PLaying Catch-Up

Wow...Sorry...it's been way too long. Here are the last 3 posts that should have been up months ago

End of School
So the end of school is rapidly approaching. I really gotten used to the teaching schedule and the many different students. I am starting to have some really great relationship with some of my students and i am really invested in them. I really want them to succeed and have a chance at finding a job after they finish here.
I have been really encouraged by some of my students, and quite dissapointed by others. Some students just don't really have the drive or focus much in my class. I know some of them just don't understand me or computers in general, so I try to give them the benefit of the doubt. Other students have really surprised me at there eagerness to learn. There is one student in particular that I am really inspired by. His name in Vedaste and he is one of the "inshuti" here at the center (the center sponsors him and helps him eat and live here in Gatenga...although he is not one of the boys that boards here). At the beinning of the second semester I just saw that he was not participating...and not learning much. I talked with him a bit and saw an improvement. Unfortunately on the midterm quiz, he was cheating...or letting others cheat. I let him make up the quiz and he did really well. From then on he really did his best and I saw great improvement. I am happy to say that for the exam, he was the top student. I really hope he continues to study hard with the new volunteers coming to continue teaching. He's been doing really well at AutoCAD and if he continues with it, I think we would be able to find a good job in Kigali working as a drafter. I hope to stay in touch with him and maintain our friendship. I will miss him.
Overall the end of the second semester when pretty well. I really began to realize I will truely miss these students. A part of me really wishes I would still be here to help them further and get them to a point where I feel they could find a job with ease...but I know it's time for me to move on.

Brothers Arrival
Just as exams finished, my brother arrived in Rwanda. I was really great to see him, although I'm not sure he completely recongized me with my changing appearance. Just seeing someone from my family, which normally I see so often...was really nice. It was great just being able to share my world here. It's hard to explain, but I feel like things like this just really just have to see to really understand. Pictures and stories just don't do it all.
The first week we spent relaxed at the center. It was cool seeing Ben meet many of my friends here at the center. Family is very important here, so many people were very eager to great my brother and talk with him. After relaxing, we got moving and took a very long, quite uncomfortable bus ride to Kampala, Uganda. We quickly continued to Jinja which is near Lake Victoria where to Nile River starts. Here we spent the night and then continue on to Mbale where we spent the next 4 days climbing Mt. Elgon. The trek was very steep (4321 meters) and over 80 km, long. At the end we were very spent and spent the night facing a large waterfall. After treking, we went back to Jinja to do a little white water rafting. It was still awesome the second time around. After rafting we continued on to Murchusin falls to see a few african animals. We were quite lucky and got a chance to see many animals including crocs, elephant, giraffs, a male lion, along with a female lion with 2 cubs and a day-old kill. After this we finally headed back to Rwanda. It was a great trip in Uganda but we were very happy to get back to our home in Rwanda.
The last week was also quite nice but relatively uneventful. Besides doing a little craft shopping, Ben very generously bought a goat. We greatfully had it slaughtered and cut into chunks and BBQ the meat. It was a great evening. I had a great time with my brother and I am really happy he came out. I know he had a lot on his plate and is probably still recovering from it all!
My Departure...Coming Soon!

Muhazi and More...

Since my last update, there has been quite a lot happening with me here in Rwanda. It started with a trip to the lake nearby, Lake Muhazi. The Salesians have a nice plot of lake-front property completely surrounded by very local Rwandans. After Easter, the other two Salesians volunteers here (Mitchell and Lionel) and I went to spend some much needed time relaxing at the Lake. I spent roughly a week at the lake, swimming, hiking, sleeping, reading, and of course eating. It was a great relaxing week for me and I was really happy to get a small break to just reflect on the last 7 months and the months to come. At the lake house we also got a chance to see a small sudo Salesian community with a church that doubles as a school. It is still in the beginning stages, but it was really nice to see. They teach construction, cooking, and agriculture. We appreciated the agriculture students while eating the fresh produce, meat that was prepared, and even the very organic, locally grown, dried, roasted, and brewed coffee.

Upon returning from Muhazi, it was right back to work. I spend a few days preparing the computer lab for the students’ arrival for their second trimester. I had my hands full trying to set up the lab with 20 new laptops as well as the other desktops that were here. We have a huge problem of viruses here and just keeping the computers up-to-date with programs and updates is a full-time job. I am often running updates all night. This semester I has also been working to try and really take advantage of the network equipment that is here in the lab. We have a few problems.

