Hello everyone!! We have been very busy these past couple of days and have started doing some physical labor and direct work with the kids in Ruhengeri. The Art of Conservation organization has done so much to improve the lives of many people as well as many endangered species that it was a great pleasure to volunteer with them.
Every year there is a gorilla naming ceremony that is a HUGE deal. All the gorillas born in the past year receive names and very important officials attend the event because the gorillas have boosted their economy immensely by attracting tourists. Each school sings a song at the ceremony and many include English. We helped the classes by teaching them the correct pronunciation and even the melody of the songs they will perform.
Although very rewarding, being in the schools is also an eye-opening experience. No one has a pair of tennis shoes--which, luckily, was one of the largest donations we received-- and their uniforms are all dirty and ripped. All the little kids have runny noses because the health conditions are less than satisfactory. Art of Conservation is providing lessons on how to be healthy and how germs are spread, etc. It's a really cool organization.
They also invented the idea of a "briquette." Instead of cutting down trees or using sticks to create a fire to cook a meal, AoC has allowed a local family to start a business making "charcoal," which consists of three parts saw dust, one part paper. We mix water with these two components to create a mixture and use a press to squeeze out all the water. AoC built a greenhouse on the family's property to allow the briquettes to dry faster. So far, we've made over 600 briquettes, mixed a LOT, and installed a sign in the front yard to attract more customers for the family. (600 is huge- each round only makes three) They are all so thankful and the children just stare at us the whole time! We start to sing songs that we've learned in Kinyarwandan and they smile and clap with us.
Today, Annie and I met a girl named Betty. She was 17 and learned some English in school. One of the first thing she said to us was that she needed a doctor. We asked what was wrong and she replied, "No, I need a doctor for my friends." It's just hard knowing that there is so much need that can't be covered right away. I'm learning a lot that can be done and will sort everything out when we return.
I also appreciate washers and dryers so much more!! We washed our clothes in basins of cold water and had to hang them outside. It's so difficult for them to dry because it rains all the time!
Because it's so green and there are so many ferns, we've decided that Rwanda looks like the set of Jurassic Park. It's misty in the morning and always kind of damp, but still completely breathtaking!
The road conditions are very poor, so our group was wondering about car accidents because so many people walk in the middle of the road and ride bikes carelessly. Our driver, Gerard, said there are rarely accidents because after a citizen gets in three, they can't drive at all ever again! Crazy!
Some other culture differences we've noticed: lack of personal space, men hold hands or put their arms around each other while they walk to work, there are no shower curtains, many young women have children, if you wave while moving your fingers back and forth it means "come here," they dance with their feet!, the women do a majority of the "yard" work or physical labor, and apparently it's not rude to point and laugh at someone!
It's been an awesome adventure so far. We are half way done- more to come!
Mukundwa
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