(Sorry – another long one)
You know that scene at the start of ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’ when Hugh Grant and whatshername wake up late and run around cursing and swearing while trying to get ready for the first wedding? Well, leaving out the running around and the wedding but just leave in the cursing and swearing!! I haven’t been this annoyed since Neil Kinnock blew Labour’s chances in the General Election. Of course, it was probably a mistake to start thinking things were now going right (thanks to Rob Micallif for reminding me where I am!!) but today’s events now make it look that this placement just may not work out at all!!!
Anyway, in chronological order: got up, no breakfast, arrived at hotel 6.15 in the rain (rainy season has definitely started). Saw group gathering across the road where buses stop, including some who looked like they might work in the District Office. Bus arrived, as did Francois on his bike, but when we went over, the bus driver told Francois that, although there seemed to be spaces on the bus, he had to pick up other people further along the route and the bus was full every morning! I might have thought of this as a temporary problem except for Francois’ reaction. He told us that the bus was not going to be an option and ‘il faut trouver des autres moyens’. I asked if this meant flying there (half joking and half sarcastic) as we have already ruled out walking (did that one day, takes three hours), cycling (insane hills), motos (RWF8,000 per day for the two of us), taxis (RWF8,000 each way) and now buses (none available). Francois laughed nervously and tried to make a joke about it but just said he needed to go and prepare for the meeting and, if we could gets motos out, he would meet us either in the house or his office later.
So there we were, standing in the street in Butare as the heavens decided (what was that thing we learned in poetry – ‘an nádúr ag déanamh comhbhrón leis an bhfile’ – ‘pathetic fallacy’ I think it is called in English) to illustrate our situation by opening up above us. I put on my poncho and Tina stood under the awning of the Ibis Hotel as we waited for a shop to open so we could buy some food to take out to Gisagara with us. We seriously discussed skipping the meeting and just heading straight to Kigali to talk to the Program Office about the situation because, if we can’t get to and from Gisagara to work (and we already know living in Gisagara isn’t an option) then it just isn’t going to work here and we need to be reassigned elsewhere in Rwanda.
Anyway, we bought some stuff and then said ‘Sod it’ and got a taxi out to Gisagara for RWF8,000 (we actually wangled a lift back later so the overall cost was the same in case anyone in accounts is reading this!), got to the house, had breakfast and changed and then waited for Francois. We decided to cancel our weekend plans to go to Kibuye for Amy’s birthday party (which had got moved to Gitarama anyway) as neither of us was in a good mood and there was no point making everyone else miserable by whinging all the time! We went back over everything that has happened so far and realised that we are effectively still at square one, that nothing has really changed since we got to Butare. We met up with Francois and walked to the secondary school where the meeting was taking place. On the way he started talking about having a meeting that afternoon about planning for next week – our school visits, meetings and so on. I’m afraid I was quite abrupt with him and said there was absolutely no point whatsoever talking about organising school visits when we couldn’t even get from Butare to Gisagara. I also said that, while we didn’t doubt that he personally wanted us here, there had not been the slightest indication so far that anyone else in the District was interested in making the necessary commitment – either financial or infrastructural – to our placement (I love the way ‘absolument pas!’ sounds in French when you say it slowly and wave your arms around a bit).
I would have said more but, to be fair to Francois he was about to run a four-hour meeting of 85 principal teachers so I didn’t want to get too intense about it. Also, he said we would meet later to discuss this so I left the rest of what I had to say until then (needless to say, that meeting never happened! – a pity as I was hoping to introduce the phrase il y a un éléphant dans la chambre into the conversation at some stage, but maybe I’ll have another opportunity). There is a problem for Tina and me here, in that we both like Francois very much and feel that he is personally very committed to the placement, is on the same educational wavelength as us and is someone we could work with both easily and efficiently. However, it’s going to take more than that to make this work and, while we are wasting time here, we feel there are other districts in Rwanda where we could actually be getting on with things.
The meeting ... well, what can I say. Four hours all in Kinyarwandan, us sitting on hard wooden chairs at the front of the hall, so desperately trying to look interested (even though everyone there knew we didn’t understand!). We did our little 2-3 minutes in French, which Francois then repeated in Kinyarwandan afterwards. I don’t think our French was that bad (in fact I’m pretty sure it was fine) but apparently there are quite a few principals who speak neither French nor English at all fluently. It was torture of a rather mild sort but we got through it in one piece!
Afterwards a nun gave us a lift back to Butare so we were able to grab some more stuff from the house (I got a blanket and my National Geographic fleece because it is getting quite cold here now) and we ended back at the Cybercafe. I rang Mselman (that’s how he spells it, I’m sure there are some vowels missing), Hamed’s younger brother and arranged to see the elusive house at 10:30 tomorrow. The problem now is, as Tina and I discussed, that even if the house is OK (and it looked nice from the outside, is in an OK location and the starting price is RWF200,000 per month) we’re not sure we can commit to a lease because the job is now in doubt again.
Anyway, home to change (I was still in my suit and tie and absolutely roasting because when it isn’t raining it is still really hot), shower, read, chill out and start writing my report to VSO on the various things that have happened so far. Had the usual evening (chatted to Éli who is now quite good about correcting my French for me, bless him; carb-laden dinner and a beer) and met some Canadians who have just arrived. They have spent the last two-and-a-half years travelling around Africa and have visited 31 countries so far: they started in Egypt, went west to Morocco, right down the entire western coast to South Africa and are now working their way north towards Egypt again. And they have a dog with them, almost the first one I have seen here.
OBSERVATION: VSO
It’s important to say a few things about VSO in general. All of the other placements in our group seem to have gone more or less to plan. Of the nineteen of us, one (Sonya) is living with a family rather than on her own but is apparently actually quite happy with this arrangement for the time being, and Joe is living in a tiny house in Namasheke and being fed by nuns (!) but has started work at this stage. Other than one or two minor health problems everyone bar us seems to be OK. Also, I personally found most of the training in Kigali to be good (apart from one or two sessions) as were all the preplacement courses in Birmingham, so don’t get the idea that I am getting a bad opinion about VSO in general! Also, we have been here in the district less than two weeks so there is plenty of time for me (though less for Tina) to get sorted.
It is clear, however, that this particular placement was not properly researched in advance by VSO and that the district were less than honest with VSO in some of the things they said and the commitments they made. Also, since the problems arose, neither Tina nor I have been impressed by either the district’s or VSO’s responses. We were told by our Program Manager over the phone not to worry about any accommodation or transport costs we might have to incur but we need to know – preferably in writing – that VSO realise what they might be letting themselves in for. I see an interesting meeting early next week in Kigali to get all this settled!
OBBSERVATION TWO: Pascal
My first Rwandan friend – I mentioned him before as the manager of the hotel we are staying in. A really nice guy, originally from the Congo. Here are a few pictures of him and the hotel as promised! (Actually these are loading on a machine where I can't actually view the images so the guy standing beside the hut is Pascal, the guy opposite Tina in the buffet in the pink or orange shirt is Lambert and the rest are shots of the Hotel Ineza)
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.
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