Laura - Under African Skies!

Last day in Addis

2011-11-08T08:22:00.003-05:00

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.

More from Addis

2011-11-04T08:37:00.002-04:00

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.

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!

Arrivals and Adventures in Addis

2011-11-02T06:00:00.003-04:00

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!

Wordless Wednesday on Friday

2011-10-21T06:23:00.001-04:00

Visas and Sad Departures

2011-10-19T05:25:00.002-04:00

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!

Weekend Musings

2011-10-15T10:46:00.004-04:00

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.

Random Stories from Kigali (part 3)

2011-10-12T06:01:00.004-04:00

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.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-10-09T15:13:00.009-04:00

***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.

Road Humps

2011-10-07T11:51:00.003-04:00

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!

Random Stories from Kigali (Part 2)

2011-10-03T13:07:00.003-04:00

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.

2011-10-03T09:20:00.002-04:00

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.

2011-10-01T11:06:00.002-04:00

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.

Random stories from Kigali

2011-09-23T10:35:00.002-04:00

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.

So, what are you doing in Rwanda anyway?

2011-09-20T10:42:00.002-04:00

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 :)

Arrivals

2011-09-18T03:56:00.003-04:00

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!

Welcome (Back) to My Blog

2011-09-15T11:21:00.002-04:00

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!

A new journey in an unexpected direction

2010-05-07T10:10:00.003-04:00

I have generally been failing at keeping this blog upto date but in general life hasn't seemed that interesting. In the last couple of weeks however, a couple of really good things have happened.

I applied for Master's programs back in January. The process seemed never ended and some of the paperwork was ridiculous in length but I finally got four applications done and on their way. Then it was the waiting game. I had gotten the impression that I should hear back from all the schools by the end of March. At the beginning of the month I got an email from Queen's to let me know I had not been accepted. I didn't even rate an actual letter. This was actually my 4th choice school since I found out the faculty member I wanted to work with was actually going to be on Sabbatical for the majority the time I would be there, so it wasn't the end of the world. Even though I didn't even really want to go there, not getting in had an impact on my confidence. "If I can't even get into my fourth choice school, how am I supposed to get into my first choice?" Most days I was optimistic but others it was a bit of a battle to ignore those doubts.

In Janurary and February I had done some short term work for WV in Mississauga while a coworker was recovering from surgery. While I was there another team approached me with the possibility of doing some work for them. I very enthusiastically said I was interested in the work but it took months to get everything approved and the paperwork signed. Finally I started back at WV at the end of April, this time with the humanitarian and emergencies department. I am loving being back at work, although it is a part time and short term contract. So far I've been working 3-4 days a week but as I catch up on everything that needs to be done it'll gradually go down to 2 days a week. A lot of the work so far has been tacking budgets and funding which involves a lot of staring at spreadsheets and building spreadsheets which are not my favourite activities (Excel is not my friend) but I'm learning a lot and enjoying my coworkers and the general energy of being back.

I had been getting a little frustrated through the months of march and april as discussions about my job were moving at a snails pace and I still hadn't heard from three of my schools. Finally I got an acceptance letter from Saint Mary's University in Halifax, one of my first choice schools. Then, on the same day that my job at WV was confirmed and was set to start the next day, I got a phone call from York to let me know I has also been accepted there. Through out the application process and in the time since my actual first choice had changed so many times I wasn't even sure anymore which program I wanted to go to the most. St Mary's and York were essentially tied for first choice and now I had to choose between them.

It was surprising easy to make the decision. I had the deadline of today to make the decision and I looked a lot at the faculty, the program, the finances and talked to some of my old professors and my coworkers. In the end though, there wasn't really much debate in my mind and I found myself instinctually leaning one way more than the other.

I was surprised at the direction though. I thought I wanted to do something different - try going to a larger, more widely known school. I was a little tired of explaining about where I had gone for my undergrad since CMU is such a small and unknown school. While I was waiting for word from the schools I honestly thought that if I got into York it would be a no-brainer. I would go there. I even told that to several of my friends. Imagine my surprise when I noticed myself defending SMU as a good choice in conversation with friends and coworkers. The cons involved in going to York seemed to outway the pros in my mind and the appeal of Halifax and SMU seemed so obvious to me. I guess once again my own plans have been subtely co-opeted by God and He is taking me somewhere else. I'm excited to see where it leads, but the journey begins again in September when I start my Master's in International Development at Saint Mary's University in Halifax.

O Canada!

2010-02-28T20:10:00.001-05:00

It is hard to believe that it’s over. The Olympic games are done. As I write this the Closing Ceremonies will start in a little over an hour and all the events are over. It has been amazing to watch. I have said before that I love the winter Olympics. That love has grown even more over the past 17 days. There is something about the games that brings out so much emotion and excitement and having them here in Canada, breaking the record for the most gold medals ever won by a country and of course winning the gold in both men’s and women’s hockey, has made them even better.
I have always been proud of being Canadian, but often that pride and our identity has been defined in relation to our neighbours to the South. During these games you began to see that change, that we were able to be proud as Canadians, full stop. Of course beating the Americans here and there didn’t hurt. Hearing crowds of thousands of people sing the national anthem reviving our collective patriotism. People in coffee shops and pubs cheering together over curling matches. The flag waving in the street and records being broken. But it isn’t just the medals that make the Olympics so great. Some of my favourite moments do have a medal attached to them, but it is more than just the medals.

Charles Hamlin and Marianne St Gelais:
She won a silver medal on her birthday and he leaves the games with two gold medals, but what I loved about these two is the way they cheered each other on. The footage of them, especially her, reacting as the other won their races has been played over and over again but there is such genuine joy there that you can’t help but cheer along with them.

Alexandre Bilideau:
I watched his race live and cheered loudly in my living room when he won. The first gold medal at home won by a young, humble and genuinely nice guy. The footage of him and his brother may have been over played and you cynics may say it was cheesy or gimmicky but it pulls at your heart and I still find it inspirational.

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir:
I have long been a fan of figure skating, growing up watching all the greats. These two are so much fun to watch. I love the relationship they have with their training mates, and competition, the American team who won silver. Their relationship is fun to observe and you can tell they have been skating together from the time they were children. Their gold medal was well deserved, but my favourite moment was when Scott turned to Tessa and told her they had come in second – and for a moment she believed him. I also loved Scott’s older brothers watching in the crowd, in tears and then lifting him up from the stands in a hug.

And of course, there’s hockey. I still have memories of the wins in 2002. In case there was any doubt, it’s our game. I enjoy hockey, though I am not a die hard fan. During the Olympics however, I become very intense about our country’s #1 game, in case anyone missed my facebook statuses. I missed the women’s gold medal game because of work and I missed one of the men’s games, also because of work, but for the most part if we were on the ice, I was watching and cheering. The final game had me stressed out but of course we won. Was there ever any doubt? :)

Go Canada!

2010-02-13T11:52:00.002-05:00

I am a bit of an Olympic nut. I love the Olympics - especially the Winter Games. There are so many incredible sports and I love the spirit of the Games, the challenge, the heart warming triumphs, the scandals and the victories. I LOVE the Olympics.

I missed the Turin Games in 2006. I was living in South Africa at the time, and really who in South Africa cares at all about the Winter Games? So there was no coverage on TV and with very limited internet access I could only keep a loose count of medals. So in my mind 2002 was the last Winter Olympics. In my mind Canada still has gold in both Women's and Men's Hockey. I like it better in my mind :)

So given how much I love the Olympics you can imagine how frustrated I was to be working last night during the opening ceremonies. I love watching the different teams coming in, critiquing and commenting on outfits. I love seeing what the host country puts together to showcase their cultures to the world. So I was a little annoyed to be working at the coffee shop last night. It actually turned out to be a lot of fun. We had permission to turn off the music and turn up the volumn on the TV. My coworker Sarah and I did most of the cleaning during the official speeches and other boring parts. We served several people during the pagentry, although I caught the whales and the tap dancing with the flaming feet among other peices. It was really cool! :) We had several customers who had come into the cafe to study or to hang out who ended up staying and just watching the opening ceremonies with us. There were people cheering and applauding when the Canadian team walked in. There was comments and fun conversation about the singing and dancing - a bunch of strangers hung out for the evening and enjoyed the spirit of the games together for the evening. We let them all stay until the flame was lit even though we techinically closed before that happened. All of that and Sarah and I still got everything done and closed in a very reasonable amount of time.

Now the Games are officially on and I will be spending most of the next two weeks watching and following the different events. I am especially looking forward to speed skating, figure skating, skiing and of course hockey! GO TEAM CANADA!!

Soon you will have to call me 'master'

2010-01-09T17:28:00.003-05:00

I am currently in the process of applying for masters programs. This process is becoming more stressful and involved than I ever imagined! Part of the stress is my own fault - I let things go too long with the craziness that was the holidays this year so now my 'to do' list is long and time is short. But some of the stress is inherent in the process of application. What do I want to specialize in? What do I want to research? Who do I want to be my supervisor? In looking at programs and faculty members I am having trouble figuring out what I want to focus on. This has always been a problem since so many things about my chosen field interest me. I think policy and political economy are facinating and the glaring inconsistencies anger me so that I want to be part of the solution, or at the very least a voice of reason in the madness. On the other hand, community development at the grassroots level is in my mind the front line of development and where all the really exciting things are happening. I would rather be in a village in Rwanda than in an office in Ottawa, New York or Geneva. And still again there are subjects like peace building and reconciliation in the development context which, especially in light of my experiences in South Africa and Rwanda, really get me excited. So where do I focus my attention? I have been leaning more towards something with peacebuilding, reconciliation and the perceptions of "progress" in South Africa and Rwanda. I even found a faculty member at one of the schools I am applying to who would be perfect to supervise. Unfortunately she will be on sabbatical for the majority of my time there.
Even with all these stresses and the looming deadlines I am getting really excited about doing this next year. Getting back into academics, being a student again and getting to learn and read and study again. Really exciting! (I know I'm a geek) I have already gotten back into reading some journals and articles. So, hopefully I will get all my letters of interest and outlines and summaries finished in the next couple of days and the stress will subside. Then I just have to wait for the acceptance letters (or not...) which is also stressful....

Oh November, how we love you.

2009-11-04T13:10:00.003-05:00

It is the beginning of November so of course this means the Christmas season has begun. This may seem early to some of you, but then you probably are not working in a mall. At the mall Christmas begins on Halloween. So I am already singing along to Christmas carols and helping people buy Christmas gifts. A little crazy, but to keep from losing my sanity I am having fun with it and have decided to enjoy it.

November also means that it is time to start looking at my applications to Masters programs. I am really excited about this, but am dreading all the paper work and logistics involved in it. Some programs only require two letters of recomendation, others need three. Some need only one copy of my transcript (logical) while others are insisting on two (why?). I think I have narrowed it down to four options, three in Canada and one in England, but this changes a little every day so we'll see. One of my top picks is Dalhousie but they only accept 15 people into the program every year. I mean, I think I am good and all but I can't exclude the possibility that there are 15 people out there better than me. :) So I will apply to a couple of different places.

I am also applying to the University of Sussex in Brighton, England but this is sort of a pipe dream. Even if I do get accepted I would have to win the lottery or somehow get a huge grant/scholarship in order to afford it. So now I am off to work, but I'll stop and get a lottery ticket on the way :)

Is there something wrong with me?

2009-10-02T16:28:00.002-04:00

Am I the only one who finds corporate culture hilarious? I was sitting through an orientation for one of my jobs (I won't say which one) and I had to struggle not to crack sarcastic comments to my neighbour throughout the entire thing. Everyone else seemed enthralled and excited to adopt this corporate culture's lingo but I found the whole thing really really funny. And it isn't just in this job. Almost every job I've ever had where we interact directly with customers I have struggled with the same thing. Why do we have to use such ridiculous language to talk about selling and customer service? There is a whole sub culture here and I can't take it seriously. Am I the only one?

Two jobs, one day!

2009-09-28T16:52:00.003-04:00

Despite nearly 200 resumes being sent out to everyone from Canada Foodgrains Bank and Save the Children to Starbucks and Bouclairs, I haven't had a single interview for almost 9 months, since my contract ended in January. Talk about discouraging! Finally I had two job interviews this morning. One interview was for a new Bath and Bodyworks and the other for a coffee shop (not starbucks) downtown.

Now I have two jobs.

I am excited about this because a) it means a pay cheque and I have really missed getting one of those and b) I will have something to occupy my time and keep me sane. Both jobs seem like they will be entertaining and not awful or mindnumbing at all which is good. So I am looking forward to starting.

However, I am also a little sad. These are jobs, they are reasonably good jobs and I think they will even be fun, but they are not the jobs I feel like I should have by now. It is discouraging to be back in retail and coffee after having worked in my field and having actually put my education to use. It feels like a big step backwards. I am struggling to stay optimistic but I have this nightmare that I am 40 and am still working in retail and coffee! Irrational maybe, but still there. I will stay hopeful that a job that I can love and learn in is just around the corner.

In the meantime, if you need scented lotion or a latte you know who to ask.

** I just realized after posting this that there is a big hole between this post and the last one. To prevent too much frustration from creeping in here, let me keep this short. The positions I talked about in my last post are apparently on hold again, or are just progressing at a crazy slow pace. I don't pretend to understand. As far as I know at least two of them are still an option for me at some point in the future, but I will not be holding my breath while I wait. Instead I will be selling body wash and pulling espresso shots.

When it rains, it pours...

2009-08-04T20:44:00.002-04:00

Eight months of nothing, of no real opportunities and no ideas. Now today all of a sudden there are three, THREE! really great positions open and I have to decide what to do. None of them are guaranteed to me, but I have a pretty good shot at all of them. One is at least a year in South Africa, and part of me is super excited about this possibility. I have been getting restless and would love to have more overseas experience. Another position is here in Canada with some possibility of short term travel and is with the emergencies and humanitarian aid side of things. So it would be similar to what I've already done, but a new challenge. The last position may be based here or overseas, I don't know yet, but involves looking after the program I helped start while I was in Rwanda.

So I have some praying and thinking to do!

It's about time...

2009-07-25T14:24:00.003-04:00

I have actually missed posting on my blog. It has been months since I last posted, and though I have occastionally started composing a post I never finished because I realized that I have nothing interesting to say. But today I decided to post anyway.

I still don't have a job and am quickly losing any motivation to send out resumes and cover letters since they don't seem to be doing any good. I have heard rumours that a position I want at WV may soon be back on the books, but after 7 months I am not holding my breath.

I am amazed at how much this unemployment thing is affecting me. I know intellectually that my identity and worth is not tied to my employment status but the rest of me is having trouble remembering that. Seven months. That is how long I lived in Rwanda. It is almost as long as I worked for WV in Mississauga. In my new year's post I talked about a snow covered path that I was waiting for God to show me. I am still trudging through the same snow and I still can't see what is infront of me. Did I miss something along the way? I am getting restless and frustrated and I am having to try harder and harder to remember to be patient. Trusting and waiting are getting really old and I can't help but ask God "Really? I'm STILL waiting? Really?!" My conversations with God are getting more intense. I know God can handle my anger and I am relating to the Fray's "I Found God" a little too well these days. "Waiting by the telephone, but it never rang - all I needed was I call but it never came." But I also know with great certainty that God is Good, that he is Faithful and that he has a plan. So even in the midst of my frustration and mounting depression over this situation, I know and trust that he is in control.

