Mucaka and PICTURES!

     This Saturday I woke up at 5:20 AM and got ready to run Mucaka. This week we were set to run to Rubona. Still tired and not looking forward to running the mile to Rubona, my body wasn't being very friendly to me. One minute outside of the gate, I fell. But it's no paved road, so as soon as I fell I ripped one knee of my leggings. Shaken up and scratched, my girl, Gemima helped me up and I continued running. As we were running, I told her how rocky the path is and how I don't pick up my feet when I walk/run so I'm prone to falling. I got back into the zone and continue onward. After a few minutes, we had to turn around since it was about to rain. As I started running uphill back to the Village, I fell again. This time I was with Gemima and Olive, both sweet girls who helped me up and continued to run next to me, making sure that I was okay. Unlike the first fall, this time I ripped my second knee and got badly cut up. A bad start to the day, but at least I had my girls by my side to comfort me.
     I finally was able to get pictures so here they are:

My family on Barrett's birthday. 

The view of Lake Mugasera from the Community Center. A 5 hour adventure! 

Maize outside a house in Rubona, on the way to the Lake.

A cow that I spotted on my way to Lake Mugasera. 

Me at Lake Mugasera.

A Rwandan woman leaving her laundry out to dry in Rubona.

Barrett and I in the Dining Hall. 

Homemade challah. 

Lake Mugasera

Carrots from the Kimironko Market

     This weekend was a really refreshing and event filled weekend. On Saturday I woke up bright and early, 5:30 AM sharp, to run Mucaka Mucaka. This week we ran inside the Village, which I prefer. It seems shorter than other paths, which is preferable since I’m lazy! After the run, while sipping on porridge, Barrett and I decided that we weren’t going to go to the farm this weekend. It was nice to have someone else affirm my conflicted feelings to the farm. While I recognize the value of giving back to the land directly, I find that I am relatively ineffective at hoeing and weeding. It takes me far more time to make progress than the students and I get extremely frustrated. I believe that I motivate and empower the students in other ways, that my lack of presence at the farm is relatively insignificant in the grand scheme of my participation in the Village. I wish that I loved to farm, but unfortunately I ain’t no farm girl!

Beans from the Kimironko Market

     After waking up at the crack of dawn to run. I decided to take a nap. It was really nice to rest, watch movies and eat challah throughout the day. My relaxing day culminated with Havdallah. Having participated in very few Jewish practices, it was really nice to do Havdallah, especially while surrounded by the beautiful view of the Village. I do not find prayer to be personally meaningful, but being surrounded by a Jewish community is.

     After relaxing all day on Saturday, I decided to join the Year Coursers on their hike to Lake Mugasera on Sunday morning. Having seen Mugasera every day from the Dining Hall in the Village, I decided that it was time that I ventured to the beautiful lake. And what a journey it was! The walk trailed through the rural countryside of Rubona. At points I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere with no clue as to how to return to Agahozo. It was refreshing to be able to just walk and not have to think about anything but also quite an experience to see the vast lands of Rwanda. After two hours of walking, we reached the water. It was truly beautiful! It was also rewarding to finally reach the water. Every time that we walked uphill, I had to stop conversing with other people and focus on my breathing. I think that the dry season has affected my breathing. Since I only breathe out of my mouth, I found it really hard to breathe on some stretches of the hike. For some reason, the trek back, albeit two hours, felt much quicker than the walk to the lake. We walked over a natural bridge that lay on top of a swamp. It was one of the most interesting things that I have ever seen. It was like a trampoline in that it bounced and moved with every step (but I would not dare jump on it). Not knowing exactly what it was made of made it scary, yet exhilarating to cross.

     When we got back to the Village, I ran to shower before lunch. I’ve learned to take advantage of every opportunity that I’m hot to shower. Cold water showers means you have to schedule when you will shower (oy, the troubles in Africa). When I got to lunch and saw Mugasera from the Dining Hall, I felt so accomplished. From the Village, the lake looks so far away. But a 5-hour, rigorous journey and you’ve made it there and back!

     After waking up early two days in a row to exercise, I decided that I’m going to start running more regularly. I asked Barrett if she was interested and she said she was in! I dread the anticipation of exercise but I love the feeing afterwards. I just have to focus on these breathing problems and then I’ll be just fine! So exercise, here we go! 

     P.S. Unfortunately my computer won't let me upload any pictures at the moment. Once I figure it out, I'll be sure to add pictures of Lake Mugasera.  

