Doing Chores

As you can probably imagine, household chores here are a lot different than in the U.S.

Cooking – I eat a lot of bread, peanut butter, oatmeal, and fruit; but, I also do some real cooking over a little kerosene stove. To buy kerosene, I walk into town with an empty 1.5L water bottle and have it filled up at a stall at the market for 1,300F (about $2.50.) I mostly cook pasta (with butter, knock-off Laughing Cow processed cheese, or, every once in awhile, Kraft mac & cheese or other sauce mixes sent from home), couscous (with butter), rice (with soy sauce), and occasional vegetables (mainly onions, carrots, and green peppers). I’ve been keeping an eye out for peas and green beans, but sadly haven’t seen them yet. I have no intention whatsoever of ever trying to cook meat on my own here, but we’ll see if I (wo)man up.

Dishes – I wash dishes by hand and them dump the water outside. To cut down on dishes to wash and thus water use, I typically eat out of a pot or frying pan, and (depending on what I made) I use the water I cooked with to wash it.

Cleaning – I clean by sweeping dirt, dust, dead bugs, and animal droppings outside and by dumping the water I bucket-showered or washed clothes with (water is scarce!) on the floor and squeegee-ing it outside.

Laundry – I wash my clothes by hand in a basin and hang them on a clothesline in my spare bedroom.

Rwandans often ask why I don’t hire someone to cook and clean for me, which I’ve thought about doing, especially since those tasks take so much longer and are so much more difficult here than they are at home. In Rwanda, as in many countries, it’s nearly a given that most families have a houseboy/housegirl to do their chores. But, it seems that people who live on their own don’t have one, which obviously makes sense, since they’re only doing chores for one person and not a whole family. Now, it’s fairly rare here for people to live on their own, as most live with their parents until they get married. But, my town is full of university students around my age who live on their own, and I think it’s most appropriate for me to match their standard of living. As someone who’s trying to integrate and to reduce the gap between “us” and “them,” I think it’s important for people to know that I, a rich and exotic muzungu, am not above doing the work that Rwandans in similar living situations do. I feel conflicted, though, because hiring an umukozi would mean giving somebody a job, which would obviously be a good thing. I do occasionally have pay someone to tend to the small farm that is my yard, so that’s something.

Questions from Rwandans

Here are some questions I’m frequently asked by Rwandans:

-You’re from America? But, how did you learn French?

-Do you know how to ride a bike? Drive a motorcycle? Drive a car?

-Do you have your mother? And father? (I think this is frequently asked because it's so, so common here to have only one living parent or neither parent.)

-Do you have sisters and brothers? (My response of, “No,” is often met with cries of, “Oh! I’m sorry!")

-Why did your parents only have one child?

-Why do Americans have so few children, when they have the means to have more?

-Are there roads like this (meaning unpaved, rocky, narrow ones) in America?

-What do you use for dowries in America? Cows? Money?

-Do you have cows/beans/bananas in America?

-Do you have farms/farmers in America? Do they use machines?

-Do you have machines in America that wash dishes and clothes?

-How much does school/a car/a house cost in America?

-How much does a plane ticket to America cost?

-How are black Americans different from Africans?

-How is Rwanda different from America?

-Is there poverty in America? (Yes.) But, is it poverty like this?

-Are there prostitutes in America? (Yes.) But, are they white?

-When people get married in America, do they sign a contract saying their marriage will last a certain length of time, like five years? (This is evidently a very common misconception.)

-What are political campaigns like in America?

-Are there political rallies in America?

-Did you vote in the election? (referring to Rwanda’s Presidential election)

-When people see an African in the U.S., do they scream, "Black person! Black person!"? (I am not kidding, I get asked this all the time.)

Ryan Comes to Rwanda

My boyfriend Ryan came to visit Rwanda for two weeks in August. Here’s what he had to say about his first experience in Africa.

I differ significantly from the average Peace Corps Volunteer. Before this trip, I had never spent time abroad, much less in Africa, or been involved in any type of social work. So, this was my first experience seeing true poverty. I’m well aware that Rwanda is considered a success story among African nations; there’s an exquisitely developed infrastructure when it comes to roads and telecommunications, among other things. Once we left Kigali, however, it became readily apparent that Rwanda has two different sides: a country that is rapidly developing and has many modern amenities (which are often used by foreign aid workers) and a much more poverty stricken people who must watch as their country passes them over.

One possible factor to the poverty of Rwanda is its population density. As someone who grew up in a fairly small town (55,000) and went to college in an even smaller one (35,000), I was taken aback by how crowded some places were, especially near the bus stations in Kigali. However, one thing that I did not expect was how organized this dense group of people would still be. The buses ran on time for the most part, the roads were free of accidents (with one exception I saw on the first day there), and my flight even left on time from Kigali (which could not be said for a few places in the U.S. and Europe). This was very different from the vision of Africa that is perpetuated in the U.S.

