So much happened last week that I want to talk about. The electricity has been out most days and I’m so busy on the farm and in the village which has put me behind on my blogging.
Last Saturday night I ate meat for the first time in 4 and a half years. I was not expecting to do it. I went on a long run with one of my roommates. We finished our run at the local bar and ordered drinks. The next thing I know is that they bring brochettes (goat meat). My two friends invite me to taste and I explain that I do not eat meat. They ask me why and I explain that I’m not against eating meat just against the industry in the states. We begin to talk about how this meat is raised (it was raised by a family down the road with the goat eating grasses) and I decide to have a bite…and I do have to say that it was delicious. I went to the same bar again Friday night with Solomon and again ate the meat. It’s still hard for me to believe that I ate it.
I’m learning so much about raising livestock and got to take part in my first birthing of a cow. Just as I was about to leave for lunch on Thursday, I was told that one of the cows was about to have a baby. I was excited for the opportunity to take part and try to help as much as possible. I learned how to tell that a cow is about to have a baby…I’m gaining all this very useful knowledge…lol. We have a new healthy baby boy. The farm workers asked me if it was my first time taking part in a birth…I said yes…and remembered to say the shechechyanu. I tried to explain it to the workers but I don’t think they understood when I began to speak in a funny language.
Saturday was filled with joy and sorrow. I organized a ceremony for the harvest of the first pineapple that was to take place on Saturday. I also bought 700 new pineapple plants to be planted by the students for the occasion. Saturday began as any other day. I got up at 6:10 and headed to the farm to prepare for the kids beginning to work at 7. When I arrived I soon learned from one of the workers (he doesn’t speak any English so the interaction was done in grunts and hand gesters) that another cow was going to have a baby. This was to be the third cow born in a week. The baby was coming out just as the kids began to arrive. Things became hectic as I tried to assist with the birth and direct 220 kids to where they were working. (There had been a problem with everyone arriving very late so I told the counselors and house mothers that if their whole family comes on time that everyone would get a treat from the farm. This week we had 4 families that actually came on time!) Many kids began to assist with the birth and the milking of the other cows (the cow man was unable to milk the other cows so the kids just did it, they didn’t even need any direction in what to do…I realized that this is a big difference with the kids here and from the states…I couldn’t imagine if people from my high school were expected to milk cows). After a little while the cow began to have problems. The baby was just too big to come out. A specialist and vet were called to come. Just as the ceremony was about to begin, we all heard that the baby cow did not make it and that the mom would have to have surgery. The happiness of harvesting the first pineapple was jaded by our loss. The ceremony still went great with 5 pineapples being harvested…and in Rwandan tradition there were many speeches. The kids from last year planted the pineapple so it was nice that they were then able to harvest the fruits of their labor.
It was sad and hard to lose a cow. Everyone was very supportive. It was a long week and I was ready to get away from the village. I traveled to Kigali to meet up with my friends there. They introduced me to hashing. Hashing is a social group that goes on runs and hikes. They say they are a drinking group with a running problem. I got initiated into the group with some embarrassing questions and chugging a glass of beer. It was great fun and I’m excited to get involved. They meet every week and you can choose to run or hike the trail. The run was beautiful on the hillside outside of Kigali.
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Lessons that mold a person's life. Say hello to your Rwanda family for us!!
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