Umuganda

Yesterday being the last Saturday of the month meant that it was Umuganda.  Umuganda is when everyone joins in a morning of community service.  Each District (like UK counties) is organised into Sectors.  The Sectors are divided into Cells and the Cells are divided into Umudugudu (great word!).  This is a small community – maybe a few streets - and there is someone who over-sees this area and ensures that Umuganda happens there.  I attended a local umuganda near where I live.  We went off at 8am and there was a crowd already there with spades and hoes and machetes.  I did not bring any of these items with me, but the locals were more than happy to share!

It was a beautiful bright and sunny morning, and I soon had to strip off the extra layers as the hoeing made me warm very quickly.  We were clearing an area of vegetation at the back of one of the houses in order to help someone build a kitchen house.  Apparently my hoeing skills are quite good and I was complimented on my strength.  Once this was done, we were sent down to the track to help clear the vegetation that was growing over the path.  I was handed a machete and asked to start slashing at the plants.  Now, I have seen very small children handle a machete and believe you me, they make it look like it’s really easy and just a case of swinging the blade back and forth.  Not the blade I was given!  I was pathetic and was unable to slash any vegetation.  After much hilarity and a reasonable crowd gathering to give advice on my technique, I was asked if I was sick.  Apparently my strength for this task was no good and I was removed from machete duties and given a spade in order to help dig up and clear the roots.  Unfortunately it was quite a rusty old spade and it had a “v” shape missing in the centre.  So I had to refine my technique, but it was generally agreed that I was doing a very good job and I was told I was a hard worker.  Yep, that’s right – I was described as a hard worker.  I was delighted to have made such an impression!

It had now become very hot and I found myself retreating into the shade for a short rest.  Secretly I wanted to examine my wounds and I thought I could do this without people watching me as I didn’t want them to think I am soft.  Alas – they all saw me examining my hands.  I had 5 blisters.  They were quite sympathetic, but also thought it a bit funny.  After more tree clearance and vegetation removal, and a lot of chatting to the local people in a mixture of English, Kinyarwanda and French, I left in the hope of catching the midday bus to Kigali.  Others were heading off to a meeting, which is what happens after umuganda – local issues are aired at a meeting and any problems are solved.  It is a great way to build a community and the fact that everyone pitches in to help and takes turns is really nice.  It is also a fabulous way to meet your neighbours and it felt like a nice way to spend a Saturday morning.

I made it on to the bus at midday (it was the first bus since the night before – no shops, buses or anything operate during umuganda as everyone is expected to be doing their bit).  I was very excited to arrive in Kigali – it had been a few weeks since I was last in.  I went straight into town and...had a manicure.  Well!  My hands needed the attention as they were wrecked from all that hard work!  I know what you’re thinking – “princess”.  But you can’t slum it all the time and it did only cost the equivalent of £5.  After that I met up with Daryl as I was staying with him and Lynne.  Once back at theirs we shared a beer and then got dressed up for the Halloween party we were attending.  I went as a cat (dressed entirely in black with ears fashioned out of duct tape, a cardboard box and fabric scraps plus a tail made out of fabric scraps).  This meant I had to go to dinner dressed as a cat.  And dinner was great – we went to Sol e Luna for pizza.  It tasted so good!  Then we headed to Sarah’s for the party where everyone was dressed up and there was dancing and apple bobbing and limbo and lots of conversation and laughs.  And I found a Snickers bar in a shop that did not cost a fortune.  A Snickers bar has never tasted so good!

It was the latest I have stayed up since arriving – I didn’t go to bed until after 1am!  (now, now, I’d been up since 7am).  Today I have spent a nice day with friends in town.  We met for coffee this morning and then had a wander around town before going for lunch – which we managed to time well as it coincided with a big rain shower.  I am staying in town for one more night as I have a meeting at VSO tomorrow and then I head back to Kibungo to do some training for the rest of the week with a teacher from every school in the District.  It’s not all manicures and coffees!