In Jen’s town, Nyagatare, the gap between the have and have-nots is more obvious. Here, mud-brick houses stand across the street from elegant ones that would be seen as somewhat upscale in the U.S. The government plans to make changes that would make this one of the more modern sectors in the country, by adding an athletic stadium, eco-tourism sites, and numerous infrastructural improvements. They also plan to create a “knowledge city” around Umutara Polytechnic, the university there. I find this last addition to be a bit questionable, as the scholarships of many university students are being revoked in favor of increasing funding for primary education. At any rate, Nyagatare should be receiving a considerable amount of funding in the coming decade, which will attract more people to it. Whether these improvements will reduce the stark contrast between rich and poor remains to be seen.

Possibly one of the most interesting experiences I had in Rwanda was attending a church service in Nyagatare. Everyone has a script for what they believe an event will be like, and it helps us to prepare for the actions that will take place during the event. My script for church did not exactly fit what a Rwandan church service would be like, though. First of all, I felt comfortable during much of the sermon, as it was very similar to church services in the U.S. (it was in Kinyarwanda, but a young guy sitting next to me translated the whole thing into English, so I had a good understanding of what was happening). Every once in a while, however, a song would start up. When this happened, the whole front section of the church burst into some pretty intense dancing while very upbeat music was playing. The liveliness, though very enjoyable, was a bit more than I was prepared for. Never before have I felt as white and self-conscious as I did then, in my inability to dance with the Rwandans there.

One of the trips Jen and I had decided to take while I was in Rwanda was to the beautiful Nyungwe National Park. The forest is known for the chimpanzees, among other primates, that reside there. As part of our trip, we were going to stay with two other Peace Corps Volunteers in the village of Banda on the edge of the forest. On our way down the nearly 1,000-foot descent from the road to the village, we were able to spot a group of (I’m estimating 100) Colobus monkeys jumping from tree to tree. It was my first time seeing a monkey outside a zoo, so seeing close to a hundred of these little black and white bearded monkeys together was pretty fascinating.

As someone from Montana, I have always loved the outdoors. So when planning my trip to Rwanda, seeing the beauty of the rainforest was definitely one of my top priorities. However, once I arrived at Nyungwe, I realized that I was markedly more interested in the fascinating people and culture in Banda. What I saw in Banda was a very different picture of Rwanda than I had seen in Kigali. Here, for example, there was very little medical attention available for the people of the village, and a great demand for it, as far as I saw. Until a few days before I arrived, there was no cell phone coverage in the village valley, in stark contrast to the rest of Rwanda. Despite being one of the less developed areas in the country, the people in Banda were incredibly upbeat. Walking from the Volunteers’ house to the school where they work involved a bit of a hike through the valley. This hike started with maybe three kids walking along side us; however, by the end, I’m estimating a hundred children were involved in the trek. This became a bit strenuous, as the children began to hold our hands to point of having six or eight kids hanging off of me at any one time. Regardless of the extra weight we had to pull up the hill, it was really enjoyable, especially since the hike ended with all children singing and dancing for us.

My journey to Rwanda was one of the most exciting and eye-opening experiences of my life. I think anyone who is interested in taking a vacation should consider what Africa and specifically Rwanda has to offer. Though the cost of getting there is quite steep (around $2,000 from the U.S.), it is a relatively inexpensive affair once you’re there and is well worth the money. The culture differs greatly from the Western lifestyle that we are accustomed to, but the people I met were amazing. I especially enjoyed spending time with the children there. I wasn’t really able to communicate with them, but the language of fun is universal (for some reason they absolutely loved playing with my hair and beard). The people are incredibly generous and hospitable to the point that I sometimes felt a bit uncomfortable having come from a much less welcoming culture. Many Westerners choose to believe that Africa is desperately poor and incapable of ever overcoming its poverty. Rwanda stands in direct opposition to this mistaken belief.

One Couple, Two Stories

Nobody’s life is defined by just one story, and, without recognizing the various stories, it’s impossible to actually know the people or understand the culture.

I recently went with a friend to visit her sister and brother-in-law, a newly-wed couple whose dowry ceremony I attended a few weeks ago. (In Rwanda, the dowry is actually a bride price, which the family of the groom presents to the family of the bride, and usually consists of cows or money.) The ceremony seemed like something that might appear in a National Geographic article on “primitive tribal festivals” or something equally insolent. It lasted several hours and consisted of speeches from the men in both families, singing, traditional drumming, and multiple Intore dance performances. The groom put a ring on the bride’s left middle finger (signifying that she is unavailable but not yet married), and she put a beaded necklace on him. Members of both families elaborately and ritually exchanged gifts. Everyone involved (the complete wedding party probably totaled 50 people) was dressed in traditional clothes, effectively a scarf wrapped as a skirt with a matching one tied as a one-shouldered top, mostly in leopard print (which also decorated the stage area). It really was the type of thing people imagine when they think about “Africa.” From a Western perspective, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think that people who hold such a ceremony are “conservative” or “traditional”.

