10,000 FRANCS

This last week we have been working with seventh graders and having small group conversations to help them with their English. One of the questions we asked is "What would you do with 10,000 francs?" For most of them, this is a huge amount of money. In American dollars it is about $20.00.  Some had no idea of what that amount of money would buy. Some said a house or car. But most said they would buy shoes and fruit. The shoes that most students wear are comparable to a really cheap pair of flip flops in the US. It is all they can afford. Since they walk almost everywhere they go and the roads they walk on are so bad I imagine a good pair of shoes would be really a great gift to have.

Then they said they would buy fruits. For most families fruit is a treat.  Pineapple here is about $1.00 and they can't afford to pay that much for one item. As I have said, their diets consist of mostly starches. They also eat a food that is affordable, but has no nutritional value. When they drink water with this food it swells in their stomach and makes them fill full.

This is one of my seventh grade group

PRECIOUS WATER

We have mostly stayed in the city of Kigali. In every classroom there were lots of these yellow jugs. We knew they were for water, but we weren't sure why they were there. Well, come to find out the children bring these jugs to school every day to fill them up for water to take to their homes. Most people still do not have running water in their homes. So every day the children have to get water from the school and take it home.

On our way to our Safari, we were in the country. We saw people carrying several yellow jugs.  They were going to the river to fill their jugs to have water at their homes. Can you imagine having this in your daily schedule? Think of all the water we use every day and in order to have that water you had to walk
2-3 miles each way and then the full jugs home. Of course they are very conservative in how they use the water.

As we drove and we looked down by the river, we saw lots of clothes lying on the ground. The driver said to me "It is Saturday, the people go to the river to wash their clothes so they can go to church on Sunday."  Since they have no other way to wash and dry their clothes they go to the river and wash and then lay them on the ground to dry. Of course, they have to stay and wait for the clothes to dry before going home.

Safari

What a great adventure the Safari was!!  We saw so many animals in their natural habitat. We saw zebras, giraffes, hogwarts, toppy, reebock, aligators, water buck, hippos, babboons, and others animals I can't remember.  It was a pretty rough ride but well worth it.  We traveled two and a half hours away to Akegera National Park for our adventure. The scenery along the way was very interesting. We traveled by large vans and had to pack our own lunch--no Mickey Dee's along the way.  We had lunch by the hippos.  By that time it had been two hours since a restroom break, and one girl asked the park ranger when we would have then next chance to use the restroom, he didn't bat an eye and said we go behind the bush!

My favorite animal to see was the giraffe. I have always liked them in the zoos, but to see them in nature was amazing. We see 10-12 in a group.  They are huge.  Each one has a unqiue pattern.  Their were adults and babies walking around together and the babies would run and play. I enjoyed the trip so much.

Our trip was not without its events!! One of the girls got car sick and had to throw up a few time. Then our car broke down at the park. So all 12 of us wanting to go home together piled into a car meant for 9.  Some were sitting on the floor and 4 squeezed into a bench for 3.  But we did make it back. This will probably be one of my greatest memories.

I actually was right there and took this picture!

I tried for more pictures but this was the only one I could load.

DEFINING MOMENT

          I so wanted to post the picture of my friend but it will not load. I will post it anyway.  We will be gone all day tomorrow on Safari. So I won't post again until Sunday.  Then we are near the end. There sre so many pictures I would have loved to share but it takes about 20 minutes to load a picture. I will be putting together a book for myself and my classroom later if any of you want to see my book.

         Today was the last day of our teaching.  This week has been different because we have been teaching older students in the morning and teachers in the afternoon.  Teacher Christine was my last teacher to help. She speaks very good English. But like most of us she is afraid to use her skills because she is afraid she will make a mistake. Yesterday I told her many things about myself and family. Today she came back and asked me many questions about things she had thought about over night. Then she asked me how I came here and how my family felt. When I told her I volunteered and paid my own money to be here she was so grateful. She kept saying what a kind heart I had to help others. She said God will bless me.  She also wanted my email to write to me. I don't know if she ever will but I felt a close bond with her in just a matter of spending 1 1/2 housrs with her. I teared up several times during our time together. Our time together has made my time here worthwhile. I will be changed forever!

