I finally got up to Emtoto yesterday, the site of the former capital city and the palace of Emperor Mellieck (I’m pretty sure that is not spelled correctly...) There isn’t really a whole lot left there but there is a beautifully coloured church and a museum. The real draw though, at least for me, was that Emtoto is on the top of a mountain. Surrounded by eucalyptus trees imported from Australia and the local juniper trees it is like an oasis above the craziness of Addis. The air is fresh and smells strongly of eucalyptus. The breeze is cool and light and it feels like a completely different world. It is higher in altitude than the city by almost 2000 ft (at least according to my tour guide) but I could actually breath up there. No pollution. Looking out over the city you can see a cloud of smog obscuring the view so that you have to try to make out the different buildings. I will post some pictures once I am back in the land of fast internet.
Last night Fiona and I went out to 2000 Habisha, a traditional Ethiopian restaurant with really good food and music and dancers. Don’t get it confused with Habisha 2000, another traditional Ethiopian restaurant not too far away... Interestingly the majority of people there were Ethiopian – the local people go there often so it is not just a tourist attraction. There was also a tour group made up mostly of old white people. It was hilarious to watch some of them join in the dancing and Fiona and I both decided that we hope we're traveling the world and dancing when we're that age. The dancing is interesting to watch with very jerky motions of the neck and shoulders. At one point I had to look away because of the way the women were shaking their heads around – it looked like they had no neck left and their heads were going to go flying off.
Fiona had to leave early this morning for Arba Minch, the work trip that was supposed to have happened last week, so we said goodbye last night. Even though this wasn't the trip I has planned I enjoyed it and had a lot of fun hanging out with Fiona. I'll just have to come back to Ehtiopia another time to see the rest of the country - but I don't think I'll spend much time in Addis next time around...
Today is my last day in Africa and I spent most of it trying to figure out how to pack all my stuff so that I don’t have pay extra for a heavy bag. I’m still not sure if I’ve succeeded since I don’t have any way to weigh the bags. I had also planned to do some more wandering, maybe in Piazza again or down Churchill Avenue but the weather didn’t cooperate with my plans and it has been raining off and on (mostly on) all afternoon. So instead, I’m back in Limetree Cafe having coffee and trying to use the internet which has also been going off and on (mostly off) all afternoon.
My flight leaves Addis at 11:30 tonight and I get into Frankfurt at around 6am. The flight to Toronto leaves at 10 something am and then I have 2 hours to get my bags, clear customs and check into my connecting flight to Halifax. That should be interesting!
I am really looking forward to going home. It is a weird feeling because my last few trips I wanted to turn around and go back as soon as my plane landed in Toronto. I think Pearson Airport has something to do with this (my least favourite place on earth) but there was also a feeling that I wasn't ready to leave Africa behind. While I am in no way saying that I won't be back to Africa someday soon, it is interesting and in some way disturbing to me that I am so excited to get back home. I'm not sure that I can explain this very well, but I guess I'll have to reflect on it over the next little while.
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
Friday, November 04, 2011
More from Addis
It is supposed to be the dry season here in Ethiopia, but apparently I brought the rain here with me from Kigali. It has been pouring rain most of the afternoon. Fiona is not impressed since she thought she was done with rain until January. I am also really tired of rain and was looking forward to hot and sunny weather while I was here. Maybe it will be sunny when I get back to Halifax....I know, not very likely.
Fiona has had to work most of this week and her work trip down south that I was going to tag along on has been postponed until next week so I've been spending a lot of time just wandering around Addis and relaxing at home. It is a nice break from thinking and planning and worrying about research. We're planning a day trip for this weekend and it is possible that monday will be a holiday but they aren't sure at her office yet - it is a lunar holiday so I guess it depends on what the moon is doing? So we might go out of town on Monday as well, or else I'll go to Emtoto by myself. Emtoto is where the old capital was and though there isn't a whole lot left there is a church and a museum, and it is on top of a big hill. It is supposed to have really good views of the city and it will be nice to be out of the airpollution for a little while. The pollution makes me feel like I am loosing my voice and I have had to use my inhaler more in the past few days than I have in several months combined. The altitude does not help either but I am getting used to that. I am looking forward to taking some good pictures at Emtoto. I haven't been taking very many here - I am reluctant to take my camera out of my bag since this city is well known for pickpockets and Fiona has already been robbed twice. Cameras also mark you as a tourist which invites more of the harrassment from beggars and street vendors that I am generally trying to avoid. Fiona has also talked about visiting some of the weavers that she works with and I'm looking forward to this as well. Some of the scarves and fabrics I've seen so far are really beautiful and I am hoping to buy some.
I am really looking forward to the weekend and whatever adventures we end up having. I'm really glad that I was able to come to Ethiopia and I am enjoying my time here, but I am also really looking forward to returning to Canada. I will miss the coffee though!
Addis is a crazy city that provides a lot of opportunities for people watching and observations. Walking from where I am staying to Fiona's house yesterday afternoon I passed several posters for 'marital assistance' and it is not unusual to see donkeys piled high with sacks walking down the streets. I met Fiona for lunch near the MEDA office today and from the window we watched a bunch of cows being herded along the side of a very busy roundabout. There were a couple of near accidents as drivers in Addis are not well known for their safe driving and the cows were not happy to stay on the sidewalk and kept running in the middle of the road. Good lunchtime entertainment.
Fiona has had to work most of this week and her work trip down south that I was going to tag along on has been postponed until next week so I've been spending a lot of time just wandering around Addis and relaxing at home. It is a nice break from thinking and planning and worrying about research. We're planning a day trip for this weekend and it is possible that monday will be a holiday but they aren't sure at her office yet - it is a lunar holiday so I guess it depends on what the moon is doing? So we might go out of town on Monday as well, or else I'll go to Emtoto by myself. Emtoto is where the old capital was and though there isn't a whole lot left there is a church and a museum, and it is on top of a big hill. It is supposed to have really good views of the city and it will be nice to be out of the airpollution for a little while. The pollution makes me feel like I am loosing my voice and I have had to use my inhaler more in the past few days than I have in several months combined. The altitude does not help either but I am getting used to that. I am looking forward to taking some good pictures at Emtoto. I haven't been taking very many here - I am reluctant to take my camera out of my bag since this city is well known for pickpockets and Fiona has already been robbed twice. Cameras also mark you as a tourist which invites more of the harrassment from beggars and street vendors that I am generally trying to avoid. Fiona has also talked about visiting some of the weavers that she works with and I'm looking forward to this as well. Some of the scarves and fabrics I've seen so far are really beautiful and I am hoping to buy some.