Flash forward a few weeks to the night I visited the couple at their house. They appeared to be the most modern, Western people I’ve met in Rwanda. They live in the nicest house I’ve been in here, complete with a TV and stereo system. Both are educated, and the husband in particular speaks excellent French. They were both dressed like Americans, and fashionable ones at that – she looked like she was going to a club in New York City, and he looked like he just stepped out of an Abercrombie & Fitch ad. Plus, they acted like they’re actually in love – something I see very, very rarely here. They sat close to each other, chatted, and (gasp!), he even put his arm around her. All this would have been interesting regardless, but was particularly fascinating to me, having just attended their dowry ceremony, where they seemed so very different.

What I’m not yet clear on is why Rwandan couples, like this one, hold dowry ceremonies today. Is it possible that people who, in some ways, seem so very Western still believe that a woman must be bought? Or, has the dowry ceremony become something that people go through the motions of because it’s tradition? Or, does it happen against the will of the couple because the heads of the family insist on it?

I actually think this nicely illustrates the “iceberg-culture analogy” that many study abroad students and international volunteers are taught. It describes culture as an iceberg, because the most noticeable part is the part you can see, but the most important part is the part you can’t see. You can see how people dress, what they eat, and what their houses look like, but you can’t see what they think and how they feel and why. In this case, I can see how the same people sometimes seem so traditional and sometimes seem so modern, but I don’t know what they actually think or what their beliefs are ultimately rooted in.

To me, this also highlights the fundamental complexity that exists in everyone but is often ignored in Africans. You might see a photo from the dowry ceremony and think, “Oh, these people are so traditional.” Maybe you wouldn’t be wrong, but you’d only be getting half of the story. At the same time, if you saw a picture from the night I visited, you might think, as I did, “Wow, these people are so modern,” but that’s still only half the story.

As some bloggers I read have complained, Africans are frequently painted as one-dimensional figures whose lives are dominated by suffering, rather than as people with ideas, opinions, goals, motivations, feelings, uncertainties, and desires. Failing to recognize their actual humanity is a mistake made too often by Westerners, including those in aid and diplomacy, where this error is the most harmful. Because it stops them from seeing the reality, it prevents aid workers from providing substantive assistance and diplomats from forging effective relationships. To be successful, they must recognize each of the peoples’ various stories, not only those that fit into a preconceived notion of what “Africans” are like.

Here’s a great speech by Nigerian author Chimamanda Adiche on the topic - "The Danger of a Single Story."

Another Side of Kigali

When I’m Kigali, which isn’t too often, it’s a chance to relax, catch up with fellow Volunteers, enjoy Western food, stock up on things I can’t get in Nyagatare, and frequent muzungu hang-outs where I can be somewhat anonymous. As such, most of my time in Kigali has been spent downtown and in the wealthier neighborhoods. But, I recently had an opportunity to see another side of Kigali, and it was fascinating.

While waiting for Ryan (whose two-day journey from Bozeman to Kigali has become a five-day one, and he’s currently still stuck in Brussels), I was staying alone at Auberge La Caverne, a small budget hotel on the edge of downtown. Walking from downtown to the hotel, it was clear that this area was worlds away from Union Trade Center, the muzungu hub housing both Nakumatt and Bourbon Coffee. So, after checking-in at the hotel, I decided to do a little exploring. Continuing past the hotel and away from downtown, I came upon a seemingly-poor residential area, dotted with hole-in-the-wall boutiques (small stores or kiosks that sell an incredibly random assortment of things), tiny restaurants, and blue bars (many local bars in Rwanda are painted bright blue, the color of the Primus label). Each mud-brick house nearly touched the next, families sat on the ground outside, women washed clothes in basins and cooked over charcoal stoves, children played on the narrow paths. Free of anything that would attract a tourist or ex-pat, it felt more like “real Africa” (whatever that means) than anywhere else I’ve been in Kigali.

During my walk, I unexpectedly befriended a Rwandan girl around my age named Amélie who lived in the neighborhood. As Rwandans often do, she immediately invited me to visit her home. The brief visit was really the quintessential Rwandan experience.

As we climbed up the hill from the main road and squeezed between the houses, she greeted and introduced me to nearly every person we passed. “Mwiriwe! Amakuru? Dufite umushitsi!” – “Good afternoon! How are you? We have a visitor!” When we reached her house, three members of her family were cooking outside. She led me into the cramped living room and sat me down on the couch. Before I had even sat down, she asked if I’d like a Fanta, which flavor, and whether I preferred warm or cold. I requested a cold Fanta Orange, and she dashed out of the house, returning a minute later with a bottle of Fanta. After popping the cap off, she looked at the bottle, frowned, and told me that bottle was not good. She left again and returned almost immediately with a new bottle. After opening the new bottle and determining that it was good, she turned on the TV and put on a DVD of Rwandan music videos. As I took my first sip of Fanta, she informed me that she was going to go shower (by “shower,” I mean “bucket bath”). In Rwanda, that’s a pretty normal thing to do when you have a visitor. She went into another room and returned a second later, topless. Again, not entirely out of the ordinary here. So, I sat in their living room alone for a few minutes, drinking Fanta, and watching music videos of Tom Close and the Urban Boys. After returning from the shower, she asked if I’d like another Fanta, but I told her I needed to get going, as it was already dark. (I don’t typically walk around by myself after dark. But, I knew that, as I was her visitor, she would walk at least part of the way back with me, so I wasn’t worried.) Both Amélie and her brother walked with me through their neighborhood to the main road, and, as expected, she continued with me almost the entire way back to the hotel. It really was the quintessential visit in every way, and evidence that the random experiences and contact with local culture that Peace Corps Volunteers crave is possible in Kigali.

