Last Friday concluded the first set of training sessions for the internal savings and lending groups I will be working with for the next few months. The last session brought Flavien, Emmanuel and I to Kibumbwe, roughly 45 minutes to an hour (moto ride) away from Nyamagabe town. My first visit to Kibumbwe was nearly a month ago, when I first met the four ISLGs we are working with in the area. They gave me a very warm welcome with a round of applause after each sentence I completed in Kinyarwanda. The people, along with the fact that the heart of the “town” seems to be a soccer field, make Kibumbwe one of my favorite places to visit in the area. Other than the soccer field there is a health center, a sector office, a school, and a restaurant/store. Not much comes and goes in Kibumbwe, which was a point I understood in greater detail as the day wore on.
The ride to Kibumbwe was just like any other field visit. Emmanuel and I on a moto with books, pens, and paper strapped to the back end. When we arrived at Kibumbwe, instead of meeting in the health center, like we did last time, we decided to meet in the school. The second term has just ended, but children were around awaiting their grades. Instead of accompanying Flavien and giving my “motivational speech” I decided to sit in on Emmanuel’s session and watch his teaching style and his interaction with the ISLG members. He doesn’t quite have the dance moves that Flavien likes to bust out during his trainings, but his linear teaching style provided a clear and concise lesson on savings and lending practices. He also did a great job in handling the kids, who seemed to be taking shifts staring at the muzungu in their classroom.
As the day wrapped up, Flavien suggested I ride back with the car that brings the meals for the ISLG members. I didn’t mind, but was a bit worried since they were late bringing lunches because of car trouble. Nonetheless, I got in and away we went in a Honda Civic, which was weighed down by 5 people, 50 empty glass Coca Cola bottles, dirty plates and silverware and had little to no tread on the tires from what I could see. After bottoming out a few times on a road that was clearly not suitable for anything but a 4-wheel drive car or moto, we came to a screeching halt, before we started going backwards, on a very steep hill. The driver was convinced we needed to add water to the radiator (not sure I understand the radiator to steep hill relation), but I didn’t say anything. We parked on the hill and sat for a half an hour after getting water from a local stream. After two more failed attempts to make it up the hill, I decided to get out and call Flavien who was going to send Emmanuel to pick me up whenever they were done. After waiting for 15 minutes, a truck (with a good radiator) came by and asked I wanted a ride. I gladly accepted and away we went, bouncing over ditches and rocks that I don’t know how the Civic made it over in the first place.
As we were crossing the final bridge before Nyamagabe town, I heard a CRACK and felt the back end of the truck drop. The narrow beams, which were barely held together with bolts and screws, snapped underneath us, dropping the truck a few feet above the stream. The truck was surely not going anywhere, which amused most of us, but annoyed the driver who was busy running around trying to find a log to prop up the tires. Luckily, one of the onlookers was a moto driver, who was able to give me a ride the last 2 km to my house.
I forget sometimes that transportation here is far from a sure thing and arriving on time anywhere is not only a challenge, but also success (when it happens). We have another field visit to Kibumbwe in a few weeks which I’m sure will bring a whole new set of challenges. The first however is getting across the bridge that will hopefully be “fixed” by then. We’ll see!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
The Rwandaful Times, Vol 1, Issue 1
Has it really been a month since I’ve last written? My apologies for the brief hiatus and for those that have requested an update, I hope you like the new format. I think that somewhere between my writers block and the World Cup, I lost track of keeping notes and writing down my thoughts. I’ve realized though that my scattered ideas don’t always translate into a well written blog entry, so I’m introducing The Rwandaful Times as a happy medium. I figured I’d be able to touch on various areas of life here, while breaking from the traditional, coherent blog entry. I was going to announce it on ESPN “The Decision II” but thought this was a much better platform.
The Rwandaful Times
Local News:
Nyamagabe is receiving highly anticipated fiber optic cables, which will provide high-speed internet to the area. Despite the fact that that meant water was shut off in the region without warning, many people are excited for the opportunity to use high-speed internet. On what you might ask? Well that is to be determined. But hey, if that means I’ll be able to stream Seahawks highlights come this Fall, I’m not complaining. In the mean time, it’s providing jobs or at least paying lots of men with shovels that are struck with a confused look on their faces while staring at the red and yellow tubing.