I am really looking forward to the weekend and whatever adventures we end up having. I'm really glad that I was able to come to Ethiopia and I am enjoying my time here, but I am also really looking forward to returning to Canada. I will miss the coffee though!
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Arrivals and Adventures in Addis
Hopefully I will find time to blog about my last few days in Rwanda and I will definitely write more about my research at some point but I’m sitting in Addis, Ethiopia and it all already seems a world away.
I almost didn’t make it to Ethiopia. My flight was scheduled to leave at 4pm from Kigali International Airport on Monday and I diligently confirmed this online. Jen picked me up at 1:30 and we arrived at the airport somewhere around 2pm. Looking at the departures screen my flight number was nowhere to be seen and the only flight to Addis was scheduled for 2:40. Talking to the guy at the front of the security line I asked him about my flight. “That flight no longer exists.” .... What?! How does it no longer exist?!
You know that person that is late for the flight and makes everyone wait for them, because heaven knows the world revolves around them? Don't you hate that person?! .....well this time that person was me. The 2:40 flight was already boarding and they had to hold it for me while I checked in and had to pay extra for my really heavy bag and went through customs and immigration. Running across the tarmac I realized I was that person. I wanted to apologize to everyone on the plane but I just slunk sheepishly into my seat. My flight landed at 7:05 pm after a stop in Entebbe Uganda and I easily got my visa and went through immigration. They sent our luggage to the wrong terminal so it was almost 8:30 by the time I claimed my bags and went to find Fiona. We left the airport, found her taxi driver and headed into the city. That first night I stayed in a guest house down the street from Fiona’s house because her landlord is crazy and wouldn’t let me stay there. Now I’m staying with a friend of Fiona’s named Nora who just moved into a huge three bedroom house by herself. It has a working shower. With hot water. I feel genuinely clean for the first time since I left Halifax. Or at least I did until I stepped out of the house...
Ethiopia so far is like another world to me. Addis is insane with its traffic and general lack of traffic lights. It feels like the half the city is under construction and the rest is either falling apart or seems somehow out of place with a mix of architecture styles. Ethiopia is the only country in Africa never to have been colonized, although it was occupied by the Italians at one point. The Italian influence remains to some degree but there also seems to be a significant Soviet influence. Ethiopia also has an ancient Christian tradition that has influenced it in a lot of ways, although now the population is estimate to be half Christian and half Muslim. I woke up this morning to the call to prayer from a nearby Mosque and the chanting is starting again as I sit down to write this. The whole city is at once modern and bustling yet ancient and haunting as well. The city was only established as the capital in the late 1880s (according to the Brant Travel Guide I was reading this morning) but to me it still seems older.
Yesterday Fiona and I explored a part of the city called Piazza, a very busy area with lots of shops, restaurants and jewellery stores. There are winding little alleys lined with booths selling everything from cell phones and CDs to scarves and leggings. Along the main roads you can find a large theatre, an old post office that looks like it should have been a train station and shops with brightly coloured shutters on the second floor windows. We had coffee, bought some stunning silver necklaces and wandered around a lot. It is heartbreaking to see children sleeping in the street, people crippled and disfigured from polio and even from elephantitis sitting on the side of the sidewalk begging. The peddlers and beggars are overwhelming and at one point one guy followed us down the street for a short distance insisting we give him something. I don’t think I’ve done the city justice in my descriptions so far. It is an interesting and complicated city. There are pretty little details like the metal flowers wrapped around the posts lining the boulevards and little gardens on some of the street corners, but it is by no means a pretty city. I’ll try to post some pictures later but wifi is not as readily available here as in Kigali. I’m going out today to try to get money from the bank and to find some internet so I can post this and to do some more work on my research. Fiona has to work today so I am navigating on my own... should be an adventure!
I almost didn’t make it to Ethiopia. My flight was scheduled to leave at 4pm from Kigali International Airport on Monday and I diligently confirmed this online. Jen picked me up at 1:30 and we arrived at the airport somewhere around 2pm. Looking at the departures screen my flight number was nowhere to be seen and the only flight to Addis was scheduled for 2:40. Talking to the guy at the front of the security line I asked him about my flight. “That flight no longer exists.” .... What?! How does it no longer exist?!
You know that person that is late for the flight and makes everyone wait for them, because heaven knows the world revolves around them? Don't you hate that person?! .....well this time that person was me. The 2:40 flight was already boarding and they had to hold it for me while I checked in and had to pay extra for my really heavy bag and went through customs and immigration. Running across the tarmac I realized I was that person. I wanted to apologize to everyone on the plane but I just slunk sheepishly into my seat. My flight landed at 7:05 pm after a stop in Entebbe Uganda and I easily got my visa and went through immigration. They sent our luggage to the wrong terminal so it was almost 8:30 by the time I claimed my bags and went to find Fiona. We left the airport, found her taxi driver and headed into the city. That first night I stayed in a guest house down the street from Fiona’s house because her landlord is crazy and wouldn’t let me stay there. Now I’m staying with a friend of Fiona’s named Nora who just moved into a huge three bedroom house by herself. It has a working shower. With hot water. I feel genuinely clean for the first time since I left Halifax. Or at least I did until I stepped out of the house...
Ethiopia so far is like another world to me. Addis is insane with its traffic and general lack of traffic lights. It feels like the half the city is under construction and the rest is either falling apart or seems somehow out of place with a mix of architecture styles. Ethiopia is the only country in Africa never to have been colonized, although it was occupied by the Italians at one point. The Italian influence remains to some degree but there also seems to be a significant Soviet influence. Ethiopia also has an ancient Christian tradition that has influenced it in a lot of ways, although now the population is estimate to be half Christian and half Muslim. I woke up this morning to the call to prayer from a nearby Mosque and the chanting is starting again as I sit down to write this. The whole city is at once modern and bustling yet ancient and haunting as well. The city was only established as the capital in the late 1880s (according to the Brant Travel Guide I was reading this morning) but to me it still seems older.
Yesterday Fiona and I explored a part of the city called Piazza, a very busy area with lots of shops, restaurants and jewellery stores. There are winding little alleys lined with booths selling everything from cell phones and CDs to scarves and leggings. Along the main roads you can find a large theatre, an old post office that looks like it should have been a train station and shops with brightly coloured shutters on the second floor windows. We had coffee, bought some stunning silver necklaces and wandered around a lot. It is heartbreaking to see children sleeping in the street, people crippled and disfigured from polio and even from elephantitis sitting on the side of the sidewalk begging. The peddlers and beggars are overwhelming and at one point one guy followed us down the street for a short distance insisting we give him something. I don’t think I’ve done the city justice in my descriptions so far. It is an interesting and complicated city. There are pretty little details like the metal flowers wrapped around the posts lining the boulevards and little gardens on some of the street corners, but it is by no means a pretty city. I’ll try to post some pictures later but wifi is not as readily available here as in Kigali. I’m going out today to try to get money from the bank and to find some internet so I can post this and to do some more work on my research. Fiona has to work today so I am navigating on my own... should be an adventure!
