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| At the post office Many hands make light work! |
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| My purchases at the doll's workshop in Gisenyi. |
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| Volvano in the clouds |
Monday, 29 November 2010
Even more photos!
There has been a request for more photos of me from my Granny! So here is one of me trying to do some of the traditional Rwandan dancing.
More dancing!
Friday, 26 November 2010
More photos
Tuesday, 23 November 2010
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 24th 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
Monday, 22 November 2010
A selection of photos!
Hope you enjoy the photos, more to follow in the coming days!
Best wishes,
Pauline
Monday, 15 November 2010
On the road!
Hi all,
Sorry for the long delay between updates, it’s been a very busy time. I have visited all of the provinces in the last fortnight.
I spent the first week of November in Kigali for the second and final part of my in-country training. It was great to meet up with all of the other volunteers that I arrived with. We were given some more language training among other things. I’m afraid my Kinyarwanda isn’t as good as it could be but I’ve recently found a teacher so I’m hoping to make some progress soon. During the week we had the chance to do some Karaoke! The highlight was singing a Westlife song with the other Irish volunteers. On the same night we visited the Milles Collines hotel for a leaving drink with an Irish girl who was moving back to Ireland. It was a strange feeling being there, I kept thinking of the film.
The weekend after ICT2 we made the trip south to Butare. Our mission was to visit Kibeho, where the Virgin Mary is believed to have appeared from 1981 onwards (the Rwandan version of Knock if you like!). We arrived in Butare, dropped our bags off the hostel and decided to have a quick lunch before our bus. I ordered a salad as I thought this would be the quickest. Unfortunately, burgers and toasted sandwiches appeared first so 5 of us had to change our bus tickets. Next time, I’m ordering the burger! The trip was fabulous (and bumpy). After an hour we were greeted by the rest of our group and we made the short walk to the church. I will try to upload a photo of the church. As we went inside a thunderstorm started outside. From the sacristy a priest appeared and was hearing confession. I have been told of an Irish priest living in Rwanda so I was hopeful it was him. I decided since I had the chance it would be a good chance to make confession. The priest gave me the option of French or Polish so I figured it wasn’t the priest I was looking for. I hope to return to Kibeho on August 15th for the Feast of the Assumption. Apparently it’s supposed to be an amazing experience.
Last week started with some teacher training here in Ngororero. It was a lot of fun. The teachers were so enthusiastic. They are great to give up 4 days of their holidays voluntarily to do training. Two other volunteers came to help me so I had visitors on Sunday and Monday which was lovely. I love showing people around my Rwandan home. They both agreed it’s very beautiful here. I’m determined to get Ngororero into the guidebook. I think it should be branded “Ngororero-the gateway to Gisenyi”. I’ve had 4 visitors so far so I think I’m doing the Rwandan Tourist Board proud!
Tuesday, I travelled with one of the volunteers to Kigeme in the south of the country to help her to open a resource centre. It took us 4 buses to get there. We stopped on the way in Gitarama. We ordered food but unfortunately it didn’t come in time so we left some money and ran off down the road. Luckily, another kind volunteer got the food wrapped up and ran down the road after us. We had some strange looks from the fellow passengers as we tried to eat our lunch on the bus. The motorbike trip to the resource centre on Wednesday was really beautiful. I think that riding around on the back of motorbikes through the countryside of Rwanda is definitely one of my favourite things to do. The resource centre was lovely. The room had been painted and there were resource there for teachers from the local schools to borrow.
Thursday morning, I made the long trip to Ruhengheri to help another volunteer with more teacher training. I was really lucky because a kind boy flagged down a bus that brought me all the way to Kigali. I should have had to take at least 3 buses! I was so happy. The school where we were doing the training was up a hill with wonderful views of the volcanoes and the Congo! We had a wonderful day and I met some wonderful teachers.
