Rwanda wrap up :(

Today is my last day in the village and I can honestly say that this experience has been the most heartwarming, eye opening happening of my life. I came here to volunteer my time and try make a difference in the village, and I know that I did make a significant impact, but the lessons, inspiration and knowledge that I gained from being here far surpasses what I’ve given. The day I came to the village, everyone here welcomed me in with open arms; every kid walking by would stop to shake my hand and ask me questions, genuinely wanting to know about me and where I’m from. Although the culture shock was momentous, after just a week I felt completely at home. Instantly, I felt comfortable walking through the village listening to the song of the exotic birds, looking out into the breathtaking view of green rolling hills, and being approached by all the warm and friendly students and invited into their home.

The students, who have all undergone such traumatic hardships in the past, have the most graceful view on life and I never see any of them without a wide smile on their face. They are so appreciative for everything given to them- before every meal, all of them put down their head and pray and I’ve constantly heard them talk about how lucky they are for being given three full meals a day. They are so thankful for the education and opportunities they have here that they work their butts off in everything they do. I’ve never met such dedicated, motivated people in my life and they have inspired me to attempt to work just as hard as I’m going off to my first year in college next year. At one of the English classes I attended at the school, the teacher didn’t show up because of a road accident. If that ever happened in my high school at home, kids would go wild. I was amazed to see every single student take out his or her books and silently study the entire hour. They see us, American volunteers, as a huge opportunity for them to get ahead in English and they take advantage of every minute we are here. These kids have such high, optimistic hopes and dreams for the future and I have no doubt in my mind that they will succeed and in turn, help the country of Rwanda flourish.

I’ve made deep connections with so many of the kids here and as my time is inching away, many of them have approached me and said “I will never forget you,” or “You’ll be in my heart forever.” I love the kids here and although I have exchanged facebook and email with many of them, I will miss them terribly. I am so grateful that Anne Heyman created such a unique and special place like this, I’ve never been encircled with so many amazing, kind people in my life and I know that whatever these kids end up doing in the future, they will thrive in great measures.

Last morning at agahozo

     This morning, we awoke at 5.30 AM to hike up to the dining hall for breakfast, the last meal at the village and the last time we’ll probably ever see our friends here again. Everyone at the village knew we were leaving today, so as they walked into breakfast, they each gave us a hug one by one before grabbing their daily bread role and porridge. After a round of twenty or so hugs, one of my closest friends, Benny came up to say goodbye, He’s only two months new into the village so his English isn’t very good but after talking with me everyday for the month, I can already see the strides and the progress he’s made. It took him a while to open up to me when I first got here but by the last couple weeks, he was holding my hand (holding hands is very normal for friends here, even for boys), inviting me over everyday so I could help him with homework or just simply hang out, and sat by me at nearly every meal. I really came to love him. I’ve never met such a sweet, friendly person in my life. He opened up to me about his past- how his parents were killed in the genocide and his struggles growing up, and slowly, I became less of a “volunteer” to him and more of a friend.

Showing Benny photobooth for the first time

      Many of the kids have abandonment problems from their past so when we first got to the village, the teachers made it very clear that we needed to stress to the kids when exactly we were leaving so it wouldn’t be a shock to them. Although I told Benny many times the day I was going to be leaving, the communication barriers did not get my message across and when he finally understood a couple of days before, he was startled and taken aback. “It’s impossible” was the first thing he said, “you must stay longer.” Every time I saw him since then, he would say “you go next month instead?” or “you change your mind?” It was so hard leaving Benny. In Rwanda, crying in public, talking about their problems and openly expressing feelings is not apart of their culture which is one of the reasons why recovering from the genocide in Rwanda is so difficult. Whatever happens to them, they stand strong and move along with their lives. Some of the Rwandan girls who started crying right away ran out of the room so they wouldn’t be seen. When Benny walked into breakfast that morning, he wouldn’t look at me in the eyes although he saw me crying and he gave me a quick hug, gave me a note which I read later on (it was absolutely beautiful) and walked away. One of the girls in my family hugged me and said, “Jesus will always be with you. You are always apart of our family, I’m so sorry you are sad but you will come back and visit your family here once again.” I’ve never become so connected and attached to such a new, unique place before; instantly I felt at home in the village, and the friends that I made here I will remember forever. The hardest moment in my life was leaving the cafeteria, waving goodbye for the last time and walking down the windy dirt path through the farm and back to my guesthouse that overlooks the beautiful hills of Rwanda.

Vacation to Gisenyi

Kids I met at the hot springs

Our vacation to Ginseyi was absolutely amazing. The several hour drive there was a bit nauseating for me because I was jammed in the back of the van with no air space but if you see vans on the street in Rwanda, about 20 people are cramped into a 10 person car so I can’t rightfully complain. On the way, we stopped at a nice traditional Rwandan restaurant that served Kassava leaves, beans, rice, potato bananas (they are cooked bananas that taste exactly like potatoes), goat skewers and Koka-Kola (that’s how they spell it). Right before we got to the hotel, we drove along the border of Rwandan/ and Democratic Republic of Congo. I was surprised to see that all it was, was a small stone wall with two officers at the entrance of the gate.

