So. Another week has passed. It has gone by insanely quickly! I actually didn't exactly have a weekend to take a break. I had a wonderful weekend, but it just wasn't restful. Let’s surmise.
On Saturday I woke up pretty early (for a Saturday) to get to Winnie and Louis' as they were going out to the East of the country to do some church touring as part of Louis' "Bishop Duties". They very kindly offered for me to come and I was very happy to go along. So we headed off around 9 am and drove off into the beautiful landscape and terrain of Eastern Rwanda. I got to see some true villages and some real poverty, but the people were all so beautiful and excited as well. We picked up the Head Pastor (I don’t know his official title)of the Eastern Province, whose name is Marcel at one of the village churches and then we kept going to a small church called Rubona. OK, actually it’s not small, it’s HUGE. The congregation is massive, especially for a village church, but they have had some really big problems recently. They were in the process of constructing a church building last year, which was really great. They had almost completed it when, unfortunately, while they were putting on the roof, it collapsed, with some workers still on the roof. Some of the men died and others were badly injured. Their church building was destroyed. It is such a tragic situation for them and they are too poor to rebuild it at the moment.
It really was heartbreaking as they were such a wonderfully warm, welcoming and lively church! They gave us seats as the guests of honour and danced and sang their hearts out. I have some great pictures and videos which I will post when I get back to Scotland. Really pray for them though. I want to help them so much. They stood, yes STOOD, there was no where to sit, out in the blazing hot sun for a good hour and a bit as we shared with them and their choirs performed. And then it started to rain. HARD. And the rain here is torrential! Their makeshift shelters of wood poles and tarp sheets were very quickly ruined. People were running for shelter as rivers of mud formed. There is a small tin roof outside the pastor’s door and tons of people piled into there. And there is a small community building which was quickly filled up and then overflowed, with people not water. The pastor took us into his home which was so kind. His house has just been finished but it has no running water or electricity. It is very very basic. So I’m hoping that I can raise some awareness for them and some finances. Prayer would be great but once I’m back I’ll let you know what else you can do :)
So that was a great though rather exhausting day. Then on Sunday I had to wake up early again, as I was going to church for 9 at St Etienne’s. Its Louis and Winnie’s church and it was in English! But I have to say, here, I actually prefer the African services. They're more enjoyable. I joined the main service first and then went with Chaka (the General Administrator of ACA) to the kids Sunday School. It was pretty fun but I didn’t stay long as I wanted to go hear the message. So I went back to church and sat down to listen. We sang a few songs and then… left. I had missed the service :P it was so short! I was not expecting that. I met some nice people, mainly ‘murikans working in schools and Universities around here. So that was pretty cool :) Then Chaka and I went back to Remera to see her sister, Donnita, who was in the hospital. I met her and her mum, who were both very sweet. I’m pleased to say Donnita was discharged the next day and is doing fine now. I did some basic shopping and then came back home. Needless to say, I was exhausted. But I had some things to do for school. I started doing art again! :D It has been too long. It isn’t hard-core art or anything, just kid drawings for classes. But it’s been fun! I was very proud of my cow. Took me forever but it turned out SO nice :) Lessons this week were fine etc. nothing much to report on that front.
So, on Wednesday, I went to a Bible Study in Gishushu with Justine and Eunice. Justine is the lady who took me to Remera last Friday :) She’s a sweetie. I invited Eunice and I’m glad she came along. So this bible study was at the house of the pastor of St Etienne’s. They have a NICE place. The wife, Lizette, is from Holland and is very kind. I met a bunch of new people, mainly muzungu (foreigner, yabanci etc.). it was a great evening but by the time I left, I had a rather sore throat. I was sure that wasn’t good and I was right. I had a rather disturbed sleep and took quite a bit of medicine (some Chinese pills and paracetamol) but in the morning I was definitely not well. I had a weird flu stomach bug type thing. Not nice. So I told Eunice and the headmaster that I would not be able to teach my classes that day. They were so good and took my classes for me. I worked in the office, photocopying and correcting tests for the next day. On Fridays the kids take their weekly exams so I was helping prepare for those. I was exhausted by lunch so I went back to my room for 2pm. My loverly family called and it was great to talk to them. Then I slept. From 2:30pm to 5pm. It was wonderful. I definitely felt better after that but still not great.