First of all...there are only about 15 or so connections for the network...we have to make more network cables. Second of all, network administration software isn't the easiest to find. But, I have been able to use the network a bit to load some programs and stream my screen to the students monitors so they can watch what I am doing (a poor replacement for a projector). A few days ago I got my hands on a Windows Server edition so I now just need to try and learn exactly how I can manage all the computers though my “administrator” computer. If I can actually get it up and running, I think the lab will be very easy to manage. Of course I will need to get ALL the computers connected to the network first. Overall, I am getting more comfortable with teaching and have begun working with Auto-CAD for the electrical and construction students. Coordinates are very difficult for the students to learn...along with computers in general...so it is quite a slow process. The students are learning slowly and I am actually seeing a few students who really “get” it...you can just see it in their eyes as they work...i don't know if any of you teachers out here know what I'm talking about. It is really cool to see their eye light up when they really begin to understand just actually how the computers are working and what they can actually do. I am also beginning to see a lot of success with the secretary students who are learning to type on the computers...they hate the lessons (as we all do), but they are learning and I think they are also very happy with their improvement as well.

This past week I also experienced my first funeral here in Rwanda. One of the young people that come to eat at lunch and dinner is named John. The Salesians have been helping him and his family. I talk with him often and I enjoy our conversations. I went to visit his sick mother roughly 4 months ago. His mother had been sick for several years with what sounded to be something like stomach ulcers. About 2 weeks ago, she died in the hospital. It was a bit difficult to see John and visit what we know as a “viewing” in the home the day after she died. John is the oldest of 3 boys and he is 21. His father left his mother many years ago so he is now the protector, provider, and role model for his 2 brothers. Standing with John watching his mother being buried was difficult.

On a lighter note, I decided to get a bit more of a cultural experience here. My hair has been getting quite long so I decided to tie it down a bit. Enjoy!!!

This past weekend I went back to Muhazi…this time with 25 of the boys and young adults that live at the center. It was an awesome weekend for the boys, eating a ton, swimming whenever possible, and just relaxing. I had a great time relaxing with the boys and watching them try to swim…ensuring they didn’t drown.

Lastly I want to introduce you to a few new boys who came to the Foyer this term. Three new, quite young, boys showed up in the Foyer this term. Over the past few weeks I’ve made great friends with them and love interacting with them. They only know Kinyarwanda, so it’s hard to really talk with them, but we enjoy just hanging out and playing around a bit. This weekend I found out just where they are from. The 3 boys are brothers and they have 1 sister as well. Recently someone was traveling to one of the national parks to visit the wildlife there. The found these 4 children all together in a house. The oldest of the 4 is 15 and was taking care of the whole family by cultivating the land they owned to feed his 3 younger siblings. The visitor decided to bring them to Kigali to help them. The boys ended up at the center and their sister lives nearby and is supported by the center. I think Don Bosco would be very proud! I have pictures of the 2 younger brothers, Bosco and Silas feasting at Lake Muhazi this past weekend.

Chris

Pictures

Genocide Memorial Month

It’s officially April and it’s been over 7 months since I arrived in Kigali, Rwanda. Tomorrow is April 7th, the national day for remembering the genocide that happened over 15 years ago. I think it’s a difficult day for the Rwandan people to remember what happened.
Easter is now upon us. We spent Easter Sunday relaxing, playing corn hole (which we made), eating candy sent by my mother, and smoking some cigars sent by many good friends from Rutgers. Thanks everyone for your Easter wishes, packages, and prayers. In the spirit of Easter, I think it’s now time to share with all of you one of the experiences I have so often when I go to town or the market to shop.
If you don’t know by now…I have a pretty large beard. I have yet to share or cut my hair since leaving America. So, being white…with darker skin, having a beard, and longer hair makes me stand out a lot. Whenever I walk people whisper, say, or shout “YEZU”. In Kinyarwanda yezu means Jesus. Everyone here think I look like Jesus…and they all think they are the first to tell me. At first it was a bit weird, a little amusing. It’s doesn’t bother me, but it’s just an interesting experience I often have daily. It’s kind of weird being called Jesus everyday…Hopefully I can do him a little bit of justice and not just look like him but act as he would also.
Recently I had an awesome meeting with one of the students I often play sports with. His name is Claude and he just recently started his first year at University here in Rwanda. He is studying Electrical Engineering and sometimes he comes over to ask questions about the Calculus classes he is taking. On the volleyball court we chat about life...what America is like…why I’m in Rwanda. I explained to him that I am a volunteer…meaning I don’t make money and came here just to learn, teach, and follow God’s plan for me. This makes very little sense to the Rwandans I have met and most just don’t believe me. Why would I not want to leave University and get a job and make money? Anyway, after a few discussions, Claude said he would be interested in possibly volunteering somewhere. I was completely surprised by this and I am excited just that he would express an interest. Encouraging Africans to volunteer in Africa is something I feel very motivated by. Hopefully an opportunity for Claude will open up!

