Lifestyle

So I just got back from spending a few days in rural Rwanda, visiting my host father's mother and brother. I went with my host parents to one of the districts in the eastern part of the country, where it was clearly the countryside! As a white person, I attracted a lot of stares from people. Whenever our car stopped children would crowd us for a glimpse of the mzungu! It was easy to make friends, you could say. (And I enjoyed playing catch with some local kids near where we stayed, because I brought a ball and figured it would be more fun to play than to have them standing outside our house trying to see what we were up to inside!) Anyway, the landscape was beautiful, life was simpler and quieter, and poverty was much more evident. It made me think about my way of life back at home and even in Kigali. Hence this post will be about the lifestyle here in Rwanda in the village and the city (since this is from my observations, it may not be highly accurate).

“Village”

1.    FOOD: Subsistence agriculture (corn, beans and ‘cooking bananas’) – nearest market is several/many kilometers away. Diet is limited, although many things can grow there (just most people only have the foods listed above growing by their house).

2.    HOUSES:  Mud-brick, tin roof 2 room houses for most families – these houses have mud floors, little furniture and often there is a toilet (hole in the ground) and cooking place out back somewhere. Many people had a few goats and some had a cow at their home. Some houses had flowers out in front which were quite beautiful.

3.    CHILDREN: Creative toys for kids – use what you have (not sure what the girls doll was made of in the photo below, some sort of plastic bag and bits of cloth, I think). I was fascinated to see young boys (age 8 or 9?) creatively “riding” a bicycle – the only bicycles are very sturdy adult-sized bikes so these boys sat on the bar in the middle, if they could, balancing awkwardly. But for them, having a bike is probably pretty special.

4.    SOCIAL LIFE: I’m not positive but the two main social things I can think of would be going to church and visiting friends…probably most of their time is spent doing the work needed to live, looking for ways to earn money or find food, or walking long distances if they need to go places

POSSESSIONS: Overall, not much. Most of the children we passed on the road had dirty, slightly tattered clothes (though for visits and church they probably have a ‘nice’ set of clothes). The home we stayed in had simple wooden beds, benches and a wobbly wooden table. Most of the homes didn’t have electricity. Bikes were the primary mode of transporting goods (aside from walking and carrying them, of course), so they are a valued possession. I didn’t see any other cars and there were only a handful of motos near the market ‘in town’.

“City”

Here in Kigali there are many more things available, although there are still many people living with very little money. Jobs are apparently incredibly hard to find, it is possible that only around 20%* of adults (men?) have (permanent?) jobs. (*I find this hard to believe but this is the number I remember my host father saying one day – it is his estimate, of course, and I don’t know quite what he meant by having a job.) That being said, there is much more variety in the way people live here. I will try to describe the lifestyle of the middle or upper-middle class, according to what I have seen of my colleagues at work and my host family.

1.    FOOD: Staples of the Rwandan diet include potatoes, beans, rice. The common drink for all meals is tea (high milk content!). Many families have tea but no food for breakfast, but luckily my host family has bread with a variety of toppings (honey, PB, avocado, jam if I buy it), some fruit and often an omelet or hard-boiled egg. Lunches and dinner include the staples above (2-3 of them!) with a tomato or vegetable sauce of some sort. My family has had nutrition/agriculture training so we have salad several times a week and bananas, mandarin oranges and pineapple most days. This is out of the means of many people, not to mention the fact that in the past fruit was considered food for children only and raw green vegetables are/were considered goat food (and the word for lettuce in Kinyarwanda is the same as the word for grass!).

2.    HOUSES: Moderate houses are cement with a tin-roof and fancier ones are brick. Almost all have cement floors. The nice houses (mine included) have a bathroom with a toilet inside, others have a hole outside. An indoor kitchen is rare (we have a partial one), thus cooking is done outside for almost everyone. Many people have food growing, although there isn’t always a lot of space for it. Some animals but fewer than in the countryside. The majority of homes are surrounded by a brick wall that is 6 feet tall (for privacy and security).

3.    CHILDREN: Children like to play outside with (homemade) soccer balls, old (small) tires or metal rims that they can push with a stick, stones, etc. I’ve heard watching movies is also something they like to do.

