Mille Collines: Part Deux

So here we are, my last Sunday in Rwanda falling on the last Sunday of the month.  Besides being a special occasion for me (I guess?), the last Sunday of the month is also umuganda for Seventh Day Adventists... and that’s really all I have to say about that.  When I saw a large group of people with shovels and various other tools (basically the same ones we used yesterday), I asked a guy on the bus into town what was going on, and it would appear there’s actually a decently large population of Adventists here.  Suppose that’s your trivia for the day.

Anyway, the group went to Hotel des Mille Collines this morning for an all day buffet poolside.  For 10,000 RWF ($16.67 USD), you get a decently large buffet (with waffles, pasta, hummus, guacamole, brochettes, burgers, etc.) and access to their pool.  With the buffet advertised to run from 10:00 – 4:00, we had the hope that we could cover all of our meals for the day while hanging out by the only pool I’ve seen in Rwanda.  Of course, the buffet ended up running from 12:15 – 3:00 (“Rwandan time” strikes again)... and they didn’t care to do a last call on the food... but it was still a good time, and I feel like I got my fill on the first couple go rounds.  Moreover, they took Visa, which was particularly nice given my low cash reserve (I’m at the point where I’m pretty sure I have enough to get by, enough so that I don’t want to take out anymore money).  So, that was my day.  I ate food and swam in a pool that I’m convinced is so cold they must actually refrigerate it (probably the only pool I’ve been in where it’s warmer to get out and drip dry). 

Other than Mille Collines, we also had the trip back, which seems to always be an adventure.  A couple days ago we tried coming back around what I assume must be when everyone got off work, and there was a massive line waiting for us, causing us to eventually bail and grab a taxi (usually run from $8-10 USD).  Today we tried our luck at a bus stop closer to our location but away from the usual center of the spokes, and it turned out our bus didn’t stop there.  So, after walking back in the opposite direction, we finally got on our bus.  The good news is that, when the bus finally arrived at the last stop near the bottom of our hill, a neighbor who had seen us at umuganda yesterday stopped us in his pickup truck and offered to take us up the hill (30 minutes turned into 5). It was nice and appreciated.  On the way he told us about more upcoming construction projects, including a “university of tourism” and street-paving (looks like people won’t be washing off their tans as much next year).

As for tonight, we had some euchre games going, and I’ve been getting by munching on my staple snack here: Frosties.

-Scott

For those wanting to avoid the personal-bubble-busting of the bus system or cost of the taxi system (which essentially amounts to people in unmarked cars calling themselves taxi drivers), there are moto-taxis.  These things generally cost around $1 USD to get home, and they are absolutely everywhere... in hordes.  The catch is that they drive like maniacs, bobbing and weaving through traffic which is already iffy to begin with (I've hardly seen any traffic lights, although I have seen a couple).  Moreover, from what I've heard, 70% of traffic accidents involve moto-taxis, and the results aren't pretty.  You'll looking at neurological damage and shattered bones.  But, they're always there if you're willing to roll the dice. 

Umuganda

So here we are, my last weekend in Rwanda falling on the last weekend of the month.  Besides being a special occasion for me (I guess?), the last Saturday of the month is also umuganda, a day when shops are closed in the mornings and Rwandans are required to do work in their community.  This is essentially what we took part in last week at the AMU near Kibuye (although not officially the same), and we joined in with the one in our neighborhood this morning.  Frankly, we probably accomplished even less than we did while tearing down the building (even with our brick passing expertise), but I suppose it means something that they let us join in.  This time around we were cleaning up a dirt road a ways up the hill from our house, and we obtained some tools to help with the process (probably the dullest of the bunch).  Shovels and hoes tended to be the best at clearing weeds and brush, but I worked with what was essentially a rake (kind of looked like a bent trident) and a machete as dull as a butter knife (likely explains why so many people survived with scars on their heads and necks).  We once again joined in after work had begun, and we had probably finished within an hour.  After that, there was a community meeting held in Kinyarwanda, but we stopped in to say thank you.

