Already August!

It's been one packed week and a half since I last wrote! The days are flying by and I keep wanting to slow them down savor the moments. I took this picture earlier today before I left my room to teach...For me, it captured that feeling of savoring the moment.

Now, here's what's been happening!

Last week, I finally got to meet last year's group of OAD girls! Yea!!! They are getting ready to head off to college in the U.S.(Bennington, Lehigh, Whitman and Haverford). Susan(the OAD head here) had us all over for the afternoon and as I sat listening to them talk passionately about Rwanda, about  politics, watching their hands flying, fists pounding on the table as they discussed their support for Kagame.... or how much they admire Louise Mushikiwabo, the Minister of Foreign Affairs who can"speak eloquently about any topic in English, Kinyarwanda and French!", I felt like I was honestly watching country leaders in the making. When I mentioned this, one of the girls said, "Oh, I will be just as influential in Rwanda as Louise Mushikaiwabo." I believe it.

Then, the topic changed to college preparation, and suddenly everyone was quiet. I asked when they were leaving, and one girl said, "17 days, and every day my mother reminds me of how many days until I go, and starts to cry." I realized that they all were not just preparing for college in a country they've never been to, but also preparing to leave home for 4yrs. None of them will be able to afford a plane ticket home while they are in the U.S, so they are packing, planning and wrapping their heads around leaving their families for the entire time. They all were comforted though, knowing their OAD mentors would meet them when the got to the U.S. "My mentor's mother is so excited to meet me she is counting down the days too!!"

I was watching them, thinking how I had such a hard time leaving for Peace Corps(oh, and college too, but that's an embarrassing story for another time) and it was for half the time, I had been on a plane before, I knew I'd be with 40 other volunteers when I got to the country...the list goes on. But, as the conversation switched to roommates, I could see how each one of them will be just fine once they get on the plane. Their nerves were gone as they all laughed(doubled over kind of laughter) recalling some of the questions they were asked by their roommates..."I didn't even know the name of that TV show! I had to look it up at the same time we were talking! Jersey Shore? Even after I looked it up I was actually like, what is that?" :)

I left that afternoon feeling soooo lucky to have met them before they started their college journey. I can't wait to hear about all the amazing things they do!!

Rina(Haverford), Denyse(Lehigh), Susan(OAD), Sharon(Susan's sister, going to Bennington), Charlotte(Whitman)

Another big highlight of the week was that the girls I'm teaching have started a little competition to see who gets to school the earliest...I stumbled onto this one morning when I thought I would just head over to the classroom and do some work while it was quiet and cool. It was quiet and cool.... and half the class was already there studying!
I had to take a picture to document it.

The early-birds

By 7:45 everyone was in the classroom, ready to go. For a 9am class.
Even the cows wanted in on the contest....

Mid-week the excitement continued for me when my friend Alan from San Francisco came through! He was on the tail end of his 6 week traveling adventures through East Africa and we had planned to explore Kibuye, a town on the shores of Lake Kivu in Rwanda(a lake that shares a border with the Democratic Republic of Congo). I had seen pictures and heard from many different people that it was really beautiful, surrounded by mountain after mountain. Before we started our trip though, Alan made a guest appearance in my class and taught SAT Math for two days!! It was AMAZING! He took the class through two entire sections of the book, and everyone left feeling incredibly accomplished. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of Alan teaching, but here's a picture of the class, knee deep in Algebra 1.

With Math on the brain we headed for Kibuye. I was really excited to see some of Rwanda's country side, since I hadn't been out of Kigali yet. The minute we got on the bus(window seat!!) I couldn't stop looking at...everything! I love riding the bus( even Greyhounds in the U.S. hold a special place in my heart ;)) and this ride, exploring a new country, was just unbelievable as seen through the bus window. Everything was so green, and the hills kept rolling on.

