Miracle at Woodbury Lakes

I'm going to write a story of little to no significance. But, I like it. You may think, "Of everything that happened this entire summer, is this really that important?" And trust me, it's not. I just feel like writing it...and I do what I want.

During the past year in Rwanda I've desperately wanted two(ish) things: 1) a pair of wedges 2) a hammock. While it might be expected for me to tell the glorious story of searching for months in every market of Rwanda and Uganda for wedges...nope. [although thanks to my patient brother at the outlet mall and a clearance in Maryland, I will be returning to KGL with 2 pairs of wedges :)]

So here is my story:
When I went to San Antonio, I kept my eyes peeled for a hammock. I can't buy a hammock with a frame or a stand or with wooden rods because, of course, it couldn't be transported easily. I literally took notes on hammocks I saw at Whole Earth, Dick's, and even Bass Pro. Of the "post-less" hammocks I found most were somewhere in the neighborhood of $45 and of significant weight and size. I kept my notes just in my notepad so I'd know what options I had found. I was looking for the perfect hammock...and I was getting discouraged.
Fast forward >>> to Minnesota, mid-summer. I was running a few errands, one of which was looking for a bowl...I had checked a few places and decided to just stop into Kirkland's Home since I was passing by. It turns out they didn't sell bowls there. And, to be honest, I was kind of overwhelmed with how decorative all this house decor was. So I just kept mingling and headed towards the door. When what should my wondering eyes should appear?! A little sign that said "SALE"...and BEHOLD...the sale item was- you guessed it- a HAMMOCK! They were thickly woven cloth and came in a cloth sack complete with a metal hook-thingy to hang it from 2 trees! The sale was a serious deal: only $15! Can you imagine my unutterable surprise when I looked down and saw not only the perfect design, perfect price, but also that the colors were the same as the Rwandan flag?!?! It couldn't be more perfect. Nothing short of a miracle.

Roommates: Start scouting our sturdy vegetation...

Chigari On My Mind

I’ve been learning so much in Okotoks with the teachers of early reading intervention. I’m trying to soak up everything while I’m here so I can implement/tweak an effective model once I’m familiar with the students in Kigali.
I’ve been staying at a teacher’s house from the school I’m interning at, and I feel like an addition to the family…and besides the welcoming at this B&B, everyone I’ve met in Canada has been so friendly and helpful. Not a bad place to be, eh?

My mind has been on Kigali so much recently. And I’m looking forward to getting back and settling in again. (Thanks to my great roommates Emily and Marissa, I’ll already have a house to move into late Sept!)
This summer I’ve been so thankful for the precious time I’ve had with family and friends. No number of emails or calls could be traded for being in the presence of someone...although that is not news to anyone. It is a special thing when someone cares to make extra effort to spend time together, and especially when we can pick right back up where we left off even after missing over a year of each other’s lives. You don’t realize how important ya’ll are to me!

A few things I’d like to prioritize:
Being on top of my job: I want to do an excellent job at what I’m doing, so work will be top priority for where my time and energy goes!
Improved blogging: shorter and more consistently! **
Studying Kinyarwanda: (nzashaka umwarimu) If you understand than maybe it could be you! I’d like to spend a lot more time listening/hearing the language. I’d like to use concrete experiences too like going to the market and cooking a meal with someone.
Building friendships: It is too easy to get busy…so it will take intentionality about inviting people over, making plans, and being available for spending time together.
Concentration during prayer: Actually…shout out to Dr. Hood because I was frustrated that my mind kept wandering the other night and I remembered what she tells her Kindergarten Sunday school class, “Get your body ready to pray”…and what a HUGE difference!
Exercise: It seems to take much more effort to make time to exercise in Rwanda…especially when it gets dark so early in the evening…but I’m going to discipline myself somehow!
Getting sleep! This may be the most difficult task of them all...
Nyugwe forest: I think this is top on my list for places I want to go in Rwanda. I’ll be sure to let you know when it happens :)

I’m going to leave the list at that…because remember how one of them is more concise blogs? And I still have to make sure to mention that prayers have been answered for my roommate Cady- and she left for Rwanda today!! Praise God, this was a miracle!

time flies!

It’s a pretty rainy day here in Minnesota…and I’ve been making lists, reading, and organizing in preparation for the upcoming year. (and drinking Rwanda coffee from Starbucks!) Before leaving Rwanda for the summer, I decided to take a new job at Green Hills Academy.
Green Hills is a school that was started by the First Lady just after the genocide. It is a Rwandan school that hosts nursery through senior 6 (high school) and has around 1500 students. Although GHA is a leading school in terms of the educational options for Rwandans, I will also say that there is room for improvement in educational instruction and, of course, resources. The faculty at GHA recognizes their influence and actively seeks ways to improve what they offer, which is why I am so excited to be a part of beginning a new special program at Green Hills-something that Rwanda hasn’t seen before! (I’ve been told that this will be a first for the country.)