We finally arrived at our hotel which had windy stone pathways that led to beautiful thatched huts right on the edge of Lake Kivu,  the only lake in Rwanda open for swimming. Our huts had simply two beds with mosquito nets around them and bathroom with a shower .We threw on our swimsuits and most people hopped into a wobbly boat that would soon cross the lake, but me and two others decided to swim it instead. After about 45 minutes of swimming against the tide (yes it was exhausting) we climbed out of the lake where there was 6 Rwandan boys cooking something over a fire. We continued on to find the rest of the group by a little hot spring. The springs were so hot that if you dropped a potato in the water, it would cook in just about twenty minutes. The mayor of the hot springs, who was 94 years old, was standing by. It was funny to see from an outsider’s perspective the ten Americans surrounded by and stared at by amazed but confused Rwandans. I started snapping some photos and lots of little kids ran up to me to see the pictures and when they saw their faces they would giggle and clap.

Our hut

Ilyssa and I on the boat back from the springs

After the hot springs we walked back to the boat and I had a following of about 10 little who were flabbergasted by my camera. We took a boat to a bright green Island with tropical trees close by that looked exactly like a fake, post card scene. We layed out in the sun for a while and then took the boat back to our hotel room. After showering (which was amazing because at the village we only get to wash in the buckets) we went outside for an amazing dinner. Most people ordered Tilapia but being a vegetarian, I had the traditional rice, beans and banana potato meal. Even though I eat that every day here, surprisingly I’m not sick of it yet. During the meal, two crazy African dancers ran in with beaded clothes, spears, bells on their ankles and white painted faces and were accompanied by two drummers. They performed hilarious and interesting dances for us and then I stood up to clap along and one of them came right up to me, grabbed my hand, and pulled me into the dance. In front of everyone. Although I was embarrassed at first, I quickly picked up the dance moves and had a blast.

After dinner, our guide leader gave us pens and paper to write a letter to ourselves that will be sent out to us in a year from now. I don’t know exactly where I’ll be when I receive the letter, but wherever it Is, I know that it will warm my heart and remind me of all the connections I’ve made here, the friends that I love, the lessons learned, and the memories made. Whenever I think of this time, I know I will smile.

The next morning, I woke up to screaming fishermans on the lake. While rowing their boats, they yell and sing, not worried about waking people up because Rwandans are usually early birds and everyone’s up by six anyway. We ate breakfast outside on a table facing the lake and for only three or four dollars, we were served omelets, Rwandan tea, crapes, fruit salad, and toast with butter and jam. After breakfast our group left the hotel and arrived at an outdoor market which had thousands of beautiful, colorful African fabrics. I saw little girls sewing dolls out of fabric, lots of toddlers roaming around and exploring under the tables, and old woman napping in piles of banana leaves. After leaving the market, we headed towards Kigali and stopped for pizza on the way (it’s the only place in Rwanda you can find pizza). 

 Bosco, the driver for the village, accompanies us to all of the meals we have on our trips. I talked to him for a while and he was telling me about his family that lives hours away from the village. Because he works at Agahozo, he only gets to see his family once a week. “It is not good for me because my eleven year daughter doesn’t know who I am, and my other kids have stopped looking for me. But there is no other way to make money for them.” Instead of eating the pizza we ordered for him, he boxed it up for kids at home, even though he hadn’t eaten all day. “My kids will be very happy. They’ve never had pizza before,” he explained. It’s easy to see Bosco as just a driver and think nothing else, but for the first time, I actually learned about what his life is like and all the sacrifices he has to make. Bosco has been so friendly and loving to us, I’ve never seen him without a smile on his face (most Rwandans smile constantly), and I’ll never forget his grace and strong character.

        There are so many kids in the village that I’ve come to love and really bond with that I have no idea how to say goodbye to the village. Although I’m starting to feel extremely sad, I know I will hold this unique and special place in my heart forever.

Amahoro (Peace)

Boy I met at the market

Woman at the market who helped pick out some dresses for me.

It’s cool driving through Rwanda and actually recognizing places, or walking down to the market and having kids remember me and come up running “Jenna!” I’ve started to feel extremely at home here. Last week there was a soccer tournament held at Agahozo village and all of the players from the other teams were invited to eat lunch with everyone in the dining hall. Even though they are Rwandan, when they came to Agahozo village I was hosting them; showing them where things were, serving them food, and making sure they ate enough and felt comfortable. I’ve really come to realize that this village really feels like home to me and part of the reason why is because of how warm and friendly everyone treated us when we first got here. The students were always showing us around, doing our dishes, inviting us over to their homes, approaching us with lots of questions, etc. The best part of the village is being able to walk around freely and talking to the students on the way and usually I’ll get invited into their house or they’ll ask for an English lesson. All of the kids I’ve gotten close with here have come up to me the last couple of days and said something like, “I will always remember you” or “There’s a place for you in my heart forever” and one told me today that “you have become my family and there’s always a place for you here at the village.” Their culture is so welcoming and affectionate and even when I walk outside the village, the dirt road (it’s more like a huge sidewalk because there are rarely cars that go by) is filled with people constantly waving, smiling and saying the little English they know- “Good morning” or “How are you.” 