In the midst of this, I am trying to enjoy summer while it is here. I've been to two weddings, a couple of my friends have had, or are having, babies (hang in there Amp!!)and I've spent a lot of time with friends and family. I've been playing Ultimate frisbee every sunday afternoon, I helped with our church's VBS program and I am considering going up to camp for a week next month since they still need cabin leaders. I am enjoying my vegetable garden which is growing into a huge jungle of tomatoe and zucchini plants and I am diligently checking a dozen different websites for job opportunities and sending out dozens of resumes. I got to reconnect with my friend Melissa last week while she was in town for our friend's wedding and she helped me put a few things in perspective. I went camping in June and am hoping for at least one more trip this summer. So not everything is frustrating or depressing. Hopefully I will have more cheerful posts in the near future and not wait another three months!

Happy Easter

2009-04-15T16:57:00.002-04:00

It is a little late, but since my blog profile is telling me I haven't posted since February 20th (!?!) I think I'm doing pretty well. So happy Easter everyone!

I have really loved the lenton season this year. Through my small group and other stuff going on at church and in my own head I really got a lot out of the season this year. I am seeing some things in new ways, I've been reminded about some things and I am again able to see God moving, however slowly. This last month has been difficult for me in some ways. I am still unemployed, the dragging on of winter weather affected my mood and I have found that it is easier to be down when you don't have a routine to pull you out of yourself. On the other hand there has been lots to enjoy over the past month. I am glad to be spending more time outside and have been walking places more often then driving when the weather permits it. I turned 25 (again) at the end of March and although my real age has freaked me out a little I'm getting used to it. There are also a couple of possilbe employment opportunities infront of me. Some are more appealing than others and some scare the crap out of me if I think about them too much, but none of them are here in Ontario. I have only applied to these positions so none of them are even remotely sure things but they could take me anywhere from Burundi to Dominican and Haiti to Winnipeg. Or it could all lead to nowhere and something completely different could come up. But I am feeling more optimistic than I have in awhile. Also, my tax return arrived today and it is twice what I thought it was which was a very nice surprise :)

I would like to say that I will try to post more often. I enjoy keeping a blog for a variety of reasons but I don't want to be one of those people who post just to post. So I will try to post more often, and I will also try to pay more attention to what is going on around me so that at least I have something interesting to say. :)

I'm not dead yet....

2009-02-20T13:33:00.002-05:00

Despite evidence to the contrary, I have not stepped off the edge of the world and I'm not dead. I have just been living a rather boring version of life and haven't had much to say. There have been developments on the job front but all of them have fallen apart so it isn't really worth mentioning. There is still a possibility that I will end up with a feild position with WV but with the hiring freeze there is no guarantee that it will be anytime in the near future. So I'm looking at other opportunities, none of which excite me as much, but at least would let me be employed and prevent the impending insanity.

On the other side of things, there are things on the plus side for being home. I am actually enjoying winter, for the most part, and have enjoyed time with friends and family. I had tea with one of my aunts a couple of weeks ago and we talked for several hours. It was nice! I am loving my church and the various things going on there. I've helped to put together a lent bible study series for small groups and am loving the relationships I'm building with the Young Adults group. Some days I feel really old with all the first years, but I've enjoyed being in a pseudo leadership position.

I do get frustrated with things though. Yesterday I had a bit of a stress freakout while working on a cover letter and finding out about the extent of the WV hiring freeze. Amp was on skype and talked me down a little and then I went for a drive and had a surprise in Zehrs seeing someone I hadn't seen for almost a year, so by the time Pam took me for a walk I had calmed down enough that I didn't feel like I was about to throw up. Today is better :)

Debt Free in 2009!

2009-01-09T16:53:00.002-05:00

I payed off the last of my student loan this week. Such a releif.I have worked very hard to pay this off as quickly as possible which is why even with my travels and uncertain employment situation I am now debt free! Of course it didn't hurt that I qualified for interest relief while I was in Africa so the government paid all my interest payments :)I still owe the parents some money but that isn't 'real' debt since it doesn't show up on any credit report and has no interest. And as long as things go according to plan that debt will be gone by the summer too.

Who am I kidding, when has anything gone according to plan?! I hesitate to even say what the plans could possibly be since every other time I thought things were happening they didn't. So I'm not getting my hopes up and I'm not dwelling on it. I'm just praying "thy will be done" and we'll see where He takes me.

I just finished writing a report for my old boss, so I am now officially and totally unemployed. I am enjoying what I am seeing as a month off. I have been going to the gym, doing a lot of shovelling and getting things done off my "to do" list. I'm looking into some volunteering opportunities and will probably be at the food bank and maybe some other places starting next week. I am trying to train myself to think that I'm not busy since I am so used to thinking that I have no time. I'll use some of that time to spend with friends. (Except my friends all have jobs and so are busy...the irony) I laugh when I look out the window in the morning at the snow on the ground or hear another forcast for freezing rain and think fondly of my carpool that still has to brave the crazy commute. I plan to read at least part of my stack of books still in the "to read" pile - starting from the bottom with the books that have been there the longest. So I'm enjoying it. So far - it has only been a week and I still technically had some work to do. I am also keeping eyes and ears open for other job opportunities and looking for that snow covered path to be revealed.

Now that the debt is payed off it is less stressful not having a paycheck. I still have some money and one more paycheck coming so I'm not broke. I'm also blessed to have parents who are letting me stay with them rent free - another reason the student loan was payed off so quickly - so I don't have to worry about eviction or a lot of bills piling up.

All that said, I know that if this "time off" goes on too long I will go crazy. I like working, not just for the money and stability, but because I love what I do. Or I did at WV and am hoping that I will at the next place too. I get a lot of satisfaction from it. If all else fails Starbucks is always hiring...

A New Year's Post

2008-12-31T12:00:00.002-05:00

I am dog sitting for family from church this week. This morning I was out at 5:30 walking the dog before I left for work. It was still dark, cold and very quiet. It snowed almost 5 cm over night and the dog and I were the first to walk through it. The quiet crunch crunch crunch of my footsteps broke through the stillness, but in that muted way that happens when everything is covered in snow - like it absorbs all the world's noise.

Since it is New Year's Eve walking through this fresh blanket of snow put me in a reflective mood. I had a good year in 2008. It was full of adventure, friends, comings and goings. I left some friends, made new ones and reconnected with old ones. I learned a lot about myself, the world, God, my family. It was a good year. Now 2009 stretches before us, not unlike the fresh blanket of white snow. It has yet to be disturbed and we don't know what it hides. I'm looking forward to seeing what God has planned for the next year although I am hesitant to leave the comfort of this past year. Today is my last day with WV- at least as far as I know. My contract is over and there isn't the budget to renew it. There are a couple of opportunities on the horizon but nothing definite and everything is a maybe. More on that another day. So 2009 holds a lot of the unknown for me. It is a little scary and nerve wracking but I have learned from the past that God has a path and he is leading me on it. At the moment it is covered in snow so I can't see where it is leading but I trust that He knows and that it is Good.

Wishing you all a Year full of blessings and peace.
Laura

Big Brother is watching - Shout out to Maria...

2008-12-12T10:56:00.004-05:00

Short post because I think its funny. I use a service called blogpatrol that keeps track of how many people have looked at my blog and how they found it. Now, I realize that I am not a hightraffic blog so I don't check this very often but it is neat to see how people are finding my blog and where they are from. Most people who read my blog use firefox instead of Internet Explorer and I have had people from Italy, Turkey, the UK, the US, Rwanda, South Africa and of course Canada look at my blog. They have used google searches for "mushanana dress", "african skies" and "Canadian Politics" which have led them to my humble little blog. Most of the time I have no way of figuring out who is looking at my blog when and from where. I just don't pay that much attention, but twice now my friend Andrea's name has been used in a google search to find my blog using the same IP address. Maria is that you? Hope things are good in Otown! See you at Christmas!

Snowflakes that fall on my nose and eyelashes

2008-12-12T10:34:00.002-05:00

... These are a few of my favourite things!

1) Baking. I haven't done much of this recently since when you bake something, someone needs to eat it and I no longer have roommates or people on my floor to eat what I make. Today I have already baked two batches of bread and I'm starting some biscotti and it is only 10:30 am!

2) Christmas. It is almost here! Advent at much church this year has been great and I am loving all the snow and lights and music. Last weekend at my small group Christmas party we ate good food, sang carols and then listened to a David and Marley Christmas story from Stewart McLean. Also, Christmas gives me an excuse to do lots of baking!

3) Checking things off my 'To Do' list. Sometimes I put things on my list I have already done, just so I can check them off. Today I didn't need to cheat as the list is long enough all by itself. In addition to baking I am doing Christmas cards, finishing a project for work (yes, in all of this I am still doing my job...)and I need to sharpen my skates and I am meeting a friend for 'coffee' over my lunch break.

4) Fridays. This doesn't really need any explanation. Fridays mark the end of the work week and the beginning of the weekend. I had a really good week, got lots of work done, spent time with friends and didn't get stranded anywhere or have any car problems. This weekend is going to be super busy with three Christmas parties, a family reunion and my regular weekend things like cleaning the house and going to the market.

5) The market. I go to the Kitchener Farmer's Market almost every weekend. It is like the St Jacob's market only smaller and there aren't as many touristy things. I can be in and out with all my fresh produce, meat and bread needs for the week met in about 30-45 minutes. I buy local, organic when possible and it is a fun place.

Extended Christmas Vacay for Parliament

2008-12-04T12:45:00.002-05:00

I am disapointed in the Governor General. I would love to know what was said in that two hour meeting to convince her that proroguing a Parliament session two weeks after it started was a good idea. It was interesting to hear Harper's song change a little though when he addressed the media. He talked alot more about cooperation and working together than he has in a long time. I guess we have to wait until January to see if he is sincere.

I had the CBC news streaming on my computer this morning while I was working so I could listen to the commentary and listen in on such a historical event in our country's political landscape. It was very entertaining though to hear them commenting on the doors. The cameras were set up in front of Government House and were trained on the front doors waiting for the Prime Minister to come out.I had the video minimized so I didn't have the visual but was listening while I worked. It was comical. The doors are opening, oh now they're closingandthey're open again...now they're closed. They're open.Closed. And on and on for the better part of an hour.

I am looking forward to seeing what happens in January. As much as I am not a fan of the Conservatives, I don't want a coalition just for the sake of a coalition. Although it does liven things up. If Harper can work together with the other parties and can regain the trust of the House legitimately then let him continue as the government. I will continue to dislike the Conservative policies and approaches but if the man can do that then he deserves a certain amount of respect. However, if he won't cooperate, if he continues to spout lies and act in a divisive, partisan manner and does not start working for the good of all Canadians then I will welcome a coalition government and be very excited to support it. It has the potential to change the way in which our Parliament is run and the way in which the parties work in our country. At the very least it has the potential of getting on with the work that needs to be done.

Bring on the Coalition!

2008-12-03T16:03:00.003-05:00

So much to post about! First, a note that World AIDS day was on Monday December 1. I will try to post more about this in the next couple of days but the political excitement gets priority in this post.

Anyone who know me well, or who spoke with me at all in the weeks leading up to the federal election in October, knows that I am not a fan of the Conservative Party of Canada. That may be putting it a little mildly. For many reasons I have disagreed with their policies and approaches in the past. I have held Prime Minister Harper in a certain amount of distain and looked at his policies with distrust. But never before have I felt such anger towards the Conservatives as I have in the past week.

Since the news broke about the Liberals and NDP forming a coalition with support from the Bloc Quebecois the Conservatives have been scrambling to hold on to power. They are not scrambling to defend their policies, nor are they trying to come out with new policies. Not really, and not as a priority. This became obvious in the Prime Minister’s Address to the Nation last night. Instead they are scrambling to destroy and discredit. Typical politics you may say, and maybe it is, but the lies and tactics being used to cast suspicion on the coalition and on the parties forming it make me beyond angry. The way in which the Conservative propaganda is confusing the issues has me yelling at the radio/tv/computer so that those around me begin to question my sanity.

Most Canadians don't understand their own political system. We get so much information about the American system that a lot of people assume ours works somehow in a similar way. It doesn't. But this confusion and ignorance (sorry, harsh word but it is) has allowed the Conservatives to make accusations and that are unfounded and untrue but many people are accepting it as truth.

First of all, the Harper has called the coalition 'undemocratic' and 'illegitimate.' It is neither. Conservatives talk about their mandate to govern given to them by the voters. This is not how it works. We live in a Parliamentary Democracy. This means we elect members of parliament for our ridings and these members form the House. We do not elect a leader and if you vote with the leader in mind that is your issue. That is not how our system was designed. You elect your representative, the person who is supposed to represent your riding’s interests. The only mandate given is to individual MPs, not to any government. The Parliament forms the government - the government is not elected.

So when Prime Minister Harper talks about the mandate given to him by the Canadian People he is misrepresenting our system and how it works. The only people to give him a mandate are the members of his own constituency in Calgary. My own riding, despite my vote, went Conservative Party this time around. So my member of parliament is Conservative. He has the mandate of our riding to represent us as a member of the Conservative Party. That is it.

The second thing that Harper has been doing is over emphasizing the role of the Bloc in this coalition. He uses the word “Separatist” over and over. He is trying to play on the fear of English Canadians, especially in the west, and in the process is further strengthening the divide between East and West and between Francophone and Anglophone in our country. He seems to forget that the Bloc is a legitimate party who represents the votes of thousands of Canadians. He is also misrepresenting the nature of the relationship between the Bloc and the Coalition in order to spread fear. The propaganda is full of fear-mongering and divisive language.

The Bloc is not a part of the coalition. Thankfully the media is pointing out this misrepresentation but this does not stop the Conservatives from spouting off about a deal with the Devil and getting into bed with Separatists. The Coalition is between the Liberal Party and the NDP. This means that the Liberals and the NDP will make the decisions. The cabinet will be made up of members from these two parties. The Liberals and the NDP will fill the seats on the government side of the House. The Bloc will not have a seat in cabinet. They will not be on the government side of the House. No Senate seats have been promised and the Bloc will not have anymore power than it does now. All the Bloc has done is promised not to bring down the government in a vote of confidence for the next 18 months. This means that if the coalition is allowed to go forward and govern the Bloc will vote along with the coalition on the budget and other major pieces of legislation. This lends stability to the government and allows the Parliament to work on the business of the country. The Bloc can, and probably will, vote down other bills put forward in the House. The Conservatives have been quick to make accusations and call names but it has come out that they have proposed similar deals with the Bloc in 2000 and in 2006. I guess it was OK to make a deal with the devil when it was to their benefit, but now that it threatens their hold on power it is equal to treason or sedition.

Now, in about ten minutes, Prime Minister Harper is going to meet with the Governor General, presumably to ask for the Parliament to be prorogued. This essentially means that Parliament would be suspended but not dissolved until near the end of January. This would allow Harper to avoid the vote of non-confidence on Monday that would topple the government but it also means that nothing can get done. Nothing can be passed; no action can be taken. In “these tough economic times” to borrow a phrase from Opera, we can’t have a parliament with their hands tied. I would rather go back to the polls than have the parliament take what is basically an extended break. I hope the GG will go against the norm and not listen to the advice of the Prime Minister. He needs to either prove he has the confidence of the House or let someone who does go about the business of governing.

