Rwandan Wedding

Spent most of Saturday restoring an old apple ipad, that someone had donated to the disability group, to its former glory and getting all the programmes on it working for them. 

Set off to the wedding at 2pm in Mishinana (traditional dress) on the
back of a motorbike. Not much fun!

Worried about the dress getting caught in the wheels or blowing off etc.  Here is Nassa (Roisin's sister) Mike (Nassa's partner) Me Roisin and Stephen (Roisin's brother)

Anyway once the moto driver found the church - he went wrong a few times but eventually we ended up at the church. It turned out there were two weddings going on at the same time. Very strange and totally unrelated. The wedding I was attending had a military band (as the groom is obviously in the army.

Nadine looked very nice.

The service was about 2 hours long and the singing was beautiful. Then went by taxi to the reception.  Some traditions - bride offers groom a fanta!, groom reciprocates, then they do the same with the cake. Everyone who takes a present up to give to the newly weds has to make a speech.
The cake had a firework in the top of it which was quite unusual. 

The inthore dancers made several appearances which livened things up a bit.

We sneaked out at around 9pm thinking it was nearly over - only to be told that a bus was coming to take everyone to their house to continue the party - we bowed out at that stage.

A nice occasion and nice to be invited.

Work

Finally finished the training and all went well.  This week I have been working with two Head teachers trying to set up a template for them to use to timetable their staff in their schools without proper timetabling software – using Excel.  Not as easy as it sounds due to double shifting and the fact that they have very large schools, with large numbers of teachers and 12 periods in 1 day!  I have to prepare a presentation to the head teachers for Friday so busy doing that. 

During the last three weeks that we ran our training I also asked the head teachers to complete a ‘Needs Analysis’ for me with what training they needed outlined so I have the returns to analyse too. 

Nothing much has happened here, except I won the bid for the desks! Yippee.  I have been with the head teacher to the joiners to pay them half of the money to get the work started which gave me a real buzz.  They should be finished by 5^th January ready for the new term.  I hope I am as successful with the bid for the orphanage. 

It doesn’t feel like the 5^th December here as the days are still warm and sunny – very strange – but very nice.  I understand it’s snowing at home today.  Glad I’m not there!

Saw this little lad with his home made kite running down the road yesterday - lovely.

November

Booked a holiday with Kenyan Airlines to Zanzibar for Christmas with Karen another volunteer so thats something to look forward to!

The first week in November I was working on making the data the office hold on schools more efficient.  The records that the office kept on the schools were soooooo long winded and they were all on separate tabs on a spreadsheet.  I decided to rationalise the system and move all the data onto one central spreadsheet with just four tabs, infrastructure, facilities, teachers and pupils.  I began the process on Monday and had nearly finished it by Thursday.

Received two parcels from Mum and Dad this week so that was nice.  Cuppa soups (what a luxury and a complete surprise) earl grey tea (much needed and loved) and ankle tights (again much needed – my only pair has so many darns and holes in they are more darn than tight)  It’s nice to know people at home are thinking of you as I do really miss everyone. 

I was called into the Vice Mayors office and thought I had done something wrong but on the contrary I was being congratulated for the bid I had put into MTN for 15 laptops for the SEOs (Sector Education officers) Unfortunately I found out later in the week that my bid had not been successful so will now have to try putting in bids to other companies. 

You may recall we have had a motocycle school outside our house for the last year. 

Motorbike school outside our house.

Recently business has been booming and there have been no less than 17 motocycles out there!  The fumes are hellish and the noise of them all revving up all day is really annoying.  We asked who we should complain to and went to see the person concerned.   Apparently the school was not legal and it was blocking a public highway so they had not right to be there.  The next day there was no-one there!  Amazing......Couldn’t believe the prompt response though it was great.

Week two and three - had two very busy weeks – running district wide training on the New English Curriculum which came out in 2010 and which VSO volunteers had a hand in producing.

Margaret (another volunteer from Matimba) stayed with us all week to help out as the groups were very big for the first week.  Teachers have turned out in full force despite this being their holidays!  The highest number of teachers that came to a training session was 68.   (We had expected 40 that day)  We also ran one different kind of training for three schools who had requested it on Tuesday on 'Child centred methodology and resource making'. 