          Today the whole village woke up at 5.30 AM to do the “muchaka” run (a tradition in Eastern Africa where they sing and clap as they run) up the hill to the school. Then, after breakfast, I went with my family to the farm for a couple of hours to hoe and weed in the hot sun. I’ve never hoed before and at first, all of the girls were laughing at my attempt to throw the hoe into the ground and pull out all the weeds and grass. The girls around helped show me the correct way to do it and were extremely shocked when I told them that most people in America don’t do this type of work and that there’s machines that do the job for you. “Here in Rwanda, we use our strength,” one of the girls proudly told me. After working in the fields for a while, my pants were covered with thorns and thistles and when I sat down for a break, 5 or 6 girls crowded around me picking them all off of me and rubbing off the dirt on my legs. They always treat each other like this; taking care of each other is so important to them and now that they feel I am part of the family, they’re always looking out for me. During our hard labor, the girls taught me a Rwandan song called “Amahoro” (which means Peace in Kiyar-wandan) and then I thought them a Hebrew song, “Lcha Dodi”. They asked me lots of questions about America like, “What is a Jewish church like?”, “Are their poor people in America?” “Is there farms?” and “Have you met usher or Beyonce?” We got into the discussion about poor people in America and I explained to them what soup kitchens and homeless shelters were. They were very impressed with the idea of a soup kitchen, and one of the girls said she wants to start one near her home outside the village once she finishes school and earns money. One of the core values of the village is “tikkun olam” or “repairing the world” and many of the kids have high hopes of helping people in their communities, especially orphans like them. These girls are the sweetest, most caring people I’ve ever met.

Parting with the workers

Workers waving us goodbye

Today was our last day of construction work. The workers have become really accustom to our presence and even though we see them every morning, they still act so happy and excited when we arrive at the work site. Everyone stops his work to come up to me, shake my hand and say “Teacher! Malamutes!” which means “Good Morning!”

Although I’ve only taught them English in a formal classroom 4 or 5 times, all of them still refer to me as teacher. The last class I had, I wrote a list of about 50 English words with the Kinya-rwanda translations and handed it out to all of them so that they can still practice their English after I leave.  They were so thankful at the end of lesson that all 20 of them kissed both of my cheeks as they left the classroom. During construction work, they try practice English as much as they can as well as return the favor by teaching me Kinya-rwanda words.

For our last day with them, my group decided to throw a goodbye party for them. Because there are about 80 workers in the village, we each chipped in to buy 35 pineapples. Right outside the village, there was a boy with a bike full of pineapples and we bought the whole bundle from him (It’s his lucky day!) After cutting up all the pineapple, all the workers came and one of the girls on my trip who can speak French made a speech about how thankful we are for being able to meet and work with them. They all applauded and one of the workers who spoke a decent amount of English said, “We have had such a pleasure meeting all of you and thank you so much for helping at the site and teaching us English we’ll never forget you! After eating pineapple and laughing and talking with the workers a bit, one of the men proposed to me in front of the whole group (I’ve never actually seen him before)!   My face turned tomato red but everyone started laughing and clapping and he grabbed my hand and people frantically started snapping photos. After the party, we gave the pineapple “heads” to some of the workers because with just the top of it, you can grow more pineapples without having to water it or anything! The building, which is now almost finished (all it needs is windows and paint), was just a pile of bricks a month ago.  It’s extremely fulfilling seeing the building come together because just five months ago, we were knocking on doors selling T-shirts and raising money for this project. Because of us, this building will be standing for some fifty years and if I’m able to return to the village later on life (which I’m really hoping on doing so) I can revisit the memories of backbreaking, exhausting but satisfying work. We stuck our hands in wet cement and carved the name “Young Judea Year Course 2011” into the pavement.  It was a really great closing to our project.

One of the only woman workers at the village that I've become very close with(she's also in the English class I taught)

The man who proposed to me.

 

Chilling with gorillas in a bamboo forest

  I can confidently say that the last 24 hours have been one of the best days of my life.  After our morning construction work, we quickly packed up our bags and were picked up by tall jeeps at our guesthouse. The big coolers with cold water (we haven’t had cold beverages since we got here) and the beautiful, banana woven folders that each one of us was given as we hopped in the van, suggested that the day was going to a be a good one. Instead of the rickety, nausea-inducing broken down van that we usually use for trips, our Toyota jeep smoothly brought us over the bumpy, dirt roads and allowed us to see the beautiful Rwanda without feeling that our car would break down at any second. On the way I saw a political speech/campaign because the elections are coming up this week. In a random field/banana plantation, there was a small tent with hundreds of people surrounding it. At first I thought it was a wedding, but our Rwandan driver explained to us what was going on. Also on the way I saw a huge field of kids playing soccer with a ball made up of rolled up newspaper. The kids saw us through the jeep window and even though the road was on top of an extremely steep hill, they started freaking out and running up to the car and I managed to get it all on video! I put the video up on youtube, the URL is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XXvq2uQfyI. After the three and a half hour drive, we went through a sweet little neighborhood surrounded by plantations and farmland where Highs school girls with bright blue uniforms were all walking back from school with their books piled on top of their heads and little kids were walking around with their goats and chickens.

We then stop at the gated entrance of the Hotel called “Gorillas Nest” and slowly enter a huge, enchanted looking forest. Thousands of tall trees that resembled redwoods crowded the area and we drove through a narrow path to the entrance of the hotel. The jeep pulled over and when we hopped out the vans, we were given hot towels and ginger tea. After checking in, we walked out the lobby and through the enchanted forest to our cottages. We crossed a long, skinny bridge that overlooked miles of tall trees and swamps. I walked into my cottage with Hannah, my roommate for the night, and we were so excited to see real beds (we’ve been currently sleeping on dilapidated bunk beds) and a nice, big shower and bath (we’ve also been taking cold, bucket showers) that we collapsed on our bed from excitement. There was a small table with amazing Rwanda tea and coffee and when we sat down to make some, one of the Rwandan workers knocks at our door and comes to bring us an umbrella because it started pouring. He was the friendliest boy I’ve ever met and we invited him in for tea and crackers. In America, this type of thing could never happen but here, everyone is so amiable and there’s a significantly less amount of barriers between people. He told us that he’s twenty years old and wishes he could be currently studying at a university but doesn’t have enough money to do so. The first thing he asked us was “Do you have parents?” which in Rwanda usually means that he doesn’t. I’m used to this sort of question because all of the kids at village are very curious about people with parents and how their relationship with them is.