4.    SOCIAL LIFE: I think going to church or church events and visiting people are still the top 2 social things people do. Churches are more than just Sunday morning – there is choir practice for each of the 3+ choirs throughout the week and early morning prayer, etc…lots of social time, especially for the women! In downtown Kigali there are a lot of cafes and restaurants for people with money to go somewhere to meet friends. At home, people watch a lot of TV (Rwanda has 1 national, free channel, though it does a decent job of broadcasting a range of things).

5.    POSSESSIONS: The vast majority of homes have electricity, a television and a DVD player. Very few people have a refrigerator and no one has an oven, washing machine, dishwasher, microwave, etc. Charcoal stoves/cookers are used for cooking for the most part. Most people have the standard furniture but not a computer. Everyone (at least adults) has a cell phone, and they can be used to buy electricity, send money to family out in the village, increase your internet account/balance, and most come with a built-in flashlight. Appearance is very important; when a woman goes shopping (out in public anywhere) she will put on something similar to ‘church clothes’ and people here take care to “dress smart” as they like to say in English!

After seeing life in the village I don’t feel like I’m living simply anymore, but life is different here than in the US. I appreciate life and the lessons I am learning here, although I admit I will be happy to have a washing machine when I come back home!!!

Blessings this holiday season. Don’t forget to give the gift of love and time to people – that’s one thing I’m learning matters a lot! 

Waiting

I can’t believe it’s already the advent season. I guess time flies when you’re having fun and you don’t realize it when the weather stays pleasantly, consistently warm all year round! At home this time of Advent is for preparing for Christmas and waiting for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Here in Rwanda, there aren’t any traditions for Advent, and I don’t think many people even know about Advent. But that isn’t too surprising given the general lack of preparing that is common here. Anyways, in this Advent season I am struggling a little in the waiting and preparing for Christmas day but I notice other things that involve waiting:

·         Waiting for my host family to come back because I don’t have a key to the house yet! (luckily I was inside the gate so I could rest in a chair where it was very peaceful and quiet)

·         Waiting for colleagues from work to arrive so we can go to visit someone’s home (we’re doing several visits to staff members’ homes – those who recently had a baby or a family member pass away)

·         Waiting for the day when I can actually speak with people who only speak Kinyarwanda (but seeing signs that basic conversations will definitely be possible in the near? future!)

·         Waiting to understand some cultural cues and understand why certain things happen the way they do

·         Waiting to receive my clothes that are being made by the sewing teacher at Mwana Nshuti (using the Rwandan fabric that I bought!)

·         Waiting to know what my future plans will be (though I’m generally trying not to think beyond this SALT year)

·         Waiting for Cecile to invite me over to make pancakes!!

Clearly some of the waiting isn’t bad. And while it isn’t the typical Christmas season that I enjoy at home, I suppose I am somewhat celebrating it in Rwandan style…by visiting people! I won't be around (in Kigali) during most of the holidays, since I’ll be traveling with my host family to SW Rwanda and to Uganda with the Rwanda/Burundi SALTers, so it’s good I have been able to do some visiting recently. (It seems giving gifts isn’t a part of celebrating Christmas but I’m assuming visiting is!!) Anyway, I had been wanting to visit my coworkers but it hadn’t happened…until this week when we (as a staff) decided to do some group visits, especially to members who had just had a baby or had a family member pass away. So I got to visit Eugene and Sizeli (the coordinator of FPH), spend time with all my coworkers, astound people with my broken/slow Kinyarwanda that I nonetheless try to use as much as possible, and feel like even if I don’t quite fit in or understand what is going on all the time at least I feel welcome and a part of the staff at Friends Peace House. My introverted self was stretched a bit with the after work visits Thursday and Friday, plus the usual hanging out with Ruth, Krystan, Misha and Annie most of the day on Saturday, and then visiting Joyce (language tutor) and her family today, Sunday. It was slightly tiring but quite rewarding, each visit in it's own way. 