It was a perfect 3 hr ride, equipped with dozens of random stops where suddenly we were swarmed by people selling soda, water, sweets, snacks.... I think I bought 5 lollipops just because they were basically being placed in my fingers. I took it as a sign that I needed the sugar treat. ;) 
When we got to Kibuye we had just a minor directional 'situation', but luckily we were soon guided to our destination by a group of older boys, who loved that I kept saying "good morning" instead of "thank you" in Kinyarwanda.... Darn it!
Our spot on the lake was picturesque...

Although Lake Kivu was stunning and so peaceful, it was hard not to think about what happened in and around Kibuye during the genocide. In Kigali no one talks about it, and I wondered if it would be the same. It was. There, in Kibuye, it was estimated that 9 out of 10 Tutsi's were killed...the highest percentage in the entire country. A fact that is incredibly hard to comprehend on so many levels. Kibuye now has such a relaxed vacation-like atmosphere, and the few hotels are always packed. People living there are set on it becoming as big a tourist destination as the neighboring town of Gisenyi. The government has definitely helped Kibuye's economy by putting an initiative in place to convert the methane extracted from Lake Kivu to electrical power. That, combined with it's truly serene, beautiful spots on the shore, will hopefully keep it growing....
After two crazy brilliant sunsets and sunrises, lots of grilled fish for dinner and peanut butter sandwiches for lunch(budgeting)...Alan and I left for Kigali....And then he left for San Francisco.

Which brings me to right now where it's unbelievably quiet at school. All my little neighbors are gone and this week it's just me here with the security guards... holding down the fort. They keep asking if I'm 'too lonely' and 'too hungry' and even though I've tried to say I'm fine, I must not be convincing because yesterday they cooked me the most enormous plate of beans and rice I've ever seen. Huge. I barely made a dent. Then Gilbert, the main security guard who is probably one of the nicest people I have ever met, put together a 3 page list of Kinyarwanda words for me to learn so we could 'have talks'. I have a lot of studying to do... Or rather, ' kwiga'. :) I love that they are here keeping me company. I especially loved it last night when a pack of wild dogs came up onto the school grounds and attacked each other outside my door...during a violent thunderstorm. Just knowing they were all nearby calmed me down somehow. Although when I told them I had been afraid last night, they laughed, saying, "Ah, little dogs!" But, then they gave me this for lunch...."just some sleep for the belly"... Comfort food?  A lot of comfort food?

 As I was saying back at the beginning of this entry (before I discovered the mouse that is now in my closet, by the way)...It has been a packed week and a half!
I feel like I've turned a corner this week somehow... establishing routines and meeting up with some great people who are helping me see and learn more about Rwanda all the time.... I love that and feel really happy that I have a little more time to keep exploring, learning... and figuring a few more things out.
Here are a few of the things I've figured out so far, in random order.... and a picture or two to document!

• The girls will just always beat me to class & they will always be ready to absorb any new information given to them... !!
• They love to be goofy, even though they seemed very serious at first
• Rwandans have an incredible sense of pride and passion for their country
• It's a 1 minute walk from my house to my classroom(I was unknowingly going the long way until the assistant teachers asked what exactly I was doing...)
• The amazing views of sprawling Kigali from FAWE always surprise me
• General Activity is actually community clean up day
• Ants love anything, especially my peanut butter
• I love the sounds I hear outside my window of people getting ready for their day
• Running should be done in the very early morning. Jillian DVD should be done when no one is watching.
• People I've met here really, genuinely want to help
• I love the light in the early morning and right at sunset
• I have a favorite neighborhood supermarket which includes tasty samosas
• Trying a little bit of Kinyarwanda goes a long way
• When you order a 'special omelet' sometimes it comes with french fries baked in and sometimes it comes just plain
• Tea with 8 sugars is normal
• 6 weeks won't be enough time!!
• Always listen when a group of young women are pointing/shouting at you as you leave the bathroom. It could mean your skirt is tucked in your underwear
• I will have to take more bus rides while I'm here
• Even though my neighbor shaves in just his towel outside his house, it is not okay for me to drink coffee outside in my pink striped pajamas. Confirmed as of this morning.