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.
TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY
Oh boy! Not a good two days. Left Gisagara early Tuesday morning and went to the Post Office to collect my parcel. Turned out not to be batteries etc that I was expecting but my Amazon.com parcel. Luckily Andy was staying in Jane’s house in Butare so I was able to leave it there rather than lug it up to Kigali with me. Got the bus up with Amy still not really knowing what was happening Wednesday. The government had called for nationwide protests from 0900 to 1800 to mark Rose Kabuye’s extradition from Germany to France so I thought it unlikely it would be possible to have any practice at all. Anyway, en route, Heloise rang and said I was needed for a meeting with a police official that afternoon re the exam. So, when I arrived in Kigali, instead of doing my shopping as I had planned, I had to jump on a moto and head straight to the VSO office. Long story short, the meeting never happened, just hung around doing sod all for three hours in the hotel in case the meeting actually happened.
Anyway, things picked up majorly later on. I met up with Marion and Eric for a drink and an Ethiopian meal that evening. Eric is from Limerick and possibly one of only three Irish speakers in Rwanda (me and Joe O’Toole being the other two). Marion I think you have encountered before (check out her really interesting blog at http://heathenblogging.blogspot.com). We had a great night – draught Mutzig in a bar called High Noon which has the highest barstools known to mankind, a nice Ethiopian meal and then Eric remembered Munster were playing the All-Blacks and we headed for a bar which had satellite TV. They were showing England v. Czech Republic but Eric managed to convince them to change over to the rugby!! Eric is a fan of rugby rather like fish are quite partial to water – the bar staff didn’t stand a chance! The result was somewhat heartbreaking but it was a really good night, even if I did consume somewhat more beer than expected! Marion also gave me a hotplate (which I now remember I left in her house) which will come in useful when my generator arrives.
Wednesday was a strange day, to say the least. We all had breakfast together and then just sat around listening to the sounds of demonstrations, chanting, singing and so on outside. We were tempted to go out and have a look but prudence dictated otherwise. There was also a group of German tourists staying here – they also stayed put, not surprisingly. Then at 1330 we were told demonstrations had ceased and it was OK to go out, which we did. I have to admit I was somewhat more concerned than my colleagues about the possible mood but everything was fine – expect for the training itself! They keep on telling us about new things at the last minute. Basically there are two tests: the first involves weaving between cones set 1m apart but today we found out that the cones we were practising with (little thingies) are not what are used in the test – that uses the big ones you see on roads and you have to take a completely different tactic with them!! Then there is the hill start (which we have only practised on the flat!) plus slowing and stopping, balancing for three seconds without putting a foot down and then moving off again. I made a complete pig’s ear of all of it and actually packed it in early and went home - I was only getting worse! I am doing the test tomorrow for the experience and without any real expectation of passing it. I may settle for getting a scooter to start off with because you don’t need a licence for that and graduate to a proper motorcycle once I have a little more experience!!
Other than that, I have started working on the statistics for Francois, which is proving to be more of a challenge than I expected (my Excel knowledge is struggling with the new 2007 version but it’ll be fine). I have to give a presentation on Friday morning at 0900 (approximately!) to all the primary principals about our training plans for next year and also some guidelines on new procedures for statistical returns which I am writing right now!
What else? It seems Han and Mans are inviting people up to Gasarenda for Christmas, which is absolutely fantastic as I can’t think of anywhere in Rwanda I would rather spend Christmas Day. They are heading back to Holland after two years here so it’ll be a kind of farewell.
On the Rose Kabuye thing, I don’t intend going into it in any detail here but it is worth reading up about her on the Internet – she is a really iconic figure here, rather like Michael Collins would have been in Ireland or La Passionaria in the Spanish Civil War. It’ll be fascinating to see how the French handle the whole thing. Right now, living in Rwanda, I’m glad my surname is Ó hEithir and not von Hildebrand ...........