My position at Green Hills is Early Intervention Teacher. My job will be very challenging, but there is strong and positive purpose behind it that will keep me going through difficulties. When talking many many months ago about how to put our passions to use in Rwanda, I shared with a few close friends that I wish I knew how to get involved somewhere to just help kids learn to read because that is something that I care about. Well, now I have the opportunity! When I return to Kigali in September, I will be setting up an intervention program for struggling readers in the early primary grades.

I want to thank all those who have supported me as I’ve been teaching in Rwanda. Your prayers and encouragement have meant so much to me. Also, you know how God has a funny way of reminding us that He is able to do more than we could ever ask or imagine? Well, my excuse in telling Him “no” last Spring about going to Rwanda (which I did for a few months) was that I was worried about finances. But, as you older and wiser friends could have told me before- when God calls, He also provides. So, it is almost humorous to me that as I start this new endeavor, with a year and a half ahead of me, I will continue to be supported through the gifts He provided last year. (this year is similar to last year in that I am working a paid position that covers the majority of my living expenses-just to clarify).

I will be heading back to Kigali in mid-September, and here are a few special prayer requests:
-pray for my great friend Cady who is awaiting treatment of a rare tumor here in the States before she can return to teach in Rwanda
-pray for the people I will hire and train to be the reading tutors because they will be the most influential part of the success of the program
-pray for my own spiritual development in Rwanda and that I will pursue Christ and His presence…and that I would listen to Him better.

Kigali yumugi, Agashya, and Kwishuri

In an effort to make this entry readable, I’ve choosing to break up the stories into categories. Kigali City, Adventure, and School.

Kigali City
Life in Kigali seems to change climates often, but is always a good time.
Recently, my friend Cady was talking with our friend who presents on Voice of Africa radio. The station would like to have more programs in English. Well, we speak English. So- now we have a radio show. Cady is the host, and I’m the co-host of The Melting Pot. One of our other friends came up with a great idea that our show should bring in foreign people that live in Kigali and interview them about how they see Rwanda. So far we’ve had four shows with the following guests: a former VSO volunteer from England, a friend who works for International Justice Mission from Washington DC, a german volunteer who works with people with disabilities and a teacher from the US, and two german volunteers who work with street children through Scripture Union(one who had previously done an internship with psychotherapy).
Even with just the few guests we’ve had, it has been interesting to learn more about people and organizations that are here in Rwanda. There is a web address where you can listen to the radio show, but I’m not exactly sure how it works.
When we return in August we hope to expand our listening audience, as well as gain sponsorship from local businesses.

I’ve mentioned before that some of my closest friends are in a band here in Rwanda. They are often asked by different authorities to perform at certain functions. We traveled to Butare with them for a public event for the youth against taking drugs that was put on by the national police. This past weekend at the small stadium there was another concert they performed at that is promoting HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. Two of the specific campaigns are against ‘Sugar Mommies/Sugar Daddys’ and cross-generational sex. The majority of the crowd was secondary students brought in on buses to the stadium. There were several speeches given and even a short drama. Although we couldn’t understand most of what was presented in Kinyarwanda, we did leave home with bracelets that say sinigurisha which means ‘I don’t sell myself’.

Adventure
A few weekends ago, my roommates and a few other friends traveled to Musanze (formerly Ruhengeri) to trek mountain gorillas. It is seriously a dream life that we had a Friday off from school and just went to the Virunga Mountains and hung out about 5 meters away from Silverback Mountain Gorillas that are only found in this small part of the world. I stayed an extra day and relaxed at a lodge that overlooks two beautiful lakes with islands and hills…I took some gorgeous pictures- but of course they just can’t do justice to what it looked like in real life…it was like a fairy tale or something…

School
I try to jot down quotes from my students as often as possible. A few weeks ago an amazingly profound discussion took place while the kids were writing friendly letters.
It went something like this:
S1- Yea, you can write to God but it’s not like you can send it to Him in the mail…
S2- You don’t have to send it in the mail. When you’re writing it’s like he can just read it.
S1- That’s true. But you can pray and it can be like sending it to Him and He can do a miracle.
S2- Yea, He can do a miracle. But sometimes He saves it. He can save it cause He knows when you really need it.

I was so impressed by the depth of their understanding. They know that the Lord hears our prayers; they trust that He listens to us. They believe that God is able to do a miracle because of prayer! But—even more than that…S2 says that God sometimes does not give us the miracle-- even though He is able. And He knows when we will really need a miracle! I was so touched by their faith in that discussion.

One of the great things about teaching where I do is that the opportunities for guest speakers and field trips are unique to this place.
At the beginning of the year as we were studying plants, we had 2 people who work with coffee farmers in the villages come and teach us about how plants grow, the importance of the soil, and the importance of keeping the plants healthy.
Later, during our unit on rocks and minerals, a father from South Africa who is here with a mining company was able to bring in labeled rock samples and teach us about the rocks and minerals found in Rwanda that could potentially offer jobs to thousands of people.
While studying how we use the Earth’s resources, our class took a trip about 4 minutes down the road to Living Water International, which is a company that provides clean water (and evangelism) all over the world by digging wells where people don’t have access to water.
We also went to one of the well sites and let all the kindergarten and first grade students try pumping the well. Just recently, we learned about writing friendly letters and it was also just after Earth Day when we went to Cards From Africa. (I think I wrote about this place in a very early blog entry.) Our students got to see how paper is made from scraps collected in town (recycling! and they LOVED touching the pulp!) and beautifully designed paper cards being made by orphans who take care of younger siblings.
As I look back on some of these experiences, I can’t help but be enamored by the richness of these learning opportunities.