Friday, October 21, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Visas and Sad Departures
Today I went back to immigration to pick up my visa. I got a text message telling me my visa was ready for pick up and it was all very straightforward. A lot of the people waiting with me were the same people I waited with last week so there were some nods and smiles of greetings everytime someone new came in and took their number. I only had to wait an hour this time and then I was able to leave passport in hand. Now I am here in Rwanda legally. Hurrah!
Today I also said goodbye to Maddy, one of my housemates. She is going back the the US for two weeks and gets back three days after I leave here. I'm sad that she is gone and the rest of my time in the house will be a little lonely. I still have Dora, who I love, but she works all day and then has school in the evenings so she often does not get home until 9:30 or 10:00 at night. So I have the house mostly to myself.
I am really excited about this weekend. Ashley, a friend and classmate doing her research in Uganda, is coming here to Kigali. She finally got her visa today as well. We haven't decided exactly what we're going to do while she's here but it will probably be a lot of hanging out and relaxing. Hopefully the weather cooperates. We may do a day trip to Gisenyi, a lakeside tourist town near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. (don't worry mom, we won't cross the border...) I'm also excited because Katherine, a friend I met last time I was in Rwanda will also be coming back next weekend. Hopefully she can hang out with Ashley and I a little and I'm looking forward to catching up with her and hearing about her adventures.
I only have two weeks left here in Rwanda - TWO WEEKS!!! and there is still so much to do. If I think about it too much I start to get discouraged but I'm still confident that I can get most of the data that I still want to get. I have not been feeling 100% the past two days so I am hoping that I feel better quickly. It is not fun wandering around the land of a thousand hills looking for not very descriptive addresses when you are not feeling well! And, now the power is out and my battery is dying so I will post this in the morning :)
** The power was out last night for more than three hours all over my area of Kigali (Kabeza) and most of Giporoso as well. This is the first time the power went out for that long when it wasn't raining. I had almost forgotten how unreliable the electricity used to be here because it has been so good lately. Now I'm in Bourbon at the MTN Center in Nyatarama to type up my last two interviews and enjoy some yummy coffee. Looks like it should be a great day!
Today I also said goodbye to Maddy, one of my housemates. She is going back the the US for two weeks and gets back three days after I leave here. I'm sad that she is gone and the rest of my time in the house will be a little lonely. I still have Dora, who I love, but she works all day and then has school in the evenings so she often does not get home until 9:30 or 10:00 at night. So I have the house mostly to myself.
I am really excited about this weekend. Ashley, a friend and classmate doing her research in Uganda, is coming here to Kigali. She finally got her visa today as well. We haven't decided exactly what we're going to do while she's here but it will probably be a lot of hanging out and relaxing. Hopefully the weather cooperates. We may do a day trip to Gisenyi, a lakeside tourist town near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. (don't worry mom, we won't cross the border...) I'm also excited because Katherine, a friend I met last time I was in Rwanda will also be coming back next weekend. Hopefully she can hang out with Ashley and I a little and I'm looking forward to catching up with her and hearing about her adventures.
I only have two weeks left here in Rwanda - TWO WEEKS!!! and there is still so much to do. If I think about it too much I start to get discouraged but I'm still confident that I can get most of the data that I still want to get. I have not been feeling 100% the past two days so I am hoping that I feel better quickly. It is not fun wandering around the land of a thousand hills looking for not very descriptive addresses when you are not feeling well! And, now the power is out and my battery is dying so I will post this in the morning :)
** The power was out last night for more than three hours all over my area of Kigali (Kabeza) and most of Giporoso as well. This is the first time the power went out for that long when it wasn't raining. I had almost forgotten how unreliable the electricity used to be here because it has been so good lately. Now I'm in Bourbon at the MTN Center in Nyatarama to type up my last two interviews and enjoy some yummy coffee. Looks like it should be a great day!
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Weekend Musings
I had a dream last night that I got home and realized that I couldn't use any of my interviews and that all the data I have collected here is wrong or can't be used. It gave me a little bit of a panicky feeling and now I'm looking over my interview transcripts thinking "is this right? is this what I want? What can I do with this?...." I only have two weeks left in Rwanda and I have A LOT to pack into that time. Hopefully I get it all done and I can talk to everyone I need to talk to.... then I get to spend a week in Ethiopia with Fiona and I won't think about research at all. Looking forward to the return of my sanity!
Another thing to look forward to is next weekend. Ashley is a friend and classmate who is doing her research in Uganda right now. Originally she was going to come hang out with me this weekend but due to visa issues that has been postponed until next weekend. I'm looking forward to showing her my favourite things in Kigali and to have someone to eat with at Indian Khazana, the best Indian Restaurant on the planet. If I can get enough done and talk to enough people this week then I am going to Uganda for a few days to hang out with her before I leave. I really hope this works out because it sounds like her time in Uganda has been really interesting and I have never been there. I'm going to have to get really annoying with the people I want to talk with so that they just agree to meet with me to get rid of me!
Yesterday morning I had a very productive meeting but it was pouring rain so I got soaking wet trying to get there. Then of course I had to wait almost 2 hours before she could actually meet with me, but that is the way things are. While I was walking from my house to find a taxi I ended up walking with a little girl on her way to buy cooking oil. She shared my umbrella for a few blocks then went into a shop across the street. We didn't talk to each other at all, just walked together for a little while trying to stay dry, then we waved as went our seperate ways. It was one of the highlights of my day.
Another thing to look forward to is next weekend. Ashley is a friend and classmate who is doing her research in Uganda right now. Originally she was going to come hang out with me this weekend but due to visa issues that has been postponed until next weekend. I'm looking forward to showing her my favourite things in Kigali and to have someone to eat with at Indian Khazana, the best Indian Restaurant on the planet. If I can get enough done and talk to enough people this week then I am going to Uganda for a few days to hang out with her before I leave. I really hope this works out because it sounds like her time in Uganda has been really interesting and I have never been there. I'm going to have to get really annoying with the people I want to talk with so that they just agree to meet with me to get rid of me!
