Saturday 27th

I’ve sat outside all morning writing my blog. It's very hot. On the right hand side of my laptop I have the windows weather gadget. For laughs I decided to add one for London. Right now it says Kigali, 27 degrees, sunshine. London, -3 degrees, snow. It's funny.

I also did my washing. Some of you might recognise this recorder. It was given to Sheree at LTS, and she gave it to me when she went back to SA. I brought it here to give to a street kid, then found a better use for it.

This afternoon I’m going to waitress at the conference, visit some friends, then go to the 'cinema'. I’m fairly confident that it's going to just be a TV at a restaurant in town, but I’m curious. And you don't pay for entry, only drinks so there's nothing to lose. I'll let you know how it goes in the week.
Enjoy the snow!

Friday 26th

I taught about conjunctions today. Thought it was going well until the break when David asked me, 'Nicole, do you think they can understand what you're talking about?!' Apparently not. So we split the class into two groups. I carried on with my programme and David helped those who were struggling. Perfect.

In the afternoon I went to the conference to help prepare the food, only to find that it was being done off-site. So I went to listen to the preach for a while, thinking I'd understand as it was in English. But I don't have a cooking clue what that preacher said with her think accent and shrill voice booming into the microphone. She got a lot of Hallelujahs though so it must have been good. I went into town to pick up some milk for my cocopops and came home. Its amazing what a few home comforts do for morale. After a bowl of cocopops I’m set for the day.

And this evening I decided to watch TV. It's not something I do often here; I’m not that keen on Nigerian soap operas, but tonight I thought i'f give it another go. And to my suprise I found a channel that has US dramas on it, in English and in French. So I watched Bones in English and NCIS in French. I couldn't really understand what was going on but it was nice to few a few familiar faces.

Thursday 25th

I taught about prepositions today. Apparently there are more than 124 prepositions in the English language. Who knew?

In the afternoon I went to the airport to buy some plane tickets. I’m going on holiday! This being the world wide web, I can't tell you where, but trust me, its flipping amazing. Don't worry, when I get back I'll be quick to rub it in, but until then you'll just have to wait. Or ask Borinne. But rest assured, you can be very jealous.

And I took the opportunity to have some banana bread while at the airport. Bourbon does the best banana bread, maybe in the world. It's an impressive boast for such a small country in sub Saharan Africa, but I have to give credit where it's due.

Then I went to the post office to see if my birthday post had arrived yet. And it had! Best birthday ever! Thank you Aunty Julia for my letter – Granddad, I hope you're feeling better now. Cat sent me Milka, an 'I love Vienna' notebook and a chocolate strudel – a real one. I’m impressed by her commitment to the cause. And Emma sent me a box, I’m guessing from Paperchase, full of Dairy Milks and Crunchies, a chocolate reindeer, Milka, and Lindt. Impressive. I literally danced round the room when I opened them. So thank you Cat and Emma – you're the best!

You see pictures of people sitting in Africa, covered in flies, with distended bellies. Well now the flies are on me, and my belly is distended, but from chocolate not malnutrition!

In the afternoon I went back to Shokolat for another tropical smoothie. Instead of adding yoghurt, they use coconut – yummy. And the glass is like a bucket, so it's easily 3 of your 5 a day. I didn't stay long because their internet wasn't working. I found out last week that they have free wifi, so it's the perfect place to blog. Blogging is a time consuming and expensive affair. Each blog takes about an hour and a half to produce, with every photo taking between ten and forty minutes to upload. And I pay for the internet by the minute. But I enjoy it. I think it's a good way to offload and reflect on my experiences in the week.

Wednesday 24th

There's a ladies conference at church this weekend so we moved the street kids programme to today. I wasn't feeling very well, so when we finished cooking at ten, I went home to sleep for an hour before going back to serve up the food.

I had Kinyarwanda in the afternoon, my last lesson before Christmas.

Tuesday 23rd

Ok, so I was teaching again today. I have been so impressed by the guys behaviour so far. I teach 8 guys, aged 17 to 22 and they are so good.

First of all, this is their school holidays. They come to the office four mornings a week to study, during the holidays. Then they sit there, pretty much in silence, and do the work. There's no argument, backchat or attitude, no aggression, obscene gesturing or swearing. They behave better than I do in my tutorials. Most of them even do the homework I set. So impressed. (One guy handed in his book, but hadn't actually done the work. Love it! I used to do, sorry, never did that at school).

This afternoon I went to Ubuzima for the meeting. We're still making beads, but at a more leisurely pace, if that's possible. Alice and Julienne were braiding Marita's hair.

I walked home with Jean Claude and Jash. On the way I saw a dead chameleon on the path. It was the first one I had ever seen in the wild, and I mentioned that it was a pitty that the first one I saw should be dead. Jash told me to look up, and lo and behold the tree was full of them. Of course I reached out to grab one, much to the horror of my friends and passers by. It took me about ten minutes to persuade everyone that chameleons are harmless, and that I would be gentle. They're surprisingly light, have three toes on each foot and are very fragile. This one's name was Larry.