So now its Friday. I woke up feeling a lot better (Praise the Lord!) and I went in to monitor my P4’s for their English tests. They were rowdy! It was slightly annoying but it was expected. I mean 8 to 12 year olds sitting quietly for 2 and a half hours? Unheard of. I was able to get down to the office after the day (it’s a half day on Fridays) and use a computer. So I posted. And posted. And posted :) So now I hope you're all up to date and satisfied with my efforts.
Prayer Requests!
- Rubona Church: I really hope that they will be provided for and that they will prosper and thrive even in difficult times. God Bless them!
- Health issues: Quite a few are sick at the moment. Hopefully I will be completely healed soon, Chaka is also ill (I think I got it from her) and Justine has the flu. Protection over everyone else that they will stay healthy!
- Winnie and Louis and the family: They have been so busy lately! Pray for strength for them as they continue to serve.
- The staff at ACA: This 3rd term has been hectic! Strength for the team as they continue to give their all to these kids and this school.
Yup. Thus is all :) Thanks for all the positive feedback and encouragement from last time! You are all wonderful.
Friday, 16 September 2011
It never fails...
I've been here for around 3 weeks now and I have been pleasantly surprised a number of times by the random Turkish things that have popped up around me. Firstly, on the my first proper day here I went into Kigali (Capital) to get some things done. This included a spot of shopping for essentials. In the supermarket, I spotted an Ulker Gofret bar. Rather shocked, and albeit excited, I rushed to tell Hazel. She was quite surprised herself. As we continued to walk around the place, I caught sight of a display selling: Ulker Choconuts, 9KatTat, more Gofret bars and DIDOs! :D Yes, I bought some. It was so random! But rather pleasant :)
Also, my evening routine now-a-days is to sit and watch cartoons with Barny. This includes the Disney Channel (of course). Now, here's the strange part: A couple nights ago I was sitting waiting for some show to start, when this random Turk Milli Takim Baasketbolcu (Turkish National Team Basketball Player) came on and started telling the kids too go to bed so they can grow big and strong. Say "WHAT?!" So random. But rather amusing :) The same thing happened last night but this time it was some Sanatci who ended up singing "Uyusun da buyusun, Niii Ni!" (If you don't know that song, go find the closest teyze and she will sing it for you.) So funny. Barny looked a bit confused so I explained it for him.
Yup, its nice how Turkey follows you around like that...
Also, my evening routine now-a-days is to sit and watch cartoons with Barny. This includes the Disney Channel (of course). Now, here's the strange part: A couple nights ago I was sitting waiting for some show to start, when this random Turk Milli Takim Baasketbolcu (Turkish National Team Basketball Player) came on and started telling the kids too go to bed so they can grow big and strong. Say "WHAT?!" So random. But rather amusing :) The same thing happened last night but this time it was some Sanatci who ended up singing "Uyusun da buyusun, Niii Ni!" (If you don't know that song, go find the closest teyze and she will sing it for you.) So funny. Barny looked a bit confused so I explained it for him.
Yup, its nice how Turkey follows you around like that...
Entomophobia
Definition: The crippling fear of insects.
So I don't exactly have a CRIPPLING fear of insects and I had geared myself up for encounters with some weird and wonderful creatures, but there have been a few times that, since coming here, have truly left me hyperventilating.
So, let me tell you about some of them!