Yesterday morning I had a very productive meeting but it was pouring rain so I got soaking wet trying to get there. Then of course I had to wait almost 2 hours before she could actually meet with me, but that is the way things are. While I was walking from my house to find a taxi I ended up walking with a little girl on her way to buy cooking oil. She shared my umbrella for a few blocks then went into a shop across the street. We didn't talk to each other at all, just walked together for a little while trying to stay dry, then we waved as went our seperate ways. It was one of the highlights of my day.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Random Stories from Kigali (part 3)
I'm sitting in a new coffee shop in Kigali (new to me...which means it is less than 2 1/2 years old) trying to upload pictures to my thanksgiving post which is now three days late and has taken WAY too much effort to do. They are playing french Christmas caroles....
When I was coming to Rwanda I got confused trying to navigate the new visa application process (again, new to me... I think it has been in place for at least a year...) so instead of getting a visa that would be good for my entire visit here I got a simple online 30 day visa. So easy! Only took 3 days! Never mind that I didn't have it printed when I got to customs so I had to show them the form on my laptop like a Muzungu idiot. Anyway, the only hiccup to this plan is that I am here in Rwanda for 46 days. Not 30. So I need to get an extension of my visa. I had been told that this was an easy process and compared to the confusion of the original application process with the embassy in Ottawa dodging my calls and not picking up the phone no matter how many times I called, it was an easy process. It just involved me going to the immigration office three mornings in a row.
The first day I got delayed going and didn't realize that you can only hand in visa applications in the morning. I would still have had time except someone directed me to the wrong office (somehow I missed the big "VISA APPLICATIONS" sign above the correct door...) so by the time I made it to the correct office it was too late. So yesterday I returned and was there by 9:30am. I got my number - 3090.... now serving 3054.... lovely. So I waited in line for two hours for my turn. I nodded to some of the people who were there the day before and stared at the tv in the corner playing something about volcanoes without any volume. Finally it was my turn and the immigration agent told me that actually, because you're staying with a Rwandan we need a copy of their identification. When I told Dora this she was very confused because none of the interns who have stayed with her in the past have ever needed a copy of her identification, but those are the hoops so we jump through them.
I went back early this morning. For the third time in a row. I smiled at some familiar faces - at least I wasn't the only person jumping through hoops! The immigration office is starting to feel homey. I know which seats squeak, (the one by the window has a pokey thing in the backrest) and I know the powerpoint slideshow on how to get your number and stand in line quietly off by heart. This time I only had to wait 45 minutes and the time flew by. I spent it staring at the picture of President Kagame hanging on the wall trying to figure out if he was sitting crookedly or if the picture was crooked in the frame.... Finally it was my turn and the immigration agent remembered me from yesterday (or maybe from the day before...) so he quickly pulled together my documents and entered some info into the computer. Success!! I should be able to pick up my visa on monday and have a nice day.
Now I'm at Magda Cafe and I check my email and apparently I have two seperate visa applications being processed... with two different tracking numbers.... neither of which have my name spelled correctly...
Someone noticed that it isn't Christmas yet and changed the music. Now I'm listening to Dolly Parton.
When I was coming to Rwanda I got confused trying to navigate the new visa application process (again, new to me... I think it has been in place for at least a year...) so instead of getting a visa that would be good for my entire visit here I got a simple online 30 day visa. So easy! Only took 3 days! Never mind that I didn't have it printed when I got to customs so I had to show them the form on my laptop like a Muzungu idiot. Anyway, the only hiccup to this plan is that I am here in Rwanda for 46 days. Not 30. So I need to get an extension of my visa. I had been told that this was an easy process and compared to the confusion of the original application process with the embassy in Ottawa dodging my calls and not picking up the phone no matter how many times I called, it was an easy process. It just involved me going to the immigration office three mornings in a row.
The first day I got delayed going and didn't realize that you can only hand in visa applications in the morning. I would still have had time except someone directed me to the wrong office (somehow I missed the big "VISA APPLICATIONS" sign above the correct door...) so by the time I made it to the correct office it was too late. So yesterday I returned and was there by 9:30am. I got my number - 3090.... now serving 3054.... lovely. So I waited in line for two hours for my turn. I nodded to some of the people who were there the day before and stared at the tv in the corner playing something about volcanoes without any volume. Finally it was my turn and the immigration agent told me that actually, because you're staying with a Rwandan we need a copy of their identification. When I told Dora this she was very confused because none of the interns who have stayed with her in the past have ever needed a copy of her identification, but those are the hoops so we jump through them.
I went back early this morning. For the third time in a row. I smiled at some familiar faces - at least I wasn't the only person jumping through hoops! The immigration office is starting to feel homey. I know which seats squeak, (the one by the window has a pokey thing in the backrest) and I know the powerpoint slideshow on how to get your number and stand in line quietly off by heart. This time I only had to wait 45 minutes and the time flew by. I spent it staring at the picture of President Kagame hanging on the wall trying to figure out if he was sitting crookedly or if the picture was crooked in the frame.... Finally it was my turn and the immigration agent remembered me from yesterday (or maybe from the day before...) so he quickly pulled together my documents and entered some info into the computer. Success!! I should be able to pick up my visa on monday and have a nice day.
Now I'm at Magda Cafe and I check my email and apparently I have two seperate visa applications being processed... with two different tracking numbers.... neither of which have my name spelled correctly...
Someone noticed that it isn't Christmas yet and changed the music. Now I'm listening to Dolly Parton.
Sunday, October 09, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving!
***Preface*** Finally!! Enjoy these pictures. They took FOREVER to upload and I'm not entirely sure why. I wrote this post on sunday night and it is now wednesday morning. Hopefully it will still be wednesday morning by the time this actually gets posted....
It was Canadian Thanksgiving this past weekend and even though I am not in Canada, I got to celebrate it anyway. Jen is a friend who lives here in Rwanda but who loves thanksgiving. When she moved here and later married Serge, a Rwandan, she decided that just because she lived in Rwanda didn't mean she couldn't have thanksgiving. So their family has started a tradition of inviting other Canadians for thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings. Including turkey.
Maddy and I arrived at Jen's on sunday morning just after 9am and there were three turkeys running around. One of them was very grumpy and liked to chase people around. I called him Dinner.We spent the day cutting, cleaning, chopping and frosting (alliteration fail) and helping Jen stay sane while preparing a dinner for 36 people. Cooking three turkeys at once would seem crazy even in Canada - how do fit three turkeys in the oven?! The answer? You don't cook them in the oven. It was a great production involving a charcoal fire, a huge drum and a spit. Two and a half hours later, and voila. Yummy thanksgiving turkey!
After the turkeys were killed, plucked and cleaned they were prepared in the outdoor kitchen.
The turkey is placed under a drum with hot coals under it and on top to cook it evenly
You can only take the drum off when you're sure the turkey is cooked because as soon as you lift it all the heat is lost. It is a bit of a guessing game based on experience and the way the turkey is smelling...
Cooked to perfection! And it smells like heaven.
Time to eat!!