Saturday,I had an early start. As I set me alarm for 3.45 on Friday evening I knew it would be a tiring day. 3 other volunteers and I set off for Akagera National Park in the east of Rwanda. It was a brilliant day. We spent the day driving around the park spotting the different animals. I think the giraffes were my favourite. I was amazed at how close we were allowed to get to the crocodiles and the hippos at “Hippo Beach”. There were lots of antelope, warthogs, buffalos and zebras to be seen. The drive took us along the Akagera River and we could see Tanzania. I think it’s amazing that on Friday I could see the DRC and the next day I was looking at Tanzania.
This is a very shortened version of the past couple of weeks but it past my bedtime and I’ve school in the morning! I hope you are all well and I look forward to being back in Ireland for a visit soon.
Slán,
Pauline
Sorry for the long delay between updates, it’s been a very busy time. I have visited all of the provinces in the last fortnight.
I spent the first week of November in Kigali for the second and final part of my in-country training. It was great to meet up with all of the other volunteers that I arrived with. We were given some more language training among other things. I’m afraid my Kinyarwanda isn’t as good as it could be but I’ve recently found a teacher so I’m hoping to make some progress soon. During the week we had the chance to do some Karaoke! The highlight was singing a Westlife song with the other Irish volunteers. On the same night we visited the Milles Collines hotel for a leaving drink with an Irish girl who was moving back to Ireland. It was a strange feeling being there, I kept thinking of the film.
The weekend after ICT2 we made the trip south to Butare. Our mission was to visit Kibeho, where the Virgin Mary is believed to have appeared from 1981 onwards (the Rwandan version of Knock if you like!). We arrived in Butare, dropped our bags off the hostel and decided to have a quick lunch before our bus. I ordered a salad as I thought this would be the quickest. Unfortunately, burgers and toasted sandwiches appeared first so 5 of us had to change our bus tickets. Next time, I’m ordering the burger! The trip was fabulous (and bumpy). After an hour we were greeted by the rest of our group and we made the short walk to the church. I will try to upload a photo of the church. As we went inside a thunderstorm started outside. From the sacristy a priest appeared and was hearing confession. I have been told of an Irish priest living in Rwanda so I was hopeful it was him. I decided since I had the chance it would be a good chance to make confession. The priest gave me the option of French or Polish so I figured it wasn’t the priest I was looking for. I hope to return to Kibeho on August 15th for the Feast of the Assumption. Apparently it’s supposed to be an amazing experience.
Last week started with some teacher training here in Ngororero. It was a lot of fun. The teachers were so enthusiastic. They are great to give up 4 days of their holidays voluntarily to do training. Two other volunteers came to help me so I had visitors on Sunday and Monday which was lovely. I love showing people around my Rwandan home. They both agreed it’s very beautiful here. I’m determined to get Ngororero into the guidebook. I think it should be branded “Ngororero-the gateway to Gisenyi”. I’ve had 4 visitors so far so I think I’m doing the Rwandan Tourist Board proud!
Tuesday, I travelled with one of the volunteers to Kigeme in the south of the country to help her to open a resource centre. It took us 4 buses to get there. We stopped on the way in Gitarama. We ordered food but unfortunately it didn’t come in time so we left some money and ran off down the road. Luckily, another kind volunteer got the food wrapped up and ran down the road after us. We had some strange looks from the fellow passengers as we tried to eat our lunch on the bus. The motorbike trip to the resource centre on Wednesday was really beautiful. I think that riding around on the back of motorbikes through the countryside of Rwanda is definitely one of my favourite things to do. The resource centre was lovely. The room had been painted and there were resource there for teachers from the local schools to borrow.
Thursday morning, I made the long trip to Ruhengheri to help another volunteer with more teacher training. I was really lucky because a kind boy flagged down a bus that brought me all the way to Kigali. I should have had to take at least 3 buses! I was so happy. The school where we were doing the training was up a hill with wonderful views of the volcanoes and the Congo! We had a wonderful day and I met some wonderful teachers.
