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