Just call me the Sister in Law to the Mayer of Nyanza...

So tonight we all got dressed up to go meet all the officials of the city of Nyanza in a big ceremony with drinks and appetizers.  The Mayor of Nyanza is 30 years old, and he says he does not speak very good English, but he actually speaks very good English and is very funny.  While we were mingling after the ceremony and introductions, he was talking with a group of us and was cracking us up.  He resembles Jay Z pretty shockingly, so we told him that and he said that he gets that a lot from Americans, so it must be true.   So we all laughed at him, and he was like, no no, but for real, my brother is Jay Z, and we all started cracking up again.  My friend Areille was saying how she loves Nyanza, and wants to stay forever.  So he had the idea to have her married off to someone here.  He was being so funny, saying he is not sure who it will be, but when he comes, he will be in a big box with a big bow on it, and he will be very very special.  He then turned to me, and said that I will marry his brother!  We were all cracking up at him, and he was loving it, playing along.  I then put two and two together and realized that If I married his brother, I would  be marrying Jay Z technically! We were all cracking up ( I guess you had to be there if you don’t think this is funny at all..)  He told us that he liked America, and his next vacation he would like to visit Hollywood.  Again, we were laughing, but if he wants to visit, I would be more than happy to take him around Hollywood!  I will be posting a picture of me him and Arielle shortly.  He works right by our PC building, so he kept telling us to come in and say hello and teach him English (He was not creepy at all, just super nice and super funny.  He is married and has a five month old baby girl that he was very proud of.)  The whole night was full of energy and really fun to meet all the officials of Nyanza.  As we left, he was telling me goodbye to his Sister in Law and that we are now family.  

They were speaking to us that their number one problem in Nyanza is Family Planning.  This is a big health issue that, as volunteers, we will be dealing with.  Nyanza, and Rwanda in general, is very populated because people do not “plan” families, they think they get pregnant as a gift from God (Rwanda is very Catholic.) It is hard for me to think of ways to teach family planning when their faith is telling them that God gives them children, not the actual science of getting pregnant.  Some of us will be working with Faith Based Organizations, (which I strongly said I did not want to work with a FBO) but with these organizations we will be teaching abstinence until you are married (the way of God.)  This seems like witchcraft to me in an over populated country rampant with HIV/AIDS.  Truth is, abstinence is not happening, and I believe people need to accept that and learn how to use condoms or birth control, but hey, that’s just me.  My fingers are crossed that I will not be teaching the bible, yet teaching prevention and safe sex. 

We had interviews the other day in regards to our placements.  Our group has been heavily funded through three organizations (the specific organization we do not know yet.)  We had the opportunity to request the programs we wanted to work for.  The three categories were; Community Based Organizations, Faith Based Organizations (explained above) and Mirco Financing/leases and loans in hospitals.   In my interview, I stated that I did not want to work for a FBO, but rather a CBO- this job would be less structured.  I would have the opportunity to be in a community and assess what health needs I thought were prevalent and needed to be discussed or taught.  So I could decide if I wanted to start a health club, or do a nutrition camp, or pretty much whatever I wanted.  In my interview, I started freaking out thinking of me twiddling my thumbs in my house, frustrated and alone, with no ideas on how to improve my communities’ health.  So I started telling her I would want to do the Micro Financing, because this job has structure and rules and specific house I would have to be in the hospital, but not enough wiggle room to be creative and flexible.  So in the end, I told her that my number one choice was a tie between CBO and Micro Financing.  She was confused and told me that she had never heard of that before, but she will try and find me a good placement.  So, long story short, I have no clue and in typical Allie fashion, I cannot make up my mind what I want, so I’m just going let the chips lay where they fall (or whatever that saying is.)  We will find out our sites in 2 weeks though!  I also heard through the grapevine that 31/36 sites have electricity (no running water, but electricity in my mind is way better- I’m kind of getting used to the bucket bath and boiling and bleaching my drinking water), so my fingers are crossed!  

On a side note, today I went for my first run.  Rwanda in general is very hilly, so I just ran for a very challenging 20 minutes.  It was so good to be running and listening to my Ipod, blasting Party in the USA.  It was so refreshing.  As I was running, a boy about 7-8 years old just started running next to me.  We ran side by side for about 5 minutes, until he reached his house and yelled Maramutse! (Goodbye.)  He was so cute, he didn’t even say anything, but was so happy just running and mimicking me.   I think my idea for a running club is definitely going to work.  The kids here are so intrigued by us “Muzungu.”  They love to walk with us, and speak to us- either in English or Kinyarwarnda.  They are curious what are names are, how old we are, and spend most of their time inspecting everything we are wearing and how we look.  I think the best way for me to integrate myself into my new community is going to be to start with my running club/or sports club, so in that sense, I hope I don’t get stuck in the Micro Financing.  Oh well, whatever happens happens, I’m in Rwanda, so what the heck.