Canadian Politics just got interesting....

2008-12-02T10:44:00.002-05:00

I am at work so I can't post much, but I feel like a child on Christmas morning. I am so excited about the possibility of a coalition government! This is the most exciting thing to happen in Canadian Politics since.... well for a long time!!! People should pay attention and get informed so they understand what is happening. Agree with it or not, I don't care, but get informed and have an opinion people!

2008-11-27T16:12:00.002-05:00

Two posts in one day! I had to share. Most of this is taken from an email I wrote to a friend complaining about my day. My day has been...what is a good word? Interesting. Yes, we'll go with that as it avoids any profanity. As far as work goes, it has been a normal day. I've read some stuff, written some stuff, gone to a meeting or two, and generally been a good worker. But then things started to go wrong.

At 1:00 it occured to me that I hadn't seen my carpool partner all day. This would not usually concern me since I drive in with my carpool partner and know that he is somewhere around. However, I stayed at a friend's last night and took Big City Transit to work this morning, so I have no way of knowing if carpool guy is indeed somewhere or not. Later in conversation with someone in carpool guy's department I find out that no, he is not here. He didn't come in today.

Soooo, my ride didn't come to work, which means he won't be going home from work, so how am I supposed to get home from work?

Normally I could get a ride with the other carpool that goes to My Town but they had no room. Then carpool guy was going to drive in to pick something up from the office and then take me home. Problem solved. At 2:45 carpool guy calls to tell me that he is sicker than he thought and can't drive to get me. He has found me a ride to Town Near My Town that is not My Town and that ride will leave sometime after 5pm and I have been here since 7:30am. This has been a LONG DAY. Also, there are no buses between My Town and Town Near My Town... So I am bribing my dad to come and get me. I may get home before 7:30pm.

All this to say, I wish I had a car.

Of Advent and Waiting

2008-11-27T13:23:00.001-05:00

In years past I have complained about how early the fuss about Christmas starts. It has always bothered me that as soon as the Halloween candy is put away Christmas decorations are on the shelves and television commercials start trying to sell you things that no one actually needs. This used to make me bitter, and the Christmas after I was in South Africa it traumatized me a little bit. All the consumerism and crazy hustle and bustle of the “season” was a little overwhelming.

On many levels it still does both embitter and traumatize. But this year is different. This year I was excited to see the Christmas decorations and I have started listening to Christmas music already, well before my usual December 1st rule. I am excited about all things Christmas. Eggnog lattes, candy cane fudge crackle ice cream, nativity scenes, lights, trees, cheesy songs and lots of snow (at least when I’m not driving in it) make me extremely happy. I can’t quite explain it.

I am not doing much shopping this year since I have already bought my family tickets to The Sound of Music for Christmas and there aren’t many other people on my list. So I get to avoid the malls and not get stressed by the parking lots, crazy shoppers and general insanity. I still give the television evil looks on occasion when a particularly stupid commercial comes on trying to sell me a Sham-wow! or something equally ridiculous, but in general I am much more gracious in my attitudes and can simply change the channel. I am not letting the perversions of the season ruin it this year.

I am especially excited about advent. I have this craving for liturgy and responsive prayers and hymns and candles. Just the thought of it makes me happy. My church, awesome and amazing in every other way, has moved away from advent for some reason and being Mennonite it has never been much into liturgy. So I will try to get my high church fix somewhere else. Advent is a time of waiting, of expectation. Like creation holds its breath for the four weeks before Christmas. This is how I am feeling too.

God Bless us, every one!

Lunch with Mama Chantal

2008-11-20T13:33:00.004-05:00

One of the benefits of working for a christian organization is that we have time set aside in our work days for team, department and small group devotions and once a week we gather as a whole organization for chapel. Sometimes these chapel are long and boring, other times they are cheesy or make me cringe for some reason. Other times they are really really good. Yesterday's was one of these. I will probably talk more about it in a future post, but one thing that the speaker James Cantelon said was that the most generous people on the planet are those who make less than one dollar a day. This sparked a memory for me and I've been thinking about it since yesterday so it is time for another story from Rwanda.

I think it was a Thursday, but I am not certain. Maybe it was a Monday. I had gotten another of those sms' from my boss indicating that I was to work from home.Since I had no real work that I could do from home I tagged along with Pip. We went to visit one of the women from the HIV/AIDS support group that Pip worked with. I had met this woman's daughter Chantal, who helps at the friday street kids lunches and I had heard stories from Pip and our friend Enoch about the family. I was looking forward to spending more time with them. The three of us walked to a small house part way down a hill a little ways from the centre of the city. We went in through a small gated opening into a small, clean courtyard where clothes were hanging and there were pots over a fire. We were invited into the house where we sat on benches against the wall in the small entry way which served as dining room, homework room, and living room. With Pip, Enoch and I with Charles, the youngest boy, Chantal and her mother it was crowded but cozy. My knees almost touched Pip's knees as she sat across from me. We had come with some small gifts for Charles and Chantal, some food and to pray with them. I wasn't expecting anything from them at all but as we sat down Mama Chantal brought out huge plates of food that had been prepared especially for us. There was rice, fries, beans and so much good food. We each ate from shared plates and there weren't enough utensils for all of us, but we made do. There were avocados and when Mama Chantal found out how much I love avocados (mmmmm...)she offered to get me some from the market the next day. We sat around talking with Enoch translating, we laughed a lot and continued eating. When I thought we had finished, Mama Chantal brought out another plate full of food. Such a yummy feast! When we could eat no more we prayed together. I thought I understood faith; I thought I understood prayer. I learned again what it looks like to actually depend on God, and to expect that your prayers will be answered. This family had so little and had to struggle to make sure they had enough food and that school fees were paid. We came to bless and help them, and we did. The smiles from Charles over the hat and soccer ball we broght him were bright and watching him share with the other kids made me smile too. But their generousity and the way they welcomed us into their home and shared their lives with us - I will carry that day in my heart for a long time.

Are you dancing?

2008-11-11T12:44:00.003-05:00

Once, there was a small group of kids who decided to go to a park in the middle of the city and dance and play, laugh and twirl. As they played in the park, they thought that maybe another child would pass by and see them.
Maybe that child would think it looked fun and even decide to join them. Then maybe another one would. Then maybe a businessman would hear them from his skyscraper. Maybe he would look out the window. Maybe he would see them playing and lay down his papers and come down. Maybe they could teach him to dance.
Then maybe another businessman would walk by, a nostalgic man, and he would take off his tie and toss aside his briefcase and dance and play.
Maybe the whole city would join the dance.
Maybe even the world.
Maybe...Regardless, they decided to enjoy the dance.

Shane Claiborne, Irresistable Revolution

History in the making...

2008-11-05T08:57:00.004-05:00

I am sitting at work listening to Jesu, Joy of Man's Desire sung by Celtic Women and Hlohonolofatsa, a zulu praise song,sung by the ASBC male chorus (I can't find the Soweto Gospel Choir version on youtube). These songs always makes me happy - if you haven't heard them you should. I am listening to happy music and thinking that it is a very good day. You can almost feel the world releasing a pent up breathe we didn't even know we were holding. Barak Obama is the president elect of the U.S. Not only is he the first black man to be elected which is exciting in itself, but he is someone you actually want to believe in. He inspires one to dream and to think of new possibilities in a way that no one else has in my lifetime. People around the world are looking at him with expectation and hope that he can turn things around. The world has hope of being better. I think there is danger in putting so much hope in one person but it feels like the sun is rising on a world that has been waiting for a new day. It is not just Obama the person, it is the change and the hunger for change that he represents. It is a good day!

Fridays in Kigali

2008-11-03T14:00:00.000-05:00

While I was in Rwanda I would often wake up to an SMS (a.k.a. text message) from my boss saying that there was a problem with the days program so I should just work from home. I often work from home now that I am back in Canada but in Rwanda I didn’t have any work to do from home. That was not the nature of my job. So these frequent messages were a source of frustration for me a lot of the time. I was in Rwanda to work; I was there to learn how to “do development.” How could I do this if I was at home? But looking back some of my favourite days were these days when I was supposed to be working from home.
My roommate Pip was working with International Teams and on these days I would sometimes join in with whatever she was doing. Fridays were the best. On Fridays we would walk down the hill to Eglise Vivante and help the mamas make lunch for the street kids. Vivante and IT partnered in a street kids ministry and on Friday there was a large lunch served for about 100-200 of these kids. Pip and I would arrive between 9 and 10am to help with the meal. I think in some ways I was not so much of a help as a source of entertainment for the mamas but it was a great time. Chopping cabbage, picking stones out of rice, washing plates, peeling bananas – I never managed to any of this as quickly or as well as they did but I got better every week. The food is cooked over open fires in the church courtyard. Nothing smells as good as Tanzanian rice cooking over an open fire on a Friday morning. While the food cooked we would sit and socialize, sampling some of the food, especially the sauté – essentially fries but the entire potato is put in the oil. Oh so good! It was always fun to talk with these women. I practiced my VERY limited Kinya-rwanda and learned new words, spoke French and translated for Pip and just listened to conversation and laughter. Such a warm place to be! I can still hear Chantal telling Pip to “EAT MEAT” and Mama Francine and Mama Deborah’s laughter and teasing. When the food was cooked we would load it up on plates in an assembly line. I usually did the sauté or the sauce. Pip would steal pieces of sauté and present them as gifts to the other women and we would tease Manou that he was getting ‘so big’ because of all the fries he ate. Finally we would have all the food served out on plates and could let the kids into the courtyard. They would file in and wash their hands with the buckets set out and get in a group. They knew the drill and though for the outside observer it seemed like utter chaos there was a method to the madness. The plates would be distributed and the food would disappear with lightening speed. On my hungriest days I could not even eat half the amount of food that we would pile on those plates but these kids, even the smallest of them, would pack it away and if we could have been able to give them seconds they would have eaten that too.
I think one of the things I value most about these times was the relationship we built with the mamas at the church. As the time approached when both Pip and I would be leaving they planned a goodbye dinner for us. We met at one of their homes and had a feast. They taught us how to cook some of the meal, although we were late so we missed out on some of it. Cooking chapatti on an open fire is harder than you might think! There was so much food. There was Chapatti, goat brochettes, fries, vegetables, salad, rice, pasta and every good thing. We were taking a group picture towards the end of the evening and for a reason that now escapes me we were trying to make fish faces for the picture. I have never laughed so hard. Tears streaming down my face, doubled over in laughter and almost in pain I remember looking into the eyes of Chantal and seeing her tears of laughter and hearing her laugh and all that made me laugh even harder. I have the pictures from that evening on the wall of my little cubicle here in Canada and they never fail to make me smile.

The GFCs

2008-10-24T13:50:00.003-04:00

There has been a lot of talk in recent months about global crises. First was the fuel crisis, then the food crisis and now the financial crisis. One of my co-workers has pointed out that they can all be reduced to the easy acronym GFC. We love our acronyms in development work.

The level of concern about raising food prices has been interesting to me. This interest comes from a couple of angles. First, how many of us here in North America have really noticed the rising cost of food? When only about 10% of our budget is going to food it doesn't seem to matter too much if the cost of bread goes up by $1.50. Now 15% of our budget goes to food. Now, imagine that food took up 85% or more of your budget. You would notice pretty quickly the difference that $1.50 makes in your ability to pay school fees, buy medicine, pay rent and buy clothes.
This leads me to the other reason I find all this attention interesting. I think the rising food prices first started getting media attention this past spring. The higher fuel prices increased transport costs; the increasing middle class in countries like China and India and the resulting increase in demand for meat; increased of "food" being used for non-food products such as biofuel; crop failures, desertification, soil erosion, climate change. All these factors have been given credit for causing this Global Food Crisis, and they are all valid points. But it all happened all of a sudden and only when people in urban centres in the developed world started to feel the effects. It seems like it all happened overnight. But it has been happening slowly and persistently for the people in the two-thirds world. It has been happening for a long time for the 800 million people who go without enough food every day.

Now we add another GFC, the Global Financial Crisis. With the market tanking and the economy grinding to a near halt people are justified in their concern. I don't want to belittle the jobs that have been or will be lost or the retirement savings that have disappeared. These are terrible things and we are living in difficult times. But I am afraid of what this will mean for the poor, both in our own country and around the world. Governments will be so busy bailing out industry and banks. Reduced personal and family incomes will lead to a reduction in spending. We see it already. My fear is that this will come at the expense of the poor. The provincial government is already talking about less spending on health and education. My organization is already talking about "belt-tightening" measures as we anticipate a drop in donations and sponsorships.

This topic has come up several times this week and in my thinking it over I came across this posted on a blog I read occasionally http://zenpeacekeeping.typepad.com. It is a joint statement made by World Vision International, Oxfam International, Amnesty International, Plan International and Greenpeace. It is a little long, but it is a good summary of what this crisis could mean for the poor.

Billions in bailouts for the wealthy

Last week the US government provided another bailout of $37.8 billion to the giant insurance company, AIG, bringing the total of rescue loans to that one company in the last two weeks to nearly $123 billion. This is $18 billion more than the annual amount of aid to poor countries and twice that needed to achieve the internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals. In Europe the bailouts have continued. The UK government has thrown in a further £50 billion to recapitalise the UK banking sector - which is roughly what's needed for poor countries to adapt to climate change each year.
The urgency shown by rich countries to tackle the financial meltdown stands in stark contrast to their foot-dragging and broken promises over aid and poverty alleviation, human rights and climate change.
It is too soon yet to predict exactly how badly the poorest countries will fare in the financial crisis and resulting economic downturn. But it is clear that reduced demands for exports to developed countries and lower foreign investment will mean less growth and government revenue for already-fragile social protection and services.
For millions of the world's poorest citizens, it is literally a matter of life and death. In many countries social safety nets were dismantled under pressure from international financial institutions, leaving the vulnerable unprotected. In late September, while Wall Street was reeling from its financial failures in the glare of publicity, a meeting organized by the United Nations in another part of Manhattan revealed that very few governments will meet the targets set by the Millennium Development Goals to reduce poverty by 2015, and that rising food and energy prices have wiped away much of the progress made so far.
The human rights prognosis is not good. Not only are economic and social rights - including the right to housing, health and education - coming under increased pressure, there is a risk of more human rights violations. As the economy shrinks and countries tighten their belts, migrants and refugees could be pushed back to untenable situations. Social tensions could increase, leading nervous governments to clamp down on dissent and impose tough public security policies, curbing civil liberties. Already fragile states could be further weakened by the current crisis and slide back into instability and violence.
Worse could follow if rich countries decide to use the financial crisis as an excuse to cut aid and trade. History gives us cause for concern. During the 1972/3 recession, global aid spending fell by 15 per cent to just $28.8 billion. In 1990/3, aid donors slashed their spending by 25 per cent over a five-year period to $46 billion, and aid did not return to 1992 levels until 2003. Humanitarian aid - what we spend to help people hit by natural disasters and conflict - also fell sharply and over a similar time as a direct result of the 1990-3 recession (only the years of the Rwanda and Kosovo conflicts bucked that trend). In terms of trade, for instance, countries reacted to the 1929 Wall Street crash and global depression by erecting tariff barriers and world trade fell by two-thirds.
A replay of that in 2009 would be a disaster for poor exporting countries. Reduced aid and trade flows could mean that the people in the poorest countries pay the highest price for the profligacy of the credit bubble in North America and Europe.
Human rights are not a luxury for good times. Inaction in the face of climate change is not a viable option. Global poverty does nothing for global stability. Rich countries will be following a myopic and self-defeating strategy if they ignore the most pressing challenges of our times and focus solely on narrow financial interests.
This is not just about money. It is about sustained attention, international collaboration and clear political will to tackle big issues. The signs of concerted action by the G7 finance ministers and the Eurozone finance ministers to address the financial crisis are welcome but they are not enough. Governments must reduce the volatility in energy prices, food prices and the financial markets by ensuring sensible regulation, adequate protection for the rights of poor and vulnerable people, and long-term environmental sustainability. Governments must show decisive leadership to build a global economy that is green and where better lives and livelihoods for all is more important than a system that rewards a privileged few.

