Sunday afternoon we went shopping in Kigali for a bit. Bought some cute stuff-Jenna I’m worried about yours, I think you may be too classy for what I got you, oh well. We also polished off the snacks Barbie sent us, thank you!!! I was very proud of us. We managed to get a taxi to take us to the Volcano transportation all by ourselves. We bought our $3 tickets to Butare (I think that’s very cheap for a 3ish hour ride). I got stuck in the pull down seat in the middle… typical. I put on my ipod and went into my theoretical thinking mode.
My thoughts today include… The best feelings- Walking into a crowded room with lots of beautiful people and someone from across the room looks at you like no one else is in the room and gives you a smile, the kind you can’t give to more than one person. Coming home after a terrible day and finding a chocolate fudge brownie pint in the back of the freezer. I fantasize about hot, steamy showers in Rwanda probably every day. I can’t describe the exact feeling when these kids get excited and wave during our rides, but those are the moments that I could compare it to. Priceless times that you would do anything to bottle up and save for a “down day.” These little ones wandering the dirt roads are just ecstatic to see a Mazungu drive through their town. I feel like a movie star.
We got back to our lovely hotel, Le Petit Prince, at night. This is actually where Jenna Bush stayed when she came to Rwanda! We only brought one bag each to Kigali and locked the rest under the front-desk. Surprisingly, they were all there when we returned! Only bummer is we had to bring everything upstairs again, including Cameron and Luca’s heavy and awkward presents. Again, these presents are definitely worth it.
We woke up early Monday to start our interviews that were about an hour and a half away. The roads we travel on are made of dirt. There are more holes than flat areas. If you are not holding onto whatever is on your lap it jumps, sometimes hitting the ceiling of the car. I’m pretty sure the driver uses 4-wheel drive the entire time. When we are speeding down these little roads that seem to be 1.5 lanes. When you pass another car you feel like you are either going plunging off the cliff, hitting the other car, or if you are on the other side- you are going to go head first into the jagged rock mountain. Somehow we survive EVERY time! thus far
Well a mind-splitting ride later, we arrived in Kibeho. A few interesting points about our destination... Here people claim the Virgin Mary appeared to them. In November 1981, apparitions began in Kibeho, Rwanda, Africa, to seven visionaries: Alphonsine, Emmanuel, Anathalie, Marie-Claire, Stephanie, Agnes, and Vestine. Three of them were boarders in a college administered by nuns in a poor area, and three others live in the bush. The Catholic Church only recognized three of the alleged visionaries. There are a few statues and a huge church at the site. This place reminded me of Medjugorje, where a group of children first saw Mary in a light-gray robe standing on a cloud in 1981, and have been seeing and speaking with her daily ever since. The small Croatian-speaking village (now in Bosnia-Herzegovinia) still attracts millions of pilgrims from all over the world every year. My family and I visited this place a few years ago. It's remarkable that you can be in two different places on the globe where people speak completely different languages and wear different clothes, but the feeling you get when you hear the history is identical.
Also, the Kibeho area witnessed some of the worst atrocities of the 1994 genocide. Over 25,000 people were killed in and around the parish church. Their bodies were dumped in mass graves. A decade before the violence in Rwanda erupted; the Blessed Mother had shown visions of the genocide to Alphonsine, Nathalie and Marie Claire. In an interview with Nathalie, she described the visions:
“In July, 1982, and the following months, August 15, 1982, the Assumption, and again on September 4th and in January 1983, Our Lady showed us a lot about the war. Often she talked in general that the world is bad, that people do not have love, contrary to what God shed his blood for; Our Lady insists as well on love. Our Lady talked about and showed us some visions of reality where people killed each other, blood running, fire burning on the hill, mass graves, skulls, beheaded bodies, skulls put apart.”
I’m not going to judge whether or not these people actually saw Mary; I don’t believe it’s my place. But, sitting under a big avocado tree (avocados were actually raining down during the interviews) and sitting with a full view of the church where hundreds and possibly thousands were murdered is quite eerie and un-settling. Many people still live in Kibeho and pass by this church every-day. A church where their relatives, friends, and neighbors were murdered, the victims’ only crime, the identifiable tribe they were born into.
Okay so now that you know the history (and me, I just googled most of it ☺) you can understand how the place itself started to stress me out. As we pulled up, I tried to focus and clear my head so I could concentrate on the interviews and children’s stories. Feeling a bit down, carsick, and as usual, hungry, I jumped out of the car. Well standing there, was an adorable 3 year old. I went to pick her up, but before I could reach her I heard a small fountain. The sweet child was peeing right in front of me. If I was a second faster, it would have been all over me and my REI brake-away pants (I have them in two colors, pretty cool I know). So no one, including her mom, around us cared. I guess they don’t wear diapers (cloth or plastic). Good to know. I reached for my hand sanitizer as I thought about how many little children (definitely not wearing diapers) I picked up in the past 4 weeks… Oh well. God made dirt and dirt don’t hurt… I hope that applies to liquids.
Interviews were interesting and full of heart-breaking and inspiring stories. Olivier and I have a little too much fun while interviewing. Some of the problems we come across are as follows:
*Interviewing a pregnant person who claims her family practices abstinence
*Keeping a straight face when we ask how that is possible
*Answering questions of the orphans such as “are you married?,” “will you take me to America with you?,” and “what is your email address.?”
It’s sweet that they want to contact us, but unfortunately it would not be wise to give them our addresses.
Maddie and I “steal” bread from breakfast at Le Petit Prince and make nutella and peanut butter sandwiches. We eat them on the way home from the interviews. I can’t remember but I’m guessing we walked a mile and a half to the Internet café after work. We probably then went to Ibis for dinner and had Avocados and Rice.
Song on: "Viva La Vida" Coldplay (I would highly suggest you buy the new cd)
Love,
Jessica
By the way, I did go to 6th grade English class-I did learn to write in paragraphs. Unfortunately, when I copy and paste it ruins the indention ☺
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Weekend in Kigali
Song on right now: Blinded, Third-Eye-Blind
Missing: Road-trips to Formals, SB, Catholic-State Playoffs, Camping
Loving: my JIP peanut butter (typical)
Maddie and I had a great time in Kigali… Actually we are still here; but so far it’s been very pleasant. Friday we took the taxi from Butare. Olivier comes to Kigali to take English classes (this kid is brilliant)… could you imagine driving 2 hours to Duke from Charlotte several times a week just to learn some English… I think I would be illiterate… Anyways he rode with us on the taxi. We go to our hotel, the Iris. Which is great! Our room is right next to the reception room so we feel very safe. And if you call the hotel we can hear the ring! And if you keep calling again and again and again in the middle of the night… WE WILL HEAR ALL OF THEM. But really, this hotel is nice. There is this great porch that is high up and connected to the hotel restaurant. It has Wi-fi so we are just set. Friday night we went to our favorite, Bourbon Coffee, which is basically a Starbucks/Panera with wi-fi. We sat there and uploaded lots of photos to facebook… If you have facebook they should be up-if you don’t but one of your kids does… bribe them –all the AFRICA pictures of mine are G rated…totally fine for all viewers
We got back to our hotel late. We read and went to sleep. We were quite tired. We decided to turn the ringer off on the phone and therefore I woke up the next morning TO NO ALARM… I think that is the first time in probably 2 months… Maddie and I were laughing, talking about how we can’t wait to get back to Duke to sleep in… shouldn’t it be the opposite in summer? I really don’t envy my dad. I think I’ll be a freelance writer or a piano teacher or something that does not require a concrete schedule… I’m only 19 and I already am sick of waking up at 6am, showering, putting in a 9 hour day… (piano might not work because I don’t remember how to play). Bartenders work at night… that’s a possibility
So we woke up around 10:20. 10 minutes before breakfast closed. It felt great. We got on our computers and had coffee at the restaurant. Lots of Mazungus here so we can walk around in shorts and t-shirts… My legs have not seen sun in a while. I love thinking about how when we were planning this trip, Maddie and I thought it was 100ish degrees here and we would come back with great tans. NEGATIVE. We decided to go to an Indian Restaurant that we have been to once before, Indian Kasana (definitely spelled that wrong). It was just as good as the first time. Maddie (sort of-vegetarian) now tries all the meat I get… I am very proud of that girl. After lunch we took a walk around the city. Unfortunately Kigali is all hills. We stopped in little shops and bought earrings (yes Carly and Loie you got some too). We got sodas and just strolled. It was nice having no plans, meetings, work, or anything. A culture shock here is that all the soda bottles are glass and recycled. When you get a fanta or something from a stand, you have to drink it there and then leave the bottle. Once we tried to leave with our bottles and everyone in a 50-yard circle around us starting laughing and pointing… great way to draw attention…
We came back to the hotel around 5, before dark. We just hung around and then took a taxi to our other favorite Kigali restaurant, O Sole Luna (something like that)… It’s basically a pizza place for annoying Mazungu tourists… Whatever, we love it. We had such a fun time chatting and eating pizza. We skipped bananas for the first time in a while… The restaurant sits on a hill (doesn’t everything here?) and over-looks all of Kigali. Kigali at night is beautiful, and it was a really enjoyable evening. We came back to the hotel. I usually read and go to bed around 12ish. Maddie stays up later.
So Maddie was Skyping on the porch, and i'm not sure what time it was, but I guess I fell into a deep sleep. Usually I am a very light sleeper. I curl up on the edge of the bed and I rarely move. I usually wake up in the same position. Well I can't remember my dream last night (odd, usually I can), but it must have been intense. Whenever Maddie walked back into the room I sat straight up and screamed "NOOO." When beggers come up to us, I usually say "no" in a stern voice. Well this was similar... I thought Maddie was some sort of villain coming to get me. I probably scared her yelling more than she scared me. A second later I realized it was her, laughed, and fell asleep again right away. Amusing evening.
So this morning my body clock failed me, and I woke up at 7:30. Total bummer that I’m so used to getting up early this summer. When I want/can sleep in… I CAN'T! But I am really happy I woke up because I am in my element right now. This hotel is full of tourists so it’s totally fine to wear my favorite Abercrombie boxers, Dads old Duke swimming shirt, and my camo Duke hat to breakfast. I am listening to Coldplay, Third Eye Blind, John Mayor, and Taylor Swift. I have my laptop on the table (bright red cover of course is on). I got several cups of coffee. I brought my jar of JIF peanut butter and put it on the bananas they serve at breakfast (no meal in Rwanda is without a banana). I also grabbed one of my pop-tarts (I brought a box to Rwanda for special occasions, hah). Anyways, I’m sitting outside and its just nice. I’ve realized I really enjoy taking my time and hanging out alone during breakfast. I miss my Duke breakfast routine… Yogurt, granola, berries, and coffee in my bed with my laptop and the Chronicle-Duke paper (one of my great friends, Chelsea Allison is the editor and I love her and therefore now read it religiously). I just don’t understand how some people don’t eat breakfast. That’s the great part about being in Rwanda with Maddie… we have the same philosophies on food… 3 meals a day are a priority. When we have not eaten in a while, we both get cranky.
It’s good that we can’t go out in Rwanda. When I get to Charlotte and Duke, its’ going to make going out with my friends all that more exciting.
I lent Maddie my “Last Lecture” book. My mom got it for me, and in case you have not read it-GO BUY IT… We both just love it…
I will be in the USA in less than a week! The first thing I plan to do is get Starbucks…
Love,
Jessica
Craving of the morning: Peanut Butter Captain Crunch and Grapefruit juice (obviously not in the same bowl though…)
Missing: Road-trips to Formals, SB, Catholic-State Playoffs, Camping
Loving: my JIP peanut butter (typical)
Maddie and I had a great time in Kigali… Actually we are still here; but so far it’s been very pleasant. Friday we took the taxi from Butare. Olivier comes to Kigali to take English classes (this kid is brilliant)… could you imagine driving 2 hours to Duke from Charlotte several times a week just to learn some English… I think I would be illiterate… Anyways he rode with us on the taxi. We go to our hotel, the Iris. Which is great! Our room is right next to the reception room so we feel very safe. And if you call the hotel we can hear the ring! And if you keep calling again and again and again in the middle of the night… WE WILL HEAR ALL OF THEM. But really, this hotel is nice. There is this great porch that is high up and connected to the hotel restaurant. It has Wi-fi so we are just set. Friday night we went to our favorite, Bourbon Coffee, which is basically a Starbucks/Panera with wi-fi. We sat there and uploaded lots of photos to facebook… If you have facebook they should be up-if you don’t but one of your kids does… bribe them –all the AFRICA pictures of mine are G rated…totally fine for all viewers
We got back to our hotel late. We read and went to sleep. We were quite tired. We decided to turn the ringer off on the phone and therefore I woke up the next morning TO NO ALARM… I think that is the first time in probably 2 months… Maddie and I were laughing, talking about how we can’t wait to get back to Duke to sleep in… shouldn’t it be the opposite in summer? I really don’t envy my dad. I think I’ll be a freelance writer or a piano teacher or something that does not require a concrete schedule… I’m only 19 and I already am sick of waking up at 6am, showering, putting in a 9 hour day… (piano might not work because I don’t remember how to play). Bartenders work at night… that’s a possibility
So we woke up around 10:20. 10 minutes before breakfast closed. It felt great. We got on our computers and had coffee at the restaurant. Lots of Mazungus here so we can walk around in shorts and t-shirts… My legs have not seen sun in a while. I love thinking about how when we were planning this trip, Maddie and I thought it was 100ish degrees here and we would come back with great tans. NEGATIVE. We decided to go to an Indian Restaurant that we have been to once before, Indian Kasana (definitely spelled that wrong). It was just as good as the first time. Maddie (sort of-vegetarian) now tries all the meat I get… I am very proud of that girl. After lunch we took a walk around the city. Unfortunately Kigali is all hills. We stopped in little shops and bought earrings (yes Carly and Loie you got some too). We got sodas and just strolled. It was nice having no plans, meetings, work, or anything. A culture shock here is that all the soda bottles are glass and recycled. When you get a fanta or something from a stand, you have to drink it there and then leave the bottle. Once we tried to leave with our bottles and everyone in a 50-yard circle around us starting laughing and pointing… great way to draw attention…
We came back to the hotel around 5, before dark. We just hung around and then took a taxi to our other favorite Kigali restaurant, O Sole Luna (something like that)… It’s basically a pizza place for annoying Mazungu tourists… Whatever, we love it. We had such a fun time chatting and eating pizza. We skipped bananas for the first time in a while… The restaurant sits on a hill (doesn’t everything here?) and over-looks all of Kigali. Kigali at night is beautiful, and it was a really enjoyable evening. We came back to the hotel. I usually read and go to bed around 12ish. Maddie stays up later.
So Maddie was Skyping on the porch, and i'm not sure what time it was, but I guess I fell into a deep sleep. Usually I am a very light sleeper. I curl up on the edge of the bed and I rarely move. I usually wake up in the same position. Well I can't remember my dream last night (odd, usually I can), but it must have been intense. Whenever Maddie walked back into the room I sat straight up and screamed "NOOO." When beggers come up to us, I usually say "no" in a stern voice. Well this was similar... I thought Maddie was some sort of villain coming to get me. I probably scared her yelling more than she scared me. A second later I realized it was her, laughed, and fell asleep again right away. Amusing evening.
So this morning my body clock failed me, and I woke up at 7:30. Total bummer that I’m so used to getting up early this summer. When I want/can sleep in… I CAN'T! But I am really happy I woke up because I am in my element right now. This hotel is full of tourists so it’s totally fine to wear my favorite Abercrombie boxers, Dads old Duke swimming shirt, and my camo Duke hat to breakfast. I am listening to Coldplay, Third Eye Blind, John Mayor, and Taylor Swift. I have my laptop on the table (bright red cover of course is on). I got several cups of coffee. I brought my jar of JIF peanut butter and put it on the bananas they serve at breakfast (no meal in Rwanda is without a banana). I also grabbed one of my pop-tarts (I brought a box to Rwanda for special occasions, hah). Anyways, I’m sitting outside and its just nice. I’ve realized I really enjoy taking my time and hanging out alone during breakfast. I miss my Duke breakfast routine… Yogurt, granola, berries, and coffee in my bed with my laptop and the Chronicle-Duke paper (one of my great friends, Chelsea Allison is the editor and I love her and therefore now read it religiously). I just don’t understand how some people don’t eat breakfast. That’s the great part about being in Rwanda with Maddie… we have the same philosophies on food… 3 meals a day are a priority. When we have not eaten in a while, we both get cranky.
It’s good that we can’t go out in Rwanda. When I get to Charlotte and Duke, its’ going to make going out with my friends all that more exciting.
I lent Maddie my “Last Lecture” book. My mom got it for me, and in case you have not read it-GO BUY IT… We both just love it…
I will be in the USA in less than a week! The first thing I plan to do is get Starbucks…
Love,
Jessica
Craving of the morning: Peanut Butter Captain Crunch and Grapefruit juice (obviously not in the same bowl though…)
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Anyone?
Some of the US group got sick here, and I could not help but remember being in the charter bus with 55 people (all but about 10 throwing up). Europe trip=amazing...I never was more proud of myself for not sharing drinks and using an insane amount of hand sanitizer (yeah Abby!)... Anyways I remember sitting next to Chris Keith on this bus, and he was violently sick, and I felt so bad...
Anyone else remember that great bus ride to Greece... EPIC
Anyone else remember that great bus ride to Greece... EPIC
Taxi Thoughts
Miss most: driving
Missed food: chicken Caesar salad (can’t eat lettuce here)
Missed drink: skim milk (lacking dairy)
Missed Leisure: running, running, running
Miss going: Borders to look through magazines and drink Starbucks coffee
Love most: Sunsets (at home I love the sunrise, but here we wake up to lots of sunlight-very few drapes-and roosters—I HATE roosters)
Food: avocados filled with vinaigrette (mmm)
Drink: Passion fruit juice (good find Maddie)
Leisure: Long walks and talks home from the Internet café with best friend Maddie
Love going: Hotel Ibis (we eat ALL our lunches and dinners there)
Yesterday morning we packed up our bags at our hotel, Le Petit Prince, and got ready to spend the weekend in Kigali! We went to work and completed the 6 interviews for the day, had a lovely/predictable lunch at the Ibis, and got on our taxi to Kigali (about a 2 hour trip). In case you need a Wikipedia description of the taxi we rode…
Transportation:
“minivans are jammed full of up to 18 people at any time and generally do not leave until completely full. They are cheap but inherently unsafe because of the overcrowding, bald tires, poor maintenance, and seeming lack of any sort of training by the drivers.”
Well the Taxi we rode (although stuffed with lots and lots of people) was clean, well driven, and felt safe! No worries. If we hit a car we would win because our vehicle was bigger! I did have the tire seat and lots of bags so I was a bit cramped, but I blame no one but my stubborn self. Maybe one day I will learn how to pack reasonably without Mary Kathryn’s help.
Olivier and Martha, our awesome translators and new best friends, told us if you drink and drive and hit a person… you go to prison for a month… 1 MONTH-I’m hoping they are wrong. I plan to hold hands with Maddie the rest of the trip when we are walking along roads ☺ Its entertaining driving on the roads because they are made of dirt and have lots of fun potholes. Maddie and I are still young enough to enjoy a bumpy ride! I do not think my Nana would be so excited though… Its fun looking at all the trucks. They are filled with stuff because I do not think there are strict laws about how much you can stuff into your vehicle. They remind me when the Grinch Stole Christmas and brought all the gifts/food/decorations back… Dumb as it sounds, I promise you, it looks exactly the same.
I was thinking about my interviews on the ride… We interview a lot of 19, 20, and 21 year olds. That’s about my age. I started thinking, “well if I really needed to I think I could take care of my siblings.” Then I realized… Many of these young adults have been caring for their brothers and sisters since the genocide in 1994. They were the heads of households at age 7ish! I don’t think I brushed my teeth without help at that age… We interview so many kids, and I wonder if I am starting to become insensitive towards their experiences. When a person tells me they are in school and eat at least 2s a day, I smile thinking this person is good. Is that really good? Does eating enough to survive and being able to get the most basic of educations define success? I can’t imagine not having my mom to call when I need a good cry. Or going to Qdoba when I’m having a bad day with my dad.
Maddie is probably getting so sick of me talking about my family. Things are a lot slower in Africa, and I find myself thinking about how much I value my friends and family so much more. I think its because I am proud of everyone. Randomly I will just throw someone’s name out and start talking about their accomplishments or something very arbitrary or fun. I tell people about my cousin Ellen who is in China-I told the US visitors about my cousin Timmy who visited me in college (I really really want you to come to Duke!) and who goes on great mission trips. I talk about his mom all the time, Alli who went to India and worked with children. When we were on our Safari I could not help remembering the time we visited Greg at Sea World and got to go behind the scenes which I still think was cool. I was trying to explain thrift shops to Olivier and I could not help but smile thinking of going to almost every single dance with Mary Kathryn. I thought about our vintage shopping and her amazing prom dress. Getting ready for Catholic dances was fun. Ann always let me borrow anything and always took such interest in who I was going with and who my group was. Somehow the American Girl doll store came up in conversation and I talked about how the new doll “Kit” reminds me of my cousin Madeline (no idea why-but I have always thought that). Every time someone asks about my 24-hour visit to London, I try not to wet my pants thinking about the time I lost my passport in Croatia the day I was supposed to leave with Barbie… Probably one of the funniest moments in my entire life; unfortunately, not the last time I received a mug shot. Thanks to everyone (mostly Maddie) who listen to my random family comments…
And when something really gets to me or I start missing home a little too much… I put on “Ready, Set, Don’t go” by our family favorite Miley Cyrus and I picture Mariel and my dad singing on stage in front of hundreds pretending they are just in our living room blaring Disney. (plug-I wish I had had a car and could have surprised them and gone!!)
Hands down, I talk about my uncle, Navy Seal Commander Collin Green, the most. I am really just so proud of him….
Sorry for my family rant, but I miss everyone. I miss family vacations to see Nana and Opa, dinner and a movie at Stonecrest, giant family gatherings in Corolla, nights at Shooters, and runs through the Duke Gardens. I hope I remember how thankful I am for all these trips and people when I get home. And if I forget which I often do, I just wanted to say thank you.
Love,
Jessica
Missed food: chicken Caesar salad (can’t eat lettuce here)
Missed drink: skim milk (lacking dairy)
Missed Leisure: running, running, running
Miss going: Borders to look through magazines and drink Starbucks coffee
Love most: Sunsets (at home I love the sunrise, but here we wake up to lots of sunlight-very few drapes-and roosters—I HATE roosters)
Food: avocados filled with vinaigrette (mmm)
Drink: Passion fruit juice (good find Maddie)
Leisure: Long walks and talks home from the Internet café with best friend Maddie
Love going: Hotel Ibis (we eat ALL our lunches and dinners there)
Yesterday morning we packed up our bags at our hotel, Le Petit Prince, and got ready to spend the weekend in Kigali! We went to work and completed the 6 interviews for the day, had a lovely/predictable lunch at the Ibis, and got on our taxi to Kigali (about a 2 hour trip). In case you need a Wikipedia description of the taxi we rode…
Transportation:
“minivans are jammed full of up to 18 people at any time and generally do not leave until completely full. They are cheap but inherently unsafe because of the overcrowding, bald tires, poor maintenance, and seeming lack of any sort of training by the drivers.”
Well the Taxi we rode (although stuffed with lots and lots of people) was clean, well driven, and felt safe! No worries. If we hit a car we would win because our vehicle was bigger! I did have the tire seat and lots of bags so I was a bit cramped, but I blame no one but my stubborn self. Maybe one day I will learn how to pack reasonably without Mary Kathryn’s help.
Olivier and Martha, our awesome translators and new best friends, told us if you drink and drive and hit a person… you go to prison for a month… 1 MONTH-I’m hoping they are wrong. I plan to hold hands with Maddie the rest of the trip when we are walking along roads ☺ Its entertaining driving on the roads because they are made of dirt and have lots of fun potholes. Maddie and I are still young enough to enjoy a bumpy ride! I do not think my Nana would be so excited though… Its fun looking at all the trucks. They are filled with stuff because I do not think there are strict laws about how much you can stuff into your vehicle. They remind me when the Grinch Stole Christmas and brought all the gifts/food/decorations back… Dumb as it sounds, I promise you, it looks exactly the same.
I was thinking about my interviews on the ride… We interview a lot of 19, 20, and 21 year olds. That’s about my age. I started thinking, “well if I really needed to I think I could take care of my siblings.” Then I realized… Many of these young adults have been caring for their brothers and sisters since the genocide in 1994. They were the heads of households at age 7ish! I don’t think I brushed my teeth without help at that age… We interview so many kids, and I wonder if I am starting to become insensitive towards their experiences. When a person tells me they are in school and eat at least 2s a day, I smile thinking this person is good. Is that really good? Does eating enough to survive and being able to get the most basic of educations define success? I can’t imagine not having my mom to call when I need a good cry. Or going to Qdoba when I’m having a bad day with my dad.
Maddie is probably getting so sick of me talking about my family. Things are a lot slower in Africa, and I find myself thinking about how much I value my friends and family so much more. I think its because I am proud of everyone. Randomly I will just throw someone’s name out and start talking about their accomplishments or something very arbitrary or fun. I tell people about my cousin Ellen who is in China-I told the US visitors about my cousin Timmy who visited me in college (I really really want you to come to Duke!) and who goes on great mission trips. I talk about his mom all the time, Alli who went to India and worked with children. When we were on our Safari I could not help remembering the time we visited Greg at Sea World and got to go behind the scenes which I still think was cool. I was trying to explain thrift shops to Olivier and I could not help but smile thinking of going to almost every single dance with Mary Kathryn. I thought about our vintage shopping and her amazing prom dress. Getting ready for Catholic dances was fun. Ann always let me borrow anything and always took such interest in who I was going with and who my group was. Somehow the American Girl doll store came up in conversation and I talked about how the new doll “Kit” reminds me of my cousin Madeline (no idea why-but I have always thought that). Every time someone asks about my 24-hour visit to London, I try not to wet my pants thinking about the time I lost my passport in Croatia the day I was supposed to leave with Barbie… Probably one of the funniest moments in my entire life; unfortunately, not the last time I received a mug shot. Thanks to everyone (mostly Maddie) who listen to my random family comments…
And when something really gets to me or I start missing home a little too much… I put on “Ready, Set, Don’t go” by our family favorite Miley Cyrus and I picture Mariel and my dad singing on stage in front of hundreds pretending they are just in our living room blaring Disney. (plug-I wish I had had a car and could have surprised them and gone!!)
Hands down, I talk about my uncle, Navy Seal Commander Collin Green, the most. I am really just so proud of him….
Sorry for my family rant, but I miss everyone. I miss family vacations to see Nana and Opa, dinner and a movie at Stonecrest, giant family gatherings in Corolla, nights at Shooters, and runs through the Duke Gardens. I hope I remember how thankful I am for all these trips and people when I get home. And if I forget which I often do, I just wanted to say thank you.
Love,
Jessica
Friday, July 18, 2008
"As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself and one for helping others." -Audrey Hepburn
My mammy (grandmother) once sent me a lovely email comprising of a poem written by Audrey Hepburn. This post reminded me of this excerpt.
"As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself and one for helping others."
I wrote this a few days ago, but I was unsure whether to put it up… Have you ever been in a moment that is difficult to put into words? It reminds me of explaining a hard goodbye, a great date, or the feeling when your favorite song comes on the radio. This was one of those moments…
I do not believe I have ever been this tired. Tonight as I lay in my sleeping bag and think about my day, I want to curl up and remember every detail but at the same time, obliterate every single thing. I thought I knew what it felt like to have my heart broken. I’ve seen poverty 20 minutes from my home and in far countries. I’ve seen people hurt each other for no apparent reason. I’ve been mean to my friends, and unfair to boyfriends and parents. I have wasted food, and been incredibly selfish. And I have had all those things done to me as well… But this kind-of hurting is foreign.
Nothing I have ever done or seen has compared to my day today. I have never felt this small. I’m not sure if I am disgusted with myself or others, but I feel dirty, and taking a shower will not shake the feeling.
Today the group visited two houses that were built by Giving Hope for two needy families. After we visited the families (made up of all children) the Giving Hope group served us a meal and took turns talking about their life experiences. As we sat there many people gathered around to watch and stare at all the mazungus (white people). I noticed a little girl crawling through the crowd; she blended in with the dusty ground. I would like to say she was beautiful, but in all honesty she was not. Some kids were ridiculing her, but she never looked at them. I found this scene very surprising because some of the mean kids were Giving Hope children. I thought those children would understand what it means to be ostracized and isolated. After we received our meal, I took mine to the little girl and tried to communicate with her. I noticed half of her body was paralyzed or did not function… She could not walk. She was incredibly dirty. There were black bugs and puss in her ears. Her scalp was dry; she probably had a skin disease. Her nose was all dried up. Her clothes were covered in dry mud; I have no idea what color they should have been. She reaked, and at first I thought she was a boy.
A few older boys started to talk to me. One of them spilled beer on my back-pack which understandably annoyed me because I was trying to concentrate on this little girl. I gave her my plate of food and the rest of my Coca Cola. As she was eating she never looked up. A boy came between us and started to express his love to me and told me we needed to get married (this kid was dead serious). I asked him to ask the girl’s name he said “Doma.” I used him as my translator as I tried to talk with the girl. I rubbed her back and gave her more food. During our conversation she asked if when I left, if I could bring her with me (she said this without looking up from the ground). I told her “I wish I could.” As I sat with her, more boys proposed, and over 15 kids just sat around us watching and staring as I put my arms around this girl (she was probably 14). The boy told me the girl did have parents but they were not loving and did not feed her every-day. After an hour or so, the group started yelling at me to join them at the van. I could not bear leaving the girl. As I motioned to leave, for the first time during that hour, Doma looked up and told me, through my future husband translator man, “you are my mom.” Tears welled up in my eyes as I told the children to take care of this girl for me; when they saw me start to cry they nodded. At least for a second they made me think they would look after her.
I gritted my teeth, and I tried to hold myself together as I walked to the van. I broke down once I got inside. A few of the US visitors we were with that week tried to comfort me. I was really surprised the situation got to me.
Before coming to Rwanda, I worked with non-profits in Charlotte and Durham. I spent my summers working in camps with at-risk children from government housing. Because of the Humanitarian Challenges FOCUS I’ve read about poverty, disasters, and corruption all over the world. Although all of these studies were interesting and opened my eyes to really horrific occurrences, nothing compares to the poverty I saw this past week in Rwanda.
I still ask myself how I managed to climb into the van. How do you turn your back on a crippled little girl who does not eat everyday. A girl who is made fun of and has never seen kindness or love. Unfortunately there are many children here and all over the world with similar stories.
Again I asked God “how can you let these people live in this poverty?”
God replied “how can you?”
"As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself and one for helping others."
I wrote this a few days ago, but I was unsure whether to put it up… Have you ever been in a moment that is difficult to put into words? It reminds me of explaining a hard goodbye, a great date, or the feeling when your favorite song comes on the radio. This was one of those moments…
I do not believe I have ever been this tired. Tonight as I lay in my sleeping bag and think about my day, I want to curl up and remember every detail but at the same time, obliterate every single thing. I thought I knew what it felt like to have my heart broken. I’ve seen poverty 20 minutes from my home and in far countries. I’ve seen people hurt each other for no apparent reason. I’ve been mean to my friends, and unfair to boyfriends and parents. I have wasted food, and been incredibly selfish. And I have had all those things done to me as well… But this kind-of hurting is foreign.
Nothing I have ever done or seen has compared to my day today. I have never felt this small. I’m not sure if I am disgusted with myself or others, but I feel dirty, and taking a shower will not shake the feeling.
Today the group visited two houses that were built by Giving Hope for two needy families. After we visited the families (made up of all children) the Giving Hope group served us a meal and took turns talking about their life experiences. As we sat there many people gathered around to watch and stare at all the mazungus (white people). I noticed a little girl crawling through the crowd; she blended in with the dusty ground. I would like to say she was beautiful, but in all honesty she was not. Some kids were ridiculing her, but she never looked at them. I found this scene very surprising because some of the mean kids were Giving Hope children. I thought those children would understand what it means to be ostracized and isolated. After we received our meal, I took mine to the little girl and tried to communicate with her. I noticed half of her body was paralyzed or did not function… She could not walk. She was incredibly dirty. There were black bugs and puss in her ears. Her scalp was dry; she probably had a skin disease. Her nose was all dried up. Her clothes were covered in dry mud; I have no idea what color they should have been. She reaked, and at first I thought she was a boy.
A few older boys started to talk to me. One of them spilled beer on my back-pack which understandably annoyed me because I was trying to concentrate on this little girl. I gave her my plate of food and the rest of my Coca Cola. As she was eating she never looked up. A boy came between us and started to express his love to me and told me we needed to get married (this kid was dead serious). I asked him to ask the girl’s name he said “Doma.” I used him as my translator as I tried to talk with the girl. I rubbed her back and gave her more food. During our conversation she asked if when I left, if I could bring her with me (she said this without looking up from the ground). I told her “I wish I could.” As I sat with her, more boys proposed, and over 15 kids just sat around us watching and staring as I put my arms around this girl (she was probably 14). The boy told me the girl did have parents but they were not loving and did not feed her every-day. After an hour or so, the group started yelling at me to join them at the van. I could not bear leaving the girl. As I motioned to leave, for the first time during that hour, Doma looked up and told me, through my future husband translator man, “you are my mom.” Tears welled up in my eyes as I told the children to take care of this girl for me; when they saw me start to cry they nodded. At least for a second they made me think they would look after her.
I gritted my teeth, and I tried to hold myself together as I walked to the van. I broke down once I got inside. A few of the US visitors we were with that week tried to comfort me. I was really surprised the situation got to me.
Before coming to Rwanda, I worked with non-profits in Charlotte and Durham. I spent my summers working in camps with at-risk children from government housing. Because of the Humanitarian Challenges FOCUS I’ve read about poverty, disasters, and corruption all over the world. Although all of these studies were interesting and opened my eyes to really horrific occurrences, nothing compares to the poverty I saw this past week in Rwanda.
I still ask myself how I managed to climb into the van. How do you turn your back on a crippled little girl who does not eat everyday. A girl who is made fun of and has never seen kindness or love. Unfortunately there are many children here and all over the world with similar stories.
Again I asked God “how can you let these people live in this poverty?”
God replied “how can you?”
I'm Coming Home on the 27th!
I WILL NOW BE HOME JULY 27TH!!!!
Maddie, Greg, Epiphanie, and I looked over our schedule, and we realized we will have completed over 100 interviews by next week. We did not have anything planned the last week of our internship except to work on our report. Because we already have so much information, we have already started our report. Instead of burning money in Rwanda and writing it in Africa, we all agreed it would be best to get back home and finish it there.
Okay so for this week…
Monday we went to the Museum in Butare, went to a cultural dance performance, and went shopping. The USA group left us on Monday night. We were quite sad to see them go. They were truly an amazing group of individuals, and I feel like I learned something significant from every single one. It was so nice to have some maternal figures who let us share their food and ask us how we slept in the morning! One time we were walking in the dark home from dinner (we were in a big group) and some guy grabbed my arm. He was just asking for money. But Greg told me if anyone did that again he would beat them up. I’m sad it did not happen again… I would have liked to see a pastor beat up some one…
Everything got a lot quieter when they left. Maddie and I started back up on the interviews on Tuesday. It was sad, one day we had wayyy to many kids show up. They came without being invited because they wanted the cool dollar store gifts I brought. Wednesday we did interviews and spent an insane amount of time in the internet café. We went to a restaurant in Butare called “The Chinese Restaurant” with our favorite person, Martha, our translator. She’s so fun, and we love her. She goes to the National University near by. “The Chinese Restaurant” was quite an experience.
Today we had a great day. We learned we get to go home a little earlier. Although we love it here, we do miss our parents (who would have thought I would have ever said that). We only had 6 interviews and there were no offices available; therefore, we sat outside on desks. It was a beautiful day, and the children we interviewed were fun and open talking with us. It was very pleasant outside, and we were in such good moods the children received lots of extra gifts. After work we went to our favorite restaurant (we literally go to it every day for lunch and dinner) with Martha. After lunch we went to the market and bought Africana outfits to wear for the next week. Expect to see us in them at Duke. I plan to rock mine in Charlotte as well. Actually the patterns are bright; I can guarantee you Carly will cut them up to make headbands.
I forgot to report a few gifts: (and believe me there are more)
LUCA your gift is by far the heaviest. It is way worth the inconvenience of getting it back because its pretty freakin great. Marco got a smaller version…
Mary Kathryn and Carly got something cute that I plan on borrowing…. Katherine, I hope you like your birthday present-its becoming a tradition to buy you a certain type of foreign thing ;)
See everyone in a little over a week! Love you guys.
Jessica
Maddie, Greg, Epiphanie, and I looked over our schedule, and we realized we will have completed over 100 interviews by next week. We did not have anything planned the last week of our internship except to work on our report. Because we already have so much information, we have already started our report. Instead of burning money in Rwanda and writing it in Africa, we all agreed it would be best to get back home and finish it there.
Okay so for this week…
Monday we went to the Museum in Butare, went to a cultural dance performance, and went shopping. The USA group left us on Monday night. We were quite sad to see them go. They were truly an amazing group of individuals, and I feel like I learned something significant from every single one. It was so nice to have some maternal figures who let us share their food and ask us how we slept in the morning! One time we were walking in the dark home from dinner (we were in a big group) and some guy grabbed my arm. He was just asking for money. But Greg told me if anyone did that again he would beat them up. I’m sad it did not happen again… I would have liked to see a pastor beat up some one…
Everything got a lot quieter when they left. Maddie and I started back up on the interviews on Tuesday. It was sad, one day we had wayyy to many kids show up. They came without being invited because they wanted the cool dollar store gifts I brought. Wednesday we did interviews and spent an insane amount of time in the internet café. We went to a restaurant in Butare called “The Chinese Restaurant” with our favorite person, Martha, our translator. She’s so fun, and we love her. She goes to the National University near by. “The Chinese Restaurant” was quite an experience.
Today we had a great day. We learned we get to go home a little earlier. Although we love it here, we do miss our parents (who would have thought I would have ever said that). We only had 6 interviews and there were no offices available; therefore, we sat outside on desks. It was a beautiful day, and the children we interviewed were fun and open talking with us. It was very pleasant outside, and we were in such good moods the children received lots of extra gifts. After work we went to our favorite restaurant (we literally go to it every day for lunch and dinner) with Martha. After lunch we went to the market and bought Africana outfits to wear for the next week. Expect to see us in them at Duke. I plan to rock mine in Charlotte as well. Actually the patterns are bright; I can guarantee you Carly will cut them up to make headbands.
I forgot to report a few gifts: (and believe me there are more)
LUCA your gift is by far the heaviest. It is way worth the inconvenience of getting it back because its pretty freakin great. Marco got a smaller version…
Mary Kathryn and Carly got something cute that I plan on borrowing…. Katherine, I hope you like your birthday present-its becoming a tradition to buy you a certain type of foreign thing ;)
See everyone in a little over a week! Love you guys.
Jessica
Monday, July 14, 2008
On a happier note...
I WENT SHOPPING TODAY!!!
I=the best sister ever... Seriously
I think Cameron scored BUT Mariel's present will be used the most. I definitely hit Carly's style and of course Maria got something identical to Carly's...
Jake and Nana got two things that were one of a kind, and everyone else wanted them as well (of course I ran to them first!!)
Mammy and my mom got the most practical and useful gifts...
Dad... I bought you a knife-not really sure why, but it's cool and has a fur covering.. it was only a dollar...
SOO no idea how I am going to get all this stuff back because size does not scare me, and I went for the coolest things in the place!!!
Don't worry lots more presents, I just don't want to say your name and ruin the surprise if you didn't expect to get some Africana stuff!!
Love,
Jessica
PS. I got 3 marriage proposals (impressive right?)... I will explain later, but yea now I tell everyone about my imaginary boyfriend in the States... His name is "Ben." (after Affleck...duh) Unfortunately, my new boyfriend story does not deter these men from proposing... Sadly I was assured that it was not my beautiful make-up less face or the cool break off pants I wear or my great use of the 6 Rwandan words... no the proposals are because they want to use me to come to the USA..
flattering to get proposed to? I guess not...
I'll keep you updated-maybe I will get bored and accept one!
I=the best sister ever... Seriously
I think Cameron scored BUT Mariel's present will be used the most. I definitely hit Carly's style and of course Maria got something identical to Carly's...
Jake and Nana got two things that were one of a kind, and everyone else wanted them as well (of course I ran to them first!!)
Mammy and my mom got the most practical and useful gifts...
Dad... I bought you a knife-not really sure why, but it's cool and has a fur covering.. it was only a dollar...
SOO no idea how I am going to get all this stuff back because size does not scare me, and I went for the coolest things in the place!!!
Don't worry lots more presents, I just don't want to say your name and ruin the surprise if you didn't expect to get some Africana stuff!!
Love,
Jessica
PS. I got 3 marriage proposals (impressive right?)... I will explain later, but yea now I tell everyone about my imaginary boyfriend in the States... His name is "Ben." (after Affleck...duh) Unfortunately, my new boyfriend story does not deter these men from proposing... Sadly I was assured that it was not my beautiful make-up less face or the cool break off pants I wear or my great use of the 6 Rwandan words... no the proposals are because they want to use me to come to the USA..
flattering to get proposed to? I guess not...
I'll keep you updated-maybe I will get bored and accept one!
Missing Charlotte
I asked God “how can you let these people live in this poverty?”
God replied “how can you?”
A woman here told us the quote above. I think it can speak to anyone and be applied in many ways. This week we built houses for a few lucky children in Giving Hope. After building for a few hours in the morning, we made “home visits” to children living near the building sites. I will post the children’s stories tomorrow, but before I do, I thought this quote was a good message to ponder.
I do not think I have ever seen this much poverty. I really can’t place myself in some of these kid’s shoes… Some barely have a t-shirt on. They do not have a home, enough food to survive, no parents, and no one to talk to… I just can’t fathom having nothing. There is probably no one poorer or worse off than some of the children I met this week.
At the same time when one of these kids smiles at you, laughs and calls you a Mazungu, or reaches to hold your hand… There is nothing sweeter or more special. Giving a hug to someone who no one has touched or looks at in years, is a unique feeling. A little boy, Tommy, at one of the building sites gave me a very crumpled, dirty piece of paper with hearts around our names… He wrote “I will never forget you” and “I love USA” at the top. Definitely being framed… Isn’t it great that these kids appreciate our country?
I really enjoy getting emails and facebook messages. I really want to hear what everyone is up to. They cheer me up, and make me that much more excited to go home. I have spoken to a few people over the past few weeks that I had not heard from in a long time; I appreciated those!
Love,
Jessica
God replied “how can you?”
A woman here told us the quote above. I think it can speak to anyone and be applied in many ways. This week we built houses for a few lucky children in Giving Hope. After building for a few hours in the morning, we made “home visits” to children living near the building sites. I will post the children’s stories tomorrow, but before I do, I thought this quote was a good message to ponder.
I do not think I have ever seen this much poverty. I really can’t place myself in some of these kid’s shoes… Some barely have a t-shirt on. They do not have a home, enough food to survive, no parents, and no one to talk to… I just can’t fathom having nothing. There is probably no one poorer or worse off than some of the children I met this week.
At the same time when one of these kids smiles at you, laughs and calls you a Mazungu, or reaches to hold your hand… There is nothing sweeter or more special. Giving a hug to someone who no one has touched or looks at in years, is a unique feeling. A little boy, Tommy, at one of the building sites gave me a very crumpled, dirty piece of paper with hearts around our names… He wrote “I will never forget you” and “I love USA” at the top. Definitely being framed… Isn’t it great that these kids appreciate our country?
I really enjoy getting emails and facebook messages. I really want to hear what everyone is up to. They cheer me up, and make me that much more excited to go home. I have spoken to a few people over the past few weeks that I had not heard from in a long time; I appreciated those!
Love,
Jessica
Butare and More Mazungus
On Monday we interviewed children in Gitarama. We had 13 children show up; in contrast, to our usual 5 or 6. It was hard to sit still for that long, and I felt terrible for the children that had to sit outside. The kids are given money for public transportation to get to the interview. Every single day we tell them they can leave after their interview, but without fail, the children wait until all the interviews are done so they can go home together. It amazes me how loving and devoted they are to each other.
Now… We are in Butare (I believe it’s a sector in Huye-but I will be the first to admit, I probably got that wrong)…!!
Tuesday we started our interviews in Huye! After a great lunch which consisted of tomato soup and Crouche de Mounsieur (basically grilled cheese with ham)… I loved it. After lunch we headed to our new hotel, which is across from the National University of Rwanda. When we first got to this place we thought it was amazing. We met the group of Americans there who we will be spending the week with; we will be building houses for orphans. These houses are made out of rocks and clay. The children in the Giving Hope program got together and voted who would receive a house. There are families that participate in the Giving Hope program who are still homeless… No shelters here, these kids are sleeping in bushes. Anyway these kids get together and vote on who the lucky few will be to receive a new house; then they all build the house together-incredible. A bunch of 13-20 years olds building a house for 1 or 2 kids when some of them don't have a home of their own. These houses remind me of play-houses we have as 5 year olds. The Fisher Price home that almost every child in America has at one time owned is probably a better shelter than the home they are beyond excited to receive…
Goodnews:
*Better selection of food (huge deal for us)
*Other Americans are here for a week! (maybe they will agree to a last 4th of July Celebration)
*My mom sent a box to the Americans to bring to us… it has sour patch kids (I’m still not done with my 2 pound bag) and Hershey’s bars (shout-out to MaryK if you are reading this)
Badnews:
*Very little access to internet
*We carry rocks DOWN a steep hill and bricks UP a steep hill
*We wake up too early-Charlotte Catholic early... it's rough
Lots to write about... Much much more tomorrow!
Love,
Jessica
Craving of the day: Chick-ful-A fries and Smoothie King (Light and Fluffy of course)
Now… We are in Butare (I believe it’s a sector in Huye-but I will be the first to admit, I probably got that wrong)…!!
Tuesday we started our interviews in Huye! After a great lunch which consisted of tomato soup and Crouche de Mounsieur (basically grilled cheese with ham)… I loved it. After lunch we headed to our new hotel, which is across from the National University of Rwanda. When we first got to this place we thought it was amazing. We met the group of Americans there who we will be spending the week with; we will be building houses for orphans. These houses are made out of rocks and clay. The children in the Giving Hope program got together and voted who would receive a house. There are families that participate in the Giving Hope program who are still homeless… No shelters here, these kids are sleeping in bushes. Anyway these kids get together and vote on who the lucky few will be to receive a new house; then they all build the house together-incredible. A bunch of 13-20 years olds building a house for 1 or 2 kids when some of them don't have a home of their own. These houses remind me of play-houses we have as 5 year olds. The Fisher Price home that almost every child in America has at one time owned is probably a better shelter than the home they are beyond excited to receive…
Goodnews:
*Better selection of food (huge deal for us)
*Other Americans are here for a week! (maybe they will agree to a last 4th of July Celebration)
*My mom sent a box to the Americans to bring to us… it has sour patch kids (I’m still not done with my 2 pound bag) and Hershey’s bars (shout-out to MaryK if you are reading this)
Badnews:
*Very little access to internet
*We carry rocks DOWN a steep hill and bricks UP a steep hill
*We wake up too early-Charlotte Catholic early... it's rough
Lots to write about... Much much more tomorrow!
Love,
Jessica
Craving of the day: Chick-ful-A fries and Smoothie King (Light and Fluffy of course)
Monday, July 7, 2008
Thought you should know...
So Maddie and I are obsessed with Kigali (Rwanda's capital) partly because of the coffee store... AND because we found this post on Wikipedia that we found hilarious...
Transportation:
Kigali is a relatively easy town to drive yourself around in if you have a car. Other transportation options are mini-vans, taxis and moto taxis. The minivans are jammed full of up to 18 people at any time and generally do not leave until completely full. They are cheap but inherently unsafe because of the overcrowding, bald tires, poor maintenance, and seeming lack of any sort of training by the drivers. Taxis are convenient if you are starting from the city center, but due to the lack of street names and/or addresses the taxis are hard, if not impossible, to call to pick you up from a residential area. They are also generally unavailable after 9PM or on Sundays. The cost to get almost anywhere in the city is about $8. Moto taxis are inexpensive but completely unsafe.
So... that made us feel great
Goodnight!!
<3
us
Transportation:
Kigali is a relatively easy town to drive yourself around in if you have a car. Other transportation options are mini-vans, taxis and moto taxis. The minivans are jammed full of up to 18 people at any time and generally do not leave until completely full. They are cheap but inherently unsafe because of the overcrowding, bald tires, poor maintenance, and seeming lack of any sort of training by the drivers. Taxis are convenient if you are starting from the city center, but due to the lack of street names and/or addresses the taxis are hard, if not impossible, to call to pick you up from a residential area. They are also generally unavailable after 9PM or on Sundays. The cost to get almost anywhere in the city is about $8. Moto taxis are inexpensive but completely unsafe.
So... that made us feel great
Goodnight!!
<3
us
Rwandan President and Safari
So after this weekend i've held a python found in the wild, eaten Indian food in Africa, and met some really cute British soldiers!