Sadly, not many people here have much experience with photography, and I was sadly decapitated in this photo.

Monday 22nd

I went to the office this morning to help out at the kids holiday club. I got there at half eight for a nine o clock start, but no one else showed up until about ten. I used the time in between to work on the storeroom. I’m sure I must be making progress; I’ve spend over six hours in there, but there appears to be little improvement. The only evidence that anyone has been in there is that small piles of folded clothes are now mingled in with the mounds of screwed up ones. It reminds be of the time I spent 8 hours alone in the basement of the business centre during the refurb. My instructions were to bring order to that dank and dingy realm, but overworked, overtired, and probably suffering from a mild case of lead poisoning, all I managed to do was to neatly arrange the power tools, in the wrong place I might add, and knock over a pot of paint. By the time I had put the tools in the right place and cleaned up the paint, I was just a shadow of my former self, weeping, twitching and babbling nonsense to myself. The store room has not pushed me far as of yet, but there's still time...

Anyway, the kids arrived and I sat down with them expecting to observe the lesson and help them with any questions they had. I wondered where the teacher was, and after a few minutes of them looking at me expectantly, me staring back at them blankly, I decided to ask. And that is the story of how I came to be teaching English all week.

Sunday 21st

I felt very sick today. After thirty minutes at church, the nausea became so strong that I decided to leave. I make a speedy exit, legged it home and spend the rest of the morning with my head by a bucket. But funnily enough I didn't actually vomit and after a couple of hours sleep I felt much better.

So now its early evening and I'm at Shokolat typing up my blog, being eaten alive by mosquitoes. It's pitch black outside and in, due to a rather lengthy power cut. There's a Dutch woman talking very loudly on the phone. It's not the most beautiful of languages I have to say. But hats off to them, they do manage to fit an exceptional number of Os into every word.

Feeling much better now that I’ve had some vitamins. If you're ever in town, I'd recommend the tropical smoothie.

I’m getting used to going out on my own, but I have to admit that I wish I had some close friends to relax with. People I can just be myself with, that speak English, that I have something in common with. Now that Jen is in Canada, I’m the only Muzungu I know. That's great, because the Rwandese are a beautiful people and I want to get to know them as best I can while I’m here, but it's not easy to get close to people, especially with the language barrier and us having such different life experiences. But we will press on and have have victory in the area. Amen?
I really wanted to order the goat curry for dinner, but I’m still feeling a bit squiffy and I don't think it would be wise considering the modern to squat toilet ratio. Enough said. So I’ve gone for the chicken chapattis. A nice traditional Rwandan meal.

Well, second bite in and I’ve spilled it all down my top. But it's OK because I don't know anyone here! And again. I think there's more on my belly than in it. Oh great, another power cut. It's so dark. A guy just tried to leave without paying but they caught him. And with the electricity has gone the free wifi. So it's all fun and games here in Kigali. It just came back. No, it's gone again. Maybe the bazungu have shorted the system with all their laptops. There are quite a lot of us in here. I don't even think they're trying to fix it now.

But credit to Rwanda, their electricy supply is usually superb. We have a couple of black outs a week but they don't last long. I've been very impressed. And the staff and customers at Shololat are handling it very well. Well done us.

Saturday 20th

I went to a wedding today. And I tripped in a pothole on my drive and twisted my ankle. That's new.


Ok people, so I think it's finally here. I’ve tried so hard not to get it, have fought bravely against it, but it's no use. I think I might have culture shock. Or PMT. One or the other, only time will tell.
So the little differences I first found charming are starting to grate on my nerves. But when I go into details I sound really ungrateful and selfish. And that's not the person I want to be. I refuse to complain about anything in this beautiful little country. I have so much to be grateful for and I must just focus on those things. Hallelujah.
Anyway, in the evening I went into town looking for food. Yummy Italian food to be exact. And I found it in an English pub! An English pub no lessm complete with beer, and football. It was perfect. A little piece of Britain in paradise. Well, after chilling out there for a while, I took my cheesy, meaty pizza home and vegged out. I feel like a student again.

Friday 19th

Sorting rice is fun! No, I’m just messing with you, it's not fun. But someone has to do it, and at the moment, happily, that someone is me. In the beginning, I tried to make it look like Aunt Tilda's rice, but as time wares on it's looking more like Tesco value, which by the by is still much better than Sainsbury's basics.
After cooking, it stormed again. I had leant out my umbrella and so was stuck there until the rain had passed. Late afternoon I went into town to study at Bourbon. Man, this week has dragged. It feels like forever since Suz left and I last wrote you guys.

