Volcanoes, brochettes, buses and health centers, OH MY!

I’ve just returned from Musanze, my (hopefully) site for the next two years, where I stayed at my (hopefully) house for the next two years!! It was strange and marvelous and I’ve returned excited for the future and with even more determination about this entire experience.

We went to Kigali last Sunday for a two day Counterpart Conference, where we met with our organizations and our counterparts, the Rwandans we will be working with during our entire service. My counterpart’s name is Bertin and he is such an intelligent and genuine man; I feel extremely lucky and am excited to get to know him better and work with him during my time here.

On Tuesday we were to depart for Musanze, which as always happened on “Rwandan time” thanks to car issues, a major rainstorm, errands that had to be run at the Access headquarters, a brief tour of the bus depot in downtown Kigali, and rush hour traffic. But soon we were outside of the city limits. The daylight diminished as quickly as the sights of Kigali proper (and civilization for that matter). We weaved our way north, my friend Kitty and I in the back (along with all of our stuff and other Access materials we’d acquired), Dr. Paul (Kitty’s counterpart) and the driver in the front. The hills got bigger, the clouds lower, the rain heavier, and we still weaved. Soon we were in Gakenke, where we were dropping off Kitty (with Ahmed, a current volunteer) for her site visit. I of course stepped into a huge mud hole, then traipsed into Ahmed’s house, only to fall into a drainage ditch on my way out (Africa: 588, Amy: 0). By now it was 6:45pm and I was ready to get to Musanze (and in one piece preferably). The roads were wetter, it was pitch black and foggy, and past Gakenke the “paved” road had enough potholes to render it in mostly the same conditions as the dirt roads in Nyanza. So now I was 1) all alone, 2) driving on unfamiliar roads in the rain and 3) slightly terrified. I found myself awkwardly reciting Kinyarwanda phrases over and over in my head. Nitwa Amy (My name is Amy). Ndi umustajiyeri wa Peace Corps (I’m a Peace Corps Trainee). Nturuka Leta mu Ohio (I’m from the state of Ohio). Nkunda kubyina (I like to dance). Seriously, reciting. I caught myself slowly sounding out and repeating the word umukorerabushake (volunteer) to myself for a solid 5 minutes. So, apparently my body subconsciously determined its stress and anxiety release in Rwanda. But we finally arrived in Musanze and went to Jessica’s house (or what will hopefully be my house soon as well). Jessica is the current Access volunteer in Musanze and was given the pleasure/responsibility of showing me around town for the next few days.

So, the house. Is. Awesome. There’s a sturdy gate out front (that’s for you, mom and dad), has a decently sized living room and two bedrooms (aka most likely a guest room, for all of you brave souls who choose to visit!), a storage room and a bathroom. There’s electricity (that is less than reliable, especially during the rainy season) and running water (happy dance), though the water is quite frigid (I‘ll be doing the whole warm water bucket baths, me thinks). There’s an avocado tree and a garden and lots and lots of mosquitoes. The first night Jessica and I chatted about the town and work and had a lovely dinner of raw carrots and tea, supplemented by granola bars and chocolate. It may sound strange, but I immediately felt like I was home.

The next couple of days were filled with exploring the town of Musanze and learning more about Access and what my role will be there. Musanze is gorgeous; actually the word gorgeous doesn’t begin to cover it. It’s the 4th largest town in Rwanda (a little less than 100,000 people), with a sprawling downtown area, (my house is about a 20 minute walk from the center) a lovely market and pretty much any amenity I could need. I’ll still have to go into Kigali to get “Muzungu things”, aka different cuisines and American snacks, but that’s to be expected. Musanze is also the closest town to Volcanoes National Park and as such is blessed with a stunning backdrop of three of the most easterly volcanoes (Sabyinyo, Gahinga and Muhabura). Two of them are actually easily seen over the gate in my front yard (talk about a house with a view!); I’ll put up a photo when the internet cooperates.

We visited a couple of health centers where I met staff members, toured the facilities, and learned some about their processes and activities, as well as where I might fit in. It was quite interesting considering it was my first time seeing rural health centers, and my mind began churning with thoughts and ideas for projects. It was also a special treat to see the pharmacies at the health centers, knowing that SCMS, the project I worked on back in DC, was responsible for bringing a lot of those medications into Rwanda. I have so much more to write about the health centers, but I think I’ll save it for once I’m at site and am spending more time at them.

I also got the opportunity to meet a wonderful mix of Jessica’s hilarious, kind and generous friends. We ate dinner and hung out with a group of expats she’s befriended (with whom I’m sure I will have many good times with in the future), and visited her incredibly sweet Rwandan friend Janvier, who showered us with icyayi (tea), brochettes, fries, fruit and fanta. I attempted to follow their conversation, which was held solely in Kinyarwanda (and surprisingly understood a lot!), while we watched loud and hilarious Rwandan music videos on the television.