Joint statement from:
Dr. Dean Hirsch, Chief Executive Officer, World Vision International
Irene Khan, Secretary General, Amnesty International
Jeremy Hobbs, Executive Director, Oxfam International
Tom Miller, Chief Executive Officer, Plan International
Gerd Leipold, International Executive Director, Greenpeace

Since everyone else is doing it....

2008-10-22T18:00:00.003-04:00

from http://wordle.net

memories of byumba

2008-10-22T17:06:00.004-04:00

Sitting in the office today I was thinking about how quickly time goes by. It was just over a year ago today that I arrived in Rwanda. A couple stories came to mind so I am going to record them over the next couple of posts.

In February my boss Apollo and I ran some training workshops for the program I worked on. These workshops were each three days long and were attended by local WV Rwanda staff. The first two days were spent learning new concepts, going over some practical ways of applying and using the concepts and planning how they could be integrated into the way the participants were currently working in their communities. The last day of the workshop was reserved for a field visit where the participants would try to put the new concepts into context. We did a number of these workshops so each of these field visits looked different.

While in the Northern Region we were running a training workshop in the town of Byumba. The town sits along the top ridge of a mountain and spreads down the steep terraced slopes. It is cold in Byumba, one of the highest points in the country. On a clear day you can see green hills stretching forever towards the Ugandan border. On the third day of this workshop we were planning to split our participants into two groups for the field visit. Each group had 8 people. One group went to visit some cooperatives that the participants had been working with and Apollo went with them. My group was going to visit another cooperative in a village 'nearby.' First everyone, both groups, went down the mountain to a local WV office in a nearby community. The other group left in the minibus while my group was left with our pickup truck to wait for our other transportation. It turns out there was a miscommunication regarding transport so we had to go in two shifts in the hilux to the village we were supposed to be visiting. From the way my colleagues were talking I thought it was just down the road. I even asked if we could walk but this suggestion was met with weird looks and a couple of laughs.
I was in the first group to go. We drove down the main road weaving past rice paddies and tea fields. Rwanda has a good network of main roads so this part of the drive was paved. We turned off the main road after about ten kilometers and drove down a gravel road through a tea plantation. I had never seen a tea plantation before so I was interested to see what it was all about. All I could see were acres and acres of tea leaves in the valley and climbing the sides of the mountains. After about five kilometers my colleagues directed my driver off the gravel road onto a path that winded and weaved its way up the mountain. The road fell away beside us and there were sections of the path where I was certain that our truck could not pass. I was pressed up against my side of the truck as if I could keep us from going over the edge. Didier, our driver, proved me wrong and navigated the tiny little path as if it were a three lane highway. I shouldn't have doubted as I had seen several times before how Didier could make the most frightening roads seem smooth.
Finally we arrived in the village nestled in a valley surrounded by terraced hills. Didier immediately turned back to get the second half of our group. While we waited for the rest of the group we sat down with leaders of the cooperative we had come to talk with. They were learning how to weave new patterns of baskets to sell to tourists and overseas. Talking with the women who were now able to send their children to school, who proudly showed their progress and were gaining confidence and dignity in the ability to provide for their families was humbling and encouraging. The rest of our group joined us and we talked how all our fancy concepts might fit into their contexts - this was all more for our participants than for the cooperative members. Then we sat back and just interacted with these people for a little while. Didier took one group of people back to the main road where we would meet back with the minibus and the rest of our participants. I stayed back to wait for the second trip and while we were sitting the kids got out of school and all walked past the compound where we were meeting. A couple noticed there was a mzungu and I became the centre of attention for a little while. The truck came back and we drove back up and then down that tiny path. This time my side of the truck was at the edge which caused me some concern at first. Then I got distracted by the beautiful landscapes surrounding me. Didier stopped a couple of times for me to take pictures ( I will try to add these to this post at some point) and eventually we joined the first group at the main road by the tea plantation. We waited here for the minibus so we could rejoin Apollo's group and go back to Byumba together. While we were waiting we bought some roasted maize from a vendor on the side of the road (mmmm) and shared it among the group. Even in the 'middle of nowhere' there are lots of people in Rwanda, being one of the most densely populated countries on the continent.
After a long wait Apollo arrived in the minibus and we piled in for the return to Byumba for the close of the workshop and dinner.

Did I say I was looking forward to winter?

2008-10-21T18:26:00.001-04:00

I take it back!
I am FREEZING!

Settling in

2008-10-19T12:24:00.002-04:00

Fall is here. The leaves have all turned deep red and vibrant yellow. The air has a crispness to it that warns that winter is coming soon. The world looks different in fall - the colours have a different quality to them. Summer's colours are deep and saturated. Spring's colours are new and soft. In Fall the colours look like the air feels - crisp and sharp. I had forgotten how much I love fall.
It feels like a long time since I had a fall in Ontario. Four falls in Manitoba, one in South Africa, one in Rwanda. There must have been one fall here in Ontario in there somewhere but I get all mixed up sometimes. Anyway, with this fall has come a sort of feeling of being settled. Not geographically, since I spent a week in Winnipeg and am now house sitting in Mississauga for a month, but still somehow I feel more anchored. I still want to be back in Rwanda, but I am less ants-in-the-pants about it, if that makes any sense. I feel calmer about being 'stuck' in Canada and I am more contented. For the first time I can honestly say that if my trip doesn't actually happen in January (as is looking more and more possible) that it will be ok. Not that I know what I will be doing with myself if I don't go back to Rwanda, I still don't have a job after Dec. 31, but it will be ok.
I am actually starting to look forward to the snow. Weird. I have gradually started to acclimatize to the cold mornings while I walk to the bus and although I know it is nothing like the cold that is coming, I feel like I'll be able to handle it and eventually get my 'Canadian blood' back. I am thinking about learning how to snowboard. Or at least taking up skiing again. I may break something but at least I'll be out enjoying the snow until I do. :) That being said I am sure there will be several 'I hate snow' posts to come this winter!

Don't forget to vote!!

2008-10-14T10:40:00.003-04:00

We are so privileged that we can vote, that our voices can be heard. Whether anyone listens is another conversation, but we have the ability to speak up and have a say in the direction and decisions of our government.
I get tired of people saying their vote doesn't really count or that they are not informed enough to vote. Your vote doesn't count only if you don't cast it. Get informed - it isn't actually that hard. Get off facebook for a couple of minutes and read the platforms. Make a decision. I don't care who you vote for, (OK I do care, but I'll be your friend even if you do vote conservative) just as long as you vote.
So many people around the world do not have this privilege and are fighting to get it. People have struggled in history to make sure that we in Canada have this right. There are places around the world where people line up in droves, despite intimidation and threats, to cast their votes. Stop taking it for granted.
Go vote.

About Mornings

2008-09-09T10:49:00.002-04:00

This perfectly describes how I felt this morning after being violently jerked awake 15 minutes before my ride arrived for our hour and a half commute through gross traffic in the dark because the sun was still asleep. Like I should have been.

Confirmed!

2008-08-29T13:51:00.001-04:00

My flight is confirmed! I'm going to Winnipeg for a week September 23. Yahoo.

And all will be well...

2008-08-28T14:11:00.003-04:00

A couple of months ago I posted about some possible opportunities that would take me back to Africa but then I haven't mentioned them since. That is because Chad was totally taken off the table due to the conflict in the country and to some issues within the organization there. The Rwanda position has been postponed and postponed and now has been put on hold. I have no idea what is going on with it and am not expecting much information anytime soon. This has been frustrating for me because I have been eager to get back into the field and back to Rwanda. Adding to my frustration has been the uncertainty of my position here. I was originally hired on a short term contract until the end of June but that was extended until the end of August. Well here we are at the end of August and this week started with me having no idea what was happening. There were discussions earlier in the month of extending my contract and ideas thrown around for what I could be working on but my boss and my boss' boss went into the field so not much was really decided. Yesterday I had an amazing day of fun work, good learning and challenging projects. It started with a beautiful sunrise that made leaving the house before dark a little more bearable, I got to help plan a training workshop and consulted on some things. It was great. Then at the end of the day I was informed that my contract would not be renewed so Friday was my last day.

Well by saying that in the past tense I guess I have revealed that Friday is no longer my last day. I was frustrated and confused and thinking I might have to cancel plans for my trip to the Peg. I was questioning what God was doing and getting annoyed because it seems like it has been impossible for me to make any sort of stable plan for my life. I'm not talking about a plan for my whole life or even a five year plan. I'm talking about the inability to make plans for the next month of my life because of the uncertainty about where I would be and what my financial and employment status would be. I know that God is faithful and I can see in hindsight how things have worked out in the past but that knowledge does not make the present any less frustrating to deal with. So this morning I was relieved to find out that in fact my contract had been extended so that I can finish the project I am working on. But only by a week. So one more week to figure out what is next, one week of extra pay. Good enough.

And then my day got better. I got back from lunch and was informed by my coworker that one of our collegues in another department was looking for me. So I went to her desk and in the process of the conversation I was offered another job. A really fun, interesting job that I am excited about. No more tracking spending or formating training manuals like I've been doing the past couple of weeks. I get to write important things and liase with marketing to make sure they understand what they are talking about (this is important). And I get to write. This is very exciting to me because I love writing and haven't really been doing much of it lately. So I get to start a new job, brush up some old skills and still have a pay check. This position is also short term, until the end of December but that seems like years away after thinking I only had two days of paid employment left. It is also possible that the Rwanda position will be back on by then or some other opportunity that I haven't even thought of might come up. It is great. I'll be home for Christmas, I get to go to the So You Think You Can Dance show in Toronto and I get to spend more time with friends and family. The only down side is that I am not skipping winter. I am already dreading the cold!

Some Good Introspection

2008-08-13T15:56:00.003-04:00

I was wandering around the highways and side streets of the Internet this afternoon and I stumbled on a couple of blogs by people who are living and working in Kigali. I read these blogs with a kind of nostalgic eagerness trying to catch glimpses of the familiar landscapes and reassured by the similar struggles and philosophic wrestling these people are wrestling with. And I get homesick.

My cousin Mike is currently in Rwanda, probably waiting for dinner at a restaurant on the shores of Lake Kivu as I am writing this. He is with a team from my church and they are working with the same organization as I did the first time I went to Rwanda just over a year ago. Somehow if feels longer. It was hard for me to watch this team get ready to go since I wasn't going with them but I am so excited for what they are going to learn, see and experience. I get emails and facebook messages from Mike and from other team members about what they are doing, where they are and who of my friends they have seen. And I get homesick.

But as I think about my time in Rwanda and try to prepare for my possible-eventual-maybe return and as I read these blogs and email messages I have to start to ask myself what I am homesick for. What is it that I actually miss? How do I think of and image my experiences?

Of course I miss my favourite hangouts and the social interactions and real friendships I made while I was there. I miss shopping at Kimironkho market and I miss the green and beautiful scenery. And it is easy to say I miss the pace of life, the simplicity of things and the feeling of actually using my education and working in my Field.

But something about all of those things feels like a pat answer, the easy answer.

Do I miss the pace of life and the simplicity because I have forgotten the realities of the crushing poverty faced by the people of Rwanda? Does my longing for this simplicity in some way gloss over and somehow invalidate the daily struggle most people face?
Do I miss my work because I miss feeling important, like I am changing the world? Is there something of my own ego, my need to be appreciated and useful here?
When I think about the kids in my neighbourhood who knew me by name, do I miss them because of who they were and the relationship we started to build or do I miss the attention they gave me? When I remember their shining smiles and eager greetings am I finding their dirty faces and bare feet charming or do I acknowledge and grieve the poverty and lack that characterizes their days?

This is challenging to me, because of course my answer to these questions is in some part yes. I have minimalizled the poverty I faced every day, probably because I did face it every day. Somehow I got used to it, at least most days, so the disturbing images of children - who should be in school- begging, working or caring for siblings have been coloured with prettier colours in my mind. And of course I miss the work that actually felt like it was making a difference. I'm not sure that has to be egotistical but I know I have to pay attention to that.

Obviously my answer to the questions is also No. If it were a total yes I don't think I would be asking the questions to begin with - I wouldn't notice that I should. Poverty disturbs me on a deep and basic level. It is not what God intended for his creation and as a Christ follower I feel that justice and caring for the poor are among the foundational teachings of how we are to follow Christ. There is something in the core of me that rebels against the facts of poverty and shouts out that this isn't how it should be. It isn't how it needs to be. This is what motivates me and it is also I think what allows me to see beyond the poverty, past the bare feet and dirty torn clothing to the people and the lives behind them.

I love being home here in Canada. I have plans over the next week that will take me camping and spending time with good friends. I am planning a trip to Winnipeg in September to see old friends and even to 'teach' a class at my old school. I am really excited about new relationships and am working at strengthening old ones. So I am happy being home. But there is something that is yearning to be back in Rwanda. Something more than missing the view from Republica or the coffee at Bourbon. It is more than missing the women from the church on Fridays or picking lemons from my own tree. Sometimes this yearning worries me a little since it will take me away from home again and from people I love. But I know that there are plans for me and I trust that He leads me. And I am excited, so so excited to see what is next.

Fancy New Digs..

2008-08-12T13:52:00.002-04:00

This is what I did while my computer ran a virus scan and I couldn't access the databases I needed at work. A very productive afternoon!

Notice I finally have links on the side! Very exciting.

August Long Weekend

2008-08-05T14:16:00.002-04:00

I really enjoyed my long weekend. It kind of snuck up on me so I didn't have any exciting plans. At first I was a little sad about this - I should have gotten it together and gone camping or had some such adventures but instead I hung out in town. Saturday was just a relaxing day of catching up on some movies everyone else on the planet has seen except me, doing some gardening and reading on my back porch in the sun. I went to the market in the morning and stuffed my fridge full of fresh local produce and then went to my garden and got some more.

