I think that I’ve taught many important lessons during my time in Rwanda. I taught a girl how to ride a bicycle and co-taught a family time on the importance of politeness. These are all very important but the one I taught yesterday has to be the funniest.
When you take the bus from Kigali to the village, you must get off at a place called Ntunga and then take a moto. When you get off the bus, the moto drivers swarm you hoping to get your business. I have a feeling that they don’t get much business so it’s a fighting match to see who can take people on their moto. It gets annoying having moto drivers following you and throwing their helmets in your face. One of my biggest frustrations is that most of the moto drivers have helmets that don’t even fit. As your riding, the helmet is falling in your face. It’s definitely a safety issue but I also just like to enjoy the view.
When I got off yesterday, one moto driver came after me. I needed to go in one of the store to buy something and he even followed me into the store. When I came out, I went over to where all the drivers were waiting. I tried on all of their helmets before selecting one of the drivers. Many people were looking on and laughing at the scene. They should learn. You need to have good helmets for passengers. The lesson didn’t stop here. On the moto drive to the village, the driver’s cell phone rang. He picked up the phone and began pressing buttons. He wasn’t even paying attention to the drive. I then reached over and took the cell phone out of his hands and said in English (which I know he didn’t understand) it’s not safe to use the phone and drive at the same time. It continued to ring and I refused to let him answer.
Moral of the story: Have a good helmet and don’t talk on the phone and drive.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
PIZZA!!!
I've been dreaming about making this for months now. Hands down, the best meal that I have cooked in Rwanda! It was such a delicious treat. The Rwandan food is very difficult to eat at times so I have to be creative in what I cook. The Rwandan food has lots of beans that hurt my stomach and a Rwandan eggplant that makes the food bitter. I get so happy in the dining hall when those ingredients are not in the food but most of the time I'm not that lucky.
Chapati Pizza Extraordinaire
Sauce:
tomatoes from the ASYV farm
tomatoes paste
parsley from the ASYV farm
water
Topping:
green peppers from the ASYV farm
onions from the ASYV farm
mushrooms from the ASYV farm
cheese that must be aquirred on a trip to Kigali
Bread:
chapati that can only be found in the village on Wednesday and Saturday
You cab see that it takes a little planning to coordinate. It can only be made on certain days when someone is going to Kigali. It's all made on the stove.
Yummy!!!!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Sometimes when things don’t go as planned…I just have to laugh
Sometimes when things don’t go as planned…I just have to laugh. I can’t believe that I’m saying that and having those thoughts. It’s not what I would have done in the time before Rwanda. If you don’t understand what I mean, let me explain.
If you’ve read any of my other blogs, you know that a lot of my time has been dedicated to chickens. I spent 3 months in the beginning research, learning, and talking to many people about the creation of a chicken business. I feel that I put together a well research and thought out plan. It was approved in May and I was so excited! I was ready to bring in our first group of 1,200 day old laying chicks. I did the research and found a good place to order them. Little did I know that the process of getting chicks in Rwanda is not that easy.
I began by trying to order them from a place in Zimbabwe. I went with that hatchery because I knew of another place in Rwanda who had success with them and they had a good price. Originally we were supposed to get them the first week of June. Then I was told June 16th but our office didn’t get the paperwork to them in time. Then we made another date for them to come and it didn’t work out. Then we found out that Kenyan Airways has a back order on shipping livestock. He said he would get back to me as soon as possible. He then told me that we should find another place. I tried different places. I tried to have meetings for a month with a guy in Kigali but that didn’t work out. Finally we decided to go with a place in Uganda and we would just drive to get them. They said send us the money and then a month after that, you can come to pick up the chicks. We wired the money 10 days ago. Last week I sent an email to the place asking if they received it…they hadn’t.
I was in a meeting today and we got a call from our bank that the account number was not correct that our accounting department sent…when I found this out, I couldn’t help but laugh. I’m trying to do all I can to get them here but it doesn’t always work out like you think.
If you’ve read any of my other blogs, you know that a lot of my time has been dedicated to chickens. I spent 3 months in the beginning research, learning, and talking to many people about the creation of a chicken business. I feel that I put together a well research and thought out plan. It was approved in May and I was so excited! I was ready to bring in our first group of 1,200 day old laying chicks. I did the research and found a good place to order them. Little did I know that the process of getting chicks in Rwanda is not that easy.