International News:
Uganda has recently been added to our Peace Corps do not travel list which effectively means we cannot travel to 3 of the 4 surrounding countries. Good thing Tressa and I picked Tanzania/Zanzibar for our Christmas/New Years plans!
The 4th of July was celebrated in true Amerrrika fashion with hot dogs (yes they have them here), mustard (yes that can be shipped here), ketchup, and chips. Tressa and I invited some of our friends over for a 4th of July weekend which was a lot of fun. We all wore red, white and blue, sat up on my deck and cooked hot dogs over the kerosene stove while listening to music from home. It was refreshing and for a few fleeting moments, felt like we were sitting around a campfire back in the states.
Business:
We have moved past the Internal Saving and Lending Group (ISLG) assessment phase and have moved into the training (or in some cases re-training) phase. The typical day consists of arriving out in a village (usually at a school room or a local leader’s office) to greet roughly 60 farmers/merchants who have divided themselves into 3 ISLGs based on location, which is typically their village (umudugudu). Flavien who I mainly travel with now, outlines what ISLGs are, how they work and other big picture stuff. For the first few trainings, I’ve mainly played what I call the ‘motivational speaker’ role in which Flavien asks me to talk about benefits of ISLGs. Most of the time he just tells me when to start talking and will translate anything I need help with, which at this point, is still a lot of what I say. Unfortunately, discussing how and why to save the little money that many of these people earn was not in my Pre-Service Training Language classes. I’m confident that as time goes on however I’ll find my niche in these sessions. In fact, last week while attending a conference put on by CHF, we were taught new lessons in ISLG training, some of which Flavien and I both agreed would be great ways for me to be more involved in the trainings, while at the same time using Kinyarwanda.
Sports:
The World Cup has come and gone, and although Spain won, Rwandans stopped caring once Ghana lost to Uruguay. I’m sure this goes for most of the continent, as many countries seemed to suddenly become general “African” supporters once the Black Star nation was “their” only hope. I’ll have to admit that I was a bit happier after Ghana lost. Hearing Rwandans chant “Yes We Can” after Ghana beat the US struck a protective, patriotic cord with me that was somehow ameliorated with a Ghanaian loss. In the end, I’m very happy that Africans are proud to have hosted the World Cup (although it was SA) and am lucky to have been here while it was happening.
Home Life:
I’ve recently found that American English is a great bargaining tool and have since struck two important deals. First, I agreed to teach my neighbor Joseph in exchange for Kinyarwanda and French lessons twice a week. Second, I agreed to teach my neighbor’s cook Manzi in exchange for dinner most weeknights. It’s a win-win-win situation for all of us and one that I’m hoping can last awhile.…especially the dinner deal.
The Rwandaful Times
Local News:
Nyamagabe is receiving highly anticipated fiber optic cables, which will provide high-speed internet to the area. Despite the fact that that meant water was shut off in the region without warning, many people are excited for the opportunity to use high-speed internet. On what you might ask? Well that is to be determined. But hey, if that means I’ll be able to stream Seahawks highlights come this Fall, I’m not complaining. In the mean time, it’s providing jobs or at least paying lots of men with shovels that are struck with a confused look on their faces while staring at the red and yellow tubing.
International News:
Uganda has recently been added to our Peace Corps do not travel list which effectively means we cannot travel to 3 of the 4 surrounding countries. Good thing Tressa and I picked Tanzania/Zanzibar for our Christmas/New Years plans!
The 4th of July was celebrated in true Amerrrika fashion with hot dogs (yes they have them here), mustard (yes that can be shipped here), ketchup, and chips. Tressa and I invited some of our friends over for a 4th of July weekend which was a lot of fun. We all wore red, white and blue, sat up on my deck and cooked hot dogs over the kerosene stove while listening to music from home. It was refreshing and for a few fleeting moments, felt like we were sitting around a campfire back in the states.
