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