Umunsi Mwiza!

I've been writing my blog update for the past two weeks. I wanted to write about starting the new semester, traveling to Burundi with a band, celebrating the 100th day of school, reaching the 6 months mark, language lessons, having a birthday, spending the weekend in Kibuye, and a slew of other distinctive events.

But now, I've realized if I keep trying to clump together 3 months of my time in Rwanda into a blog, I won't get a chance to tell you about the wonderful smaller moments. Like, for instance, this Saturday. It is 3 in the afternoon central African time, and I have had a lovely day so far. I slept in (thats what I do on Sats, especially Umuganda), and made coffee right after getting up. I joined two of my roommates ritual of watching TV episodes, and we had some good laughs. After getting a bit of washing done (finally), I joined them again. Well, last night we had a few friends over to watch the movie Mamma Mia, and had brought our mattress from the spare room out to make the tile floor a place for seating. The mattress is still here. Someone had the absolutely BRILLIANT idea of building a fort in our living room. And you know what? We did. In about 5 minutes flat. We can accomplish a lot when we get determined. But, then we decided we could expand. So, I brought my mattress down, and we brought in the rest of the chairs from the table, connected extra sheets to the light fixture in the middle of the room, and... Viola!

Next surprise for the day is that Jess and I went for a jog! We knew it was 2pm and super hot, but something just came over us. It was a great run through Kibagabaga's finest dirt roads. On the way back we were looking over across the hills (we can see about half the city...gorgeous), and we could see it raining in the distance. It was the most magnificent sound to hear it pouring rain about 10 minutes drive away. And of course, it came. We heard it approaching on our left, and it just kept landing closer and closer to us. There were a few houses on the left side of the road that suddenly started sounding like a huge rainstick had just been turned over. And a few seconds later the hugest drops of rain I've ever seen were falling right around us. And then it poured. We just kept running and smiling. I think our neighbors think we're nuts. And mostly we are.

So now my lunch is warming in the oven, I've taken the best luke warm shower, and I'm laying in the fort (still to be named) with a candle, listening to music a great friend sent from the States. :) Does it get any better than this?

slideshow

this is our next CD album cover
This elephant just walked right past our car ...so amazing!
Leaving the Serengeti! (it was chilly that morning and the top was off the vehicle)
Yes, that is a real live lioness just laying in the Africa grassland...we watched her crouch down and move towards a herd of zebras and wildebeests for about an hour!

This is just the regular state of this group...
eating dinner the first night at the camping site on the rim of the Ngorongoro crater

hippos!!!
the baboon that snuck in and stole our bananas right out of our vehicle!!
Liz, Cady, Jess, Me, and Marissa, all ready to leave on safari!
Rwandan Christmas tree decorating at its finest.
Shannon and I celebrating Christmas!
Shannon and Cady
When Shannon arrived in Kigali!!
the december crew...me, Yvan, Raoul, Cady, Skizzy, Jenny, and Patrick...(Yvan and Skizzy might be in Minnesota for school next year)
This is Albert!
Ladies night out!
I'm all ready for my first conferences :)
Kimironko Market
Cady and I peeking through the corn growing outside our gate!!
Shannon and I at Bourbon!
Cady, me, Serge, and Liz
N'Dolis, the best supermarket around
This is the place I buy my electricty...its prepay, so I get a code and punch it into the meter

I went on a SAFARI!!
So, I never thought I’d say, “When I was on safari in the Serengeti….” but here I am about to tell you about the coolest way to spend a holiday. Jessica and Marissa had been traveling around through Uganda and Kenya and we planned to meet up in Tanzania. Liz, Cady, and I flew into Kilimanjaro International Airport and took a taxi to Moshi, where we stayed with a friend of a friend who is volunteering at Amani Children’s Home. Walking out of her gate on a clear day is a straight shot of Mt. Kilimanjaro! Already in Moshi we were getting a feel for how different Tanzania was from Rwanda. (They are neighboring countries.) We went on to Arusha, where we planned to see the tribunal trials for the Rwandan Genocide. The UN designated Arusha as a neutral place to hold these trials, and we hear that since a lot of time has gone by, they are currently hosting trials for people who were key figures in the genocide. Our trusty Lonely Planet guide said they were held Mon-Thurs, which did not turn out so trustworthy. The next trial would be Jan 5, the day we left Tanzania. So, we didn’t get to see a trial, or even get a tour of the courtroom. That will be top of the list if I ever find myself in Tanzania again.