 I took a hot bath for the first time in 5 months, which felt unbelievably amazing!! Hannah and I were the first to get ready for dinner and we walked through the rain, into the enchanted forest, across the long bridge and to the beautiful lodge. When we walked in, a group of 30 Rwandans dressed in traditional African clothing were huddled in the corner and it was absolutely silent but when they turned at saw us, they whispered to each other and all of sudden, drums went off and a huge dance and song performance started! We were caught completely off guard and we started laughing hysterically, completely shocked at the surprise. The rest of the group started trickling in and the production continued for about an hour. The last couple of songs we stood up, clapping and dancing, and each of the African dancers came and grabbed our hands. The hotel workers (cooks, receptionist, the boy who delivered me the umbrella and all) all joined in to out huge African dance party and we were all smiling so hard that our heads were pounding and none of us could feel our cheeks.

When the dance died down, they assisted us to the candle lit dining hall and all nine of us sat down at a beautifully decorated table next to a fireplace. All the food and drinks were included in our stay so to start out, we all ordered beer, wine, and mango juice. Then they brought us vegetable soup and an avocado salad for starters and then we each ordered a main course and all had fruit salad for desert. It was SO nice eating something other than rice and beans for a change…I don’t think I’ve ever appreciated eating out at a restaurant as much as I did last night.

The next morning I awoke at 5.30, ate an amazing omelet and tea breakfast by 6.00, and was in the jeep on the way to the gorillas before sunrise. We met out guide and the other people from Ireland that were going to be trekking with us. We walked through bumpy plains and passed lots of little children, goats, cows, and scenic mountain views. We finally arrived at a tall mound of bricks made as a separation gate into the park. We climbed over the bricks and started our treacherous hike. The first half hour was a pretty flat hike but suddenly the pace changed and before we knew it, we were arduously trekking up the steep mountain. It was extremely mucky and slippery so every step, I sunk about two inches into the mud and every couple of minutes I would slip and fall hard on the ground. We each carried a walking stick that they gave us before the hike and at the beginning, I thought it was hilarious that they made us take a walking stick as if we were old grandmas, but I ended up desperately needing it. Although I still fell quite often, at times the hill was so steep and slippery that there was no way I would have gotten up it without sinking my stick into the ground and then pulling myself up. Even though the hike was strenuous, the green lush, tall bamboo, flowers and interesting plants around me were just gorgeous and unperturbed.  I’ve never been in such a beautiful place before and being there with such an amazing group of girls that I’ve gotten close with here in Rwanda enhanced the experience remarkably.

After about an hour and a half were almost at the top of the mountain and we look to the top and see big black moving objects in the distance. My jaw slowly drops when I realize the innumerable amount of gorillas dawdling right in front of my eyes. Our feet move quicker and the guide signals us to the side of a big tree where an enormous Silverback gorilla was just chilling and eating. The animal was a lot more massive than I imagined (they are three times the size of a full grown man) and I was dumbstruck by how humanlike he was sitting and eating. He looked like a giant stuffed animal. Our group surrounded the tree, taking pictures and watching intensely, and the gorilla was completely indifferent that we were standing less than ten feet away from him. Then two smaller gorillas emerged from the trees and a couple in the distance revealed themselves. The gentle creatures didn’t seam to notice we were even there. A couple of them showed off their skills by swiftly climbing up thin sticks of bamboo further into the forest and once they all moved away from us, we followed into the timberland. We had just walked into their very home- nests were sitting above us and gorillas were walking freely all around us. We saw around thirty gorillas total including a mother breastfeeding a baby and baby gorillas being carried on their mothers’ backs. I was sitting down at one point looking at some of the younger gorillas and one of them looked at me curiously and started walking towards me and then put a finger out to me. I wanted to touch it so badly because he looked like a little stuffed animal I wanted to cuddle with, but the guide said that the oil from our skin can seriously harm them and we had to keep our distance. After studying these amazing, beautiful animals for about two hours we started our journey down the hill where we also saw a buffalo looking straight at us. Basically on the way down was a huge mudslide. By then, my jeans and shoes were completely black so I didn’t mind slipping everywhere. It was actually pretty fun sliding down on my butt, especially because I were absolutely exhausted by then. The Rwandan guides were very amused at this. We finally finished our trek and about 30 kids set up tables with souvenirs right where we finished. A couple of us bought things and when we left, many disappointed boys packed their stuff up and walked away.

When we got back to the hotel they took our shoes to clean them, then we all took hot showers and then came to the dining room for an amazing lunch. Because the group was split up during the gorilla trek, we all shared our experiences and came to a common conclusion that the last 25 hours went exactly perfect and surpassed our expectations in every way imaginable. I will remember this amazing day forever! 

My Guide. Notice My muddy pants and shoes

Teaching day

Today during “family time” the mother asked if anyone had any problems of the day and one girl said that she’s falling behind in English because the teacher, Mike, talks to fast and she can’t understand him. Everyone here is competing to be fluent in English because that’s the tool that will set them ahead in school and allow them to succeed. They’ve learned that without English, they cannot continue onto university. Many of them come here not knowing a single word in English and they know they only have four years to become fluent so their rush to learn is very stressful. The American volunteers, like us, are the greatest tool for them to practice and even talking to a kid for a couple of minutes is extremely helping him/her.