Business:
We have moved past the Internal Saving and Lending Group (ISLG) assessment phase and have moved into the training (or in some cases re-training) phase. The typical day consists of arriving out in a village (usually at a school room or a local leader’s office) to greet roughly 60 farmers/merchants who have divided themselves into 3 ISLGs based on location, which is typically their village (umudugudu). Flavien who I mainly travel with now, outlines what ISLGs are, how they work and other big picture stuff. For the first few trainings, I’ve mainly played what I call the ‘motivational speaker’ role in which Flavien asks me to talk about benefits of ISLGs. Most of the time he just tells me when to start talking and will translate anything I need help with, which at this point, is still a lot of what I say. Unfortunately, discussing how and why to save the little money that many of these people earn was not in my Pre-Service Training Language classes. I’m confident that as time goes on however I’ll find my niche in these sessions. In fact, last week while attending a conference put on by CHF, we were taught new lessons in ISLG training, some of which Flavien and I both agreed would be great ways for me to be more involved in the trainings, while at the same time using Kinyarwanda.
Sports:
The World Cup has come and gone, and although Spain won, Rwandans stopped caring once Ghana lost to Uruguay. I’m sure this goes for most of the continent, as many countries seemed to suddenly become general “African” supporters once the Black Star nation was “their” only hope. I’ll have to admit that I was a bit happier after Ghana lost. Hearing Rwandans chant “Yes We Can” after Ghana beat the US struck a protective, patriotic cord with me that was somehow ameliorated with a Ghanaian loss. In the end, I’m very happy that Africans are proud to have hosted the World Cup (although it was SA) and am lucky to have been here while it was happening.
Home Life:
I’ve recently found that American English is a great bargaining tool and have since struck two important deals. First, I agreed to teach my neighbor Joseph in exchange for Kinyarwanda and French lessons twice a week. Second, I agreed to teach my neighbor’s cook Manzi in exchange for dinner most weeknights. It’s a win-win-win situation for all of us and one that I’m hoping can last awhile.…especially the dinner deal.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
A franc for your thoughts
It is now been a little over a month now since swearing in and I’m feeling more and more each day settled into life here in Nyamagabe. My work thus far has been mainly observational, as my counterpart Flavien, colleague Emmanuel and I work on the first phase of our project with Higa Ubeho, which translates to “Be Determined and Live” in Kinyarwanda. It’s a 5-year program funded by USAID , overseen by CHF International, and operated through RPOs or Rwanda Partner Organizations. The organization that I am working with, AEE, is one of these RPOs and recently became of the specialized organizations to work on economic strengthening. This broad term translates into very specific goals for AEE Nyamagabve: Assist three “Pre-Cooperatives” into becoming “Model Cooperative” and develop 57 new ISLGs over the course of the next year. This involves assessing existing groups, finding and establishing new groups, providing trainings in coop development and market literacy, etc. It also involves many trips to the field which I have no problem with for two reasons: 1. It means I don’t have to sit at a desk and type all day 2. I get to ride a moto (Of course with my PC issued moto helmet, which by the way includes firey stars and lightening bolts). Our job is also to work with youth in the community in either going to school (AEE Nyamagabe funds over 300 orphans and vulnerable children’s school fees), providing vocational training, and ultimately finding them an employer. The families that we contact to join ISLGs are all family members or guardians of the OVCs that are also sponsored by AEE to attend school. In addition, the youth that AEE works with are from CHH or Child Headed Households.
Currently we are in the assessment and sensitization phase of this process which has brought me out into the rural areas in the surrounding sectors of Nyamagabe town. It is great to meet and see the faces behind the numbers and names on paper, while at the same time learning of their challenges and successes. One group that we met last week has been established for 10 years, which has allowed some members to buy cows for their families or remodel parts of their house. However, they struggle with bookkeeping, enforcing repayment schedules and utilizing the social fund. They will be trained in the coming weeks in all of these areas.
It is hard to contribute anything tangible right now because I feel like it is the time for me to observe and ask all of the questions I may have. It’s one thing to learn the saving and lending practices that AEE teaches, but also how and why these practices work Rwanda as well.