Exploring my Judaism in rural Rwanda

     This week has been a pretty slow and rough one. This weekend my roommate had to abruptly fly back to the States since her dad was in a coma and being kept on life support until she got home. (I found out today that he passed away on Monday.) It was such a shock. I was scared for my roommate and didn't know what to say. As I went to the airport to send her off, I found myself more emotional than expected. Being so far away from family and friends is a really hard thing. Not to mention the constant fear that something will happen to a close family member or friend while you're gone.
     Dreading coming back to an empty room (my roommate took almost all of her stuff home, unsure of when and if she'll return), I decided to help Barrett greet the new month-long volunteers: Jewish youth from Year Course. Having been a camp counselor at a Jewish summer camp for years, I was excited to sort of take on the role on counselor while the students from Year Course join the Village. Instantly I felt at home. It was really refreshing to be with young Jewish youth who are so interested in learning about everything that surrounds them. After helping them find phones and exchange money, we returned to the Village for snacks and an explanation of the rules.
     After prolonging my visit home for the first time since my roommate left, I finally had to make my way back. The bed was still made, but everything of value was taken. All that was left was toiletries and towels. my roommate left some snacks on my bed which was really sweet. It felt weird to be in my house alone. It still does.
     But amidst all this change, confusion and sadness, Barrett and I have been supporting each other the whole way. I already feel like this experience has brought us both together. Having my support cut in half, both Barrett and I feel like we are each other's strongest supports. I am really lucky to have her! The most exciting development, is that Barrett is moving into my house, in the empty room across from mine. I am so happy that I won't be alone and we can be together more than we already are. Both of us have repeatedly expressed how happy we are!
     Hopefully once she moves in i'll feel more comfy at home. It's lonely being in a three bedroom house all alone! But i've been trying to keep busy, which is really important for me when I cope with things. I'll also be less bored as time goes on since i've taken on my roommate's job of Communications. With very little past Communications experience, I hope that i'll quickly learn what I need to do. It can't be that hard, right?
     But as for now, i've had little responsibility, so i've been helping Barrett with the Year Coursers. On Tuesday night I led a name game with the Year Coursers and the cousins. After the game we had a Q and A which I thought was very productive. One person asked what big challenges or rewards we've experienced so far. Immediately I told the story of Yvette and how quickly she opened up to me and felt comfortable with me. As I was speaking I felt myself choking up and getting emotional about how important our relationship has been to me (and I'm sure for her as well). It truly is amazing that after 1 week I was able to be a strong support for her. Another person asked how Judaism plays a role in our lives here in the Village and in Rwanda. I, of course, answered this question as well. I went on a lovely rant about how it's interesting to not believe in G-d or prayer in a country that is so G-d loving. I explained that for me, Judaism is about creating something meaningful in a cultural, emotional way and not a spiritual or religious way. I talked about the importance of dialogue and discussion as an ongoing process of understanding and exploring one's identity.
     After I spoke, a few people came up to me and explained that they wanted to find a time to talk to me to explore these very issues. One girl even came up to me and said "So, I think that we need to talk because we're the same person. Well maybe not the same person, but basically the same person." It was really cute. I immediately felt like I was back in my zone as madricha (counselor). I got to continue feeling like a madricha as I joined them on their day trip through Kigali: walked through the town of Nyamirambo, went to the Genocide Memorial Museum (this time for 2 hours instead of 40 minutes), ate a Rwandan buffet lunch (with fresh tree tomato juice!) and then went to the Kimironko Market. I look forward to continuing to be a resource for these youth during their stay in Rwanda.

Veggies at the Market. 

     I know this is getting long (I really need to be better about posting more regularly) so i'll tell you two really quick stories. The first story is about going to the clinic with one of my girls, Christine (she preferred to go with me over Mable so I felt very honored). We went to the clinic in Rubona which was very interesting to see: an outdoor clinic with lots of people seated, waiting to be seen. Things seemed to move very slowly. But, the crazy part of the morning was not that I had to wait 4 hours with Christine, but that for 1 whole hour we waited for the driver to arrive at the clinic to give her money to pay for the medicine. Let it be known that the clinic is approximately 3 minutes driving from the Village. The reason the driver was late: he was driving around staff from the Village to explore different sites for Tikkun Olam (repairing the world). I was shocked that the driver was not willing to make the staff walk and drive to drop off money for a sick child. I was even more shocked when he said that he couldn't pick us up because they were buying wood. Luckily Christine wasn't too sick so we walked back the 15 minutes from the clinic. It was pretty absurd!
     The second story is about the Tutoring Club. During the meeting, a student from Senior 6 who had been in the club last year asked me to explain what tutoring was. I was shocked that after a year of actively tutoring, he didn't know what it meant. I calmly explained tutoring and then he quickly responded that maybe we should cancel the club because it doesn't work and it's not worthwhile. I was appalled by his comment so I immediately went on a rant about the value of tutoring and peer-to-peer guidance. I left the club shaken up and frustrated. Fortunately, my mood changed very quickly: the same boy who seemed to denounce tutoring as a productive thing, requested that in order to solve the issue of not fully understanding tutoring, that I teach the students what tutoring is, how to be a leader and how to effectively make a difference. I was so happy that he had not just left the meeting with his negative perspective, but had actively requested that I partake in educating the students on the value of tutoring. I walked away smiling!
     More pictures to come when the Internet gets better.

