Sorry no more photos or stories just yet

But a bonus link to an xkcd comic which I have a particular affinity with, given the routine/ritual use of hand sanitiser before every meal for us in India.

http://xkcd.com/1161/

Enjoy, and more later. Maybe.

Oh yeah, I made it home ok too.

Didn't wrap this up so well, sorry.

I have a few more stories to tell and I've also had a few gentle reminders to get some photos up too.

Before all that though, here's a video of a sneak peak of snaps to come...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h84sxF9JyJA

This was is put together by Thomas, the teacher from Oz. It mostly features the students which is pretty choice. It starts with a time lapse of the view we were getting somewhere on our trek, then goes to a time lapse of some of the work at our project at the school, then a video through the streets of McLeod Ganj, some cricket and other action back at the school, some walking the streets of Jaipur, a bit of prayer wheels at the Tibetan Temple, some waiting for a bus in Delhi, a frozen-ish river somewhere on trek, a hop-scotch like game with the kids back at the school, an awesome time lapse of a rubrics cube race (where the two boys literally finished in the same frame!), then some more shots from the same places.

I'm trying to get a copy of some of his stills. As you can see he's quite the talented photographer.

I'll try add some more stories and pics in the weekend. But I've said things like that before.

Time flies when you're having fun!

I already think 2013 is going way too fast. To distract myself from the thought of having to be back at work on Monday I thought I'd try a final post from India.

I've just finished packing and had a long hot shower and sitting in a hotel room in Jaipur watching Amilie (one of my all time favorite movies) that happens to be on tv.

Anyway the last week or so has been RnR for the team. McLeod Ganj was awesome and such a cosy spot. It snowed while we were there and the boys had fun starting snow fights with a few locals. I think it was their first snow fall of the season because the whole city was buzzing with people out in the street enjoying it. We checked out the Delhi Lama's complex and the Tibetian museum, although shopping was by far the most poppular activity over the few days we were there. One cool thing we did as a group was a cooking class where we learnt to make momos (Tibetan dumplings) and I can't wait to try them at home!

We then travelled on a bus overnight on Sunday back down to Delhi before meeting a private bus to take us to Agra. It was a lot of travel and weariness set in which was a bit of a theme, for me at least, as we went on. We checked out the Taj Mahal that evening and watched the sun set. The next day we went to the Red Fort and the forgotten city on the way to Jaipur. Sadly the team structure and organisation was loosing its way a bit and it was painfully slow to sort simple things like a plan for each day and where to stay and eat. Once again interest in trying to shop trumped any real effort to look around and learn about this part of the country. But it's fair to say that there was generally something for everyone and probably worthwhile. I just think I would have done things differently if it were up to me.

A particular highlight for me yesterday was while waiting for the boys to meet us back at the bus after an afternoon strolling the pink city bazaars. Pete (the expedition leader) and I spotted a barber set up with a chair and mirrors etc in a little park under a tree and we decided to get a shave with a switchblade. I seriously wish I could do that every time I need to shave as it was awesomely relaxing, especially being outside in the shade of a tree!

This morning we jumped back on our bus and headed back here to Delhi. About a 7 hour bus trip in the end as traffic and road conditions slowed us down lots. But due to the early start to catch the flights we are forced to stat close to the airport where all the hotels are of a really good standard so it's a nice way to finish the trip (we were doing things on a bit of a tight budget everywhere else, although the boys did well to find a couple of nice places along the way).

Anyway missing the movie. So will sign off here for now. Back in NZ on Saturday afternoon. Wowzer!

It's the simple things in life

Ah, a bed, shower and toilet. It's good to be back to modern life. So the trek phase of our trip is complete and we're now hanging out in the spiritual and exiled political home of Tibet- Mcleod Ganj- for a few nights.

The trek was great albeit probably somewhat easier than expected. We had a bit of everything: camping on snow, walking up and down steep rocky/dirt/grass/snow paths and windy roads. The weather was very fair to us with the only bit of rain on the rest day. The start and the end were the toughest parts and I think we felt a bit under-challenged in the middle where we were typically only going about 10 km each day, arriving at each campsite fairly early in the afternoon.

We fell into the routine easily- set up tents, explore, snack/late lunch, keep warm, dinner, bed, wake up, pack up, breakfast, walk, repeat. The guide and porters were great and having ponies/donkeys to carry our big packs made it a lot easier. Food was fantastic too, although not all of the boys would agree with that and very quickly they were talking about food they missed from home and what they'll eat at the airport (meat being high up the list). Aside from a couple of instances where tensions boiled over and got the better of a few of the boys, everyone seemed to enjoy it and we got to see some amazing scenery and can now say we've treked the Himalayas!