Full House!

Curious children

Our youngest delegate (3 weeks old)

Aruchacha  at the training

Went to the Serena in Gisengi for a day of much needed rest and recuperation last Saturday. 

I had put in a bid to Entraide Solidarity - the Association of Staff of the Council of Europe for 65 desks for a school and today I heard that I had won the bid for the money  so that's great.  Now just have to arrange to get them made before the new term starts in January.

Another volunteer was staying with us this weekend as she was visiting the gorillas.  So I spent a relaxing Saturday morning in the garden taking pictures of a lizard, many birds and a beautiful butterfly too. 

Lazy Lizard

Beautiful flowers in our garden

A weaver bird (I think)

Weather here is still about 20 degrees and  sunny.  Training this week has been less stressful than last week as we have got into the swing of it now and the numbers are smaller than the first week too.  Not sure what I am going to do tomorrow – kind of nice to have a ‘free weekend’


One more week of training to go......

Two months in!

Went to Gisengi by bus the weekend before last.  Saw the TTC (Teacher Training Centre) that Fiona works in and then had a walk by the Lake – it was a lovely day so we decided to grab a bit of 4* luxury for the afternoon and spent 3,000RWf buying a ticket to use the facilities of the Lake Kivu Serena hotel.  Not something you do every day on an subsistence allowance!  It was great.  Had the second hot shower since getting to Rwanda! it was lovely.

Fiona at the TTC

Lake Kivu Serena

View over Lake Kivu to Goma in DRC

A mobile nail polish seller we saw!  Anyone for a manicure?

On the way home on the bus I kept seeing all these mounds of carrots being stacked up in each village we passed.  It took me ages to get this shot through the bus window.  It must be carrot harvesting time!

Last weekend I spent Friday night helping to make a costume for Roisin my house mate for Halloween.  Here we are.  Needless to say I didn't dress for the occasion.  The other girls are the 'spice girls' from left to right Coral Carly Sarah Jo Fiona Kemi and Mary.

 

On Sunday we visited the Presidents Palace.  It has been home to two of Rwanda's presidents and was built in 1976.  Unfortunately you are not allowed to take photos inside the palace so here's one of us at the entrance. Me, Gloria, Margaret and Karen.

 

On the way back from our trip to Gitarama (where I had spent Friday night with Jo and Julia) we saw this lovely lad walking along the road with his toy.  Wow what an invention.  He's obviously going to be an inventor or car designer when he grows up.  It acutally all worked too - including moving wheels at the front.

Week 5

Sorgum drying outside houses on the road to Lake Karago

Lake Karago

Visited Lake Karago today.  Decided to get a moto to the lake and to try to get the bus back.  Didn’t work out quite this way in practise as the moto driver Mateus doesn’t speak much English and decided to accompany me.  No sooner had we arrived at the lake and we were already causing quite a stir.  I ended up with an entourage of around 5 young men who all decided to accompany me around the lake. 

Muddy trainers or what!  Wish I'd brough my boots!                       Bird at the lake

Mathias my moto drive and the entourage

Not quite the tranquil afternoon out I had imagined and no chance of bird watching as they all chattered all the way.  Two of the lads were studying Electronics at S3 (the middle year of secondary school) and another had finished S3 and was looking for work.  We set off over a bridge heading towards the lake shore.

It was like a swamp with oozing mud and bog quickly covering my new trainers both inside and out!  Yuk!  I suggested we turn back as it was too muddy so they then decided they knew a way around the lake so off we went.
On the way we saw a bee hive in a tree!

We also saw the meeting hall which was built on the steep slope by the lake where the village hold meetings.  We proceeded to walk around the lake and I tried to show them how to use binoculars which some of them liked and some couldn’t get the hang of using.  Needless to say my trainers had to have the full wash treatment when I got home.

Spent Monday in the office. Then Tuesday I travelled to Nyanza district to shadow another ELA.  Also met up with Coral who came over to Rwanda at the same time as me.  The journey took 4 ½ hours and then in the afternoon we travelled in the pouring rain for 1 hour on the back of a moto to a school which has been piloting adult literacy sessions as a way of increasing pupil attendance. 

