I spent last weekend in Kigali, which was great! I met up with a lot of the other volunteers, got my mail (well, one letter - my first) and ran some errands. However, it's expensive going to Kigali, so in order to decide how often to head up there, I've complied a list of Pros and Cons about making the trip.
Cons
The wasps moved back in
A large spider found its way into my mosquito net and made a web in one of the corners
Something laid eggs on my wall map
Pros
Checked Internet
Got mail
Bought peanut butter
Spent time with people, thus held off insanity for another week
Hmm, it's a tough call…
In other news, it appears that there will be two volunteers from VSO living here in Nyakarambi! Both of them have been living here for some time working with primary schools in the district but have been gone the last three weeks. I've met one so far, and she has been incredibly helpful, pointing out which restaurants are good, which are bad, how much various things should cost, and she introduced me to a lot of the district staff and officials. They will be very appreciated!
I've been a teacher for three weeks now! Scary, isn't it? That I am trusted with shaping the lives and futures of so many youths? When I put it that way, it is quite frightening! The kids are great though. I'm met with all but two of my classes (two classes of biology that are still waiting for the kids to show up). They seem extremely eager to learn, and I've been enjoying teaching them, but their levels of English are never what I expect them to be, which makes lesson planning that much more difficult. And of course, I really need to stop calling them "kids" as a couple of them (in my Senior 6 English) are older than I am. That's more than a little intimidating – let me tell you.
Two random thoughts:
Have you ever been afraid of being crushed to death by about 75 6-12 year olds? I have.
Do you know the shelf life of a hard-boiled egg sans refrigeration? I do. It's not very long.
I spend a little time each week walking around the market (which is now every Tuesday and Friday), checking out what's available and occasionally buying stuff. For those of you that enjoy thrift shopping, the market has a huge used-clothing section. I've been tempted by a couple items, especially by their selection of hats – everything from bowlers to fedoras. They also do haircuts, which I will need eventually, but I'm putting it off as long as possible. The market also has a food section, a section with pots, pans, knives, tubs, etc and a section full of beautiful fabrics and people with sewing machines to make you an outfit on the spot.
Well, that's it; I guess it's been a relatively uneventful week. The rain looks like it might be easing off, so I need to go by some coffee. I ran out of it this morning and was quite sad
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5 comments:
Buy a bowler. The 20s never go out of style. Miss you!
If you buy a new hat, I want the Tilley back.
Dad
Hey Andy ... just getting caught up on your blog. I love reading all your comments here, just to know how yer doing... Dosent sound like a great place to go on vacation ? I know you'll do a great job there, and you will survive. Just hope your Mom will...lol.
So, keep up the good work and look forward to the updates.
Unc Mike
I am mildly concerned that you said 'by some coffee' and are in charge of teaching english, haha but I'll chalk it up to a combo of no coffee and a sticky 'u' key... Keep posting even if you run out of interesting things, make a post about a day in the life of your gecko
Just caught up on your whole blog. You are a rockstar.
But dude, give my lizards back. I used to have some, and as soon as you moved to Rwanda, they went away.
I know it's not a coincidence, Andy.
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