While Kigali is certainly more developed and more Western than any other part of Rwanda, it was interesting to see, and I think it’s important to recognize, that there is a lot more to the city than the areas where most muzungus spend most of their time.

Religion in Rwanda

Religion in Rwanda, as in many African countries, is a different phenomenon than it is in the U.S.

For one thing, religion is nearly universal in Africa – I would venture to say over 95% of Africans are religious. For another, people are dedicated – the vast majority of those regularly pray and attend services (and these services commonly last between three and five hours). Because religious practice is not concentrated among older people as it is in most Western countries (added to the fact that both life expectancy and the average age in many African countries is very low), many African churches overflow with young people. Further, religious belief is almost assumed in most African countries – common questions are not “Are you religious?” or “What are your religious beliefs?” but rather, “Are you Muslim or Christian?” and “Are you Catholic or Protestant?” There is little room in most African societies for atheism, agnosticism, questioning of religion, or really even thinking critically about it.

Rwanda is no exception, and effectively the entire population participates in some form of organized religion. Like most in the region, Rwanda is a predominantly Christian country (as opposed to the predominantly Muslim countries of North and West Africa), and the religious breakdown here is as follows: 56% Catholic, 26% Protestant, 11% Adventist, 5% Muslim, 2% other. A recent Pew Forum report on religion in Africa stated that 60 percent of Rwandans view religious tension as a problem here. I’m not sure what they mean by religious tension or if their statistic is accurate, but I haven’t seen any obvious signs of tension. I have heard from other Volunteers that Muslims in some parts of Rwanda are really discriminated against, especially Muslim students in schools, but I’ve yet to see this firsthand.

I’ve been attending the Presbyterian Church in Nyagatare, and services here differ significantly from those at First Presbyterian Church in my hometown of Great Falls, Montana. Our services normally last over 2.5 hours (but pass surprisingly quickly!), and over half that time is taken up by worship. Worship here is a lot like it was at the Baptist Church I attended in Senegal, and not at all like anything I’ve ever seen in the U.S. Almost all of the music is very upbeat, and this church has an electric keyboard (and they make full use of all the various sounds it can make!). Further, in addition to clapping, most of the music is accompanied by dancing, which ranges from simple swaying to jumping up and down to marching through the aisles. A fried who was sitting by me one week explained that people dance at church here because it “expresses joy,” and everyone is shocked when I say there is no dancing at church in America.

Most church services in Rwanda, including those at the Presbyterian Church here in Nyagatare, take place entirely in Kinyarwanda. There’s one church in my town with English services, so I’m thinking about alternating, since that would be a little more personally meaningful. I’d also be interested to see who in Nyagatare attends English services, since I’ve only met one person who doesn’t speak much Kinyarwanda (he’s from Kenya).

NGOs Wasting Money...

This post is going to be a rant similar to this one, which I wrote a couple months ago.

To generalize, NGOs waste money. They literally throw it away. I really do not understand how they justify this, who makes these decisions and why, and how/whether it shows up in their financial reports.

As a side note, most of the NGO projects I’ve been exposed to in Rwanda have been funded, in some way or another, by USAID. Maybe these issues are specific to USAID-funded projects. I have no idea.

The first way NGOs waste money – staff trainings. Staff trainings are vital to the success of any project, and are an especially good practice when they transfer skills and knowledge to locals. I fully support trainings and workshops, particularly for host country staff. But, is there any reason staff trainings should not be cost efficient? It really seems like some NGOs are trying to waste money.

First, if a significant proportion of the attendants do not learn anything from the training because they do not speak the language in which it is conducted, bringing those participants to the workshop is a waste of money. Second, if the venue chosen for the training is fancier than necessary and more expensive than other options, it is a waste of money. Third, the NGO hosting the training should provide accommodation. But, if they choose to house everybody at the fanciest hotel in town, and to give each person their own room when rooms are designed for 2-4 people, it is a waste of money. Fourth, the NGO should also provide food during the training. But, when participants are fed every three hours, it is a waste of money. Fifth, for meals not provided, the NGO should give participants a per diem. But, when one can easily dine in a decent restaurant for 2,500F (about $4.17), but the NGO gives each participant 5,000F-7,000F per meal (about $8.33-$11.67), it is a waste of money. Sixth, and the last note on meals, when the NGO provides participants with a meal and also gives them a stipend to cover that meal, it is a waste of money. Finally, the NGO should reimburse participants for transportation. But, when the NGO staff know that it costs 5,000F (about $8.33) to travel round-trip from Nyagatare to Kigali, but give participants making that trip 15,000F (about $25) to cover transportation, it is a waste of money. Even worse, when the NGO staff provides transportation stipends to participants who did not even have to travel to the training, it is a waste of money. Not only is this money not providing aid, it’s not even being spent on/given to people who need it – it’s going to Westerners and middle/upper-class locals.

Sadly, such wasteful expenditures are not limited to staff trainings.

The second way NGOs waste money – meetings/trainings in the field. It is crucial for NGO staff to meet with beneficiaries, and, for some projects, it is a good practice to provide trainings for them. I fully support this. But, again, some NGOs are really making a solid effort to waste money.

First, if the beneficiaries incur a cost traveling to a meeting, the NGO should reimburse them. But, in many cases, a meeting is held for residents of a particular village/cell/town, so everybody walks both ways because it’s so close and, in rural areas, there’s no public transportation there anyway. If the NGO gives each participant 2,500F (about $4.17) for transportation anyway, it is a waste of money. Second, a leader of some kind is often present at a meeting. For example, if the meeting is at a church, the pastor of that church might be there; if the meeting is at a health center, the director of that health center might be there. In those cases, attending said meeting is probably part of that person’s job requirements. And, they were obviously already there, working at their church/health center/etc., anyway. If the NGO gives those leaders 5,000F (about $8.33) for transportation, it is a waste of money. When said leaders accept this money, it is really despicable. It seems both parties are aware of this, as this money is sometimes (though not always) literally given under the table.

The third way NGOs waste money – staff per diems in the field. These expenditures apply not only to formal meetings, but also to aid workers/volunteers going about their daily work in the field. First and second, apply all the same expenditures regarding transportation and food. Third, if an NGO employee/volunteer has these expenses covered (and covered in excess), but the employee/volunteer is not actually contributing anything, it is an even bigger waste of money.

I’ve already received 70,000F (about $116.67) in excess reimbursements/per diems.

I’m one person, working at one site, being paid by one NGO, and I’ve only been here for three months. Assuming my case is not unique, and I’m fairly confident it isn’t, let’s estimate how much money is wasted by NGOs worldwide.

I’m making the rest of these numbers up, but let’s assume:

$116.67/person x 4 quarters/year x 10 volunteers/organization x 40 organizations/country x 150 countries receiving aid = $28,000,800 being wasted every year.

$28,000,800 of “aid” money going into the pockets of Westerners – and that doesn’t even include all the other ways NGOs waste money. That’s only looking at reimbursements/per diems for international volunteers, which is one very tiny factor in the operations of any NGO. Imagine what could be done with the total amount of money that is wasted by NGOs every year… The end of poverty? Kidding. But, still.

Okay, I’m done for now. More ranting to come, I’m sure.

Rwanda's Presidential Election

A Presidential election will take place in Rwanda tomorrow. The past few weeks have seen frequent political rallies attended by tens of thousands of people in rural areas and I can’t imagine how many in Kigali. These events consist mainly of speeches from candidates and their supporters, music and dance performances, and groups marching through the streets chanting and drumming. Even remote corners of Rwanda are plastered with RPF (Rwandan Liberation Front) paraphernalia – posters, flags, ribbons, t-shirts, scarves, hats, etc.

Current President Paul Kagame is widely favored to win another seven-year term. Three candidates are running against Kagame – Vice-President of the Chamber of Deputies and former Minister of Health Jean Damascène Ntawukuriryayo (Social Democratic Party), Vice-President of the Senate and former Minister of Commerce Prosper Higiro (Liberal Party), and Senator Alvera Mukabaramba (Party for Progress and Concord) – though all are from parties closely aligned with the RPF. All other opposition politicians were barred from participating in the election.

I, like everyone else watching the election, am fairly certain Kagame will win by an overwhelming majority. It’s hard to say what will happen next; I expect there to be some small-scale protesting in Kigali and perhaps other major towns, but nothing to really get out of hand. (But I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed and praying for peace.)

Rwanda’s election and the events that have led up to it have garnered a lot of attention in international media and the blogosphere.

A timeline of recent events in Rwanda:

• Feb 20: "Rwandan capital Kigali hit by deadly grenade attacks" - BBC News
• March 5: "Kigali hit by twin grenade attacks" - BBC News
• April 21: “Presidential Candidate Is Arrested in Rwanda” – New York Times
• April 21: “Newspapers suspended; opposition assaulted and threatened” – IFEX
• May 16: “Grenade Attacks Shake Capital of Rwanda” – New York Times
• May 28: “Rwanda arrests US lawyer Erlinder for genocide denial” – BBC News
• June 20: “Former Rwandan army chief shot in South Africa. Was it an assassination attempt?” – Christian Science Monitor
• June 25: “Rwanda ‘assassins’ kill reporter Jean Leonard Rugambage” – BBC News
• July 14: “Rwanda Opposition Leader Found Dead” – New York Times
• July 15: “Tanzania lawyer at Rwanda genocide court shot dead” – BBC News

