this book is a movie

So things are finally settling down around here. I am currently in love with my soft-spoken, incredibly focused secondary students, the constant 75 degree weather, ginger and milk in my tea, honey on my chappatti, bargaining a pair of shoes down to half price, and the general Rwandese attitude of 'it'll get done when it gets done, sit down, enjoy life, and be patient'.

In the past two months, I've learned that despite growing up connected to news and people halfway around the world through the internet and television and technology, despite finishing my formal education, I can honestly say I know exactly nothing about this world that I live in.

I'm also pretty much okay with that.

I feel comfortable here now. I have a routine. My students, my colleagues, the market ladies, they know who I am, where I'm from, why I'm here. But I'm still an outsider here-- and it's not something I'll ever be able to change. I'm reminded constantly of this, not only through the obvious things-- my native tongue being English, the color of my skin, the way I dress & how much money it is assumed I have because of the things mentioned above, but also through what I do not understand, the things that are unfamiliar, the things I must observe or ask about. The culture, the family structures, economic statuses, the mentality and values of these people. They are all so different from what I'm used to. Different is not bad though. I am learning. I am watching and asking questions and figuring all of this out and I can already feel the way it is changing me.

I am the outsider, but I am being welcomed here anyway. It is a beginning.


The mountainside between Kigali and Musanze, terraced for farming.


The volcano in the background is called the Kinyarwanda word for 'with teeth'. This is a view right outside of my school. It's very green here. :)


These are some of the teachers I work with. This is our tea break room/teacher's lounge.

St. Vincent's

first day of classes

The first day of classes went well. I only taught two hours, Senior 2 English but it was enough for one day. The students have better English than I anticipated, so that was a welcomed surprise. They are a lot quieter than I am used to 14 year old girls being. This is a good thing because classroom management is easier, but also a bad thing because it is hard for me to assess whether students understand because they would rather sit in silence than ask a question to clarify something they don't understand.

The students here learn mostly through memorization and direct instruction/presentation by the teacher and that is far from how I like to teach. It will be a challenge to get them to think more openly about what they are doing. Creativity is very minimal and they have a hard time with the concept of 'no one right answer'.

I'm honestly excited for the challenge.

Also, if you’re interested in sending me a small package here are a few things I’m dying for:

Oreos!
Pencils/black pens
Notebook paper
Peanut M&Ms
Granola bars/energy bars
Fruit snacks
Jellybelly jelly beans
Family photographs
English novels I could lend to my students (middle/high school age females)
Green tea (or tea of any sort)
Wash cloths
SPF 30 or greater sunscreen
Nutella
dehydrated pre-packaged pasta (like macaroni & cheese) that I would just have to add boiling water to to cook
anything else you can think of

Here is the address:

WorldTeach c/o Kelly Jo Fulkerson
P.O. Box 4875
Kigali, Rwanda

I'm not sure how much it costs, but I believe you can purchase a flat-rate international box that you don't have to weigh. I've been told that you don't need a country code/zip code. Rwanda doesn't use one.

Sitting in the hot sun, missing you all very much!