Adult Literacy class

The school in questions marks have gone up by 100% in the last year – (how much of this is due to the project it is difficult to say.  There were two classes full of adults there (mothers with babies, old men and women, and younger men)  They have classes for those who can neither read nor write and classes for those who want to study entrepreneurialism and agriculture etc.  Set off home (another hour on a moto – again in the pouring rain.  Very muddy.  Went out to a local hotel with Coral in the evening and had a fish brochette and the best chips I have had since arriving in Rwanda.

On Wednesday woke up with a dodgy stomach so took two imodium and then went to see another school (another hour on the moto) where Melissa was doing "What makes a good school training with 7 head teachers from the same sector.  When we finished the rain was coming down in torrents and the clay paths had turned to very slippy sludge.  Slithered home very slowly on the motos getting stuck at every hill. 

Bare feet are best.

Had another immodium as I would be on a bus for the next 5 hours.  Returned to Musanze that afternoon on the bus (played games with a lovely young man who was so smily and happy and played with me all the way.

The boy on the bus.


They got off after about 30  mins and then someone vomited all over the person in front of them (apparently this is a regular occurrence as the Rwandans are not used to travelling on buses.  Wish they would ask the bus to stop though as it wasn’t pleasant the smell all the way home for the 1 ½ hours left!  I nearly bought them a bucket!

At Kigali I went to VSO office and then took a completely wrecked matata to Nyabagogo bus station.  Finally caught the bus back to Musanze at 6pm so arrived home after 8.30.  A long day.

20 October – Peter picked me up and took me to Rwinzovu school.  It was a beautiful morning this morning and the volcanoes looked absolutely stunning and majestic.

  Took lots of photos on the way up.  The school is up a very long, very bumpy and very muddy road which I had to walk in several places. 

Met with the head teachers of two schools Rwinzovu and Nyaribehe.  They were both very interested to see their results and to find out how I could help them. 

Week 4

Hi This week has been interesting too. On Tuesday there was the programme review for VSO.  This was a 5 hour long meeting with the head teachers and staff that Roisin has worked with, looking at the impact she has had on their schools and the value she has given to them.  We also looked at what they wanted to do in the future.

I was invited to some joint training at the TTC (Teacher Training College) in Kibungo  (in the South)  with Denis Walls who is doing the ELA role in that district until December.  I left Musanze at 4pm on Tuesday evening to travel to Kigali (2 hrs) then on to Kibungo (3 hours).  The training was held in the TTC at RAZA sector.  The room was very large and with lots of visual aids for the teachers to see.  29 Head teachers and teachers attended the training.  Jen (the TTC teacher) taught a model lesson covering the four areas of speaking and listening, reading and writing.  This was combined with using a text book.  Something we are very used to but they are not.  We then looked at different strategies for involving all the pupils in the lesson using visual aids as well as games, memory games, card sort activities, and pure visual aids which can be used in a number of different ways.  The whole day was interesting and as usual there were fantas and mandazi’s (a kind of dough ball) for break time.  The journey to Kibungo took me 5 hours in all so a long way to go but it was a great day.  I travelled back on Thursday morning. 

Thursday from 10.30am onwards it rained all day and has been raining today (Friday) from about 11 this morning too.  This morning I went to Kiryi school to meet with all the teachers and then to plan and teach some lessons with them.  Again this was well received.   The Head teacher and other teachers at the school are very keen to learn and delighted that I had decided to work with them.  We have arranged a training session for their staff and the staff of two other schools on 2 November at Muhoza II school.

Week 3

This week we were invited to attend a special sector event to celebrate World Teachers day. First there was food (a massive plateful!) followed by speeches and presentations of awards to the lucky 4 teachers who had been chosen to receive them. Then the dancing began. Take a look!

Guests of honour

Dancing after the event

Guests of honour again!

Started working in one school intensively this week (Gitinda) The moto ride to the school takes about 45 minutes and below are some pictures of the journey. Spectacular – but muddy and the roads left a lot to be desired. At one point Matias (my moto driver) got stuck in the mud but valiantly freed himself.

The Prize winners at World Teachers Day

Typical Rwandan Road