We stayed at Arusha Backpackers, which was a great scene. We spent New Years in Arusha before safari. There is no ball dropping in Tanzania, in case you weren’t aware. I didn’t exactly know what you do for New Years if there isn’t a ball drop, but we managed to celebrate accordingly. We had champagne, ate dinner, and went to a restaurant garden party that was a small but fun crowd.
Safari was AMAZING! Despite our car troubles (like having to push it to get started multiple times), we were able to see the Ngorongoro Crater, spend the night at a campsite on the rim and then travel through the Serengeti during the wildebeest migration! We saw at least 40 different animals (I was keeping a list), including the ‘Big 5’. The only thing we feel like we missed out on was seeing a wild animal attack…we did watch a lioness prowl through the grass towards a group a zebras and wildebeests, but they spotted her and went in the other direction….bummer.
It was a blast to be able to experience the safari trip with my good friends. And we were quite a sight too…it is not every day that a group of 5 girls our age are lucky enough to be traveling on a safari through the Serengeti together!

School starts again on Wednesday! There are some things I’m really looking forward to about this semester. We have two new administrators at KICS that will be an enormous asset. One of the ways my class will benefit is that Miss Emily will come twice a week so that we have can two guided reading groups going on at once. I’m also looking forward to finally getting curriculum for reading that will help me so much in connecting reading instruction. Another exciting endeavor is that we will be going on a few field trips! I’ve been learning about some neat places that will give tours and some even have hands-on participation too. So, although it’s hard to go back to a full time job after a long vacation, I’m still hopeful that this semester will be great.


Holiday was so much fun! I have made new friendships, spent time with people, explored new places in Kigali, been stress-free, traveled, and celebrated. I’ve also thought about home a lot and my life when I return to the US. I don’t know what that season will bring or where I will be or how I will be changed. Of course, we learn from every season of our lives in different ways, but I’m thinking my experience in Rwanda has got to be something more than that. I don’t want to go home and think, “I know I was learning a lot in Africa, and I think it has made me who I am today.” I want to be able to say more specifically what in my heart has changed, my worldview, my motivations and aspirations, and a few lessons I’ve been taught during this season.

December part kabiri

So now I’m continuing from the last post and just jumping right back to Christmas. The Christmas season is not a big deal here. Some people will go to church on Christmas and have a nice meal, and that is the most celebrating most families have. The expat community (expat= someone not from this country) really makes efforts to make it feel like Christmas time. We had get togethers to eat cookies and sing Christmas songs, and we even had a party at our house for the first time! On Christmas Eve, CCR (my church) had a kids’ party in the afternoon and then a candlelight service that was very nice in the evening. It felt strange to not have gone our Christmas shopping at all…and hearing “busy sidewalks” in the song Silver Bells cracked me up because we don’t even have many sidewalks. It did, however, feel like Christmas when Shannon brought 2 suitcases full for me!!!! I had composed a list of requests and sent her some money to purchase things and bring them over for me. Some wonderful people also donated things as well! So, I really got spoiled this Christmas. In fact, when I’m finished typing, I’m going to go make coffee and drink it was hazelnut creamer!!! I got great things for school, food and candy, toiletries, and some new clothes too! One of my favorite things was that a few people saw Shan before she left and sent notes and gifts with her 

It was pretty unreal to have someone from my life in the states come to my new stomping grounds. I just wondered all the time how she perceived things. Spending time walking and talking with someone is the best…it makes me think about how often times I find myself reading about God or talking about Jesus with someone else—but how much sweeter would it be if I was just walking and talking to Him. Maybe the physical presence is a bit different, but I still think that’s what I need to be seeking.

Ok- there is SO much I could keep babbling about…so I’m just going to share 2 things…what I did on Christmas day and what my plans are for this week.
- Christmas Eve I went to the children’s Christmas party at my church, and in the evening we had a candle light service with singing and scripture reading and candles. It felt like Valley to me. On Christmas Day, I had the best plans in the world, but they didn’t end up working out. Our friends were going to take us to an orphanage to hand out candy and talk with the people, but since we hadn’t been before and the office was closed we couldn’t sign in. That was quite the disappointment. But, we did have a lovely day. After running to Bourbon to use internet (not unusual), I rested at home for a bit and then went to Kimironko market to pick up some fruits. I looked for shoes too, but not luck. We brought our fruit over to Joe and Phoebe’s house, where there had been lots of preparations going on for an enormous Christmas dinner. There were 9 of us in total, from at least 5 countries, so we sort of brought together many of our traditions (like a party favor called a xmas cracker) and had a wonderful meal together. It just felt homey to be sharing a big meal and enjoying the company of other people, even if it wasn’t our actual families. Plus- while I was there I was the lucky recipient of overseas phone calls of which I was passed around and got to hear everyone’s voices. That was quite the highlight.
After dinner, Cady and I went to our friend Jenny’s house. We hung around and chatted with some of our friends. Since school has been out, we've hung out with our friends Yvan and Skizzy pretty regularly. They didn’t really do anything at all to celebrate Christmas which is hard for me to fathom. Even after all we’d been doing for the past week or two to get in the Christmas spirit, it was still lacking a lot of the festivity I’m used to…so there is a big contrast in cultures.
-Plans for this week…I’m going to Tanzania!! I wouldn’t have been able to point it out on a map several months ago, but now it’s next door and happened to just call my name! Jess and Marissa left last week and bused through Uganda and Kenya and they will be meeting us in Tanzania. Liz and Cady and I are leaving tomorrow morning! We don’t have all the details planned; we just know what we want to see and an idea of what to do when we get there.

