Untitled
on Sarah's Blog (Rwanda), 20/Mar/2010 09:27, 34 days ago
Ok...so it has been a while again...my dad has made it to the ripe old age of 60...and I missed the fun and games...but by the sounds of it...fun was had by all...The meeting with the NCDC was cancelled...although I am not sure that we would have been told had Anna not called to ask them to books rooms for us...we decided that we had both made time to go to Kigali...so that was what we were going to do...and we went anyway...and worked on the curriculum together...which actually proved very successful...we managed to get a lot of work done...and I was back in time for Primus Friday in Butare...Melanie and April visited the big G on Friday evening...waragi (Ugandan gin) was mixed with coke or fanta and drunk from the bottle through a straw...nobody can say I am not classy! The flying maggots put in a timely appearance...April insisted on the lights being on...I suggested that this was not a good idea as the horrid maggoty things came in...and I was proved right...there they were flying around the room in circles...banging into everything in sight...walls...ceilings...light bulbs...candles...floors...anything and everything...they could find...Mel and April left early on Saturday morning...giving me time to have my weekly hot shower...2 kettles of boiling water....clean clean clean!!!...the weather on Saturday was not so nice...so I made a nice warm vegetable soup...only it was a little thick and more like a stew by the end of it! Sunday brought with it glorious sunshine...I spent the day pottering at home...which is always a welcome treat...but seems to happen an awful lot!Primus Friday was upon us again...only this time there was a small piece of information missing...like the fact that we were going to stay in Butare...Amy had been texting myself and John, who lives in Save.(pronounced sarvay...I don’t think I will every again be able to say the word save!) anyhow...he had all the information...while I had none...Amy had forgotten to mention that he was coming or that we were staying in Butare...so I rocked up with nothing...I was going to go home and get some things..but decided that that would take far too long and had to be brave...so...Primus Friday had a bit of a twist this week...it took the form of a good old fashioned pub crawl...through the bright shining lights of Butare...and to the Chinese...Chinese Rwandan style is a little different to anywhere else...everything tastes thesame...but my favourite item on the menu was, as always, not available...and It is something I would really very much like to try...’Fish in the shape of a squirrel’...however this is not the first time I have seen this listed on a menu...and one day I hope to try it...during the course of theevening...I was literally eaten alive...the three of us shared and room in Butare...and headed off early the following morning...back to the big G for the weekly hot shower...and another soup...a little more successful this time...actually...a lot more successful!...I also took the time to count mybites...on my left leg there were about 30 and on my right I managed a staggering 40...making a total (for those of you who cant count!) of at least 70...yes 70 bites...all from the knee down!This last couple of weeks have also seen the return of the crazy dreams...some of which have been nicer than others...there was one particular night...which was quite horrible...to start with I woke up thinking that there was a giant cockroach on my wall...and I mean HUGE...only...there was nothing there...the light was on and there was not a bug in sight...then for the next two parts...I am not really sure which is most disturbing...I had gone back to sleep after the cockroach incident...only I then thought that there was a frighteningly thin woman lying next to my bed screaming...so I picked her up around the waist...and started hitting her on the floor to make her stop...only half way through this I woke up and realised that there was something in my hand...it took me a good few seconds to realise that it was a shoe...and I had been beating it on the floor...but again...I managed to get back to sleep...only to wake a while later thinking that my face was covered in little crawling insects...Monday 15th March 2010I headed into Butare early...went to the tailors to drop off my skirt...only to find that he was not there...but would be back in the afternoon...I went for a quick drink before getting the bus up to Save...I went to Sotra to run the busses to Gisagara...and managed to get myself a free lift up to Save...and then it all went hopelessly wrong...I wanted to get a moto driver to take me to Save B primary school...and wait while I had my meeting...then drive me Save Teacher Training Centre...and then back to Butare...and I was going to pay for all of the time waiting...only nobody seemed to understand this...the bike boys tried to get me to get on one of the bikes...but that was never going to happen...eventually I thought I had managed to make the moto driver understand and we set off...only we went straight past Save B...I managed to get us back...and explained I wanted him to wait for me...but suddenly he was back to not understanding...all over again...a man who was passing (who spoke limited English...but better than the moto driver’s) tried to help...he explained that the driver would take me to Save TTC so I knew how to get there and then bring me back to Save B and I would walk there when I had finished...only he took me there and left me...not such a problem...I would just swap my appointments around...only I was very early to Save TTC and the head teacher was nowhere to be found...I walked back to Save B and met with the head teacher there...VSO have managed to get reading books for the school through US Aid...so I went to discuss how this would work...but it took a while for them to understand that these were story books for reading rather than text books...but they seemed very happy and I will spend some time there next term helping them to set up a system for using the books in classrooms...I then walked back to Save TTC where I managed to meet with the head teacher...the school is very different to any Ihave been in here so far...I discussed the training Anna and myself would like to do there and then went