Lastly, I want to introduce you to Kennedy. Kennedy is a Ugandan Pre-Novice. He is very tall and one of the darkest Africans I have ever met. He was born in Northern Uganda very close to the border with Sudan. I think his family is having difficult times, he is the oldest of many children and his father is deceased. He is a very prayerful man…I often see him reading and praying when I walk by their compound. When he smiles you can really see his inner joy. I hope to stay connected with for many years to come.

Happy Easter!!!

So, it’s been a really long time since I've posted anything. Life here in Rwanda is becoming more and more routine and has really become my home in the past couple months.

I forgot last time, so let me introduce you to one of my favorite people I have met so far in Rwanda. His name is Thomas and he is from Uganda. He is a pre-novitiate here in formation with the hopes of becoming a missionary priest with the Salesians. He has a great smile and is always laughing. I love our conversations. I know he will make an awesome Salesian.

At the beginning of January, school was supposed to start, but the start was delayed until February. So, I started to teach the teachers here English. Some of the teachers has a small vocabulary and can have a simple conversation...while others really don't know any English. This was/is a major concern because the 1st year students here will all be learning in English. I helped teach them for a few weeks, they progressed but I'm sure they aren't really teaching in English yet as they should be.
In the beginning of February, the students all returned and school started back up. Let me explain a little about the first day of classes...maybe it will help you get a perspective on how things work here in Africa. The students all showed up on the first day of classes and I was in the computer lab ready for the first batch of students to walk in and be memorized by the 20 plus computers in the room and the white man with a beard in the front of the class. After about 15 minutes of waited, I walk over to the headmaster to see what the trouble is. Apparently, many of the students hadn't paid any money for school yet, so they decided to cancel school on the first day...I don't think that would fly in the states. It ended up being the 4th day of school before I actually taught my first class for the term.
Lastly, today I went to the second genocide memorial while being here in Rwanda. The first one is basically a museum that describes what happened and it is a Mass grave for tens of thousands of Rwandans. It was quite a sobering museum...but nothing like today.

(The following is a bit graphic)
Today, we took a bus for about 3 hours each way and went to one of the actual massacre sites. We arrived to a lovely technical school that is one of the taller hills in the area. You can see all around you, quite a breathtaking panorama. At this school over 50,000 Rwandans came in a matter of 2 weeks to seek refuge during the beginning of the genocide. The French ended up coming to defend the people from attack. As the conflict escalated, the French army left and nearly all 50,000 Rwandans were killed, using machetes, guns, and other weapons.
At the school they have preserved several hundred of the bodies with their clothes. They have the bodies to see, just as they were when they were killed. You can see old and young, men and women, babies with their mothers. On some of the bodies you can picture there face while others still have hair on their heads. It was a quiet few hours, taking in the scenery and trying to image the utter chaos that unfolded just over 15 years ago. Another quite shocking realization is that all around this memorial, there are people farming, goats and cows are grazing, and children playing...while bodies, bones, and clothes lie motionless to tell their stories to visitors.

Adam, Christmas, New Years, and Jinja

Sorry it's been a while since my last post...a lot has happened so I will try and explain it all without making this post too long.

First of all, In the beginning of December we continued to work on the farm. There were a few student workers around that would help us complete tasks during the day, but December is a very slow month for the farm. Most of the students are gone and many of the Agronomists on the farm take there 3 week vacation sometime during this month. So, Mitchell and I did what we could to feel productive. Then, on December 11th, Adam our program director came to visit. Adam is a spectacular guy; very down to earth. We gave him a tour of our site and just spent a few days giving him a look into the life of a missionary at the Centre Des Jeunes in Kigali, Rwanda. We did quite a lot of filming and picture taking to allow future SLM's who many want to volunteer here to see the site and what it has to offer. He also found room in his back to bring a few gifts for both Mitchell and I to open on Christmas morning. Overall, it was an awesome couple days seeing such a friendly face from back home.

