Week one, over. Week two, over. I have a lot to write. There may not be a consistent thread or theme in this post, so please bear with me.
Week One: Transition
The first week was indeed about transition to a new country, a new place to sleep, new foods, new languages. New everything. I will admit that it was, especially in hindsight, stressful and nothing reveals that more than how every bump in the night seemed to alert us to some imagined danger lurking in the darkness.
Week one also held some adventures and discoveries. We visited the genocide memorial which was a very good experience, in the way that reflection upon tragedies of the past help you understand the present and change the future. While the past 15 years have no doubt helped to heal some of the wounds felt by all, the scars are present and the deep pain of genocide is an undercurrent which can be felt in many. I do not want to dwell on that right now though – it is just an observation which must be made and noted for now. I will have a post later on some observations and things that I (Liz) experienced in our first week here which really got me thinking and asking questions internally.
We also went to the US Embassy where they were playing Slumdog Millionaire. We took along some of our new Rwandan friends from Ryan's office and they enjoyed the film quite a lot. We had seen it before with friends back in the fall which made for an interesting connection in our minds.
Let’s see, in week one we also went to the Kimironko (Chimmy-Roho) market to buy produce and cleaning products. Kimironko is an outdoor market where individual stalls hold fresh produce, dry goods, there are also used clothes and shoes, a hardware section, and one of my favorites – fabric! It is hard to describe the market. I hope to take some video the next time we are there, or at least before we leave. (Below - photo of seamstresses working on custom orders at the market. They make clothing primarily.)
Produce is much cheaper than at the established and ex-pat catered store in town called Nakumatt. For less than $10 I purchased enough produce us to last nearly a week. Not bad. There is some bartering required as I am automatically given the “Mzungu” price. (Mzungu means “white person” and while I don’t like it, it is not a derogatory phrase. It’s more of a statement.)
Week Two: Settling In
To kick off week number two, we went on Sunday the 14th to Akagera National Park which sits on the Rwandan and Tanzanian borders. We didn’t see some of the animals I had hoped for (Some day I would like to see an elephant!) but we got much closer to the game than we did back in 2005 at Hluhluwe in South Africa.
Week Two: Settling In
To kick off week number two, we went on Sunday the 14th to Akagera National Park which sits on the Rwandan and Tanzanian borders. We didn’t see some of the animals I had hoped for (Some day I would like to see an elephant!) but we got much closer to the game than we did back in 2005 at Hluhluwe in South Africa.
As the week progressed we went to a surprise party for one of Ryan’s colleagues. We also watched a lot of DVDs (2 Harry Potter Movies, Cars, and also Bee Movie) during the weeknights. And on Saturday we invited everyone over to our place because, as the people we rent from described it, our house is “awesome solid.” Which I am pretty sure is an expression meaning that this house has a lot to draw people over for the purpose of hanging out. We have a small pool table, ping-pong, a basketball hoop, an electric piano, and lots of space. There is also a fabulous flat screen TV mounted on the wall but it is mysteriously missing the DVD player and the Wii. (Read: removed from view & locked away prior to our arrival) Moving into a home occupied by a family of 6 certainly has its advantages, even if we can’t use the TV or video games.
It is now Sunday night and we have spent the afternoon at Bourbon Coffee (heavenly!) and playing pool back at the house. Next up? We are going to make a rhubarb mango crumble using the butter from Nakumatt which cost $4.00 for two sticks. Ouch.
That is one thing that people tried to warn us about but was difficult to believe before arriving. Some items are very expensive. Like Ragu for instance, is $10 per jar. Want a bar of Dove soap? That will be $4.00 for one bar please. And should you need to purchase some Nivea lotion you should be prepared for highway robbery…it will cost you $14.00. I was bemoaning the price of oats as well ($4.00 for roughly 2. 5 cups) when a friend in Hawaii told me that milk was $10 per gallon. I’ll stop whining I guess and enjoy the things which are luxurious – like paying less than $1.00 for a pineapple.
More thoughts and reflections are to come - just wanted to give you all a general update on our social activities and well being.
It is now Sunday night and we have spent the afternoon at Bourbon Coffee (heavenly!) and playing pool back at the house. Next up? We are going to make a rhubarb mango crumble using the butter from Nakumatt which cost $4.00 for two sticks. Ouch.
That is one thing that people tried to warn us about but was difficult to believe before arriving. Some items are very expensive. Like Ragu for instance, is $10 per jar. Want a bar of Dove soap? That will be $4.00 for one bar please. And should you need to purchase some Nivea lotion you should be prepared for highway robbery…it will cost you $14.00. I was bemoaning the price of oats as well ($4.00 for roughly 2. 5 cups) when a friend in Hawaii told me that milk was $10 per gallon. I’ll stop whining I guess and enjoy the things which are luxurious – like paying less than $1.00 for a pineapple.
More thoughts and reflections are to come - just wanted to give you all a general update on our social activities and well being.
2 comments:
Sounds like you are settling in and getting to know your surroundings well! Get all over that fabric...you'll be making some cute things when you get home!
I can't believe food is so expensive there! Glad to hear you two are settling in well. Miss you guys!
Post a Comment