It''s been a little over a week since I have been in an internet cafe and I have forgotten my journal so I don't even know where to begin. I will therefore go backwards!!
Today we were with Ingrid, the missionary from Rwanda, at La League. We played games with the children, sang songs, learned some traditional dances, it was a lot of fun but you could tell that we were all so tired from the day before...which was fantastic! So yesterday, we went to Ingrid's for a delicious lunch because she likes to feed us once a week something other than rice or hot dog buns (did i mention we eat hot dog buns for breakfast...just the bun, and sometimes for dinner too!)...delicious! We were then separated into groups, Anna-Lisa, Mikael, Jean-Claude et moi were off to the school that we had painted to make some stairs (out of mud - an experience!) and make an area for shade. The day is BOILING HOT, so hot that a Rwandan while sitting in the shade says "C'est trop chaud!" if a Rwandan says its too hot, then my friends it is too hot. We had to walk a long way from where the bus dropped us off we had to walk around half an hour, so by the time we even got to the school we wanted to drink all of our water. Anyways so we get there and there are no materials for the stairs so Anna Lisa and i start playing with the hundreds of children. We then realize a few hours had gone by and that the boys are missing, we walk to the back and they are busy working with the fellow Rwandans, we ask if they need help they say no, so we continue playing. You have to understand you have around 20 children, 10 to each hand literally hanging off of you, trying to crawl on your back, pinch your skin - the works! So this is why it was amazing, the sun has now set and we have been there for 8 hours. Anna LIsa and I are collapsed in the dirt with children everywhere around us, I have a little baby on my chest who had been crying and crying before and even with all the children screaming and jumping on us he fell asleep and with his fist he clung tight to my chest. I wanted to take him home. I think it was my favourite moment of the whole trip. But then the said part happened, when we had to leave his mum didnt even notice that he was missing, despite the fact that he had been with me all day and i didnt know where he lived so one of the town people showed me his house and i had to leave him just sitting outside crying in hopes his mum would come out and get me. If anyone knows me, leaving a crying baby is one of the hardest things. I had to get dragged away by the team. So sad. We got back to Ingrid's had another bonfire with baked potatoes and the bread on the fire. I was so tired I fell asleep on the ground, and then had to walk 30 minutes home but all was well when I found my bed.
We have been busy with the genocide homes and visiting families - sitting and talking! They are so generous with the little they have, always offering us a coke or drink of some sort. We also went to the KIgali University and dances and sang with the dance and worship school which was amazing and when we danced they asked us to do it at a big conference they are having which is tomorrow - so us girls have to practice!
On the me front, it's a little difficult right now. Had a tumble - but don't worry, I have just looked better. My left leg and foot look awful and i just keep lathering with disinfectant. My hands also took the fall along with my right knee. Blah. Emotionally we are a little over whelmed with everything you see and experience everyday. We are all having fun, but I think a change of location will be good. After this week we dont know when we will have internet, but im sure it wont be too long. We heard from the other team who is in France and our lovely Lydie was electrocuted in the shower and rushed to the emergency room which was a huge shock to all of us. God really protected her though because she is fine, and left the next day. They said any higher voltage or length of time she would have died. So other team, we are all thinking and praying for you. We frequently dream about meals at home - but the other day we did find delicious milkshakes- mm soo good!
Au revoir until next time!
Saturday, 28 January 2012
Thursday, 19 January 2012
Umuzongo!!
Umuzungo!! In English – white person!! That is how we are frequently greeted by children yelling after us, Umuzungo, umuzungo!!
I just want to say, sorry for how jumpy this blog might be. Today we really have limited time on the internet so I am quickly writing all my thoughts down.
