First Impressions:

• Brad & Kiki are awesome (my brother and sister-in-law). They've taken great care of me and made me feel at home. If I move out, I might starve to death. Cooking is not my forte.
• My neices Oliviana and Grace are super cute. I enjoy counting with Oliviana. It goes something like this - one, two, six, two, six, one. But six is beginning to sound more like three every day.
  
• The Rwandans have been very welcoming and hospitable. I look forward to getting to know the teachers and other YFC staff. I'm a big hit with the students - they love to stare, point, laugh, and say, "Bonjur", to which I reply, "Hello", and they laugh some more.
  
• It's really dry and dusty. Apparently, this is one of the driest dry seasons they've had for awhile. I've decided a layer of dust complements my skin tone quite nicely.
• Kibagabaga is a fun word. That's the hill we live on.
  
• Motos are fun, but I should have packed a helmet! I took a moto down the hill to get a phone and enjoy a cup of coffee with my new friend, Charlotte. The driver was very safe, but the communal helmet was way too big and the chin strap was tied together so that it could not be adjusted. No worries though - I held it on with one hand while using the other to keep my skirt from blowing up and revealing my knees. That may have been scandelous to all the onlookers.
  
• Kigali is a different city than it was a few years ago - it's expanded tremendously, a skyscrapper is being built, and it's much more westernized. I hear a lot more English (actually, it's more EngRish) around town, see a lot more jeans and women with braided hair, and even hear American music - the hardware store was playing some R&B and the grocery store was playing some top 40.
• For a mere 12,000 francs, I can buy a box of sugar smacks - that's around $21 USD. Instead I'm opting for the very cheap Whetabex. It's like oatmeal, only made with wheat instead of oats.
  
• Rice and beans are not so bad. We eat them every day for lunch with some cabbage and potatoes. It's especially good with seasoning salt, BBQ sauce, or super hot sauce called Pele Pele. I cleared out my sinuses today with a few too many drops of Pele Pele.
• I love dinner - that's when Kiki fixes a non-Rwandan meal.
  
• I love shower days, but showering everyday is really not necessary - spit baths on the off days work just fine. I already smell better than everyone I meet - it must be my natural phermones!
  
• The hills are really big and covered with several inches of dust (only a handful of the main roads are paved). I'm not sure I'll make it up the hill from our house driving a standard - luckily though, I'd have to roll back pretty far to hit the house below the road.
  
• I like having a dog and wouldn't mind having a cat. They eat or at least kill all the creatures that I'm not too fond of, like snakes and rats.
  

My new home

I've arrived! I'm staying with Brad & Kiki, just a few minutes up a giant hill to the school. Here's a few pictures of my new home.

The Front Yard & Porch - it's dry season, so the grass & trees are struggling.
The dog, Boochie - he's good at barking, killing rats and snakes, and running and jumping excitedly when you arrive home.



The water tank - it's dry season which means that frequently there is no water running through the water lines to the house, so then we rely on water in the water tank. When there is water available in the water lines, it fills up this tank. Rain water is also collected by the tank, but it hasn't rained in months.

This is the water heater. We plug it in a few times a week for hot showers. The climate is so warm that cold showers and spit baths are just fine for the other days.

My bed - I haven't seen a mosquito yet, but still sleep with the mosquito net. I hear malaria is no fun.

The bathroom - don't worry, the windows are tinted - you really can't see in

The kitchen - we eat rice and beans, potatoes, and cabbage for lunch every day and then Kiki fixes a delicious non-Rwandan dinner. I might be starving already if I were not staying with Brad & Kiki!


The view from my window - we live on Kibagabaga (sounds just like it's spelled, except the "K" makes a "CH" sound). It's a hill on the outskirts of Kigali with great views of the city.

July 2009 Newsletter

Life is full of paradoxes. The good comes with the bad, sorrow intermingles with joy, fear coexists with courage. My training this month centered around learning to live in and appreciate the new paradoxes that come with living cross-culturally.

As I leave for Rwanda, I’m experiencing so many paradoxes:

♦ Trading the known and comfortable for the unknown can be exciting and adventurous, while also being unsettling and anxiety inducing. Corrie Ten Boom said, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” While the unknown is scary at times, I’m finding more comfort in getting to know a God who can be known.

♦ The feelings of incompetence that come with learning a new job, a new language, and a new culture coexist with a love of learning newthings. I was reminded in training that I will be an agent of cheer to the Rwandan people as I butcher their language and commit major social faux pas. It’s not a comfortable role for me, but what a perfect opportunity to relax a bit, learn to laugh, and understand more fully the adequacy of God.

♦ Saying good goodbyes allows me to say good hellos. I hate goodbyes.
They are so sad and I’d rather avoid them altogether out of self-protection. Saying good goodbyes means honoring the people who love me by mourning the separation, remembering, and affirming how valuable they are to me. Good goodbyes allow me to say good hellos. It allows me to keep my heart soft and my mind open to new friends and new ways to draw near to old friends.

In acknowledging the paradoxes of life I’m finding the freedom to mourn and grieve, the freedom to rest in the midst of both the good and the bad, the freedom to hope, and the freedom to move forward into the unknown.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers over the last month. It’s been a great month of training and saying goodbyes. I’ll arrive in Kigali, Rwanda, on August 10. Please pray for me through the transition.