Saturday,I had an early start. As I set me alarm for 3.45 on Friday evening I knew it would be a tiring day. 3 other volunteers and I set off for Akagera National Park in the east of Rwanda. It was a brilliant day. We spent the day driving around the park spotting the different animals. I think the giraffes were my favourite. I was amazed at how close we were allowed to get to the crocodiles and the hippos at “Hippo Beach”. There were lots of antelope, warthogs, buffalos and zebras to be seen. The drive took us along the Akagera River and we could see Tanzania. I think it’s amazing that on Friday I could see the DRC and the next day I was looking at Tanzania.
This is a very shortened version of the past couple of weeks but it past my bedtime and I’ve school in the morning! I hope you are all well and I look forward to being back in Ireland for a visit soon.
Slán,
Pauline
Thursday, 21 October 2010
Rory the Rabbit in Rwanda
Rory the rabbit in Rwanda!
Hi all,
I hope all is well there. I’m sure at this stage you are all looking forward to the mid-term break. Time is passing so quickly! I’ll be here 7 weeks on Saturday.
Yesterday, I was given a rabbit!! I was visiting a lovely school in Ngororero. The children, teachers and principal were all lovely. I had to stand on a chair in the yard to introduce myself. It reminded me of scenes in the film Michael Collins! So I was having a lovely day and then when the moto driver arrived to bring me home, the principal presents me with a box. Then the box starts to move and I immediately realised they’d given me one of the rabbits that I’ve seen earlier in the hutch. It was so funny! Thankfully they gave the box to the moto driver to hold because I don’t think I’d have managed to get him home in one piece. When I finally opened the box, the poor rabbit was shaking. I don’t suppose he’d ever been on a motorbike before.
I decided to name him Rory (not after my friend and VSO volunteer Ruairí) because me and my brother would always say “What’s the story, Rory?” and I figured it’s as good a name as any. Plus it works as a girl’s name too if it turns out that Rory is a girl! Plus you’ve got to have alliteration! So the Rwandans think I’m mad because I don’t want to eat him. I’m not sure what I’ll do with him but for now he’s living in my garden and at night he sleeps with the night guard in one of the outhouses.
Today, I went to visit another school. I will help them with their PTA. It reminded me of all my friends on the Aston Village PTA. The principal was a really lovely man. He was very interested to learn about Ireland. He thought Ireland was a province of the UK searching for independence. I brought a history book of Ireland with me that I’m going to lend him as he is very interested in Ireland now.
We’ve been without electricity for the past two days. Here you buy credits and add them to the meter. However, the computer connection at the shop has been down so we had to wait. I think that next time we’ll make sure to buy extra before run out. However, it wasn’t too bad as we have kerosene lamps and stoves so we were well equipped for the dark.
Last week, I bought some material to have some clothes made. Material is quite cheap here. On Saturday I will go to the tailor and have a skirt and dress made. I’m really excited! It’ll be nice to have some new clothes to wear.
That’s all for now! I’m sitting under my mosquito net at the moment. There seems to be more mosquitoes lately, I think it’s because of the rainy season!
Best wishes,
Pauline
Hi all,
I hope all is well there. I’m sure at this stage you are all looking forward to the mid-term break. Time is passing so quickly! I’ll be here 7 weeks on Saturday.
Yesterday, I was given a rabbit!! I was visiting a lovely school in Ngororero. The children, teachers and principal were all lovely. I had to stand on a chair in the yard to introduce myself. It reminded me of scenes in the film Michael Collins! So I was having a lovely day and then when the moto driver arrived to bring me home, the principal presents me with a box. Then the box starts to move and I immediately realised they’d given me one of the rabbits that I’ve seen earlier in the hutch. It was so funny! Thankfully they gave the box to the moto driver to hold because I don’t think I’d have managed to get him home in one piece. When I finally opened the box, the poor rabbit was shaking. I don’t suppose he’d ever been on a motorbike before.
