1
Alfred is not looking so well these days ...2
Soraya lighting a charcoal stove with slips of paper3
Charcoal stove successfully lit!4
Assembled water filter (with three 'candles')5
Our 'practicalities' training group6
Steve assembling the kerosene stoveWoke at six, got up at eight. Have now read most of ‘The Name of the Rose’ while in bed in the morning wondering if it worth getting up yet. I don’t want to wander into Jacques while he is getting ready for work, so I am waiting until I am sure he is gone to work before using the bathroom. This is getting really ridiculous – yesterday was the crowning point where Tina and I had to try and find somewhere to cower (I use the word advisedly) while the Sector Executive Secretary, District Executive Secretary and two colleagues had lunch in the sitting room. We were reluctant to ask Ephraim to do anything because obviously his main job is working for Jacques and whatever other District officials are using the house.
Needless to say Francois did not turn up at nine. Meanwhile both Tina and I spent a half hour each looking for one thing – a head torch in her case (found) and a flash drive in mine (not found). Because everything is still in our suitcases after almost three weeks we have absolutely no idea where anything is. Of all the annoying and frustrating aspects of the situation, this is probably the worst.
Francois eventually turned up at 10:30 and said he was going into Butare to (he hoped) look at a house for us. We said we were also going in and would love an opportunity to look at the house too. We arranged that he would ring us in Butare at some stage (don’t hold your breath here). To skip to the chase, all we got was a message (referring to a comment we had made earlier about shopping needs) that we had better shop for at least the next week – in other words, it will be at least a week before they can find us anything!! Tina’s reaction to this was akin to Geoff Boycott being asked to comment on the inclusion of synchronised swimming in the Olympics (good Sheffield woman that she is) – ‘not having it!’. The heavens also opened at that stage so we decided we are staying in Butare tonight in a cheap but nice hotel that Jane Keenan recommended and, if it is OK we are going to move in there until things get sorted out.
Other than that, today was interesting in other ways. I called into a motorbike shop and got more detailed prices etc. The guy in the shop said I definitely should be thinking of an off-road capable bike, a four stroke 150cc Chinese model for RWF1,500,000 (£1,500) if I am going on any of the rural roads. A 100cc two-stroke is only RWF500,000 but would not be able to handle anything other than proper roads or good dirt roads and would definitely struggle in the rainy season on any of the lesser roads. Of course, I don’t even know what two-stroke and four-stroke are but I already see myself charging around the rural by-roads of Rwanda, exchanging greetings in fluent Kinyarwandan with all and sundry (I know what Alfred is going to say about this!!). Seriously, though, Alexis said he is in charge of school inspections but he has not done a single one because the District can’t afford to pay for travel costs, so either I stick to schools within walking distance (two) or come up with another plan. Well, learning to ride a motorbike would put learning the feadóg mór into the ha’penny place as far as I’m concerned, though I can imagined all the mystified Rwandans at this muzungu creeping along at 30kph on his big 150cc red Chinese bike (of course red, it has to be red!).
OK – lots of beggars today, partly because we sat down in the street because there was a power cut and we were waiting for the cybercafé to resume business. I am doing my ‘as-I-learned-in-India’ routine of just pretending they aren’t there but it is proving much harder here: child cripples and nursing mothers and other quite genuine cases. It’s because I am not on holiday I think: I am going to be living here for two years so these people are actually a part of my community in some way, so I’ll have to see how this goes.
I also saw the highlights of the Chelsea - Man Utd match. Football is HUGE here but almost everyone supports Arsenal. Bringing my Joe Cole Chelsea shirt is probably the best thing I could have done: instant conversation starter. We went into a bank to open our first accounts today. We had been warned that doing anything in a bank can be a very long-drawn out experience but the ECOBANK was quite quick and efficient by Rwandan standards. The manager is an Arsenal supporter but his brother supports Chelsea, so instant bonhomie and chat and ‘do pop in to see me again the next time you are in town’.
So here we are sitting in the Hotel Faucon (second-best hotel in Butare, plastic chairs, rooms only RWF15,000 a night, big two-bed apartments for RWF20,000 – good value, breakfast included) waiting to meet Jane Keenan (poor Jane, she has already been so good to all of us volunteers and here we are imposing on her again – luckily I have more chocolate to reward her with!!) and get some advice on what we do next!
Anyway – to sum up. I am here for two years so a few days at the start isn’t the be-all and end-all. I like this place, I like the people, the climate is reasonable (though about to get a lot wetter) and I can already (if somewhat dimly) see the potential to do some effective work over the next two years. I am beginning to wonder, however, just how much preparation actually went into our placement here - a lot of what is happening just doesn't add up if the proper preparation and research had been done in advance. In theory, the discussions on the placement started over six months ago, so how come things are so screwed up? (I have to laugh at the sentence in my placement outline 'Electricity should not be a problem' - either whoever wrote it has a quirky sense of humour (it won't be a problem because there isn't any!) or else even the most basic checking out wasn't done). Anyway, as the song said, things can only get better!
LATER ... met Jane and filled her in. We tried to book in at the Hotel Ineza but they only had one room for tonight so Tina is staying there and I am going to stay in Jane’s spare room. She is heading off to visit three different schools tomorrow and has invited me to come with her if I like. Meanwhile, Tina will head back to Gisagara and pick up some vital supplies for us until we can get our entire stock moved. Jane has a really nice place with wonderful things in it like a fridge and a cooker!! She fed us pizza and salad too and we chatted for ages until Tina headed back to the hotel. Roll on tomorrow!!