When Thacienne (a woman who works at FPH) told me last week about the upcoming visits, she told me in Kinyarwanda and I realized – after first asking her to repeat and speak slowly – that I understood what she said! When she realized that I actually got it, she said “Wow! You’re not a ‘mzungu’ anymore!” I was so excited, but my response was, “Look at my skin…I think I’m still a mzungu!” She said, “Well, that’s just your skin. Inside you’re Rwandese!” Eugene, who was nearby, concurred and said that I am definitely acclimating to the culture, language and life here. I was SO happy, I can’t even say…I am so grateful for the people I am surrounded by here who are helping me easily adapt to living here. I have wanted to “be Rwandan” and know that isn’t entirely possible, but this story (and others recently) have showed me how we really are one humanity and can share life together. I am glad I can see more examples in my daily life of ways I am enjoying and finding meaning in life and interactions with people here than being frustrated with the difficulties and awkwardness (though that does happen).

Quick work update: After a week on my own with the English teacher gone and not having much work in the office, this past week has been a pleasant change. I have office tasks of helping Julienne catalogue the huge donation of books for the library and creating a survey with the help of Jonas to evaluate the Mwana Nshuti program for MCC (apparently surveys are an incredibly ‘Western’ way of doing evaluations so I’m trying to keep it simple and understandable). As far as teaching goes, I have been slightly frustrated with the amount of absences, although having a small class (4-8 students in general, out of 13-15 on the roster that should come) certainly has benefits. But we have been doing a much needed review and I just put up the letters of the alphabet to create a word wall (for new vocab) so that should help the students progress. It’s been great introducing them to new games and using some (usually simple) teaching materials everyday…some changes to the normal blackboard, rote teaching style.

Hope you are well! 

I am continuing to make Kicukiro my home and for the most part I am enjoying adapting to the lifestyle here (meaning I don’t wear my watch anymore and I have begun to be accustomed to going with the flow rather than over planning for things beforehand). Last weekend I ventured out of Rwanda – I went to Kampala, the capital of Uganda, for an Ultimate Frisbee tournament! It was a fairly tiring weekend but it was great to experience another bustling East African city and play my favorite sport. On the recent home front, I realized that holidays aren’t quite the same abroad L but that I have many things to be thankful for here and I don’t actually need to eat turkey and pumpkin pie or see my family and friends (though those were missed). I “shared” Thanksgiving with my host family and students so we were able to share about things we were thankful for, which was nice. I appreciate the people here who make me feel welcome and the things I am able to see, learn and do here. Speaking of which…I will share with you some of the sights and sounds of Kigali and Kampala in words and photos…

K I G A L I

I SEE…a plethora of cornstalks near 8 feet tall, almost ready to be harvested (in my host family’s yard); many rolling hills covered in fields and small red tin-roofed houses (even in the city!); children and adults alike staring at me, especially as I bend over to pick green beans in the field at Mwana Nshuti; nighttime hills sparsely speckled with bright lights, looking like stars on the ground (most homes have a bright LED(?) outside that is on all night); smiles and bright faces as I greet people in Kinyarwanda…

I HEAR…motos honking for people to move or to attract a passenger; greetings in Kinyarwanda that I understand and a flurry of words that sound like a language I might one day know; Rwandans at church singing and praying in loud, confident voices at many different times during the week; my host mother summoning me for a meal: “Bethany…come to table!”; raindrops falling gently or in a hurry on the tin roof…

I SMELL…exhaust from trucks; the fresh air during or after a nice rain…

I TASTE…Fanta citron (carbonated lemonade) at any party or meeting where drinks are offered; vegetable soup with a variety of locally grown veggies, introduced by our visitor Elizabeth last month and a recurring meal in our family now; delicious chocolate and fruit-flavored homemade ice cream at a café on my way into town…

I FEEL…the soft, crumbly dirt in the fields at Mwana Nshuti as I help weed; little Chris’s hands as he reaches for me; dusty chalk on my fingers while teaching English; the wind blowing in my face and rejuvenating me on a moto ride after playing Ultimate Frisbee; my feet squishing into the mud on the road after a big rain; people’s bodies pushing into mine on either side as I ride on the bus; many people’s hands as I greet those I know and those I don’t…

Things are growing at my house! The harvest will begin in 3-4 weeks...and the corn is so tall! 

