Every day here is very different. Each day presents its
challenges and its own rewards. Thursday was a day filled with more rewards
than challenges.
As on most Thursdays, I went with Senior 5 students to participate in
Tikkun Olam. Running late and without a bus, we used the pick up truck to get
to Byinza Primary School. Twenty students hopped into the bed of the truck and
off we went down the uneven dirt path (typical mode of transportation).
Students loved the thrill.
While there I assisted students in teaching English. The students from
ASYV never cease to impress me in their ability to successfully conduct a
class. In one of the classes, an ASYV student and I began talking. We spoke
about her past, her struggles and her plans for the future. Naturally the
conversation moved to one about the beauty of my hips (a hot topic) and the
need for me to fall in love and marry. The conversation was filled with laughs
and cute moments. Definitely left me feeling great afterwards.
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| Patrick |
As soon as I returned to the
Village, I took a cold shower (they make you feel cleaner afterwards) and then
prepared my dinner, a delicious salad. Once I was finished, Patrick came to
visit me. Instead of shaking my hand (a typical Rwandan greeting), Patrick gave
me a big hug. We had a great conversation about his vacation, his dreams to
create summer school in Rwanda and the notion of forgiveness in Rwanda. We
always have deep and meaningful conversations. Ones that discuss challenging
topics, but still rewarding to discuss.
My conversation with Patrick was cut short since he needed to go to
dinner. Once he left I spoke on the phone with Mara, one of my supervisors. I
updated her about the various projects that I am working on and my feelings
toward completing my service. It was a reflective conversation that left me
feeling confident in the work that I am doing here.
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| Jeanne |
Without a minute to waste, I left my house to attend Family Time, a
nightly meeting with my family (16 girls, big sister and Mama). As soon as I
arrived I sat on the floor. Immediately Christine (one of my translators) and
Celine sat down next to me. Gemima sat in my lap. Immediately I felt surrounded
by love. Before I knew it, I was being given a Kinyarwanda lecture on numbers.
Celine and Jeanne, two girls who rarely speak up since they are not confident
with their English, starting quizzing me on my Kinyarwanda. Quickly, the whole
room became entranced. Many of the girls were congratulating me on my perfect
pronunciation and memorization. Christine asked me if there were any important
words that I wanted to learn. I told her that I knew the word “Amahoro” which
means “Peace” and that it is an important word. Immediately Mama Mary started
smiling. She told the whole family that it is incredible that even though I
don’t know much Kinyarwanda, I know one of the most important words. She was so
proud of me for knowing this word.
Content with making the girls smile and happy, I sat back and relaxed
while Mama spoke and Christine translated. Once Mama officially began Family
Time, Celine grabbed my hand to hold it. Never sharing this moment before, I
knew that through learning Kinyarwanda, we were able to connect. As soon as she
grabbed my hand, a smile appeared on my face. I knew that I had finally figured
out how to connect to her and Jeanne. Throughout the rest of Family Time,
Jeanne and Gemima were entertaining themselves by playing with my hands.
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| Gemima and I on my birthday. |
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| Celine with local Rwandan kids at Lake Mugesera. |
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| Christine and I on my birthday. |
All in all, a really successful day. Days like this, the conversations,
the hugs, the hand holds and the Kinyarwanda lessons, remind me of why I’m
here.