The first experience was probably the one that scared me the most. It was the 6th of November, the Tuesday after I had gotten here. I was doing pretty well insect-wise, killing like 6 mosquitoes a day and a couple cockroaches. The wet season has begun early over here, which chases many a 6 legged beast inside. So, it was evening and I was getting ready for bed after a pretty hectic day. I opened my suitcase and was casually humming to myself when I looked up and saw, sitting in the lining of my suitcase flap, this HUGE, black, cockroach-spider thing. It was about the size of the big cockroaches, but it had a much more segmented body. It also had yellow striped legs. Help me out if you have any idea what it is. Anyways, it was just sitting there, unmoving so I summoned my courage, grabbed my slipper and smacked it. It moved slightly but was definitely not dead. So I hit it again. This time it reacted, in a way I would never have guessed. It leapt, yes LEAPT, out of my bag, like 10 inches into the air, and landed on my bedroom floor. And yes, I screamed. Loud. The adrenaline got to me and I just smacked it with my shoe with all I had in me. Green goo all over the floor. Still rather freaked, trying to calm myself down with a repetition of "OK. OK. Its OK.", heart racing, I got some toilet paper and scooped it up. Needless to say, I was searching my room for a good 30 minutes after that, and walking around the house spending time with other humans and still trying to decrease my heart rate. Going to sleep was a challenge. What with the sticking my feet under a cover that could possibly be hiding a bazillion more of these beasties. Even though I was checking with a flashlight every 5 minutes. So yes. That was freaky.
Number the second. This one happened on the 10th, a Saturday. I had had a really great day out with Louis and Winnie, visiting village churches (more on that later) and it had been raining again. I got to my room and saw something dark on my mosquito net, which was draped over my bed. It was sort of in the corner so I couldn’t see where it was/where it was located. I had to sloowwllly twist my net around so I wouldn’t disturb it, in case it flew at my FACE. I finally managed to get it to a side that was visible and I inspected it, realizing it was actually INSIDE the net. Ugh. One good thing, it was now easier to kill. I got two flip flop and smashed them together over where it was. It didn’t work. It just crawled up a bit higher. I tried again and finally managed to squish it. But now it was stuck to my net by its own entrails and if I wanted to get it out without it falling on my bed, I would have to catch it as it fell. Oh! Description. It was like a very large black cockroach with wings. So I opened the net, tissue paper on hand, to try and grab it without getting too messy. That didn’t work. It fell. Onto my bed. I screamed. Again. So I quickly scooped it up and flushed it. There was a nice smear on my net and some scales and legs left so I cleaned that up as best I could and got ready for bed. I was sitting writing down the day's events when I noticed something on my sheets. It was a leg. And it was all spiky and slightly see through and… Mmm.
The next morning (this is number three) I was woken up by one of the ladies in the house (Chaka) as I was going to church with her. As we were chatting I noticed something crawling along my wall. A centipede. She left and I grabbed my bug spray. I sprayed it (a little too enthusiastically) and it curled up and died, literally. So I had to dispose of it some how. Centipedes are the worst things to crush. Because they are all exoskeleton so they make this remarkable CRRUNCH which is so, so sickening. And yes, I used my hands. Flushed that and headed back to the room. Only to find Mr Centi #2 hanging onto my curtain. I had a bit of an “Oh, come ON!” session, then grabbed the spray and dealt with that too. In a flash of genius, I used a water bottle to crush this one. It didn’t really make it any better. CRRUUNCH.
So, there you go. A nice little account of the more major incidents I’ve had to deal with that pertain to insects. Fun stuff.
So I don't exactly have a CRIPPLING fear of insects and I had geared myself up for encounters with some weird and wonderful creatures, but there have been a few times that, since coming here, have truly left me hyperventilating.
So, let me tell you about some of them!