Hmm where to even start? Well it’s the 19th which marks the 2 month count down for me – crazy! Where did the time go? I feel like just yesterday I was in France. This past week has been hectic, but I have a feeling that is how all of our weeks are going to be like here – and I really don’t mind. I want to experience as much as I can before I go home. We have now started working with a missionary from Germany for 2 days a week named Ingrid. It just helps change up what we do. So our team split up into 2. Half of us went to clean out a “garage” full of wood and the other half of us went to a school to do some painting – and that was me!! So we climbed into a “taxi” - I can’t wait to show you how terrifying this really is, and after changing “taxis” two times were dropped off at the end of a dirt road. We walked along this dirt road for maybe half an hour and when I turned around there was a sea of Rwandans following us, they were intrigued. As we were walking the poverty became worse and worse, where we are staying is definitely an impoverished area, but nothing compared to this. It was like World Vision commercials right before your eyes. We got to the school and the paint for the walls was as thin as water, we had no idea how we were supposed to get colour actually on the walls. Eventually the girls of the team were pulled away by all the wonderful children and we left the men to work (so typical!) we sang and played gamed and just had a great time. None of them spoke French or English so it was a lot of just simply laughing. Then something crazy happened, it was like we were in the middle of a monsoon. It happened within seconds the rain poured down, the streets became empty as they had already begun to flood. You saw people’s houses become destroyed – it was awful. The rain poured and poured down for 30 minutes – It was so loud that you couldn’t even speak to each other, the noise was unbearable. For us we just had to endure it – but it was heartbreaking to know that people then had to rebuild their mud walls of their homes. After this rain storm stopped, we came out of the school house (which was also flooded) and the road was impossible to walk on – but we did. We walked 30 minutes until the closest taxi stand, piled in an when we got to Ingrid’s she had made us coffee and tea and things that were like paradise for us. The next day we once again got to play with the children and it was even better – but we also worked behind the school and made stairs and flattened the land with our picks and hoes. I have never had more blisters, and been so physically exhausted – but it was awesome! It’s funny because the children completely accept us and jump into our laps but the parents just stand there with their mouths wide open for no joke an hour! We can’t wait to strengthen our relationships with them though.
This week we also went to a genocide orphanage – another moment where you did everything you could to hold back the tears. We were told absolutely no pictures, I had no idea what to expect. You have to remember the genocide was in 1994 so these orphans are older, but still orphans and still struggling with their lives. Some of them have lost their whole families, they are injured, they have lost body parts and their emotional wounds are even deeper. You can see the effects of the genocide every where hear, there is such uncertainty, such hurt. In this “orphanage” we sat and stalked with two sisters who had lost their whole family and seen them be decapitated right infront of them. One of the sisters had a scar across from her face from when she was running away. Their story is amazing and so courageous – her sisters were separated when they were running away but found each other in a refugee camp full of thousands– totally God. They then somehow found their aunt – they were only around 4 years old. As our conversations progressed with them we realized how hurt they felt that countries around the world really did abandon them in their time of need. Countries literally turned a blind eye to their suffering even when they sent cried of help to governments. They kept asking us why, and we didn’t know how to respond, they also kept asking us what are we going to do when we get home to tell people about their country and how destroyed it was? We said we would talk about it, but that’s not enough. We all left feeling sick about how us as “First World Nations” didn’t even care when it was going on. I also didn’t know this, but none of the other team members other than Whitney and I (the Canadians) even knew about the genocide before coming to Rwanda. I can’t believe it was not taught about in highschool or anything. I was shocked. Even people from the States had no idea that there even was a genocide and how bad it was. I could keep on going forever but I wont – I must get off the internet. Not this week, but the next we will be working with HIV/AIDS victims for the entire week which will be really interesting.
So many of you e-mailed me and it was so sweet, Im sorry I couldn’t e-mail back, but know that every email brought a huge smile to my face!!
Love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just want to say, sorry for how jumpy this blog might be. Today we really have limited time on the internet so I am quickly writing all my thoughts down.