On Friday we did not have to work because the President was coming to speak in Gitarama. GO FIGURE Rwanda's day of Independence is also America's... July 4th. Pretty neat? I thought so too. Mama Arlene invited us to go to the stadium (where the president was speaking) with her, her children, and her staff. We thought it was a great idea! We had to wake up at 6am because people were starting to line the streets to get into the stadium (literally over a mile of people standing in line). Everyone in ALL OF RWANDA was supposed to wear a white shirt... Of course I LOVED the patriotism... I mean there are many people starving in Rwanda, but somehow the majority still put their complaints aside and talk about the positive aspects of their country without rolling their eyes or being disrespectful to their president who is human, just like the rest of us--Sound unfamiliar?
So we wake up and put on our white tshirts. While we were getting ready Maddie and I wore red, white, and blue lais (Hawaiian flower necklaces) I brought to celebrate America! Of course we took them off before we left the house... We met Mama and the 40ish people with her. So we are walking up the road passing all these people in line, and I am really confused because I always thought you go to the END of the line... Well happens to be that Mama doesn't like waiting in line, and believes that because they are Urukundo Home for Children and do great things for Gitarama they should be let in right away, no waiting-i mean the people in the front of the line camped out like Duke Cameron Crazy Tenters, but no biggie. Power to you BUT some of these guards with giant machine guns did not really agree. So Mama just would go to a different entrance of the stadium and demand entry. She was basically running around the stadium at 77 years old with all these people (Maddie, me, the orphans) running after her-seriously great... So as she was talking to yet ANOTHER soldier that was not going to let us cut hundreds of people in line, Maddie and I find some really cute British soldiers who happened to be stationed here from the good ol country that wouldn't let me in... I don't believe in holding grudges + their smiles totally made up for it!
I really did not think Mama was going to get us i,n and after being with the Brits, I started not to care BUT she never lets us down... At the last entrance, she told them the governor (her personal friend-actually true) told us to come in this entrance... They patted us all down and checked our bags, and we were in!!! Well the celebration didn't start for HOURS. When it did start there were lots of cool dances, military marching, marching bands, etc. But everything was in Rwandan-Maddie and I brought books and Power Bars... We were set... The Snicker Marathon Bars rule by the way--> I'm averaging 1 per day (i'm sure that's great for me... we can't even run so i'm just taking in tons of protein, fat, and sugar LOVE IT) So we saw the president, waved our Rwandan flags, and left the hard concrete seats in the mid-afternoon. Mama had 2 Mazungus (aka. white people--our new favorite word-i plan to use it ALL the time from now on) staying with her for a week to help her build stuff... We went out to dinner with them... OF COURSE I brought our 4th of July lais... well I guess they are not as into celebrating the lovely USA and kindof bashed our country. I was really missing sitting on Carmel golf course eating watermelon watching the fireworks with all my great PATRIOTIC friends... LOVE you guys... WELL for Rwandan standards the food was great-we had omlets and my new favorite Rwandan food Bruchette (not to be confused with prochutte or bruchetta--when people first told me about it, I couldn't figure it out)... its actually cooked goat on a stick--it's great... And for once, Maddie not eating meat means i get more good food... hurray! Before we went to sleep, Maddie and I talked about what/who we were with last 4th of July... it was fun thinking back on those memories.. I never thought of 4th of July being such a big deal, but you only miss what you can't have BUT HEY at least we celebrated Rwandan Independence- better than no independence at all !!! + because of my British visa trouble, I have decided I will celebrate the 4th of August and have a mini-independence celebration and just pretend its July! BYOB
SO Saturday we traveled to Kigali to do more site seeing. Maddie and I had done our research and wanted to go to all the good restaurants.. We went to a pizza place overlooking the city (BEAUTIFUL) where we met some Mazungus from USA... One was a Gonzaga Lacrosse player who used to live in Bethesda, near Bowie, my old hometown, I was PSYCHED... we had some ice-cream with our new favorite friends and we were off... Off to shop of course!! The director of the YWCA was INCREDIBLE and took us shopping and to the cool coffee place, Bourban Coffee (modeled after Starbucks)- Maddie and I were really in our element
Then with our driver and Oliver (Epiphanie's son/our traveling companion/translator/body guard/bff) we drove over an hour to our next hotel... Well I guess arguing about prices is the fun thing to do around here, because we stood in the dark getting eaten by mosquitos (good thing we took our Malaria pills!) for literally over an hour while the owner of the place and Oliver decided how much it would cost... After an hour and 1/2 they finally got the price down $4... SO not necessary but hey-gotta love that kid for using his skills... Maddie and I were impressed with the Beer Garden because obviously these people were clever and put Heineken Beer Bottles around all the palm trees--BEER GARDEN.. get it? Well that amused us the entire night...
We went out to dinner at 9:30- it took 3 hours to get some frites (fries) and bruchette (Maddie tried a teeny tiny piece.. still not her thing) we went to bed, exhausted BUT BEFORE WE DID we sprayed all our hard-core North Face, Safari clothes and accessories with major bug stuff (not the spray you buy at Wal-Mart...OH NO-this you can only find at REI-we both now are members--be jealous...) We woke up at 4:30am (gotta get on the road to see the animals)... We had some GU (the stuff you have during long races) and some more power bars... headed into our oh so cool jeep and arrived at the "Game Park: SAFARI ADVENTURE." The animals are out during the morning, so in jumped our guide and we were off... We saw hippos (my fav), giraffes, Zeebras, monkeys, antelope (i think that's what that was...) snakes.. all sorts of stuff... We got to stand on top of the jeep to look at stuff through my binoculars (prepared I am) and we got to get out of the jeep to take pictures..it took some convincing but finally Maddie and I promised the guide we would not sue if we got eaten because we would be dead (we also shared our food)... and he let us... one of the best parts was meeting some German old man who got his Phd in snakes... he jumped into the lake (with crocs and hippos) and finds a baby python (as long as me) HUGE... he let us hold it and put it around our necks.. I look horrified in the picture.. oh well
So on our way home from the park, we talked Oliver into taking us to the Indian restaurant in Kigali.. it was good-a little over-decorated, but hey, totally up to them... SO TIRED... I went to bed very very early...
Today we interviewed... 13 kids showed up instead of 5 or 6 (the usual number)... a bit intense for a Monday, but as always the children were beautiful, sweet, kind, and self-less... It's always an honor getting to know them for an hour or so per person... They were really astonished when we pulled out our July 4th lais for them... we thought we would spread the good American spirit...
Greg comes tomorrow with our package including NUTELLA AND SOY SAUCE!!! could not be any more excited...
I think i am going to workout now... at some point i'll tape it for you... it's hilarious... I do a few jumping jacks, crunches, some "kick your butts" (when you stand in one place and literally do that) all in our bedroom... it just makes us feel some what productive-it can't be that great... Oh the best is when we jump rope-little kids come and watch us...
MISS EVERYONE-especially Mariel ;)
Love,
Jessica
On Friday we did not have to work because the President was coming to speak in Gitarama. GO FIGURE Rwanda's day of Independence is also America's... July 4th. Pretty neat? I thought so too. Mama Arlene invited us to go to the stadium (where the president was speaking) with her, her children, and her staff. We thought it was a great idea! We had to wake up at 6am because people were starting to line the streets to get into the stadium (literally over a mile of people standing in line). Everyone in ALL OF RWANDA was supposed to wear a white shirt... Of course I LOVED the patriotism... I mean there are many people starving in Rwanda, but somehow the majority still put their complaints aside and talk about the positive aspects of their country without rolling their eyes or being disrespectful to their president who is human, just like the rest of us--Sound unfamiliar?
So we wake up and put on our white tshirts. While we were getting ready Maddie and I wore red, white, and blue lais (Hawaiian flower necklaces) I brought to celebrate America! Of course we took them off before we left the house... We met Mama and the 40ish people with her. So we are walking up the road passing all these people in line, and I am really confused because I always thought you go to the END of the line... Well happens to be that Mama doesn't like waiting in line, and believes that because they are Urukundo Home for Children and do great things for Gitarama they should be let in right away, no waiting-i mean the people in the front of the line camped out like Duke Cameron Crazy Tenters, but no biggie. Power to you BUT some of these guards with giant machine guns did not really agree. So Mama just would go to a different entrance of the stadium and demand entry. She was basically running around the stadium at 77 years old with all these people (Maddie, me, the orphans) running after her-seriously great... So as she was talking to yet ANOTHER soldier that was not going to let us cut hundreds of people in line, Maddie and I find some really cute British soldiers who happened to be stationed here from the good ol country that wouldn't let me in... I don't believe in holding grudges + their smiles totally made up for it!
I really did not think Mama was going to get us i,n and after being with the Brits, I started not to care BUT she never lets us down... At the last entrance, she told them the governor (her personal friend-actually true) told us to come in this entrance... They patted us all down and checked our bags, and we were in!!! Well the celebration didn't start for HOURS. When it did start there were lots of cool dances, military marching, marching bands, etc. But everything was in Rwandan-Maddie and I brought books and Power Bars... We were set... The Snicker Marathon Bars rule by the way--> I'm averaging 1 per day (i'm sure that's great for me... we can't even run so i'm just taking in tons of protein, fat, and sugar LOVE IT) So we saw the president, waved our Rwandan flags, and left the hard concrete seats in the mid-afternoon. Mama had 2 Mazungus (aka. white people--our new favorite word-i plan to use it ALL the time from now on) staying with her for a week to help her build stuff... We went out to dinner with them... OF COURSE I brought our 4th of July lais... well I guess they are not as into celebrating the lovely USA and kindof bashed our country. I was really missing sitting on Carmel golf course eating watermelon watching the fireworks with all my great PATRIOTIC friends... LOVE you guys... WELL for Rwandan standards the food was great-we had omlets and my new favorite Rwandan food Bruchette (not to be confused with prochutte or bruchetta--when people first told me about it, I couldn't figure it out)... its actually cooked goat on a stick--it's great... And for once, Maddie not eating meat means i get more good food... hurray! Before we went to sleep, Maddie and I talked about what/who we were with last 4th of July... it was fun thinking back on those memories.. I never thought of 4th of July being such a big deal, but you only miss what you can't have BUT HEY at least we celebrated Rwandan Independence- better than no independence at all !!! + because of my British visa trouble, I have decided I will celebrate the 4th of August and have a mini-independence celebration and just pretend its July! BYOB
SO Saturday we traveled to Kigali to do more site seeing. Maddie and I had done our research and wanted to go to all the good restaurants.. We went to a pizza place overlooking the city (BEAUTIFUL) where we met some Mazungus from USA... One was a Gonzaga Lacrosse player who used to live in Bethesda, near Bowie, my old hometown, I was PSYCHED... we had some ice-cream with our new favorite friends and we were off... Off to shop of course!! The director of the YWCA was INCREDIBLE and took us shopping and to the cool coffee place, Bourban Coffee (modeled after Starbucks)- Maddie and I were really in our element
Then with our driver and Oliver (Epiphanie's son/our traveling companion/translator/body guard/bff) we drove over an hour to our next hotel... Well I guess arguing about prices is the fun thing to do around here, because we stood in the dark getting eaten by mosquitos (good thing we took our Malaria pills!) for literally over an hour while the owner of the place and Oliver decided how much it would cost... After an hour and 1/2 they finally got the price down $4... SO not necessary but hey-gotta love that kid for using his skills... Maddie and I were impressed with the Beer Garden because obviously these people were clever and put Heineken Beer Bottles around all the palm trees--BEER GARDEN.. get it? Well that amused us the entire night...