Thanks for keeping up…I don’t know how to set these to get comments…but feel free to email me 

December part rimwe

As promised…I’ve got some more updates to share.
The end of the semester seemed to come quickly after Thanksgiving break. Although report card time is not as stressful for primary school teachers, I was still feeling the crunch at the end of the term. It was fun to talk about Christmas coming with some many cultures in my room. Each of my kids has had a different experience with “Father Christmas” or other traditions. I was not prepared to answer them when they asked, “Is Santa a real person?” or even how to respond to, “I think Santa and God must be cousins.” One of the best parts of the end of the semester was having parent teacher conferences. I don’t have a chance to talk to parents very often, and it was fun to show them what their child has done in class and to compliment their work.

The best part of my Christmas season was that my wonderful friend Shannon Buchanan came to visit!!! It felt so unreal that I was going to the airport to pick her up- but there she was! It was incredible to have someone so important in my life be able to experience parts of my new life with me. I got to show her my classroom and all our favorite places to hang out. We went for a long walk to the market- which is definitely a sight to see. It was actually emotional to take communion with her at my church here and to worship with her.

Also, our ACU friend, Serge, is from Rwanda and was here visiting at the same time. (I’ll be going to his relative’s wedding wearing traditional dress tonight!) On Sunday of Shannon’s stay here, Serge was gracious enough to take us to two genocide memorial sites. Nyamata and Ntarama are just two of the churches that people sought refuge in during the war. Of course they thought no one could kill inside a church, so they went there to be safe. On our way we crossed over a river that was famous for having bodies dumped in it during the war.

Nyamata was the first, and it was an open church building with rows of benches. Every bench was covered by stacks of clothing that was found on the people killed inside this church. It also had a case of skulls and two underground places (I don’t know what to call them). We walked down the steps and it was cool because we were underground and there were just caskets right there on the shelves. We were told that each one had many skulls inside, not full bodies. The next underground place had some caskets and then also just whole shelves filled with skulls. They weren’t in a case or anything- we were just standing inches away from people’s skulls. I just couldn’t stay down there, so I walked back out. It is strange because for me to walk away may be seen as a sign of respect or contemplation or understanding of the tragedy if I were at something like this at home. But here, people have had to see many dead bodies and limbs and then it just seems like we ‘can’t stomach it.’ So, after all they’ve seen and experienced, it seems like I should be able to handle just seeing some neat rows of skulls.

Ntarama was definitely an experience. This church was the place where Serge and his grandmother went to seek refuge. He said that if the faces were on all the skulls (there was another shelf of skulls) that he would recognize every one. There were clothes hanging on the walls, and a stack of foam mattresses people had brought with them. There was a shelf of items like cups and bowls and a shelf with only shoes on it. Serge showed us the place he sat with his grandmother when they came. He told us that he heard them coming and then when they attacked, his grandmother died, and he ran out the door and headed for the bush. He was being shot at as he ran away, and he was just 8 years old. While he was telling us the story, he was standing by the bench he had been at, which is just a few steps from the doorway. The doorway doesn’t actually have a door, its just an opening. And inside the church didn’t have any lights except for the sun coming in the windows. So to see Serge standing there in the dark church, with this bright doorway next to him that he escaped from was really remarkable. Although the church itself was not much larger than maybe the size of a school classroom in the states, there were around 5,000 people who were on the compound who were killed that day.

I have more to write about, but I think this might be a good place to break it up into two entries.

Blast From the Past

I am SO far behind in blogging, because things are happening every day here and I haven't written in a month!
I've decided I'll try to write extra blogs this week, and by the end of the week you'll get to hear about my friend Shannon's visit here!! (she is here right now and it is sooo wonderful!)

In fact, I should just begin with what I did on Thanksgiving. I left at 5am Thursday morning on a bus called a Jaguar headed to Kampala, Uganda. I just won't write a detailed description because this blog shouldn't be 8 pages long. We arrived in Kampala and met a guy from a church there we were connected to who helped us go exchange money and hop on a little van to get to Jinja. We got in pretty late at night, but were starving, so we went to a restaurant- that had CHICKEN! it was pretty good, not like a good chicken breast in the states though. It was pretty tiny.
We ate a lot since it really was Thanksgiving.

The next morning we walked down the road to the rafting site, had breakfast and loaded up on the back of a large truck with the rest of the rafters. People were there from all over and for all different reasons. I was surprised with how many Europeans were just traveling Africa. Rafting was a blast!! I couldn't believe that I WAS REALLY ON THE NILE RIVER…that is just someone else's life ya know. The rapids
were pretty great, but there was quite a bit of time to relax as we floated down the river to the next rapid. We had fresh pineapple on our boats for lunch that was sweeter than it is in Rwanda…I loved that. And despite my doxycycline malaria medicine causing severe reaction from the sun, I think I reapplied sunscreen often enough because I really didn't get too burnt.