My house is coming together more and more each day. In Kinyarwanda we’d say “buhoro buhoro’’ which means “slowly by slowly”. I have my bed frame (which I need to buy a larger mattress for), my chairs, my small and large tables, and my couch (which I need to buy cushions for). My book shelves will arrive this week (fingers crossed). I’ve slowly been picking up items that I need around the house like a hammer, cleaning supplies, and cookware. I’ve started cooking for myself which has mainly consisted of oatmeal in the morning (who knew oatmeal can taste so good with any mixture of peanut butter, honey, cinnamon, and/or jelly), lunches are provided by AEE, and dinner which has mainly been hot sandwiches with some sort of mixture of veggies, cheese, and spices. I eat great fresh fruit from the market which is amazingly cheap. For example, I bought a pineapple, 12 bananas, 3 green peppers, and 3 onions for about $1.50! I’m going to attempt pasta sauce this week for the first time…where’s Newman’s Own or Ragu when you need em?! (Actually Ragu was $12 in the market in Kigali, either the import tax needs to drop or Safeway needs to expand to Rwanda)
The rainy season is wrapping up or so they say, which means it should heat up here pretty soon. It’s surprisingly a bit chillier than what you think of when you think “Africa”. I had to go home today to get my North Face fleece because our office was so cold. The elevation of my site and its proximity to the forest keep it cool and the clouds lingering, but it’s still nothing to complain about.
Well I think that's it for now, feel free to email anytime!
Currently we are in the assessment and sensitization phase of this process which has brought me out into the rural areas in the surrounding sectors of Nyamagabe town. It is great to meet and see the faces behind the numbers and names on paper, while at the same time learning of their challenges and successes. One group that we met last week has been established for 10 years, which has allowed some members to buy cows for their families or remodel parts of their house. However, they struggle with bookkeeping, enforcing repayment schedules and utilizing the social fund. They will be trained in the coming weeks in all of these areas.
It is hard to contribute anything tangible right now because I feel like it is the time for me to observe and ask all of the questions I may have. It’s one thing to learn the saving and lending practices that AEE teaches, but also how and why these practices work Rwanda as well.
My house is coming together more and more each day. In Kinyarwanda we’d say “buhoro buhoro’’ which means “slowly by slowly”. I have my bed frame (which I need to buy a larger mattress for), my chairs, my small and large tables, and my couch (which I need to buy cushions for). My book shelves will arrive this week (fingers crossed). I’ve slowly been picking up items that I need around the house like a hammer, cleaning supplies, and cookware. I’ve started cooking for myself which has mainly consisted of oatmeal in the morning (who knew oatmeal can taste so good with any mixture of peanut butter, honey, cinnamon, and/or jelly), lunches are provided by AEE, and dinner which has mainly been hot sandwiches with some sort of mixture of veggies, cheese, and spices. I eat great fresh fruit from the market which is amazingly cheap. For example, I bought a pineapple, 12 bananas, 3 green peppers, and 3 onions for about $1.50! I’m going to attempt pasta sauce this week for the first time…where’s Newman’s Own or Ragu when you need em?! (Actually Ragu was $12 in the market in Kigali, either the import tax needs to drop or Safeway needs to expand to Rwanda)
The rainy season is wrapping up or so they say, which means it should heat up here pretty soon. It’s surprisingly a bit chillier than what you think of when you think “Africa”. I had to go home today to get my North Face fleece because our office was so cold. The elevation of my site and its proximity to the forest keep it cool and the clouds lingering, but it’s still nothing to complain about.
Well I think that's it for now, feel free to email anytime!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Development as Tourism?
This past weekend I went to Nyungwe National Forest in the Southern Province near my house in Nyamagabe. The allure of seeing a chimpanzee while hiking in an eco-montane forest screams AFRICAN ADVENTURE. After arriving at the visitor center and looking over the potential hikes, I noticed an unexpected sign which listed USAID and the American People as the donors of the visitor center. Really? I thought to myself, is this the most pressing development issue? On the way to the forest we passed town after town of underfunded schools, acres of subsistence farms, and no health centers. Easily this money could have gone to fund a smaller project directly impacting one of these areas. But it in the end it didn’t, and this is the problem with development as tourism.
Tourism has proven to be a tool used in increasing GDP and the standard of living in many developing countries. Natural resource/wildlife rich countries who find themselves in the bottom of the HDI such as Tanzania and Kenya have used their natural gift of the Serengeti, Mt. Kilimanjaro and the Great Migration to attract tourists from around the world who bring in enormous amounts of cash. For example, Tourism remains a significant portion of the Services Sector in Kenya, which consists of nearly 60% of the nations GDP. By creating an atmosphere for tourism they have increased the standard living for all citizens. Rwanda is currently hoping to be a part of this tourism as development success story, yet has a long way to go.