We went out to dinner at 9:30- it took 3 hours to get some frites (fries) and bruchette (Maddie tried a teeny tiny piece.. still not her thing) we went to bed, exhausted BUT BEFORE WE DID we sprayed all our hard-core North Face, Safari clothes and accessories with major bug stuff (not the spray you buy at Wal-Mart...OH NO-this you can only find at REI-we both now are members--be jealous...) We woke up at 4:30am (gotta get on the road to see the animals)... We had some GU (the stuff you have during long races) and some more power bars... headed into our oh so cool jeep and arrived at the "Game Park: SAFARI ADVENTURE." The animals are out during the morning, so in jumped our guide and we were off... We saw hippos (my fav), giraffes, Zeebras, monkeys, antelope (i think that's what that was...) snakes.. all sorts of stuff... We got to stand on top of the jeep to look at stuff through my binoculars (prepared I am) and we got to get out of the jeep to take pictures..it took some convincing but finally Maddie and I promised the guide we would not sue if we got eaten because we would be dead (we also shared our food)... and he let us... one of the best parts was meeting some German old man who got his Phd in snakes... he jumped into the lake (with crocs and hippos) and finds a baby python (as long as me) HUGE... he let us hold it and put it around our necks.. I look horrified in the picture.. oh well
So on our way home from the park, we talked Oliver into taking us to the Indian restaurant in Kigali.. it was good-a little over-decorated, but hey, totally up to them... SO TIRED... I went to bed very very early...
Today we interviewed... 13 kids showed up instead of 5 or 6 (the usual number)... a bit intense for a Monday, but as always the children were beautiful, sweet, kind, and self-less... It's always an honor getting to know them for an hour or so per person... They were really astonished when we pulled out our July 4th lais for them... we thought we would spread the good American spirit...
Greg comes tomorrow with our package including NUTELLA AND SOY SAUCE!!! could not be any more excited...
I think i am going to workout now... at some point i'll tape it for you... it's hilarious... I do a few jumping jacks, crunches, some "kick your butts" (when you stand in one place and literally do that) all in our bedroom... it just makes us feel some what productive-it can't be that great... Oh the best is when we jump rope-little kids come and watch us...
MISS EVERYONE-especially Mariel ;)
Love,
Jessica
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Trip To Kigali and The Start of The Interviews
On Monday we traveled to Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, to tour the city. Someone on our tour bus commented that Kigali is one of the cleanest cities in Africa. Yay Rwanda! On the tour we saw Hotel Rwanda, the new trade center, and the Prison. The prisoners often work on the side of the road maintaining the landscape. Prisoners convicted of Genocide crimes wear pink and the other prisoners orange. It was quite striking. We also visited the Belgium soldier memorial (right before the genocide Rwandan rebels killed Belgium guards in hopes that the UN would leave the country so they could start the massive killings… Unfortunately their plan worked perfectly and after the soldiers were killed, the international presence in Rwanda left at the very time they were needed). After, we visited the Genocide Memorial and Museum, which was predictably immensely upsetting. It explained the events in detail. It had remains of victims, and a mass burial of over 200,000 murdered. The part of the memorial that really got to me were the rooms with stories about children. It would display a life-size picture of a child and have a small poster with the child’s name, favorite food, pastime, dream, and the way he or she was murdered. There are two that I remember.
Name: Sarah
Age: 5
Enjoyed: Playing with her sisters and cousins
Last Word: “Where is my mom?”
Cause of death: Killed by machetes
Name: David Mugiraneza
Age: 10
Favorite Sport: Football
Enjoyed: Making people laugh
Dream: Becoming a doctor
Last Word: “UNAMIR will come for us.”
Cause of death: Tourtured to death
I don’t mean to put these up to upset anyone, but they are just a small glimpse at how powerful the Genocide Museum was and what people in Rwanda have witnessed. There were hundreds of stories and pictures of children, and they are all 100% real.
After the Genocide Museum and memorial we visited what Rwandans call the “New Kigali.” It is a hill with huge, nice houses freshly built. These houses are beautiful and capture the growth and positive change Rwanda is experiencing. Unfortunately, they also show the gap between the insanely wealthy and the dirt poor (there is practically no middle class here).
Olivier came with us to Kigali and we had fun with him after the tour. We went out to eat at a restaurant. Sad to report restaurants serve just rice, beans, potatoes, etc. as well… no change ☹ But they do have Coca Cola and Fanta!
Tuesday and Wednesday we started interviewing children. Maddie and I each have our own translator and we interview 3 children each a day. Their stories are heartbreaking, but because these children have been working with ZOE Ministry for over 3 years, their quality of life has improved greatly! I passed out candy and small gifts for their younger siblings (obviously my favorite part of the day). It is interesting how they respond to questions… If they tell you one of their parents died from an “unknown illness” or were “poisoned to death” it means they died from HIV/AIDS. If they say they have a toilet it means they have a hole in the back yard instead of just going anywhere. If they eat every-day, their meal 99% of the time consists of beans and potatoes. So both days went well, and the kids were great, so nice. They smiled, and were so excited when we brought out treats. Today the girls especially enjoyed the red, blue, and white Hawaiian lays (flower necklaces) I gave them.
OKAY SO after work, Chantelle, an orphan our age that works at the guest house where we are living, wanted to take us to market with her. Although she woke us up from our nap (this happens frequently), we were excited to join her. WHAT AN ADVENTURE… Well we thought we would find some variety in foods that we could buy BUT NO same items… Oh well. As we walked into a section of the market, Maddie took out her camera to take a picture of me walking through the market BAD IDEA… About 10 people rushed over to look at her camera, everyone started staring and pointing. This angry lady walks over to her and starts demanding money. I guess she jumped in the picture and thought she deserved some sort of payment? It seemed ridiculous at the time and Maddie was understandably flustered. But later when I thought about it… If you were barely making enough to feed your kids and some Mazungus (white people) walk in with their nice clothes, shoes, and backpacks, and take a picture of your livlihood… In her shoes (wait she didn’t have any), I may feel the same way. So after that Maddie and I stayed close together. As we were leaving the market, a motorcycle 5 feet from us runs straight into a man. They all go flying and the motorcycle lands on top of all of them. I saw the accident, but before crowds started to rush to see what happened, Maddie saw blood on the dirt road. We high-tailed out of there. Now we walk on the very edge of the road, and we are completely attentive… The accident was SO close to us! And the guy on the motorcycle was completely at fault.
CONCLUSION: NO MORE MARKET FOR MADDIE AND I
We are now counting down the days until my family sends us Nutella…
Love,
Jessica
PS. So Maddie and I are all about sharing… But its really hard to explain to someone who doesn’t speak your language that the liquid you spray ALL OVER your body is not perfume, it’s HARD CORE bug spray… Yea so they take it from us and use it as if its perfume and smile and signal that it smells nice… ☺
Name: Sarah
Age: 5
Enjoyed: Playing with her sisters and cousins
Last Word: “Where is my mom?”
Cause of death: Killed by machetes
Name: David Mugiraneza
Age: 10
Favorite Sport: Football
Enjoyed: Making people laugh
Dream: Becoming a doctor
Last Word: “UNAMIR will come for us.”
Cause of death: Tourtured to death
I don’t mean to put these up to upset anyone, but they are just a small glimpse at how powerful the Genocide Museum was and what people in Rwanda have witnessed. There were hundreds of stories and pictures of children, and they are all 100% real.
After the Genocide Museum and memorial we visited what Rwandans call the “New Kigali.” It is a hill with huge, nice houses freshly built. These houses are beautiful and capture the growth and positive change Rwanda is experiencing. Unfortunately, they also show the gap between the insanely wealthy and the dirt poor (there is practically no middle class here).
Olivier came with us to Kigali and we had fun with him after the tour. We went out to eat at a restaurant. Sad to report restaurants serve just rice, beans, potatoes, etc. as well… no change ☹ But they do have Coca Cola and Fanta!
Tuesday and Wednesday we started interviewing children. Maddie and I each have our own translator and we interview 3 children each a day. Their stories are heartbreaking, but because these children have been working with ZOE Ministry for over 3 years, their quality of life has improved greatly! I passed out candy and small gifts for their younger siblings (obviously my favorite part of the day). It is interesting how they respond to questions… If they tell you one of their parents died from an “unknown illness” or were “poisoned to death” it means they died from HIV/AIDS. If they say they have a toilet it means they have a hole in the back yard instead of just going anywhere. If they eat every-day, their meal 99% of the time consists of beans and potatoes. So both days went well, and the kids were great, so nice. They smiled, and were so excited when we brought out treats. Today the girls especially enjoyed the red, blue, and white Hawaiian lays (flower necklaces) I gave them.