It is great to have had a shower after 10 days (probably the longest I've ever been without one in my life!). And not having to dig a hole for pooping anymore seems like luxury. Mcleod Ganj is cool and I'm looking forward to starting our rest and relaxation phase here before heading down to Agra. It's raining this morning and the boys decided last night that this first day here is going to be more or less doing our own things so might just find me a warm spot to have some chai and read for a while.

Thanks for the messages etc. It's cool to know this does get a read or two. I'll try tidy it up and stick pictures etc when I get home.

Project completed

Please excuse any typos etc as posting this from my phone.

We have just completed the project phase of our trip in which we painted three classrooms of a school about 25km out of Manali. We're now back in Manali preparing for our trek which we start tomorrow.

The school was a two story concrete building and a previous World Challenge group had painted the lower level rooms. We slept (all 12 of us) on the floor in one of these rooms which needless to say was a smelly challenge in itself. I kept thinking of my time in Rwanda and making comparisons with that experience. I think I've settled on characterising this project as more satisfying in the sense of achieving something very tangible. But Rwanda was more rewarding in the interactions and friendships made. Except for a couple of cricket games, we did not get to meet too many local kids. But the boys did well and although it was a little hard motivating them on cold mornings, I think we did a good job. Of course we are only amateur painters and so the job isn't the best ever, plus the boys would tend to cut corners and not really finish a job they started which left more than a few touch ups to be done. But the principal was very happy and the rooms were definitely more lighter and friendly.

On the way back to Manali we stopped at a village called Nagar and walked up to a castle there for lunch. It was cool but the group decision was to move on and we didn't really explore it as much as I would have liked.

We start our trek tomorrow and we're told that there is some snow over the first pass and so we're making sure everyone has warm enough gear, taking advantage of the awesome local stores with hand made shoals, gloves etc. I'm quite excited about this part of the trip although a little nervous too as I'm not really as fit as I ought to be.

The boys spent this morning planning out rest and relaxation phase for after our trek. We will be heading to both Agra and Jarpour which will be awesome. Most of the others are going crazy with their cameras so I haven't bothered to even take mine out as I'll just get a collection of the best ones. In particular the teacher from Aussie (Tom) is a semi-pro photographer and has taken some incredible snaps. So stay posted.

My lunch has just arrived. A grilled vege sandwhich. The most western thing I've had so far. Not so much because I wanted it but this place with the free WiFi I found is expensive and this is the cheapest thing on the menu. I have truely loved the local food! I make sure I try as many new things as possible. Some of the boys are a bit over it though haha.

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year!

Made it!

Finally made it! Travelling took a long time, especially the 13+ hour bus trip. We are here in Manali and although it's not cold, it's also not the minus twenty Google tells us it is. We have a couple of days finding our feet and then tomorrow we head out to the village where the school we'll be painting is.

The boys are doing well and it's fun seeing them try and sort themselves out, especially for food - it typically takes us an hour to find somewhere to eat! Apart from generally tiredness, we're all still feeling really good too.

This place is amazing. Manali looks great and is pretty fun. The short time we had in Delhi was good but I must say I'm glad we wont be spending any more time there, the pollution and noise was too much. Here is a lot cleaner, and a little slower pace and quieter.

Ok apparently we're off already, they just needed a Facebook fix. It's just about 2013 in NZ already so - HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Another adventure...

I should have thought of doing this long-overdue update sooner but I'm sure most people who'll be reading this will know a fair bit about my upcoming trip anyway.

In short - I'm off to India. Like last time, mostly with a focus of doing some volunteer type work but, unlike last time, I am going with some students. It's through an organisation called World Challenge and 6 of our boys from school signed up to take on the challenge and they needed a teacher to go with them. I am EXTREMELY lucky and grateful to be that teacher (I was told the boys put together "a short-list"  of who they'd like to go, I'm not sure I want any more details than that!). It is their trip and they have had to plan and organise themselves for the last 18 months or so to get to this point. In country the boys are responsible for what we do, where we stay, how we get there, and what we eat whilst there. There is a huge amount of support and structure from World Challenge, especially with the provision of an experienced and qualified Expedition Leader, Pete, who ultimately will make sure we stay safe, have a lot of fun and do a lot of good. My role is really just pastoral support to make sure they don't act like muppets or miss home too much.

So general itinerary is to go to Sydney to meet up with another 3 students and teacher from a school there who are part of our trip and spend a day in the airport getting to know one another and do some build-up work. We then have a stop over in Thailand before landing in Delhi. We jump straight on a bus for an 18 hour ride up to Manali where we spend a week doing painting/building/whatever at a local school and getting to know the community. We then embark on a 13 day trek across the Himalayas to McLeod Ganj where we stay for a couple of nights before taking some R'n'R back down Dehli and Agra way. It's going to be truly amazing, if not a little cold (Google the weather in Manali at the moment!).