Wednesday 17th

During the long school holidays IT runs a club for the kids they've taken off the street and put into homes. I went along this morning to help out, but there was no one there. Wednesday is their day off. Not wanting to waste my 700 frc taxi fare, I decided to stay there at the office and start work on the second store room. The room is full of clothes and it is my job to sort through them all, make a catalogue of what we have and store them nicely. It's pretty messy in there, although I must admit that on rare occasion my bedroom has looked worse! Some of the clothes are really nice, and while I tried them on, I fought the urge to take them home with me. It would have been like taking the poor man's only sheep.


In the afternoon I studied Kinyarwanda and had my lesson with Silas. That's what Thursday looked like too. I’m making real progress now. I’ve studied 7 of the 10 classes, having learnt most of them my heart – for some reason class 6 still eludes me. For each class you have to learn nounal, verbal, adjectival and possessive prefixes, singular and plural. It's sounds gruelling, but it still makes much more sense to me than French grammar.

Tuesday 16th

Today was a day of prayer at the church for Ubuzima, starting at nine am. During the praise and worship Mama D gave me a song book, and I totally rocked it. I normally just pray in tongues except for the odd word or two that I understand, but today I was able to sing all the words. Well, the ones I could pronounce anyway. And during the preach, Jean Claude was translating for me into French, but he didn't know one of the key words. But I did. Imbabazi. It's misericorde. Or for the Anglophiles among you, mercy. And I need it the amount of pride I’m feeling right now.
I left at twelve to write my reports for uni. I pretty much finished three of them, but they need polishing somewhat.

In the evening I went with Dora for dinner at the Milles Collines. We sat outside by the pool listening to live music as we munched on yummy food. Mm, brochettes. The piri piri here is caution, eat at own risk, burns through flesh and steel, industrial strength hot. After a hefty application of vaseline all over my lower face and hands, we continued to enjoy the evening. Especially the band's rendition of 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight'. Although the other guests probably didn't enjoy me joining in at the top of my voice.

Monday 15th
We were hideously busy today. We arrived at church at 8 am so that Mama Deborah could say goodbye to Suz, only to find that she had already left by the time we got there. So we went into town to buy coffee for people in the UK. Only two people though because I’ve spend all my money this month on fancy restaurants and car taxis. I now have like 5p for the next three weeks. Wish me luck. And we popped into Kenya Airways to find out if Suz would be allowed to fly with her 8ft djembe, giant wooden spoon and beaded walking stick.
Then we went to visit my friend Patrick. He is very sick with Malaria, and lives alone so has no one to care for him. So we went and took him a hearty supply of water and imitation rich tea biscuits, the staple diet for any sick person.
After this we went home and Suzanna packed. Then Enoch visisted. Then Mama Deborah visited. Then we we walked them part of the way home, as is the custom here. Maybe it's to make sure they've actually gone?!
Finally it was time to go to the airport (finally as in 'in conclusion' and not as in 'at last'). Jash met us there to say a final tearful goodbye, and then she was gone. Thus endeth Suz and Nic's adventure in Africa.
So then I went to the post office to see if any birthday packages had arrived. Still none. Hope is fast waning like a cold winter sun (we've been reading LOTR together. It's making me feel quite dramatic).
And then Bible study. We were talking about the evils of alcohol, and apparently of dancing too. My contribution of 'well it can't be that bad because Jesus drank wine', was needless to say not translated by either Dora or the pastor's wife.

Saturday 13th

Right, Nicola is stranded on the other side of town because it's raining (it rains hard here, and the roads in the residential areas are bad; everything shuts down when the heavens open), and so I have taken it upon myself to start today's blog entry on her behalf. This isn't entirely altruistic; the electricity has failed and it's getting dark, so I'm relying on her laptop battery to outlast the power cut and light my way. Ironically, one of the things that she asked me to bring over from the UK was a solar powered lamp for times like this, but I ran out of space and prioritised a selection of flip flops and pashminas over more practical items like torches, medication etc.

Slept badly last night, firstly because it was unreasonably warm, and secondly because a nearby church had a very raucous prayer meeting until 3.30am (I actually thought that there was some kind of civil unrest and was praying for protection over our house until a spontaneous call and response of 'hallelu - jah, hallelu - jah' broke out just after midnight). People in Nic's neighbourhood are up and out of the house at around 5am, singing, drumming on jerry cans etc, so there was a 1.5 hour window in which I could relish the absence of human noise and count the holes in Nicola's mosquito net.

This morning we took taximotos to the top of town (I've felt fairly reticent about using these funny little motorbikes since we saw that SUV plough into the side of one, but they are cheap and fast and there's nearly always one to hand when you want one) to a café with a name that I can't pronounce or spell, to meet Natalie.

