One year on

It is startling to realise that I have now completed one year in Rwanda.  At this time last year, this day felt like a very, very long way away.  The time has actually gone so fast.  It doesn’t seem so long ago that I was saying tearful goodbyes at the airport and arrived (very stressed after the journey) in Rwanda.  I remember looking at volunteers who had already been here for a year and being impressed at how they were still here and still smiling.

I can say quite honestly, that doing VSO and coming to Rwanda has been the best thing I ever decided to do.  It has not always been easy, but I think I have been happier in this past year than I can ever remember being.  There are daily challenges, such as lack of water and electricity and life without supermarkets, but there are also daily highlights – like having a conversation with a neighbour, seeing a teacher do something new, haggling at the market or admiring the moon and the stars at night.

I want to remain grateful for the ease of life in a developed country and for the opportunities I have had growing up and living in such a place, but I fear that once I am back in the cut and thrust world, I will soon forget the charms of my less hectic life and stop appreciating the things I have.  So here’s to the next year and whatever it brings.

And, finally, what have I learnt in the last year...?  Life should be pleasurable most of the time; if you are finding it dull and uninspiring, change it – you can steer your life in whichever direction you choose.  Money is not everything; it is entirely possible to live on very little money (but it can be limiting!).  When you are a long way from home, you realise just how important good friends and family really are.  Haggling over the price of fabric at the market or in Fabric Alley and going to visit the lovely, lovely sewing ladies is far more fun than a trip to Monsoon.  Speaking (or attempting to speak) the local language will be hard work but will bring enormous rewards.  Growing your own food is a rewarding and money saving activity.  It also means you can grow things that are not commonly produced in your country of residence.  A carb rich diet will never be good for my figure.  No teabags are ever as good as English teabags.  Fact.  However, Rwandan coffee is superb – buy some.  It is possible to live without a cooker/fridge/microwave/dishwasher/freezer/running water in your kitchen; I can still make scones, cakes and cookies without an oven.  A hot shower is a luxury and you should never forget it.  A bowl of Kellog’s Cornflakes and ice cold milk will always be one of the best meals going.  Never underestimate the versatility of a rice sack.  Life is too short for flat sheets and Blueband margarine.  Equatorial rain showers can make your entire outfit see-through in seconds.  Laugh and smile as much as possible; it’s contagious and makes you feel so much better about stuff.  Always give people a chance; who knows what will happen if you strike up a conversation with a stranger?  Nobody appreciates things which come to them too easily.