A Day in Kigali

A day in Kigali...is finally over...sigh

Today started out as any other day, very early. Lately I have been waking up naturally around 5:30. Solomon and I caught a ride to Kigali today at 6am on an escapade to buy supplies for the arrival of more chickens on the farm. One of the best things about getting up early is that you get to see the sun rise over the Rwandan hills. The past few mornings, the sun has also been joined by a thick fog. We hopped into the car and headed to Kigali. Our first stop was the bank. We got there an hour before opening. I didn’t eat anything and was hungry. Solomon asked a few people where we could go to get breakfast. The only places they mentioned were hotels. I kept telling Solomon to tell the person that we want the cheap Rwandan places and not the fancy muzungu places. We finally found a place and got money from the place.

Our first visit was to BrasAfric to get a quote for a grinding machine to help in making the chicken food. We got on the back of a moto taxi. Before we got on I asked Solomon if the drivers know where the place is located. Everyone ensured me that they know where it is located. An hour later we were still searching for the place. Our search took us past the Canadian Embassy…a good 3km from the actual location. Everyone we meet thought they knew…this is very common in Rwanda where people say yes and they really have no clue. I finally got the number of someone who works there and he pointed me in the right direction. We actually past the place on our initial moto ride. Solomon and I decided to split up in order to get everything done. I went to BrasAfric and Solomon took all the sacs that we brought to the wood market to get filled with wood chips for the floor of the chicken house.

From the moment I stepped into BrasAfric, I was appalled by the lack of customer service. The lady at the front spoke English real well and was part of the department I was buying in but didn’t know anything about the product. They brought out the technician who was the only friendly and nice person in the whole place. He showed me the machine but said we need to go to a different store of theirs for the motor. I think the lady was happy to get rid of me but I’m not sure what I did to make her mad. When we got to the other store, the grinder were on display but broken with dents….sure makes you want to buy them…right? The technician said that we could buy one of the broken machines and then he’ll fix it. If we’re paying that much money, not sure I want to buy a broken machine. I did enjoy hanging out with the technician. We was impressed with my use of Kinyarwanda. When the second store didn’t have what we needed, it was back to the first store. Another women came in that was ruder than the first lady. I asked for some information on 2 machines that looked very similar to me but were very different prices. No one in the store could tell me the differences. I asked for the proforma invoice which states the price and they refused to give me one. They said I must buy and then they can tell me the price. I kept telling them how can I buy it, if I don’t know the price? Finally the man who I talked with on the phone arrived to help save a little credibility for the place. This man even gave me a ride to town and apologized for the way I was treated by those ladies. He says that it happens to many customers and many complain about them. How can a company keep employees like that? Especially in Rwanda where it’s difficult to find jobs. I went to another agro machinery store called Tasha. It was a much better experience with a much better product. They had no trouble giving me the proforma invoice. So, which company do you think I’ll go with?

I met back up with Solomon and we headed to a place to buy water drinkers. They were all out and insisted there were no places to find them (except for 1 grocery store) in all of Kigali. I heard this story from many of my endeavors to Kigali. There are places to find everything that you need. ..the challenging part is just finding those places. Next we went to the place where we’re buying the heaters to give them an advance. It’s not as easy here as going to a place to buy the heaters. They actually have to make them from scrap metal.

Our next adventure took us to Nyabigogo. We called the truck driver and he said that he would meet us in 30 min. We decided to visit a friend of ours who owns a seed store. He was not there but the people in the store told us where to get the water drinkers! An hour later, the truck driver was not where he told us he’d meet us. We called him and he said that he was too busy to come even though we called him the day before and told us he was on the way. He said that he’d send a friend that never showed. We finally found one. We were at the store were we buy ingredient to make chicken food. I asked all the questions to know when the prices are high and low. It was very helpful but different from what others told me. I guess I should have just asked the seller to begin with.

Next we went to our house in Kigali to pick up luggage from the group visiting from Tuffs University. We went back to the wood market to get our sacs of wood chips. I was bombarded by 20 Rwandan women shouting, muzungo…hello…give me money. It was too overwhelming and annoying. I even called a Rwandan friend to ask how to say, leave me alone. I saw a lady who is related to someone at my village and I was relieved to go sit with her. At the wood market we went to buy a scale and wire. I think I taught these men a lesson…don’t sell someone a scale who is also buying something by the kg. You buy wire by the kg and they gave us 5kg. I told them I want to test out the scale and weight the wire. I found they were giving us only 4.5kg! Don’t think they’ll try that trick again. I even tried to weigh Solomon and everyone was laughing.