Nicola has told you about Natalie before, but just to recap, she's a refugee from the DRC. She's in her early thirties and has five kids. Her husband left her, so she's raising the children solo. She's been living in a refugee camp since 2001. And she speaks French, so Nic translated for us, as my French is tres mauvais.
What struck me most about Natalie was her incredible attitude. She basically said (imagine a French Congolese accent) 'I live, therefore I can work. And there are others in the camp who are more vulnerable than me, who need my help. So I work to help them'. She said this with no hint of self pity or stoicism, but with a kind of measured determination.

Natalie makes jewellery which ITeams sell in Canada. She's also involved in an association that grows vegetables for the sick and elderly people in the camp, and has tapped into the camp's economy by providing a hairdressing service and a phone charging business (ITeams provided a generator). In other circumstances I could imagine her running a business, or leading a ministry, but as it is she's doing the best with what she has to make a difference in her community.

Nic – In the afternoon Jash came round to do some African drumming with Suz. It was very noisy. Then in the evening we went to a restaurant called Top Tower. It was very high up. Thus concludes Saturday. I'm feeling a bit irritable, so all the blog entries I write now, hopefully a whole weeks worth, will be short and in all likelihood, well, a bit short (The hopefully applies to the quantity not to the attitude).

I just did the spell check on her blog entry and there were seven, I repeat seven spelling mistakes. Yes, there is an 'l' in vulnerable. Nice one Suz.

Quick apology for the eight spelling mistakes on my birthday blog

Sorry!

Thursday 11th

I love this hotel, I love Gisenyi, I love Rwanda. Today we had the best breakfast EVER! We sat on the balcony overlooking the pool, lake and mountains, in scorching sunshine. It went like this:
Round one – cocopops, pineapple and mango
Round two – banana muffin and croissant
Round three – bacon, fried potatoes, baked beans and sausage, with Heinz Ketchup.
It was awesome!

The sun was shining in paradise and so it was that we set off for an adventure.

Guest-blogger – Suzanna's version of events

I suppose the most notable occurrence today was our failed attempt to enter the Democratic Republic of Congo. I’m unsure of how Nicola persuaded me to walk to the border, fill out exit immigration forms and to cross the border into the DRC with no visas when I am intrinsically predisposed to avoid any situation that is likely to lead to uncomfortable discussions with armed military personnel. But, like so many things, my intrinsic predisposition is no match for Nicola's will, and I found myself watching in mild horror as she merrily handed over our passports to the DRC immigration control.

I hissed at Nicola and pulled my 'what the heck are you doing with our shiny UK passports' face. She shot me her best 'back off library girl, I know what I’m doing' look, and turned back to the desk. I stepped out into the sunshine to quell the feeling of impending doom that had been steadily growing since Nicola suggested that it might be nice to lunch in the Congo. The truckload of soldiers sporting AK47s and the shifty looking lorry drivers didn't do much for my nerves.

As a responsible guest-blogger I'm reticent to go into too much detail about the subsequent escapade (if you want to hear the whole story chat to myself or Nic) but in summary, after a lengthy attempt on Nicola's behalf to persuade the guard to let us 'just have lunch in Goma, and then we'll come straight back', some tense minutes during which we lost sight of our passports and Nicola almost having her camera confiscated, the guard informed us that it would be $570 for the two of us to officially enter the country. Happily, we only had $40 between us; we traipsed back across the border, past soldiers and lorry drivers and aid trucks, and as our exit stamps were being cancelled Nicola muttered under her breath 'best refused entry EVER!'

I’ve learned a lesson today. A little local knowledge does not qualify someone, even your sister, to lead you in to a category two country with no guide, no visas and eight words of Swahili (five of which were learned from the Lion King).

Sitting in a café later that day, Nicola looked at me across the table and said 'that's the stupidest thing we've ever done. I can't believe you let me try and get into the DRC. You're a bad big sister'.

Quite.

Nic - Yeah, that was pretty much how it happened. And there are photos, (best photos EVER), but I’ve been forbidden from putting them on the internet. Nerves fraught, we went back to the hotel for a quick drink before moving on to our next haunt. After checking into the new hotel, we walked straight down to the beach.

It was even closer than before, probably about ten metres away. And there we chilled away the afternoon, reading Tolkien's The Two Towers in the sunshine and rain. (Don't worry, we took shelter from the storm under a wooden parasol, not unlike a tree. Safe as houses). And a lizard pooed on Suzanna. It was a good day.

Wednesday 10th

Today marks the start of our short holiday to Lake Kivu, up in the north-west region of Rwanda. For the past few days I’ve been trying to hide it's geography from my sister and mother, as Gisenyi, our chosen destination, is only a twenty minute walk from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Sadly though, Suzanna guessed yesterday that something was up when I made a hushed phone call to my friend asking her to pray for us. 'Please pray that we aren't killed by hippos, bilharzia or Congolese rebels.' But Suz took it all in her stride, and even agreed to consider crossing the border for lunch on Thursday.