The kindness of strangers

As you may have noticed, I am constantly overwhelmed by how kind people are to each other in Rwanda.  In particular, I feel that local people have been very kind to me and I feel quite protected within the local community.  Last week at the market, the assistant at the potato stall suggested that the potato seller should charge me more for potatoes.  I have limited language – but I understood what he was saying.  She looked at me and we smiled and she shook her head at him and said “Oya!” (no) as if he had made an outrageous suggestion.  All around the market, it is the same – I get charged the right price for goods I buy and no one seems to try it on.  Occasionally there are times when bargaining is appropriate, so when I hear the first price I sometimes laugh very loud and tell the vendor what I am pretty sure the price should be.  They laugh in turn, pat me on the back and sell it to me at the price I have given.

My language teacher, Theo, has been teaching me small bits of Rwandan culture.  This week, Mama Blair came to do my washing.  Upon arrival, she looked around the compound and declared that she would also need a hoe and a brush.  We borrowed a hoe from a neighbour and I gave her the rather sad looking brush I had.  When I returned from my meeting 90 mins later, the washing was all hanging on the line, or clipped to the trees, the compound was swept clean of all the leaves that have blown from the trees, and a verge had been dug all the way around the house.  She was partway through cleaning the front and back porches and had spruced up my brush so it was sparking clean.  Before he had left, I had asked Theo how much extra money I should pay Mama Blair for the work she was proposing to do.  He said this would be an insult and in Rwanda, people help out their neighbours knowing that at some point people will help them in return.  Even so, this woman had done far more than I expected of her and it was such a hot day that I was exhausted just walking down the street – never mind doing all that hard work.  I made her a cup of tea and afterwards offered her some more money.  She was taken aback and refused it.  She explained in Kinyarwanda that we were now friends and this is what friends do. 

In a similar situation, my neighbour – Mbabazi – came into my garden the other day with a friend.  They had many big bits of wood.  He had called out to me on his way in, so I went out to greet him.  He explained that he had come to fix the fence (it had blown down in a storm).  I thanked him and asked him what I could give him for this.  He said a cup of tea, with a big grin on his face.  I got the impression he thought this was a bit of a joke.  However, having been brought up in England and with my Irish roots acknowledging that tea is sacred, I went and made them both a cup of tea.  They were genuinely delighted when I came back with it and I was bestowed with many blessings from God.  People here do really just seem to do things for others just because they can.

So amongst all this kindness, I decided that it was time I set to running again.  I am just below 2000m here, so think I have given myself enough time to a) acclimatise to the altitude and b) get completely out of shape.  With a small amount of fear I set off at 5:45 one morning.  I ran along some of the tracks that go around the town and run along the top of the valley.  The views are stunning and the sun was just completing its ascent into the sky, casting a soft light over the landscape.  It really was beautiful and this distracted me from the ache in my lungs as I forced them on my short run.  I passed a few people on my way.  They all stared, of course.  I greeted all of them and they all greeted me back – many sharing a smile as well.  I planned my second run to be on a Sunday morning.  I decided this was a good time to go out as most people would be in church, so there was less chance of bumping into people.  So, having said a few prayers of my own at home, I set off.  It was only 9:30 but already the sun was high in the sky and blazing down.  I ran the same route and at first I saw no-one.  There are so many churches here that I passed one every minute or two and all of them provided me with a pleasant soundtrack to my run.  Then I got towards the main road and saw many people.  Most of them stared and laughed and greeted me.  Some of them shouted what sounded like words of encouragement.  Unfortunately, I managed to coincide the final part of my run with the end of a church service and there were huge crowds on the main road just outside my house.  I had a 100m stretch to pass between the track I was on and my front gate.  Oh dear – buses were passing with everyone calling out the window to me; children ran alongside me as I wheezed like a broken bellows and people were just staring in astonishment.  Then my neighbour called out to greet me and it felt a little better.  I do feel a bit like I am the local entertainment at times!