After the long discussion, I passed out lollipops that I had brought for them. This gesture was something very trivial and small, something that would be passed over very lightly at an American school, but these girls were absolutely ecstatic and each one of them that could speak English got up in front of the group to thank me. One of the girls said, “Thank you so much for the candy because we now know that you will always be our friend and that you care and think about us. We will remember your face forever and think about you every day you are gone. You’re in our family now and we love you so much.” Knowing that something so trifling to me can mean so much to them shows how far an act of kindness can go here. After family time I hugged them all and when I walked out the door, all 16 of them came with me to walk me home. The people I have met here have truly warmed my heart. I am still in culture shock about how sweet and grateful these kids are for everything.

Today was a big day of teaching on my behalf. I tutored two girls in Biology, gave a 2 hour piano lesson, and helped a boy understand a story about Helen Keller from his text book. After five hours of hard, dirty construction work we split into groups to teach the workers at the village English. There’s about 50 workers and my class had about 30 of them squished in a small, dark room. The workers are so appreciative of this hour lesson because not only does it give them a break from working in the hot sun, but education here is valued so highly because most people cannot afford it and were giving these workers a chance to be educated for free, an opportunity that rarely exists here in Rwanda. My group is made up of mostly old men and two beautiful women that work in nicely woven skirts. Even when were working beside them doing construction, they call us “teacher” or “leader,” which feels strange coming from someone so much older than me but it still warms my heart. After our lessons, the workers try practice what I’ve taught them and continuously walk by my to ask me questions and practice their English. One of them said, “We are so happy to have a Muzungu [white person] working at our side. It has never happened before and it is funny. We like to tell our families about it.” During class today I tried to keep the class interesting by being very animated and using songs and rhymes to help them remember words. They laugh at me all the time and find it hilarious when I try speak in Kiyarwanda. (Today I learned that Amata means milk, Ennga means dog and Eenka means cow) Because their work is so mundane and exhausting, It’s nice to give them a break and give them something to smile about.

I also taught English today at the primary school in Rubona for the seniors’ Tikkun Olam project. The road to get to Rubona is always filled with adorable children roaming around because they only have school for a couple hours a day and the rest of the time they have nothing to do but wander. So on the way to the school, a small congregation of kids starting following me and yelling out all the English they knew- “good morning”, “How are you?” and “What is your name?” When we finally got to the school, an even bigger possy of kids bombarded me and trailed behind me for my entire stay. The little girls were fighting to win over my hand, and the boys were jumping on me and pulling my hair. It was a ridiculous sight to see. We broke up into classes and my class had about 50 kids with one teacher. The room was dark, dusty, and consisted of only wooden desks and a blackboard. They each had a single notebook made out of recycled newspaper where they copied the days of the week written on the board. I taught them the days of the week in a catchy tune that I learned from volunteering at a Jewish preschool in America, and although they absolutely could not pronounce “Thursday” they got the generally idea. After the days of the week song, one of the students from Agahozo went to the head of the class to lead so I sat in the middle of the classroom on a bench with the kids. This was a terrible, stupid idea. Everyone around me was so distracted-pulling at my hair, pinching my elbows and arms, tugging at my skirt and trying to sit on my lap. I couldn’t shoo them away or yell at them because a) they are too damn adorable and b) I guess you can’t blame them for being so interested because I’m the first white person they’ve ever seen. I felt bad for disturbing the class that the students from Agahozo were trying to run, but after a while the kids got used to me and eventually focused on the lesson. After class, we walked back to the village and about 30 kids left school to follow me and walk me home. Goats and chickens walking freely, babies strapped on backs, little kids drifting around and playing in sand, four people stacked on one bike, workers throwing mud at the mud huts and old ladies with big jugs of water balancing effortlessly on their head. This is Eastern Africa. I love it.

Success

After I gave a piano lesson to a boy today, he invited me back to his home to be a guest for the debate that happens ever Monday. The boys in his family are the oldest in the village, ranging from 18 to 20, so they speak the best English but have the most stress on their shoulders because they will be the first graduating class from the village, and no one really knows how it will play out (where they will go, if they will find a job or get into university, etc.) It’s very frightening for them to have such an amazing environment of comfort and security for 4 years and then all of a sudden, be let out into the real world with no one there for them. I guess I’m at the same point in my life, leaving my parents and going off to college to fend for myself, but having two parents that love me unconditionally and will be there whenever I need them gives me confidence and certainty that I will be alright. These kids don’t have that. They have no family to catch them if they fall, the only thing they have is a high school diploma. Also, these kids remember the most from the genocide because some of them were three of four. One of the boys I met today had a big machete gash over his eyebrow from the genocide. Thank god that he survived the attack, but I can’t help but wonder what happened to him and how he lost his family. The dabate topic today was “Is academic education the only was to reach success in life?” The entire debate was in English so it was definitely a struggle for them but each of them had amazing things to say. When the question was asked, “what makes a person successful in general?” most of the boys said that it means your successful if your strong in mind, reach your goals, and can provide for yourself and your family. They also brought up the point that just because your family is rich and you gain their inheritance, it doesn’t mean you’re successful because you didn’t earn it yourself. They are proud of the fact that they’re working from the very bottom of the ladder and that when they finish their education, they’ll be happier than people who were born at the top of the ladder. One of them said, “If I have a nice wife and kids that I can feed, I will be happy and successful”. It was so heart warming to hear how inspired they are in life because of the village. One boy said, “I agree that education can make you successful because education teaches you how to think independently and be a critical thinker and if you know that, wherever you are in life you can succeed.” All of the boys are very touchy/feely with each other and they were all piled on the couch with their arms around each other, it’s really sweet to see how close and bonded they are. All they have for family is one another and they’ve really come to rely and trust each other. Witnessing this discussion was extremely heartwarming and I actually teared up when they talked about what they want in life, and the boys started laughing at me for being so sensitive. I’ve really learned so much from these students and all the light and inspiration that drives them to continue on in life  and work for a brighter future.