We were supposed to leave Kigali at 8 am, but managed to catch an earlier bus. This had both positive and negative implications. On the plus side, we had more time in Gisenyi. On the down side, I needed the toilet but had no time to go before we left. The next three hours were excruciating to say the least. The scenery on the way was stunning, probably the prettiest I’ve ever seen, but being so desperate for the loo I struggled to appreciate it. When at long last we saw the lake, my eyes filled with tears and I prepared to make a speedy exit from the bus. Waiting at the bus stop were loads of guys trying to sell things. One guy asked me if I wanted a taxi, and I yelled, 'no, toilet!', and he showed me to the nearest one, which happened to be at someone's house. It was the best pee EVER.

We got a taxi to our hotel and checked in. The hotel was lush. We each had a double bed with four pillows. Four deliciously large, plump pillows each. I was in heaven. Suzanna's wonderfully timed, three hour lecture titled 'Diseases you can catch in Africa, especially in lakes', a few days before had persuaded me not to swim in Lake Kivu, but when I saw that crystal clear water shimmering under the African sun from our hotel room, I immediately changed my mind. I quickly donned my swimming costume and bid Suzanna a quick farewell before running into the Lake. It was the best swim EVER. The water was warm and clean, the sand was golden and the sun shone happily all around us. It was like paradise. I’ve been really happy in Rwanda; my time here has passed so far without incident. But when I stood on that gorgeous beach, I don't think I’ve ever been happier. I appreciated and enjoyed everything so much more than I would have done previously.

After my swim, we relaxed on sun loungers at the beach and had lunch. Suzanna's chicken came in half a hollowed out pineapple, and as she posed for a photo, she tipped it all over her lap. We were both pretty tired and fragile from the journey, but it was hard to not to laugh. For me anyway. We stayed at the beach all afternoon, swimming and relaxing. It was really good just to have a change of scenery and an opportunity to chill out.

In the evening we went to a different hotel for dinner. It had more of an African vibe than the one we were staying in that night. While we waited for our food, we sat by the fire pit warming our hands, listening to the lake gently lapping at the shore.

That night I had my first shower in two months. It was the best shower EVER! The water was so hot and plentiful; it made my skin so clean and my hair so soft. I love showers. I miss them. I showered a total of five times in 24 hours.

Our first day in Gisenyi was so good that we decided to stay another night, and booked a room at the second hotel.

Tuesday 9th November (My Birthday)

It's my birthday! (It's actually now almost a week later; Suz has been here nine days and and I'm feeling pretty tired. Not that she's draining or anything but we've been busy, busy, busy. I'm a tad grumpy and I think it might come across in my blog. So apologies. Also, Jash is trying to teach Suz to sing 'Our God is an awesome God' in Kinyarwanda in the background with the Djembe I bought her (possibly the biggest mistake of my young life. Good luck Alice, Laura and Lisa. So it's quite hard to concentrate/ not commit GBH.

Thank you to everyone for your kind birthday wishes, and especially to those of you that sent me cards and presents. I feel very blessed! A special thanks to the Harringtons, Faith, the Mundels and my grandparents for sending me chocolate. You did a good thing! And thank you awesome people who posted me things. Nothing has arrived yet but we live in hope.

We started the day with a lie in; no 5 am prayer meeting, Hallelujah. We had croissants for breakfast and sang Christmas songs all morning. It's only six weeks away people. I've been banned from singing them in Dora's presence (I think she might be Rwanda's version of the Grinch), so it was a real release to just let loose and get festive. I think I freaked out the bike guy last week when I was singing 'Feed the World' at full volume as we sped through the city. Cat called me from Vienna for about forty minutes which was lovely, a real treat. Since I've been here I've realised how many amazing friends I have back in the UK.

In the afternoon we went to Ubuzima with chocolate fridge cake, possibly it's debut in Africa. A big thank you to my Mum for making it, my sister for bringing it in her suitcase and my Dad for not eating it in the interim period. It's better than I remember it.

When I got to Ubuzima, everyone sang for me and threw bits of gitengi over my head. The group gave me a bag, and a necklace and earring set, my own design, with beads that I crafted with my own hands. Oh yeah. And Mama Judith also gave me a jewellery set and bag which was really sweet of her. It was a really special time.

Afterwards we went back to the craft market to buy more gifts for you lovely people back on on the cold, wet, windy island we are proud to call home. I got Suz a massive Djembe - approx. 6 foot by 3 for Christmas. Don't tell her, it's a surprise. And we got our great granddad a walking stick beaded with the colours of the Rwanda flag. It's as awesome as it sounds, if not more.

In the evening we went to Shokolat for dinner, and just chilled out there for a couple of hours. Luscious.

So how does it feel to be twenty two? Honestly, old. Which is bad news for most of you guys back there in the UK. Because you're older.

