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

Week 2

Two weeks of school visits and an office re-organisation later I am still here and still enjoying the country. 

The old man's teeth volcanoe.

The top of Karisimbe

The three volcanoes in a line

A beautiful garden bird.

The scenery is breathtaking.  This morning we were up at 5.20 and saw the most amazing sunrise.  The volcanoes were so clear today that you could see every bump and crevice in them.  You could even see the top!  All the schools are pretty similar in construction and in methodology but the ones Roisin has been working with are beginning to use more child centred methods.  The teachers are more than happy to have you observe them and feed back to them and the Head teachers seem very willing to accept change and to want to improve.  There is a lot of new building going on in almost every school. 

First School Visit

Hi everyone.  Just had the most amazing first school visit ever!  Took the moto taxi for 40 minutes at 6.45 in the morning up the mountainside.  We passed, piglets, goats, cows, children and many agricultural workers.  Many more were already beavering away in the well tended and heavily cultivated fields.  We passed two spectacular waterfalls and eventually rose higher and higher until we had good views of Lake Ruhondo.  There was a mist over the landscape.

When we reached top we came across Group Scholaire Remera – a primary school and first three years of secondary school with approx. 2,900 pupils.  We met with the Head and Deputy Head and then observed two lessons .  One maths lesson with P3 pupils (aged around 8 or 9) and then

a science lesson with pupils in P5 (aged around 11 or 12). 

After the school visit the Deputy Head invited us to lunch at the retreat where she lives.  She is a nun.  We walked for about 10 minutes to the retreat which has its own gardens and is situated in a beautiful position on the top of the mountain with wonderful views of the Lake and volcanoes below. 

Wow what a day.

The first week!

Arrived to a cloudy day in Kigali.  Here is our first view of Kigali airport.

Met at the airport by Jean Claude, Ruth and Bosco all smiles and with a lovely gift of flowers.

We are staying at the Amani Guest house until next Wed 14^th September.  The people are extremely friendly and very nice.  Rooms are great and have power and running water.  The food is also good.
We have fresh pineapple every morning and omlette.  For lunch we usually have a Rwandan dish called melange which is a little of everything!  Usually beans, onions, cucumber, tomatoes, rice, fried potatoes, fried banana, spinach and a very small portion of a stew and/or fish.  Desert is bananas, tree tomatoes or passion fruit.  For evening meal it’s the same!

This is a typical Rwandan street near where the guest house is.

Despite it still being the dry season until the end of September it has rained for a while on most days and we had a serious thunder storm on two of the days so far.

Last night we had a get together with all the volunteers who are already in Rwanda which was nice and I met Roisin my flatmate.  We saw some dancers – they were great.

The men were good too.  Unfortunately it was so dark that the pictures have not come out very well.

Going to the market today which should be interesting. I haven’t tried out my skills on the moto taxis yet but hope to have my first expedition this afternoon. 

The Kinyargwanda is coming on but slowly or buhoro in Rwandan!  More to follow but for now murabeho – goodbye.

8 weeks to go!

Stig Rwanda style!

Better start getting used to writing a blog!  Preparations well underway.