A walk in Kibungo

Perhaps because I have been too keen to seek the excitement of the big city and have often “escaped” into Kigali, this weekend was my first full weekend in Kibungo.  I have finally had a chance to explore a bit further and think I may have sussed out a suitable running route that takes me around the top of the valley.

The weekend began early on Friday, when I met Jen and Kate – volunteers in Zaza (about an hour away by moto) for drinks in St Joe’s.  We were soon joined by Stella and Denis and by Lynsey – a VSO volunteer from near Butare , who was visiting for the weekend.  We spent a lovely evening chatting and eating and drinking, and then went back to Denis and Stella’s house to watch a couple of episodes of Modern Family.  Then myself, Kate and Jen came back to my house to get some sleep.

We were up early on Saturday and after a lovely breakfast of freshly baked banana pitta bread (my culinary skills are really progressing!), we set off to fetch Lynsey and head to the lorry park in order to get a bus to Rusumo Falls down at the border with Tanzania.  Since my requirements and face are now familiar down at the lorry park, I was immediately asked where I wanted to go.  I was then immediately shown a big bus, which was going to my destination and about to leave.  So, the four of us piled on.  The views along the way were stunning and it was lovely to sit and just gaze out of the window.  Although I started to feel quite lethargic as everyone else on the bus thought it was too cold to have the windows open.  The four of us did not agree but were not in control of any windows!

After about an hour, we arrived at the border, and at the end of the bus route.  So off we got and wandered towards the border crossing.  After a short conversation with the border police, we arranged to leave our green cards with them and then wandered onto the bridge that is the “no-man’s land” between Tanzania and Rwanda.  The waterfall can be viewed only from here.  Since there has been so much rain lately, it looked quite spectacular!

We returned to collect our green cards and stopped for a fanta before we got back on the bus and travelled back to Kibungo.  We then stopped at the local craft co-op and made some purchases and then continued on to the market for provisions.  Everyone then went their separate directions, and I headed home to see how creative I could get with my newly bought ingredients.  I did well.  I made “chapizza” (cross between chapatti and pizza) and some banana and cinnamon samosas.  Very tasty indeed.  I managed all this during an amazing storm which featured a couple of blackouts.

This morning I was up early again and made breakfast and watched some films in bed.  Then I got a text from Stella inviting me for a walk.  I quickly got ready and went to meet them. It was a beautiful morning, but slightly muggy so I took my rain gear.  We wandered along the local tracks which I had not yet discovered and I think these will make excellent off road running routes.  The beauty of this is that they are nicer to run on than the road and a little quieter, but never deserted – this being the most densely populated country in Africa, you are never far from people!  We passed many people who we stopped to greet and saw lots of children – some of whom invited us to take their pictures (a privilege as many Rwandans do not like to have their picture taken).

View behind my house

Sure enough, it eventually started to rain, so we took shelter under the eaves of a house we were passing as the downpour began. Within minutes, we had been invited inside by the family living there.  This gives you a real insight into how many people live here.  There are many people who live in lovely big homes made of bricks and with glass windows and all the mod cons.  This was a small mud brick house.  It was divided in two by a curtain and we stayed on one side of the curtain only.  Here there was a bare mud floor and a bench for three people.  That was the only furniture.  It is amazing to see how people live.  The family were very friendly and due to Denis’s very good language skills, we had a nice chat and I got to take photos of their baby.

Once the rain had passed, we continued on our way.  We were soon joined by a couple of young men – one of whom was a student of Stella’s.  They walked and talked with us for 10minutes until the road forked and they needed to go in a different direction.  As we travelled on, the heavens opened again and we found another house to shelter by.  This time we got talking to some of the residents in neighbouring houses.  It quickly passed and we moved out, picking some lettuces that were growing wild on the way (this had been the home of a previous volunteer and she had left the lettuces behind!).

After several more conversations on the way, we finally arrived home after a lovely walk.  We said our goodbyes and I came home for a nice hot wash and a cup of tea along with some nice fresh lettuce in my salad!  I also had time to experiment with making chocolate chip cookies.  A huge success!  They may be mis-shapen but they certainly taste good. 