I have no idea if I will have a lot of opportunities to keep this blog updated as I don't call the shots and am at the mercy of the boys who may or may not take us to many interweb connections. Who knows. As with last trip, there's probably a high probability that even with an interweb connection, I'll lose motivation or inspiration to keep ya'll entertained and engaged. I wont even say I'll do my best at this. I'll do whatever happens! But please do check-in and leave a comment from time to time - it's actually been quite a kick to quickly go back over posts from my trip to Rwanda. [I realise I need to write more to follow up from there at some point too. One step at a time though.]

Ok dishes done, bed made, clothes laid out, bags packed and checked, tickets/passport etc checked. I get picked up at about 4.30am which is a litlle over 5 hours away. Might try sleep if I can. I've travelled alone before and felt way more relaxed about things but this trip has me a little on the anxious side of things, I guess because of the added responsibility this time around. It'll be awesome and can't wait to start.

Until next time...
Paul

I got that blogging feeling...

Actually I still kind of don't but have just spent an hour or so reading friends' blogs and I seemed to enjoy that. So on the off chance that others enjoy reading this blog, I better finish what I started, as they say. I'll note that most of the other blogs were on WordPress and very easy to comment on. Maybe I really should have gone that way too. Oh well. On with the comment clumsy Google show...


I have been mulling over a post about my short trip to Gisenyi before I left Rwanda. It's a small rural city in the west of Rwanda. It boarders the pretty spectacular Lake Kivu and in that sense was more or less a "retreat" for me. My primary goal for visiting was to pick up the necklaces that I was asked by a former volunteer to bring back to NZ. They are made by a collective of women with HIV/Aids and we had an order for 150 of them. More on that later.


Right from the get go, I felt bad about the trip as I had to leave quite early in the morning (it's about a 3 hour bus ride from Kigali) and I was fairly confident of making the trip by myself but Amani insisted he take me to the bus stop which meant he had to rush to get things ready for the other volunteers' breakfast. In the end I was very grateful for his assistance as there were numerous bus operations and I probably would have wasted too much time trying to find the correct one. After buying a ticket I had to wait about half an hour for the bus to leave which meant hanging around in the massive bus depot/station. Unfortunately it's also a place were many many beggars try their luck. But not just any beggars either, poor people who are living with just unbelievable disabilities and deformities. People who clearly have no hope of working or living any sort of normal life and no-doubt deserving of support. They all take turns walking/waddling around sticking their hands (or whatever money collecting limb they have) in your face. Even once on the bus they knock on the windows and hope for you to stick money out the window. I had no idea what to do. Sometime earlier before I even arrived in Rwanda I had sort of made a decision to not give [too much] money to beggars full-stop as I wanted to try and invest my time and resources to my volunteer work. In the city there really weren't that many beggars anyway, maybe even comparable to Wellington. So I refused the requests from these people at the bus station. Sitting there for half an hour really was too long and I began to serious question my position and why I wouldn't give up some of my money - after all it's not like I'd miss it. My thoughts and arguments with myself kept going round and round in circles. I tried to drown out my guilty feelings by sticking on my headphones to listen to my iPod, stupidly rubbing it in their faces how well off I was which didn't help my unease. Don't get me wrong, I never felt threatened by these people as they all took rejections graciously.  I just felt wrecked with guilt and selfishness. The thing is that I wouldn't have been able to give to everyone that was begging and on what grounds do you choose who to support over someone else? I don't know if I was really being fair or not. I did spot a few others (locals) give loose change to a few of them so I guess they get by.


The three hour bus ride through some pretty awesome scenery made me feel a bit better and when I arrived in Gisenyi I was welcomed warmly by my hosts their. I thought we'd go straight to the collective but I was forced to have some lunch first as they were worried that it was so long since I last ate. It was a 15 minute bus ride then a half an hour walk to get to the medical centre the collective met at. The walk was through a very rural community and EVERY little (and some not so little) kid yelled out "Muzungu! Muzungu!" as they saw me coming, some rushing to give me hug or high-five. I felt like a rock star! It was a beautiful area too but I'm fairly crap at remembering to take photos at times like that so you'll just have to imagine it.