A survivors story

            Today my group climbed the steep, arduous hill up to the school to listen to the school principle, Wilton, tell the story of his survival in the genocide. We all sat facing the front of the room and when Wilton walks in, we expect him, like any other principle, to stand in front of us and talk down to us, but he walks in quietly and humbly pulls up a chair beside us. He starts his story from the beginning:

            Years before the genocide, the Belgiums  took over Rwanda and enforced something called “identity cards” which labeled people as Hutu, Tutsi, or Twa. If they had ten or more cows, there were named a Tutsi. Generally, Tutsis were richer, taller, had skinnier noses, and were thought to be “smarter” and “more westernized”. Hutus were generally poorer, shorter and worked in menial, laborious jobs. 90% of the population was Hutu but the Tutsi minority was in power. The Twa population was less than 1% and were the poorest of the country. When the Belgiums left the country, many Hutus felt hostility towards the Tutsis who had ruled for so long and violence began to escalate. During this time, Wilton was only 19 and watched helplessly as his father was beaten to death with a hammer. The danger in Rwanda engendered Wilton to flee to Uganda even though he had 18 brothers and sisters staying in Rwanda. He joined the RPF (the Rwandan Patriotic Front) and when he eventually returned to Rwanda, his house was completely destroyed and he had heard that all 18 of his brothers and sisters were killed. He sat in his house for hours crying and hopeless and decided he had nothing to live for. His exact words were, “By this time, I was tired. Tired of all of it.”He resolved that there was nothing good left in this world and that it was time to kill himself before he was killed brutally by Hutu soldiers. He took his gun in hand, ready to shoot himself, when a black snake slithered by. He angrily pointed his gun to the snake and killed it. Then when he put the gun to his own head and pulled the trigger, nothing happened. Unknowingly, he used his last bullet on the snake. Soldiers nearby heard the gunshot, found him and arrested him.

       While sleeping in prison, he had a dream about his mom. “I could see her and she was talking to me. ‘Wilton’, she said, ‘You have family left you need to take care of. I need you to help them.” When he finally got out of jail (he didn’t say when or how), he found two of his sisters. Talking and hugging his sisters empowered him and encouraged him to live through the struggle and not to give up. He soon remarried a woman that had been barbarically beaten and who now lives with constant head pains. He also has two sons and works at the village as the principle helping children who have lost their parents just like him. He said the hardest part about living here is seeing the genocidaires walking the streets freely. He will never forgive them, he said. “How could I forgive someone who beat my brothers, sisters, and parents to death? By forgiving them, I am turning my back on my family. The perpetrators need to be brought to justice.” Although it’s impossible to bring all of them to justice because millions of people participated, Wilton is convinced that “none of them will die in peace.” The way Wilton picked up his life and continued on shows so much strength and humility; he is truly the most heroic man I’ve ever met. Just like him, thousands of people rebuilt their lives even though a huge part of them have been lost forever. Each person here has such a unique story from the genocide and  when I look into the eyes of an old man or woman, I can't help but wonder what happened to them 16 years ago. Many of their faces look worn down, tired and wrinkled and I know that they’ve been through a struggle and tragedy far worse than we can comprehend. 

 The construction site that we work at is on the very edge of the village right next to the gate so while were working, we always see people passing by. Most of them stop to watch us for a while and laugh because they think it’s interesting and funny that white people are doing low end, dirty work. They usually yell things through the gate and sometimes they ask for food or water. Whenever a group of little kids come to watch us, we usually go up to the gate and smile and shake their hands through the holes. They get so ecstatic and giggly when we do this which makes me so happy that a simple act like greeting the kids can make their day.  Yesterday, a little girl that was so skinny  her knee caps looked like they would fall out, came to the gate to meet me and I pulled out a piece of candy in my pocket and gave it to her. Her face lit up dramatically and she quickly ducked down, wrapped the gummy in her shirt, and protectively looked around to make sure no one else saw and went into a corner by a tree to secretly eat it. This, I thought, was so interesting because she knew that if other kids saw it, they would bombard her and try take it away. Even though she was only five or six, she instinctively guarded this candy. When she finished, she smiled at me thankfully and gave me a thumbs up. Even though giving her this is such a trivial, minor thing and in no way am I actually helping her situation, seeing the smile on her face reassured me that for just a minute or two, I am making this adorable child happy.

      One thing that I have learned here in terms of international development is that the most important thing in an organization to help poor, needy countries is sustainability. Giving money, clothing, and food to people will possibly help them for a couple of days, but once they run out, they are exactly where they started. We raised 10,000 dollars to come to Rwanda and instead of spreading it out to many different people, we invested it in the village that supports a group of 500 kids only. The reason why the village is so special is not only are they educating these kids so that when their time here is done they have knowledge and skills under their belt so they can grow up, be successful, and in turn be leaders of the country, but the leaders of the village who are American are teaching local Rwandans to do the job so that eventually, all the Americans can pull out and the village will be able to run smoothly with no outside help. Each position of leadership has an American and a Rwandan working together. The Americans job isn’t to do a task as quickly and efficiently as possible but it’s to make sure that the Rwandan understands how and why he/she is doing it. The village is also a goldmine for the surrounding villages because each day, around 50 or 60 workers come in for various building projects. Also they are starting to make businesses here like drying out fruit and exporting them and selling eggs and milk so they don’t have to rely on American donations and aid. Instead of just feeding tons of kids for a day, this village is focusing on a concentrated group and providing them with four years of comfort- food, therapy, family and a safe place to sleep, and building them up so they can have a promising future

