Wednesday 1st to Thursday 2nd April: Days 207 and 208 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.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
Obviously the new budget cuts are having an effect. We were told this morning that as the budget has been cut 40%, the generator will now only be on from 0730 to 1200 each day. If you need electricity after that you have to walk over to the main District office. They may also be phasing out the photocopier as toner is expensive..... I wonder what's next?


WORK
Work has been pretty uneventful these last two days - I've been concentrating on getting my English classes finished up and their final exam set and marked. (Alfred: hang on, what happened to Tuesday? It was in the heading of your last entry but no mention!). Oh yes - Tuesday was exam day. They were suspiciously eager for it and I think I mislaid an earlier draft of the test. One of them was very surprised to find a third page, something I had addded late on (or maybe I'm just being paranoid and he was surprised it was so long, which it was). Anyway they all did pretty well, marks between 67% and 80% and that wraps up the first part of the course.


TRAVELLING MEDICINE MAN
Market day Wednesday and as I came home for lunch I could hear a ferocious bellowing coming over loudspeakers near my house. There was a big 4x4 parked outside and a guy in the back selling herbal medicines or some sort of cure-all to the crowd around him. For any fans of The Outlaw Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood's greatest film, IMHO), it was just like the white-suited travelling salesman. He even tried to get me to come over and try some but I just playe dumb!

FOOTBALL RIOT

This was Wednesday's big match - not Italy v. Ireland (of which more later) but Groupe Scolaire St Philippe Neri v. Groupe Scolaire Cyamakuza. Enock teaches in St Philippe Neri but I remained neutral as I will have to work with all the schools in the district! The score was 2-2 and near the end of the second half when St Philippe Neri bundled the ball untidily into the Cyamakuza net. Cyamakuza protested furiously and, when the referee gave the goal, tore off their shirts and hurled them to the ground and refused to play on. The referee promptly awarded the match to St Philippe Neri who set off on a victory lap and were then attacked by the disgruntled Cyamakuza players (Alfred: 'attacked' is a bit hard: pushing and scuffling and the kind of spectacular karate kicks teenage boys aim at each other and always miss with). Eventually order was restored and Enock said that both linesmen had bitterly disagreed with the referee's decision so he was going to try and persuade his boys to agree to a rematch.

One unexpected thing was the enormous crowd that gathered around me - I haven't visited Cyamakuza yet and the kids in Gisagara are so used to me they rarely even notice me any more, let alone stand and stare. Cyamakuza must not get any muzungu visitors because these kids were boggle-eyed at the sight of me to an extent I haven't come across before!!

IRELAND v. ITALY
Was chatting to various people on Facebook (Alfred: Hi Myra!) and had completely forgotten about the Italy-Ireland match. Then I came across Jean Goggin, Everton's biggest ever fan, who kindly gave me an instant commentary via Facebook chat, including Ireland's equaliser!! Thanks Jean!! She also gave me the best laugh I've had in a long time when she asked me if there were many Everton fans in Rwanda! (Alfred: You mightn't be laughing so hard when Everton are playing Chelsea in the FA Cup final - remember what happened the last time you made a crack about Everton......).



UGANDA HERE I COME
After work today I head to Butare and then Kigali and Kampala in that order. Will be in Uganda for about ten days or so and may or may not have internet access so blog addicts may have to wait a bit. Alfred has kindly agreed to stay home and mind the house (Alfred: :( which is good of him. We (Eric, Amy and I) have no specific plans at all, we'll just see what comes our way!

GOOD NEWS ON TIGA
Tiga flew back to France for what she and everyone else thought might have to be major surgery but it turned out to be a lot less serious than feared and she'll be back here before I get back from Uganda!! Yeah!! Jane has headed back to England to get herself checked out so let's hope for the same!

FUNDRAISING
I'm going ahead and getting the moto for Déo when I get back from Uganda. If anyone wants to contribute to this (or to any of the other projects) and hasn't had the details yet on how to do so, please email me at roheithir@gmail.com.

UNDERSTANDING AFRICAN FINANCIAL CULTURE
One of our volunteers, Bruce Upton (Alfred: You all remember Bruce, don't you?) posted an article on the above title on the VSO Program Office computer - really interesting stuff, much of it adapted from a book called “African Friends and Money Matters” by David Maranz. Here are a few extracts to whet your appetite:

1. The financial need that occurs first has first call on available money.
If money has been collected for a specific purpose, but before it can be spent on that specific purpose an urgent need arises, then it is considered acceptable to divert the money in hand to resolve the urgent need.


3. Money needs to be spent before friends or relatives ask to “borrow” it.
Sometimes people will make extravagant or unnecessary purchases just to keep friends and relatives from demanding any excess funds.

5. Rwandans are very sensitive and alert to the needs of others and are quite ready to share their resources.
Our culture is seen as being very cold and isolating towards others in need. With very little state social security network, the obligation to relatives and friends has been absolutely essential to ensure social cohesion.

11. Rwandans readily share space and things but tend to be possessive of knowledge. Westerners readily share knowledge but tend to be possessive about space and things. (“Sharing brings a full stomach; selfishness brings hunger” – Congolese proverb).
Expect not to be told voluntarily about events, changes to work patterns etc. You have to do all the asking, and to get the right answer you need to ask the right question. You need to make your questions as precise and as specific as you can.

13. A person to whom money or other resources are entrusted has a major say in how that money or resources are used.
Be aware that money requested for a specific purpose, once transferred, may not necessarily be used for that purpose at all, or even used by the person it was given to. As soon as you hand over money you lose any claim as to how it is used.

16. Budgeting, in any formal sense, is not an accepted way of handling personal finances.
This reveals a fundamental clash in cultures between the western ideal of independence and individualism, and the African ideal of interdependence and mutual support.

22. Many items are bought in very small amounts even though the per-unit cost of things bought this way is far higher than if they were bought in bulk.
This is because if you’re known to have bought a large quantity, beyond your immediate needs, you may be expected to share it with friends and neighbours.

42. It is seen as right and proper that people with means should be charged more than poor people for the same goods and services.
So expect to be overcharged in the market; you will be expected to bargain down from an asking price but will rarely end up paying the same amount as the Rwandan who bought the same amount of good just before you.

48. A loan is eligible to be repaid when the creditor’s need becomes greater than the debtor’s need.
Bear in mind that as a relatively wealthy westerner your need for any sum of money or object lent will almost always be perceived as less important than that of the debtor.

61. Many people will choose a sure and immediate benefit over a potentially larger long-term benefit.
This is one of the most far-reaching points in the list. It explains why cars belch smoke rather than have money spent on them for longer term economies. It explains why people in the market would rather rip you off and have the cash in hand than treat you fairly and bank on you returning again and again to the same trader.