I began by trying to order them from a place in Zimbabwe. I went with that hatchery because I knew of another place in Rwanda who had success with them and they had a good price. Originally we were supposed to get them the first week of June. Then I was told June 16th but our office didn’t get the paperwork to them in time. Then we made another date for them to come and it didn’t work out. Then we found out that Kenyan Airways has a back order on shipping livestock. He said he would get back to me as soon as possible. He then told me that we should find another place. I tried different places. I tried to have meetings for a month with a guy in Kigali but that didn’t work out. Finally we decided to go with a place in Uganda and we would just drive to get them. They said send us the money and then a month after that, you can come to pick up the chicks. We wired the money 10 days ago. Last week I sent an email to the place asking if they received it…they hadn’t.
I was in a meeting today and we got a call from our bank that the account number was not correct that our accounting department sent…when I found this out, I couldn’t help but laugh. I’m trying to do all I can to get them here but it doesn’t always work out like you think.
Monday, September 13, 2010
L'chaim!
Salomon came to Agahozo yesterday to pick me up. We then walked down a steep hill…our destination, the wedding of one of the farm workers. I was dressed in a nice long skirt so walking down the muddy slope was not an easy task. The view was beautiful as we walked down. We could see the festivities happening in the distance. When we arrived all heads were turned our way. I asked Salomon where we would watch the festivities from and he said that we would just stand in the back, but that would not be the case. We were soon escorted to the front and given the most comfortable chairs to watch the ceremony. Salomon and I felt like the king and queen at the wedding. We were also both brought beer to drink. Everyone was drinking local banana beer during the ceremony. I was thankful that I was brought a bottle of real beer…that banana beer is strong but you could see that it brought people lots of joy.
The man getting married has been with the bride for probably around 12 years. They even have 4 children together. It’s common in rural areas for people to wait for an official marriage until they are able to save the money for a good wedding. Working at Agahozo has allowed him to save the needed money for the wedding.
The ceremony was very interesting. When we arrived there were 4 men sitting behind tables with 2 on each side. One group was advocating from the groom and the other for the bride. The 2 groups talked back and forth, everyone was laughing at what was said. It was like a Rwandan comedy show. One side kept saying that they have a man to be married and the other said they have the woman. At one point the group advocating for the woman brought out a 12 year old girl and everyone laughed. After some time, the groom was presented and then a little later, the bride arrived. When the bride arrived, she brought gifts for her family and the groom’s family. The groom presented a cow to his father in law. Some woman soon broken into song and began to traditional dance. The bride and groom did not share a kiss but it seemed that the giving each a drink of the beer was the equivalent (it was kind of like the eating each other a piece of cake).
I was introduced by the man leading the ceremony as the honored guest. I even gave a speech. I told everyone what a great worker the groom is and that I enjoy going to the farm to see him. He’s always smiling. He doesn’t speak any English but somehow we’ve become good friends. At the end of my speech, I told everyone that in my tradition when someone gets married, you raise your glass and say l’chaim to the new couple. I told everyone that it’s Hebrew and it wishes the new couple a good life today. All the guests joined me in a l’chaim!
The man getting married has been with the bride for probably around 12 years. They even have 4 children together. It’s common in rural areas for people to wait for an official marriage until they are able to save the money for a good wedding. Working at Agahozo has allowed him to save the needed money for the wedding.
The ceremony was very interesting. When we arrived there were 4 men sitting behind tables with 2 on each side. One group was advocating from the groom and the other for the bride. The 2 groups talked back and forth, everyone was laughing at what was said. It was like a Rwandan comedy show. One side kept saying that they have a man to be married and the other said they have the woman. At one point the group advocating for the woman brought out a 12 year old girl and everyone laughed. After some time, the groom was presented and then a little later, the bride arrived. When the bride arrived, she brought gifts for her family and the groom’s family. The groom presented a cow to his father in law. Some woman soon broken into song and began to traditional dance. The bride and groom did not share a kiss but it seemed that the giving each a drink of the beer was the equivalent (it was kind of like the eating each other a piece of cake).
I was introduced by the man leading the ceremony as the honored guest. I even gave a speech. I told everyone what a great worker the groom is and that I enjoy going to the farm to see him. He’s always smiling. He doesn’t speak any English but somehow we’ve become good friends. At the end of my speech, I told everyone that in my tradition when someone gets married, you raise your glass and say l’chaim to the new couple. I told everyone that it’s Hebrew and it wishes the new couple a good life today. All the guests joined me in a l’chaim!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
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