I decided to name him Rory (not after my friend and VSO volunteer Ruairí) because me and my brother would always say “What’s the story, Rory?” and I figured it’s as good a name as any. Plus it works as a girl’s name too if it turns out that Rory is a girl! Plus you’ve got to have alliteration! So the Rwandans think I’m mad because I don’t want to eat him. I’m not sure what I’ll do with him but for now he’s living in my garden and at night he sleeps with the night guard in one of the outhouses.
Today, I went to visit another school. I will help them with their PTA. It reminded me of all my friends on the Aston Village PTA. The principal was a really lovely man. He was very interested to learn about Ireland. He thought Ireland was a province of the UK searching for independence. I brought a history book of Ireland with me that I’m going to lend him as he is very interested in Ireland now.
We’ve been without electricity for the past two days. Here you buy credits and add them to the meter. However, the computer connection at the shop has been down so we had to wait. I think that next time we’ll make sure to buy extra before run out. However, it wasn’t too bad as we have kerosene lamps and stoves so we were well equipped for the dark.
Last week, I bought some material to have some clothes made. Material is quite cheap here. On Saturday I will go to the tailor and have a skirt and dress made. I’m really excited! It’ll be nice to have some new clothes to wear.
That’s all for now! I’m sitting under my mosquito net at the moment. There seems to be more mosquitoes lately, I think it’s because of the rainy season!
Best wishes,
Pauline
Monday, 18 October 2010
Hello from Rwanda
Hi all,
I hope you are all keeping well! I’m really excited that I’ll be back in Ireland for two weeks at Christmas and hope to see as many of you as possible.
Last weekend, I went to visit Ruhengheri (famous for the gorillas!). There is another Irish volunteer based there so I stayed with her. She is very lucky, she has electricity and running water! It was a nice break from the outhouse for the weekend. We didn’t visit the gorillas (I’m waiting for the dry season) but we did see the volcanoes and lakes. It’s very beautiful there. It was quite overcast and it reminded me a lot of home. While we were there we were only 25 km from the Ugandan border. I plan to visit there soon with a couple of other volunteers.
At school, the exams have started for all of the children. They must pass the exam at the end of one year in order to pass into the next class. A lot of children have to repeat years. I am looking forward to visiting a school tomorrow. The principal is a really nice lady who doesn’t speak much English so it will give me an opportunity to use my French. The children must sit all of the exams except Kinyarwanda in English.
It is the short rainy season here at the moment. In Rwanda, the seasons are different. There is the short rainy season, the short dry season, the long rainy season and the long dry season. Here, there is usually a storm in the evenings. The rain makes a lot of noise on the roof. It is really difficult to hear anything. One afternoon, we had a visitor during the rain and all we could do was sit looking at each other while we drank our Rwandan tea, it was impossible to talk. There hasn’t been rain yet today so I’m waiting for it!
I’ve posted some more letters even thought I don’t think the ones I posted a month ago have arrived yet! Its funny posting letters here because you have to put so many stamps on the envelope it’s like a jig-saw! The post office is an hour away on a taxi-bus so I usually post a few at a time and check my post box to see if anything has arrived for me. It’s funny having a post-box. The postman doesn’t deliver to houses here so anyone that wants to receive post must rent a post-box!
Take care,
Pauline
I hope you are all keeping well! I’m really excited that I’ll be back in Ireland for two weeks at Christmas and hope to see as many of you as possible.
Last weekend, I went to visit Ruhengheri (famous for the gorillas!). There is another Irish volunteer based there so I stayed with her. She is very lucky, she has electricity and running water! It was a nice break from the outhouse for the weekend. We didn’t visit the gorillas (I’m waiting for the dry season) but we did see the volcanoes and lakes. It’s very beautiful there. It was quite overcast and it reminded me a lot of home. While we were there we were only 25 km from the Ugandan border. I plan to visit there soon with a couple of other volunteers.