Mailing Address

Just wanted to let you all know that I can actually receive mail here in Rwanda! Below is my address:

Maytal Schmidt
Care of Agahozo Shalom Youth Village
P.O. Box 7299
Kigali, Rwanda.

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I know...I really need to start taking more pictures of myself. 

Heroes Day

A beautiful view in the Village. 

     The day started off pretty rough. I woke up early with enough time to do laundry, eat breakfast and get ready for the day. I went to the Administration building to meet with Natan and Parisien at 9 AM sharp, only to find that they were not there. After contacting Natan, I decided to wait in my room and relax until Parisien finally showed up. Forty-five minutes later, both Natan and Parisien were ready to start setting up. Frustrated by their insistence on me being at Administration at 9 AM, rather than 10 AM (which is what I suggested and what ended up happening), I began the day. We went around the Village setting up the different activities. By a chance of good luck, everything was set up and ready to go just in time for the day to begin.

The Spider Web. 

     We structured the day so there would be two hours of games, discussion and an art project, followed by an hour-long presentation. (The night before, over e-mail, we were told that the activities would now only be an hour and a half. With no time to adjust the activities, we had to wish that everything would run smoothly). Every set of four families was given a core value. The activity and discussion were based around the core value.

     I decided to start with my family and check in with other groups after I saw that my group was off to a solid start. I introduced the day to my group and then we split into two groups, Barrett leading one activity, me the other. At first I was concerned because the students did not seem to understand the activity that I was explaining. Luckily, one student understood and was able to translate to the rest of the group. At the beginning the students didn’t seem to be enjoying the game, but quickly they were loving in! It was really wonderful to see the students smiling and laughing.

Some girls listening intently to the discussion. 

     Once I saw that the activities were going smoothly without me, I went to visit two other groups. Both were doing well and the students seemed to be having fun. I was relieved to see that things were running alright.

     When the activities and discussions were done (most people didn’t get to the art project since there wasn’t enough time) we went to the dining hall for a presentation. What I thought would only take one hour ended up being two hours. Intended to be spoken solely in English, the entire presentation was spoken in Kinyarwanda…with no translations! The length of the presentation even pushed back lunch by an hour and a half. By the end of the lecture, I was livid. Luckily I was sitting next to Barrett and Jennifer who were also extremely frustrated, so I wasn’t alone. You can imagine that when the presentation was finally over, I was clapping with sheer joy!

Me with Christine (L) and Claudine (R). 

     Relieved that the day was over, I headed back to my room to relax. Still unsure of how I felt about the day, I was excited when a student came to my house to talk to me. The student, Emmanuel, asked if he could have a copy of the activities that I planned for the day. I readily gave him a copy and then asked why he wanted them. Voted Mr. Core Values of his grade, he said, “Maybe I will use the games in my family and to reinforce the ideas.” Hearing this made me realize that the day was a success. While it was stressful and frustrating at times, it meant a lot that a student had recognized the power of the programming and wanted to replicate it for furthering the development and progress of the Village.

     I must admit that I lowered by expectations for the day. If I was on camp standards, I would not have been happy with how the activities ran, but because I was working with staff and students that did not speak English in a culture that does not embrace informal education and discussion, I had to approach the day in a different way.

The contrast of new and old in upcoming Kigali. 

The house in Kiyovu (with a sign for my bank in the back). 

Another beautiful view in the Village. 

Small Steps and a Missing iTouch

My walk to Rubona.    

     Monday was a reflective day. I thought a lot about the support that I need and where I can get it while I’m here, living far away. Still working on solutions, which I think will take some time. 

     For the first time this year I met with the Tutoring Club. Expecting to have only 16 students, I walked into a room of 30. Lots of people to get to know but I’m looking forward to getting to meet people in smaller, more intimate settings. When I walked into the room the students where sitting in rows, as if ready for a lecture. My style is circles, so I asked that we make a circle. A little uncomfortable with this, the students pulled chairs into a circle. We went around, introduced ourselves and said an interesting fact. I could tell the students were not used to this informal, intimate and friendly set-up. We talked about the history of the club, how it was run last year and ideas for this year. Most of the students sat in silence when I asked questions. However, there were a few that participated in the discussion. It was really refreshing to speak fluid English and not talk really slowly to make sure I enunciate every word. Some of these kids have better English than most of the staff. I hope that my time with them can help push them to be more vocal and explore the myriad of ways in which they can learn outside the classroom. And maybe this can start to be my intellectual outlet.