Saturday was an adventure. I feel bad not trying to explain it to you…but I just can't, so I'll just say that Kampala gave me crazy culture shock that made me nervous to go back to the States. If I was so surprised in Kampala, then I'm literally going to have a panic attack when I arrive back home. There were stores and a food court and a movie theater! (with 2 screens) It was just really weird the things I would notice. We ran into some guys we had rafted with and were able to show them around Kigali since they were heading to Rwanda to see the mountain gorillas. I loved the feeling of showing someone around Kigali, because it made me realize how acclimated I've become!

Later this week, you can expect updates that will come in relatively sequential order containing:
-concerts and thoughts on being a white
-the first semester of school coming to a close
-christmas season in rwanda
-plans for travel
-Shannon B's visit

~Narakabuze~

I live in Africa! I am still pinching myself.
In the past few weeks-- I’ve gotten new (American) students in my class, celebrated our second unit of Writer’s Workshop, spent a day at Lake Muhazi, had an awesome International Fall Festival at KICS, stayed at home during peaceful protests for Rose Kabuye, started learning more Kinyarwanda, got a new boyfriend, went to the US Embassy (like stepping into America!), started a study on Daniel, exercised (ok, ok, only twice), and by the way I was just joking about the new boyfriend—haha! I was hoping that would trick someone :)
And a BIG STORY is about to occur this weekend! We have Thursday and Friday off for Thanksgiving break (murakoze pilgrims) and I’m going to Uganda and rafting the NILE! It will be a very different Turkey day than I’ve ever experienced. There will be no turkey, no family, no phone calls, no pie, no football, no comfy sweater, and no stuffing myself and taking an afternoon nap.
So, here is a meager attempt to count my blessings and name them one by one.
In no particular order, I am thankful for:
- my Hope and my Refuge
- that smell is linked to memory
- Angella, Duncan, Ella Jade, Haruki, Jade, Joel, and Jordan
- my roommates: Jess, Cady, and Marissa
- new friendships
- my family (miss you!)
- email updates from friends every day of the week :)
- calls from the states (except I ran out of Skype credit for Nov)
- the internet
- Lola (the corolla)
- prayers of brothers and sisters from all over the country
- having a camera
- the sunrises
- the sunsets
- the gorgeous hills
- the presentation of coffee
- my banana leaf chair
- projectors
- fruit salad
- Albert and Odette
- worship and bible studies here
- praising at CCR
- perfect weather
- ice cream at Bourbon
- Torero feeling like America
- laughter
- Cady’s Game, simply for entertainment
- Shannon B planning to come to Rwanda!
- a chance to live thoughtfully
- my health
- diversity
- crafts and artistic expression
- the way my favorite pen writes
- having a great education
- trees
- the five senses
- every hug I can get
- chocolate
- God’s patience and grace
- singing
- money (unusual to say, but true)
- hospitality of others
- people who are like family to me
- tears
- organization
- sugar
- Scripture’s effect
- cool winds

This list is nowhere near exhaustive…but I just wanted to sit down for a minute and remember what I have to be thankful for.

~~Be joyful always. Pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.~~

A little language lesson: Narakabuze= I miss you. And it is very true.

the world is watching

Today was a big day. This morning I woke up at 4am to go to the US Embassy. They showed CNN on a big screen while we watching the electoral votes stream in. (did you see that hologram person?!) Besides the fact that I ate amazing breakfast foods I think I'll be craving for months to come...it was an amazing experience to be in a foreign country during our election. I was in a room with many Americans, watching our country's history happen, heard a short speech from the US Ambassador, and I was seeing it all through the lens of living here for nearly 3 months.

When I arrived at school this morning I could hear all the buzz around the courtyard where students sit. I heard 2nd graders telling each other that Obama is the US president, and I heard kindergarten students asking their teacher if she had "heard the news?" My students knew who the candidates were (and I teach first grade)and many older students came on 3 hours of sleep. Today I realized how much the world really is watching. What "muzungus" do is important to people across the world.
Tonight at worship we were told by a Rwandan friend how amazing it was to see our election on TV. He said that we should pray for America tonight and thank God for the elections. He said that to them an election without a single violent act is a miracle, and he is thankful that America is an example to his country. (Their local elections in October were very peaceful by the way.) They want to learn how to be a democracy from the way we do it. In fact, it is embarrassing that people who have never stepped foot in the USA know more about our government and this year's campaign than I do. It is almost painful when people asked if I already voted and I have to shamefully tell them I just didn't get an absentee ballot. (Their percentages of voters for even local elections are in the 90s)
What I realized today is that the perspective of the rest of the world really matters. They see the prosperity of America, and they want to be like us. Most know our music, some know our celebrities, they mandate our language (wow- ask me later), and they are making efforts to model government and social institutions like ours. While there are many areas of our culture(greed, materialism, self-absorption..just to name a few)that make me cringe, hearing others who are looking to America to help improve their countries is something that makes me very patriotic. And while I don't pretend to know very much about politics, I know that I appreciate being an American citizen.