Sunday 7th

Church starts at eight, so Sunday is not a day for a lie in – we got up at six. We both enjoyed the sermon but for different reasons; Suz because it was biblical, me because it was funny. Then I took her into town for lunch and a tour of Kigali (we got lost). I wanted to buy her some gitengi so the ladies at Ubuzima can make her a dress, but the shopkeepers were like, 'oo bazungu, kerching', so we didn't get any. I'll go in again with a Rwandese friend and get them to buy it for us at a reasonable price.

We walked home at midday. It was properly hot and I was wearing all black. By the time we got home we were both bright, bright red but fortunately there were two of us, so it looked to the untrained eye like our natural colouring. This afternoon we slept and I caught up on my blog. I’ve been so busy lately that I’ve just not had time to do it. And my internet connection wasn't working well last week.

Suz is gradually working her way through my room, bringing order to my wardrobe and cabinet. It's nice.

A note from Suz:

Today we saw a tub of Nutella that cost 16,000 francs, which is £13.30.

A girl of few words, my sister. But she has promised to do a guest blog in the week, so get your dictionaries ready and watch this space.

Saturday 6th

Suzanna is here!!! We chilled out all morning because she had a really long journey and we're both exhausted. Suz brought out a whole case of things that I'd forgotten, and it was really nice to see some familiar items and have some luxuries that I’ve been missing, like shoes and trousers. Thank you so much Borinne for all your help – you are a super star! I really appreciate all your help.

Yvette came round in the afternoon to give Suz a pedicure, and we gave her a goody bag of nail care stuff. She was really pleased.

=
Then we went to church to meet Jean Paul and Patrick. We all got a bus into town and met up with a couple of other friends, Jash and Moses before going out for drinks at Bourbon. I found out tonight that Jash is like a Rwandan version of Ian; he really likes attention, takes too much sugar in his coffee, and talks a lot, but is better mannered and black. We miss you Ian Herd, and would very much like a copy of your best man speech.

We all walked home together, which was nice. Jash held Suzanna's hand all the way home, which I thought was hilarious. It's just a cultural thing – she's new here and they want to look out for her and make sure she's OK, but it was pretty funny.

When we got home, Suz spent three hours reading to me about the tropical diseases which plague East Africa; carriers, symptoms and preventative measures. It was super fun. A special thanks to Palmira for getting her all freaked out about Malaria. And to Dee and Pete for helping her find her new vocation in life; promoting 'Ben's 100' military grade, 95% deet insect repellent. I owe you one.

Friday 5th

Suzanna has commenced her epic journey to Africa!!! I think this was the slowest day of my life. Every time I looked at the clock, thinking an hour had past, it was only two or three minutes later. I think at one point the sun actually stopped in the sky.

I cooked this morning for the street kids, but I’m thinking you had already guessed that. You're probably starting to notice a pattern in my weekly schedule. Its hardly advanced algorithm (I’m not sure what it is either but I heard them say it in popular US drama Numbers and I thought it sounded cool).

We got to the airport at ten to one, anticipating her arrival at ten past. At half one I asked the information desk for information on the flight. They should have called it the non-information desk. An hour later, I went back. 'Hi, it's me again, Any news?' So, the plane had been circling Kigali for thirty minutes but was unable to land due to a tropical storm over the city. I love the power of a well placed adjective. They had gone back to Burundi to wait it out. Never complain that UK airports don't keep you updated on delays. So I paid the taxi guy and was left stranded at the airport, hungry, cold and alone, with no money and no sister. I guess I hadn't expected the flight to be delayed, so didn't have anything with me. It was a bad call I know.

At four thirty, just a shadow of my former self, I saw a pasty creature stumble across the threshold of the airport, and I knew at once that this creature was my sister. We sat at a coffee shop and ordered some food, Suz paid, then we went home. That evening at dusk, we went for a walk along my road. The idea was to prove to Suz that my neighbourhood is really safe and that a white can live here without incident. After fifteen minutes we were mobbed by a group of between twenty and five hundred kids. It was horrible. They were climbing all over us shouting, 'Give me money!' I found it really unpleasant, and was annoyed that I've lived here for 7 weeks without incident but this happened on Suz's first day. Not a very nice welcome to Kigali. Fortunately I had enough Kinyarwanda to ask a couple of local women for help, and they chased the kids away with sticks.

Wednesday 3th and Thursday 4th

Today and yesterday were pretty similar. I’ve been studying Kinyarwanda in the mornings, and having lessons in the afternoons. I’m praying that God will really help me to improve before Suz gets here. On Wednesday morning I went into town to buy Mama Judith a gift. I searched high and low for a French to English dictionary but couldn't find one anywhere. Mandarin, yes. Italian, yes. English, no. I guess because its such an obscure language there just aren't any resources yet! So instead I settled on roses. I haggled the guy down from £4 to £1.80.Let's just say they aren't fair trade when I buy them!