After singlehandedly saving that road from certain disaster (possible overgrowth), a group of us decided to walk down to the Rwanda International Trade Fair held in town (about an hour or so walk).  Running for about two weeks, this seemed to be a fairly big deal in town, garnering multiple billboards... but it would probably be comparable to a county fair back stateside.  They brought in a bunch of vendors including ministries of this and that, beer tents, tea tents, people selling everything under the sun (from farm equipment, to bags, to musical instruments), and rickety carnival rides (one of those spinning swing contraptions, which had quite the line).  The one catch was that it was umuganda... and we hadn’t necessarily accounted for that.  Since the expo was a big deal, the general consensus was that it would be open as usual, but it was umuganda... and we waited.  I think we showed up about 11:30, and it didn’t actually open until 1:00.  Thankfully, we were at least let in a little early while most vendors were still setting up, and we went to one of the vendors which was run/managed/something important by a South African.  He gave us some free drinks while we were there and told us they’d be grilling burgers later in the afternoon.  We thanked him and eventually made our way toward the rest of the vendors. 

The good news is that I came away with a fair supply of souvenirs.  The bad news is you definitely win some and lose some in the souvenir game (I feel like my game face breaks down after a while, particularly since this was plausibly our last souvenir day).  Anyway, I walked away from a particular vendor having traded my State hat and still gotten ripped off, but at least it was a fairly fun process, and I bought the hat on sale for $10 a year ago (and it was covered in red dirt/dust by this point).  Also, I took a picture with the guy wearing my MSU hat, easing the pain a bit (I’ll assume picture is worth 1000 Rwandan francs in this case).  Moreover, my HU hat fits better anyway.  And, I’d already lost my sunglasses on the trip, so it seemed fitting that I lose all of my non-liquid sun blocking capabilities (can you tell I’m reasoning through it at this point?)  If nothing else, I’d say there were some wins in the souvenir shopping game to (somewhat) cancel out the losses, and we had a good time at the vender providing free drinks and cheap food.  It turns out that they had a guy from Toronto cooking up cheeseburgers, and I was able to get a double cheeseburger and fries made by a guy who knew how to make a double cheeseburger and fries for $5 USD.  It was a nice respite from Rwandan food, if you could call it that. (I actually like the food here for the most part, but they certainly limit the spices/sodium content, which can be rough on the American palate).  And for the Canadians in the crowd, the cook said he was originally from the Hamilton area, and he had two kids recently graduate from med school, one at McMaster and the other in London.  He was apparently here to open a fastfood joint (I have yet to see one in Kigali) after spending ten years in Siberia opening restaurants. 

So, there’s my day in a nutshell.  Not sure how it got into the nutshell in the first place, but it was probably a slow process if my sense of “Rwanda time” serves me right. 

-Scott

For no reason other than a lack of new pictures, I'm going to talk about the busing system in Kigali.  For 160 RWF (about a quarter), we can take the half hour walk down our hill and hop on a bus to take us into town.  The buses essentially operate in a wheel-and-spoke approach, with all buses running to a central location "in town" and then running back out. I think the key to keeping prices so low is that their "buses" are really just 15 passenger vans, and it's not uncommon to pack 18-20 people into a bus, including the driver and guy handling the money (record is 21 at this point).  If the bus isn't full when you get on, it's your lucky day.  It's now going to take you 2-4 times longer to get where you want to go as you drive a block, attempt to get passengers, drive another block, attempt to get more passengers, and repeat.  So, if the process is so bad, why do you even use it?  Please see the parenthetical of the second sentence above.

AMU Stars

Pre-Game

Yesterday, we began a sort of AMU doubleheader with members of the AMU Stars, a football team composed of “at risk” kids (based more on home situation than whether or not they have HIV/AIDS).  AMU provides balls, uniforms, and a coach, and they act sort of like a travel team would stateside.  They have a U-10 team, U-13 team, and U-16 team, with the U-16 being based more on “football age” than real age.  (From the sounds of it, it’s common to lie about age in these situations, since many Rwandans come across as young for their age, meaning you end up with some “big kids” in the U-16 age range.)  The teams had games scheduled for this morning, and the intent of AMU was for us to get to know some of the players before having us root them on.