Introducing Kiberinka

This week, I have been busy meeting the staff at schools where the previous volunteer worked.  All of the schools have been incredibly welcoming, but at one of them they went that little bit further... I first met the Headteacher of this school on a bus to Kigali.  It was completely unplanned, but he was delighted to meet me, so I promptly made use of the meeting to arrange a visit to his school.  The day before my visit, I sent a reminder text and received the most welcoming text in response stating how much they were looking forward to greeting me.

After a very difficult 55minute moto ride over some of the bumpiest roads known to human kind, I arrived at the school.  The Headteacher came out to greet me and then took me to the staff room to meet some of the teachers who were there.  As soon as I walked in there was an excited buzz and conversation between the four staff.  Although my language skills were improving, I had no idea what was being discussed, but I recognised the word for “name”.  Then I remembered that Louise had advised me I would most probably be given a special name upon arrival.  I had not realised this would happen so fast, I thought it would take more time – you know...maybe they would get to know me first and then name me.  But Ladislas was laughing and he said to me “We have a name!”  “Oh,” I said “What is it?” “It is Kiberinka!” He was very pleased about this.  “Yego, yego!” said the staff in the room, nodding their heads in agreement.  It was with a certain amount of anxiety that I asked what this name meant.  “It means the one who will fetch a very good bride price.  We could get a good dowry for you.  You would be worth many cows.”  I thought about this, and then decided I should be flattered about the name.  Ladislas proceeded to tell me I was beautiful, so I told him he was my new best friend and I was delighted with my new name.

Special cow dance

I was then taken into every single classroom in the school.  In each one, I was introduced as “A friend – not a visitor” and each class either sang me a welcome song, or clapped for me, or asked me difficult questions.  I was made to feel very welcome.  There followed a 90minute meeting with all of the teachers where we discussed how we could work together and what they would like me to do and then the Headteacher and Deputy ate some mandazi and drank fanta with me.  Before I knew it, it was time to go home.  My moto driver, Mutoni, was told my new name and was very pleased for me.  I later informed my DEO (District Education Officer) of my new name and he agreed it was good and suggested I would probably be able to fetch at least 40 cows if I were to get married.  Not only 40 cows, but my Dad would be allowed to choose the cows so he had the best of the herd.  Maybe it’s time to buy that milk quota back, Dad!

Rwandan break-down adventure

Two posts in one day, eh?  But this is a story that was quite fun, so I thought I would post it before I forgot all about the excitement!  Today I ventured off to Zaza sector to visit the TTC (Teacher Training College) as another volunteer is based there.  I met Jen at midday and we spent an hour and a half doing exam supervision and talking very quietly at the front of the hall.  Once we were released from our duties, we headed to Jen’s for some lunch.  This was a lovely chick-pea curry made with many tasty ingredients from Jen’s garden.  We also bought some Fanta and Jen had some ice in her freezer compartment (I know – a freezer!  It’s probably the only one in Zaza) so it was a real treat.  Once this was over, we got down to some workshop planning for next week and discussed future plans for work I will do in the schools around the TTC so that there is some consistency for students when they go out on their teaching practice.

I had decided to wait with Jen for an evening lift back to Kibungo in order to spare my spine the very jolting 50min moto ride.  Denis and Stella were on their way with a car.  Yes – a car!  They had hired one for a couple of days to take their son to see some sights.  After a couple of extremely heavy downpours, the car arrived and we had soon piled in to it.  We started off down the bumpy road out of Zaza.  Unfortunately we hit a rock or something and we heard a noise that didn’t sound too healthy.  A few metres further up the road and the car sounded even less happy, so we pulled over to check it out.  Almost immediately, we were surrounded by people, even though we were not in a town or village.  It was dark and here was a car of 5 Mazungus.  Everyone joined in looking under the car and we had some interesting conversation about what to do.  Unfortunately no one was offering to call the AA, but one man knew someone in the next village who was a mechanic.  Denis asked if we could call him.  The man said he could call someone who lived near this man and they could tell him to come.  This sounded like it would not be our best option and Liam (who is an engineer) said that he felt it could be temporarily fixed if we had some wire.  The gathering crowd were asked if anyone had some.  There was a ripple of conversation and people were shaking their heads and then one man stepped forward and said he thought he knew someone who had some wire.  We decided to keep looking through our bags for potential wire fixings.  At one point I was ready to sacrifice my under-wiring, only it was deemed to be not enough.  Then a man appeared from the bushes with a length of electrical cable.  Not bad for a place that has no electricity!