It was a great evening of meeting interesting people and eating entirely too much. Growing up my family had a tradition of going around the table and saying something we were thankful for. I am thankful that things finally came together for this trip to Rwanda and that my research is going reasonabley well. I'm thankful my friends, new and old, that have enriched my life. And I'm thankful for my family, my sister who is also my friend and for my parents who support and love me even though I'm crazy and they don't always understand me.
Friday, October 07, 2011
Road Humps
There are occastionally "humps" in the road here. There are usually two in a row and they are often near schools or where there is a lot of pedestrian traffic. They are fun to go over on a motto if your driver knows what he's doing. They suck when he doesn't.
I had a 'hump' in my road this week. Being sick sucks normally, but there is something extra pathetic about being sick when you are alone and far from home. Almost every one of my trips so far has had me spending the better part of the night sleeping/trying to sleep on the bathroom floor and this week that happened again. I still don't know what made me sick - each other time it was food that made me sick but I don't think that was it this time. I was also sick longer than I have been in the past from food poisoning. But today I am feeling nearly human and have even left the house to run some errands and to sit in bourbon where I am thinking about ordering some chicken soup. A nice change from rice and crackers.
It has been frustrating to be stuck in bed when I really want to be doing work. I have plans for next week and I am determined that things will Progress and that I will Get Things Done. I have some tentative meetings scheduled. There are several places that I have yet to find contact info for - next week I plan to go to those organizations and ministries and hope someone talks to me... but first I have to find them. There are no addresses per se in Kigali. Some of the roads now have names, but most people don't know them and they aren't widely used. There aren't any numbers on the houses. For example, my address is Kabeza, across from the Air Force. Kabeza is an area of Kigali and we are literally across the street from the Air Force. One of the organizations I want to visit has the address of Kicikyru near the World Food Program offices. Kicikyru is huge and I think there are two WFP offices there. So you can see how it can get a little complicated. But, I am confident with a little wandering I'll be able to find everything I need to. I just hope the rain holds off enough so I don't have to do my wandering in a thunderstorm and in the mud!
I had a 'hump' in my road this week. Being sick sucks normally, but there is something extra pathetic about being sick when you are alone and far from home. Almost every one of my trips so far has had me spending the better part of the night sleeping/trying to sleep on the bathroom floor and this week that happened again. I still don't know what made me sick - each other time it was food that made me sick but I don't think that was it this time. I was also sick longer than I have been in the past from food poisoning. But today I am feeling nearly human and have even left the house to run some errands and to sit in bourbon where I am thinking about ordering some chicken soup. A nice change from rice and crackers.
It has been frustrating to be stuck in bed when I really want to be doing work. I have plans for next week and I am determined that things will Progress and that I will Get Things Done. I have some tentative meetings scheduled. There are several places that I have yet to find contact info for - next week I plan to go to those organizations and ministries and hope someone talks to me... but first I have to find them. There are no addresses per se in Kigali. Some of the roads now have names, but most people don't know them and they aren't widely used. There aren't any numbers on the houses. For example, my address is Kabeza, across from the Air Force. Kabeza is an area of Kigali and we are literally across the street from the Air Force. One of the organizations I want to visit has the address of Kicikyru near the World Food Program offices. Kicikyru is huge and I think there are two WFP offices there. So you can see how it can get a little complicated. But, I am confident with a little wandering I'll be able to find everything I need to. I just hope the rain holds off enough so I don't have to do my wandering in a thunderstorm and in the mud!
Monday, October 03, 2011
Random Stories from Kigali (Part 2)
This happened on Saturday while Maddy and I were in town. We were in a shop downtown and all of a sudden there was a HUGE commotion outside. Someone had stolen something further up the hill from where we were and was running down the street. I have seen shoplifters in Canada running away. I once saw someone running away after stealing a purse in South Africa. In my experience generally most people just stand and watch. Not in Kigali. In Kigali when someone steals something EVERYONE chases them. Motto drivers kick at them as they pass, random people on the street yell and chase after the thief until they are caught. Maybe this is why the crime rate in Rwanda is so low?
Relearning an Old Lesson.
There is a joke in my small group, and among many Christians in general, that you shouldn't pray for patience - God will answer! In all seriousness, patience is a lesson that I think God has been teaching me for a long time now. I often joke with people that it is a lesson I have learned well and would God move on to a new lesson already?! I know that there is a reason for the lesson and all the waiting. I believe that God is using circumstances in my life to shape and mold me into who he wants me to be, into the person he can use. Sometimes I wish I knew more about his purposes, but I have faith that he has a purpose.
This morning I had coffee with an old friend, David. He was one of my best friends when I lived here before and I saw him nearly every day. He is very busy with work but he had this morning off so we met downtown. We talked about a lot of things; people we both know, the goings on in our lives since we saw each other last, how Rwanda has changed etc. One conversation was centered on past experiences here in Rwanda and how you need to have patience to work here. He admitted that even as a Rwandan sometimes he ran out of patience when working with Rwandans - people say yes when they mean no, they don't always take deadlines as seriously as you do, and generally things take longer than we might like. So you need to have patience.
This afternoon I was finally supposed to have my first interview with a policy and advocacy analyst at a Rwandan civil society organization. I was excited because finally I was going to get some real data, do something tangible on my research. That is why I'm here!! I went early to the appointment because I was not sure if I would be able to find the building easily. I had general directions - near that embassy, across from this building, opposite that building and beside this building. It turned out to be much easier than i thought so I called to see if he was available earlier but he was out of the office for a meeting and could we push it ahead to an hour from now? Sure, no problem. I decided to explore that area of town as I hadn't been there much before and I found out where a few ministries are that will be important down the road. It was a beautiful hot day so it was not a big deal. I found myself at a familiar hotel so I went to have a drink of fanta by the pool while I waited. Then I got another phone call - the meeting had gone long and could we please reschedule until tomorrow? No problem.
I knew when I was preparing to come here that things would not happen as quickly as I wanted them to. I knew that I would have to wait for appointments and that meetings would be postponed and rescheduled sometimes a couple of times. I knew that I would need to have patience.
This morning I had coffee with an old friend, David. He was one of my best friends when I lived here before and I saw him nearly every day. He is very busy with work but he had this morning off so we met downtown. We talked about a lot of things; people we both know, the goings on in our lives since we saw each other last, how Rwanda has changed etc. One conversation was centered on past experiences here in Rwanda and how you need to have patience to work here. He admitted that even as a Rwandan sometimes he ran out of patience when working with Rwandans - people say yes when they mean no, they don't always take deadlines as seriously as you do, and generally things take longer than we might like. So you need to have patience.