The first experience was probably the one that scared me the most. It was the 6th of November, the Tuesday after I had gotten here. I was doing pretty well insect-wise, killing like 6 mosquitoes a day and a couple cockroaches. The wet season has begun early over here, which chases many a 6 legged beast inside. So, it was evening and I was getting ready for bed after a pretty hectic day. I opened my suitcase and was casually humming to myself when I looked up and saw, sitting in the lining of my suitcase flap, this HUGE, black, cockroach-spider thing. It was about the size of the big cockroaches, but it had a much more segmented body. It also had yellow striped legs. Help me out if you have any idea what it is. Anyways, it was just sitting there, unmoving so I summoned my courage, grabbed my slipper and smacked it. It moved slightly but was definitely not dead. So I hit it again. This time it reacted, in a way I would never have guessed. It leapt, yes LEAPT, out of my bag, like 10 inches into the air, and landed on my bedroom floor. And yes, I screamed. Loud. The adrenaline got to me and I just smacked it with my shoe with all I had in me. Green goo all over the floor. Still rather freaked, trying to calm myself down with a repetition of "OK. OK. Its OK.", heart racing, I got some toilet paper and scooped it up. Needless to say, I was searching my room for a good 30 minutes after that, and walking around the house spending time with other humans and still trying to decrease my heart rate. Going to sleep was a challenge. What with the sticking my feet under a cover that could possibly be hiding a bazillion more of these beasties. Even though I was checking with a flashlight every 5 minutes. So yes. That was freaky.
Number the second. This one happened on the 10th, a Saturday. I had had a really great day out with Louis and Winnie, visiting village churches (more on that later) and it had been raining again. I got to my room and saw something dark on my mosquito net, which was draped over my bed. It was sort of in the corner so I couldn’t see where it was/where it was located. I had to sloowwllly twist my net around so I wouldn’t disturb it, in case it flew at my FACE. I finally managed to get it to a side that was visible and I inspected it, realizing it was actually INSIDE the net. Ugh. One good thing, it was now easier to kill. I got two flip flop and smashed them together over where it was. It didn’t work. It just crawled up a bit higher. I tried again and finally managed to squish it. But now it was stuck to my net by its own entrails and if I wanted to get it out without it falling on my bed, I would have to catch it as it fell. Oh! Description. It was like a very large black cockroach with wings. So I opened the net, tissue paper on hand, to try and grab it without getting too messy. That didn’t work. It fell. Onto my bed. I screamed. Again. So I quickly scooped it up and flushed it. There was a nice smear on my net and some scales and legs left so I cleaned that up as best I could and got ready for bed. I was sitting writing down the day's events when I noticed something on my sheets. It was a leg. And it was all spiky and slightly see through and… Mmm.
The next morning (this is number three) I was woken up by one of the ladies in the house (Chaka) as I was going to church with her. As we were chatting I noticed something crawling along my wall. A centipede. She left and I grabbed my bug spray. I sprayed it (a little too enthusiastically) and it curled up and died, literally. So I had to dispose of it some how. Centipedes are the worst things to crush. Because they are all exoskeleton so they make this remarkable CRRUNCH which is so, so sickening. And yes, I used my hands. Flushed that and headed back to the room. Only to find Mr Centi #2 hanging onto my curtain. I had a bit of an “Oh, come ON!” session, then grabbed the spray and dealt with that too. In a flash of genius, I used a water bottle to crush this one. It didn’t really make it any better. CRRUUNCH.
So, there you go. A nice little account of the more major incidents I’ve had to deal with that pertain to insects. Fun stuff.
Friday, 9 September 2011
An Abundance of New Experiences
Good day to you! I am finally posting on this blog after spending a week in Rwanda. I was hoping to post something before I left to let you all know what I would be doing and prayer requests etc. However, I (being me) left everything to the last minute, so I was not able to write anything. And then when I got here, the Rwandan internet did not like blogger. Plus it was all in French which I am far from fluent in so I had a few problems getting started. BUT, here we are, and we can now begin.