Helping make peanut butter! It's great being able to have one of my favorite foods here - natural peanut butter !!

This is a sewing cooperative of 10 young women, most of whom graduated in the past 2 years
from Mwana Nsuti from the vocational sewing program (same as my students are in this year). 

They proudly showed us what they are capable of making!

Kicukiro Center. The market has food, fabric and some household essentials.
Outside are taxis (motos and small buses) waiting to take you to town or elsewhere in the city.

K A M P A L A

I SEE…large animals, unexpectedly: a zebra near the side of the road 2 hours outside of Kampala, storks taking up watch on building tops, and a camel meandering slowly near our Frisbee field; people outside talking and having a good time at almost all hours of the night as we drive; Americans, Canadians, Ugandans and Rwandans covered in mud, chasing the Frisbee down the field…

I HEAR…music blaring from a small pickup truck driving through town; people on the sidelines cheering on my Frisbee team…

I SMELL…meat being cooked and served on skewers on the street; public toilets that make my home in Kigali (even without running water) seem like a dream…

I TASTE…warm delicious rolex (chapatti with egg and veggies rolled up inside) bought from a street vendor and consumed on the spot; a salty, crunchy food that doesn’t seem as bad as I imagined grasshopper would be; mud in my mouth after I dove for the Frisbee…

I FEEL…hot water splashing on my back after our voyage and reminding me what a luxury it is; pleasantly squished and carefree on the back of a moto with the driver in front and my friend Sue behind me (the moto seats are extra long in Kampala!); a slippery Frisbee in my hands, which I try to wipe off on my brown, muddy shirt; a soft pillow under my head after a very long drive – a sign that I can finally close my eyes and rest…

Hangin' at the equator in Uganda! 

A perfect street-side snack (aka breakfast) - chapatti and egg! Yum!

The frisbee players - 6 from Kigali and ~20 from Kampala. Fun people!

Hannah and I showing off our clothes and skills at the end of the tournament!
(Ok we might have gotten a bit dirtier on purpose, trying to practice bidding/diving for the Frisbee...
but we were almost this dirty all day thanks to the muddy field!)

Happy belated Thanksgiving to you all! I am VERY thankful for each one of you. 

celebrating life together

My program, SALT, stands for Serving and Learning Together. I think that is a very appropriate name for the program…certainly if I thought I was coming only to serve (i.e. improve things here) I would be disappointed. Learning from my Rwandese coworkers and host family as I work/live with them is a large part of what I do here. Often I still find myself wishing I could “do more” – after all, I am American, and Americans are generally much more task-focused than the relationship-driven culture found here in Rwanda, not to mention I am naturally an ‘achiever’ and someone who likes to help others… But luckily I also like being a student and learning and working alongside others.

This is a year of learning to share life with others. Sometimes this is incredibly fun and other times it is very stretching. Things usually don’t go how I expect, although I suppose that fact is something I should expect, given that I’m living in a different country. Now I am realizing that I can learn, grow and even serve others by the small daily interactions, when I enter people’s worlds and let them enter mine (through asking questions, doing tasks together, and being open to something new). That is sharing life with others and maybe that is my true purpose here.

This year (in the 8 months that are left!) I hope to learn to relax and to be confident in who I am and why I am here (even if I don’t always understand). Maybe transferring and editing a colleague’s photos or moving (more accurately: co-supervising the boys moving) huge boxes of books is helpful…if nothing else I enjoy the change of pace from sitting in the office and planning English lessons!

Ok now for some specifics…stories and photos!

