I need to begin by apologizing for going so long without a posting. I started working last month, the Internet cafe I used to write from changed their system and I could no longer access my documents. Good news though, we have an Internet connection at the house now!
November 11, 2006
Puppy Update
The puppies are now nearly four months old, have had immunizations and recovered from a bout with worms. I’m guessing this is normal behavior but they will chew anything they can get their mouths on – plants, cardboard boxes, trash bags, you name it, they chew it. We had a nice looking flower bed along the side of the house. Notice, I said HAD not HAVE. Yes, the dogs got to that and it is now a box of dirt that they seem to delight in spreading all over the terrace. The gardener (yes, the same one) sweeps the dirt into the box one day and the next it’s spread out across the terrace again. One day when they were feeling especially bored I guess, they got a hold of the washing machine cord and chewed a good sized chunk in it. It would be too easy for this to have happened when the machine was sitting idle – nooooo – I was washing. Long story short, Ken fixed the cord and the washer now lives in the kitchen out of harm’s way. They spend most of their time in the yard, so there have been no adventures in house breaking. I have taken them out for a walk a few times and the local kids (the ones who are not petrified) like to yell and lunge at them. This of course, gets the dogs excited so they bark and strain at the leash. I learned to simply change directions when I see a group of children coming.
In the Classroom
I started working at a new Christian school here in Kigali. The name is Kigali International Community School and goes from pre-school thru high school. At this point, I have four students and expect a total of six in January. My students include one Indian, one South African, one Chinese-Filipino and one little boy from Alabama. I expect a local Rwandan boy and a Ugandan boy who was adopted by Americans when we return to class after winter break.
The school was started on a wing and a prayer by a group of expatriate parents who wanted an alternative to the local schools here in town. Public schools run by the government are in dire straits to say the least. I am constantly reading newspaper articles or watching local documentaries about the state of education not just in Rwanda, but all over the continent. Many of the teachers are not qualified to teach and/or don’t really want to teach. Students come and go to class as they please. Probably one of the most disturbing articles I’ve read recently was about adolescent girls who miss anywhere from three days to a full week of school each month because their families cannot afford feminine hygiene products when they have their monthly cycle so they stay at home. The article went on to say that the government feels it does enough for poor students by providing food for them at school and they will not provide these products. An official was quoted as saying that if poor parents would spend money on their daughters instead of “sitting in bars getting drunk” the problem would go away. Sadly, that is typical of the attitude here – blame the victim for the problem.
Rainy Season
This is the first week of November and although it was officially late, the rainy season has started. I’m told that it normally begins the last of September. Of course, it just would not be Rwanda if the rain did not come with some household calamities for us.
Our lovely house has a leaky roof, so when it rains Mother Nature joins us in the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and other little nooks and crannies. As usual, we called the landlord so he could send out the infamous “technician” to fix the problem. First of all, it took a couple of weeks for the guy to show up and when he did, his arsenal of tools was a plastic bottle of what looked like glue. If you recall, this is the guy who speaks no English so we communicate solely with body language, facial expressions and yes, sometimes primal grunts and groans. Anyway, he shows up at the house, I let him in and he points to the ceiling. Well, I know what he’s talking about but DUH, it isn’t raining. I can’t tell him how to fix the problem. I call the owner’s representative and they have a conversation in their language and the guy goes away. A few weeks go by and he returns with a ladder, spends some time walking around on the roof and POOF – he’s gone again. This time he left his ladders in the yard and I assumed he considered himself finished. There was no rain for several weeks after that. Well, the first day of the heavy rain I had a pail in the bathroom (not for mopping) and a Dutch oven in the bedroom (not for cooking).
The landlord came by the house a couple of weeks ago and I told him how useless the workers are he has been sending to fix problems. I don’t know what happened but he has now hired a whole new group of workers. Experience has taught me not to believe these guys will be any better than the last ones. I came in from school one day and there was a guy in the yard digging a hole. While this may seem a normal occurrence to some, it caused me a moment’s hesitation. I asked the guard what this person was doing and was told “He’s fixing the roof problem.” Well silly me OF COURSE he’s fixing the roof by digging a hole at the top of the driveway! Kinda like driving from Chicago to Wisconsin but stopping in Detroit along the way. Anyway, he walked around on the roof for about an hour and despite my burning curiosity I did not go out to see what he was doing. In typical Rwandan fashion, he just disappeared after awhile. I guess that meant he was finished. Maybe I’ll just start sleeping in my raincoat.
We Have a Supermarket!
Living in Rwanda has truly simplified my needs. I’d like to have a hot shower now and then; green vegetables to eat, reliable electricity/water and repair people who do at least half of what I want them to do most of the time. But as you know, that is nowhere near the case. On the subject of having a few of the things I would like, they have opened a real supermarket in town. It is another one of those things where relativity is the key. For Rwanda, it’s a good store. If it were in the U.S., it would be just an okay neighborhood market. The market has been open now for a couple of months and already they are showing their “African-ness” by running out of stock and simply not replacing things. When they first opened they had quite a few imported items but I started to notice from week to week that the import shelves were emptying and not being restocked. It’s a shame but it figures.
Vacation Plans
I think the last time I posted, I wrote that we were planning our winter vacation to Greece. We changed the plan. Instead, we are going to Mossel Bay in South Africa. It's located on the very far south coast of South Africa between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. We will spend a week there, leaving December 15 and I'm really looking forward to the trip. Of course, I'll tell you all about it and post pictures.
Keep those email messages coming, I love them!