This afternoon I was finally supposed to have my first interview with a policy and advocacy analyst at a Rwandan civil society organization. I was excited because finally I was going to get some real data, do something tangible on my research. That is why I'm here!! I went early to the appointment because I was not sure if I would be able to find the building easily. I had general directions - near that embassy, across from this building, opposite that building and beside this building. It turned out to be much easier than i thought so I called to see if he was available earlier but he was out of the office for a meeting and could we push it ahead to an hour from now? Sure, no problem. I decided to explore that area of town as I hadn't been there much before and I found out where a few ministries are that will be important down the road. It was a beautiful hot day so it was not a big deal. I found myself at a familiar hotel so I went to have a drink of fanta by the pool while I waited. Then I got another phone call - the meeting had gone long and could we please reschedule until tomorrow? No problem.
I knew when I was preparing to come here that things would not happen as quickly as I wanted them to. I knew that I would have to wait for appointments and that meetings would be postponed and rescheduled sometimes a couple of times. I knew that I would need to have patience.
Saturday, October 01, 2011
Wow. It has been a week since I posted last which means I have now been in Kigali for two weeks. Time is flying! Or running, as they say here.
I had a bit of a frustrating week. On one hand I officially got my ethics approval from my school so I am now allowed to start my research for real. On the other hand things are moving very slowly on that front. A few of my contacts have fallen through although I made a few new ones this week that will hopefully make up for that. Everything is just slow and it's frustrating. But I knew this coming into it. Part of it is cultural - nothing happens here in a hurry. Part of it is just the nature of doing research in a new context. It is all about who you know and it takes time to form the needed networks.
It also rained A LOT this week. It is rainy season so I expect it to rain. But not all day. And not when I planned to go somewhere/do something. I am not used to the weather dictating what I can and cannot do. I live in Halifax where it rains a lot. We had a particularily rainy spring and early summer this year so I am used to rain. But in Halifax I can do things even if it rains. I can take a bus, I can walk in the rain, I can get a ride from a friend. Slightly inconvenient but no big deal. Here it is a different story. I think I have mentioned before that I live pretty far from downtown, and from basically everywhere I need to go. So I have to take a motto or a taxi everywhere. Mottos don't really run in the rain because a) the drivers don't like to get wet and b) it isn't really safe in the rain. So twice this week it started to storm just as I was about to leave the house. On thursday the power went out and my computer battery died so I just had a nap all afternoon.
Today has been an improvement. It didn't rain today which meant I got a lot done. Not on my research, but I ran errands with Maddy my housemate (read her blog at the side of the page) and we bought ingredients for dinner tonight. Neither Dora nor Maddy really know how to cook so tonight is the first "cooking class with Laura". We are going to make faijtas and chocolate no bake cookies. Next weekend we're doing lasagne I think. Our morning started at African Bagel Coop where I had a doughnut and coffee and hung out with Jen and her kids and met two new people who might be able to help me with my research. Nicky is doing her dissertation research and knows a really great translator and Kelly works with a women's organization here that would be perfect to talk to for my research. I am hoping this will help me kick start my research. Time to get moving!
From there we went downtown to wander and run errands. I met up with Shemsa, the niece of my old landlord from last time I lived here. She lived below us and would come hang out with Pip and I on a regular basis. She speaks really good english and was a huge help to us and is a lot of fun. It was good to see her and to hear that she is finishing highschool this year.
To top off the day, I had another interesting motto driver today. While we were driving, weaving in and out of traffic, he was singing. Loudly. It made me smile all the way into town.
I had a bit of a frustrating week. On one hand I officially got my ethics approval from my school so I am now allowed to start my research for real. On the other hand things are moving very slowly on that front. A few of my contacts have fallen through although I made a few new ones this week that will hopefully make up for that. Everything is just slow and it's frustrating. But I knew this coming into it. Part of it is cultural - nothing happens here in a hurry. Part of it is just the nature of doing research in a new context. It is all about who you know and it takes time to form the needed networks.
It also rained A LOT this week. It is rainy season so I expect it to rain. But not all day. And not when I planned to go somewhere/do something. I am not used to the weather dictating what I can and cannot do. I live in Halifax where it rains a lot. We had a particularily rainy spring and early summer this year so I am used to rain. But in Halifax I can do things even if it rains. I can take a bus, I can walk in the rain, I can get a ride from a friend. Slightly inconvenient but no big deal. Here it is a different story. I think I have mentioned before that I live pretty far from downtown, and from basically everywhere I need to go. So I have to take a motto or a taxi everywhere. Mottos don't really run in the rain because a) the drivers don't like to get wet and b) it isn't really safe in the rain. So twice this week it started to storm just as I was about to leave the house. On thursday the power went out and my computer battery died so I just had a nap all afternoon.
Today has been an improvement. It didn't rain today which meant I got a lot done. Not on my research, but I ran errands with Maddy my housemate (read her blog at the side of the page) and we bought ingredients for dinner tonight. Neither Dora nor Maddy really know how to cook so tonight is the first "cooking class with Laura". We are going to make faijtas and chocolate no bake cookies. Next weekend we're doing lasagne I think. Our morning started at African Bagel Coop where I had a doughnut and coffee and hung out with Jen and her kids and met two new people who might be able to help me with my research. Nicky is doing her dissertation research and knows a really great translator and Kelly works with a women's organization here that would be perfect to talk to for my research. I am hoping this will help me kick start my research. Time to get moving!
From there we went downtown to wander and run errands. I met up with Shemsa, the niece of my old landlord from last time I lived here. She lived below us and would come hang out with Pip and I on a regular basis. She speaks really good english and was a huge help to us and is a lot of fun. It was good to see her and to hear that she is finishing highschool this year.
To top off the day, I had another interesting motto driver today. While we were driving, weaving in and out of traffic, he was singing. Loudly. It made me smile all the way into town.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Random stories from Kigali
I'm not sure how successful I will be at conveying the weirdness of this incident, but I will try. To preface this story I told my housemate maddy about it and she burst out laughing and couldn't get over it. So it is weird.
I have had a variety of experiences with motto drivers. Some roll their eyes at your attempts to speak their language, some are quietand others are talkative. In general they are polite and helpful. Yesterday I took a motto into town to go to the bank and try to buy a few things we needed for the house. It was extremely humid but chilly out and it is a long drive from where I live in Kabeza to get downtown. My helmet didn't fit right and the static of it rubbing on my head for 20 minutes added to the humidity and my hair was in a crazy state of affairs when i removed it. I absently swiped it out of my eyes as I looked for the correct change to hand my driver but I guess he didn't think that was good enough. While I was rooting in my bag he reached up and smoothed my hair and fixed it for me.