I got to church just in time to avoid the rain, hand full of thorns. I sat with a guy called Manu until the rain passed. He's the church church administrator. I see him most days but have never really spoken to him before, so it was good to get to know him a bit better. When I took Mama Judith the flowers, she looked really chuffed.

Suzanna is coming tomorrow. I’m really excited but pretty tired. I really hope she has a good time here.

Tuesday 2nd

I took Isabelle out for lunch today to say goodbye. I know I’ve only known her for six weeks, but I must admit that I feel pretty gutted that's she's leaving. I have found the past few days quite stressful; the least enjoyable so far, but God is still good. And I've lost all the photos I took of our lunch together, so that's pretty rubbish.

In the afternoon, I went to Ubuzima for the meeting, then had a lesson with Mama Judith. She's doing well, but an hour isn't really long enough to teach much. It's her 49th birthday tomorrow, and I think she's feeling pretty old. I’ve been trying to tell her that life begins at forty, and that fifty is the new forty, or so my parents tell me. Then I had a meeting with Alain. He's 2IC at Impact Rwanda, so I met with him to get some advice on Isabelle's situation. Also Jen called me from Canada, so I feel that the burden is off now.

Monday 1st

Today was rubbish. I found out today that Isabelle will go back to her father's until January, when she can come back to Kigali to start school. Then at ten in the evening, our house girl sent Dora a text message to say that she quits, and will leave in the morning. Who is going to cook dinner?

Isabelle and I having our last lesson together outside. I'm really going to miss her!

Sunday 31st

Last night I burnt my leg on the exhaust of the bike. They get really hot and I was wearing a skirt, so it's not that suprising. But it's pretty sore. And the four bites you can see are spider bites I got yesterday when sitting with Isabelle under the tree. And I have the biggest blisters on the soles of my feet from my new sandals, so I'm feeling pretty gross at the moment.

After church I took some photos of IT's families for serge to take to Canada. Basically, a widow from the church takes in some street kids, and then IT supports the 'family' financially, including paying for school fees.

Then Serge took me to the post office to check the box. It was empty. Come on people, 8 days to go.

In the afternoon I slept for like two hours. I was tired. Then at three I went to Patrick's house, and do you know what? I had a lovely time! We also visited the homes of two of his friends, and it was such a privilege to welcomed into their lives. And I was able to thank my hosts for their hospitality in Swahili, as they were from the Congo. I felt pretty please with myself.

Saturday 30th

When I got to church today, I found Isabelle sitting under a tree sobbing her eyes out. Her aunty has kicked her out because she 'doesn't need her'. So we spend some time praying together before the lesson. I tried to explain that is wasn't her fault, that she doesn't deserve to be treated like this, that God loves her and cares about her. We will just have have to wait and see what happens to her.
After the lesson we played football together, sorry, no photos, then we went into town for ice cream. It was so good to spend time with her outside of lessons, to show that I’m interested in her as a person, not just as a job.

In the evening I went with Dora to mee with a local group of young Christians. It was a great evening. We just hung out at a bar all evening, with a guitar and tjembe. Proper Christian fellowship. And I met a guy called Napoleon. I know, coolest name ever, except for maybe Admiral Lord Nelson.

Friday 29th PM

Don't ask me what I did in the afternoon, it's now a week later and has been hectic lately. I honestly can't remember. But in the evening, I went out on the town with Dora. By out on the town, I mean we went to a restaurant for a civilised drink – I had fruit juice and she had hot milk with honey. It was wild. After drinks, we walked home which was lovely. I don't really walk about much on my own after dark, but was really nice to be in the city in the evening.

When we got home I saw a gecko running up the wall. I don't like to miss an opportunity so I chased after it. But this was a wriggler. It fell a few times, but I didn't give up until things got freaky. All of a sudden, the gecko was in two parts; the tail wriggling around on the floor and the body flying across the hallway. (I was so freaked out that I may have thrown the found the gecko as far away as possible). Naturally, I called my dad, who I think was in an Elders meeting, to find out if the tailless lizard would die. He assured me that it would not, so, conscience salved, I spend a good while playing with the detached tail. It was a bit gross but very fun. And out of interest, the gecko did die that night, but probably due to injuries sustained from a high velocity impact.

Before I go, here is a picture of the street kids that are involved with the Vivante ministry. They are the ones we cook for every Friday.

Friday 29th AM

I had a great time at church this morning. I’m usually a little bit late; I’m not a morning person and to be anywhere at 7 am is nothing short of a miracle. I always feel bad, thinking everyone has been working for ages, but when I got to church at seven twenty today, I was the first person to arrive.
It's nice that I’ve been here long enough to know how it's done, so I could just get on with getting the food ready. I spent the first few hours sorting the rice, as you can see in this photo.