On another topic entirely, I am feeling more and more settled in my life here. I am getting the hang of teaching first grade, making a few friends, and loving the church. I know my way around quite a few parts of the city, can speak a couple phrases in the language, and can appreciate some cultural differences as well. It is really hard to believe that there is little less than a month remaining in our fall semester!

Thank you for your continued prayers. I have been reaffirmed again and again that this is where the Lord has called me for this season of my life, and I eagerly await learning more about His purpose for this time.

"Others can walk. We must run"

I have a lot of amazing things to share about the past…so I'm going to feel like I'm only scratching the surface. Here goes!

I went to my first Rwandan wedding last Sunday and it was quite interesting…all in Kinyarwanda so I understood very little. My roommates and I stuck out because we were white, and in the middle of the ceremony, the guy taking pictures just walked across the aisles to get a good angle to snap a shot of us…it was hilarious. We showed up an hour late for the ceremony and it was still going on for 1.5 hours before we moved locations. The families took pictures, only we didn't know, so we followed the cars going that way and ended up sitting in the parking lot watching them take pictures for over an hour. Then we followed them to the reception where there were traditional Rwandan dancers and all sorts of interesting and entertaining aspects of their wedding! The funniest thing was that the father of the groom gives a drink to everyone as an acceptance of the bride into their family- so there were fantas served all around. The best part was for sure the dancing, and the worst part was that Thacienne (bride) did not smile once…and in fact looked really upset the entire wedding. We were at the wedding from 2pm to about 8:30pm or so and it was still loooooooong before the end of it all! Besides- they don't feed you, and there is no dance floor, so I don't know how they convince so many people to attend weddings here! They must actually go to celebrate the union…hahaha.

Funny story- Someone here wants to put together a Christmas party sort of program and was asking around for Christmas movies to get ideas from. So, the pastor at my friend Alyssa's church was asking her for one…and she was saying that the Wheeler's probably had a couple, but they aren't going to be about Jesus. The pastor was completely confused….how could there be Christmas movies that weren't about Jesus?? She had to try to explain that in America there are other Christmas things that the movies would be about….he just could not comprehend how you could have something to do with Christmas that wasn't about Jesus.

We turned in progress reports this Friday! I'm 25% through with the school year!!! CRAZY. I love my kids.

A few families that are missionaries in Togo came here for another survey trip. They are feeling very called to move to Rwanda, which seemed crazy because there are far less organizations and aid in Togo than here, but they are going to move here in 2 ½ years. I can't really explain without writing a ton about how neat it is to meet people like them. They studied for 7 months in France to learn French, then got to Togo and learned the language they'd be working with for the first 2 years, have planted 18 churches, and much more. Their lives are just incredibly led by the Lord. I wish I had all day to just talk about what it is like to know so many people who are following God's calling in all different ways…my views of Christianity and of the Lord's Kingdom are being so stretched all the time.

I am a 5K completer!! I ran a 5K today…mind you I have not exercised since the summer…at all….and I finished! We had a few unbearable hills, but that is inevitable here in Rwanda…as well as an altitude problem as well. But it felt so great! The church put it together and we all ran before service! There is a quote by the President, "Others can walk. We must run" about how Rwanda really has to work quickly to catch up with the rest of the world…and our sermon series has been about leadership and faith, so it was a really neat experience.

I really think I need to be a runner. And I think I need to do art. And I think I need to garden or build or sew or cook. One of those for sure. Oh- and read. But I just don't have as much time as I want for these things…

I've made new friends! I even went and hung out with them without my other roommates around… which is so good for me. I was always busy in college, but I also had a lot of alone time. Here it is seldom.

I met people this week who have just gotten to Kigali so now I actually feel like I belong and live here because I get to teach other people where to find places and how to get around and places to see. That's really cool. (also driving a car makes me feel like I actually live here too!)

I wish I could explain to you some of the people who are a part of my life here. I know many missionaries who have dedicated their lives in different foreign countries and sacrificed so much for God's call, I know well known Rwandans, notable Americans, embassy workers from different countries, marines, people in government, so so so so many people who are here with NGOs (which is like a non-profit organization) some from Food for the Hungry International, Living Water, International Justice Mission, Compassion International, Peace Corps, VSO, coffee and other agriculture ministries and so on, Rwandans with miraculous testimonies, and many more inspiring people. It is amazing to just share in life with people who I see as extremely influential. Sometimes I can get confused and think that moving to Africa to teach is a "big" thing...but I'm reminded how small I really am when I am with people from all over the world.

If this blog isn't long enough for ya, just let me know and I think I could write a few more pages worth and email it to you. hahaha! I don't blame you if you skimmed to the end.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”

Where the streets have no name...

Muraho again! I am writing as a woman who has lived in Africa for 2 months! Last night my friends and I went to celebrate at a restaurant called Heaven. The owners train and employ people from villages or difficult backgrounds and everything (tables, placemats, menus, etc) is handmade in Rwanda.

