My summer in Rwanda
on Pauline Quinn (Rwanda), 09/Sep/2011 09:13, 34 days ago
The rainy season has started here again. It reminds me of home although since it is back to school time, I imagine it’s quite warm at home. It’s been an eventful summer so I have neglected my blog. I have a lot to write about. Firstly, I would like to thank everyone for their kind birthday wishes. I received beautiful cards (some handmade by the senders) and lovely presents. Thank you all so much it is always lovely to hear from my friends and family at home. I had a great birthday in Ngororero with great friends. I introduced some of my Rwandese friends to pizza and Irish dancing. We had a great evening together.I’ve been blessed with visitors since the start of July. My friends Kate and Michelle came to visit from the UK and Ireland. Kate just left yesterday.  I was delighted to be able to show them my adopted country and my new friends. They both had a brilliant time and were sad to leave beautiful Rwanda. We visited schools together and Kate even helped me figure out some new tricks on Excel. It very was sad to say goodbye to them but I am happy that my Rwandan adventure is continuing.I had a great time while the girls were here. The highlight for me was the mural of the world map. It was a great experience. We had lots of help from the pupils, teachers and other volunteers. For many of the children it was the first time that they had an opportunity to paint. We all learned lots about geography and the children had lots of opportunities to practice their English with all of the visitors. It is something I would definitely love to do again in the future. I brought Kate to visit it last week and she was very impressed and discovered a few countries to add to her must visit list. During the summer Kate, Michelle and I also visited Kenya and saw lots of the tourist sites in Rwanda. We went on safari which was a first for all of us. We were very lucky because we saw two lions. There were lots of elephants, giraffes and zebras. We had a brilliant day and the sense of adventure increased when the engine of our car went on fire! Luckily we made it home safely! Also, we went snorkelling in the Indian Ocean. It was amazing.The highlight of my travels around Rwanda this summer was visiting Nyungwe forest. Kate and I went there to see the Colobus monkeys. It was the first time that I visited a tropical rainforest. The views were beautiful. I will try to add photos when the internet connection is better. At the moment it is very slow.Next weekend, the new bunch of volunteers will arrive. This time last year it was me! The time has passed so quickly and it is funny to think that we are the veterans that they will look to for advice. I have learned so much in the past year that it will be nice to be able to pass on some tips to the new volunteers.The good news at the moment is that I have successfully applied for a grant to create a library at one of my most rural schools. The school has a high dropout rate for girls so we’re hoping that by giving them responsibility for the library it will act as a motivator for them to come to school. It any of you would like to be involved you can send a book in very simple English to me at Pauline Quinn, BP 207, Gitarama, RWANDA. If you like you can write a dedication on the inside with your name and country. You could even include a photo f yourself if you like. Thanks in advance for your help. I’ll post photos of the library when it’s up and running.I’m looking forward to seeing you all in December. Top of my list is a visit to St. Mary’s P.S. that kindly sponsored the paint for the world map mural. Slán,PaulineNote: I wrote this last week but only managed to post it now.