Sunday was a really fun day. Church was great with a great message that reminded me why I love my church. Then I went out for lunch with a group of friends. Hanging out on a patio while eating breakfast food is a good way to spend sunday lunch hour! Frisbee and a trip to 2nd cup for a yummy lemonade drink followed lunch. I actually bruised my hand playing frisbee which is silly and we got lots of sun. My usual sunday evening small group was reduced to two so we hung out and watched episodes of 'The Tick' and talking until 1am. I really need to get better at keeping track of time! In all it was one of my favourite days I've had in awhile. Monday included a really yummy lunch out with Steph, again out in the sun on the patio, an afternoon of reading CS Lewis and then coffee out with Jen.

I have had a number of conversations recently about good books. It has reminded me that I love reading and need to make more time for good literature. So I am currently reading The Great Divorce which I apparently have never read before even though it is on my book shelf. It is crazy good and I think I will probably read it twice just to make sure I am getting it. It has reminded me in turn that I should read more George Macdonald (Judi hooked me up back in school but I forgot about him) and maybe some Milton. And of course more of CS Lewis. Somehow I have never read his Miracles or Abolition of Man either. I think I need more long weekends and time to catch my breath. Work doesn't keep me crazy busy but somehow with all the commuting and trying to fit in daily life I forget to breathe. I don't take enough relaxing lunches or coffee dates. I may spend a little too much time talking with friends until all hours but I'm good with that :)

End of an era

2008-07-28T10:05:00.003-04:00

We have had a cat in our house since I was five years old. We got Buddy from a family friend's farm and spent all day chasing him around the barn before we found him asleep under a trough in the loft. We got Lucky when she was found under the hood of a car at my uncle's Garage. She had been on the manifold of the engine all the way from Barrie and was a little singed and a little unhinged from the experience. For a long time she was very skittish and a little stupid. But she was so pretty that we forgave her weird quirks. As time went on she settled down and was only skittish around strangers. She became very cuddly and demanded attention by sitting on books and sprawling across keyboards. She slept in my bed whenever I was home but settled for my parents bed when I was away.

Lucky has been sick for a couple of months and this past week she died. She was around 13 years old.

Here are a couple of pictures I took of her recently
She is super cute!

We have had cats around for so long that it is weird adjusting to the empty house. There is no food dish by the back door, no sudden movements in the corner of your eye, no animal demanding attention or wanting to cuddle, and no cat hair on your clothes, furniture, floors etc. ( this last part is not really a bad thing...) It will take some getting used to!

It was their home first...

2008-07-22T10:44:00.003-04:00

We've had some problems with chipmunks this year. A few weeks ago my mom's car was doing something weird and when we looked under the hood we discovered that a chipmunk has been eating things - spark plug wires and the padding that insulates the hood from the engine. So we have set a couple of traps and have taken several chippies to the forest a couple of kms from our house. We have named most of them - Chip and Dale have made visits to our place, as have Alvin, Simon and Theodore. My parents have been a little frustrated with the infestation but I keep reminding them that this was their home first.

This morning my dad noticed a chipmunk running out from under my mom's car and decided to check to make sure nothing was wrong. The car hadn't gone anywhere yesterday so the chipmunks had some extra time to do their work. They shredded the padding again and this time they left us a little present.

Alvin had babies in the car! The padding was used along with grass to make a nest-type thing and there were baby chipmunks in the nest under the hood of the car.

They have now been moved, nest and all, to the srubs in front of our house. Hopefully Alvin can find his(?) babies now but we couldn't leave them in the car. They might have eaten more wires and that would be bad.

Spam Sucks

2008-07-21T00:06:00.002-04:00

No, I did not buy an iphone.
No, I am not recommending some website
No, I am not using hotmail anymore and no, I am not switching to gmail.

I'm glad that most people who got this know me better than to think I would send a stupid email. The whole things makes me mad.

Sorry to everyone who got it. Still haven't figured out how it happened as I don't have any virii. Will keep looking into it.

new opportunities and decisions to be made

2008-06-12T18:13:00.003-04:00

At small group on Sunday night we were discussing how we often have to distinguish between the leading of the Spirit and our own instincts, our own voice. I mentioned that my contract was coming to an end at WV and didn't know what was next. I was given Psalm 130 which is basically, wait and hope, hope and wait.

Well I didn't have to wait long! I had a meeting on wednesday morning with my boss about the different projects I'm working on and then he brought up the questions I hadn't really asked yet - what comes next. I now have three exciting options, although none of these is approved or final and I haven't accepted anything. I'm trying to think and pray about these to figure out where the spirit is leading.

Option #1: I have been the junior project officer for Chad for the last two months. There is an opportunity for me to spend 3-6 months in Chad essentially doing many of the same things I've been doing, except I'll be in Chad. I'd also be doing a lot of capacity building and it would be an amazing learning experience and a good challenge. It would also look nice on my CV:) However, Chad is not the most secure country and it comes with many challenges I am not sure I want to face.

Option #2: There may be an opportunity for a placement of 12-18 months in Rwanda starting in October. Of course I am jumping for this placement and would love it so so much!

Option #3: I do both. This has not really been suggested by my boss or anything, but it would solve the problem of trying to decide. I could go to Chad for 3-4 months and then go to Rwanda. It would mean that I may be gone almost two years so there would be plenty of time for people to come visit...

So it is entirely possible that one or all of these options may fall through, but it is equally possible that I will be back in Africa before the summer is over. Obviously I want to take option #2 and return to Rwanda but it isn't as easy a decision as I thought it would be. Chad would be crazy difficult compared to anything I've done to date and if you'd asked me two months ago if I wanted to go to Chad I would have adamently said no. Now I feel like it is something I need to consider so if I am not able to do both I will have to choose between these. So maybe I am still waiting and hoping for more direction after all!

My No Good Horrible Really Bad Day...

2008-05-29T14:30:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I needed to go into the office in Mississauga but my carpool was either on vacation or in meetings off site so I had no ride in. My mom offered to let me borrow her car for the day, something she hates to do because she is afraid that something will happen to it. It is too bad that we can only see foreshadowing in retrospect!

I arrived in Mississauga and had some time before I had to be in the office so I treated myself to a coffee. We all know how much I love coffee and most good days start with a good dose of caffeine. While leaving the Tim Horton's parking lot, six blocks from the office, I realized that my breaks weren't actually working. My foot went all the way to the floor and the car only slightly slowed. I managed to get to the office parking lot via a side road with only a couple of stop signs. Just a little stressful. When I got out of the car there was a puddle of break fluid on the pavement and a trail of fluid following my route to my parking space. I'm not very good with cars, but I know this is not a good thing.

I called my dad who drove all the way to mississauga from Waterloo, fixed the car so that it had front breaks (the back break lines were very broken) and left me the van so I could have a more reliable ride home. Again I missed the foreshadowing.

After work I went out for dinner with the other two WV interns who were in DRC and Tanzania while I was in Rwanda. We met at Yorkdale Mall and ate at Moxie's and it was fun.

And then I drove home.

I left for home around 9pm. They have been tearing up parts of the 401 for several months now so when you drive on these sections it is very loud. I finally noticed that the van was making odd noises even on the smooth sections of the road. It was only a couple of minutes later that the sounds got worse and I was thinking I should pull off at the next exit when BANG!! The van made this heartstopping noise and something fell out the bottom and dragged on the pavement for a short distance. I was in the middle of three lanes and had to cut off a transport truck in order to get over to the side. Luckily the exit for Highway 6 was right there so I managed to get up the off ramp and over to the side before the truck completely died. It is now 10pm and after I stop shaking and can pick up my cell phone, I once again have to call my dad to come and get me. He arrives about a half hour later and looks under the hood. Beyond repair. Or at least not worth the money it would take to repair.

A rod went through the crankshaft and into the engine and fell out the bottom of the van. Essentially the engine blew up. Again, I am not very good with cars, but this is a very bad thing! So after cleaning out all the stuff in the van and putting in the trunk of the car with only front breaks we drove home and left the van on the side of Highway 6 for the wreakers to pick up today. I got home after midnight and promptly went to sleep so that the day would end.

And so ends my story of the No Good Horrible Very Bad Day.

a new kind of pack-rat

2008-05-08T15:36:00.002-04:00

I am working from home today and am having trouble concentrating. Most of my work requires me to think in French, which most days is tres facile, but other days I just cannot get into the zone. Today is one of those days! So I thought I would take a break and do something I have been meaning to do for a long time...

I am not a pack-rat really. I have moved around enough that I have learned the value of having fewer things to pack up. The annual garage sales my parents would have in our front yard when I was a kid also helped train me to keep only what I actually use. I have one box in my parents house of things I am keeping for sentimental reasons from my childhood and I can't remember the last time I got rid of a book (why would anyone get rid of books?!) but aside from these things, I am pretty good at purging and keeping my worldly belongings to a minimum.

Except in one area. My email inbox. I have a hard time deleteing emails. I'm not sure where this comes from but maybe I think that I will want to read them again, or that for one reason or another they will someday be useful. So I have become a new kind of pack-rat. Now according to hotmail I have only used about 1% of the available storage space, but having reached 28 pages in my inbox I began to suspect that maybe it was time to go through some of these...

Wow. I had emails dating back to before I lived in South Africa! Some of these emails were easy to delete - notifications that someone had commented on my blog, emails about events that are now long over, updates from traveling friends about their adventures, emails from old camp friends. Other emails were surprisingly more difficult. Emails from my French exchange partner, the email that told me my cat Buddy had died while I was in SA, emails with news of new babies and upcoming weddings. Going through these emails reminded me of people I haven't emailed in a long time and gave me a chance to respond to some of them. There were even a couple of emails from people who I have forgotten how I know them....

Now, after much successful procrastinating I have widdled the inbox down to only 2 and a half pages. I need to transfer contact information to my address book and write out a couple of recipes and then I will get it down to one page. Now I just have to remember to delete emails as they come in so I never have to deal with this again! Although, it was a very useful means of procrastination...

Homesick

2008-04-30T11:04:00.003-04:00

I needed a few minutes away from reading long french documents so I decided to write this post. My eyes are starting to cross!

I am working from Starbucks this morning since I needed the motivation of actually leaving the house to start working. There are so many distractions at home! So since my mom needed the car and I've been stuck either in the car or at a desk for the past couple days I decided to walk to Starbucks. It isn't far - maybe a 15 or 20 minute walk. As I was walking I was thinking of all the times I walked to the internet cafe while I lived in Rwanda. It was something I did often. Sometimes I would use the internet cafe and sometimes i would go to Bourbon Coffee (oh how I miss you!) where they have free wireless. Sometimes I would take a moto into town, or my driver would drop me off after work, but sometimes on the days I "worked from home" I walked just to kill time, or I would walk home from town (nicer because it is downhill on the way home). So it was a normal part of life.

Walking today, again with my laptop hanging over my shoulder, I was struck by how completely different it is here. For one thing, it was pretty chilly today, only 4 degrees celcius. Also, there was only one hill and it is like a bump compared to the hills of Kigali. I only passed two people in the 20 or so minutes I was walking, there were no children chasing after me shouting 'muzungu' or asking me to give them candy/money/food. No taxis or motos honking at me to see if I wanted a ride, no shocked looks that I was actually walking somewhere (apparently muzungus aren't able to walk?). The only reason i stood out, if at all, is because I was walking while everyone else was in their cars and because my coat is a little bright by Canadian standards since it was made in Rwanda.

Now I am at Starbucks and another difference became clear. We like to think that because we are in north america we are ahead of the rest of the world on so many things, especially technology. This is not true. Technology here is made so complicated and inaccessible. Cell phones are stupid here. For example paying for incoming calls? Automated voice systems that take super long to get anywhere? African cell phone systems are so much easier. And wireless internet. I can access free wireless from so many different places in Kigali, and here I have to pay 7.50 per hour? So there is a lot we can learn from the way technology is used and provided in Africa!

So while I am glad to be home and am adjusting to being back in canada fairly well, today I am 'homesick' for Kigali. It would be nice to look out the window at the hills and banana trees and sights of kigali rather than the traffic jam at the corner of King and Weber :)

weekend report

2008-04-29T07:45:00.002-04:00

I had a very green weekend. I went to the Living Green show in Toronto on Saturday at the Ex with Pam and another friend Carla. It was a lot of fun, and there were some really interesting things there. Shoes made from hemp and recycled tires, paper made from elephant poo and a really neat concept house that looked like the hindenberg. Ugly from the outside, but really cool. Also, there were lots of free samples. We almost didn't need to buy lunch since there was so much free food. I came home with green cleaning products, shampoo, soap from lush and lots of free seeds for my garden. I also entered several draws to win cars. that would make my life so much easier! I want a hybrid.

On sunday the green theme continued as I spent most of the afternoon digging in my garden. I haven't planted anything yet since there is frost this week but now the garden is all composted and ready to go. Then my family and I went for a walk in the woods and all the trilliums are out and blooming happily because it is spring. So it was a happy weekend.

Now the weekend is over and I am at work. I am enjoying my job and love that I only have to come in to the office twice a week. Today the people in my carpool came in early so of course I did too. I was here in Mississauga before 7am which meant that I was awake super early. It means I get to leave by 3:30 so cheers to that. If I win a hybrid then this will no longer be an issue.

And that is all

Weekend highlights

2008-04-20T13:19:00.004-04:00

A quick overview of highlights from my relaxing fun weekend.

1) I went to a stag and doe for a highschool friend on friday night. I won a tent! So now when I go camping in Algonquin in August I have a new tent.

2) In keeping with the wedding theme I went to a bridal shower saturday afternoon for my good friend Cheryl. It was fun and not as naughty as I expected:)

3) I bought a bag for my yoga mat which is made entirely out of recycled soda bottles. Pretty cool:)

4) Baking. I missed baking while I was in Rwanda because even after I lived in a place with an oven it was an electric oven and it cost about 10$ worth of power just to make tea biscuits. Saturday I made cinnamon buns which tasted yummy but didn't come out of the pan very well so they look gross. Now I am making yummy french bread. I love the smell of bread baking!

5) The weather. I'm glad I'm not buried in snow like people in Calgary! I am very much enjoying the 20+ degree weather and spending time outside. If it had been this nice out when I got home a month ago the transition would not have been so hard!

This week I start my new job at World Vision. I am not looking forward to all the driving to Mississauga because the 401 is crap and gas is tres chere but since I only have to go 1-2 times a week it should be ok. I am still looking into car pooling or finding another means of public transport to save money and the environment, but so far no luck.

Spring is here!

2008-04-16T16:26:00.002-04:00

Finally spring. I wore spring clothes today and only got mildly chilly in the shade. I spent most of yesterday doing yardwork for my parents (now I have ugly blisters on my hands) and used the bbq to make dinner. Now I just have to clean all the leaves and junk out of my garden and I can start to get it ready to plant things. I am still deciding what to plant this year. Last year my squash and zuccinni both failed, but they would be so yummy if they grew this year. I will plant carrots, peas, beans and tomatoes. Maybe cucumber? Not quite the same as having lemon and avacado trees in the yard, but once the cherries start coming it will be pretty close!

Employed once again!