At school, the exams have started for all of the children. They must pass the exam at the end of one year in order to pass into the next class. A lot of children have to repeat years. I am looking forward to visiting a school tomorrow. The principal is a really nice lady who doesn’t speak much English so it will give me an opportunity to use my French. The children must sit all of the exams except Kinyarwanda in English.
It is the short rainy season here at the moment. In Rwanda, the seasons are different. There is the short rainy season, the short dry season, the long rainy season and the long dry season. Here, there is usually a storm in the evenings. The rain makes a lot of noise on the roof. It is really difficult to hear anything. One afternoon, we had a visitor during the rain and all we could do was sit looking at each other while we drank our Rwandan tea, it was impossible to talk. There hasn’t been rain yet today so I’m waiting for it!
I’ve posted some more letters even thought I don’t think the ones I posted a month ago have arrived yet! Its funny posting letters here because you have to put so many stamps on the envelope it’s like a jig-saw! The post office is an hour away on a taxi-bus so I usually post a few at a time and check my post box to see if anything has arrived for me. It’s funny having a post-box. The postman doesn’t deliver to houses here so anyone that wants to receive post must rent a post-box!
Take care,
Pauline
Thursday, 7 October 2010
Teachers' day and cow ceremonies!
Hi all,
Sorry for the delay in updating. Unfortunately, I can’t blame the power cut because we had power back the next morning. It has been a busy week. Saturday night, I went to the nearest “city” for a birthday party. I stayed with some friends. I was looking forward to being in a house with running water (since I don’t have any) but their water had been off for a couple of days so I was out of luck.
The party was great though. It was an “Italian feast”. The food was amazing! Since I don’t have an oven, I’m limited in what I can cook so it was a real treat to have things like lasagne and brownies. It is possible to buy most ingredients in Kigali (the capital city) but things that are imported are very expensive. For example a tin of tuna is about €4.00. It is much cheaper to buy fresh local produce.
Tuesday of this week was “Teachers’ Day”. I went to visit Gatumba (one of the sectors in the district of Ngororero) to join in the celebrations. First there was a football match between the primary school teachers and the secondary teachers. Then we were brought to the local secondary school for some speeches. I was lucky because I had someone translate for me. Then after we had lunch (chicken and chips!), there was a cow giving ceremony. The cow is very important in Rwandan culture. To give someone a cow is a sign of friendship. The school I was visiting were giving another school a cow. The cow will then provide milk for the pupils to drink. The ceremony was really good. The principal sang a song and did a dance with a stick. I videoed it so I can show it to you when I get home. Then the teachers did some Intore dancing. It is the traditional dancing of Rwanda. It’s great fun.
Today, I took a moto taxi (motorbike taxi) to a school and did some training with the teachers. After, I had the chance to watch some of the classes. I love the days I get to visit schools. The children are always very friendly. They love saying good morning (even if it’s the afternoon). Some of the children were fascinated by the colour of my skin. Some of the girls kept touching my arm. They haven’t seen many white people there!
Now, I’m back at my house. There is a big storm going on outside. At the moment it is the short rainy season. It usually rains for about an hour a day. While it rains, most people just stop and shelter until the storm stops. I think it’s a nice way to live. People have the time to just stop until the rain stops!
This weekend, I plan to go to Gitarama to collect my post (I have a postcard and letter waiting to be collected so I’m very happy!) and then I’ll go to Kigali. There is a festival this weekend. There will be live music and all you can eat and drink! A lot of my new volunteer friends are going so it’ll be nice to see how everyone is getting on.
Best wishes to all my friends and family all over the world. I’ve had visits to my blog from 7 countries on 3 continents!
I’ll update again soon,
Pauline
Sorry for the delay in updating. Unfortunately, I can’t blame the power cut because we had power back the next morning. It has been a busy week. Saturday night, I went to the nearest “city” for a birthday party. I stayed with some friends. I was looking forward to being in a house with running water (since I don’t have any) but their water had been off for a couple of days so I was out of luck.