In order to become closer with the kids as planned, AMU set up home visits utilizing three interpreters (splitting us into three groups again).  Prior to heading off, we were provided with one bag of flour + sugar (basically oatmeal) to give to each family as a gift in exchange for letting us visit (this was apparently purchased with funds we raised prior to leaving Michigan).  With bags in hand, we first walked to Samuel’s house, winding through thin alleys between clay houses, and eventually arriving at a tiny three room hut/house with no yard and children collected out front.  We packed into what I suppose could be considered their living room, a space maybe half the size of our bedroom here, with no windows and a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling (surprisingly, they did seem to have electricity in a limited fashion).  While only five of Samuel’s siblings and his mother were visiting with us today, his mother had apparently given birth to 17 children, with 12 surviving.   His father was in prison, and his mother worked various day jobs to support the family.  It was a rough thing to see, but the family was incredibly welcoming and talkative while we were there. 

The trek to Frederic’s home wasn’t any easier or straightforward than that to Samuel’s, requiring us to walk down what I suppose was a steep alley with a deep gutter running down the middle (the gutters here are huge, allowing for necessary drainage in the rainy seasons).  Frederic’s house was somewhat larger, at least having a window in the room in which we met, but his father was also in prison, with his mother working day jobs.  While we never asked about why Samuel’s father was in prison, we learned that Frederic’s father had been accused of taking part in the genocide, and he had been waiting for his gacaca trial for three months.  Being that the 100 day genocide took place 17 years ago, this was a bit of a revelation, although not necessarily surprising.  In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if Samuel’s father was in prison for similar reasons.  However, for me at least, it did bring up the question of just how many children have been born well after the genocide, only to lose fathers to prison years after the fact.  It’s incredibly hard to sympathize with men who murdered and are now getting (limited) justice, but I do empathize with children who played no part but are now scraping by as the legal system catches up.  (Keeping in mind that rape was used as a weapon in ’94, a genocide survivor close to our program this summer actually spoke to us about children being born as results of rape during the genocide, and their lives seem particularly difficult, as extended family often disown them and mothers struggle with their own trauma.) 

After the morning visits, I went into town on my own to exchange some money and buy some pop (I generally live on warm water and enjoy some flavor when I can get it).  On the ride back, I sat next to a man on the bus who had a linear scar running from his cheek, through his ear, and to the back of his head, with an additional scar on the back of his neck.  It was just another example of how signs of the genocide survive today and people continue to live on. 

Side note: Yesterday we had a first rainfall since we arrived on July 6^th.  

The Games

This morning, we met briefly at AMU before heading off to watch the games scheduled against YOSC  (Youth Sports Contact), which I believe has a mission comparable to that of the AMU Stars program. The field, which was part of three tiered complex, was composed entirely of dirt and had goalposts without nets.  Since the field was built on a hill (as are most things around here), one side of the field was walled off by a steep incline and the other had a steep drop into a neighborhood.  The incline was fair game, and it was treated essentially as a wall would be in indoor soccer.  The decline was guarded by ball boys, and teams took throw-ins if the ball went out on that side.  We were stationed with a horde of kids on the hill overlooking the field. 

We arrived at the beginning of the U-10 game, and it was quickly apparent how much the kids cared about the game (if it wasn’t already).  Granted, I don’t know how many of the kids were actually under 10, but it was still impressive seeing them heading the ball around pulling out moves that I may or may not have been able to do in my “prime.”  The AMU stars won that game 1-0, and on came the U-13 teams, from which we had visited players yesterday.  Samuel predicted that their team would score 3 goals, and Frederic predicted a 4-0 blowout.  Sure enough, their team won 4-0 (they must do some serious scouting here).  Throughout the process, the kids surrounding us started paying less attention to the game and more attention to the muzungus around them.  It’s not uncommon for them to want to pet my furry arms/legs, but today was especially full of it.  They were petting my arms, petting my legs, petting my head, petting my eyebrows, rubbing their faces to my arms... If I had a personal-space bubble it had been popped many times over.