We peeled and chopped the vegetables, and I cooked the sauce . I’m not a fan of cooking on an open fire because of all the smoke, but you man up and do what you have to do. That is until you can't see any more because your eyes are so full of smoke and tears, and you have smoke inhalation poisoning. That's when Mama Brigette stepped in to take over. But we really had a lot of fun together today. Usually after preparing the food I go over to Ubuzima, but today I stayed and hung out with the cooking team. I really feel like I’m making progress with those friendships, which is good news. Patrick has invited me to go and visit his house this weekend, so I’m looking forward to that.

Patrick and Jean Paul sporting matching aprons.

And if you think they cook a lot of rice on Year of Training, think again!

Thursday 28th

I was supposed to go and work at the office today, but I had actually arranged to meet up Nathalie (below) this morning. She has made some gorgeous chunky gitengi bracelets for Serge to take to Canada and I went as quality control to make sure they are all perfect. Trouble is, I always want to buy everything because it's so beautiful!

Then we went to the office quickly to pick up some supplies for the refugee camp. That second store room is a real mess, and it's going to be quite a challenge to organise it. But we will prevail.

I sat outside for half an hour this afternoon to do some prep for my Kinyarwanda lesson, in the glorious sunshine might I add. I do like the sunshine people. (PS, enjoy the winter).

And this evening I went out with Serge to get ice cream, um, I mean cake, no, I mean fruit! We just chatted together about how things are going and if there's anything I would change / am struggling with / am enjoying etc. But for the most part, things are going very well. I am very happy to be here, and am looking forward to the next seven months.

Wednesday 27th

So far since my arrival in September, the weather has been stunning; regularly reaching 30 degrees and never going below 20. Beautiful. I sat outside this morning for a couple of hours in the gorgeous sunshine studying Kinyarwanda. And boy did I laugh thinking of my peers who have gone to France and Germany for the year. Enjoy the winter! In fact, I’m still laughing now! This said, we have had quite a lot of rain this month, and its only going to get wetter as time goes by. But it should stay warm with the sun making regular appearances. Thank you Jesus.

In case you have forgotten, this is what blue sky looks like, and yes, it is as nice as you remembered!

So I just stayed at home and studied all day. I can't believe how much Persian I have forgotten. It's hard to study three languages simultaneously. I’m not sure my brain is big enough to fit it all in.

Tuesday 26th

Last night I totally caught a frog and it peeed on my neighbour! Good times. I was walking up the hill in the dark when suddenly (for dramatic tension), I saw something running across my path. In hindsight, it was probably jumping, being a frog and all, but at the time I didn't know what it was, and my impression of its movement was that it was running. So I was going to take it into the house to freak out Dora, when I saw my neighbour sitting outside his house. I just couldn't contain my excitement any longer, so I yelled out, 'I’ve caught a frog!' and thrust the unwitting creature into his hands. I asked him if if was poisonous, although by that time it would have been too late for the both of us. It was all puffed up and squishy like an amphibious marshmallow. Naturally, as curious beings, we were squeezing it and pulling it's legs and the like, so it's hardly surprising that it peeed on us. I think I probably would have done the same in it's situation. 'I think we should let it go now', I said, to which my distraught neighbour replied, 'I have frog pee on my hands'. And he did. Yes he did.

So before that, I had a very good day. Tuesday morning is my morning off, so I stayed at home to do some house work. I swept and mopped my bedroom floor, and washed my pants (I was down to my last pair). I’m trying to think what else I did, but that's pretty much it. It took me an exceptionally long time to work myself up to having a shower this morning. The prospect of kneeling in a cold bath to wash with a bucket of water and a cup can be a daunting one. And there was a spider in the bathroom yesterday, which obviously threw me as I totally miscalculated the boiled water to cold tap water ratio, and ended up with a bucket of lukewarm water, which is never nice, unless of course, you are used to washing in freezing glacier water, in which case lukewarm water would be a real treat. But don't get me wrong, I am so grateful that we have an indoor bathroom, cold running water and charcoal to boil water on. And Dora should be too, because I’m not sure I would ever wash if we didn't!

Then in the afternoon I went to Ubuzima for the general meeting. A guy called Jash interpreted for me, which was nice, as I’m usually left to guess what is being said. This doesn't bother me, as I just make up my own script in my head, which can get pretty interesting. Any guesses what Jash is short for? Jashellun, Jashosaphat, Jashemiah? It's got me stumped. Then we went into town to get me some new shoes. He took me to this amazing indoor market which was chock-a-block with African goodies, a tourist's heaven. Sadly there was no electricity so we couldn't really see anything, and I only had enough money for shoes, but I'll go back when Suz gets here.

I got a beautiful pair of beaded leather flip flops from Kenya for just under six quid. Bargain. And they're very sturdy, so they should last a while, unlike all this cheap European rubbish.