The party was great though. It was an “Italian feast”. The food was amazing! Since I don’t have an oven, I’m limited in what I can cook so it was a real treat to have things like lasagne and brownies. It is possible to buy most ingredients in Kigali (the capital city) but things that are imported are very expensive. For example a tin of tuna is about €4.00. It is much cheaper to buy fresh local produce.
Tuesday of this week was “Teachers’ Day”. I went to visit Gatumba (one of the sectors in the district of Ngororero) to join in the celebrations. First there was a football match between the primary school teachers and the secondary teachers. Then we were brought to the local secondary school for some speeches. I was lucky because I had someone translate for me. Then after we had lunch (chicken and chips!), there was a cow giving ceremony. The cow is very important in Rwandan culture. To give someone a cow is a sign of friendship. The school I was visiting were giving another school a cow. The cow will then provide milk for the pupils to drink. The ceremony was really good. The principal sang a song and did a dance with a stick. I videoed it so I can show it to you when I get home. Then the teachers did some Intore dancing. It is the traditional dancing of Rwanda. It’s great fun.
Today, I took a moto taxi (motorbike taxi) to a school and did some training with the teachers. After, I had the chance to watch some of the classes. I love the days I get to visit schools. The children are always very friendly. They love saying good morning (even if it’s the afternoon). Some of the children were fascinated by the colour of my skin. Some of the girls kept touching my arm. They haven’t seen many white people there!
Now, I’m back at my house. There is a big storm going on outside. At the moment it is the short rainy season. It usually rains for about an hour a day. While it rains, most people just stop and shelter until the storm stops. I think it’s a nice way to live. People have the time to just stop until the rain stops!
This weekend, I plan to go to Gitarama to collect my post (I have a postcard and letter waiting to be collected so I’m very happy!) and then I’ll go to Kigali. There is a festival this weekend. There will be live music and all you can eat and drink! A lot of my new volunteer friends are going so it’ll be nice to see how everyone is getting on.
Best wishes to all my friends and family all over the world. I’ve had visits to my blog from 7 countries on 3 continents!
I’ll update again soon,
Pauline
Friday, 1 October 2010
Some practicalities!
I have just arrived home from a day visiting schools to no electricity. I'm really glad now that I practised lighting the lamp during the week Here is a picture of the kerosene light we use when there are power cuts. Electricity came about 2 months ago to Ngororero so before that this is what my housemate used every evening. It gets dark here at about 6 o'clock so people tend to go to bed early and then rise early. I usually get up at about 6 and go to bed at about 9.
I had a great day visiting schools in very rural areas. I think some of the people I met today had never seen a muzungu (foreigner) before. It was market day so there were a lot of people and they all gathered around to have a look at me. It was very funny! I'll try to write more over the weekend but for now I better conserve the battery since I don't know when the electricity will be back.
Thursday, 30 September 2010
Update from the West Province
Hi all,
Thanks to all of you for your words of encouragement for my blog. It'll keep me motivated to update it! there have been 213 hits to date from 7 different countries! I just spent the past hour uploading photos and then somehow deleted them by accident so you'll have to wait another few days for more pics!
Things are really good here. Today I visited some secondary schools which gave me a chance to see some of the beautiful views. I love all of the hills and valleys. I think it's the most beautiful country that I have ever visited. Those of you who can should come to visit! I can even offer you a spare mosquito net.
The food is good here. Last night we went to a local bar to have some goat brochettes and igitoke (which I'm pretty sure is plantain). The last time we were there it was very chewy but this time they were really nice. Apparently the key is to ask them not to give you the insides or the spine! Although a good friend and mentor of mine actually prefers it! Horses for courses ...
Ok! My housemate is calling me for dinner so I'll say ijoro ngiza (sp?) for now!
Thanks to all of you for your words of encouragement for my blog. It'll keep me motivated to update it! there have been 213 hits to date from 7 different countries! I just spent the past hour uploading photos and then somehow deleted them by accident so you'll have to wait another few days for more pics!