Once we arrived it was a fairly awkward hour or so of sitting around watching them finish of the last few necklaces. None of them speak English so I was only picking up on little bits here and there as the translator who accompanied me shared what was being said. After a while the translator was becoming quite impatient and she was trying to hurrying them up to get the order finished. Once things were counted out I produced the envelope that had the money for the necklaces, some US$1,250. They were amazed that I had the money there and then and that I also had a bit more as an extra donation but the translator didn't really understand donation until I said gift. Once she communicated that the 12 or so women who were there instantly broke out in to song and dance! It was incredible to see their joy and gratefulness. Memories of my morning disappointing people melted away by their warmth. Celebrations lasted about an hour and a half more prolonged by me not thinking to take photos initially then also not realising that my camera could take video too (I only just bought it on the way to the airport flying out of NZ!). Oh also it rained for a little while which kept us indoors. It was great. When I finally got to leave with the boxes of goodies and begin the walk back through the neighbourhood the women followed in more song and dance until I had to simply say thanks but that's enough! I felt like Princess Diana. Further reinforced by the motorcycle ride home (the bus was too full and we couldn't be bothered waiting any longer) which the driver took corners awfully fast. I was keeping my eyes pealed for a Mercedes, just in case.


The next day I went for a walk to the lake and around to the border of the Congo. In fact the road I stepped foot on right near the border technically wasn't Rwandan soil apparently. Not sure I can really tick another country off with that though. Gisenyi was awesome and definitely the place to come for a holiday trip. The gorilla treks etc are mostly based there too. I didn't have time to visit the government orphanage nearby as I had hoped, despite constant badgering to "stay just one or two more nights"! But I simply couldn't and so it was back on the bus to Kigali, goods in tow. A storm was brewing and the heavens opened up about a block away from guest house on my walk from the bus stop so I arrived back to Amani telling me I "look wet". Always one for the obvious.


Ok well that's that one off my chest. Although I've been back in NZ for a week I'm sure I'll rustle up some more posts from my time in Rwanda and also, more importantly, my plans to support and continue the connections I made with Gisimba. So keep watching. I might even figure out how to put a pic or two up too. But not right now.

I'm leaving on a jet plane

Well actually I've left Rwanda already and stopping at Dubai for a couple of nights. All good and lots of things buzzing through my mind but I think I'll leave the writing until I get back home in a couple of days.


Sorry but it just seems like so much effort at the moment. Holidaying is much more fun and easier.

Killing me softly with this smog

As my time here nears an end I've been asked what will be the first thing I do when I get home. I think I will take one big breath of fresh air. Despite the general cleanliness and the claims that Kigali is a very nice city, especially for Africa. There is an indescribable taste in the air that is a mixture of exhaust fumes, miscellaneous trash piles, smoke from occasional fires, and general muggy sensations that make it hard to really appreciate the beauty of the place. Today on the bus I felt that hard as we followed another bus spitting out black smoke right into our window. But you get used to it.


Well it's been a strange week so far. The kids have gone back to school and there is absolute chaos while their timetables are sorted and confirmed so we haven't really been able to do much except sit back and watch. They run two sets of classes in schools - one morning and one afternoon. Until it settles down as to who goes to school when, we can't really figure out what our role now is. But it's been ok. We've met a few more kids, a few that don't go to school for one reason or another, and it's been fun.


Tomorrow I'm off to Giseney for a night. There is a group of ladies who make necklaces who I am hoping to meet as I brought over calenders for them to make beads from. Also there is another orphanage, a government one that has somewhere in the order of 600 or so kids. It's also really close to Lake Kivu which I'm told is stunning and seems a fitting way to see out my trip.


Ah I should maybe write more but I'm slack, tired, and useless. I guess I might have a big long post in the weekend before I fly out and try and capture the final thoughts and feelings. Maybe.


Oh and people have emailed me saying that commenting is hit and miss affair on this blog. I really like Google by and large and it hurts me to think that it could be letting me down with mucking up posts on Blogger. Maybe I should have gone Wordpress. My bad. Actually, Google's bad.


Until next time...

Money Money Money Money

Now that I've done the whole "I'm still alive" post. I thought I'd try and finally get around to posting about something that's been bugging me a while. As some of you may know I've been trying to learn a thing or two about economics the last couple of years, mostly via podcasts (NPR Planet Money, which I thoroughly recommend). I've been trying to get my head around a few of the economic activities over here.

Case in point is I saw a guy buying a pair of jeans from another guy on the street. But it was in the middle of a poor residential area with practically no other shops around. Now these kind of people are everywhere but mostly in town. They walk around with various assortment of things from clothing to Swiss army knives to flash drives to magazines. But this guys carrying pants around in this particular neighbourhood baffles me somewhat. If that guy is to make any money at all surely three things have to line up in his favour... A passer by:

a) needs some pants (possible but most people would probably head to clothes shops)

b) has spare disposable money (unlikely in the neighbourhood which is very poor)

c) has spare time to make the transaction (unlikely as everyone is focused on their own activities)

The more frustrating part of this type of operation is that the few merchants I've seen like this outside of the city centre, never seem to be in the same place twice so it's not like people could learn to look for them. Surely they could peddle their wears more effectively than walking random streets.