Hmm where to even start? Well it’s the 19th which marks the 2 month count down for me – crazy! Where did the time go? I feel like just yesterday I was in France. This past week has been hectic, but I have a feeling that is how all of our weeks are going to be like here – and I really don’t mind. I want to experience as much as I can before I go home. We have now started working with a missionary from Germany for 2 days a week named Ingrid. It just helps change up what we do. So our team split up into 2. Half of us went to clean out a “garage” full of wood and the other half of us went to a school to do some painting – and that was me!! So we climbed into a “taxi” - I can’t wait to show you how terrifying this really is, and after changing “taxis” two times were dropped off at the end of a dirt road. We walked along this dirt road for maybe half an hour and when I turned around there was a sea of Rwandans following us, they were intrigued. As we were walking the poverty became worse and worse, where we are staying is definitely an impoverished area, but nothing compared to this. It was like World Vision commercials right before your eyes. We got to the school and the paint for the walls was as thin as water, we had no idea how we were supposed to get colour actually on the walls. Eventually the girls of the team were pulled away by all the wonderful children and we left the men to work (so typical!) we sang and played gamed and just had a great time. None of them spoke French or English so it was a lot of just simply laughing. Then something crazy happened, it was like we were in the middle of a monsoon. It happened within seconds the rain poured down, the streets became empty as they had already begun to flood. You saw people’s houses become destroyed – it was awful. The rain poured and poured down for 30 minutes – It was so loud that you couldn’t even speak to each other, the noise was unbearable. For us we just had to endure it – but it was heartbreaking to know that people then had to rebuild their mud walls of their homes. After this rain storm stopped, we came out of the school house (which was also flooded) and the road was impossible to walk on – but we did. We walked 30 minutes until the closest taxi stand, piled in an when we got to Ingrid’s she had made us coffee and tea and things that were like paradise for us. The next day we once again got to play with the children and it was even better – but we also worked behind the school and made stairs and flattened the land with our picks and hoes. I have never had more blisters, and been so physically exhausted – but it was awesome! It’s funny because the children completely accept us and jump into our laps but the parents just stand there with their mouths wide open for no joke an hour! We can’t wait to strengthen our relationships with them though.
This week we also went to a genocide orphanage – another moment where you did everything you could to hold back the tears. We were told absolutely no pictures, I had no idea what to expect. You have to remember the genocide was in 1994 so these orphans are older, but still orphans and still struggling with their lives. Some of them have lost their whole families, they are injured, they have lost body parts and their emotional wounds are even deeper. You can see the effects of the genocide every where hear, there is such uncertainty, such hurt. In this “orphanage” we sat and stalked with two sisters who had lost their whole family and seen them be decapitated right infront of them. One of the sisters had a scar across from her face from when she was running away. Their story is amazing and so courageous – her sisters were separated when they were running away but found each other in a refugee camp full of thousands– totally God. They then somehow found their aunt – they were only around 4 years old. As our conversations progressed with them we realized how hurt they felt that countries around the world really did abandon them in their time of need. Countries literally turned a blind eye to their suffering even when they sent cried of help to governments. They kept asking us why, and we didn’t know how to respond, they also kept asking us what are we going to do when we get home to tell people about their country and how destroyed it was? We said we would talk about it, but that’s not enough. We all left feeling sick about how us as “First World Nations” didn’t even care when it was going on. I also didn’t know this, but none of the other team members other than Whitney and I (the Canadians) even knew about the genocide before coming to Rwanda. I can’t believe it was not taught about in highschool or anything. I was shocked. Even people from the States had no idea that there even was a genocide and how bad it was. I could keep on going forever but I wont – I must get off the internet. Not this week, but the next we will be working with HIV/AIDS victims for the entire week which will be really interesting.
So many of you e-mailed me and it was so sweet, Im sorry I couldn’t e-mail back, but know that every email brought a huge smile to my face!!
Love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
The Land of a Thousand Hills!
Muraho (Hello, in Kinya-Rwanda) from The Land of a Thousand Hills!!! I am here safely and sorry that it has taken so long to write an e-mail. I am currently sitting in a tiny little “internet café”. We are currently in Kigali, the capital, and are in the middle of our second week! Where to even start! We have been so busy, and it has been exhausting but amazing.
Our trip here was smooth and had no problems , our connecting flight from Brussels to Kigali was right on time and when we arrived in Kigali even customs went smoothly PLUS all of our luggage arrived so we were a happy bunch! We were greeted by so many smiles and hugs from total strangers, which blew us away. They immediately took our luggage and made us feel right at home. Each one of the people meeting us had made sure to learn one of our names by a gift for each of us. So sweet!
We drove through Kigali and I was surprised at the well paved roads and decorated roundabouts, but as soon as you leave the center the streets are “typically African” or what I had always imagined. The van has to go so slow because there are so many bumps, well not even bumps, holes in the road! HUGE HOLES. It’s crazy, at times you think that the van is going to tip over completely. We are taken to the base and we find that yes, we actually have beds to sleep in! We were not expecting this! There are four of us in a room, two bunk beds and the beds themselves are huge, you can sleep with stuff on your bed and not even realize it. The mattresses have caused many laughs because they are not your typical mattress, where you chose to sleep the first night is where you will sleep the rest of the month. There is a hole from my body, and they do not pop back over the day. It’s like sleeping in a little nest. They also provided the mosquito nets and sheets, so we feel pampered since we were expecting a floor and a sleeping bag.