So. What were my expectations coming out to Africa. Well, it is my first time on this continent I am sad to say, but I seem to be fitting in quite nicely. Not the looks side of course. I stand out like a very white thumb. But culturally, I am not having as many problems as I thought I would. Praise God! I think the parentals from the east and the west, and the growing up in Turkey has been greatly beneficial. To be quite honest, Kigali (capital city of Rwanda) reminds me of Istanbul 20 years ago. You know, before all the buildings took over the landscape and pollution set in. There are all these great little stores and shops and local family businesses, not to mention horrific driving as no traffic rules are obeyed. Its great! And the people are so wonderful! They all want to talk to you and find out who you are etc. I would say they are even friendlier than the Turks! Believe it or not... The young boys on the street also practice all their limited enlgish on you and there are quite a few people begging. I had my first public transport experience today and it was also a reminder of mini-buses and dolmuses of Istanbul in the 90s. One difference though, they have motorbike taxis. And I got to ride one home. It was, AWESOME.
I honestly did not know what I would be doing in the school here so it was a bit of a blind leap as I set out to start the lessons on Monday. Wait, back track. I got here on Thursday night and was completely shattered. Winnie (the Pastor and founder of this school and whose care I am under) told me to take Friday off and just chill. So I woke up late and then went into the town with Hazel. It was a really good way to kick things off as I was able to see the city and get a better feeling of this country. It really is a wonderful country :) So Friday I spent in town, getting money changed and getting a sim card, doing some basic shopping and seeing THE Hotel Rwanda. It was quite sobering to be honest. Hazel then took me to this craft store run by her good friend Elsie. All the crafts are made by the victims of 1994, the widows left behind. I bought WAY too much and used up my money :P But it was good to help out her business and they were great quality bags etc.
Saturday was a lazy day as Winnie and Louis and Hazel were at a wedding, so I just stayed home with Winnie’s youngest, Barnabus (Barny). Sunday I went to the Mango Tree Church. It is such a beautiful church and I LOVED being there. The worship and the fellowship is so so alive and wonderful. I met some great people and really enjoyed myself :)
Monday was the beginning of classes. School here starts at 7. 7 AM. Killer. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten up so early except for flights etc. The impression Winnie gave me was that I would be helping the kids with their English composition, by practicing writing letters etc. But when I talked to the Director of Studies, Emmanuel Asiimwe, and my co-English teacher, Eunice, Eunice showed me the text book we would be using and so I already have lessons planned out, technically. At 10:30am the kids have their morning break and breakfast is provided for them. It is African porridge, which is this WONDERFUL concoction of a bunch of different grains and its sweet and yummy and filling, perfection. So at break, Eunice showed me the lessons in the book but she didn’t make it clear that we do one page a day, she pointed out like 6 different pages. So I went to start teaching and rushed through to finish off the 6 sections, only to find out after, that I had pretty much covered the lessons for the week. Oops. So that was a bit of a fail, but luckily we have managed to pull different sections together and kill time in various ways during class.
So, this week has been good! I have actually been quite enjoying teaching, which surprised me as I never thought that I would be a good teacher. I have close to no patience and conveying knowledge to others was never a strong point for me. However, the classes have been pretty fun and getting to know the staff has been great! I have been teaching Primary 3 and 4 English and helping out in the nursery (Baby Class. How sweet is that?! One of the teachers is called Mama Peace. She is awesome, just like her name.)
So yes. Lots of things have been happening and I have had some minor freak out sessions due to insects and tiredness, stress etc., but all in all, it has been great :)
Prayer requests:
- That the teaching continues to go well and that I would be able to handle the 6 am wake up call
- That the kids would be learning something and that I would be able to bless them in some way
- That the insects and such would LEAVE ME ALONE. And that I would stay healthy.
- For the teaching and admin and cleaning/cooking etc. staff here
- For the Mango tree church and their continued steady growth
Ok. There you go :) It got long. But it has been a week. And this isn’t even HALF of it.
Blessings.
