When you can’t share words, share actions!

When I headed back to work after the holiday break last Wednesday, I was a bit apprehensive because it had been awhile…until I got there and saw the familiar faces of my sweet students. I greeted them with the Rwandan ‘hug’ (like a pat on the back/arm followed by a handshake) used with friends especially those you haven’t seen in some time, rather than the normal handshake we exchange on a daily basis (yes you shake people’s hands every time you see them). It was also priceless to see them greeting their friends – so much love!

We had an easy week back at school, sharing stories about our vacation, cleaning inside and out, and preparing for our feast and gift exchange on Friday. Friday we played “cacahouettes” which is the Rwandan equivalent of ‘Secret Santa.’ (Pronunciation is kaka-wet) We had all drawn names ahead of time and bought a gift which we gave to our person on Friday afternoon (the only catch is you say something mysterious or amusing to describe the person, who is your “child/baby”, to see if the audience can guess who it is before giving them your gift).

I’d say trying to live appropriately in a new culture means you face a multitude of changing emotions, ups and downs, which are relatively short-lived. And you need to have a good sense of humor (and humility). The day of cacahouettes was no exception. I arrived in the morning to help and was put to work cutting cabbages, which was challenging because I’ve never tried to finely chop cabbage without a cutting board…I ended up entertaining all the students with my slow, awkward attempts! The next hour I was wandering around, feeling left out, while everyone around me was talking with their friends in Kinyarwanda. (They might have forgotten most of their English over the holiday…) Later, I found myself with a group of students in the chapel/common room where we would eat. Rather than immediately starting to clean, one student started to beat the drum and the others began singing and dancing. Quite self-consciously and without much coordination, I joined in and enjoyed our carefree and spontaneous dance party.

            Cooking and dancing are just two of the ways I have shared meaningful experiences with people here without needing to speak. I also felt surprisingly present at church on Sunday, even though I didn’t have anyone translating (so I understood virtually nothing), because I had friends’ children come sit with me. Hugging the small child in my lap while holding another girl’s hand, and later finding quiet activities to keep them occupied, was so precious for me. I think we all felt the love you should feel in a church, although it wasn’t from the sermon since I don’t think any of us understood it! 

Cutting cabbages with 2 of my students. Diane (facing the camera) was great at  helping me in the kitchen!

Enjoying the feast! We had a huge plate of rice, cabbage and peas...and the complimentary  Fanta, of course!

Marceline giving her "child" a gift! (She was actually my cacahouettes child but the photo of the 2 of us together didn't come out well.)

Some students proudly showing off their gifts (Marceline, in the middle, is wearing the shirt  I got her and showing the nail polish, happy with her gift...though clearly I didn't get the memo to get a gift envelope/bag!)

After just over 4 months here in Rwanda and spending a lot of time away from work and Kigali last month, I am appreciative of my SALT placement in many ways. Here are some of the challenges and joys that stand out to me now:

Challenges:

• Knowing when to put my desires and opinions aside - sometimes ideally I would do/approach things differently (ex. teaching styles and ‘curriculum’, and some foods I would prepare if I were living on my own)
• Accepting the (slow) progress of things at work and adapting my dreams and expectations for my teaching and other projects at work

Joys:

• Good timing (that’s completely unplanned) - bumping into friends on the street or arriving at work at a moment when someone needed help
• Words of encouragement from family and friends at home as well as a couple local friends here
• I think I have enough work and a good variety of tasks and people to work with, which is good because I like to stay busy and do many things!