Teaching story: This week I (fairly) successfully introduced my students to mad libs! (I’m hoping you know what those are; they were a childhood favorite of mine!) We picked our words, wrote them in the story and I had to be patient (and try to control my laughter) as they worked and were confused. After we read the story aloud in English some students were laughing and after my brilliant idea of having them translate it aloud into Kinyarwanda they were all laughing really hard! Yay for elephants playing football, eating to God, sewing animals and potatoes, and selling friends! I then asked them to change all the verbs from the simple past to the present perfect (despite that being incredibly illogical) because that was the other teacher’s grammar lesson of the day J

Highlight of the week: visiting my language tutor Joyce’s house for her birthday!
Joyce mentioned it was her birthday in an offhand way at the end of our lesson the day before, so I went over to Ruth and Krystan’s to bake a cake (gotta love ovens!) and hoped my host parents could give me directions to Joyce’s house. After several minutes of trying to understand my host mother’s directions, my host father produced a map that consisted of a single winding road and he said, “Follow the cobblestone road. When the road starts to bend back the other direction you will turn off and go the other way. The house isn’t far past that.” I quickly decided I wouldn’t be surprising Joyce, rather I would call her when I approached what I thought was the correct location. (It actually worked out fine.)

I didn’t think coming to visit and bringing a homemade cake and birthday card was such a big deal, but from the look on her face, I could tell it was for her! She gave me many hugs and seemed so happy all evening!! Her friends came over later in the evening (just as I was leaving to meet my 9pm “curfew”), so for awhile it was just me and Joyce, and later her children and her neighbor’s children. I fully enjoyed seeing her house and photos, playing Go Fish in Kinyarwanda with the children, and eating birthday cake and the customary Fantas. Oh and I tried to sing Happy Birthday in all 3 languages (English, French and Kinyarwanda) but Joyce needed to help me and the kids out on the Kinyarwanda verse because I kind of forgot how it went J Needless to say, it was a wonderful evening for all, and I plan to visit again even if it’s not a special occasion!

Joyce is in the middle, with her children Jessica (L) and Bridget (R). They are adorable!

Birthday cake and Fanta! (Thanks for the candles, mom!)

I am hoping to put photos on facebook soon. After a long 3-4 weeks without a camera I should be taking some more photos in the near future.

This week's reflection: God knows best. I see this often in His timing, placing me at certain places at certain times, how things don’t happen the way I expect (but the difference is usually good) and the way I am doing new things that I wouldn’t usually do, and seeing good results from that. At least someone always knows what’s going on (and it certainly isn’t me!).

Precious People

I am calling this post “precious people” because I think that has been a theme for me from the last 2 weeks. So yes, it has been a good two weeks! I have been especially thankful for the people in my life here (though I miss you all back at home so much!). Although my first month here being somewhat challenging because I didn’t know anyone – and I still wish some things were different socially – I am now very grateful for the people God has put in my path and daily life here. I will try to tell you about these precious people, though my words will certainly fail to give a complete picture…anyone want to come visit to see firsthand?? J

1. My students are so precious; I want so badly to give them each a hug and get to know them personally, hear their struggles and joys and learn what their life is like outside of school. I guess knowing their names is a start (the English teacher has been with them since March and still forgets them often)…but I hope somehow I can cross the culture and language barrier and really get to know them more in the coming weeks.

2. Random children in my neighborhood have taken a liking to me and come to greet me whenever they see me. This always makes me smile, though I cannot describe the joy in my heart when I hear things like “Hi Bethany” or “Bite Bethany?” (“bite” basically means “What’s up?”). Once I even heard a conversation between 3 boys where one called me “Mzungu Teacher” (what they often say when they don’t know my name) and one of the others corrected him and said (something like this, it was in Kinyarwanda) “Her name isn’t mzungu; it’s Be-ta…no, it’s Be-ta-ni”. Boy was I happy!!! Of course, the pronunciation of my name isn’t perfect, but I am so pleased that many of the children remember my name – I have been trying to tell them my name off and on for several weeks now.