Things are really good here. Today I visited some secondary schools which gave me a chance to see some of the beautiful views. I love all of the hills and valleys. I think it's the most beautiful country that I have ever visited. Those of you who can should come to visit! I can even offer you a spare mosquito net.
The food is good here. Last night we went to a local bar to have some goat brochettes and igitoke (which I'm pretty sure is plantain). The last time we were there it was very chewy but this time they were really nice. Apparently the key is to ask them not to give you the insides or the spine! Although a good friend and mentor of mine actually prefers it! Horses for courses ...
Ok! My housemate is calling me for dinner so I'll say ijoro ngiza (sp?) for now!
Saturday, 25 September 2010
The school barbershop!
Update from Gitarama.
Hi all,
At the moment I am staying in a city called Gitarama with another Irish volunteer. Each day I visit different schools with another Education Management Advisor called Michael. We travel on a bus, a motorbike or on the back of a bicycle. It has been really nice to visit some schools and to talk to some of the pupils, teachers and principals.
In Rwanda, the children study 5 subjects for their exams: English, Kinyarwanda, Maths, Science and Social Studies. The children asked me many questions about Ireland. I wonder if the pupils in Aston Village ETNS would ask the same questions if a Rwandan teacher came to visit. Here are some of the questions and the answers a Rwandan teacher would give.
What is the capital city of your country? Kigali
How big is your country? Rwanda is approximately 26,000 kilometres squared (roughly the size of Munster)
Who is the president of your country? Paul Kagame
How many children in your class? Between 25 and 78 pupils in a class
Do children in Rwanda wear a school uniform? Yes (most of them wear uniforms)
How many years of primary school? Six years
What games do the children play? Basketball, football, skipping (these are only the games I’ve seen so far but I’m sure I’ll learn more!)
How do teachers get to school? Most of the teachers I have met walk or cycle to school.
The children was very surprised to learn that all children in Ireland go to school from Junior Infants to Leaving Cert. On boy wondered if even the poor children go to school for that long. Here most children have to pay for the second 3 years of secondary school, which is one of the reasons that not all of them have the opportunity to complete secondary school. Also, in Rwanda children must pass an exam at the end of one class in order to move on to the next class. This means that there are a wide range of ages in one class. One boy I met today who was 15 years old was in the final year of primary school
In all of the schools I was asked whether I was married or not. People are very curious about my marital status here!
I have some great pictures of a wonderful mural I saw at one of the schools but unfortunately I am not able to load them at the moment. I will try again soon. It is called the wall of dreams and all of the children have painted their handprints and written their dreams on the wall. I think their dreams are very similar to what the children in Ireland would pick!
I’ll try to add the photos soon.
Best wishes to you all,
Pauline
Sunday, 19 September 2010
Some photos from Ngororero as promised.
A banana tree - they're everywhere in Ngororero!
The new road to Ngororero. The new road is very recent. Chinese companies are very involved in road building in Rwanda. The new road has reduced travel times. Ngororero is a market town so it is important that people can travel to Ngororero to buy and sell their goods. The market is an amazing building! Market days are Wednesday and Saturday. Since the coming of electricity to the town (about a month ago) there is now a night market also.
This is my house where I live with my housemate. This photo was taaken at night. I'll add more shots of the house in a few days. It's nice house with 2 bedrooms. There is electricity and the promise of running water soon. At the moment we pay to get water delivered in jerry cans. Children are very keen to collect the water as it means some extra money.
Thursday, 16 September 2010
The beginning
Hi all,
I've finally got around to starting my blog. Today, was my first full day in my new town of Ngororero. It is a small town in the west province of Rwanda. It is a truly beautiful place. Everywhere there are hills. It is very green and it seems like everywhere there is something being grown.
I woke up at 5.50 to the sound of children and animals. I got up and sucessfully managed to light the kerosene stove. I had a breakfast of Rwandan tea and bananas. I left my new home at about 7.30 for the short walk to the office. Along the way I stopped off at Katie's house for directions. Katie is a peacecorps volunteer that also lives in Ngororero.