After the U-13 game, we made our way to the shade of a tree with the kids and basically hung out there for the duration of the U-16 game.  There was more mauling and some little games of soccer.  While we were over there, we were informed that we would need to put a team together to play against their U-16 team after the game.  With most of the girls in our group having left for lunch, I think we ended up finding 8 of us to play, and they supplied some players to round us out.  Thankfully, they took it plenty easy on us, and we ended up “winning” after their keeper let a shot through his legs... and a spectator by one of the posts deflected the shot in. 

In the process, I got fried.  I had been getting minimal color at best this trip, likely less than I would have back home, and I hadn’t actually applied sunscreen since my first week here.  However, we were outside much longer than planned this morning, and my attempt to put on sunscreen after I had already gotten too much sun was quickly offset by more mauling and petting (they liked to rub sunscreen off of arms and smell it).  The good news is that I wore a shirt all day, meaning I can still sleep at night.  Also, my face and neck seemed to take the least heat, so I should still look okay in a tux. 

Post-Game

After the game, we went back to AMU for some corn (pretty waxy), some Fanta, and a dance party.  I don’t quite understand the reasoning behind it, but it’s apparently a tradition.  They had kids from both AMU and YOSC there, with music pounding through some speakers they set up... and it was a sweaty free-for-all.  I believe we finally got home around 4:30, at which point I was running on a hardboiled egg, some bread, and Fanta (I was actually in the bathroom while the corn was being passed out).  It was a long day, which was compounded by the girls’ demands to go out tonight (remember that they ate at a buffet while the rest of us ran around a dirt field). So, I’m exhausted.   

Like I said before, my camera is toast.  So, here's a picture of my bedroom.  It's pretty bare-bones, with two beds, two mosquito nets, and some windows.  The mosquito nets aren't exactly the most effective devices, just barely reaching down to the bed.  While the nets at the hotel in Kibuye covered the entire bed and reached the floor, you have to tuck these under your pillow and hope that your head or an arm doesn't come out during the night (the mosquitoes are vicious if it happens).  It's even worse if a mosquito manages to spend the night inside the net.

Akagera

Today had safari #2 on the docket.  A true safari in comparison to visiting the golden monkeys, we boarded our safari bus at 4:00 AM again this morning and headed to Akagera National Park on the eastern border of Rwanda (by Tanzania).  We once again had Claude the bus driver as well, but this time neither vehicle had a flat (we split ourselves into two groups, and the other group had a flat early in the trip on Friday).  And for those keeping track at home, I have now been to the northern border of the country (Volcanoes National Park), western border of the country (Lake Kivu), and eastern border of the country (Akagera National Park).  Of the three directions we’ve traveled, I’d say this area came across as the poorest, and I noticed that a number of the kids outright held out their hands in a sort of begging gesture rather than waved. (With a mass of kids waving as we pass everywhere we go, it’s likely that a number of them do so in hopes that we’ll stop and give them something, but up to this point begging has been mostly reserved for when we’re walking by some children). 

Anyway, the park is quite large, and it took us 7 hours to get from the southern section to the northern section (a whole lot longer than the golden monkey expedition, which cost twice as much).   From the outset, the safari actually seemed promising.  We saw a bat hanging from the welcome center building, and we saw some baboons, monkeys, and monster storks early on in the trek... and then came the flies.  Two hours of flies.  Constant bombardment of flies.  Biting, blood sucking flies.  We saw a couple fish eagles and some warthogs in what I’ll call the “fly zone,” but it was mostly flies.  These flies could bite through clothes.  These flies also could survive kill shot after kill shot.  They also seemed to revel in the smell of DEET. I was twitchy the whole ride home anytime I thought I felt something, so let’s hope there’s no long-lasting trauma.