on a tour of the school...they have internet...and computers which the students are allowed to use...I went into the kitchen and I have never seen anything like it...maybe 6 stand alone enormoussaucepans which each have a wood burning stove underneath...you could fit a good 3-4 people (at least!) in each of the saucepans!!!! The kitchen staff found it very amusing that I had never seen anything like this before...all the students and staff were very welcoming and I am really looking forward to working there...and I was able to see some of the teachers I had trained as mentors...Basically, the students in the school are going to be primary school teachers when they finish...senior 6! So...I called the moto driver...only he did not seem to want to come and collect me...so I just had to wait for another moto to come past...thankfully it didn’t take too long and I was back at the main road waiting for a bus...2 passed and they were both full...I think it was just bad luck...but I decided to get a moto back into town...I went back to the tailors and he was still not there...but Iwas able to explain what I wanted to the lady and it will be ready by Wednesday! I was more than pleased to be on the bus back to the house! Ruairi went out for the evening and I was in need of an early night...I went to brush my teeth in the kitchen...only the spider that lives in the ceiling above the door frame had come out for a chat...but I was in no mood for chatting...I don’t know about anybody else...but no matter how much I hate them...I had a real problem killing spiders...so I decided to send him back to where he came from...with my trusted friend...’Baygon’ the bug spray...Ithought if I sprayed a line underneath him...he would crawl up...and back home...only I think this spider may have had some sort of special needs...as he just sat there...I sprayed again...only this time it was too late...he was suffocating...it was awful! I had to spray some more and then leave...it was horrid to watch...but when I came back...he was gone...only as I was brushing my teeth...something ran in Ruairi’s...I didn’t know whether it was a giant spider, or a small rodent...and it was dark...I turned the lights on again...but couldn’t see anything...and if I am really honest...I made no effort to find it! Mainly because I didn’t want to find something which I would not like (a giant spider!) and also...I would have to turn on the lights...and that would just add to the problem as the flying maggots would some in....so I told Ruairi what I had seen and went to bed...Tuesday 16th March 2010This morning, I discovered that it had in fact been a mouse in Ruairi’s room and it had now left...and I found Mr Spider...legs all scrunched in...on his back...dead on the floor...I do feel a little sad about this...but I don’t have time to be sad...as I am due at Gisanze Primary school...which is maybe about 20 mins away on a moto...only...there was not a mototo be seen in the village...I waited around for a while and then decided that I would be as well to walk...so off I went...on my way I saw a moto driver I knew...he pulled over with his passenger on the back and turned around...he explained that he would not be able to come back for about 30 mins...so I carried on walking...I was just past the local secondary school when another moto went past, this time with no passenger!!! Woop Woop!!!! I explained that I want to go to Gisanze Primary school...he had no idea where it was...but I knew the way...we agreed on 1,500RF...which was agreed in French and Kinyarwanda...and off we went...but we hadn’t got more than 100m when we stopped by the traffic police...he said he didn’t know where I wanted to go...and they pointed in the same direction I had...and then he seamed to be confused about the money...but it was decided that there was no problem and we had agreed on the same amount...just in two different languages...and off we went...we turned off the main road and started down the track to the school...about a quarter of the way there...we saw another bike...and I was told I would have to swap bikes...as the passenger did not have ahelmet and had to go passed the traffic police to get to the district office where she wanted to go...but I had to pay the original driver and then the new driver would sign my receipt...it was all very confusing and I now firmly believe that I am not supposed to get motos...EVER!!! Once there I was greeted by Claude...I observed some lessons...I stayed for the lunch break...so I could see the last teacher teach in the afternoon...and I could have some time to talk with the teachers I had already seen...about halfway through the lunch break, one of the teacher asked if I wanted to wash my hands...’no, no I’m fine’ I replied...only...I didn’t realise that lunch had been prepared...and I now had to look like the dirty mzungu that didn’t wash her hands before eating...as I didn’t know I was going to be having food!!! Beans and rice...which was very nice...I left at 10 past 2...and started the long walk back to the main road...where I was hoping to catch the bus back to the village...the walk was hard work...it had been cloudy all day...until about 5 minutes before I wanted to leave...and then the sun came out...so I put my cardigan on my head...do it covered my head, neckand shoulders...but may shadow was most awesome...I would look wicked as a nun...in a habit...no really...it may actually be worth it...this was much to the amusement of the locals...who found the white girl with the cardigan on her head very funny...but not as funny as I found the boys and the bike...so...there is a child of about 11 or 12...standing beside and pushing a bike along...only the bike had a fully grown adult in his 20s sat on the saddle...not doing anything...but laughing very hard!!! It makes a nice change to see people being silly and having fun! I made it back to the main road in 50 minutes...and there I sat on the bridge and waited for the bus...I had been waiting nearly 15 minutes when I realised that the bridge on the other side of the road was in the shade...not long after...Ruairi came past on the bike with Alexis...they stopped and suggested that if when Alexis was driving back to Butare I was still waiting, he would take me back to the house...needless to say...I was still waiting...