2008-04-10T17:01:00.002-04:00

I got a phone call today from one of my old bosses from WV Canada and now I am working once again!! The phone call came sort of out of the blue and just as I was starting to get frustrated with my job search. I have been offered a temporary contract as the junior program officer in charge of the programming in Chad. It is only a two month contract but it may lead to something more later. For now it is money, more experience and more learning. And I get to do most of it from home since transport it an issue. I will still be working for my friend at the University of Waterloo, which is also mostly done from home, about 10 hours a week so I will be busy :)

So the pressue is off, I can feel like a productive member of society again but I will be going stir crazy in my house all day! The starbucks near my house has wireless so I can use that as my office once in a while:) Yahoo!!

Adjustments and tulips

2008-04-07T13:32:00.002-04:00

Finally the snow is starting to melt! So exciting to see the grass and know that spring is here!! I've only had to deal with winter for three weeks, but I am ready for it to be over! I went to the Elmira Maple Syrup festival on saturday - the largest one day maple syrup festival in the world:) It was fun and I had a pickle on a stick. An annual tradition. yum.

So I've been home now for three weeks and am still adjusting. Live happens so quickly here, even when I don't have anything to do! I'm having trouble catching up. When I got home from South Africa the transition was a little traumatic, but this time it is a more subtle adjustment. Part of me wants to just re-adapt quickly and fit back into life here, while part of me really doesn't. It is confusing!

I have a part time job for the next month 0r so helping a friend who works at the university of Waterloo doing admin and stuff. At least it will keep me busy while I find another "real" job. :)

catching up.

2008-03-27T21:28:00.002-04:00

I've been home nearly two weeks now so now that jet lag is finally behind me and I am feeling more at home I figured it was time to post again. I got home last monday night, spent one day at home before heading to Mississauga for two days for a 'debrief' at the WV head office. It was exhausting since I was still on Rwandan time and very sleep deprived, but it was nice to spend time with the other interns and hear about their experiences.
Saturday I went over to Pam's place for dinner and found a surprise birthday/welcome home party. Funny thing was, I was the first person to arrive!! So I walked in the door and saw all the decorations and Pam standing there saying 'Surprise?' It was a good evening and it was fun to see my friends again. Didn't really get to talk with some of them, but that's ok.
I'm not sure what is next for me but I am feeling more and more that I won't be here in Canada for very long. I miss Rwanda, but more than that I am feeling like I don't fit here, that my 'calling' for lack of a better word, is somewhere else. It will be interesting to see what is next.

Great White North

2008-03-18T20:09:00.002-04:00

So I'm home now. And I am COLD!!! Flying home from Amsterdam I was looking out the window as we flew over Canada and it was so pretty and white. I was cold just looking at it! My flight landed at about 4:30 pm Canada time - 11:30 Rwanda time. So by the time I got home to Waterloo after going out for dinner with my family it was after 3am my time, after traveling for essentially 36 hours. So now I am tired and cold, but glad to be home!

Tomorrow I go to Mississauga to spend a couple of days at the WV Canada head offices and hopefully will find out more about a possible job. I get to drive in snow. Yuck!

Being home is really weird. Rwanda feels like an entire other world and it is a little overwhelming and the only places I've been are the airport, the restaurant, home and the driver's liscense place. It will be an adjustment!

Homeward Bound

2008-03-17T02:28:00.003-04:00

I always forget how much I actually hate airports until I have to spend time in them. I was in Nairobi for 7 hours yesterday and now am sitting in Amsterdam killing time for another six hours. At least there is free wireless here!!

My last couple of days in Rwanda were really hectic. Thursday night there was a goodbye dinner for me at the ADP in Nyamata where I have been spending about half my time. It was really great. The food wasn't so good but lots of fanta. But they gave me presents- had trouble packing it all! and one of the guys I worked with, Etienne, wrote a three page poem. I didn't understand all of it but what I did get was really funny. Friday afternoon there was a farewell function at the head office - more formal with lots of speeches but also more gifts. Iwas really surprised by the gifts. I don't know why but I wasn't expecting it at all! Then I went home and found all my friends waiting for me in my sitting room. Pip had planned a surprise party for me and I was really surprised. Apparently I am incredibly oblivious! It was a lot of fun and it was really great to hang out with friends and just relax.
Saturday we went to a wedding and I packed. I am amazed that I actually fit everything into my bags. I left a lot of things behind so I'm not sure what took up so much room. Although I did buy a table so that would be part of it:)

Yesterday I went to the airport with an entourage - two cars full of people saw me off. It was really nice but it was hard not to cry. Then I got on the plane to go home. I should probably start reflecting and processing - I'm already feeling overwhelmed by the west and I'm just in an airport. But I'm too tired! Five and a half hours here, then 8hrs on a plane and then I am home. Coming off the plane here in Amsterdam I nearly froze and we didn't even have to go outside! Not looking forward to the snow at home!

Procrastination is a global phenomenon

2008-03-05T07:49:00.003-05:00

Getting dressed for work in the morning is less fun then it used to be. This is because my options are more limited because I don't like to wear skirts anymore. I used to hate wearing skirts but my newfound aversion is not because of a reversion to my old attitudes. No, I just hate trying to explain all the bruises! So if I wear pants no one can see them which makes my day a little easier. They are gradually going away now - more of a mottled green and yellow tinge creeping in which is at least a change from the electric blue and deep purple. And they mostly don't hurt anymore, except if I accidentally kick myself in my sleep - and yes, I know how that sounds.

I am supposed to be writing the semi annual progress report for my program but am having a hard time concentrating on it. So instead I am procrastinating as much as possible. I have very little motivation to write it since a) it is not actually my job and my boss should be working on it b) it is not due for another month and a half and c) I have only 6 business days left before I leave and it is very unlikely that this will get finished before then anyways. So I have written only three pages in the last two or three hours.

In other news, I am no longer the only muzungu here at world vision Rwanda. This is exciting, but I'm sad now that I only have 6 business days left! Jo is here from Australia and it is nice having her in the office. She is here for almost a year, lucky girl.

I guess that is all except that I get to go to the tailor's tonight to pick up a jacket I had made and on monday I get to pick up some more clothes from my other tailor. Very exciting!

I guess I should go back to work....

Time is running!

2008-03-04T06:52:00.002-05:00

I have been kept very busy lately with work. For the past three weeks I have been leading various trainings around the country. It meant that I got to see more of Rwanda than just Kigali and the Bugesera region where we've been working. The northern part of the country has very magestic mountains and is a little chilly way up on top of them! The southern part still has hills and mountains but for the most part they seem a little more subtle somehow. Now I am back in the main office realizing how much is left to be done before I leave! Our evaluation plan, our semi annual report, a couple of other reports and we have to figure out what we want to do for our community level trainings that will start (hopefully) at the end of april. Of course I won't be here for those, but deciding on what they will be about, how they will look and so on is still important. Also, I need to help review annual operating plans with the ADPs we are working with which will take some time as well.

On top of all of this, I want to spend time with friends, go to places I haven't yet been and do things I haven't been able to do. And I have less than two weeks to do it all!! But I figure sleep is something that can be saved for the flight home:)

I have been meeting a lot of new people in the last couple of weeks. I started going to an expat bible study and all of a sudden I have tons of muzungu friends - a weird thing for me since most of my friend here have been Rwandese! It is a little sad that I found this bible study and all these friends just before I am leaving, but at the same time if I had had the security of these friendships from the beginning my relationships with my Rwandese friends might not have been so important.

Even though I am very busy and have so much to do, I am starting to feel restless and a little stir crazy. I am looking forward to the change of scene that going home will provide and the freedom of mobility is an exciting prospect. Here, to get anywhere takes planning and time, especially since I don't take moto taxis anymore! I love it here still - and am really sad about leaving, but as the day gets closer I feel more and more that it is actually time for me to go home. That is not to say that I won't be back!!

You know how they say your life flashes before your eyes?...

2008-02-25T04:59:00.004-05:00

I had some excitement on Saturday afternoon. Although, frankly, I can do without this brand of excitement!

Pip and I were at a friend’s house in Gikondo, a part of Kigali near to where we live in Kimihurura. We stayed longer than we planned and were in a hurry to get home since we had someone coming to our place. So instead of the 40 minute walk or the 20 minute bus ride we opted for motorbike taxis. These are much cheaper than car taxis – 300 rwf compared to 1500 or 2000 rwf for the same distance. I try not to take these very often and only when I am with someone else, but they are faster, cheaper and more convenient than other modes of transport. Also, I really like riding the motorcycles which is funny since I hated Dad’s so much when I was a kid! On Saturday Pip’s moto left ahead of mine since I took extra time to make sure that my helmet was tight enough. Good thing!

About half way home I was in the left lane and a minibus taxi driving in the right lane decided to pull a u-turn right in front of us. Let me tell you, this scared the crap out of me! I can still see the bus and remember how it felt realizing that we couldn't avoid it. My driver did manage to avoid actually hitting the bus, which is good since that would have really hurt, but we still ended up on the pavement. We ended up sliding on the bike's side. I remember laying on the pavement thinking, ‘I can’t be ok. Where does it hurt because I can’t be ok” Everyone stopped and the police came and we caused a big scene - it is not everyday that a muzungu is in a moto accident in Kigali. But I was totally fine. When two guys helped me up, I didn’t even have a scratch on me, which is a little crazy since I was wearing a tank top and we slid on the pavement a couple of meters before stopping. I have a few brightly coloured bruises to remind me of the occasion from where the bike and I collided and from where I hit the pavement, and I am still a little stiff. Nothing is broken and I don’t even have a cut or scrape on me. A couple days from now I will hardly notice, but you will not find me on a motorbike again anytime soon!

I know that I am lucky. It could have been worse but God was definitely watching over me and his hand was on the whole situation. My driver was also fine, just really really angry with the bus driver. Even the bike seemed like it would be ok!

Talking in Circles

2008-02-19T08:55:00.002-05:00

I am leading a workshop with Apollo my boss, for World Vision staff in the Northern Region - close to the Ugandan border. Apollo starts the workshop by welcoming and introducing in Kinya-Rwanda, the local language. Then he turns and translates for me the general idea of what was said. Then I give a presentation on Systems Approaches in French and when a question is asked or discussion is raised I turn and translate to Apollo into English who responds in Kinya-Rwanda and then translates what he said for me into English. This gets very tiring!! But at the same time I love that these workshops are effectively tri-lingual. I leave not knowing if I am thinking in English or in French until I start talking in the wrong language to someone who only speaks the other language.

Bush in Rwanda

2008-02-18T04:52:00.002-05:00

American flags are flying beside Rwandan flags all over town. Security is visiable and there is a lot of it. It can only mean one thing - U.S. President George W Bush is coming to Rwanda. The new american embassy (which looks a lot like its counterpart in Ottawa) has just been completed so Bush is comint to open it this week. This means road blocks half an hour before the president leaves his hotel until his large entourage of black land cruisers passes by. It means lots and lots of security. The entourage has already arrived and has booked Serena in its entirety - the only 5 star hotel in Kigali- for more than a week. I don't even want to imagine what this is costing the american tax payers!

Wasting Time

2008-02-07T10:10:00.001-05:00

Once again my boss called me this morning and told me not to come into work. So I did some reports from home and now am at Bourbon Coffee - my 'other office' having coffee and people watching. So I have some time to think about my time here so far. I know I have done a 'what I love about rwanda' post, so without repeating too much, here are "Things I will miss when I go home" in no particular order:

1. Being able to reach outside my window and pick fresh lemons from the tree for stir fry and other cooking needs
2. Going to the market every Saturday morning, talking with the women and going home with a weeks worth of fresh fruit and vegetables for under 10$.
3. Motorbike taxis
4. Daily dirty hugs from the kids in our neighbourhood
5. My Rwandese friends
6. The Coffee
7. The weather - hot but not too hot, cooler in the evenings and enough rain to keep the dust from taking over the country - you have to live here to understand.

There are many other things, but my internet time is almost gone, so cheers

earthquakes and camping Rwandese style

2008-02-05T08:49:00.000-05:00

Sunday morning I was getting ready for church when the ground moved. The shelves in the dining room shook and the bed I was sitting on shuddered. My heart went into my throat. The tremor was hardly noticeable actually – at first we thought a big truck had driven by or something, but it was a weird feeling. Later it was confirmed that it has been an earthquake. The epicentre was about 100km from Kigali along the Rwanda-Congo border. Apparently it measured somewhere around a 5 on the Richter Scale. Just over 40 people were killed, last I heard, and a couple hundred injured. Nine people were killed when their church collapsed. Here in Kigali there was no damage or injuries at all.

There was some concern about aftershocks and so it was advised that people spend Sunday night outdoors. Since my roommate Pip was out of town I slept outside with my landlord’s family. Aside from the mosquitoes, it was actually kind of fun. It was a good thing I didn’t have to work on Monday though, because none of us really slept very well!

Job Search

2008-01-27T10:14:00.000-05:00

I have never really liked looking for a job. It is time consuming, frustrating and it means I have to rewrite my resume. However, since I only have 2 months left in my contract, it is that time again. Job Search Time.

This task is made more difficult by the fact that I have not really decided what type of job I really want. Part of me would love a longer term opportunity here - if not in Rwanda, at least in Africa. The other part of me is thinking that it would be nice to be based in Canada with an NGO. So this means I am splitting my efforts in two different directions. The other thing that makes it frustrating is the job requirements for most positions. If they don't want someone with a master's degree (most of which require three years of experience before you can apply) they need someone with 5 years experience. I, of course, have neither of these and so don't qualify for most of the positions open at the moment. So the search continues...

Time is running!

2008-01-15T05:53:00.000-05:00

I am having a difficult time believing that it is January 15th. Time has been flying so quickly! Before Christmas it felt like I still had so much time here in Rwanda - time to figure out the problems with my position here, time to find a job for when I am finished, time to spend with friends here and to explore this great country.

Now it feels like I have no time! Two months and I will be on my way home. I am not going to dwell on this - that is surest way to waste time, but I will indulge a little today. I feel like there is still so much to be done and learned here. I have only been to work two days since I have been back from Zambia and this is increasingly frustrating since there is still lots of work to do. I need to sit with my boss and figure out what is going on in his head because he tells me day after day that I don't need to come into work. I am supposed to go to Nyamata tomorrow, but I half expect him to call me this evening and put it off again.

This was supposed to be a reflective posting about my time here so far, but now it has degenerated into a bit of a rant about my job. So I will stop here.

As promised

2008-01-09T07:55:00.000-05:00

More Photos!!

A crocodile dozing in the sun on a small island in the zambezi river.

Hippos watching us as we canoe past on the Zambezi

Standing on the edge of the world on Livingstone Island, right at the top of Victoria Falls

Miriam, fellow WV intern and travling parnter gracefully getting up on our elephant:)

He got thristy! Riding the elephant was great fun, even if we did do it in a thunder storm!

Zambia Pictures

2008-01-08T09:35:00.000-05:00

So here are some pictures of my adventures in Zambia! Yahoo!

Miriam, fellow WV intern and I at Victoria Falls

Pretty rainbow in the falls

My Dad's old house in Livingstone - I think!!

That is right - I am riding an elephant!! In a thunderstorm! So much fun!

Rapelling down a gorge near the falls - a little scary at first but then a great time:)

More pictures will come later - running out of internet time! Now I am home in Kigali and am happy to be 'home.'

Our sincere apologies...