The rest of my site visit was spent reading (finished Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and started Shantaram), eating lots of homemade wheat bread toast with honey, seeing more of mu mugi (town) and attempting to sleep despite the horrible loud buzzing of all the mosquitoes (terrible idea to have forgotten my earplugs in Nyanza). All of us braved public transport to make our ways back to Kigali and then onto Nyanza. Maneuvering the bus system was actually far more uneventful than I originally anticipated, and I thoroughly appreciate the efficiency and cheapness of travel in Rwanda already. I met up with Kitty in Kigali for site visit gossip, over delicious and expensive (but money well spent) Indian food, of which I will be dreaming of and craving the garlic naan pretty much until I get my next fix.

So, I’m back in Nyanza now, enjoying a KitKat (it is Easter after all, and Easter isn’t complete without candy) and opening my newest package and letters (thanks to everyone who’s written, keep them coming!!). I must say, I just have a wonderful feeling of contentment and am feeling so comfortable here. I think the past week opened up my eyes and made me envision myself actually living here. Training has been amazing, but it does often feel like summer camp and it was so necessary to get out on my own and get a taste of what life after training will be like. And I must say, I loved every minute of it.

Fun facts/observations/highlights/things to make you go “hmmm”:

- On my first night in Musanze, Jessica and I were chatting about work and when we began discussing the language, what stood out most was when she said “It’s pretty much Kinyarwanda or bust around here”. Gives me some added resolve to study and practice a lot more, especially considering how amazing Jessica’s Kinyarwanda skills are.

- On my first morning Jessica and I were returning from the market and had stopped to unlock the front gate when we heard “Jessica na muzungu!!” being yelled behind by us by a group of children. We both looked at each other and burst into laughter. The kids had yelled “Jessica and the white person!”. Jessica was of course stoked that she had a name and was apparently not considered a white person anymore. I probably should have been offended but found the situation so hilarious that I couldn’t help but laugh. That, and hope that one day I’ll have a name as well.

- I got my first manicure in Africa. It was given to me by Grace, an eight year old neighbor of Jessica’s. In Crayola crayons. A beautiful, eclectic mix of pink, green and purple; I’m fairly certain that it will be the next big trend.

- Another of Jessica’s neighbors, Makayla (spelled wrong I’m sure) and I proved that you don’t have to speak to same language to play your very own card game. It pretty much consisted of dealing out all of the cards, taking turns picking one from each others hands, setting them down and seeing if there were any matches (fascinating I know..) But I used it as language practice, when we found two 8’s I would exclaim “umunani” followed by “eight“! Despite her young age (she couldn’t have been more than five) and the crazy muzungu talking to her, she giggled and nodded every time and soon enough was finding two 3’s and exclaiming “gatatu“! Later on she made my day: when Grace turned to me and said “nkunda Jessica” (I love Jessica), Makayla turned to me and grabbed my hand, saying ndagakunda (I love you). It was precious and pretty much made my heart melt.

- Jessica has adopted a kitten, aptly named Pilipili (after the a chili pepper that is found in the hot sauce we eat here). She’s adorable and crazy and reminds me more of a dog than a cat. I kept watching her noticing how similar to Charlotte she was. The way she skidded across the floor and attacked a rope or a ball (or my mosquito net, my hand, etc.) like it was her last act on earth. It was definitely nice to have a constant source of entertainment, particularly since she could easily squeeze under my door and therefore pretty much left me with no privacy whatsoever. She’s lucky she’s so cute.

- I sat next to a lovely girl named Paschal on my bus ride from Musanze to Kigali. She was 19 years old, a secondary school student in Musanze studying accounting/business, who was on her way to Kigali for her school vacation. I practiced Kinyarwanda, she practiced English, we resorted to a little French when it was necessary, and chatted pretty much the entire 2 hour ride to Kigali. The most fascinating part was when I asked her what she wanted to do after she graduated, did she want to open up her own business or go to university. No, she said frankly, I want to move to a monastery and become a nun. Huh? I asked her to repeat it, figuring I’d heard her wrong. But I had heard her correctly, and we spent the next 30 minutes discussing Catholicism, her faith and her calling to join the church. It was surreal and moving and fascinating discussing such a weighty topic with such a young woman. Her eyes lit up when I explained I was Catholic as well, and she kept thanking me for coming to work in and help her country. It was a moment where I felt truly lucky to be having this experience and meeting people like her, and I look forward to many more moments like it.

- I absolutely witnessed the unfailing kindness of strangers this week. From all of the random Rwandans who helped make sure I got the right bus ticket and on the right bus, to my new friend Paschal who shared everything from her chocolate to her juice to her bread with me (she kept saying, “I am so full, it makes me happy to share with you“), to the young man who rode all the way from Kigali to Nyanza with my backpack on his lap since there wasn’t any other room in the bus.

Miss you all!!!!!