When I reached the office I received a very warm welcome. I was given the grand tour of the town by Oswald. He is a neighbour of mine that works at the District office. He speaks excellent English so he was a brilliant person to introduce me to the town.I was introduced to all of the staff at the distict office (where I will work when I am not visiting schools). I was even introduced to the Mayor of the town. Then we visited the local health centre which is run by a Roman Catholic Church. We then visited the priest who invited us to share breakfast with him. We had avacados, (Síle would love it here, there are avacodos growing all over the place) imineke (bananas), porridge and some bread that it baked in the grounds of the church. The night before I was given a Kinyarwanda name by an American volunteer. I'm not sure how to spell it but it means calm and thoughtful. The priest was very amused by this and baptised me (there was no water involved so I reckon I don't need to change my passport!)
Then we visited the local market where fruit, vegetables, meat, clothes, eggs and meat are sold every Wednesday and Saturday. The market is a very impressive, I'll add a photos soon.
I then went to the bus stop. There are regular buses to Kigali, Gitarama and other destinations so I will be able to visit more of Rwanda easily.
Afterwards, we went to visit the Genocide Memorial Centre. This was previously a convention centre. It stands in a hill and from there it is possible to see the mosque on a neighbouring hill.We then walked up the hill to the police station where I was introduced to some of the local policemen and a policewoman.
Our next stop was a new ICT centre. I met a lovely woman who is the manager. She explained to me about the work of the ICT centre.
Other stops included the bank, the immigration office, the health insurance office and the social security office.
All in all it was a very enjoyable tour.
That was my day up until about 11.30! I'll try to add more tomorrow evening!
Thinking of all my friends in Ireland!
Pauline
I've finally got around to starting my blog. Today, was my first full day in my new town of Ngororero. It is a small town in the west province of Rwanda. It is a truly beautiful place. Everywhere there are hills. It is very green and it seems like everywhere there is something being grown.
I woke up at 5.50 to the sound of children and animals. I got up and sucessfully managed to light the kerosene stove. I had a breakfast of Rwandan tea and bananas. I left my new home at about 7.30 for the short walk to the office. Along the way I stopped off at Katie's house for directions. Katie is a peacecorps volunteer that also lives in Ngororero.
When I reached the office I received a very warm welcome. I was given the grand tour of the town by Oswald. He is a neighbour of mine that works at the District office. He speaks excellent English so he was a brilliant person to introduce me to the town.I was introduced to all of the staff at the distict office (where I will work when I am not visiting schools). I was even introduced to the Mayor of the town. Then we visited the local health centre which is run by a Roman Catholic Church. We then visited the priest who invited us to share breakfast with him. We had avacados, (Síle would love it here, there are avacodos growing all over the place) imineke (bananas), porridge and some bread that it baked in the grounds of the church. The night before I was given a Kinyarwanda name by an American volunteer. I'm not sure how to spell it but it means calm and thoughtful. The priest was very amused by this and baptised me (there was no water involved so I reckon I don't need to change my passport!)
Then we visited the local market where fruit, vegetables, meat, clothes, eggs and meat are sold every Wednesday and Saturday. The market is a very impressive, I'll add a photos soon.
I then went to the bus stop. There are regular buses to Kigali, Gitarama and other destinations so I will be able to visit more of Rwanda easily.
Afterwards, we went to visit the Genocide Memorial Centre. This was previously a convention centre. It stands in a hill and from there it is possible to see the mosque on a neighbouring hill.We then walked up the hill to the police station where I was introduced to some of the local policemen and a policewoman.
Our next stop was a new ICT centre. I met a lovely woman who is the manager. She explained to me about the work of the ICT centre.
Other stops included the bank, the immigration office, the health insurance office and the social security office.
All in all it was a very enjoyable tour.
That was my day up until about 11.30! I'll try to add more tomorrow evening!
Thinking of all my friends in Ireland!
Pauline
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