I have had a wonderful and exciting week with my class! We continued learning about addition sentences and are moving into subtraction, focused on 'sh' and 'ay' in our spelling and reading, learned about mammals and reptiles and birds, etc in science, finished our book called The Very Strong Readers about a school of fish (tied in with science) and what they do to be stronger readers. We also had our first Writer's Workshop celebration to conclude the first unit. That was precious! They got so excited over getting a juice box! We led elementary chapel this Wednesday as well...so that was excellent reading practice for our parts. They were great!

Probably the best school story is this:
As a background, my students get stickers on a chart and are rewarded when they get to 25 stickers. (they get to have shoes off afternoon, stay after school for 20 minutes, or get 2 stickers, or a few others) And I also give tables tallies on the white board for different things. So, we're in line and Saadou just raises his hand and says, "Getting stickers is not the most important thing and even getting a compliment is not the most important thing. The important thing is learning." I was pretty thrilled he said that and encouraged the class that learning really is the important thing. But then Jade took it another step further. She said, "Getting tallies and stickers are not important. God loving us is the most important." and then they were all in agreement talking about how stickers and tallies are not important. So Jade spoke for her whole table and said, "You can rub (erase) our tallies, we don't need them because we have God."

I have an adorable and thoughtful class!

In other news...I now am a part of too many bible studies and have to decide which to continue with and which to let continue without me so that I might have time to find another ministry. (I'm wanting to find a program for teaching kids to read that don't have the opportunity to go to school...but I'm not sure yet) So, help me in prayer over that! I like all the groups for different reasons, but 5 is just really too many in my opinion.

So after being here for 2 months- yay!- some things are starting to feel normal, and its even hard to decide what to tell everyone.

Oh yea---I got a car!! I don't know if I'm supposed to share this, but I just will...the school is able to help my friend and I by loaning us money for a car. We just pay monthly payments and when we sell it again at the end of our stay we'll just pay the rest to the school and get some money back too! (cars don't depreciate hardly at all here). Our lives have drastically changed in the past 5 days. We are able to get more than one thing done in a day!! But it is sad too because our taxi driver Pete was so reliable to pick us up from school, and the children on our walk to meet the taxi every morning don't see us coming and run up, and we don't say muramutse (goodmorning) to everyone we used to see....and all the taxis and motos we know...its just sort of sad, but also an incredible blessing!!

My battery is about to die and I don't have my adapter with me...so I must go ahead and post and add more soon!

Thank you so much for your prayers and support! I couldn't be here without you :)

Lake Kivu Uno

It was quite awhile ago, but September 15th was a holiday from school because it was voting, so my roommates and I went on a vacation with the Jenkins for a night on Lake Kivu! The pictures were hard to choose from to share on the blog, but I'll try to give you a glimpse of how beautiful is was!

Just For KICS

I’ve officially passed the one month mark! A week ago yesterday I had been a Rwandan resident for a month. The internet provider has been down almost every evening now for close to a week, and our router blew because of a power surge at home…so that is why it has been so long. In fact, I’m typing on a Word document to have saved for the next time I can get the internet. Getting the internet set up at our home was literally a miracle! You know, one of my friends who has lived in Africa said her blogs started about ideas and dreams and culture, and soon a friend told her they had digressed to the weather and what she ate that day. While I don’t want to neglect sharing about my experiences in a way that has a little depth…I should mention as a warning for the coming months that what I get to eat can truly feel like the event of the day. But, lucky for my regular readers, I’ll always have a class- and that means I’ll always have at least a story to tell.

First of all, I hope you paid close attention to the title of this entry. I know it may sounds cheesy- but I’m pretty proud of that play on words. (for those of you who may not know, KICS stands for Kigali International Community School) Now, I’ve been thinking of how to make the most of using that title…and that definitely means including many pictures. I’ve been attempting a good class picture- and it has been difficult. But I think I’m ready to just upload what I’ve got. I have a small class of only 7 students…and I’ve also taken more pictures of my classroom. When I first arrived I took pictures of the transformation of the room from day to day during my week of preparation…but then I never quite felt like it was ready for the “after” picture. So, I kept putting it off. Then I realized that it will never look like the most perfect first grade classroom I could ever envision, so I better start snapping away anyways. Since uploading takes here I'm only including one "before" picture.

Last year this room was used for 4th grade...the desks are so high and they are set up in rows.



Progress- I've lowered the desks, set them up in tables, and am now sorting through K and 1 books and curriculum, and put up a bulletin board



This is what my room looks like now...that is the alphabet chart with phonic pictures that the class made up on the wall, we have a calendar area with small rugs, the bookcase, and word wall



This is from the other corner of the room- my textbook shelf and my desk in the corner


This is the white board- it is white paint on the wall with plastic covering to use as a wipe away surface. The best thing in this picture is the pocket chart! I love it!

Thats all for now because my internet code is about to run out again- and I don't want to wait for pictures to load again! More soon...and please feel free to email me :) I love keeping updated on the small details of your lives as well!