A student named Benny

 

Rubona market

Some girls I met at the market who helped me pick out a skirt

Kids waving and saying "muzungu!"(which means white person)

      I’ve never thought of myself as that interesting of a person before. But today in the market, I was the most interesting person in town. Every single person stopped what they were doing to stare and watch my every move. I knew that my group would be stared at because white people rarely walk through these neighborhoods, but we were mobbed and followed and watched like caged animals in a zoo! I was completely freaked out at first because I would get surrounded by a group of kids and everyone would stop what they were doing to study us. The market was extremely colorful and filled with all sorts of fruits and vegetables, African fabrics and clothes. Of course I went straight to the African fabrics and clothes because loose, colorful skirts are my weaknesses. There were piles and piles of beautiful, hand woven skirts for only a couple dollars each. I dug into the mound of costumes to find the right pattern and size I wanted and when I finally found a beautiful brown and black garment, I looked up and realized that my audience had rapidly grew to what felt like a hundreds eyes gawking at me. I ended up paying 1,000 Rwandan franks which is roughly only two dollars.

 I kept walking through the market and saw tiny babies strapped on mothers backs, little, barefooted kids drawing in the sand and goats and chickens walking freely. Most of the clothes and artifacts were lying out on blankets on the ground and old woman were sitting on hay folding and sorting out piles. As I was walking to buy baby bananas(they are the size of my thumb but extremely sweet and amazing), I saw a group of little girls with bright blue dresses and instantly remembered this uniform from a week earlier when I visited an elementary school. I smiled and waved to all of them and they all started giggling. One of them remembered me and came running up to me and hugged my leg. I kneeled down to her and gave her a big hug and felt her hard, bloated tummy and when I looked into her face, although she was only 5 years old, she had wrinkles and dry, sagged skin because of dehydration and lack of nutrition. I so badly wanted to give her money and food but I knew It wouldn’t be fair to give her in front of all the other kids. Even If I did give her some money or food, it would only last a few days and wouldn’t change her terrible situation. It’s so hard seeing such an adorable,sweet kid that needs so much care and knowing that you can’t do a damn thing to help. Her smile portrayed unconditional happiness though and she had the most adorable twinkling eyes and I will never forget her face.

After buying fruit, we went through an alleyway to the back of someones house who makes and sells a delicious food called semosa. A huge crowd followed us there and so the street was packed. There was a huge pot with boiling oil and they threw in potatoes, onions, peppers and lots of spices and then wrapped them in a thin coating of dough and fried it until it was crunchy. It was very spicy but absolutely delicious. Then we walked across to the end of the market and sat down and people ordered goat skewers and cold coke. 

Boy making semosas

The village is about an hour walk and on the way back we passed a school and everyone started screaming and put their heads out the window and yelled the only English they knew- “Good morning!”(even though it was the afternoon) and “How are you?” We finally arrived at the outside gates of the village. It was strange looking at the village from the outside because when were in the village, I always see people walking outside of the gate and gazing into the village. From the outside of the gate, the village looks like a dream- nice, westernized houses, happy clean children and a huge dining hall with amazing smells that pervade the air for miles. I always wondered how they felt from the outside knowing that they weren’t as lucky to get accepted in like the other children. When the guards saw us and opened the gate, I once again remembered how privileged and lucky I am. Before leaving the village, I always had so much pity and empathy for the students of the village but compared to everyone living outside of it, they are extremely fortunate kids. I’m in such awe of Anne, the founder of the village, for creating such a magical, wonderful place.

Akagera national park

Me and Talia, my British friend, checkin out the giraffes

Baboon

Today we went on a safari! We woke up at 5.30 this morning and got picked up right from out guest house. The drive was about two hours to the park but it was an amazing drive on red dirt roads through different neighborhoods. There are rarely cars that pass through the neighborhoods because everyone’s either walking or biking around(there’s usually 3 or 4 people piled on one bike), so when we drive by everyone stops to stare at the car and when they see there’s white people in the car they get really excited and wave, smile and yell “Muzungu” which means “white person”. The kids especially get really excited because some of them have never seen a “muzungu” before.

The roads were packed with people- kids playing in the sand, mothers carrying babies on their backs, boys carrying heavy buckets of water and fruits, people walking to school and work, etc. It’s really cool to see how these people live because even though they don’t have much, everyone looks genuinely very happy.People find such contentment and peace in their lives here even though it’s just been 16 years since the genocide, the country is moving forward and living in the present.

 Our drivers took us through the bush and to the open savannah where we saw giraffes, an elephant, warthogs, lots of antelope type animals, water buffalo, zebras, and tons of baboons that walked right up to our car! The Rwandan driver we hired had never gone on a safari before and even though he couldn’t speak English, he would get so excited when we saw something and grab my hand and take pictures on his phone, it was so cute. We stopped for lunch next to a beautiful lake where we saw lots of hippos and a crocodile. Our lunch was amazing because it was the first time in weeks that we had something other than rice and beans. We had bread and crackers with lots of different spreads- chocolate spread, peanut butter, jelly, and organic honey. We also each got a mango and an avocado but the peace and serenity was quickly disturbed when someone saw a snake, the screaming began, and lunch came to a halt.

The roads were so dusty and because we had the windows open, all of our faces were packed with red and black dirt. On the way home, we stopped at a grocery store to stock up on snacks for our guest house. Literally everyone in a mile radius of us were staring and watching every move we made. The staring were all used to because everywhere we go, were the only white people, but the funniest part was we looked absolutely trashed and homeless- our faces were piled with dirt, our clothes were ripped up and messy, and unlike most times when we go out, people weren’t asking us for money. Most people looked very confused. All of us were really excited to buy cold coke and I think we bought all the coke in the store(coke bottles are re-used in Rwanda so you have to drink it all in the store and then give them back the bottle). Also, plastic bags are banned because they are very environmentally friendly.  Although just three people could fit in the store at a time because it was so small and the selection was very minimal- we were extremely happy to get some chocolate and sweets. When I walked out of the store, about twenty little kids were all staring at me and eyeing the bag of sweets that I had just bought. I instantly felt ashamed and embarrassed. It’s amazing to come here and see what it means to survive and to learn what’s necessary and what we can live without. Today I saw people live without the things that I take for granted- running water, electricity, internet, an abundance of clothes and foods and sweets. These people live on the bare minimum

Tikkun Olam project

 

            Today I worked at the construction site moving bricks and cement from eight until twelve. Then, we split the workers into groups and gave them free English lessons! They all loved it. We played “head, shoulders, knees and toes”which was helpful and hilarious because all of the workers are old men and watching them sing and do that dance is pretty entertaining. We also taught them colors, clothing, numbers, and animals. They were really grateful and it was nice for them to get an hours break from their laborious work. It’s really hard working with them when they tell us they are thirsty and hungry because we can’t do anything about it. We aren’t allowed to give them water because a) they will start depending on us and assuming we will give them water every time and there’s too many of them and b)it’s not our water to give out because the village pays for it. It breaks my heart knowing that I get to have a water break whenever I want and they don’t put anything in their mouths from four in the morning till four at night.

            When the students reach their third year, each of them are assigned a project for Tikkun Olam which means “healing the world” in Hebrew. Because Anne, the founder of the village, is Jewish, there are many Jewish values embedded in the traditions here. Each student goes into the community to do a social action project. I went with a group of students today to a school nearby for four and five year olds to help teach English. Walking there was very interesting- everyone stared at me because they have probably never seen a white person walk through their neighborhoods, and little kids were running up to me to shake my hand or touch my skin. At the school, there is no playground or toys so the little boys bundled up newspaper to use for a soccer ball and the little girls were playing hopscotch in the sand. When they saw me, they literally bombarded me- thirty or so little kids surrounded me and were grabbing my arms, pulling at my hair, and pinching my skin. I couldn’t move because there were so many of them. The teacher said it’s because they wanted to feel what white skin and hair felt like. They were adorable though and very sweet- they knew a couple words in English like “my name is..”and “I’m five years old” and all the little girls wanted to hold my hand it was so cute. Many of the kids were malnourished and had bloated bellies and very small, skeleton bodies but they were still smiling and laughing and playing. Maybe they don’t realize their hunger because they have been so used to it. We split into groups and the older students taught them “If your happy and you know it clap your hands.” When I left, many of the kids followed me for about thirty minutes all the way back to the village and hugged me goodbye. It was the most amazing experience and I get to go back there next week!

Kitchen/African art and studies in Rwanda

This morning I worked in the kitchen with the Rwandan cooks. The cooks all have families in the district, a town very far away, but they live at the village and only get to see their families once every month. They are all so friendly and were very appreciative that we were helping- they cut up pineapple for us and gave us a cup of mixed fruit to thank us. We were there from eight until two preparing lunch because there’s 400 kids to cook for and they have to do everything by hand. We cut up peppers, onions, green beans and tomatoes and peeled potatoes, which in total took six hours! Then in a massive pot they cook rice, beans, and green bananas that taste like potatoes. These kids have the same food for every meal, every day- rice and beans with some kind of vegetable. They never complain or get sick of it. When I ask them what their favorite food is, all of them say rice or potatoes! It’s all they have and all they know. I told them my favorite food was pizza and they had no idea what it was so I had to try explain it to them. As soon as they finish preparing lunch, the cooks start preparing dinner right away and when dinner is finished, they prepare breakfast for the next morning.

Today after lunch our water started working so we could FINALLY take a bucket shower and everyone was so relieved that we don’t have to sleep in our own dirt tonight.. I never actually feel clean after taking a bucket shower, but “clean” is very relative here. After showering, I went to an after school club that the village holds and did traditional, African art and learned how to weave a basket! It’s very intricate, detailed work and takes forever but it was very relaxing to just chill with kids, exchange stories, and weave a basket that hopefully will turn out as beautiful as the model on the table. One of the girls next to me was humming a song and after listening for a couple of seconds I realized that she was singing a Hebrew song that I learned on Alexander Muss in Israel! “Ooh zee.. vezeemrot yaa.. vayahee yeshuah” I started singing with her and the whole room knew the song too and sang along, it was truly a beautiful moment. One of the older volunteers that came here last year taught the whole village the song.

After art, I went into the music room and taught one of the boys a song on piano, then I walked to the science room and all the kids were studying physics. Not only are they extremely advanced in physics and math, but they learn it in English! One boy attempted to teach me but the language barriers made it too tough, Or maybe it was my lack of skill.. but I’m gunna stick with the language barrier excuse. I still can’t get over how sweet and amazing these kids are.. every person that walks by will stop to shake my hand and ask how I’m doing. They are so welcoming of new people I really think that all of us can learn so many things from them.