Thursday, June 28, 2007
Just a few quick stories.
Often, daily if not hourly, myself and other `abazungu` (foreigners) get asked for money (if not a job, biscuits, a doll...). Not infrequently, it goes like this `give me my money` (that may just be the only English someone speaks). We each learn to cope in our own way with this, depending on the context usually.
One friend, tries to bring a bit of humour into the situation, by holding out her hand and saying in Kinyarwanda the same demand, ie, ndashaka ijana (i want 100). She usually says it with a smile until the other person laughs a bit and then they part.
This weekend this friend and I were on a long walk. She had had had an incredibly frustrating work experience that had made her feel quite unsettled about some things related to being a volunteer here as a foreigner and even Rwandan culture. She was venting more then usual about some of her negative experiences.
3 small boys stopped us and demanded money. She stuck with her typical reaction of asking the same back of them. After about 3 minutes of a back and forth, it appeared that the boys were trying to actually negotiate a handout down from 100 francs to 20 francs. That is until it became quite evident that one boy encouraged another to give my friend their only money, 20 francs (about a nickel). He handed it over.
Needless to say something very, very positive about the culture here: if someone has something (even the most poverty-stricken young boy) and they believe you need it more then they do, they will give it to you.
Now, I could debate and discuss for days why I do and do not give here. Or if that attribute really is positive (savings accounts are fairly rare here), but what I won`t debate is that those children showed us a kind heart. (In the end, we bought them a bag of cakes-after searching a ways down the road and returning to them, and explained that we do not like being called `umuzungu` and being asked for money all of the time...that we are here to help people with disabilities and we are volunteers...but that we see that they have good hearts because they wanted to help my friend...and we wanted to say thank you).
Next, just wanted to say, that no treadmill, awesome New Balance trainers, hikes to Pt Reyes or anything can put a girl in shape as much as a 2 hr 15 min `walk` just to my first work site the other day. The social agent I was working with defies all stereotypes about `African time` and African walking pace (usually fairly leisurly and slow). We were booking it the entire time. No food, no drink from 630 am to 6 pm, not good, but I may just come back in shape.
Often, daily if not hourly, myself and other `abazungu` (foreigners) get asked for money (if not a job, biscuits, a doll...). Not infrequently, it goes like this `give me my money` (that may just be the only English someone speaks). We each learn to cope in our own way with this, depending on the context usually.
One friend, tries to bring a bit of humour into the situation, by holding out her hand and saying in Kinyarwanda the same demand, ie, ndashaka ijana (i want 100). She usually says it with a smile until the other person laughs a bit and then they part.
This weekend this friend and I were on a long walk. She had had had an incredibly frustrating work experience that had made her feel quite unsettled about some things related to being a volunteer here as a foreigner and even Rwandan culture. She was venting more then usual about some of her negative experiences.
3 small boys stopped us and demanded money. She stuck with her typical reaction of asking the same back of them. After about 3 minutes of a back and forth, it appeared that the boys were trying to actually negotiate a handout down from 100 francs to 20 francs. That is until it became quite evident that one boy encouraged another to give my friend their only money, 20 francs (about a nickel). He handed it over.
Needless to say something very, very positive about the culture here: if someone has something (even the most poverty-stricken young boy) and they believe you need it more then they do, they will give it to you.
Now, I could debate and discuss for days why I do and do not give here. Or if that attribute really is positive (savings accounts are fairly rare here), but what I won`t debate is that those children showed us a kind heart. (In the end, we bought them a bag of cakes-after searching a ways down the road and returning to them, and explained that we do not like being called `umuzungu` and being asked for money all of the time...that we are here to help people with disabilities and we are volunteers...but that we see that they have good hearts because they wanted to help my friend...and we wanted to say thank you).
Next, just wanted to say, that no treadmill, awesome New Balance trainers, hikes to Pt Reyes or anything can put a girl in shape as much as a 2 hr 15 min `walk` just to my first work site the other day. The social agent I was working with defies all stereotypes about `African time` and African walking pace (usually fairly leisurly and slow). We were booking it the entire time. No food, no drink from 630 am to 6 pm, not good, but I may just come back in shape.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
This blog comes from Julie, Harriette, and Darryl:
It has been a great visit. Some highlights include: a farting elephant, a peeing giraffe, a recently-deceased zebra (of natural causes) being eaten by vultures, lion cubs, adolescent cheetahs playing, about 101 different bird species, missed luggage, cool lodges, car breakdowns, an elephant taking down a tree, the big 5 (cape buffalo, elephant, black rhino, lion, leopard), julie's big 4 (giraffe running, giraffe peeing, giraffe spreading legs to drink water, giraffe sex - castro style : ) ), duty-free shops in the Nairobi airport (we had a long layover), Trafalgar Square, Js house (wow!), Charles the wimpy silverback gorilla, dad getting kicked by a 300 lb lady (gorilla), hardcore hiking! literally up to our knees in mud! yea mom and dad, seeing Jack Hanna's house at our lodge, j's local market in Gikondo, an evening at Pasadena (see previous blog) highlighted by 2 amazing male intore (cow dancers), meeting j's colleagues, shopping for ikitenge (fabric), relaxing weekend on lake Muhazi including eating an entire grilled talapia weighing in at about 7 lbs, fancy city market, local and regional bus trips, lots of walking, mosquito nets around bed, visiting the Genocide Memorial museum in Kigali, visiting the orphans in j's neighborhood, meeting the guesthouse 'help' Didi and Gerard (Gerard had bought mom and dad welcome gifts! how sweet)
So proud of mom and dad for taking everything in stride and enjoying the trip and travels and new experiences (and learning some Kinyarwanda, WOW!).
It has been a great visit. Some highlights include: a farting elephant, a peeing giraffe, a recently-deceased zebra (of natural causes) being eaten by vultures, lion cubs, adolescent cheetahs playing, about 101 different bird species, missed luggage, cool lodges, car breakdowns, an elephant taking down a tree, the big 5 (cape buffalo, elephant, black rhino, lion, leopard), julie's big 4 (giraffe running, giraffe peeing, giraffe spreading legs to drink water, giraffe sex - castro style : ) ), duty-free shops in the Nairobi airport (we had a long layover), Trafalgar Square, Js house (wow!), Charles the wimpy silverback gorilla, dad getting kicked by a 300 lb lady (gorilla), hardcore hiking! literally up to our knees in mud! yea mom and dad, seeing Jack Hanna's house at our lodge, j's local market in Gikondo, an evening at Pasadena (see previous blog) highlighted by 2 amazing male intore (cow dancers), meeting j's colleagues, shopping for ikitenge (fabric), relaxing weekend on lake Muhazi including eating an entire grilled talapia weighing in at about 7 lbs, fancy city market, local and regional bus trips, lots of walking, mosquito nets around bed, visiting the Genocide Memorial museum in Kigali, visiting the orphans in j's neighborhood, meeting the guesthouse 'help' Didi and Gerard (Gerard had bought mom and dad welcome gifts! how sweet)
So proud of mom and dad for taking everything in stride and enjoying the trip and travels and new experiences (and learning some Kinyarwanda, WOW!).