Some perspectives on the election:

• "President Paul Kagame under scrutiny" - The Economist
• “Four candidates but only one voice as Rwanda prepares for elections” – Daily Nation (Kenya)
• “Rwanda’s elections: what to watch” – Texas in Africa (blog)
• “Rwandan election: We should be more sceptical of Mr Kagame” – The Guardian
• "The real challenge for Kagame" - Congo Siasa (blog)
• “Nerves On Edge as Election Nears” – Los Angeles Times
• “Kagame mania peaks as Rwandan poll nears” – Sydney Morning Herald
• "RPF campaigns end on a high note" - The New Times (Rwanda)

A New Experience

I’ve lived in Africa before, which definitely helped prepare me for my Peace Corps service, but I’ve been realizing lately just how different this experience is from my others in Africa.

I’m living completely on my own. I lived with host families in Senegal and Uganda, which meant that I didn’t have too worry too much about things like buying furniture, shopping for groceries, cooking, cleaning, washing clothes, and disposing of trash. While homestays inevitably bring their share of awkwardness and sometimes even conflict, I’m realizing how easy it was to be taken care of. Now, I have so many more things to figure out and take care of on my own. Living alone is also offering a different sort of insight into the culture – while I have to make a more concerted effort to integrate and to see daily life, I’m also being forced to learn a lot of things I wouldn’t be if I were living with a host family.

There are no other Westerners around. When there are other Westerners around, I think I automatically judge my behavior, at least to some extent, based on what the other Westerners are doing, rather than on what locals are doing. Being the sole muzungu here has made me significantly more aware of local cultural norms and of how people perceive me and my behavior. Further, I think that, when there’s a group of muzungus doing things locals perceive as strange, they just think muzungus do weird things. Here, it’s just me, and if I do something that’s inappropriate, it would reflect on me personally and affect my relationships with people here. And, that’s particularly important because, socially, all I have here are my relationships with locals. (As a side note, my town actually has a few other muzungus – there’s two German girls with the German Development Service who live at the Catholic parish and two American guys who are World Teach volunteers at the secondary school. But, they don’t live near me, and they must not get out much, because I never run into any of them in town and people rarely mention them – which is notable, since, of course, everyone makes sure to tell me if they see another muzungu.)

I’ll be here much longer. Everything changes when you’re going to be some place for an extended period of time, and two years is a long time. I’m learning more, building more relationships, and gaining a deeper understanding of the culture.

I’m trying to be a change agent. A big part of being a Peace Corps Volunteer is working with people in your community and trying to address problems and create change. People don’t want to work with or listen to muzungus they don’t like and respect, so it’s extra important to be aware of your behavior and form solid relationships.

I’m more integrated in the community. Because of all the aforementioned factors, I’m much more integrated here than I have been anywhere else. Being part of a community is a very different feeling than being an visitor. Nyagatare is starting to feel like home, and it feels great.

I’ve realized just how much people here talk about muzungus. As my Kinyarwanda is improving, I’m hearing it for myself more and more. Plus, several of my good friends here say people talk about me and ask them about me constantly. One of them says he always knows where I am because every time someone he knows sees me, they tell him. (Constant updates of, “Jen is walking down the street,” and, “I saw the muzungu buying phone credit at that store” must be fascinating for him.)

Being the only Westerner around and living alone is making me more aware of the culture, helping me build more meaningful relationships with locals, and giving me an experience unlike others I’ve had in Africa. This experience is more personally and socially challenging on a daily basis, but, while I think my heart may always be in Senegal, I’m finding it to be the most rewarding yet.

College Town

As I’ve said before, I live in the Rwandan equivalent of a college town. I love college towns, so this is a real treat.

The university here, Umutara Polytechnic, is comprised of six faculties – Business, Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine, Information & Communication Technology, Technology & Applied Science, and Language, Communication & Media.

I’m not really sure what the quality of instruction is like. Several students have complained to me that their teachers are not well-qualified or that they frequently make mistakes. People have also told me that the library doesn’t have very many books, the computer lab doesn’t have very many well-functioning computers, and everything they learn is theoretical. The students also don’t have textbooks for the most part. They buy photocopies from the school for some things, but not all the students can afford them (it’s 30 francs, about 5 cents, per page, and there’s a lot of hand-outs); for other things, they take turns reading the one copy of the book in the library. I’m hoping to sit in on some classes at some point and get a better idea of what things are like.

Anyway, a lot of my good friends here are students, and they are really impressive. Many of them are from extremely poor families in very rural villages and grew up without electricity or other resources. On top of that, a lot of them are genocide survivors, who witnessed violence at an early age (around 6 for most of them), lost family members, and were even left to care for their siblings. But, they still finished secondary school and earned government scholarships to study at university. In a country where many people don’t complete secondary school and very few pursue higher education, that’s a really amazing accomplishment.