Another thing is the expectation to haggle when you buy stuff. What an absolute crappy way of doing things. You ought to expect to talk the price down of just about anything (excluding food/drink from restaurants and stuff at supermarkets with proper checkouts). But items at art markets, services of drivers in taxis or motos are all up for bargaining over. I can't stand it! Especially as most things are super cheap for Westerners anyway I feel pathetic trying to save a dollar here or there just because it's expected that I do. I was telling this new volunteer about this at the art market and how to me the less important thing is that I get a bargain but that I actually help a few different people out by buying the things they took time to make.

Actually that raises a bit of a third issue I don't like. And that is how so many shops in various areas (such as the art market or local shopping part of town) are almost identical - how do you avoid spending money at the same place everyone else does and therefore not spreading the love around? For example I was looking for speakers to buy the orphanage and found a few models that were in every single shop I looked at and the lowest I could talk most owners down to for a particular type was 30,000 rwf. So if that's the lowest but same price in more than one place (and they are all super friendly of course) how do you decided where to make the purchase from? It kind of feels like you let someone down arbitrarily. I'm talking small local shops with mismatched goods generally. I do vaguely remember a Planet Money episode that I'll have to dig up about a whole bunch of gold traders who were located in the same building and how they preferred it as retailers. As a consumer though, it drives me batty! Am I just too socially minded to be an effective consumer?

Oh and lastly the buses. But I don't even know where to begin to describe what happens let alone what my questions about them are. I'll just say that their business(s) structure is fairly complex I think. But apparently it works and I must say I'm going to miss them when I get back home.

Discuss.

"Damn it Howard, 20 years ago you cared about the science"

Well it's been a while and I must admit it's not for lack of opportunity. In fact the opportunity to jump online has improved astronomically as a fellow volunteer left their laptop here with 3g modum thing while they go off traveling for a week. Aside from very poor reliability and the fact it seems to hate me, it's been super handy to check things more regularly without traipsing into town. Unfortunately I just haven't been bothered writing. My bad.

So, briefly here a few quick updates:-

New Year's Eve was pretty much rained out here (just like NZ as I understand). And although we had great plans to go partying we would have got soaked getting anywhere. It cleared up quite late in the piece and many did go out and party noises could be heard everywhere but we were already settled in watching Short Circuit (hence the title) and a Jean Claude van Damme movie as that was all we could find. A pity I missed the chance to party at the stadium, but it was fun enough staying in and trying to stay up! Since then weather has been fine as with barely a drop of rain.

The new guy arrived very late on New Year's Day and he's pretty cool. He's studying anthropology and he's trying to do a bit of research while here which is interesting. And despite having me as a guide, he seems to be finding his way around ok. He makes feel old though as at 20, he's never even heard of Short Circuit before Amani put it on again for us last night.

I have been teaching the older class some science topics like planets, heart and lungs, eyes and ears, and sound. They really love it and are just as fascinated and full of questions as my students at home. It's kind of made me think of school a bit and how much work I need to do before it all starts again. Anxiety levels rise from time to time but I'm still just so excited about being here that I guess I'll worry about that later!

Today I played a game of soccer with a bunch of the older guys, most of whom I haven't really met before. It was full on and exhausting. I especially ran out of steam when I realised one of the younger kids must have taken my drink bottle! Haha. After that I played some music from my iPod and showed off a bit of skanking moves and kiwi vocals. Then I was invited to a concert/party thing to celebrate going back to school (term starts next week, they've been off since October!).

In fact I've just come back from the concert, tinnitus still in my ears. It was fun but not what I expected. Turns out it was also some sort of Rwanda rap/RnB idol. I lasted about 3 hours before the fact I didn't really understand a thing that was sung or said kind of wore me down. That and the production was run not quite professional. I had the thought that it could be described as a bit of an immature production. They had good enough gear but they were so excited to show it off that they over did it: The lighting guy used the strobes sooooo much; The DJ scratched absolutely everything, whether it needed it or not; And various MCs and performers yelling into mics - they already make your voice louder people! All-in-all though I'm glad I went and I got to treat a couple of the older guys to a night out too which they wouldn't have been able to afford by themselves.

As I walked through the valley in the shallows of mud...

... I take a look at my shoes and realise I'm stuck!


We've had weather that finally lives up to the idea of this being the short rainy-season. It has simply bucketed down for the last couple of days. A few times taking power with it. Today is much better so far but the neighbourhood I have to walk through is all dirt roads which are now swamp like and difficult to get through with out seriously changing the colour of your shoes. I'm not sure what's worse though because when it is dry, dust gets EVERYWHERE. I just spent the morning doing my washing and it took such a long time to get all the dirt off most things. I kind of gave up and did a half pie job. I remember a German dude who wrote a book about the major misconceptions about capitalism giving a lecture at the London School of Economics (you can find it on their podcasts) who said that the most revolutionary thing in the last century was not the computer but the washing machine. I now understand what he means. It takes forever to do it all by hand. And I only had to do my stuff, can't imagine a whole family's stuff and sheets and towels etc. Kudos to the women here who have to do that every other day.


So I said farewell to my fellow volunteer last night and I'm on my own for a couple of nights. I say on my own but I have Amani, and actually another volunteer has finished her placement in another part of Rwanda and is coming here to Kigali for New Years Eve before heading off on a trek through other parts of Africa. The new guy arrives sometime in the next couple of days and it will fall to me to help him find his way around. Quite scary because I was fairly reliant on my former colleague who was super awesome at picking things up and especially deciphering the borderline chaotic bus system. I think we'll be fine but could be a bit more learning by mistakes here and there!


Well you'll all be celebrating the dawning of the New Year as I type. 2012. Yikes. So much to do and so little time. I'm thinking along the lines of this as a great idea. We had a meeting yesterday with Jean-Francois the "owner" (not really the right word but it was his father who founded the organisation) of Gisimba (the orphanage I'm based at). There are huge challenges facing the sustainability of the operations and a huge number of projects that they wish to achieve. We spent sometime thinking about how we could help and this thinking will continue when we return home. I will try and do a post about this sometime in the future but it needs a fair bit more time and thought as to what I think I want to try and do. So as you are busy partying away, as I will be shortly too, I hope you spare a thought for those less fortunate. Jean-Francois said something yesterday that was kind of neat - "it doesn't matter how small the action, anything that helps the life of a child is worth it."


On that note. I'm off to wonder around town and to selfishly buy myself a few things. Hmm. Will chalk it up to helping local economy and employment rah rah rah.


PS: A bit quiet on the comments front. Hint. Hint.

What a cock.

I'm going to think twice before buying a gift for the third world. You know the ones that Oxfam, World Vision etc push and you buy a card as a gift for someone you know but it represents a goat or something given to someone in a developing country. I'm pretty sure our neighbor or someone near us received a hen rooster [hence: cock] for Christmas. It's been our constant and dependable alarm clock at 5am the last few mornings. It gets pretty light pretty early but it's a damn annoying creature. To be fair 5am was around when I was waking up most mornings anyway. But I liked the peace and quiet and the ability to choose when I wanted to get up. Grrr.


Today I tried to go and see a Rwanda Premier League football match but it may have been rained off (it poured down for about an hour before the game was meant to start but stopped). We're not too sure but it should be tomorrow now. I also played a game with a few of the kids this morning but it was three vs one for ages! I held my own ok at 3-2 until I finally convinced another to join in for my side. Exhausting and very very hot!


Last night we went out for dinner to take out the people who look after us over here. It was interesting and although quite a nice place and geared for somewhat of an international clientele, it confirmed our hypothesis and prior experience that service in Rwanda sucks. It took so long! And to top it off the goat kebab most of us ordered may have actually only been beef (I don't know what the difference in taste is meant to be but it sure was a lot like beef to me, the others were quite sure it wasn't goat and they've had it before but because it took so long we didn't bother sending it back).

What else? I've just been shown a new, and so far faster, internet cafe just near the orphanage which is super duper handy. But it's kind of caught me off guard and all those things I was going to write about have left my mind at present. I sometimes think of a bit of a list on the bus or something.

Oh it turns out there is another guy coming over to volunteer on the 31st. Details still a bit sketchy as I think he is the one I was originally told wasn't going to be here for another couple of weeks. So I may or may not have a new friend. Either way I think Amani (our housekeeper/cook/all-round nice guy) and I will be heading to some big party at the stadium for New Years Eve.


Ah I can't think of what else. I started out writing things in a notebook but that lasted all of two days! Useless. Oh well a short one is a good one yeah?


From the Muzungu you know...

One of the most physically tiring Christmases I can remember.

The day began early to bus out to the orphanage by 7.30. We then hung around with a few of teenagers and then went to church with a bunch of the younger kids. It was interesting. The place was packed out and very hot and stuffy. Not only was the language barrier a challenge to understanding proceedings, the fact it was a catholic church service was a new experience for me also. Actually I found myself almost hypnotised by this strange jukebox looking miniature display of the nativity. It was surrounded by flashing coloured lights but apparently was where kids were meant to drop off their offerings. I thought it was rather tacky and strange. The whole incense, chants, and tiny bells thing lost me a bit too. What I enjoyed most was that the kids seemed to really really appreciate having us there and I think we certainly added to their Christmas experience. At least I hope so.

After that I stayed at the orphanage for a few more hours, cracking out the frisbee and playing a bit of football. But wow was it hot. In fact the kids started saying the sun was too much for them too. It was super fun and I got to meet a few more of the kids and bring them into the fold a bit. Today (boxing day) we went back to start out classes again but the staff were not there to let us into the classroom/library (actually fairly empty basic room with a table). So it was more of the same just hanging and mucking around. Oh yeah, after catching a bus back to town and getting some food and checking email I decided to walk home yesterday which took an hour and a half!

Hope you all had a swell time too. I'm really enjoying it over here. No doubt it will be sad to leave in a few weeks time. For now, will make the most of it and I'm off to an art market (perhaps one or two of you lucky readers might be in for a small gift from said market).


Muabeho...

Actually I can't be bothered, sorry.

This was going to be a bit of a long post to kinda fill in some gaps that I've skipped over in previous posts. I thought what with all the extra holiday time y'all have you'd like to hear a tale or two. But actually I'm not in the mood. Sorry.

So it's just about Christmas in NZ as I type and most likely is (or was) by the time you read it. The best thing about being over here is you'd barely know it was Christmas. Sure people care about it but there is none of the decorations and over-the-top hype in town or anywhere. I think I've heard a total of three carols, that's still too many for my liking.

Off for lunch now. I spent most of my time here catching up on a few blogs et al. Bugger about Christchurch huh, poor folks.

Until next time...

"Sports" bags for Christmas?

Will keep this short but we had a bit of a day off as we were invited to a Christmas party for Hope and Homes for Children (http://www.hopeandhomes.org/) who help shift kids out of orphanages and into homes. This involves tracking down family members and working with them to get them to a position, both financially and psychologically, to take care of the child. A truly awesome thing I want to talk about again later on. It was a great day and the women who runs it here is AMAZING. We got to talk to her afterwards and she told a story of how she took in 13 kids from her family who lost their parents in the 1994 genocide. At the time her husband and her had one child of their own and now have five. It sounds like all of the kids are either at or finished or planning to go to university! Talking with her was one of the highlights of the day. She also had great things to say about the Rwandan President Paul Kagame, especially from a women's point of view (she is studying gender politics in her spare time).

Before all that we helped pack bags with things like toothbrushes, soap, books, pens etc. to give to the kids. The party was somewhat of a reunion for kids and families who have been placed in the scheme so far (about 35 as it is still only being piloted). The Mayor was there also to announce he is excited to extend the scheme to other orphanages in the city. It was a great day and nice to meet some very happy and healthy looking kids who all agree that home-life is better than orphanage-life.


Anyway just wanted to write that down before I forgot. I'm not sure when I'll next be online as we have a busy couple of days ahead including another Christmas party, or two! Yay!


Oh yeah the title of this post relates to the crappy cheap bags we packed everything in. The other volunteer and I both felt a little stink giving such useless things away as presents. Indeed we broke two while packing and I saw a kid break theirs just picking it up and opening it. They were obviously a cheap bulk buy from somewhere *ahem* *china* *ahem*. They had a label saying "Sports" but unless the kids play something as docile as chess, and even then in places they don't have to travel for, then there is no way they are going to last the first day of school.

Rat poison anyone?

There was a guy on the bus yesterday who was selling things, a fairly common practice over here. Except this time he had in his hand some anti-fungal creme and some rat poison. I wonder if anyone bought some. Who sits on a bus and thinks "if only I could deal with that rat problem right now"?

I have just finished my third day at the orphanage and I am exhausted. Not so much because of the kids although they are hard work but I'm more or less used to that from teaching. However it is about an hour trip on a couple of different buses each way. Plus a couple of walks at each end. In the heat, it gets pretty tiring getting around the place. At the moment we are holding two little English classes one for ~7-10 year olds and one for ~11-15 year olds. They seem to enjoy it a lot. Then we sometimes stick around and play for a little while.

There were five volunteers here when I first arrived but now we are left with just two as we farewelled the others over the weekend and yesterday. The other remaining volunteer is leaving at the end of the month and I think I am on my own for about two weeks until the next wave arrive. That's a little sad as it is super-good to have English speaking company and the opportunity to make friends. But also a bit exciting as it will be a challange to make it around by myself.

