NYANZA!

Top: Seraphina and I, bottom left is at the market (flour and sugar) bottom right is meeting our host families.

I am in Nyanza!  We left Kigali in two busses.  The ride took about 2 hours, but I really didn’t mind because it was so beautiful out! I believe it was only about 40 miles south of Kigali, but since Rwanda is known as the “land of a thousand hills,” it took a little bit longer than cruising down the 101.  The roads were smooth concrete roads,  and not too windy, more up and down rolling hills.  As we left Kigali, we began to see less and less people, but every once in a while we would see groups of children playing in the bushes, or women walking in bunches carrying tubs of water on their heads.  Once we got into Nyanza, we got out of our bus to see this Sacred Rock.  I swear, as soon as we got off the busses, it was like we were a touring freak show.  Instantly 20-30 kids came out from the jungle areas to come see the “Muzungu” (white people.)  They had HUGE grins from ear to ear to see us and were not shy at all.  They came right up to us, and started touching and speaking Kinyarwanda, which nobody knew how to speak.  But this was really our first interaction with people who were not with the Peace Corps, and it felt really nice and friendly.

We drove about 10 more minutes to the first house, the “laundry house.”  We were told that our group of 36 would be split into four houses for the next ten weeks.  The laundry house (no, we do not do laundry there, we do it in our backyards with a bucket of water and some soap, I have yet to do laundry, the whole process seems kind of confusing to me…) is the biggest house- I think about 15 people are sleeping there.  The rest of the PC staff all met us at the laundry house to greet us.  The house is really nice.  I am staying in the Kitchen house- right next store to where we eat and meet every morning .  So nice, I can set my alarm for 7:55, and be in class by 8 J  I am staying in a four girl room with two bunk beds, brings me back to my Rieber days!

We all met to eat dinner together- again carrots, potatoes, and some type of meat stew.  A few of the education volunteers (who came to Rwanda in October) made the trip to Nyanza from their sites to come meet us.  After dinner they suggested we all go to the “blue bar.”  All I heard was 550 Francs for a beer (less than a dollar) and I was all over that.  Pretty much our whole group walked the 400 meters to the blue bar.  I’m not sure what the bars actual name is, but it’s a rectangular room and all the walls are painted blue (almost like a bruin blue.)  Primus is their most popular beer, and the label is bright blue.  It was really fun to knock a few back with everyone all together.  I feel like its been forever since I have had a cold one!  We stayed out a little bit past midnight, and then all walked back to our houses (all houses are about 10 minute walk from each other)

The next day we had a few interviews to try and distinguish what type of site would best be appropriate.  I spent most of my day laying in the sun, reading, talking with other trainees and walking around Nyanza.  My interview was delayed 4 hours and pushed back until tomorrow.  From what I have heard, it sounds like a small group of us will be working in the hospital (these positions will most likely go to the ones with a nursing degree) and for the rest of us, micro financing for small businesses.   Yes, micro financing.  I literally threw my head back and laughed out loud of the thought of me doing micro financing in Africa.  But, hey, we are supposed to be flexible, so if micro financing is what they would like me to do, then so be it.  I will still have lots of extra time to do secondary projects like teach English are start my track club, which will be great.

After a long day of hanging around, Mup invited us over to his house for a drink and to meet our host family.  Although we will not be living with our host families, we are required to see them at least 4 times a week to be immersed into the language.  We got to Mups house and there was music blasting and cold beers awaiting.  Each family sent one person to the party to represent their family.  It was mostly a mixture of women, dressed in traditional African clothing.  Some even had babies tied to their backs.  We walked around and mingled as much as we could, and then they announced who are host family would be.  I was so excited to see who I was going to get.  When they called me name, a 20 year old girl, dressed in blue jeans and a red velvet jacket approached me.  I could not believe this was going to be my host “mom.”  Visions of cooking and sewing and helping out with her children with my host mom were immediately dashed when I saw how young she was.  Her name was Seraphina, and to my surprise, spoke pretty good English.  We did have a language barrier, but for the most part, we were able to converse.  Most of the host families did not speak English, and we did not know Kinyarwanda, so all we could do was dance.  They taught us a traditional Rwandan dance, and then they put on Lady Gaga’s Poker Face, and we all went crazy.  Most of the older host moms sat down and let us dance, but Seraphina asked me to teach her how to “hip hop.”  I first laughed at the question, then laughed at the thought of me a.) hip hop dancing, and b.) teaching a Rwandan girl how to hip hop dance.  I laughed and tried to teach her the C walk, which she picked up great!  The whole night was so much fun, lots of energy and dancing.  It’s funny, even in Rwanda people love loud music and love to dance and laugh.