Arriving at Nyungwe with my girlfriend and her visiting friend was exciting, as we had high hopes of seeing chimpanzees in their natural habitat. Once we arrived however we learned that the chimpanzee tracking starts at 5:30 AM, a fact that the Bradt guide book we had, the flyer the park ranger gave us and the multiple internet sites failed to list before arriving. No problem, let’s do another hike we thought. A beautifully displayed list of hikes, estimated distance, required time, level of difficulty and highlights of the trails were listed (all compliments of the plaque provided by the American People). As I glanced over the hikes the first one I saw was an opportunity to use a canopy bridge. Lets do it! The ranger then mentioned that the bridge wasn’t finished yet, sorry…next time. I disregarded the fact that they already had a picture of people walking on a treetop bridge. Ok, let’s do the hike that guarantees a waterfall! Nope sorry, a tree fell and it’s difficult to pass. Sounds like a typical problem in a forest I guess, so we went on and chose the Yellow Trail, a nice trail that provides the opportunity to see monkeys and is moderately difficult. DEAL! As we handed our money to the ranger at reception and waited for our change….Oh sorry we don’t have bills to change here the ranger said. Really? So everyone has the exact amount that you ask for EVERYTIME? The frustration of this was also compounded by the fact that there is one bus service that runs to the visitor center. It must be caught in Butare, 30 minutes in the opposite direction from my home, which is closer to Nyungwe AND which Sotra (the bus services) would have to pass. Luckily, with the help of my counterpart, I was able to find a driver to personally drive us on the terribly paved roads, past the six landslide areas.
As I thought about these my frustrations, part of me thought, this is Africa and I can’t come with my American comforts and standards and apply them to all things Rwandan. As I thought about it more I realized that these frustrations weren’t because of my standards, as much as it is my frustration with poorly planned development. USAID was happy to front the money, adding a visitor center to a widely unknown, yet tourism ‘diamond in the rough’ forest of Nyungwe in hopes of bringing in more tourists and opening the tourism money floodgates. This intervention is the typical shortsighted aid organization project that didn’t factor in all of the pieces to the puzzle. The simple addition of one item in the flow chart is what USAID felt was the missing. Visitor center + more visitors= development. Right?! Yeah! We just saved lives …Not really.
The small problems that we encountered are all problems that need to be addressed for this visitor center to reach its target of increasing tourism revenue, providing jobs, bringing money to the local communities… the list continues. Tourism can have tremendous benefits on the economy of a country, but without substantial planning, money is wasted, ending up in our case, spent on an empty visitor center in a hard to reach forest. It is great to see the signs in Kigali advertising Nyungwe with its 200 plus species of birds and 13 primates but what happens when someone asks, how can I get there? These are the questions that need to be asked before projects are funded and before time and effort are spent attempting development as tourism.
Tourism has proven to be a tool used in increasing GDP and the standard of living in many developing countries. Natural resource/wildlife rich countries who find themselves in the bottom of the HDI such as Tanzania and Kenya have used their natural gift of the Serengeti, Mt. Kilimanjaro and the Great Migration to attract tourists from around the world who bring in enormous amounts of cash. For example, Tourism remains a significant portion of the Services Sector in Kenya, which consists of nearly 60% of the nations GDP. By creating an atmosphere for tourism they have increased the standard living for all citizens. Rwanda is currently hoping to be a part of this tourism as development success story, yet has a long way to go.