I have started to tutor a student in physics but it's quite advanced and so I've asked to take the textbook home to read tonight. At the moment I'm trying to get my head (back) around ideal gases and thermodynamics. Argh so tough. I was meant to meet another guy to help with chemistry, a much more familiar subject, but he never showed up. I think we just failed to really make a time as things got lost in translation. Tomorrow we will have a science group too.

This post has had several false starts. I tried to post it yesterday from the office of FVA (the volunteer organisers) but got caught in a massive downpour of rain which took out electricity and internet with it just I was about to hit save. And I got soaked walking the couple of blocks back home. Grrr. Electricity, sunshine, internet, and water are all things that cannot be depended on in Rwanda. Right now I am at an internet cafe with computers. I wish someone told me that it could be worthwhile bringing a laptop or something over as there are a few places with wifi and it would be good to hunt around for resources to teach with etc.

Ok well I'm not sure how much of this makes sense anymore but it feels like I've spent forever on it so I'm just going to hit save and catch a moto home.

Rimwe, rabiri, gatatu... (one, two, three...)

I can probably draw a plan of Kigali airport by now.

Not that I think that's a useful skill but it took three trips yesterday to finally be reunited with my luggage so I know the place pretty well. And they know me! Thankfully all the calendars were included too although I will now have to try get them to the other side of Rwanda. hmm. It's good to be in fresh clothes!

Alright will try make this one quick too. I've been left alone at a coffee joint called Bourbon while my friends go change money etc.

Apart from them loosing my luggage (at least I think it was them, but I will of course be trusting of them again) the layover at Nairobi airport also taught me that it takes no more than four Kenyan police men to calm an irritated, shouting, angry Keyan self-proclaimed "diplomat" down. It sounds stressful but everyone was smiling and laughing and I fell in love with the way Africans go about peace keeping. Good times. Also a couple of really neat bookshops in Nairobi airport which I will have to check again on way home.

I've had two days of orientation which included a trip to the Kigali Genocide Memorial. I was kind of ho-hum about going as I read a bit about it before I left and also my guide was heavily pregnant and I felt a bit bad about making her walk around again, but she was very happy to and she shared quite a bit about her own experience which was very touching. There are two quotes that stick in my mind that were in the "child victims" part of the memorial. A 7 year old's last words were "UNAMIR will save us." Chillingly wrong. A (then) 11 year old survivor is also quoted "It's hard to imagine that I wont have my parents around anymore, yet I know who killed them and I know their children still get to have their parents." I could go on and on about the genocide but I would encourage everyone to read about it. I'll be sure to let you know of a couple of good books about it. What is amazing is really how the country has moved on in such a truly unbelievable way. The memorial is very well put together and I spent a couple of hours going around it.

I think part of the success of the country at the moment is down to the phenomenal President Paul Kagame. Apart from a choice first name, he is an inspirational leader. One of the things going on at the moment is the 9th "National Dialogue" where the President gets EVERY elected official in the country to present their vision to the public and take questions. It's been on every TV and radio around and people here are glued to it.

I also got to visit the orphange I will be working at. There are 141 children and 28 staff. Conditions are very low but they make the best of it. I was fortunate to get to meet the very busy manager who was excited to meet me and especially to hear that I teach science. He said there is a boy who is sitting an exam to get into college early next year and he is stressed about physics. Additionally the kids who are at school find science pretty tough and would appreciate a few tutorials too. I'll write more about the place when I start on Monday.

This weekend I'm trying to familiarise myself with buses and "motos" (motorbike taxis) and generally try and stay alive on roads with traffic that reminds me of the Philipines. The roads themselves are a mixed of paved and dirt, all with potholes. It's good fun. Checking out more of the city and a few other things are on the list too including an "African Party" I spotted a sign for not far from where we're staying!

Ok the others have come back so will leave it there. Murabeho.

Apparently you can "never trust a Kenyan"

So I've arrived safe and sound and generally enjoyed the trip. I wont go into stories except for one at the end if I get time.

I'm currently having lunch with a few other volunteers at a pizza place called White Hourse in the centre of Kigali. I'll have to keep this short to avoid being too anit-social.

The title is a quote from a ex-pat Rwandan who was on the same flight as me from Auzzie coming home for Christmas. Our luggage didn't make it with us! we suspect that they are all in Nairobi still. He sounded like this is not the first time that he has been let down by Kenyans. At time of writing (some two nights after I arrived), I still don't have stuff. Fingers crossed that I'll be able to pick it up tonight.

Oh man this has been difficult to do with slow internet and trying to type and eat. It sounds like the others are in a bit of a hurry to go visit a market before heading home so I'll have to cut it short. It's Saturday tomorrow so I'll try find another connection and sort another post then.

Good times. Murakazi.