Letters from Trim!

A big hello to all,

I hope you are all keeping well.  I’m reading the news on RTE.ie, looks like there is a lot going on in Ireland at the moment.  It’s good to be away from listening to Morning Ireland on the drive to Drogheda!

I’m writing this as the rain beats down on the roof.  A lot of the schools here have corrugated metal roofs which make it very difficult to hear when it’s raining as we found out last week during our training.  The English training has started so the teachers’ holiday is over until the 24^th of December.  They are being trained in English as it is now the language of instruction here.  It switched from French to English at the start of last year.  The school year here starts in January. 

I would like to say a big hello to Ms. Dully and all the girls in room 26 in St. Mary’s National School in Trim.  I was delighted to receive an envelope full of letters from them. Thank you so much!  I was very impressed with their lovely letter writing skills and the beautiful drawings.  The other volunteers thought they were beautiful too and were especially impressed to see the Rwandan flag with all the correct colours and in correct proportions (there is more blue than yellow and green!).  The girls asked some very interesting questions which I will try to answer.

1.       Is it hot or cold in Rwanda?

Sometimes it is hot and sometimes it is cold.  It depends on the part of the country you are in.  At the weekend I was in Ruhungeri and I had to sleep in my fleece under a duvet and a blanket and the next day I got sunburnt!  Where I live the weather is nice, it’s not too hot in the day and not too cold at night.  At the moment we have the short rainy season so it usually rains for an hour or two a day. 

2.       Do the children learn the same things there as we do in Ireland?

They study English, Kinyarwanda (the language of Rwanda), Maths, Social Science and Science.  They also do music and drama.  They must do an exam at the end of P6 (sixth class) in order to get into secondary school.  The exams are very hard.   

3.        Do the children speak English?

The children speak Kinyarwanda at home with their parents and with their friends.  In school, the teachers must teach them through English from P4 to P6. 

4.       What is your favourite colour?

Red.

5.       Do they do Hallowe’en in Rwanda?

No, I didn’t see any sign of Hallowe’en celebrations here except among the other volunteers that are here.  We had a fancy dress party for Hallowe’en.

6.       Who is your favourite singer?

Ryan Adams.

7.       What is your favourite animal?

Elephants!  I saw some when I was in India but I didn’t manage to see any when I was in Akagera National Park here.  I was disappointed but I saw lots of other animals so that made up for it. 

8.        Do you like Rwanda?

I like Rwanda a lot.  Here every day is an adventure; you never know what will happen next.  The people are very friendly and helpful.  The weather is really nice (most of the time).  I think it will be a shock to me when I arrive back for Christmas to Ireland in December.  The food is nice.  It is nice to look out my back door and see bananas growing!  I love visiting the schools and seeing the children.  They are always really happy to see me. 

9.        Do you miss people at home?

Of course I miss people at home but I’m lucky that I can stay in touch with them through letters, phone calls and the internet.  I really love to write letters home, it makes me feel like I’m talking to the person I’m writing to.  If you’re lucky one will arrive to Room 26 before Christmas.  Take a look at the stamps; I think the stamps here are beautiful.

10.    Do you mind not having much electricity?

I’m quite lucky because I have electricity most of the time.  It arrived just a month before I got here.  I don’t have running water so I have to use a jug and bucket to shower and I have a latrine instead of a toilet!

11.    Is the house you are staying nice?

My house is really nice.  You can see a picture of it if you look at the first entry on my blog.  It has 2 bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom.  I live with another volunteer.  From my house I can see people passing by most of the time.  They usually pass by carrying things like water or banana leaves on their heads or the women with babies on their backs.  From my back garden I can see lots of banana trees growing.  

12.    What size are the schools in Rwanda?

The schools in Rwanda are very big.  The children go to school in 2 shifts.  One half goes in the morning and the other half in the afternoon.  This is because there are not enough classrooms or teachers for all of the children to go at the same time.  It means that the teachers have to work very long hours!

I hope that answers all of the questions and that I haven’t left anyone’s question out.    Let me know if I have and I will answer as soon as I can.

Slán,

Pauline