I have had a variety of experiences with motto drivers. Some roll their eyes at your attempts to speak their language, some are quietand others are talkative. In general they are polite and helpful. Yesterday I took a motto into town to go to the bank and try to buy a few things we needed for the house. It was extremely humid but chilly out and it is a long drive from where I live in Kabeza to get downtown. My helmet didn't fit right and the static of it rubbing on my head for 20 minutes added to the humidity and my hair was in a crazy state of affairs when i removed it. I absently swiped it out of my eyes as I looked for the correct change to hand my driver but I guess he didn't think that was good enough. While I was rooting in my bag he reached up and smoothed my hair and fixed it for me.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
So, what are you doing in Rwanda anyway?
What a good question! Let me attempt to answer it :)
The short answer is that I'm here to conduct my field research for my thesis for my Master's Degree in International Development Studies. If that is as much information as you are looking for then you're done. You can go back to facebook or angry birds or whatever ;)
If you are interested in the long answer, here it is.
Maybe you are wondering what I am doing my thesis on exactly. If you ask my mom about it she would probably tell you something vague about women's groups in Rwanda and honestly that is as detailed as my answer has been for most people who have asked me. After all let's be honest, when I start talking about alternative forms of peacebuiding and the relationship between government and civil society in post conflict contexts there are a lot of eyes that start to glaze over. So at the risk of glazing some more eyes, here we go.
Originally I was going to look at alternative forms of peacebuilding as a contrast to the more mainstream approaches like those of the UN, NATO and so on. I was going to look at how women's groups in Rwanda were approaching peacebuilding in a way that was more 'holistic' and long term than these mainstream approaches. I still believe this is true, and I think it would make an interesting paper. However my own thesis has somehow taken on a life of its own and my focus has changed significantly. Or rather, my focus - women's groups in Rwanda- is the same but my starting point is different.
Here is your development theory lesson for the day: there is a debate, or at least a discussion, about the role that civil society should play in a society especially in a post conflict or transitional society that is trying to move forward after conflict or a regime change. (note: civil society refers to organizations that fill the space between the private and the public. This can be anything from community groups, girl scouts, NGOs, lobby groups,etc. It can be a problematic term since it can refer to just about anything, including the KKK as one of my professors likes to point out. For my purposes I have defined it more narrowly)On one side of the debate you have those who believe that civil society should act essentially as an arm of the government, filling the gaps that the government can't do (ie: health care, education, training etc) and that it should advance the interests and agendas of the government. On the other hand you have those who believe that civil society should be completely and should serve as a counterpoint to the government. In reality most societies fall somewhere in the middle. This relationship between government and civil society is especially important in a post conflict or transitional society. I think it will become even more relevant given what is happening in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt, Syria and Libya.
It has been 17 years since the genocide happened here in Rwanda and looking out at the hills from the coffee shop I'm sitting in it is hard to classify this country as "post conflict" given the remarkable progress it has made. However, it is still a country in transition and is still very vulnerable. It can be argued that Rwanda still shares several characteristics with a post conflict country and I think the question of the relationship between the government and civil society is incredibly relevant and very important for the way this country will face the challenges of the future.
For my thesis I am doing a sort of case study looking specifically at the relationship between government and women's organizations here in Rwanda. I want to know how the government's agendas and strategies for peacebuilding and developent have influenced or impacted the goals and activities of several prominent women's organizations. I'm also curious to see if these women's organizations have had any impact or influence on the direction of the government's strategies and agendas.
So, that is what I am doing here in Rwanda. I am hoping to conduct interviews with some staff from women's organizations as well as representatives of various ministries in the government. I am still waiting for some administrative obstacles to be cleared such as my reseach ethics approval from my university in Halifax, but once those are taken care of I am hoping to jump into the interviews. It is also possible that what I find will change my thesis either in small or major ways, so I'm keeping an open mind and trying not to come to conclusions or assumptions before I even start. In the meantime I am relaxing, enjoying the city and reconnecting with old friends. Not a bad place to be :)
The short answer is that I'm here to conduct my field research for my thesis for my Master's Degree in International Development Studies. If that is as much information as you are looking for then you're done. You can go back to facebook or angry birds or whatever ;)
If you are interested in the long answer, here it is.
Maybe you are wondering what I am doing my thesis on exactly. If you ask my mom about it she would probably tell you something vague about women's groups in Rwanda and honestly that is as detailed as my answer has been for most people who have asked me. After all let's be honest, when I start talking about alternative forms of peacebuiding and the relationship between government and civil society in post conflict contexts there are a lot of eyes that start to glaze over. So at the risk of glazing some more eyes, here we go.
Originally I was going to look at alternative forms of peacebuilding as a contrast to the more mainstream approaches like those of the UN, NATO and so on. I was going to look at how women's groups in Rwanda were approaching peacebuilding in a way that was more 'holistic' and long term than these mainstream approaches. I still believe this is true, and I think it would make an interesting paper. However my own thesis has somehow taken on a life of its own and my focus has changed significantly. Or rather, my focus - women's groups in Rwanda- is the same but my starting point is different.
Here is your development theory lesson for the day: there is a debate, or at least a discussion, about the role that civil society should play in a society especially in a post conflict or transitional society that is trying to move forward after conflict or a regime change. (note: civil society refers to organizations that fill the space between the private and the public. This can be anything from community groups, girl scouts, NGOs, lobby groups,etc. It can be a problematic term since it can refer to just about anything, including the KKK as one of my professors likes to point out. For my purposes I have defined it more narrowly)On one side of the debate you have those who believe that civil society should act essentially as an arm of the government, filling the gaps that the government can't do (ie: health care, education, training etc) and that it should advance the interests and agendas of the government. On the other hand you have those who believe that civil society should be completely and should serve as a counterpoint to the government. In reality most societies fall somewhere in the middle. This relationship between government and civil society is especially important in a post conflict or transitional society. I think it will become even more relevant given what is happening in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt, Syria and Libya.
It has been 17 years since the genocide happened here in Rwanda and looking out at the hills from the coffee shop I'm sitting in it is hard to classify this country as "post conflict" given the remarkable progress it has made. However, it is still a country in transition and is still very vulnerable. It can be argued that Rwanda still shares several characteristics with a post conflict country and I think the question of the relationship between the government and civil society is incredibly relevant and very important for the way this country will face the challenges of the future.
For my thesis I am doing a sort of case study looking specifically at the relationship between government and women's organizations here in Rwanda. I want to know how the government's agendas and strategies for peacebuilding and developent have influenced or impacted the goals and activities of several prominent women's organizations. I'm also curious to see if these women's organizations have had any impact or influence on the direction of the government's strategies and agendas.
