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!

The school barbershop!

One of the schools I visited during the week requires the children to keep their hair very short for hygiene purposes.  This school had set up a barberhop on the school grounds to raise some money for the school!

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

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.

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