     Speaking of English, Yvette’s English has been rapidly improving. It’s really exciting to be able to have more varied conversations with her. Apparently she is one of the biggest challenges in her family: really closed off and sad. The cousin in her family recognized that Yvette feels really comfortable with me so she approached me to ask if I would be willing to find out more of her background in order to be better equipped to support her. Of course I told the cousin that I want to help and am more than willing to be a resource. It means a lot that other people have recognized the affect that I have on some of these students. I hope that throughout the year I can be a big resource and support for Yvette. It’s one of my big missions. 

     Tuesday morning I woke up to find my iTouch missing. Struggling to find ways to connect to people back home, I have become very attached to my iTouch and its ability to send texts to American cell phones. So you can only imagine, that I was quite a mess when I couldn’t find it. I spent an hour looking all over my room, removing my sheets, and looking under by bed and the house. Upset and freaking out, I decided to take a breather and head to Rubona to grab a cup of hot  milk and a piece of cake.

     When I got to Rubona the town was bustling. It was market day. Apparently the morning is the best time to get to the market. There were hundreds of people, all searching for the freshest fruits and vegetables. I bought some bananas, as per usual. I even found a beet! Not sure how I’ll cook it since I don’t have an oven, but I’m sure I’ll use my creative culinary skills.

     I went to my local hot milk store. I like to call it the “Bakery” since it has the most variety of baked goods. Not sure where it’s made, but they have lots of options. I got a hot cup of milk (this time with one scoop of sugar instead of the three that the woman put in last time), a ciapatti and an amandazi. I sat in the small store and read my book. Apparently you don’t stay in those places long because five different groups of people ate their food and left in the span of time that I was there. It sort of felt like I was in a coffee shop, reading and relaxing; it was very refreshing.

     After feeling like I may have overpaid my visit, I headed back to the Village. At the beginning of my walk back, a few young kids in their school uniform (green dress with a yellow shirt underneath) started to follow me. Quickly the number multiplied and 20 kids were following me. The kids must have been between the ages of three and five-years-old. As I was walking I ran into another one of the volunteers, Jennifer. She started laughing. She said it looked like I was leading a parade. Up until then I was still upset about not being able to find my iTouch so I wasn’t reaching out to people and talking to them. But after she pointed out how sweet it was that these kids were following me, I decided to breath and see the bigger picture of happiness. As I continued walking back, I decided that I would let them hold my hands. At one point I was holding three different kids hands. Along the walk there was an ambulance that raced by. Without thinking I pulled the kids to the side to get out of the way. I felt so motherly at that moment.

     As I walked back the number dwindled till I was down to four kids (kids went home as we passed their houses). People that were walking towards us to head to Rubona were beaming with happiness. They were so happy watching the kids smile with excitement to be walking with a white girl. When I got back to the Village the kids were sad that I had to leave. The waited as they watched me walk away with a big smile on my face. While I walked back to my room, I realized that I was wearing green and yellow sunglasses. I fit in perfectly with my new little friends.

     When I got back to my room I again looked for my iTouch. As soon as moved my bed I spotted it on the ground. Overcome with relief, I realized that my initial reaction to losing it might have been a bit extreme. Recognizing the little things that make people here smile, I felt spoiled. I am trying to learn how to be happy with the small things in life, but giving up communication with family and friends is something that will be the last thing that I give up.

     By the way, the woman in charge of Professional Skills loved my proposal! Looks like I’ll be running a program complete with leadership skills, empowerment and mentoring skills. Success? I think so. I’m really excited! 