Once Adam left Mitchell and I began getting ready for our trip to Uganda. We left Rwanda on the 20th on a Jaguar "Coach" bus. These buses are a lot better than the small vans that we usually ride in to get around the city. They look like a coach bus on the outside, but once you get in, things start to go downhill. At home, coach buses has 4 seats per row...in Africa they have 5. So, I was sitting between Mitchell and another person for about 13 hours or so on the bus from Kigali, Rwanda to Kampala, Uganda. To make things better, we had two babies sitting across the isle...both of which decided they didn't want there breakfast anymore, at which point they threw it up! It wasn't a horrible ride, but it sure was nice to meet up with our friends that volunteer with Holy Cross. From Kampala we took a smaller bus to Jinja where they live.
We ended up staying with them from about 9 days. A few of our activities included:
- Rafting the River Nile (Class 5 Rapids)
- Touring the Nile Breweries
- Waking up Christmas morning to a small tree and a few presents
- Reading quite a few books
It was a great chance to get away to see some friends and relax.

Finally, we returned back to Kigali in the same manner that we left. Upon arriving home in Gatenga, we went to a New Years feast for all the Salesians in Rwanda. It was nice to see and talk with the other Salesians that we are beginning to recognize and know. On New Years day itself we relaxed a bit, had a few cocktails, and kicked off the New Year with a toast of Champagne. I did miss the good old Dick Clark countdown, even if he did mess up the countdown.

I hope all back home enjoyed your holidays with all the snow!

December Has Arrived

So Mitchell and I have officially been in Rwanda for over 3 months. The first three months have been filled with joy, confusion, hard work, and a lot of laughter. I am very much settled here but do often think back to my home in New Jersey and all the friends back in the States.
I have gotten a chance to spend a few nights out of the center in Gatenga. First, Mitchell, Hannah, and I took a trip to the northern part of the country. In the north you can see many volcanoes that are on the border with The Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. The scenery is beautiful up there. We spent a night on one of the quiet lakes that are squashed between the mountains and hills. The weather is a little cooler up there, but really nice. In the morning we took a 30 minute boat ride (see right) and then got out to hike a couple hours. At the end of our hike we were met with a pretty awesome waterfall (although they are currently trying to divert the water to use for production of electricity). We had a blast!
Then comes Thanksgiving. Mitchell convinced the community to go all out there year for an All-American Thanksgiving…or as close as you can get a little country called Rwanda. This year Mitchell chose our turkey and we really made sure it was fresh, as we watched them kill and prepare it for cooking. Unfortunately, I was not actually here at the community for the great Thanksgiving feast; I left Thrusday morning for a trip to Nakuru, Kenya. The rugby team I play with a bit invited me to a 7’s tourneyment. The trip was long…20 hours by bus, on terrible roads…but I had a good time. Kenya is a bit more diverse and developed from what I saw in Nakuru. When I returned from the tourneyment I made sure to stuff myself with a leftover turkey, stuffing, and gravy sandwich like I would if I were home. The director here had a great time celebrating our American holiday. In fact he promised, “Next we are having Thanksgiving again…with our without Americans!”.

Since the Patronage finished, Mitchell and I have a few days to relax before things pick up for the holidays. First our “Boss” from New Rochelle, NY is coming on the 11th. He will be here for a few days to check out the community here and determine if the program can continue to send volunteers here next year. Adam is a great guy and a bundle of laughs…so we are very excited to see his bright shining face, red nose, round belly, and big white beard…so he might not have a round belly or big white beard, but he will also be bringing a few Christmas gifts for the two of us…thanks Mom and Dad). Once Adam leaves we will prepare for our trip to Uganda where we will be spending our Christmas with a few other volunteers.
Before I sign off I would like to introduce you to one of my new friends here. I got this idea from a friends blog (you know who you are) and figured all of you back home might enjoy meeting a few of the people I meet in Rwanda.

This is Gabriel. He just finished studying here at Gatenga with a focus on electricity. He was the top of his class for electricity and is very bright. I would see and talk with Gabriel often (he knows English well). Gabriel also lived in the Foyer here and was one of the obvious leaders amoung the other boarding students.
I hope Thanksgiving was awesome for all of your back home. I heard that Old Man Winter sent some snow…even in Texas. Enjoy the snow and good luck buying all your presents…

HoHoHo,
Chris