THURSDAY
Headed off at 0730 for practice. Els had arrived the previous night after beign told by Bruce that practice was cancelled, so she missed out completely on it. The test takes palce beside the Amahoro Stadium which is where everyone comes to practice, so there was a big crowd of people watching. We practised for hours and the police didn't turn up until around 1200 for the actual test. The test was just the cones, no hill start and, to my amazement, I did it perfectly first time! The police were quite lenient and allowed us to have a number of efforts and most of us finally managed to pass. Caithfear a rá nach raibh an slua róshásta nuair a chonaic siad go raibh na póilíní ag dealeáil linn ar bhealach an-difriúil leis an ngnáth-Rwandach - agus an ceart acu; ba léir gur dúradh leis na póilíní gach seans a thabhairt dúinn toisc gur volunteers muid nó toisc craiceann geal a bheith againn ('sé and ara cheann a bhí in aigne an tslua!).
Anyway, it was ferociously hot and I got burned quite badly and, as I found later, picked up a bit of sunstroke. We grabbed some lunch in the Ethiopian restaurant nearby, then I went into town to look for batteries and a rucksack. To my surprise Nakhumat did not have the batteries I wanted but when I asked in another photo shop, the guy called someone in from the footpath who took me to a little photoshop buried away in a warehouse and there they were: CR123A lithium batteries! So at least I have water. I also found a large rucksack (agian, Nakhumat had none) which I got fopr RWF7000 (turned out to be a piece of s*** but I'll make it work somehow) and then jumped on the bus for Butare.
By the time I got there I was feeling a bit dizzy, it was raining and pitch dark, so I was going to stay over in my old haunt the Ineza, but dear Jane for the umpteenth time offered to put me up for the night and I gratefully accepted. I had rung Francois from Kigali and he told me the meeting had been put back to 11:00 so I had plenty of time to get out there, change and chat with him before we started.
FRIDAY
Jane and Jean headed off at 0600 so I lazed around until 0700(!), had coffee (really appreciate that as I can't yet boil water chez moi) and swung by the post office at eight to see if there were any parcels. No, just the Economist. Ah well. Then I got a moto and headed for Gisagara. En route we ran into a police checkpoint (there are hundreds of traffic checkpoints) who promptly arrested my driver and impounded his moto (he may not have been licensed to carry passengers in this area!). Eventually the police flagged down a passing ambulance and told it to take me to Gisagara!
Got home, changed quickly an dashed to the office in the blazing sun in my good suit! Turns out the meeting was not postponed until 1100, it wasn't on at all. Everyoen in the District was heading to another District, Ruhango, fo some sort of interDistrict sports occasion which, presumably, must have been planned ages ago! WTF? They tried to get me a lift but when I got to the main office with Alexis everyoen ahd gone and I said I would stay - at least there was electricity in the main office!
I worked from 1100 to 1300 and then they said they were closing up for lunch and the generator wouyld be off for the next hour or so. I headed home to grab a bite, got back and found that everyuone had decided to take the afternoon off and the office with my surge protector and recharger was locked!! Mind you, I won't have access to any electricity until Monday anyway so it probably doesn't matter so much!
So home again (my guard was really wondering what the hell was going on), went for a beer around 1700 (not nthe brothel place, and I may have been overhasty in that judgement anyway), back for a splendid dinner of a tin of tuna fish and two large bananas (I paid RWF50 for each of them, suspect I was ripped off but they were huge and perfectly ripe). A small glass of Ugandan Waragi gin and then off to bed. Interesting day.
SATURDAY
Quick Saturday note. Thanks to all those who emailed me re the moto test - much appreciated. Battery is almost dead so Saturday will be updated with the next blog. Heading off to the market to buy a few things. generator should arrive from VSO Tuesday but, as I have learned not to take that for granted, I will not be buying anything that ahs to be cooked!!! Jane and JEan may come out and be my first visitors today - that would be cool!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment