Having never been to Africa, I had no real understanding of what to expect once I got here. Some things here in the city were more developed than I thought (paved main roads, internet service that allows me almost regular access to the internet,etc) and I think, given those things, I was more surprised to find how challenging some things can be here. For instance, when I first moved into the guest room where I'm staying, several weeks ago, I had running water for one day, but after that, the water had been all used up and there was no more! The woman who works here fetched me some water from some water source in town in a big yellow jug (picture attached) and that is the water that I used for bathing, washing hands, dishes, flushing the toilet (the least pleasant and most interesting of all of the above) and everything else, for quite some time! Learning to live without running water was quite an adjustment. Things took much more time than I'm accustomed to in the States. In the states, we turn the faucet on and wash our dishes, hands, and bodies, without giving it a second thought. I had to go through several more steps to accomplish the same goal! Very time consuming!
Another thing I had to get used to were the unusual creatures I began to find in my room: spiders and other bugs that I do not recognize, a few lizards, and LOTS of mosquitoes! (The mosquitoes at least look the same!) They are called "imibu" here. I learned that very quickly. When I first began discovering these creatures, it caused quite a bit of alarm for me, as a typical American woman ("umunyamerika kasi"), who typically cowers in fear at the sight of a bug in my home! I'm happy to report that now I just squash them and move on.
For the most part, the people here are very friendly. The children stare, wave, and will very often leave whatever they are doing to follow me as I walk to my destination. They hold my hands and grab for my skin and hair to touch and take in. They are precious. When I say hello to them, they giggle with one another with great amusement. Sometimes the adults giggle, too. Actually, quite often, the adults giggle, too. People are amused when I try to greet them in their native tongue. I have learned most of the greetings, and a few verbs and nouns to help me get by. There is a precious woman here, a disciple maker, named Charlotte, who has begun this week to help me with language learning.
More on the language: Every American that I have run into here has expressed how very difficult the language is. Technically, the language is a Bantu language, most of which have fairly simple rules to follow, but I have heard many state that this language should not be qualified as such, as it is very different and much more complex and challenging. My partners here who have been here for over 3 years all state that they still do not have a good grasp on the language. When I first arrived here and began hearing this foreign tongue, I was greatly overwhelmed, as every sound seemed to be one I'd never heard before. It all sounded like gobbledy-gook to my American ears, not one single word recognizable. I'm happy to report that the more immersed I am in the culture and language, the more sounds and words I am beginning to recognize and learn and be able to pronounce. I am beginning to thoroughly enjoy learning the language; I even enjoy learning the rules: a true nerd at heart. It is a great challenge and I feel a great sense of accomplishment when I'm able to speak with my friends in simple Kinyarwanda. They enjoy and appreciate my efforts, as well. I'm hoping to learn a great deal during my time here. I have learned to say, "My name is Jessica. I am from America, and I am in Rwanda to help Rwandans to know English." : "nitwa Jessica. Ndi umumyamerika kasi. Ndi murwanda gufasha abanyrwanda kumenya Ichongereza." There you have it, folks, your Kinyarwanda lesson of the day.
The weather here is outstanding. Cool and breezy in the mornings, maybe upper 80's in the middle of the day, but most of the time there is a bit of a breeze to take the edge off. There is, obviously (or maybe not obviously) no air conditioning here, but opening the window and keeping the precious fan going in the room keeps it very tolerable, even pleasant. It is a very beautiful country. I hope to post a few pictures to give you an idea of the beauty.
Thanks for hanging with me for so long with no posts. Hope this one finds you well! More to come soon regarding my spiritual and emotional experiences in the land so far!
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| The road to my "home" |
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| This mosquito net keeps the buggies away from sleeping beauty |
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| This is my water supply when the guesthouse runs out of water (frequently) |
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| My little rooster friend in my backyard. He wakes up really early. |
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