Thank you very much to all those who have supported my ongoing fundraising effort. I will be continuing my fundraising for VSO for a few more months so, if you would like to contribute, please go to www.mycharity.ie/event/ruairi.
Needless to say Francois did not turn up at nine. Meanwhile both Tina and I spent a half hour each looking for one thing – a head torch in her case (found) and a flash drive in mine (not found). Because everything is still in our suitcases after almost three weeks we have absolutely no idea where anything is. Of all the annoying and frustrating aspects of the situation, this is probably the worst.
Francois eventually turned up at 10:30 and said he was going into Butare to (he hoped) look at a house for us. We said we were also going in and would love an opportunity to look at the house too. We arranged that he would ring us in Butare at some stage (don’t hold your breath here). To skip to the chase, all we got was a message (referring to a comment we had made earlier about shopping needs) that we had better shop for at least the next week – in other words, it will be at least a week before they can find us anything!! Tina’s reaction to this was akin to Geoff Boycott being asked to comment on the inclusion of synchronised swimming in the Olympics (good Sheffield woman that she is) – ‘not having it!’. The heavens also opened at that stage so we decided we are staying in Butare tonight in a cheap but nice hotel that Jane Keenan recommended and, if it is OK we are going to move in there until things get sorted out.
Other than that, today was interesting in other ways. I called into a motorbike shop and got more detailed prices etc. The guy in the shop said I definitely should be thinking of an off-road capable bike, a four stroke 150cc Chinese model for RWF1,500,000 (£1,500) if I am going on any of the rural roads. A 100cc two-stroke is only RWF500,000 but would not be able to handle anything other than proper roads or good dirt roads and would definitely struggle in the rainy season on any of the lesser roads. Of course, I don’t even know what two-stroke and four-stroke are but I already see myself charging around the rural by-roads of Rwanda, exchanging greetings in fluent Kinyarwandan with all and sundry (I know what Alfred is going to say about this!!). Seriously, though, Alexis said he is in charge of school inspections but he has not done a single one because the District can’t afford to pay for travel costs, so either I stick to schools within walking distance (two) or come up with another plan. Well, learning to ride a motorbike would put learning the feadóg mór into the ha’penny place as far as I’m concerned, though I can imagined all the mystified Rwandans at this muzungu creeping along at 30kph on his big 150cc red Chinese bike (of course red, it has to be red!).
OK – lots of beggars today, partly because we sat down in the street because there was a power cut and we were waiting for the cybercafé to resume business. I am doing my ‘as-I-learned-in-India’ routine of just pretending they aren’t there but it is proving much harder here: child cripples and nursing mothers and other quite genuine cases. It’s because I am not on holiday I think: I am going to be living here for two years so these people are actually a part of my community in some way, so I’ll have to see how this goes.
I also saw the highlights of the Chelsea - Man Utd match. Football is HUGE here but almost everyone supports Arsenal. Bringing my Joe Cole Chelsea shirt is probably the best thing I could have done: instant conversation starter. We went into a bank to open our first accounts today. We had been warned that doing anything in a bank can be a very long-drawn out experience but the ECOBANK was quite quick and efficient by Rwandan standards. The manager is an Arsenal supporter but his brother supports Chelsea, so instant bonhomie and chat and ‘do pop in to see me again the next time you are in town’.
So here we are sitting in the Hotel Faucon (second-best hotel in Butare, plastic chairs, rooms only RWF15,000 a night, big two-bed apartments for RWF20,000 – good value, breakfast included) waiting to meet Jane Keenan (poor Jane, she has already been so good to all of us volunteers and here we are imposing on her again – luckily I have more chocolate to reward her with!!) and get some advice on what we do next!
Anyway – to sum up. I am here for two years so a few days at the start isn’t the be-all and end-all. I like this place, I like the people, the climate is reasonable (though about to get a lot wetter) and I can already (if somewhat dimly) see the potential to do some effective work over the next two years. I am beginning to wonder, however, just how much preparation actually went into our placement here - a lot of what is happening just doesn't add up if the proper preparation and research had been done in advance. In theory, the discussions on the placement started over six months ago, so how come things are so screwed up? (I have to laugh at the sentence in my placement outline 'Electricity should not be a problem' - either whoever wrote it has a quirky sense of humour (it won't be a problem because there isn't any!) or else even the most basic checking out wasn't done). Anyway, as the song said, things can only get better!
LATER ... met Jane and filled her in. We tried to book in at the Hotel Ineza but they only had one room for tonight so Tina is staying there and I am going to stay in Jane’s spare room. She is heading off to visit three different schools tomorrow and has invited me to come with her if I like. Meanwhile, Tina will head back to Gisagara and pick up some vital supplies for us until we can get our entire stock moved. Jane has a really nice place with wonderful things in it like a fridge and a cooker!! She fed us pizza and salad too and we chatted for ages until Tina headed back to the hotel. Roll on tomorrow!!
Thank you very much to all those who have supported my ongoing fundraising effort. I will be continuing my fundraising for VSO for a few more months so, if you would like to contribute, please go to www.mycharity.ie/event/ruairi.
1 comment:
Poor Alfred..... did he not get his injections before he travelled all that way .... looks a bit poorly....maybe its the food ?
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