Arriving at Nyungwe with my girlfriend and her visiting friend was exciting, as we had high hopes of seeing chimpanzees in their natural habitat. Once we arrived however we learned that the chimpanzee tracking starts at 5:30 AM, a fact that the Bradt guide book we had, the flyer the park ranger gave us and the multiple internet sites failed to list before arriving. No problem, let’s do another hike we thought. A beautifully displayed list of hikes, estimated distance, required time, level of difficulty and highlights of the trails were listed (all compliments of the plaque provided by the American People). As I glanced over the hikes the first one I saw was an opportunity to use a canopy bridge. Lets do it! The ranger then mentioned that the bridge wasn’t finished yet, sorry…next time. I disregarded the fact that they already had a picture of people walking on a treetop bridge. Ok, let’s do the hike that guarantees a waterfall! Nope sorry, a tree fell and it’s difficult to pass. Sounds like a typical problem in a forest I guess, so we went on and chose the Yellow Trail, a nice trail that provides the opportunity to see monkeys and is moderately difficult. DEAL! As we handed our money to the ranger at reception and waited for our change….Oh sorry we don’t have bills to change here the ranger said. Really? So everyone has the exact amount that you ask for EVERYTIME? The frustration of this was also compounded by the fact that there is one bus service that runs to the visitor center. It must be caught in Butare, 30 minutes in the opposite direction from my home, which is closer to Nyungwe AND which Sotra (the bus services) would have to pass. Luckily, with the help of my counterpart, I was able to find a driver to personally drive us on the terribly paved roads, past the six landslide areas.
As I thought about these my frustrations, part of me thought, this is Africa and I can’t come with my American comforts and standards and apply them to all things Rwandan. As I thought about it more I realized that these frustrations weren’t because of my standards, as much as it is my frustration with poorly planned development. USAID was happy to front the money, adding a visitor center to a widely unknown, yet tourism ‘diamond in the rough’ forest of Nyungwe in hopes of bringing in more tourists and opening the tourism money floodgates. This intervention is the typical shortsighted aid organization project that didn’t factor in all of the pieces to the puzzle. The simple addition of one item in the flow chart is what USAID felt was the missing. Visitor center + more visitors= development. Right?! Yeah! We just saved lives …Not really.
The small problems that we encountered are all problems that need to be addressed for this visitor center to reach its target of increasing tourism revenue, providing jobs, bringing money to the local communities… the list continues. Tourism can have tremendous benefits on the economy of a country, but without substantial planning, money is wasted, ending up in our case, spent on an empty visitor center in a hard to reach forest. It is great to see the signs in Kigali advertising Nyungwe with its 200 plus species of birds and 13 primates but what happens when someone asks, how can I get there? These are the questions that need to be asked before projects are funded and before time and effort are spent attempting development as tourism.
Monday, May 24, 2010
My kind of town, Nyamagabe is...
Well here I am finally in Nyamagabe, in the office of AEE and officially a Peace Corps Volunteer. My apologies for not writing anything sooner, as I just noticed my last blog post was days before my swear-in…nearly three weeks ago.
The swear in ceremony was held at the US Ambassador’s house, and attended by current PCVs, former PCVs, Government officials, PC staff, and even the Rwandan news, which mentioned us later that night during their broadcast. The feeling of taking the oath and becoming “official” was a bit surreal and still somewhat of a blur. During the ceremony I reflected back on filing out the PC application in December 2008, sitting on the couch with snow outside. Now I’m in Rwanda where the application process, interview, and endless waiting are a distant thought (as well as any snow).
After the swearing in ceremony I had a week to shop and relax in Kigali aka “mini Amerika” (Ikinyarwanda spelling) before going to site. As nice as the white chocolate mochas were at Bourbon Coffee at Nakumatt, I was anxious to get to Nyamagabe and start settling into life as a PCV. The plan of settling in was short lived however as I a few days after sleeping with my mattress on the floor with most of my bags still unpacked, I went back to Nyanza for training in Permaculture (Permanent-Agriculture) and then onto Butare for training on Internal Saving and Lendging Groups (ISLGs). As I sit now, my first full day in the office of AEE and no more trainings, at least in the next week, I’m looking forward to my furniture arriving tomorrow (fingers crossed), finding out where exactly to throw my trash, and asking the landlord if I can turn part of my yard into a permaculture garden.
The swear in ceremony was held at the US Ambassador’s house, and attended by current PCVs, former PCVs, Government officials, PC staff, and even the Rwandan news, which mentioned us later that night during their broadcast. The feeling of taking the oath and becoming “official” was a bit surreal and still somewhat of a blur. During the ceremony I reflected back on filing out the PC application in December 2008, sitting on the couch with snow outside. Now I’m in Rwanda where the application process, interview, and endless waiting are a distant thought (as well as any snow).
