day 2

Note: I wrote this yesterday. Our internet allotted time ran out before I could post this.

Hey all! Myself and some of my group members are sitting at an Internet Cafe in Kigali right now. I am now seven hours ahead of all Eastern time zone dwellers. This is the first time I've been able to connect to the internet since we got in yesterday. I've taken some pictures, but I haven't had time to load them to my computer yet. I'll do that soon though. I'm excited for you all to see them!

Honestly, traveling wasn't that much fun. I was falsely under the impression that we would be in the air maybe nine hours. I was really wrong. Total travel time lasted about 24 hours. We had an unexpected layover in Rome during the first 12 hour leg, so I can technically say I've been to Rome, though no one actually got off the plane. It was just to refuel, of course. Then we had another layover in Uganda after switching planes in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I think I managed to sleep for maybe 2 1/2 hours the entire time. Unsurprisingly, I was extremely tired by the end.

We're staying at a Catholic Mission right outside the center of Kigali. It has better accommodations that I thought we would have. Hall style bathrooms and hot showers; it feels similar to dorm living. We'll be at the same place for two weeks for teacher/cultural training, then we're moving to a nearby orphanage where we'll be doing some actual teaching practice with the local children.

Kigali is beautiful. All of the buildings are built into the steep hillsides so walking around is really tough on your legs but the views are spectacular. Earlier today, we got a chance to walk around as a group. We exchanged money at the Bank of Kigali and opened local bank accounts so the schools will be able to directly deposit our teaching stipends. The exchange rate is about 570 Rwandan francs to 1 dollar so I feel like I'm carrying Monopoly money around with me. We ate at a buffet today and it cost 1600 Rwandan Francs, about four dollars. It's pretty awesome.

So far the local people have been fairly accommodating. Most are used to a few Westerners wondering around so we aren't that conspicuous unless we travel as a group, all eighteen of us stick out pretty obviously. The locals do occasionally yell out "mezungu" went we're out walking around the city, which means "White person". You get used to it though, and it isn't usually meant in a derogatory way.

Almost all of them know English to a certain extent so Communication isn't as difficult as I had anticipated. I also remember quite a bit more French than I thought I did. That's been helpful.

The weather has been great. It never gets hotter than 80 degrees and at night it's pleasantly around 65 or so. No need for air conditioning. It rained earlier today, but we're getting into the dry season now so the rain should come infrequently and then stop for a few months. The temperature will stay about the same all year round. Not what I'm used to at all, but it's certainly a welcomed change.

KJ, our Field Director, decided that nightly yoga sessions would be a good idea, so we did our first session tonight after dinner. Yes, that's right. I did yoga. It is a lot harder than it looks. Right outside the main entrance to the mission was the widest space available, so we attracted a decent size crowd of Rwandans that were out and about. They were speaking Kinyarwandan, but they were clearly saying, "Wow, what are those insane Americans up to now?" Haha, it was fun. KJ invited the nuns to join us. They politely declined. :)

Overall, I'm feeling more comfortable the longer I'm here. It's definitely a lot different from the life I'm used to, and it's going to take some flexibility and patience to adjust to the culture, but it will be worth the experience. I'm certain of that.

- Jenn

Last night in the States

I leave tomorrow. Finally! All of the American volunteers, including myself, are at a hotel next to the airport tonight, (near Dulles in DC) because most people had connecting flights in from other parts of the country. Due to pure luck, our flight to Africa leaves from DC, so I did not have to worry about that. I had the chance to spend extra time with the family, which I really appreciated.

The shuttle leaves at 6:30AM for the airport, so I should be sleeping right now. I told some of my group members that they should avoid speaking to me for the first hour or so tomorrow morning because, well. If you've ever crossed paths with me while I haven't had proper sleep, or if it's ohh... before 9AM, you know I'm not a morning person at all.

Our group meeting at the hotel went well. The group I'm going with is diverse and very intelligent. Some, like me, have education backgrounds, some have traveled to Rwanda before, and others have studied and are interested in the area. A lot have science related backgrounds. I'm the only one so far that majored in History in college. I really believe we'll compliment and add to each others' strengths.

Also, I met Kim, who will be teaching at the same school as me and she seems great. She's a runner (as are a few other members of the group) so maybe I'll get in shape while I'm in Africa. Haha. Here's hoping.

Hope you all had an excellent Christmas.

-- Jenn

school placement

Hello all! I'm busy packing for Rwanda. I leave on Sunday the 27th and am currently more excited than nervous. :)

Today I finally received my school assignment via email. I didn't expect to know where I would be headed until after I arrived in Kigali, Rwanda on Sunday so this is an unexpected, but very much appreciated gift. As far as I know at this moment, I will be teaching at an all girls Catholic secondary school called St. Vincent's. There are 400 girls at the school between the ages of 12 and 18.

It is located in the northern, most mountainous district of Rwanda called Musanze. Musanze contains the greatest portion of Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and is known as the best place in the country to track mountain gorillas, which are critically endangered and are only found in three or four places in the world-- all located in Central Africa. I'm pretty excited about the location. It truly sounds beautiful and I can't wait to actually experience what it's like instead of quoting travel texts. Two great things about the location: it won't be as hot where I'm going and there should be a fair amount of tourists around, so English will most likely be spoken at a wider range by the locals.

Kelly Jo, my field director, said that she had the chance to visit the school, and the nuns were very enthusiastic about practicing their English with her. A good sign for me! I won't be alone either, another one of the participants in my group, Kim, will be at the same school with me. We both have single rooms that join into a shared living room. Living with or near another volunteer is something that I requested, so I'm very happy they were able to work that out for me.

As far as I know, I'll be teaching English & Computers. This suits me just fine. I'm told that St. Vincent's has a computer lab and access to the internet for teachers. I'm eager to see what their set up is like and contribute wherever I can.

Overall, I'm pretty excited about the placement. I have some packing left to do, and I'm going to the bank later today. Other than those two things, I'm pretty much set for leaving on Sunday. I hope everyone is having a lovely holiday!

-- Jenn