Even now, most of the students don’t have a lot of resources, but they work really hard (unless they’re always lying to me when they say they’re studying!). A lot seem to spend hours in the library, they come by with their reading assignments and ask me about words they don’t know, they practice English all the time, they sit in my house and copy vocab lists out of my Kinyarwanda books.

As the Rwandan government just changed the language of education from French to English last year, the students who grew up in Rwanda (which is the majority of them, as far as I know) are facing some difficult challenges. Imagine if you took a few hours of Spanish class per week in high school, then got to college and were told that everything was going to be conducted in Spanish. It would be a disaster. But, that’s what the kids here are dealing with, and they’re doing a remarkable job. Not only do they have little experience in English, but they’re not always getting great instruction in English, as not all of the teachers speak it very well either. Plus, they don’t have a lot of opportunities to really practice. I guess that’s where I come in – I’m really happy that I’m able to help them and give them a chance to practice. Two of my good friends were at my house the other day, and they told me that I explain things really well and that I’m helping them a lot – it was definitely a highlight!

Update

Wow, it’s been awhile! Life at site has been keeping me pretty busy recently. My time is mainly divided between working at my official job and trying to integrate into my community.

Most of my work is done in other sectors, which means I get to travel around the district a lot. I haven’t left Rwanda yet, but I’ve seen both Uganda and Tanzania! I mostly go to cooperative meetings and to health outreach trainings. Many of the cooperatives are just getting started, so we’re helping them conduct elections and set their procedures. Soon, they’ll start working more on income-generating activities and on micro-savings and micro-lending, which I’m really excited about. The health outreach trainings are mainly for Community Health Workers, religious leaders, and youth who have been chosen to work as peer educators. The trainings teach them about AIDS prevention, family planning, malaria prevention, water hygiene, and nutrition; provide them with resources; and, teach them how to educate others on health issues. I love that this project trains people to train others, because it will be more sustainable and have a bigger impact. My best day in the field so far was a at youth outreach event, which involved performances of traditional music and dance, football games for girls and boys, and speeches from youth on AIDS prevention.

I occasionally work in the office here in town, mostly on computer-related tasks that nobody else in my office can do [efficiently]. I’m trying to take those opportunities to teach my supervisor and other co-workers some computer skills that would be helpful for them. Hopefully, they’ll soon feel comfortable enough with computers that they won’t need my help any more. I’m a big believer that aid workers should aim to work themselves out of a job.

That about sums up my official job, which has been fine, but what’s been a lot more meaningful to me are the relationships I’m developing with people here. As my Kinyarwanda improves buhoro buhoro (little by little), I’m able to communicate a bit more with my neighbors, most of whom speak exclusively Kinyarwanda. But, sometimes I translate in my head things I say in Kinyarwanda. For example, my neighbor’s umukozi (housegirl) went to visit her family in her home village for a while and just returned. Wanting to say, “I’m happy you’re back,” I said, “Nishimiye wavuye hano” – “I’m happy you came here.” Only, I’m pretty sure that’s not grammatically correct, so it probably came across more like, “I is happy you came here.” Great.

Because religion is such a big part of the culture in Rwanda, like in most African countries, going to church is really important for integration. I’ve been going to the Presbyterian Church almost every Sunday and have made several good friends there. Last Sunday, the choir sang a song in English for me – I was so touched!

A lot of Peace Corps Volunteers barricade themselves alone in their houses as soon as it gets dark, which is around 6:00pm here. I did that for about a week before I got really bored and sick of being alone, felt unproductive, and realized I was missing out on a lot. I go out at night now, and it’s very liberating. Because so few people have electricity and there are so many fields, my neighborhood gets pitch dark, so I don’t really go wandering around alone at night. But, I go out with people whenever possible, go to the store across the street, visit my neighbors, and have people over. You can’t integrate when you’re spending 14 hours a day alone in your house, and I’m pretty sure it’s not healthy, so I’m feeling much freer and more social now.

Things That Are Illegal Here

I've gradually discovered that a surprising number of things are illegal in Rwanda, so I'm keeping a running list. Here are the crimes I've discovered so far:

-Plastic bags (should be the case everywhere...)

-Talking about ethnicity (an attempt to reduce ethnic tension)

-Homosexuality (sad, but common in Africa)

-Mosquito nets that haven't been treated with insecticide

-Being barefoot outside (It seems this is not actually enforced...)

-A pregnant woman being tested for HIV w/o the father present

-Not having a kitchen garden (an effort to improve nutrition)

-Accusing someone of having been a member of the Interahamwe

-Prostitution (not the case in all African countries)

-Polygamy (ditto)

-Not participating in umuganda

Football Fever

As most of you likely know, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, held in South Africa, kicked off on Friday. If you’re familiar with Africa, you can probably imagine that this is an exciting time across the continent.

As it seems screenings of World Cup games are akin to cultural events, and thus a good opportunity to work on integration, I’ve watched the majority of the games that have been played thus far, mostly with students at the university in my town. Granted, I was watching a small TV from the back of a large room and could barely tell when goals were scored, but I still caught both the excitement about football and the pride for Africa.