OKAY SO after work, Chantelle, an orphan our age that works at the guest house where we are living, wanted to take us to market with her. Although she woke us up from our nap (this happens frequently), we were excited to join her. WHAT AN ADVENTURE… Well we thought we would find some variety in foods that we could buy BUT NO same items… Oh well. As we walked into a section of the market, Maddie took out her camera to take a picture of me walking through the market BAD IDEA… About 10 people rushed over to look at her camera, everyone started staring and pointing. This angry lady walks over to her and starts demanding money. I guess she jumped in the picture and thought she deserved some sort of payment? It seemed ridiculous at the time and Maddie was understandably flustered. But later when I thought about it… If you were barely making enough to feed your kids and some Mazungus (white people) walk in with their nice clothes, shoes, and backpacks, and take a picture of your livlihood… In her shoes (wait she didn’t have any), I may feel the same way. So after that Maddie and I stayed close together. As we were leaving the market, a motorcycle 5 feet from us runs straight into a man. They all go flying and the motorcycle lands on top of all of them. I saw the accident, but before crowds started to rush to see what happened, Maddie saw blood on the dirt road. We high-tailed out of there. Now we walk on the very edge of the road, and we are completely attentive… The accident was SO close to us! And the guy on the motorcycle was completely at fault.
CONCLUSION: NO MORE MARKET FOR MADDIE AND I
We are now counting down the days until my family sends us Nutella…
Love,
Jessica
PS. So Maddie and I are all about sharing… But its really hard to explain to someone who doesn’t speak your language that the liquid you spray ALL OVER your body is not perfume, it’s HARD CORE bug spray… Yea so they take it from us and use it as if its perfume and smile and signal that it smells nice… ☺
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
My Weekend in Gitarama
Muraho=hi in Rwandan… Seriously the only word I can consistently remember
On Friday Mama Arlene, the American lady I mentioned earlier, took us to her home for boys, home for girls, her own little home, and the guest house currently being built. They are all on a hill about a mile from our guesthouse which she also manages to make money to help children. There are 37 children in all. Mama Arlene first came to Africa to start an orphanage in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. She started working with a very bad man, and he ended up taking the $100,000 she raised in America to start an orphanage, and he threatened to kill her if she didn’t leave Rwanda. Well although Mama went back to the states, she was not ready to give up her dream. At age 75 (2 years ago) she came back to Rwanda, and this time started helping children in Gitarama, where we are staying now. Her mission, Urukundo Home for Children, took off, and is now quite a miracle. Instead of starting an orphanage, she decided to actually adopt the children and call it a home. She says one of the major faults with other orphanages in Africa is that although they are a safe-haven at the time, when the children become a certain age, they are kicked out and not welcomed back, even if they have nothing and there is no chance of employment. Now all these kids have a home. She is amazing… At 77, she has 37 children in Rwanda (and once the new building is done, she will always have up to 50 children) and 4 children in the US-she also has grandchildren and great-grandchildren in the US—CRAZYYY! Anyways, she’s amazing… Seriously, I met a future-saint. When we don’t have work to do or we are bored, we go to Mama Arlene’s to play with the children.
Saturday, we went to Epiphanie’s house to review the survey we will be using with the orphans that ZOE Ministry helps through their Giving Hope Program. We needed to make sure everything was clear. Olivier, Epiphanie’s son, joined us; he is our age and will be traveling with us as a translator (he speaks many languages). Such a nice person; we are so excited to work and hang out with him! Wherever we want to go on the weekends (Safari, to see gorillas, lake, etc.) he comes with… We are lucky! At Epiphanie’s charming house, we had a delightful lunch, and met the rest of her family!
The highlight of Sunday was walking to Church… I passed out some lolley pops to street kids (probably as young as 2) roaming the dirt streets next to their shacks (literally made out of mud, clay, tires, etc.). They saw my camera and immediately became curious; they pointed to it. So I take a picture with some really cute kids. I love it… If my internet wasn’t so terrible (I shouldn’t be complaining, we are lucky to have it this week-we may not have it next week)-then I would upload this adorable photo! ANYWAYS so we keep walking to church and Maddie sees some other cute kids, and I give her candy so they will like her too. This little girl runs to his 2 year old brother and picks him up to join the picture and grab some candy, the little boy starts screaming and crying “MUZUNGUS MUZUNGUS” the ubiquitous word for white people… Maddie got a picture with her looking distraught and this kid screaming its head off. Sad.
Church was actually really cool. It is in a building with lots of windows and doors; consequently, you feel like your outside in the nice hot hot weather (mom, I don’t know where you heard it would be 70 here, but NO it’s rarely below 80). The children sing and everyone claps. To say it’s like a celebration is an under-statement. I got some GREAT video… So after a few songs, the children started singing something I thought I recognized. Then they sand a verse in English… “God is an awesome God; he reigns from heaven above with wisdom, power, and love. Our God is an awesome God.” Not going to lie, I was teary. These kids are amazing, and I couldn’t help but remember singing this hard core in our Charlotte Catholic High Gym and Holy Trinity Middle School gym during mass. My friends and I used to love singing this at the top of our lungs. It shows you people everywhere really do love the same things. Well although there was lots of singing, the 3-hour service (1 hour homily) was something I was not used to. A little girl sat on my lap most of the time (6 years old, but very small) and played with my Camel Book-bag. I forget her name, but she was stunning. She had a few scars by her eye, and I asked Mama what it was from… Her family burned her when she was a baby because she would not stop screaming. She was mal-nourished for years before her family abandoned her, and Mama took her in. After the service we had lunch with Mama’s children. They have a basketball court and a dirt soccer field. Because it’s not safe to run here (yes, it’s killing me) I used all my energy against these kids on the field. Once I took out a kid that must have been like 7… Oh well, their tough ☺. Then I played tennis with a bunch of little boys and a beautiful girl named Devine. It was fun, but I wish I could wear a cute white tennis skirt and polo like at Duke, here I was wearing my Safari outfit to protect me from the killer mosquitoes. Hah.
If you have any questions please ask… !
Miss me? Of course you do.
Love,
Jessica
On Friday Mama Arlene, the American lady I mentioned earlier, took us to her home for boys, home for girls, her own little home, and the guest house currently being built. They are all on a hill about a mile from our guesthouse which she also manages to make money to help children. There are 37 children in all. Mama Arlene first came to Africa to start an orphanage in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. She started working with a very bad man, and he ended up taking the $100,000 she raised in America to start an orphanage, and he threatened to kill her if she didn’t leave Rwanda. Well although Mama went back to the states, she was not ready to give up her dream. At age 75 (2 years ago) she came back to Rwanda, and this time started helping children in Gitarama, where we are staying now. Her mission, Urukundo Home for Children, took off, and is now quite a miracle. Instead of starting an orphanage, she decided to actually adopt the children and call it a home. She says one of the major faults with other orphanages in Africa is that although they are a safe-haven at the time, when the children become a certain age, they are kicked out and not welcomed back, even if they have nothing and there is no chance of employment. Now all these kids have a home. She is amazing… At 77, she has 37 children in Rwanda (and once the new building is done, she will always have up to 50 children) and 4 children in the US-she also has grandchildren and great-grandchildren in the US—CRAZYYY! Anyways, she’s amazing… Seriously, I met a future-saint. When we don’t have work to do or we are bored, we go to Mama Arlene’s to play with the children.
Saturday, we went to Epiphanie’s house to review the survey we will be using with the orphans that ZOE Ministry helps through their Giving Hope Program. We needed to make sure everything was clear. Olivier, Epiphanie’s son, joined us; he is our age and will be traveling with us as a translator (he speaks many languages). Such a nice person; we are so excited to work and hang out with him! Wherever we want to go on the weekends (Safari, to see gorillas, lake, etc.) he comes with… We are lucky! At Epiphanie’s charming house, we had a delightful lunch, and met the rest of her family!
The highlight of Sunday was walking to Church… I passed out some lolley pops to street kids (probably as young as 2) roaming the dirt streets next to their shacks (literally made out of mud, clay, tires, etc.). They saw my camera and immediately became curious; they pointed to it. So I take a picture with some really cute kids. I love it… If my internet wasn’t so terrible (I shouldn’t be complaining, we are lucky to have it this week-we may not have it next week)-then I would upload this adorable photo! ANYWAYS so we keep walking to church and Maddie sees some other cute kids, and I give her candy so they will like her too. This little girl runs to his 2 year old brother and picks him up to join the picture and grab some candy, the little boy starts screaming and crying “MUZUNGUS MUZUNGUS” the ubiquitous word for white people… Maddie got a picture with her looking distraught and this kid screaming its head off. Sad.
Church was actually really cool. It is in a building with lots of windows and doors; consequently, you feel like your outside in the nice hot hot weather (mom, I don’t know where you heard it would be 70 here, but NO it’s rarely below 80). The children sing and everyone claps. To say it’s like a celebration is an under-statement. I got some GREAT video… So after a few songs, the children started singing something I thought I recognized. Then they sand a verse in English… “God is an awesome God; he reigns from heaven above with wisdom, power, and love. Our God is an awesome God.” Not going to lie, I was teary. These kids are amazing, and I couldn’t help but remember singing this hard core in our Charlotte Catholic High Gym and Holy Trinity Middle School gym during mass. My friends and I used to love singing this at the top of our lungs. It shows you people everywhere really do love the same things. Well although there was lots of singing, the 3-hour service (1 hour homily) was something I was not used to. A little girl sat on my lap most of the time (6 years old, but very small) and played with my Camel Book-bag. I forget her name, but she was stunning. She had a few scars by her eye, and I asked Mama what it was from… Her family burned her when she was a baby because she would not stop screaming. She was mal-nourished for years before her family abandoned her, and Mama took her in. After the service we had lunch with Mama’s children. They have a basketball court and a dirt soccer field. Because it’s not safe to run here (yes, it’s killing me) I used all my energy against these kids on the field. Once I took out a kid that must have been like 7… Oh well, their tough ☺. Then I played tennis with a bunch of little boys and a beautiful girl named Devine. It was fun, but I wish I could wear a cute white tennis skirt and polo like at Duke, here I was wearing my Safari outfit to protect me from the killer mosquitoes. Hah.
If you have any questions please ask… !
Miss me? Of course you do.
Love,
Jessica
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