Finally it was back to the village after a very long day. When we arrived, we were greeted by all the farm workers cheering. It was a great arrival. The workers were singing and dancing as we drove up. It was already 1.5hr after they usually leave. Some climbed into the truck and began to unload. There were close to 100 sacs. They all got into an assembly line to put the sacs into storage. I even got into the line and they began to cheer even louder. Boy to really love interacting with the farm workers.

Life is Like Fruit

You know you’ve worked on a farm too long when…this is not some stupid joke. I started to think about my time here in fruit metaphors and compare the kids to the chickens. I will explain. I love fruit and I consume lots of fruit in Rwanda. It’s all so delicious and cheap. The only sad part is that the fruit goes in and out of season. When I arrived, one of my favorite fruits was in season…the mango! I would go on walks to find all the mango trees above the farm and consume many of these delicious fruits. That being said, my arrival and being of my time here is the mango period. In the beginning my time here was very sweet and exciting. The next and current phase would be the guava (I’m actually eating one as I write this). I never had a guava until coming here. It’s definitely something that’s still new and exciting with some buts. The first time I had it was when I went a walk with the cows around the village. One of the farm workers introduced me. When I was first trying it, I had no idea what this fruit could be but was told to pick the large green ones. I was then told to use my teeth to take of the green outside and then just to eat the inside. The outside was very bitter but I enjoyed the inside. I later learned that if you wait, then the outside turns yellow and edible….and so delicious! With this fruit I’m learning patience and with time you can learn all how and where to get what you need. It has taken me these 4 months to get a better understanding about life here. There are also many bitter and sweet moments that take me on a roller coaster of many emotions. With time I’m even learning from those bitter moments. I wonder which fruit will be next!

My Piece of Art

The views in the village are incredible. My favorite view in the village is the view from the school. I enjoy standing on this bench that surrounds the flag pole and looking out into the distance. From there one can see the entire village, 2 lakes in the distance, and a beautiful mural. The mural was a project of one of the volunteers from last year. She had all the students involved in the painting of the mural. The colors are vivid and it's a great addition to the village.

I can imaging how amazing if felt for that volunteer that she had worked so hard and contributed a beautiful piece of artwork to the village. It's a challenge for the volunteers. We come all this way to hopefully have a positive impact on the village and contribute something to the success. In the day-day craziness of life here, it's sometimes hard to remember. Sometimes it's hard to feel that you are making a difference. I keep saying that sometimes I;m jealous of the volunteer who worked on the artwork. She has such a beautiful reminder of her hard work. I had a real sense of satisfaction in my work yesterday. As you probably know from my other posts, I've been working very hard on bringing hens to the village so that we can have eggs. Yesterday for the first time, each students got on egg from the hens on our farm. That's my piece of artwork for the village. It was soooo exciting...I'd been working very hard on getting hens here. As I ate my egg, I noticed 2 yokes...the Rwandan next to be said it was good luck. It definitely felt good. I have lots of satisfaction in the fact that I helped to bring fmore protein to the kids in the village.

Making News

Here's an article that I wrote for the village newspaper:

My favorite time at Agahozo is by far Saturday morning around 6am. Most Saturday mornings are the same for me. I wake up just as the sun is rising over the village. It’s amazing to see the vivid and bright colors that are lighting up the sky as a new day is beginning. As I walk to the farm, my thoughts turn to the upcoming morning as I pass the rows of banana trees. One of the best parts of my job is working with the youth of Agahozo on the farm. It took a few weeks in the beginning to ensure that everyone comes on time and is working hard but now it’s great to see most everyone coming on time and really contributing to the growth of the farm. Last term, we saw the arrival of chickens and increasing the amount of land we’re using to farm. Thank you to farm club for everything you do. Your input has helped to make farm time more successful. Next time you’re sitting in the dining hall, think what might have been grown on our farm and how you might have contributed to the growing of that vegetable!