What happened next was one of my all time favourite break-down scenarios.  It was reminiscent of that famous Levis add set in a laundrette...Liam decided that in order to carry out the repairs and still have clean jeans for his safari trip early tomorrow morning, he would have to strip down to his boxers.  Jen and I did not complain at all.  So, next thing off comes his shirt, and then his trousers.  The crowd of on-lookers looked bemused and could not seem to understand why the mazungu ladies were giggling.  So, after much rolling around in the mud and torch holding and general excitement (mostly me and Jen taking photos under the car), Liam managed to rig up a temporary fix to the falling exhaust.  It was with huge relief that we all piled back into the car and continued our journey to Kibungo with frequent lightning flashes guiding the way.

Riders of the storm

I have learnt many things since arriving in Rwanda; never go out to a restaurant without eating first, always ask “how much?” before getting on a moto, never take the first price...but this week I have learnt a couple of new and very important things.  1) It is never a good idea to get on a moto when the sky is very black.  2) Or when you need a loo stop.  On Monday I was hit with a double whammy...I left school when the sky looked threatening for the 40min journey home.  10mins later, it began to rain very heavily.  I was covered in waterproof clothing, but my driver was not so we stopped for shelter in a shop in a tiny village along the way.  I had been in need of a loo stop for some time, but the toilets at schools are something I generally avoid, so I had not made use of the facilities before departing.  Big mistake!  The very bumpy road and the extra long journey due to the two rain stops we made, meant I was in a world of pain by the time I arrived home.

That aside, I had an interesting day.  I observed a great P6 lesson about how to write an informal letter.  I happened to ask the students if they had ever received a letter.  None of them had, but they are excited as they are going to write some letters to their partner school in the UK and are looking forward to some replies.  Next, I went to a P3 Social Studies lesson.  In this lesson, students were learning about development and what it means.  When they were shown a picture of a television they did not know what it was.  Most of them had never seen a tarmac road before either.  But they really loved their lesson and were very enthusiastic and happy throughout.  After lunch I saw a P2 English lesson.  These students were gorgeous.  As we approached the classroom block we could hear the students getting excited that the mazungu visitors were approaching, and when we walked in they squealed with delight and began clapping and greeting us “Good afternoon visitors.  How are you?”  They were jumping out of their seats and were begging the teacher to let them answer the questions “Me teacher! Me teacher!” – I was a bit over-whelmed by their excitement.  When the teacher did a bit of role play they were in hysterics – it seemed like one of the funniest things they had ever seen to watch their teacher pretend to be one of them.  And then they all had a go at role play and they loved it so much, even though the heavy rain meant they could not do the bit outside that had been planned.  The downpour was gushing in the windows as there was no glass or shutters. The roof was leaking, but rather than complain, the students quietly moved seats without fuss and squashed into the benches even more tightly than they had before.

A day later, and the weather was still doing its best to be a menace.  We managed to make the 45 min journey to school without rain, but there was an almighty downpour as soon as we arrived.  The 45mins back were equally dry, but this time it was my spine which was compromised.  After two years I will be a mess!  Sitting on a moto is already uncomfortable and I just can’t get my posture right – suggestions on a postcard please!  I have also found out why we apparently get so much lightening up here (thanks to the immigration staff member at the District Office who was telling me all about it as I was getting my Green Card).  Apparently the local hills are full of coltan and this attracts the lightening when it is looking for somewhere to earth.  This has meant that in the last year, the house has been struck twice – once it blew up a computer and the second time it scorched the fingertips of a volunteer.  It also knocked down a tree outside the house.  I shall be very careful every time there is a storm.