3. My coworkers at Friends Peace House are warm, friendly and happy to have me there (it’s mutual). Some I talk to more than others, but most conversations that exceed the normal one minute greeting make me really happy. Julienne, who works in the library and is responsible for the newsletter (there’s a new one, Peace in our Times edition 3 up now at friendspeacehouse.rw/documents), speaks English and French and is a good resource for my questions and we play football with the girls at school together on Thursdays. Jonas, the director of Mwana Nshuti, likes to ask questions about America and tell me about life here. Ityanga, the cleaner, speaks no English or French but wants to learn English and I want to learn more Kinyarwanda so we try our best to communicate as we can using random words and gestures – I can’t wait till I can really understand her and learn more about her life! Eugene, who is responsible for implementing many programs throughout Rwanda, loves to discuss political, social or other problems in Rwanda and how he thinks things could change – I wish he had more power to use his good ideas. Augustin, the English teacher, has a good sense of humor, tries to help me out with living in Kigali, and is generally so easy to work with. Samuel, the sewing teacher, doesn’t speak any French or much English but nevertheless I can see that he is a very smiley and positive person, and I love playing football with him! And finally, Cecile, the assistant to the director of Friends Peace House (FPH) and the woman who really runs the show around here, is definitely a main reason I love working in the office. For a Rwandese woman, she is incredibly open and honest – she even shares her feelings (this doesn’t seem to be true of any other Rwandese person I’ve met…). I love that she won’t mind answering any question I ask her and without my asking she shares with me certain things that are making her really happy, frustrated, worried, etc. I told her once (and it’s true!) that working the office is much less fun when she isn’t around!

      4. Chris, the 1.5 year old son of Christine, one of the daughters of my host mother, is so cute! AND…he is finally not scared of me! We had a great time “playing” together last Sunday, first with my laptop (I showed him some photos and tried to teach him the word for car in Kinyarwanda!) and later outside on the porch watching the rain. When I got back from the retreat I was hoping he still remembered me – and he did! He was in a really good mood so we danced and clapped our hands a bit together!!

      5. MCCers from the Great Lakes region of Africa – the local and North American MCC workers from Congo, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi had a retreat in Gisenyi (a small city NW Rwanda, near the border with Congo, and on beautiful Lake Kivu) this past week. The retreat was a renewing time of sharing about work and life in our different contexts, discussing parables about the Kingdom of God from Matthew, relaxing together (yoga, origami, swimming in the lake), and having ample amounts of time to talk more during meals (turns out it takes a long time to prepare the dishes of food for 20+ people!). I couldn’t believe when the week was over and wished I didn’t have to say goodbye to my new friends. It’s hard bonding with people and then parting ways, not knowing if/when you will see them again. (This reminds me a bit of leaving orientation in Akron, PA because the SALTers will come together for re-orientation next year but the IVEPers who have been serving in the US and Canada won’t be joining us L)

I am thankful for having time to go away up to Gisenyi on retreat, but it is good to be back too. I am hoping to quickly get back into the swing of things at work and hopefully take some of my recent ponderings from the retreat about capacity building and the Kingdom of God and put them to use at work. What does that mean? …I don’t quite know yet but hopefully it means being an even better MCC volunteer this year!!

Peace to you all!

P.S. If you were to come visit I now know a hotel that has hot water for showers, serves salads and has a view from the  window of a lake that looks like Lake Michigan J It was pretty nice – I didn’t quite feel like I was in Rwanda!

P.P.S. Other people who fall on the 'precious people' list are YOU - my family, friends and supporters back at home. I love the emails and appreciate your prayers. And the care packages aren't bad either :) (thanks mom!)

Discovering my Reality – Many Similarities and Differences…

This last week and a half since I’ve written can pretty easily be summed up as me beginning to grow into my life here, although it has meant coming to terms with some things as well. Here are a few similarities and differences to give you a sense:

Differences

·         Main method of transport = walking; also many moto taxis (expensive by local standards though) and buses (think 15-passenger vans with 20 people) – I often appreciate the time to think and see new things, though the hills and slight altitude sometimes get the best of me and my backpack with my heavy laptop!

·         Timing/scheduling is loose – it is always a surprise to see how things work here at work regarding schedules and times for things…the general rule seems to be that timing is flexible. Ex. English class starts at 1:30pm but usually it’s closer to 2pm and occasionally after. This is allowed, of course, because we aren’t a real school and there is only 1 group of students and 1-2 subjects each morning/afternoon. Once, though, I found class already in session at 1:35pm when I arrived! Oops!