So. What were my expectations coming out to Africa. Well, it is my first time on this continent I am sad to say, but I seem to be fitting in quite nicely. Not the looks side of course. I stand out like a very white thumb. But culturally, I am not having as many problems as I thought I would. Praise God! I think the parentals from the east and the west, and the growing up in Turkey has been greatly beneficial. To be quite honest, Kigali (capital city of Rwanda) reminds me of Istanbul 20 years ago. You know, before all the buildings took over the landscape and pollution set in. There are all these great little stores and shops and local family businesses, not to mention horrific driving as no traffic rules are obeyed. Its great! And the people are so wonderful! They all want to talk to you and find out who you are etc. I would say they are even friendlier than the Turks! Believe it or not... The young boys on the street also practice all their limited enlgish on you and there are quite a few people begging. I had my first public transport experience today and it was also a reminder of mini-buses and dolmuses of Istanbul in the 90s. One difference though, they have motorbike taxis. And I got to ride one home. It was, AWESOME.
I honestly did not know what I would be doing in the school here so it was a bit of a blind leap as I set out to start the lessons on Monday. Wait, back track. I got here on Thursday night and was completely shattered. Winnie (the Pastor and founder of this school and whose care I am under) told me to take Friday off and just chill. So I woke up late and then went into the town with Hazel. It was a really good way to kick things off as I was able to see the city and get a better feeling of this country. It really is a wonderful country :) So Friday I spent in town, getting money changed and getting a sim card, doing some basic shopping and seeing THE Hotel Rwanda. It was quite sobering to be honest. Hazel then took me to this craft store run by her good friend Elsie. All the crafts are made by the victims of 1994, the widows left behind. I bought WAY too much and used up my money :P But it was good to help out her business and they were great quality bags etc.
Saturday was a lazy day as Winnie and Louis and Hazel were at a wedding, so I just stayed home with Winnie’s youngest, Barnabus (Barny). Sunday I went to the Mango Tree Church. It is such a beautiful church and I LOVED being there. The worship and the fellowship is so so alive and wonderful. I met some great people and really enjoyed myself :)
Monday was the beginning of classes. School here starts at 7. 7 AM. Killer. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten up so early except for flights etc. The impression Winnie gave me was that I would be helping the kids with their English composition, by practicing writing letters etc. But when I talked to the Director of Studies, Emmanuel Asiimwe, and my co-English teacher, Eunice, Eunice showed me the text book we would be using and so I already have lessons planned out, technically. At 10:30am the kids have their morning break and breakfast is provided for them. It is African porridge, which is this WONDERFUL concoction of a bunch of different grains and its sweet and yummy and filling, perfection. So at break, Eunice showed me the lessons in the book but she didn’t make it clear that we do one page a day, she pointed out like 6 different pages. So I went to start teaching and rushed through to finish off the 6 sections, only to find out after, that I had pretty much covered the lessons for the week. Oops. So that was a bit of a fail, but luckily we have managed to pull different sections together and kill time in various ways during class.
So, this week has been good! I have actually been quite enjoying teaching, which surprised me as I never thought that I would be a good teacher. I have close to no patience and conveying knowledge to others was never a strong point for me. However, the classes have been pretty fun and getting to know the staff has been great! I have been teaching Primary 3 and 4 English and helping out in the nursery (Baby Class. How sweet is that?! One of the teachers is called Mama Peace. She is awesome, just like her name.)
So yes. Lots of things have been happening and I have had some minor freak out sessions due to insects and tiredness, stress etc., but all in all, it has been great :)
Prayer requests:
- That the teaching continues to go well and that I would be able to handle the 6 am wake up call
- That the kids would be learning something and that I would be able to bless them in some way
- That the insects and such would LEAVE ME ALONE. And that I would stay healthy.
- For the teaching and admin and cleaning/cooking etc. staff here
- For the Mango tree church and their continued steady growth
Ok. There you go :) It got long. But it has been a week. And this isn’t even HALF of it.
Blessings.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)