So this e-mail isn’t too long I will try to summarize everything that we have been doing. The hardest day for me here was when we went to the Hospital of Kigali, my first reaction was that I was fine, but as we entered rooms of patients to pray for them and give them juice and fruit I could not keep the tears back. The hospitals are dirty, they are packed in rooms – and there was just a terrible sense of sadness that you could feel. I then thought about what it must have been like with the genocide 10 years ago, and the tears came even harder. These poor people just lie there with nothing, there is no cafeteria, there is no waiting area that I air conditioned, the emergency room is just a dirty room at the front of the hospital. It is dusty and there is water all over the floor. I don’t know how else to describe it. We will be going back there once a week, and I’m hoping that we get to make some relationships with the patients and even the doctors.
We are also working with the GBUR, Groupe Biblique Universitaire de Rwanda. It is with them that we have made connections with places like the hospitals, orphanages, families in need etc. On our “family day” Whitney and I went to a young lady named Vanessa’s house. We were taken in their “motor taxis” where they squish as many people in as possible – literally around 25 people in a 12 person van. You have kids sitting on your lap and your arm out the window because it cant actually fit in the van. Kind of scary at first when you don’t understand the language at all, but we survived. Anyways so we get to this ladies house, and it is GORGEOUS. The view itself is just magnificent, and Whitney and I just looked at each other with out mouths hanging open. The front door opens and there are leather couches, a big screen tv, sound system, kitchen table, nice tiled floors – this is nothing like the area we were living in. So we sit down and watch the one channel Rwanda has (seriously) and its in Rwanda, so we don’t understand…and we sit there for 4 hours watching tv…we try to ask them if they have any plans for the day, or if there is a market, but they don’t understand us so we shrugged our shoulders. When I asked to go to the bathroom I was surprised because basically as soon as you pass through this living room area the rest is bare and nothing like the front of the house. They only have the bare essentials to give off the impression that they are wealthy. It was bizarre. She prepare us a meal and we tried the traditional Rwandan food which was delicious, but then we were offered Rwandan cheese. We said yes, we wanted to try everything that we could while we were here – It didn’t look like cheese and the husband said it was safe for us bc it had been boiled and everything, so why not? Well mistake, our stomachs did not agree, and the taste stayed in our mouth for EVER! Whitney states “you know I am suddenly full?” looks at me “Lauren…are you ok?” I had suddenly worked up a sweat within seconds and was red in the face…”Yeah, I’m not so hungry either..” anyways moral of the story…if you come to Rwanda, seriously don’t eat the cheese…not even to experience it…I might have just maybe been sick for 2 days.
We have had to get used to peeing in holes, rarely showering, and waiting 8 hours between meals. The constant heat is exhausting, even at night it doesn’t really cool down that much. We take naps “siestas” when we can, but that’s rare. O YEAH sorry random thought, church on Sunday was 9 hours! 9 hours! They sing and dance for forever and ever and ever and ever. It was very entertaining but after an hour our ears and feet hurt so we were ready to crash, little did we know we had eight hours to go.
We eat rice, rice and rice, sometimes bread. We have to cook over coals in the backyard in this little shack , we wash our clothes in buckets and really it all seems kind of normal to be honest. I don’t know how to describe it, but it didn’t take much getting used to.
I love you all so much, and feel free to e-mail me when you want. We should be able to find a café around once a week to use the internet. I am sorry that I cannot attach any pictures, but we aren’t allowed to upload here, so it will have to wait until I’m home! I miss you guys and think of you all the time.
<3
Lauren
Our trip here was smooth and had no problems , our connecting flight from Brussels to Kigali was right on time and when we arrived in Kigali even customs went smoothly PLUS all of our luggage arrived so we were a happy bunch! We were greeted by so many smiles and hugs from total strangers, which blew us away. They immediately took our luggage and made us feel right at home. Each one of the people meeting us had made sure to learn one of our names by a gift for each of us. So sweet!
