My apologies for the gap between posts! I've been buying internet on a day-by-day basis, so it's been a while since I've been online.
This past week marked my first month of being in Cyangugu and I finally feel as though I'm getting settled into being here. As I've talked to other YAGMs--both current and alumni--I've understood that the first month or two can be very challenging. It's hard to be in a new country, and adding onto that being alone in a new country and the transition can be difficult. Kinyarwanda is a frustratingly difficult language and Cyangugu--being so close to the Congo--is filled with second languages of either French or Swahili. With communication being a significant barrier to my relationship building here, I've nevertheless found love and grace from so many people as I adjust to African life. The more of a routine I've fallen into, the more I can find my place in my community.
I've been spending most of my time working at a school just a stone's throw from my home. It's an English-speaking school sponsored by the Anglican Church of Rwanda, and I've been helping out with the English classes in the Secondary School. Rwanda is on a different school schedule, so the school is in exams right now for the end of term. There's no need for a summer vacation when your country is in summer year round, so Rwandans take their 2 month break over the holiday season instead. Many of the teachers find the American schedule funny, especially since the concept of seasons is so foreign to them. The easiest way to surprise a Rwandan, I've found, is to say that parts of America get to zero degrees Celsius or lower in the winter. This is now my "fun fact" when I'm asked to share something abou my home country.
I'm hoping to teach an English class to local government leaders as well, but the process for getting this class started is definitely running on African time. With these blocks open in my schedule, I've had plenty of time to relax. I've been reading quite a few books (I recently reread the entire Harry Potter series) and playing guitar upwards of an hour a day. I know that I will appreciate this free time once my schedule fills up, so I'm enjoying it while I have it! I've also taken some time to explore my neighborhood on my own, which has let me meet some cool people and gain some confidence in my being here. This is my home now too!
My newest friend has been Ralph, the rat who lives in my walls. We first met when I woke up to him crawling on my feet, but after a stern conversation that I would not like this to repeat (which mostly consisted of me kicking my feet in my bed a lot), we've come to a healthy co-inhabitance. And by co-inhabitance I mean that I'm tolerating him until I can find a way to evict him. I'm no stranger to rodents though, having worked in the mountains of Colorado for three summers and having dealt with pack rats the size of housecats, so it's like a little bit of my summer home in Rwanda. It's all part of the adventures of living in Africa! So put Ralph in your prayers for the week--that he will find a home with greater bounty and a less reluctant roommate soon.
This may be a promise often made on travel blogs from around the world, but I really am going to try and post more regularly! Now that I've figured out my internet situation more consistantly I hope to give more frequent updates on my life here. I also will be sprinkling in some longer, more reflective posts.
Here are some things to look forward to in the coming weeks:
-Reflections on development and America from a developing country
-A selection of some of my favorite daily sonnets that I've written
-What are the foods I eat here, from mundane to strange
-Reflections on race as a white person in the minority
-Things I love about Africa that I wish I could find in America
Enjoy your week!
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