2008-01-06T08:06:00.000-05:00

just a couple corrections to the last post. First of all, while several hundred people have been reportedly killed in Kenya since the elections, "only" 30 were killed in the church at entembe. Also it is the opposition leader who has so far refused to discuss how to resolve the situation, not the current president.

Sorry for the errors :)

Violence in Kenya

2008-01-04T00:42:00.000-05:00

On my way to Zambia before Christmas I spent the night in Nairobi - my flight to Lusaka left early in the morning and there were no flights from kigali that would get me there in time so the trip took two days. My taxi driver chatted with me about the upcoming election. He liked the current president but acknowledged that a lot of people wanted change. He thought the elections would be close, but he didn't think there would be any trouble.

Last week Kenyans went to the polls and it appears that the incumbant won, but the opposition is claiming that the election was fixed. He has encouraged protests and rallies in the capital and these have led to increasing violence. In addition to this supporters of the opposition leader, Railaa Odinga seem to have started a campaign against members of Mwai Kibaki, the current president's ethnic group. A church in the town of Eldoret was burned with hunderds of people inside. It brings images of what happened in Rwanda to mind.

The international community is urging talks between the president and opposition leader, but Kibaki has so far refused. The violence is spreading across the country and it is especially disturbing considering Kenya's relatively peaceful reputation.

I am currently on my way home from Zambia, once again spending the night in Nariobi. This time I stayed in the airport, not venturing into the city. My parents worry enough without me hanging out in a virtual war zone. It is weird though since the airport seems virtually unaffected by the situation outside. Maybe the lack of food in the cafeteria is a result of the situation, but it could just be the way things are here.

My flight leaves in a little more than an hour. I am looking forward to being back in Kigali but will be watching what is happening here closely. Let us hope that what has happened in so many countries in the region does not happen to Kenya - let us hope the world can speak out and play a role in restoring peace before more people are killed.

adventures in zambia continued

2008-01-01T12:31:00.000-05:00

Canoeing the Zambezi, rapelling down cliffs and then jumping off of them, riding elephants and standing on the very edge of victoria falls. All in all it has been a great vacation! And now I am broke.

I really enjoyed staying here in Livingstone. I'm glad that we stayed in one place the whole time instead of traveling around. It was more relaxing and let us get to know the city a little better. I found the house where my dad used to live back in the 70s, did more shopping than I had planned on and spent a good portion of every day being soaking wet. It was great! The backpackers we have been staying at has provided good distractions in the interesting people we have met. There were surprisingly a lot of canadians - several other CIDA interns actually which is neat. A group of south africans has been here nearly as long as we have taking advantage of the rising water on the zambezi for white water rafting. After our two nice menno salter roommates Tyler and Matt left we got three loud drunk germans for new years. They were actually alot of fun and we are having dinner with them tonight.

Tomorrow morning Miriam and I take the 6:30am bus back to Lusaka where we will do a little last minute shopping, catch a movie (luxery!) and then I fly out to Nairobi on thursday and she drives back to Lubumbashi, DRC. I spend the night in Nairobi before finally going back to Kigali on friday. And so ends a great vacation! Back to the 'real' world I guess:)

It's raining....

2007-12-26T05:42:00.000-05:00

again. I know it is the rainy season here in Zambia - it is the rainy season almost everywhere right now - but this is ridiculous!!! It was sunny this morning for Miriam and I to go grocery shopping and for me to go to the bank, but now it is raining again so our plans for exploring livingstone have been put on hold.

We went to victoria falls yesterday for christmas. It was stunning. We went on a hike down to the boiling pot - a set of rapids just down stream from the base of the falls. We hiked down a gorge, crossed a stream and got wet, and climbed over rocks to get down to the bottom. It was fun going down - not so much fun going up - but it was worth it. Beautiful! We were near the bottom of the bridge between Zambia and Zimbabwe and watched a few people bunjee jump off the bridge. miriam is thinking about doing it but I think I will pass this time :)

Last night we joined three women we met here for dinner. We went to a restaurant across the street from our backpackers (called fawlty towers hehe) that claimed an authentic zambian experience. The food was pretty good and it was well done except the dancers were wearing zulu clothes, danced zulu dances and even sang some ladysmith black mambazo, a very zulu group who can be heard on Paul Simon's Graceland album. It cracked me up.

We are still here for a week so we are hoping the rain holds off a little so we can enjoy our adventures without getting too wet. Yesterday at the falls we got soaking wet from the rain, but that wasn't a big deal since we would have gotten soaking wet from the spray of the falls anyway. The plan for the rest of today is to book our various activities, explore livingstone and find my dad's house and do a little shopping. A nice relaxing day!

Greetings from Zambia

2007-12-23T07:31:00.000-05:00

Well, here I am in Lusaka! Finally after several delayed flights and a very short visit in Nairobi with Pip. I arrived on friday, explored the neighbourhood a little, went to the near by shopping centre - wow this place reminds me of Botswana! Only much greener of course... I had dinner at a cute cafe which also has internet - I am there now actually. Then I went "home" to the guest house, went to bed early. I woke up half an hour later and was violently ill. Apparently this cute cafe did not agree with my stomach so I spent most of the night in the bathroom throwing up. It was very pleasant. So I will not be eating here again and I made loud comments about the food as I was walking in, but it has the cheapest internet around so what can you do?

I am feeling better today, though still a little off. If I continue to feel like this after I arrive in Livingston tomorrow I will see a doctor - don't worry parents I will be fine!

Aside from the sick part, Zambia is good. Mirriam arrived yesterday and we explored downtown a little today. It is sunday so most things are closed but we will have some time to explore further on our way back in january.

So that is all for now. Tomorrow we take the 7 hour bus ride to livingston and on christmas day we will go to victoria falls - a good way to spend the day!

busy, busy, busy!

2007-12-17T06:39:00.000-05:00

It has been a crazy week. My two bosses from canada arrived last saturday morning and we spent all week facilitating a workshop for thirty people. I arrived for work by 7am every day and the earliest I got home was 6pm. It was a great week - alot of learning, good ideas and fellowship, but it was also a very stressful busy week! We didn't even have a venue until the friday before and then we had to switch to a new place for our second day. But it was nice to have Philip and Peter around and we straigtend up some things with my supervisor here as far as what my role will be in January. So hopefully I'll get out of the office more often and actually do some community development work! Very excited about that.

Aside from the craziness of the workshop I had the craziness of moving. I am finally living in my new house! It is nice, but I haven't really had time to enjoy it since I have been so busy. It is quiet and I miss the kamaris but having my own space is really nice too. I leave for Zambia on thursday for my christmas holidays and when I get home the house will be filled with my roommate's family. Pip's parents and grandfather are coming for a visit so that will be great fun.

I'm looking forward to Zambia, especially since I recieved my credit card in the mail today - I am no longer poor! I will spend one day in Kenya on my way there and another on my way back since the flights are silly. I arrive in Lusaka, the Zambian capital on friday and my friend Miriam, another WV intern working in DRC, will meet me there on saturday. We head out to Livingstone on the 24th and we'll spend Christmas at victoria falls. We have a couple of adventures planned including canoeing on the Zambezi river and a night game drive. It will be good to just be a tourist for a bit!

It is weird to think that it is christmas though. At home there is a lot of snow, and here it is hot and sunny. Well, hot and sunny when it isn't cold and raining. :) The traffic circles are decorated for christmas and some of the big hotels are as well. If it weren't for these garlands and lights standing out and catching my attention I might forget that christmas is so close! But I have been listening to Christmas music trying to get into the spirit.

I don't know what my internet access in Zambia will be like, so just in case, Merry christmas to everyone! And a happy new year.

Workshops and Salsa

2007-12-07T07:26:00.000-05:00

Last night I went out with some friends to our regular thursday night hang out. It is a place called Pasadina in the Gikondo area of Kigali. Thursday nights are Salsa nights. No, I am not talking about the yummy mexican treat that you eat with nacho chips. It is Latin music meets Kigali and it is a lot of fun. They teach salsa dancing every week starting at 7pm and as the night goes on the steps get harder and more advanced. I am still very much a beginner although those salsa lessons I took at CMU actually stayed with me so I don't step on anyone's feet - at least not very often!

Tomorrow my bosses from Canada arrive here in Kigali and on monday we start a week long training workshop. It is a little stressful since there are still so many details to take care of (our venue fell through at the last minute leaving us scrambling) but I am looking forward to seeing them both again and the workshop should go smoothly as long as we find somewhere to hold it! This will be the biggest training we do all year and people from all over the country are coming. At least next week I know that I will be working everyday, and I know what will be going on every day. A real treat and very different from the way things have been going here lately!

Also tomorrow I finally move into my new place. I do this with mixed feelings as I really love the family I have been staying with. It is nice to have people around to share the happenings of the day with, to eat with and share the happenings of the day. However it will also be nice to have my own space and to be able to cook for myself. The place is near to town and to church. We are expecting to have a lot of visitors once people figure out we are living there - and the neighbourhood kids will be camped out at our gate. I figure this will get frustrating at some point but it is also a great opportunity to interact with the community and with people from church. So it is good.

Well, I am at work, so maybe I should actually find some work to do....

A taste of poverty

2007-12-02T06:39:00.000-05:00

So I'm getting a lesson in what it means to actually be poor. Thursday night I went out to a restaurant with some friends and my wallet was stollen. Whether someone actually took it from my bag or if I left it on the table and someone 'found' it is as yet unclear, but the fact remains I have no money. Unfortunately I had both of my credit cards in my wallet at the time. I was planning to go to the bank that day (my only access to money is through my credit cards) but got held up in line at the post office so never actually got there. So both my credit cards, my driver's liscence and my emergency health insurance card are all gone.

I now have about 175$ to last me until my cards can be replaced and sent to me here. I am not completely penniless, and this is more money than a lot of people here make in a year. However the whole experience has taught me a lot about how I view money. I have never thought of myself as particularily materialistic and I am careful with my money,but as I try to figure out how to stretch this money - transportation, food, electricity, airtime for my cell, water etc - I realize how much I have taken for granted. Thankfully my apartment is paid for by work, but food isn't. I can't book my trip to Zambia without a credit card so now my plans are on hold until they are replaced - hopefully in less than three weeks so I can still go!

I am trying to keep a good attitude and see this as a learning opportunity and to lean on God for things, but it is frustrating nonetheless.

Good bye Paul Simon

2007-11-29T10:39:00.000-05:00

This may seem like a weird title, especially since I am a pretty big Paul Simon fan. However, I have had his song 'Homeless' from the Graceland album in my head non-stop for the past four weeks. It is a great song, but a little depressing when you are essentially homeless.

But no more! We found a house!! It is a really great place and our patience (or impatience...) has paid off. It is right beside the church where Pip works, and we both attend. It is very near the centre of town, close to public transit and the house itself is great. The landlord originally wanted 500$ more than we could pay a month. When we explained that we are essentially volunteers he brought the price down. He is replacing the stove and the fridge with new ones, adding screens to the windows (hallelujah!) and basically redoing the kitchen. So even though the house itself is not that old to begin with, we are essentially going to move into a brand new house! Pip is in Kenya right now so I will move it next week when all the work is finished. The house has three bedrooms so there is a place for visitors, or maybe another roommate, and three bathrooms. It has hot water (sooooo excited) and showers!!! No more bucket baths for me. Really, this house is more luxery than we were looking for so we are incredibly blessed. We even get an oven so I can bake bread and stuff. Mmmmm.

Ranguage Chan be Rots of fun!

2007-11-27T09:48:00.000-05:00

The small idiosyncrasies of language intrigue me. For example, in Kinyarwandan the letters ‘L’ and ‘R’ are often interchangeable. This means my name is exceptionally difficult for some people – Rola, Lola, Rora – not to mention being called Nora, Laurant and other weird variations.

It also makes for some minor, though amusing, misunderstandings when speaking with my Rwandese friends. For example:

Walking in the city centre with Pip and David
David to Pip - “Don’t walk on the glass!”
Looking around our feet I cannot see any glass. Then it occurs to me – we are walking on the grass J

Two weeks ago I did not go to church since it was pouring rain and I would have had to walk up the muddy hill to get to the bus. So Pip and I stayed home, listened to some Rob Bell sermons and had church in the living room. The next day I was talking with one of my friends, Enok.
He said to me “ So you and Pip played in your room on Sunday?” I looked at him in confusion.
- “Um, we did what?”
-“You played in your room.” Silence and a confused look. Finally understanding dawned.
-“Yes, we did. We prayed in our room.”

It is interesting to me though that although read can become lead and there are many other examples where the R and L are switched, Rwanda is never called Lwanda.
Another interesting language variation comes with the Ugandan accent. Many Rwandans found themselves on the Ugandan side of the border when the Europeans drew their arbitrary lines (this also happened with the Congo). So these Ugandan Rwandans speak Kinyarwandan but with a different accent. This is most obviously manifested in the pronunciation of the letter ‘K’ and the ‘CH’ sound. For some reason sometimes the ‘K’ is pronounced as a CH – Chigli instead of Kigali. Also the ‘CH’ is often pronounced as a K – KaCHyiru instead of Kacyiru (the area of town where WV head office is located). This is most amusing and confusing with Kitchen and Chicken. Kitchen (the place where you cook) is often pronounced as Chicken and Chicken (the bird you eat) is pronounced as Kitchen. This can cause a little bit of confusion when talking about what is for dinner

What is the deal with Rwanda anyway?

2007-11-21T03:04:00.001-05:00

I have said over and over again that I love it here in Rwanda, but since work is often frustrating and the housing hunt has become epic some may wonder WHY I love this place so much. what is the deal with Rwanda anyway? I find it very hard to articulate but here is my effort:

Mountains – everywhere you look, there are hills upon hills. Terraces of maize, cassava and various other crops can be seen along with banana trees and tea. Everything is vibrantly green and even on cloudy days when it is raining there is an element of otherworldly beauty in these hills. I can go for a few days without really noticing it and then suddenly I turn around and it takes my breath away.

Kigali Traffic – I have a friend currently in Vietnam and I read in his blog about traffic in Hanoi and count myself blessed - traffic here in Kigali is crazy enough. While for my friend dealing with the traffic is taking his life in his hands, for me it is a source of amusement, wonder and occasionally pure terror. Some examples:
Lanes are just lines on the road, they are suggestions but really don’t mean anything.

Right of way goes to whichever vehicle is bigger, faster or more reckless.

Motorcycle taxis can go anywhere – including the wrong side of the road, sidewalks, gutters and just about anywhere else you can think of.

Bus taxis – large vans that serve certain routes – pay little attention to pedestrians, fit up to 25 people ‘comfortably’ and I am never certain if the banging sound I just heard was not in fact some vitally important piece of the engine falling off.

Honking is a language unto itself. It has its own grammatical structure here. There are honks that say “I am passing you on the left”, or on the right or “move over”. There are honks that say “Do you want a taxi?” or “I know you!” or just “hey look at the mzungu!” (mzungu is the word for white person or foreigner but it is not derogatory)

The Streets – There is always so much going on in the streets. People selling clothes -jeans, shoes, suit jackets; selling food, things for tourists, airtime etc. The streets are always full of people. Even at 10 pm or 1am, there are people walking from place to place. Kigali is one of the safest cities in Africa so crime is a minor concern. While walking home it is not uncommon to come across a couple of goats happily grazing on the street or several cows wandering through. While this does not happen in the city centre like it does in Mthatha South Africa, it happens often enough.

