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!