After the fly zone, we finally started finding some animals.  We had been warned ahead of time that many of the animals had likely migrated toward the northern end of the park where more water was available (it’s the dry season here), and that seemed to be the case.  Early on in the “animal zone” we saw a number of hippos, water buffalo, and impalas.  The impalas then carried on for the rest of the park (they’re everywhere), and we stopped at a distance from a lake where we could see some elephants through binoculars.  Zebras were another animal in large supply (also everywhere), and we reached a plain with a number of giraffes as well.  Overall, it was a good time, and I was able to borrow someone’s point-and-shoot camera to get a few shots (although they were spread over two SD cards, and my computer seems to only read one of them).  With that said, I’ve decided to share a few pics along with some wikitrivia (I’m going to force you non-clickers to learn something today). 

-Scott

Impalas: The breeding season of impalas, also called rutting, begins toward the end of the wet  season  in May.  The entire affair typically lasts approximately three weeks.  While young are usually born after 6-7 months, the mother has the ability to delay giving birth for an additional month if conditions are harsh.  When giving birth, a female impala will isolate herself from the herd, despite numerous attempts by the male to keep her in his territory.

Zebras: Zebras have excellent eyesight.  It is believed that they can see in color.  Like most ungulates, the zerba has its eyes on the sides of its head, giving it a wide field of view.  Zebras also have night vision, although not as advanced as that of most of their predators.

Giraffes: Old males are sometimes nicknamed "stink bulls."  There are at least eleven main aromatic chemicals in the fur, although indole and 3-methylindole are responsible for most of their smell.  Because the males have a stronger odor than the females, it is also suspected that it has a sexual function.

Demolition

After our 7:00 AM breakfast this morning along the lake (surprisingly prepared on time), we took off for our next destination, of which I’m honestly not sure.  Our schedule (it’s a stretch to call it that) says “AMU Kibuye,” but it took an hour of driving over winding dirt roads to actually get there from our hotel.  However, we’ll just assume it was AMU’s set up in Kibuye.  Once we arrived, we were greeted by a crowd of kids, per usual, and we wandered out of the bus receiving handshakes and stares.  We were under the assumption that we would be teaching little classes on brushing teeth and HIV transmission, but we ended up coming around a building to see a crowd of people tearing down what I believe was an old classroom.  Next thing you know, we were forming lines to haul clay bricks from the rubble.  Rumor has it that AMU brought the community in to help clear out the clay-based building to make room for a sturdier building (made out of actual bricks, rather than clay ones which crumble when passed from person to person). 

After most of the building was demolished and clay bricks piled how off to the side, we went into a dark gym for what we again suspected would be our HIV/toothbrush presentation, but instead we were presented with an hour and a half of singing, dancing, and drumming.  It was a fun (but long) show, which they explained represented how guests of the king would be greeted back in the day.  Once again they asked us to sing a song as well… and once again, we bombed.  Somehow, after some semi-valid possibilities were presented by the group, we ended up singing “A Whole New World” from Aladdin.  Normally you’d be able to brush off a mess like that as a joke, but I feel like they thanked us for our song 3-5 times throughout the rest of the presentation (“Even if [they] couldn’t understand all of the words”).  It would appear that they take songs very seriously, and I hope we’re able to figure out a safe song to sing in the event we’re asked again.

After the welcome ceremony, we attempted to make our way off for lunch (more hand shakes, high fives, fist bumps, stares).  After lunch, we decided to hand out toothbrushes (we brought something like 800), even though we hadn’t presented the topic.  And chaos ensued.  There’s always a mad rush to see what the muzungus are giving away, even if it’s just something like toothbrushes, and this was no different.  A number of the kids were visibly hording them (though they would hide them while asking for one), older kids were stealing from younger kids, and fights broke out over the Colgates (came in boxes rather than bags).  While we ran into this issue a bit with candy at the last AMU compound, the group was generally smaller and more easily controlled, and we had plenty of stickers to go around.  Today, you could just see how desperate people here can be at times (not to mention the commonly uttered phrase “Give me my money,” but that’s really heard anywhere when some older kids see muzungus). 