After the swearing in ceremony I had a week to shop and relax in Kigali aka “mini Amerika” (Ikinyarwanda spelling) before going to site. As nice as the white chocolate mochas were at Bourbon Coffee at Nakumatt, I was anxious to get to Nyamagabe and start settling into life as a PCV. The plan of settling in was short lived however as I a few days after sleeping with my mattress on the floor with most of my bags still unpacked, I went back to Nyanza for training in Permaculture (Permanent-Agriculture) and then onto Butare for training on Internal Saving and Lendging Groups (ISLGs). As I sit now, my first full day in the office of AEE and no more trainings, at least in the next week, I’m looking forward to my furniture arriving tomorrow (fingers crossed), finding out where exactly to throw my trash, and asking the landlord if I can turn part of my yard into a permaculture garden.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Two Cups of Tea
As the sound of Amayobera (look up this song if you download music, its the biggest thing in Rwanda right now) faded at the close of our last dance party in Nyanza, it was hard not to get sentimental thinking about the past 9 weeks of training. The first step in the PC process here in Rwanda has come to an end and as quickly as it started, its now time to move out, swear in and move to site. Can it really be May already?
I settled into this temporary home or as we like to call it Camp Peace Corps, with an open mind and readiness to learn. Everything was manufactured to allow us to focus only on language and culture, with meals prepared, schedules made, and the summer camp euphoria of living and learning together. Beyond the PC bubble however I realize that in these short 9 weeks, I’ve made a home here in Nyanza, and one that I’m going to miss. On my morning runs, I have changed many of the “Mwaramutse Mzungu” to “Mwaramutse Ryan” (or shall I say Lion). I have small posse of soccer kids that never let me walk away without being deemed a new soccer star. I’d like to think its because they like the way I play, but it could just be the Barcalona jersey I wear around town. I’ve reached the “hug level” as I like to call it with my host mom’s children, who were always so shy when the muzungu came over. Also, Mama Francine makes sure I don’t leave without drinking two cups of African tea, because to leave after one is just plain rude.
Now here I am with three days until officially swearing in as a Peace Corps Volunteer; language test passed, bags to pack, and the bitter sweet feeling of leaving Camp Peace Corps. After swearing in on May 5th, I’ll leave for Nyamagabe on Sunday or Monday. I’m excited to make new friends, find new routines, and once again settle into life here in Rwanda.
I settled into this temporary home or as we like to call it Camp Peace Corps, with an open mind and readiness to learn. Everything was manufactured to allow us to focus only on language and culture, with meals prepared, schedules made, and the summer camp euphoria of living and learning together. Beyond the PC bubble however I realize that in these short 9 weeks, I’ve made a home here in Nyanza, and one that I’m going to miss. On my morning runs, I have changed many of the “Mwaramutse Mzungu” to “Mwaramutse Ryan” (or shall I say Lion). I have small posse of soccer kids that never let me walk away without being deemed a new soccer star. I’d like to think its because they like the way I play, but it could just be the Barcalona jersey I wear around town. I’ve reached the “hug level” as I like to call it with my host mom’s children, who were always so shy when the muzungu came over. Also, Mama Francine makes sure I don’t leave without drinking two cups of African tea, because to leave after one is just plain rude.
Now here I am with three days until officially swearing in as a Peace Corps Volunteer; language test passed, bags to pack, and the bitter sweet feeling of leaving Camp Peace Corps. After swearing in on May 5th, I’ll leave for Nyamagabe on Sunday or Monday. I’m excited to make new friends, find new routines, and once again settle into life here in Rwanda.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Sweet Home Nyamagabe
AEE…Nyamagabe town…Microfinance…Nyungwe Forest… These ideas were passing through my mind on the bus ride from Kigali to my (future) home in Nyamagabe Town. The abstract ideas that I have read on paper about the work I’ll be doing, the town I’ll be living in, or the life I’ll have for the next two years is starting to be replaced by a more concrete understanding of what my Peace Corps experience will be.