Capital Excitement

This Saturday I had arranged to meet a few friends in Kigali for lunch and evening drinks whilst watching the sun set.  This seemed like a most exciting prospect – especially the thought of eating lots of tasty food, so I set off at 9:30 in search of a bus.  Upon arrival at the Onatracom ticket sales office, I managed to establish that there were no tickets for the 10am bus, only 12 midday, so I walked down to the bus park to take my chances...  As I approached, several ticket sellers saw me and ran towards me waving their ticket books.  One of them was shouting “Aliceeee!  Aliceeeee!”, which was nice.  We all greeted each other and one of them proudly pointed to a big bus in the middle of the bus park so I asked him (my now well practised Kinyarwanda phrase) was the big bus going to Kigali?  Soon?  I was in luck and herded onto the bus which left straight away.

After a nice journey, which included much singing (other passengers, not me), we arrived two hours later in Kigali.  I decided to head to the MTN centre to see if I could get my old UK phone unlocked.  I was advised this was not possible, but was told where to go to find some experts who may be able to help.  So, after a lovely lunch with friends in La Gallette, I went to search out some experts.  I approached a mobile phone accessory shop and asked there and they said they could not do it but would find someone to help.  They called a guy off the street.  He then looked at my phone and told me it would cost 15 000 FRW.  I said this was not possible and I would not pay more than 5 000.  We eventually settled on this amount and I was asked to follow him...we walked down a few streets and turned into an alley where there was a row of mobile phone and computer repair centres.  It would not be somewhere I would have wandered into myself!  At the repair kiosk we had to haggle again, and they agreed on the same price.  I was quite proud of how much of this I had managed to achieve in Kinyarwanda and it definitely seemed to please the locals that I was trying.  Whilst waiting, a lady came asking for money.  I explained in Kinyarwanda that I had had to hand all my money over to the shop so I could not give her any.  She thought this was hilarious, so shook my hand and hugged me and wandered off laughing.

Eventually, sometime later, my phone was ready for use and I was delighted to be able to have a familiar handset (my African bought one is not so good).  So I headed off to meet Ste, who I was staying with.  Only I could not remember the instructions for how to get to where he lived and I could not get hold of him on the phone.  So I asked a security guard directions.  He could not help me, but hailed someone else on the street who very kindly walked me to the bus stop despite the fact that his bus was leaving from the opposite end of town.  We had a nice chat and then I negotiated my way onto the bus.  On arrival in Nyamirambo I had still not heard from Ste, so I purchased a fanta at a shop and sat down to drink it.  I was immediately surrounded by local people and handed a baby to look after.  She was a lovely baby and we all had a nice chat for 20mins, when Ste got in touch and we established I had the wrong contact number all along.

I went back to his lovely house and we had some coffee before heading out to the local bar for sunset and dinner and drinks.  We had a lovely evening watching the sun set over Kigali and it was lovely to catch up with people.  The chicken kebab I ordered, which turned out to be an entire roast chicken and not a kebab, was also delicious.  As were the jacket potatoes.  We returned for more conversation and snacks at Ste’s before a very late night for me (11pm – well, I’d been up since 5am!).  I had a great sleep and slept in until 6am on Sunday morning as there are no prisoners banging and singing here at 5am!  A very lovely time indeed.  And it got better.  Ste needed to practise his Thai massage skills, so I very kindly allowed him to practise on me.  Eventually I headed back to town to meet Lesley and Steve, who were coming to stay with us.  We had a lovely salad for lunch and then did a quick shop in Nakumatt before heading off to get the bus.  Which was another adventure in itself really, but it all turned out fine and we got on another big bus and made it safely back to Kibungo.