Saturday 13th: Day Seven in Rwanda

Please note that VSO is in no way connected with or responsible for the content, comments and observations in this blog: these are solely my own in a personal capacity.

What a lovely surprise! Due to a ‘scheduling error’, our session for 8:30 – 10:30 has been cancelled and we are free until 11:00. I typed up all my Kinyarwandan notes so far and stuck them on my Palm pilot so I can carry my vocab around with me. My only bugbear is that the French-English-French Dictionary I also got for the Palm still won’t work. My brother emailed me a copy but whatever way I am installing it (or maybe I changed the file name incorrectly) it won’t work. Not to worry, Palm allow you to go back and download replacement copies free of charge – good customer service. I actually initially downloaded the wrong version anyway (Windows instead of Palm) and they credited my account with the full amount so I could actually buy the correct one.

More Kinyarwandan from 11:00 – 1:00. Some people are getting very tired indeed and a bit stir-crzy. Doesn’t bother me particularly I have to say but this afternoon we are scheduled to have two hours of ‘fun and games’ with the other volunteers, according to our timetable. Our timetable also said it was optional so many of us had decided that we already know each other quite well after a week so we might skip it. Then we find out it is not optional and that it is not our group they are talking about but all the other volunteers who are already in Rwanda, so we had better attend.

Despite all our grumbles it turned out to be very good – a little bit touchy-feely for my taste (but everyone who knows me would have predicted that!) but the guy organising it, Chris, did an amazing job and put so much effort and enthusiasm into it that even the most recalcitrant among us was won over!

Time for a shower and change and then off to the big event – a dinner for ALL VSO people – new volunteers, existing volunteers, office and programme staff. It was a really great night with some absolutely fabulous traditional dancing (pictures are coming, I promise). I met some really nice people, including an Indian volunteer named George who is based up in the north and whom I have challenged to a cooking competition, time and venue still to be decided. I also met Hester, Chris, Beate, Mans and Han, Emilienne, all the people I had already met and a few whose names I am afraid have escaped me for the moment. Then we walked back and headed for a nearby bar, which I left around midnight with Joe and Tinks but most others were still there so I have no idea when they got back.

Anyway, it is now Sunday morning as I am writing this (8.47 a.m.) and I am being collected at nine for my first ever go at motorcycle training. Tomorrow’s blog will have the low-down on this and also what Sunday in Rwanda is like (there may even be some pictures!!).