The people – Rwandans seem reserved and dignified when you first meet them – and they are. But they love to laugh and joke and have fun in a way that blows your first impressions out of the water. The Rwandans that I work with are warm, friendly and hard working. My Rwandan friends make sure that I am taken care of and fine. Despite the tragedies of the past, Rwandans have a hopeful and positive vision of their future and are working hard to make this future a reality. It is amazing to watch and a genuine honour to be a part of.

So, now maybe you can see a little of why I love this place so much. I have been here a month and already it feels normal and comfortable. I feel very much at home here, at least most days. Of course there are still cultural things that confuse me – the greetings and the language, but slowly, (bohora bohora) I am getting it.

A few more pictures:)

2007-11-19T07:01:00.000-05:00

My first night in Kigali Pip, David and I went to a wedding wearing traditional Rwandese Mushanana. Normally only guys IN the wedding wear this, while most women guests dress this way. Needless to say we got a lot of stares walking down the street like this!!

Isabella is the daughter of Jen and Serge, the people I am staying with while I search for a house. She had her first birthday a couple of weeks ago - huge party and her first time eating cake!

She was enthralled by the candle and shortly after this picture was taken she knocked over the cupcake and the candle hit a little girl beside her. Scared the girl but she wasn't hurt.

Pictures - Finally!!

2007-11-19T06:38:00.000-05:00

Finally I can post some pictures! Here are a few pics from my week in Tanzania - can't you just see an elephant or a lion wandering through the brush?!

Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa. My last day in Tanzania we went up to the base camp of Kilimanjaro too - such a beautiful place!

Me infront of Kilimanjaro :)

Our last day we also went to see this waterfall. We had fun splashing in the water and enjoying the sun. This picture shows some of the participants in the launch workshop that I went to. It was the introduction and grand launch of the project that I am currently working on.

Mount Kilimanjaro from the airplane at sunrise. This view almost made up for all the stress I suffered that morning trying to get to the airport on time!

Housing woes

2007-11-13T05:38:00.000-05:00

So I found an apartment that was perfect. The top floor of a house, three bedrooms, fully furnished including dishes, just up the hill from my church and a five minute walk from the main road. Beautiful tile, hot water and a nice view. We were supposed to be able to move in on saturday. Well that didn't happen.

Last tuesday we saw the place and said we wanted to rent it. The owner said we could pick up the contract the next day. So I went to meet him, but he didn't have the contract. Tomorrow he said. Well he never showed on thursday, wasn't ready on friday and never called like he said he would on saturday. Finally on monday Pip, my roommate to be, went to the house to see what was going on. Turns out the guy's brother is living in the house, not renting it, but now it is not available until sometime in december. He wasn't even going to tell us that we couldn't rent it.

So now we are back to square one. More house hunting, negotiations and stress. I just want to be able to unpack my bags and not live out of a suitcase anymore!! Grrr.

On the up side - MY BUDGET IS FINISHED!! No more budgets for me :) Yahoo

Lizards and birthday parties

2007-11-09T02:09:00.000-05:00

I shared my "shower" with a lizard the other day.

Just one more part of living here:) I think I finally have a house. We are hoping to get the contract this morning and move in by monday. I am very excited about this as it means that I will finally be able to unpack all my stuff - I'll be able to find my stuff and get settled. I will also be able to make my own food and have a real shower again! Maybe even with hot water!! The luxery. Though I may miss my shower friend...

Today is Prince's birthday, and no I don't mean the artist formerly known as. The family I am staying with has a now ten year old son and this is a really big deal - double digits. So there will be 50 kids at the house when I get back today! It will be fun and I am trying to duck out early so that I can be there for most of it.

Work is going well. All of a sudden I feel like I have a hundred and one things that need to be done but the pace of work here is much slower than at home so I am not actually sure it will all be done when it should be. Oh well, such is life.

This is just a short post, since I am at work and should be figuring out why my budget does not equal. I do not like budgets. at all. I may have said that before, but I dislike them that much that it bears repeating. But hopefully it will be finished and sent off by tuesday and then I never have to touch it again!

Hopefully my next post will be made by a person who is no longer homeless!!

more settling in

2007-11-01T07:26:00.000-04:00

Nearly a week since my last post, and not too much to report. I’m still looking for an apartment. Pip Horne and I are going to live together – very exciting – but so far we keep striking out in the housing department. We thought we had found a place – a huge three bedroom, two bathroom, fully furnished with dishes and everything and 3 balconies. Turns out the toilets don’t actually work. If they fix it we may consider it, but for now we are back on the hunt. There is no real shortage of places in Kigali, it is just finding a place that meets our budget and our location needs and we need a place that is at least mostly furnished. To buy furniture for five months seems impractical and very expensive.

Aside from the accommodation woes, things are moving very slowly on the work front as well. I actually am ‘working from my hotel’ today, just as I did yesterday. I actually do have some work to do, but not a lot. And my hotel room is not so comfortable or roomy so I am at Bourbon coffee shop drinking a caramel macchiato and watching the rain. I am starting to get a little frustrated with work since nothing is really happening, but I have to keep reminding myself to relax and enjoy. I am hear to learn and experience, not to make sure the project is a success so I can take some of the pressure off myself. Also, time here works much differently than at home. Everything that needs to be done will get done eventually.

Living in Kigali is a great experience. I have a World Vision driver named Jean Malie who takes me to and from work, but aside from that I am on my own with the public transit system. It actually works quite well and is not that complicated but there have been times where I long for the transit systems of home, or better yet, my own land rover!

Sunday I took a ‘bus’ to church – a 15 seater combie van – and it was really easy. I loved church and my friend Dora translated for me so I even got to understand most of what was happening. After church I went out for lunch with Jen, Serge and a couple from Elmira who are part of an International Teams team that is here from Woodside. I took a taxi to Novotel Hotel where we had lunch since there wasn’t room in their car but on the way home I decided to save some money and take a bus back to the hotel. This should have been easy. There is a bus stop a couple of meters down the road from the hotel and many many buses were going past. They were going to Remera, to Kimirongko, to Kiciciyru and to many other places. None of them were going to Momodji (town centre) where I wanted to go. So I waited. And waited and waited. A young woman sat beside me and we started chatting in French and a young man decided that I needed help getting a bus so he started yelling at each bus that stopped that the mzungu needed to go to Momodji. Of course they were all full and already going to other locations so this didn’t really serve any purpose except to draw even more attention to me. Finally an hour and a half later a bus to momodji came by and I was able to squeeze in. I have had a couple of other adventures with the transit system here but my mom reads this blog now so I won’t go into detail :)

stress relief

2007-10-27T08:08:00.000-04:00

What a difference one day makes! Thursday I woke up stressed and anxious – couldn’t really eat breakfast. I mentioned in my last post that I had seen where I was supposed to stay and that it was really small. Well, I don’t think I conveyed exactly how small. It would have been ok I guess for a week or so – but 5 months? So as I thought more about it and started picturing the next five months I started to freak out a little. We had discussed with the WV Canada staff during our orientation that we needed to make sure that our accommodation was appropriate and comfortable so remembering that I decided to talk to my boss thursday morning and ask if there were any other alternatives.

Turns out there aren’t really any options in Nyamata. So I will be living in Kigali! It is only about a half hour drive to Nyamata from the city so it isn’t even a long commute. And I will probably be sharing a flat with at least one other Canadian so not only will I have room to turn around, I will have roommates again! I am very very very excited about this!! We are still looking around for flats, though one has caught our eye and it is fully furnished which is a big plus. It is near the church I attend here and not far from the main road where I can catch buses to get into the centre of town or to work. It is all an answer to prayer and it happened really before I even prayed about it!!

As for what I am doing at work, it is a little dull at the moment. We are working out of the main office right now and there is no space for us. Thursday I was sharing a desk with two other people and the day before that there were four of us. On friday Apollo (my supervisor and the coordinator of the project) and I snagged an empty office. We are working on the budget for our project right now. It is boring and slow work but it has to be done. We are nearly finished so early next week we will sit down with an accountant and figure out how many mistakes we made! Also on Monday we will be heading out to Gashora, the other area in which this project will be operating. It is near Nyamata, about 30km from there, so somewhere around 60 km from the city, if the roads were straight. Which of course they are not!

It is the rainy season now in Rwanda. What this means is that it is sunny and hot in the mornings and then the wind starts to blow harder around noon. The clouds come and there is at least one sustained downpour in the afternoon – Tuesday we had two thunderstorms – and then the winds calm down, the sun comes out and it is nice again, if a little cooler.

Today is saturday and it is 'work day.' The last saturday of every month people have to do work to clean or better kigali as a city. This lasts until 11am and nothing is open. I walked up to the main shopping centre this morning around 10:45 and it was down right freaky. No traffic - at all. Almost no people on the street. Nothing open and it creeped me out. I met up with two american girls who were also waiting to get into the coffee shop and we chatted and hung out until we were able to get in. I have met some really interesting people since I've been here. People from all over the world are in Kigali doing all sorts of interesting things!

Just another day at the office

2007-10-23T09:31:00.001-04:00

So today was my second day in the office here in Kigali. Yesterday was slow and boring and I spent a lot of time trying to look busy even though I wasn't. We are trying to get the budget nailed down for the project - this is not the exciting part!! So it involved a lot of waiting for feedback and pricing. Today was more of the same in the morning, though it felt like things had actually been accomplished which is nice. This afternoon my supervisor was out of the office so I was told that I could work from my hotel if I wanted - space is at a premium. So here I am in a coffee shop a few blocks from my hotel working. Rather, now I am finshed working so I get to play! I met some fun people while I was working, so the day as a whole has been really good. I woke up this morning feeling a little homesick and frustrated but now I'm feeling much better. Just have to stay busy!

Tomorrow Apollo(my supervisor) and I are heading out to Nyamata, the area where we will be based. It is about an hour drive from the city and we'll be looking at what supplies and equipment we'll need, who we need to include in our trainings and I will also get to check out my accomodations for the next couple of months. Hopefully it is a good day.

Tonight I am meeting another CIDA intern who has been here in Kigali for a couple of weeks already. I have been meeting people left and right! Nice so that I have people to hang out with and things to do so i don't go insane.

Today is cold and rainy - on par for rainy season here. I'm even wearing long sleeves. Even grey and raining Rwanda is a beautiful place to be!!

Adventures from the road

2007-10-21T05:08:00.000-04:00

I made it! I am in Kigali and I made here safe and sound, and on time. That in itself is a miracle.

My fellow intern Miriam and I left our hotel in Tanzania very very early on saturday morning. We piled all our stuff in the van at 4am and needed to be at the airport for 5am for a flight that left at 6. So we're driving down the road in the dark, trying to get a little more sleep and the check engine light comes on in the dash. The driver ignores this and keeps driving. Then the van starts making odd noises, lurching and clunking. The driver pulls over and checks under the passenger seat - I guess this is where the radiator is located. Good thing Miriam and I had some bottles of water and these were sacrificed to the radiator. Steam and smoke billowed out into the van so that Miriam and I and all our stuff smelled like burning oil and gross, but it seemed to do the trick and we were good to go. Or so we thought. Just as we pulled into a small town the jerking and clunking started again and we barely made it into a petrol station before the van quit, smoke billowing. So we were stuck in the middle of nowhere in the dark. You should have seen Miriam and I standing on the side of the road laughing. What else could we do?! Evenutally we found a taxi and made it to the airport - at 5:50. Miraculously they let us on the flight and we got to Nairobi close to the time we were supposed to - around 7am. My flight to Kigali was boarding at 6:45. I really thought I would be stuck in Nairobi but God must have been watching over things because that flight was delayed and I made the connection easily. So much stress and all before 8am!!

So now I am in Kigali and am very happy to be here! Last night I went to a wedding with some friends and wore a traditional rwandese dress - pictures to come - and now I'm off to Jen and Serge's daughter Isabella's first birthday party.

Greetings from Kilimanjaro

2007-10-16T14:22:00.000-04:00

After a LONG trip with almost no sleep I have arrived! And it's great! The workshop is going really well - I'm very busy and haven't completely recovered from jet lag yet, but I'm learning lots, meeting interesting people from all over and I'm really loving it. I have a better understanding of what I might be doing once I arrive in Rwanda, though that will still change I'm sure!

I am really excited to actually be doing development stuff. Discussing Livelihoods Approaches and how they translate to activities and interventions on the ground and talking about systems theories and what they look like in real life, observing them in a Development Project. Frankly I'm in heaven!!

I'm also really excited about the feedback I'm getting from the people I'm working with. I don't need to be patted on the back or anything like that but to hear that I'm doing a good job, asking good questions - this makes me more sure that this is where I am supposed to be, and what I am supposed to be doing. That is a good thing!!

Last post from Canada

2007-10-12T01:18:00.000-04:00

Well, it is almost time! Finally. I am almost packed and only have a few errands to run tomorrow and then I am ready to go. It is so weird to think that in a couple days I'll be back in Africa. I'm excited but I'm going to miss friends and snow and hot showers. But I am excited for avacados, fanta, mountains, banana trees and people everywhere. So this will be my last post from Canada. I'll try to post from Tanzania - I'll be in Moshi town just outside of Arusha at the foot of Kilimanjaro for five days and then off to Kigali Rwanda. I don't know how many people still read this but I enjoy posting here more than on facebook.

Now I will go to sleep and then it is only 1 more sleep until I go!

FIVE DAYS!!!

2007-10-08T11:28:00.000-04:00

Happy turkey day everyone! Yesterday my family had a very yummy turkey dinner and it was nice to spend time with the family. Especially since I leave for Africa in five days!!

I have not posted in over a week since I did not have internet access at the house where I was staying and I thought maybe I shouldn't post while at work. There have been many blog worthy events but I will just summarize the important ones.

First, I saw the movie 'Shake Hands with the Devil' on wednesday night. I really liked it. Roy Depuis plays Gen Dallaire and does a really great job. The movie is a little technical - looks at the hows and whys of the genocide, but it is well done and especially for a Canadian film, it is worth seeing.

Second, I spent most of the week doing work that actually had to do with what I studied at school! I was going over annual plans and logical frameworks for programmes in tanzania, senegal and mali. I loved it! I even took two home to do over the weekend since it is so busy and I actually enjoy the work.

And finally, I recieved my finalized itinerary this week. I leave on saturday - this saturday! at 6pm from Toronto. There are 7 of us from world vision traveling together for a 5 day workshop in tanzania so I'll have company on the long flights, which is nice. we are flying through amsterdam but only have 3 hours there so no exploring the city this time. But this means we get to Arusha tanzania on sunday evening. Then I spend five days learning and seeing mount Kilimanjaro and then I leave for rwanda bright and early on the 20th. I land in Kigali at 8:25am where I'll be met my Pip and David, two friends from my last trip. Very excited!!

There is so much to do between now and saturday!! People to see, things to pack. It's crazy! i will be trying to post on a regular bases while I am away, and while some of the posts may be cut and pasted into facebook, this will be my primary post place. I just like it better :)