We drove through Kigali and I was surprised at the well paved roads and decorated roundabouts, but as soon as you leave the center the streets are “typically African” or what I had always imagined. The van has to go so slow because there are so many bumps, well not even bumps, holes in the road! HUGE HOLES. It’s crazy, at times you think that the van is going to tip over completely. We are taken to the base and we find that yes, we actually have beds to sleep in! We were not expecting this! There are four of us in a room, two bunk beds and the beds themselves are huge, you can sleep with stuff on your bed and not even realize it. The mattresses have caused many laughs because they are not your typical mattress, where you chose to sleep the first night is where you will sleep the rest of the month. There is a hole from my body, and they do not pop back over the day. It’s like sleeping in a little nest. They also provided the mosquito nets and sheets, so we feel pampered since we were expecting a floor and a sleeping bag.
So this e-mail isn’t too long I will try to summarize everything that we have been doing. The hardest day for me here was when we went to the Hospital of Kigali, my first reaction was that I was fine, but as we entered rooms of patients to pray for them and give them juice and fruit I could not keep the tears back. The hospitals are dirty, they are packed in rooms – and there was just a terrible sense of sadness that you could feel. I then thought about what it must have been like with the genocide 10 years ago, and the tears came even harder. These poor people just lie there with nothing, there is no cafeteria, there is no waiting area that I air conditioned, the emergency room is just a dirty room at the front of the hospital. It is dusty and there is water all over the floor. I don’t know how else to describe it. We will be going back there once a week, and I’m hoping that we get to make some relationships with the patients and even the doctors.
We are also working with the GBUR, Groupe Biblique Universitaire de Rwanda. It is with them that we have made connections with places like the hospitals, orphanages, families in need etc. On our “family day” Whitney and I went to a young lady named Vanessa’s house. We were taken in their “motor taxis” where they squish as many people in as possible – literally around 25 people in a 12 person van. You have kids sitting on your lap and your arm out the window because it cant actually fit in the van. Kind of scary at first when you don’t understand the language at all, but we survived. Anyways so we get to this ladies house, and it is GORGEOUS. The view itself is just magnificent, and Whitney and I just looked at each other with out mouths hanging open. The front door opens and there are leather couches, a big screen tv, sound system, kitchen table, nice tiled floors – this is nothing like the area we were living in. So we sit down and watch the one channel Rwanda has (seriously) and its in Rwanda, so we don’t understand…and we sit there for 4 hours watching tv…we try to ask them if they have any plans for the day, or if there is a market, but they don’t understand us so we shrugged our shoulders. When I asked to go to the bathroom I was surprised because basically as soon as you pass through this living room area the rest is bare and nothing like the front of the house. They only have the bare essentials to give off the impression that they are wealthy. It was bizarre. She prepare us a meal and we tried the traditional Rwandan food which was delicious, but then we were offered Rwandan cheese. We said yes, we wanted to try everything that we could while we were here – It didn’t look like cheese and the husband said it was safe for us bc it had been boiled and everything, so why not? Well mistake, our stomachs did not agree, and the taste stayed in our mouth for EVER! Whitney states “you know I am suddenly full?” looks at me “Lauren…are you ok?” I had suddenly worked up a sweat within seconds and was red in the face…”Yeah, I’m not so hungry either..” anyways moral of the story…if you come to Rwanda, seriously don’t eat the cheese…not even to experience it…I might have just maybe been sick for 2 days.
We have had to get used to peeing in holes, rarely showering, and waiting 8 hours between meals. The constant heat is exhausting, even at night it doesn’t really cool down that much. We take naps “siestas” when we can, but that’s rare. O YEAH sorry random thought, church on Sunday was 9 hours! 9 hours! They sing and dance for forever and ever and ever and ever. It was very entertaining but after an hour our ears and feet hurt so we were ready to crash, little did we know we had eight hours to go.
We eat rice, rice and rice, sometimes bread. We have to cook over coals in the backyard in this little shack , we wash our clothes in buckets and really it all seems kind of normal to be honest. I don’t know how to describe it, but it didn’t take much getting used to.
I love you all so much, and feel free to e-mail me when you want. We should be able to find a café around once a week to use the internet. I am sorry that I cannot attach any pictures, but we aren’t allowed to upload here, so it will have to wait until I’m home! I miss you guys and think of you all the time.
<3
Lauren
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