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on Sarah's Blog (Rwanda), 11/Nov/2009 14:10, 34 days ago
Thursday 29th October 2009Today was another office based day...the weather was pleasantly warm...and the rains came while I was in the office...I thought that the day could not have been better planned...I went home for lunch and used that time to pack my bags for my week in‘The Big Smoke’ also known as Kigali...and thank goodness I did...by the time I made it home from work...I was NOT in a good mood! After felt like an eternity in the district office...it was finally time for home...and not a moment too soon! I was walking along...listening to...Darius...please don’t tell anyone! (the following events are probably payback for listening to SUCH bad music and I should be thoroughly ashamed of myself!) But there I was...walking along...minding my own business...when all of a sudden...my legs decided that they were no longer going to do as I said...and developed a mind of their own...it was always going to end in disaster...especially as it had been raining earlier in the afternoon...so there I was...one minute I was standing...and the next...I was sat in a rather large...somewhat sticky...pool of mud...surrounded by goats...who I am sure had they beenable to laugh...would have done so!!! My trousers were covered in mud...all down the back...and a little bit on the front from where I had got up...my shoes were so full of sticky mud that there was no room for my feet...and my toes were so caked in mud that they blended into the ground so my feet looked more trotter-like than ever before...face on I didn’t look so different...apart from I was carrying my shoes rather than wearing them...as I walked through the village to my house...I did the usual greeting...only this time...as I walked past and people saw the mud up the back of my trousers...they made no attempts to conceal their laughter...and they laughed out loud as I walked past...now...there was a group of women stood in front of my house...and they were smiling nicely...so I thought I would get there before them...so as I walked past...I greeted them and did an action for slipping...they stood there looking confused...until I walked past and they too saw the mud...at the time I found it quite funny...by the time I was in the house...I was not quite so amused! After cleaning myself up I decided to cook...I really shouldn’t have bothered! I thought that rice and peas might make for a good dinner...the peas had been soaking...so I put them on to boil...I have no idea just how long they would take to cook! Hours later my dinner was finally ready...but the peas were still a little like bullets and curry powder was not my best idea...I am not going to be cooking that meal again in a hurry!...Friday 30th October 2009The crossness of the previous night had barely worn off when I had to get the 7am bus into Butare...following a series of ridiculous mistakes and crossed wires...I was to go to Kigali for the week...Friday until the following Saturday...I needed to get the earliest bus as the secondary school children were going home for the holidays and the buses would be very full...as it happens...it is more than likely that teenagers here are not all that different world over and they were not up in time to get the 8.30am bus...there were a couple on there but nothing like I had been expecting...I got into Kigali just before lunch...I went to the guest house where I would be staying...run by my favourite kind of people...nuns...the place is basic...but clean and they have HOT running water...several other volunteers were also staying there for the weekend, before moving to‘Le Bambou’ on Monday afternoon...I met up with some others in town for lunch before going to the program office for a working group meeting...this would have worked out a lot better had it not rained on the way to the bus station...and if we had actually managed to get on the right bus! As it happens...we were cold and wet and on the wrong bus...we eventually made it and the meeting was in full swing...I finally dried off and headed back to the guesthouse...before meeting some more volunteers for dinner...Saturday 31st October 2009Following a late brunch in a rather posh hotel...’Les Milles Collines’ I wasted the rest of the day mooching around the shops in the city before heading back to the guesthouse to prepare myself for the Halloween party...I decided not to go with fancy dress, but to use it as an opportunity to dress up...so off I went...those of you who know mewell...will know that I am not all that keen on house parties...mostly as I am not a fan of other people’s houses...once there I managed to relax myself with a bottle of Primus or 2...there was a mixture of VSO volunteers and their Rwandan friends...I finally made it back to the guesthouse at 3am...following a very pleasant evening...punctuated by some very strange conversations...one which was particularly good...it was a Rwandan guy...he wanted to know what football team I supported...I tried my best to explain that I really don’t like football...but this took more than a few attempts!...I thought he had understood when he started asking about rugby teams...which one did I support...I said I didn’t really but I would always support the English teams...and then we were back on football...how many times did I need to say that I didn’t like football...this went on for some time...when all of a sudden...the guy practically shouted...’what about god!’...I decided that this was an opportunity to be blunt and honest...not that I hadn’t been already...my answer was a simple and straight...NO!!! the guy was so horrified...he just started asking about football again! I was rescued by another volunteer...and managed to avoid any more conversation about football, rugby or god!Sunday 1st October 2009Very little was achieved today...after hanging around the city...doing very little...I went with the other volunteers to an Ethiopian restaurant...the food was lovely...but I did not like eating with my hands...boo!!! Back at the Guesthouse...I went to bed at 11.30pm...but I was awake again by 1am...I was covered in bites...on my arms, hands and face!...I finally fell asleep again at 5.30am only to have to get up at 7.30am...grrrrr...In Country Training 3rd– 6th November 2009The whole of this week was spent at‘Le Bambou Motel’ in the Kabagabaga area of Kigali...much to the annoyance of many of the volunteers, the places is a long way out of town...Most of the days were taken up with training sessions...with one free session during which we took the bus to Kimironko market, where I managed to buy morematerial for my curtains...Although the place where we were staying looked nice...and all the furniture was made from bamboo...it was somewhat disappointing...there was no housekeeping in the rooms...which I wouldn’t mind if I was staying somewhere cheap and basic...but this was supposed to be anice place! Anyway...we were also supposed to have hot running water...but it seemed the room I was staying in was the only one without it...in fact they were unable to find a vacant room for us to move to which did have hot water...so cold showers it was! After 2 days they said they would bring a water heater...and rocked up several hours later with a kettle! Needless to say...I carried on with the cold showers...several nights into our stay...I woke in the middle of the night...convinced that Porca one of the other volunteers (who wasn’t staying at the hotel) had told me that there were lots of bugs in the top of my mosquito net...so...with this in mind...I set to work pulling it out from under the mattress...I woke up properly several minutes later being hounded by a bloody mosquito...the stupid thing was having a party right next to my ear...I was not impressed! I was hoping it would be around 5 or 6am and then I would just get up...but no...it was 2.06am...so there I was in the middle of the night...in the dark...trying to rearrange my net around my bed...and then I just lay awake...FOR HOURS! The rest of the week passed quickly...and on the final evening (Friday) all the volunteers went out for a drink...or several...starting at ‘Sundowners’ and then moving on to KBC...which is a night club...I made it home at 3.30am but had to be up again at 7.30...to travel back to The Big G...I got back...and just missed the bus back to Gisagara from Butare...I was in a VERY BAD mood...I was being hassled about getting a moto...but with 5 bags...that wasn’t something I wanted to do! I eventually got a taxi back to the house...I have never been so glad to be home!!...what a relief...The rest of the weekend...was spent in the village...