·         Indirect conversations – People rarely directly say they want/need or don’t want anything, they make statements and hope/assume the other person understands what they mean. (This is a challenge for me; I’m used to being more clear and upfront about things!) ex. A visitor at my home asks if I like bananas. I say “Yes” so he passes me the plate of bananas and expects me to eat one. I figured he meant in general!

·         Walking out of the room to answer your cell phone during class, a meeting, etc. is acceptable/normal (not for students but adults)

Similarities

·         Sharing food – many fun moments at work this past week or so…I’m being a good Mennonite and enjoying sharing food with my coworkers! (one story to follow)

·         Community – playing sports, laughing, sharing stories, prayer and worship (these all transcend language and culture more than I can say and make me happy in small ways everyday!)

·         English – there are a surprising number of people who speak English here. I hardly have the occasion to speak French (many who know French also know English and prefer to practice/improve their English) so I’m pretty lucky that I don’t have to work very hard to have basic conversations with people – I just have to make sure I don’t speak as quickly as is my custom!!

·         Visiting friends is practiced and enjoyed - This week Janelle and Yolanda (two young women with MCC in Burundi) came to visit us MCCers in Kigali so we had a good time shopping, going to a soccer game, splurging on meals out, swapping host family stories, and talking in really fast English! Also, we had an art party at Ruth and Krystan’s where everyone (including myself, somehow!) brought a piece of art related to the theme: “grow”.

One overarching realization: I am an outsider. Honestly I think I was (am?) hoping this weren’t the case! As much as I can have meaningful conversations with people, share stories and laugh, I will never be Rwandese! It can be good, though, since I can look from a new angle, learn new things and have helpful exchanges with people here. I am reminded of that as I venture downtown and get many people trying to sell me things at once, or young men try to take my photo as I’m walking down the street. Grr.

At the same time, I am so blessed by the people and life here. I am learning to stop and notice things, greet everyone and ask how they are doing, not get frustrated when things don’t go according to plan, and always keep God in the picture. I enjoy trying to live and look at life differently, although my two highlights of the past week were times that reminded me of life in the US.

#1. Ultimate Frisbee!!!!!! Thanks to the "Kigali life" internet group, I found out there are people who play Ultimate Frisbee at a ‘sport club’ (i.e. place that has a pool, tennis courts and a soccer field that you can pay a small fee to use…there aren’t any parks or free public places for sports, aside from an occasional soccer field at a school). So I went last Sunday and found a bunch of Rwandese young men, a few Rwandese young women, and a couple Americans and entered into one of the fastest games of Ultimate Frisbee I’ve played recently! I am looking forward to the exercise and a familiar sport – and possibly making some new friends.

#2. Sharing food! So one day last week Jonas (director of Mwana Nshuti, and the one who has a desk abutting mine) mentioned he hadn’t been home for lunch. Since it was probably 3pm, I figured he was hungry so I offered him some of the peanuts and raisins I had in a Ziploc bag in my desk. He seemed highly confused about the raisins so I yelled across the room to Cecile to see if she knew what raisins were. She responded, “I love raisins!” I promptly got up and brought her the bag of peanuts and raisins and told her to take some. She was so happy! (Raisins are a bit pricey and only available at “supermarkets”, where many Rwandese people probably don’t shop much/ever) Jonas proceeded to eat some more raisins and invite the others who were at work but not in the room to come try our food. I was certainly not expecting such a response and chain of events when I offered the food – it was so fun!!

This week I’m looking forward to resuming language study (for various reasons we haven’t studied for 2 weeks), celebrating some happy version of Halloween in English class, and hearing Cecile preach at church on Sunday. We also have an MCC retreat from Nov 1-6 which I am really looking forward to! I’d appreciate your prayers for me to know how to be helpful to the people I am living and working with, continuing to develop my understanding of the language and culture, and knowing how to respond to (or accept?) the struggles and unmet needs of individuals and even large-scale things here. Friends Peace House is operating on a very small budget since their donations and funding has been cut over the past few years, so it is a struggle to know what will happen in the next year for this organization.

I am happy, healthy and learning many new things everyday…and I hope you are too!

Blessings!!