USING YOUR HEAD

     It amazes me every time I am in a third world country to see how different things are. I have always loved seeing what the people will carry on their heads. Take a look at some pictures. 

Ladies carrying corn to sell

People are walking stores. These guys have material and shoes
for people to buy

MISSING RECESS TO LEARN MORE

         Remember when I told you about the faculty having a meeting and all the teachers were gone, well I want to tell you a story about something that happened in one of our classes.  The children were at recess and when it was time to end recess the children the whistle didn't blow. We went to our normal fourth grade classroom to teach. The room was full.  We normally have 40-50 students  in the room. As we started teaching we noticed that every bench was full to capacity-meaning four students on every bench at least 60 students in the room. We sang the Hello Song, and read through the ‘morning message’. This time the message was set up as a cloze procedure, so there were missing words and they invited students to fill in the blanks. Just as we were starting to review the emotions vocabulary from the previous day, someone rang the bell. Half the class stood up and walked out of the room…it turned out that those extra students were from other classes and just snuck in to get an extra English lesson during their recess. 

This is one of the third grade classes I teach

GENOCIDE

On Saturday, we headed to the Genocide Museum and Nyamata memorial site. In 1994, during the 100 day genocide, approximately 1,000,000 people were murdered (some say 800,000, but many estimate the number nearer to one million). The Museum tells the story of the genocide. It is very well done. Nyamata memorial site is where 10,000 men, women and children were murdered in a couple of days.  I am amazed that the world stood by and allowed this to happen without the UN or someone stepping in to help these inoccent people.

It is incredible how far this country has come in only sixteen short years. Many children were orphaned. When we talk to the children that are 16 or older many do not have living fathers because of the genocide. Many families are missing grandparents. Many families were completely wiped out.

Those who survivored have made a determined effort to forgive those who did horrible things to them and their families. Rwanda is a nation surviving because of forgiveness and reconciliation. They have a good Presdient now and the nation is a nation of unity.  I know I would be a better person if I would use these principles in my own life. So many thing to learn from others!

MISSIONARY DINNERS

            We have been so grateful for the missionary families that live here and have kind of been our sponsors. We are volunteers here helping the schools.  But these missionaries who live here full time are the ones who helped open the doors for our group.  Anyway they invite us to their houses once a week and feed us a meal. We are so grateful for a change of pace for the food they serve us. It is American type food with FLAVOR and nutrition.  What a treat!  On Thursday night we even had an oatmeal cookie. 

            This last week we have several dinners out planned because we nearly gag when we go to the table and find the same food meal after meal after meal. We have had pizza out twice, Indian food, Mediterranean food, and we are going for Chinese food, and another missionary dinner.  I am sure I will survive this but I am grateful for a husband who loves to eat out and love me the way I am.

              I am with a bunch of health nuts and although I am sure they are choosing the better life I am quite sick of hearing about eating vegetables, and not eating fat, sugar and even meat for several of them. They are all complaining about not getting enough exercise too. I am sure I will survive this but I am grateful for a husband who loves to eat out and loves me the way I am.

WELL DIGGING

For several days we have watched some workers digging a well here at the Guest House.  It is amazing to see how people in third world countries manage to get things done.  One man started digging a hole, while four men stood around and watched.

As he got farther and farther down in the hole he started putting the soil in a container and the three men would pull it up by a rope and dump it out on the ground.  Then they would shovel the dirt up and put it in a bag and carry the bag to the garden area. At first we felt bad they didn’t have a wheel barrow. Then we saw one by the garden and so we can’t figure why they don’t use it instead of carrying the dirt in bags to the garden. The one guy has dug about 25 feet down and still hasn’t found water. He is using a pick and shovel to do the digging.  Every morning they lower him in to the hole and watch him dig. While three stand around and wait for him to fill his bucket and send it up. 

THe guy is down there somewhere

It will be a great day when he strikes water! By the way, the workers earn about $1.50 a day. No one in America should complain about their paycheck!

HAVING TROUBLE WITH INTERNET

We are having trouble with internet so I haven't been able to post I will post some now and then I am not sure whenyou will hear from  me again.