-Scott

The clay building wasn't the only thing to be demolished today.  My camera also bit the dust (more literally than figuratively).  It had been having trouble already, probably due in part to the generally dusty nature of the country, and today was the last nail in the coffin.  The lens will no longer open, and I am instead greeted with an unpleasant BEEP, BEEP, BEEP... before it turns itself off again.  So, here is one of the last pictures taken with my Samsung SL502. From here on out, I'm just along for the ride.  I'll still try to get some updates up, but I imagine I'll just be inserting unrelated pictures from previous days.

Lake Kivu

As I mentioned yesterday, our group hopped on a bus to Kibuye this morning, with the first destination being Lake Kivu on the western border of Rwanda.  According to Wikipedia, it’s one of three “exploding lakes,” where mass extinction can occur due to gigantic gaseous discharges.  The concept is fascinating enough that I’ve decided to save you some hyperlink reading and just paste it here:

“Scientists hypothesize that sufficient volcanic interaction with the lake's bottom water that has high gas concentrations would heat water, force the methane out of the water, spark a methane explosion, and trigger a nearly simultaneous release of carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide would then suffocate large numbers of people in the lake basin as the gases roll off the lake surface. It is also possible that the lake could spawn lake tsunamis as gas explodes out of it.”

It apparently happens on a millennial scale, so here’s to hoping it doesn’t pick today or tomorrow to do its thing.  In the meantime, since I seem to have better internet availability here, I’ve decided to go with more of a photo blog this time around.  And here goes. 

We left from Kigali around 9:00 AM this morning, and the drive to Kibuye was over three hours through winding countryside.  It was gorgeous as always, but it was rough on those with weaker stomachs. We stopped a few times to let one or two people vomit (at least they had a good view in the process), and it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say that half of the group ordered Sprite at lunch.  I wasn't feeling the need to order Sprite, and that may have been for the best when my (whole) Tilapia came out after a 2-3 hour wait.  In all reality, it actually tasted  quite good, although there was limited meat to be found.

The lake itself seems to be full of islands and peninsulas.  Add a seemingly constant fog/mist to the mix, and it appears that some of the islands further out are just floating in the sky.  It's really surreal at times.

We took a boat ride out onto the lake after "lunch" to see the area near the guesthouse where we're staying.  It was nearing sunset by the time we actually loaded up (gets dark around 6:00 PM here), and I tried my best to capture some of the sights with my camera's limited capabilities (it's been having a number of errors lately  making focusing difficult and causing it to randomly shut down on occasion).  It the case of this picture, I tried to show just how much it looked like boats were floating in the sky at times.

After driving around for a bit and checking out some of the surrounding islands, we stopped on a small island with a restaurant (one-room kitchen with outdoor seating).  They had some cute swings and hammocks set up, and a few of us went swimming for a bit (here's to hoping I didn't have a run-in with schisto.

And, there it is. Short and sweet.  We're hanging out with more AMU kids tomorrow morning, bright and early, and I'll aim to have another entry up tomorrow night or Tuesday.

Laundry Day

Today is pretty much a day off, so I did laundry this morning.  Since I think washing machines and dryers are essentially unheard of (it’d be cheaper just to hire someone to do it for you), we just use a soap bucket, a rinse bucket, and our hands.  A washboard or wringer would be great, but that may be a bit of a luxury as well.  Being Rwanda’s dry season, our wet clothes can generally dry over the course of the day, but it does come with its issues (as would be expected).  It’s not uncommon to have bugs climbing over your clothes, and a pair of my shorts ended up splattered in bird poop last week.  Such is life. 

-Scott

Really, this entry was just an excuse to post a picture of the spider I found crawling around my clothes this morning during the washing process.  Welcome to Africa.