technical training session and occasionally medical or security and safety.  We eat lunch there and most often dinner as well so by the time we get home it’s after 8.  It’s been exhausting!
We have also been assigned reference families who we met on Monday.  These are families that live in Nyanza who we are supposed to spend at least 4-6 hours with each week to learn more about Rwandan culture.  On Tuesday I went to their home just to visit and Thursday I had a meal with them.  This was probably the most fascinating experience of my life.  The family speaks only Kinyarwanda so while I was there with them for about 3 hours we spent a lot of time looking at my language books pointing to different words trying to communicate.  Because of the language gap I’m still not completely sure who is a part of the family and who isn’t but I believe my family has 10 children 3 of which live at home along with 3 grandchildren.  Their house doesn’t have electricity and has about 3 rooms they all share.   We sat on the floor on straw mats; we ate with our hands and from the same dishes.  The food was actually really good; lots of fresh vegetables and fruit (bananas and pineapple) and thankfully my stomach enjoyed it as well!  They have been so welcoming and excited to have me visit. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to spend time with them to really get to know what it’s like to be Rwandan.   At one point I was sitting with my back to the door and I looked and there were at least 10 people right behind me just sitting and staring at me.  It’s fairly unusual for them to see a white person at all but especially inside a regular person’s home.  The people here are completely fascinated by muzungu’s as they call us.  We are constantly yelled at or pointed at walking down the street.  They don’t mean to be rude or mean they are just very curious.
It has been an adjustment here though and I’ve definitely experienced some culture shock.  It’s all very overwhelming, there are people everywhere all the time staring at you watching your every move, nothing looks familiar, the buildings, the roads, the stores, nothing is the same.  I feel very helpless and vulnerable at times because I don’t even know how to buy toothpaste.  But we are slowly learning and gaining more independence which is what I need to feel like I have some control again.  I’ve definitely never felt unsafe though, Peace Corps takes great care of us. 
Well that’s the abbreviated version of life here in Rwanda.  Please send e-mails, pictures, letters, anything!  I want to know how you everyone is doing!  As I get used to things here more I will hopefully be in touch more often.
Annie