So, that is what I am doing here in Rwanda. I am hoping to conduct interviews with some staff from women's organizations as well as representatives of various ministries in the government. I am still waiting for some administrative obstacles to be cleared such as my reseach ethics approval from my university in Halifax, but once those are taken care of I am hoping to jump into the interviews. It is also possible that what I find will change my thesis either in small or major ways, so I'm keeping an open mind and trying not to come to conclusions or assumptions before I even start. In the meantime I am relaxing, enjoying the city and reconnecting with old friends. Not a bad place to be :)
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Arrivals
I woke up early this morning to the sounds of Rwanda gradually filtering into my bedroom window. It started with the roosters and the sounds of the neighbours talking. I live at the top of a hill so there is not much traffic going infront of the house but the sound of the traffic below creates a background humming with the occasional beep of a horn or rattling of a larger truck. All of this got loud enough that I couldn't fall back asleep without the help of my ipod and then of course I over slept and missed church. When I woke for the second time it was quiet again; people are out at church so there is less talking and the roosters have mostly gone quiet. The traffic is still in the background but I can also hear the singing of a local church somewhere down the hill and the birds. It is mostly sunny this morning, a nice break since it has been cloudy since I got here and has rained each night. I have seen a couple weaver birds in the yard, where I'm sitting to write this, but I haven't found their nest yet. Weaver birds build their nests upside down so that the opening points towards the ground and they are fasinating to watch. Unfortunately the silly birds have a habit of picking the weakest branches to hold their heavy nests so they often have to build at least 2 before they build one that can hold their eggs.
I am living with my friend Dora, who I met last time I lived here in Kigali. She and our other housemate Maddy met me at the airport and it was like I saw her last month instead of three years ago. She has hardly changed at all! My plane landed in the pouring rain which makes things interesting since Kigali airport does not have typical gates - you get out onto the tarmac and walk over to the main building. I could tell from the air, even in the dark and in the rain that Kigali had grown since I was last here. There were a lot more houses lite up with electricity and many of the main roads were outlined by street lamps. I've only been here less than 48 hrs but it has been interesting to see all the ways the city has changed. A few new roundabouts, newly paved roads, new modern buildings built with glass and steel instead of bricks. But it is still Kigali with people selling airtime on all the busy corners, motos buzzing between traffic and bikes being pushed up hills ladden with jerry cans or bananas.
Yesterday morning Maddy and I went into town. First we went to the Africa Bagel Coop which is new since I was here last. It is in a house off the main road that leads out of the city towards Nyamata, where I worked with World Vision. Some things on the road haven't changed like the house with disny characters painted on it and the market there, but other have like a new clinic and several new buildings. Anyway, ABC as it is called, is a really cute sort of cafe bakery that sells bagels and on saturdays they have donuts. They also have tortilla chips but since I slept in they were all sold out of those by the time we got there. This will probably become a saturday tradition, one I will be looking forward too.
We got a ride to ABC with Serge and the kids, and it was so great to see them. Serge is one of my favourite people in Rwanda and I had fun playing red light, green light with Isabella and chasing Bennie around to keep him out of mischief. When I was here last Prince had just turned 10, Isabella had her first birthday and Bennie wasn't born yet. After donuts and coffee Serge dropped Maddy and I at kisementi (I can never spell these things correctly) near where they live and we got a motto into town.
Some of you may not realize what a big deal this is. My last time on a motorcycle was here in Kigali, two weeks before I left. It did not end well. You can read about it if you like and if I could remember how to link past posts I would do that here. For now you'll just have to look it up on the side, 'they say you life flashes before your eyes'. So needless to say, I was not planning on getting on a motto right away, if ever on this trip. But it was going to rain and Maddy needed to get to town before her bank closed (fail. banks here close when they feel like it.)so I got on a motto. And prayed the whole way. I asked my driver to go slowly and he did, arriving a full five minutes after Maddy's bike did. But I didn't die and we took mottos home as well, again in order to beat the rain. It is nice to be back!
I am living with my friend Dora, who I met last time I lived here in Kigali. She and our other housemate Maddy met me at the airport and it was like I saw her last month instead of three years ago. She has hardly changed at all! My plane landed in the pouring rain which makes things interesting since Kigali airport does not have typical gates - you get out onto the tarmac and walk over to the main building. I could tell from the air, even in the dark and in the rain that Kigali had grown since I was last here. There were a lot more houses lite up with electricity and many of the main roads were outlined by street lamps. I've only been here less than 48 hrs but it has been interesting to see all the ways the city has changed. A few new roundabouts, newly paved roads, new modern buildings built with glass and steel instead of bricks. But it is still Kigali with people selling airtime on all the busy corners, motos buzzing between traffic and bikes being pushed up hills ladden with jerry cans or bananas.
Yesterday morning Maddy and I went into town. First we went to the Africa Bagel Coop which is new since I was here last. It is in a house off the main road that leads out of the city towards Nyamata, where I worked with World Vision. Some things on the road haven't changed like the house with disny characters painted on it and the market there, but other have like a new clinic and several new buildings. Anyway, ABC as it is called, is a really cute sort of cafe bakery that sells bagels and on saturdays they have donuts. They also have tortilla chips but since I slept in they were all sold out of those by the time we got there. This will probably become a saturday tradition, one I will be looking forward too.
We got a ride to ABC with Serge and the kids, and it was so great to see them. Serge is one of my favourite people in Rwanda and I had fun playing red light, green light with Isabella and chasing Bennie around to keep him out of mischief. When I was here last Prince had just turned 10, Isabella had her first birthday and Bennie wasn't born yet. After donuts and coffee Serge dropped Maddy and I at kisementi (I can never spell these things correctly) near where they live and we got a motto into town.
Some of you may not realize what a big deal this is. My last time on a motorcycle was here in Kigali, two weeks before I left. It did not end well. You can read about it if you like and if I could remember how to link past posts I would do that here. For now you'll just have to look it up on the side, 'they say you life flashes before your eyes'. So needless to say, I was not planning on getting on a motto right away, if ever on this trip. But it was going to rain and Maddy needed to get to town before her bank closed (fail. banks here close when they feel like it.)so I got on a motto. And prayed the whole way. I asked my driver to go slowly and he did, arriving a full five minutes after Maddy's bike did. But I didn't die and we took mottos home as well, again in order to beat the rain. It is nice to be back!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Welcome (Back) to My Blog
And we're off again! I'm leaving today to go to Rwanda to do my field research for my M.A. thesis. I thought about starting a whole new blog for this trip, but I like this one. So I'm just adding to it. I really liked recording my experiences on past trips so I hope to keep up with blogging on this trip too. I'll post stories of my adventures and the people I meet and hopefully (internet speed allowing) post pictures too. Stay tuned!
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