Here's the article that I wrote for my JCC's paper:

What’s the best way for me to spend a Friday night? Currently, it’s drinking tea with my Rwandan family—a group of fifteen teenage girls ranging in age from 15-17. These girls have been through a lot. Most have lost family members to the genocide or AIDS and experienced more trauma in their lives than a person should ever have to endure. Something feels good about talking and dancing together. These fifteen girls have become the light of my life while living in Rwanda.
I arrived in Kigali, Rwanda late on a Tuesday night in January. After being picked up at the airport, I was taken to my home for the next year, the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village (ASYV) located about an hour from the capital city of Kigali. I’m blown away by the fact that I’m actually here (I’m constantly saying, oh my gosh…I’m actually here). It all started last year around Sukkot when a friend of mine came to visit and convinced me to apply for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s Jewish Service Corps year-long fellowship in Rwanda. They needed someone to help manage the farm…I like farming, I like having adventures working, living, and traveling abroad…so why not?
I wonder all the time what brought me to Rwanda. I knew very little about this country and had no real connection except for the idea that after the Holocaust the Jewish people needed others to help them rebuild, so I felt compelled to do the same for Rwandans. That being said, there are many places that I could have gone to help. After being here for 4 months, I’m still not sure why I came. But I do know what compels me to stay in this country known as the heart of Africa, and that has deeply touched my heart.
It’s the stories and relationships that I have created here. It’s the farm worker who doesn’t know any English but always greets me with a warm smile and knows more about the true nature of caring for animals than anyone I know. I didn’t know it would be possible to like someone so much without that person even speaking the same language as I. It’s the long runs with my roommate who helps me understand the complexities that surround this country. It’s the student who is timid and shy, but when you give him a stage and a microphone, his voice brings a whole room to its feet clapping and singing along. It’s the girl in my family that lived in an orphanage prior to ASYV, and is one of the strongest teenage females that I have ever met-- willing to speak her mind and one of the few that has learned to stand up for what she believes. My girls and I even have a special hand shake that has been adapted for when we are on opposite sides of the room. It’s my friend who constantly shares laughs with me and enjoys riding me on the back of his bicycle into town. These are my images of Rwanda.
Since arriving at ASYV I have learned more about the care and raising of chickens than I ever thought possible. I’m working on creating a chicken business that will help to generate income for the village, helping to make the vision of sustainability a reality. I have helped in the birth of 3 cows. I have so many exciting opportunities to learn and grow. It’s pretty incredible. In the village there’s a big emphasis on tikkun olam, the Jewish value of helping to repair the world. The students here are even going out into the local community and making a difference.
You are all invited to come for a visit and see this amazing place; a place that many believe will help strengthen the future of this country. Murkaza neza…you are always welcome! If visiting is not a reality, you’re welcome to follow my adventures at amygoestorwanda.blogspot.com or visit the Agahozo Shalom website at asyv.org.
Shalom,
Amy Price

Learning from the Strength of my Family

Last Wednesday my family had individual evaluations. We only got through half so we finished the rest of them today. This is a time where we talk about each person in the family and discuss how they’re doing in all aspects of the village. After this process, I gained even more respect for how this village is positively impacting the youth of Rwanda. It’s amazing to be in a place where each individual well being is seen as important and time put into making each student feel confident and important. I learned many of the stories of the girls in my family for the first time. Each one was sadder than the next. We learned stories of abuse, abandonment, extreme poverty, loss, and genocide. Many of them were told the people that they live with are their parents and found out later that their biological parents had died….new issues arise as they begin to question who they are and they these things have happened to them. All of them lost at least one parent and many lost both parents. It’s amazing how strong each of these kids are after having gone through what they have experienced in life. It’s exciting to hear them talk about how hopeful they are for the future. They are strong.

Farm Family of the Week

This week on the farm we started having the Farm Family of the Week. This is for a family that comes on time (I think this is the hardest part…it’s definitely not part of the culture to be on time), works hard, and also has a house mother or counselor working hard with them. The family that I picked for the first week is the family that I worked with on Saturday. I had so much fun working with them that I felt that they deserved the award. Last night at family time, I presented them with a pineapple and thanked them for their hard work. I began to work with this family because I heard them singing. They seemed to be having a good time so I thought that I’d join them. As we worked, we had a very interesting talk about religion. They know that I’m Jewish and began to ask questions. It was hard for them to believe that I don’t believe the same as they do about Jesus. I also asked them questions. I went to Catholic Mass for the first time last week when we had the ceremony to remember the student that died over the vacation. I learned a lot from them and their thoughts on religion. Many have such a strong and very real faith that I always enjoy conversations like this.

It just so happened that there was also a birthday in the family that night and they had a celebration for her. It was great to be with this family as they celebrated…everyone was so happy and joyous! I got to thinking that for many of these kids coming to Agahozo might be their first time celebrating a birthday with family. The girl who had a birthday started the evening with a very solemn look on her face but began to cry out of happiness when the group began to sing. It made me realize how important it is to have family around to share in happy occasions. I just had my birthday this weekend and missed my family so much. I enjoyed being a part of the celebration.