To start, while in Kigali for the Health and Community Development Fair, I met Flavien from African Evangelical Enterprise who will be my counterpart for the next two years. He works with Internal Saving and Leading Groups (ISLGs) in the Nyamagabe District, facilitating training, helping start up groups, maintaining current ones, and everything that falls in between. As he is my counterpart, I will be doing a lot of these things alongside him. With 9 cooperatives and 16 ISLGs, I will be exposed to many of the challenges and successes of microfinance in Rwanda. Although I’m anxious to know what the exact projects I’ll be doing, but I’ll have to wait until May until those questions are answered.
On my town tour this morning, I stopped off at the AEE office with Flavien before touring the house I will be living in. Located near the World Vision compound, a two minute walk from the AEE office, I’ll have a nice little two bedroom house, with a living room (with electricity), bathroom (with toilet and hot water), a small yard, and a small rooftop deck. Not a bad humble abode for the next two years. I wasn’t expecting BOTH electricity and water, but I guess I’ll take it. The extra room will be a guest room/kitchen for any of you who want to visit by the way.
After my house visit, we walked through the market (market day is Wednesday) to see where I will buy food, clothes, etc. The prices were low when Flavien asked, we’ll see how much they are when the muzungu goes it alone. From there we passed through town to the health center (which I plan on visiting again for the detailed tour), and then the secondary school where Flavien taught French for a few years. The reception from everyone I met was warm and welcoming. I think everyone was excited I knew some Kinyarwandan and then even more happy to hear I’d be here for two years.
A few random thoughts and facts
1. I found the local resto/bar that plays soccer games. Phew… (sigh of relief)
2. Nyamagabe is 28 km from the Nyungwe Forest…When I get my PC issued bike I may have to make some trips. Want to send my road bike Mom?
3. Nyamagabe sits atop one of the high “mountains” in the area, thus the view in almost all directions is beautiful green rolling hills. Maybe I can find a spot to take a 360 degree picture.
4. Before 1994 Nyamagabe was not well liked by the government because of the high Tutsi population. They considered it “Congo” area and thus did not invest in development. Since then however the government is trying to develop all districts, and Nyamagabe is seeing more infrastructure and investment.
To start, while in Kigali for the Health and Community Development Fair, I met Flavien from African Evangelical Enterprise who will be my counterpart for the next two years. He works with Internal Saving and Leading Groups (ISLGs) in the Nyamagabe District, facilitating training, helping start up groups, maintaining current ones, and everything that falls in between. As he is my counterpart, I will be doing a lot of these things alongside him. With 9 cooperatives and 16 ISLGs, I will be exposed to many of the challenges and successes of microfinance in Rwanda. Although I’m anxious to know what the exact projects I’ll be doing, but I’ll have to wait until May until those questions are answered.
On my town tour this morning, I stopped off at the AEE office with Flavien before touring the house I will be living in. Located near the World Vision compound, a two minute walk from the AEE office, I’ll have a nice little two bedroom house, with a living room (with electricity), bathroom (with toilet and hot water), a small yard, and a small rooftop deck. Not a bad humble abode for the next two years. I wasn’t expecting BOTH electricity and water, but I guess I’ll take it. The extra room will be a guest room/kitchen for any of you who want to visit by the way.
After my house visit, we walked through the market (market day is Wednesday) to see where I will buy food, clothes, etc. The prices were low when Flavien asked, we’ll see how much they are when the muzungu goes it alone. From there we passed through town to the health center (which I plan on visiting again for the detailed tour), and then the secondary school where Flavien taught French for a few years. The reception from everyone I met was warm and welcoming. I think everyone was excited I knew some Kinyarwandan and then even more happy to hear I’d be here for two years.
A few random thoughts and facts
1. I found the local resto/bar that plays soccer games. Phew… (sigh of relief)
2. Nyamagabe is 28 km from the Nyungwe Forest…When I get my PC issued bike I may have to make some trips. Want to send my road bike Mom?
3. Nyamagabe sits atop one of the high “mountains” in the area, thus the view in almost all directions is beautiful green rolling hills. Maybe I can find a spot to take a 360 degree picture.
4. Before 1994 Nyamagabe was not well liked by the government because of the high Tutsi population. They considered it “Congo” area and thus did not invest in development. Since then however the government is trying to develop all districts, and Nyamagabe is seeing more infrastructure and investment.
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