Settling In

     With the Internet and electricity going in and out all week, it's been quite a challenge to get onto my blog to update my lovely followers about life here in Rwanda. But have no fear, I am back and ready to update you.
     I'm definitely starting to feel more settled in. My job is slowly gaining more clarity and i'm beginning to feel more comfortable navigating things here. I took on two new initiatives this week: Professional Skills and Hero's Day. One of the big projects that I will be working on this year is planning and implementing the Tutoring Professional Skills program. The idea behind the program is that Seniors 5 and 6 (the oldest two grades) can choose to learn about tutoring and mentoring as a means to widen their opportunities post-ASYV. After much convincing of my strengths in tutoring and mentoring and my ability to run the program (yes, it was very frustrating to get to this point!), my proposal for a tutoring program was accepted. My plan is to start with leadership, move onto empowerment and end with tikkun olam. Essentially i'll be providing the skills, tools and guidance to be strong, influential leaders and then give them the opportunity to mentor other students in the Village. The second project that I took on, Hero's Day is almost complete. This Wednesday marks Hero's Day, a day when the country learns about different heros and strives to emulate these successful and strong leaders. I, along with another volunteer, Nathan, and the head of Informal Education and a native Rwandan, Parisien, planned a three hour program for the day. Groups of four families will each get a core value of the Village (Role Model, Commitment, Integrity, Support, Respect, Interest of Child, Learning Community and Determination). They will play games, have a discussion and create a visual project all relating to their value. At the end of the program, all of the students will gather together to explain what they learned.
     This week was the first week that I started my Kinyarwanda class. Mama Augusta, the Mama of all the Mamas, has offered to teach the volunteers Kinyarwanda. I'm not good at languages so i'm a little concerned, but it's off to a great start. I learned some vegetables and animals and we began counting. I'm going to try and study the words i've learned so I can really take in the language, but I think that it will take time for me to really feel comfortable with Kinyarwanda. It's not an easy language. But it feels good to be taking action towards learning to communicate in this country.
     I also started teaching Volleyball for the first time this week. Teaching may not be the right word since it was more like I attended and the class was taught in Kinyarwanda, but hopefully that will change. I'm not a pro at volleyball but it's fun to be doing something active.
     Saturday morning I also had the luxury of being active. I had to wake up early for a 6 AM run, uphill nonetheless. Luckily I was with Barrett so we talked the whole way (we both complained a bunch too, I must admit). I ran for 20 minutes straight! I haven't done that in a long time! I walked backed to the Village, but it definitely felt good to get a small bit of exercise. After breakfast, I had to go to the farm at 7:30 AM to hoe in the orange groves. Never having farmed before, it was quite hard. I didn't stay the whole two hours (don't tell my kids), but maybe i'll work up to it.
     While I am starting to feel more adjusted, this week definitely proved to have some struggles:
1. Planning English programming with non-native English speakers 
2. Trying to cook dinner when the electricity consistently goes out around dinner time
3. Attending meetings that are solely held in Kinyarwanda: Hopefully this will become less of a problem as the students begin to learn and feel more comfortable with English. I've started to attend less Family Time, firstly because it's hard to be present in my family from 9-10 PM five nights a week and secondly because it's solely done in Kinyarwanda. I really want to be a presence in my family's life, but it's hard to sit through hour long lectures, or even discussions, with little to no translation. Even when we attempt to begin Family Time in English, it always turns rapidly to Kinyarwanda. I was really proud of myself earlier this week because I led a Family Time by myself, that is until my Mama came. We were signing up  for clubs, speaking only in English and making lots of progress, until the Mama joined and all the girls reverted to Kinyarwanda. I guess we have to move slowly and hope that by the end of the year we can speak English and I can feel more included and needed.
4. Not getting intellectual stimulation: Having a serious language barrier, it's really hard to engage in intellectual discussions in the Village. As someone who constantly seeks out intellectual discussions and debate, it is really hard for me to not be able to actively engage in this type of intellectual growth. I try and seek out these conversations with other volunteers, but even that's a challenge. I think that I may  need to find other outlets for intellectual stimulation. I guess that's why i've already read five books and am moving onto the sixth! (I'm now reading "The Help" which is so good!)
5. Sometimes feeling lonely and unsupported: Being so far away from family and friends is a really big challenge. I knew that not having physical support here would be really hard and it is proving to be just that. Slowly i'm beginning to feel more connected to some of the volunteers, like Barrett and Dorea, but it's still a process. This is the first time since Kindergarten that i've really had to totally start anew with friendships. I know that it takes time, but it's difficult, especially at the beginning when things are so inconsistent. At home i'm used to having constant inspiration and encouragement, but it's very difficult to find here. I'm actively trying to solve this problem which is really positive. For example, earlier this week I went to Rubona for hot milk (reminded me of my childhood) and maize cakes with two of the volunteers. For Friday night Barrett, Dorea and I cooked a wonderful dinner and talked for hours. Saturday afternoon I played Scrabble with Barrett. It feels really good to be proactive about my social life!
     There are definitely many challenges here, but those are just a few. Overall i'm feeling very good about my work here. Adjustments always take time. But i'm trying to stay as positive and optimistic as possible (my mommy would be so proud of me!). I'm glad that I have the love and support of my family and friends back home. Keep that love coming!