While watching the games the past few days, a few things have stuck out to me.

First, people all over Rwanda, and throughout Africa, I believe, are phenomenally excited that the World Cup is being held in South Africa this year. Because of its history, level of development, substantial white population, and relative importance on the international stage, South Africa is sometimes considered separately from the rest of the continent. But, for Africans, this is the closest to home a major event has been, and it has put their continent in the global spotlight. I think it’s fair to say that Africans all over the world see South Africa’s hosting the World Cup as a rare moment of pride and recognition for the whole continent. Or, more optimistically, the first of many such moments.

On a similar note, Rwanda is not playing in the World Cup, six African teams are (South Africa, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Algeria). Regardless of which of the six teams is playing or whom they’re playing against, every single person here roots with unbelievable excitement for the African team. Why? Because, “They’re African,” “They’re our brothers.” Africa’s not a country, and commentators shouldn’t generalize – yet, it’s clear that Africans themselves (there I go, generalizing) feel a tremendous unity that ties their whole continent together.

Finally, I was excited to see that, when the U.S. played against England on Saturday night, everyone was rooting for the U.S., exemplifying the fact that Rwandans (Africans in general, I think, to generalize again) like America. Is it because of the USAID stickers plastered all over everything? Or because we elected a black President? Or because the U.S. is more predominantly Christian than other Western countries? Or because of Jay Z and Beyoncé? Based on my conversations with people, it’s probably some combination, but it’s hard to say. It makes me a little sad, though, that here Rwanda is a whole country full of people cheering on the U.S., when most Americans haven’t even heard of Rwanda and most of those who have only know about the genocide.

Anyway, I’m really happy to be in Africa during this World Cup, and I’m eager to see the excitement and pride continue to erupt in my little town throughout the next month.

Moving Day

A few days ago, I moved from the guesthouse I’d been staying at to my house – my very own house!

The actual moving process was quite an ordeal. My supervisor told me he hired some people to help transport my things. I envisioned a pick-up truck – after this long in Africa, I should have known better! Two guys showed up, and their only means of transportation was a small wooden cart that looked like it was about to fall apart. They tied my trunk, mattress, and a few other odds and ends to the cart, which one of the guys pushed, while the other wore my backpack, carried two buckets full of stuff, and put my suitcase on his head. Further, my supervisor and I had been busy at a co-op meeting during the day, so by the time we actually started moving my things, it was about 7:00pm, at which it’s completely dark here. Plus, on top of the two transport guys, my supervisor, and myself, a couple people who work at the guesthouse came along. In the end, we were a caravan of about six people, carrying everything I own through town in the pitch dark. It was quite a sight!

I’m still waiting on some of my furniture to finish being made so I can fully unpack, but I already have a bed, a dining table, a coffee table, 4 chairs, and a storage shelf. I’m also looking forward to getting a couple mats to put down. And, I still need to hang a clothesline and my mosquito net (though I haven’t gotten a single bite in four days of sleeping without one, which is shocking considering the number of bugs I’ve seen here – mosquitoes don’t like me) and buy a mattress that fits my bed and kerosene for my stove (since I moved in, I’ve eaten peanut butter with bananas, peanut butter with crackers, and peanut butter with bread). In the meantime, though, I’m just happy to have my own place and to be settling in and getting to know my umudugudu!

(Hopefully I’ll be able to post pictures of the house next time I’m in Kigali.)

Week in Ruhengeri

Yes, I am an idealist. In the world I like to see, aid money is used to provide aid. To my more cynical readers, none of this will come as any surprise to you. And, when I’m honest with myself, it didn’t to me, either. But, that doesn’t mean I’m okay with it.

Last week, there was a workshop on internal savings and lending groups for the organizations involved with Higa Ubeho and the Peace Corps Volunteers who are working with them. The workshop was held in Ruhengeri, a large town in the mountains of Rwanda’s North Province.

Here’s a look at some of the expenditures related to the workshop:

-The workshop took place at La Palme, a very nice hotel in downtown Ruhengeri.

-All attendees (around 45) stayed at the hotel. Each person had their own room, though the rooms were meant to hold between two and four people. The cheapest rooms cost $60 per night.

-We attended breakfast and lunch buffets at the hotel.

-We were given an assortment of drinks and snacks twice each day.

-Each person was given 7,000F (about $12.30) for dinner each night – more than enough for us to not only eat, but to buy expensive Western food and also splurge on drinks or dessert.

-People attending the conference came from all over Rwanda, and transportation costs for most totaled 3,000F (about $5.25) to 5,000F (about $8.80). Yet, we were each given between 10,000F (about $17.50) and 15,000F (about $26.30) to “cover transportation.”

So, over the course of the week, I received 36,000F (about $63.15) in cash, on top of the provided amenities - while I was learning about people who work hard to save 150F (about $0.26) each week to contribute to their savings/lending group. It breaks my heart and makes me a little sick. I’m going to try to think of something useful to do with the 15,000F (about $26.30) I had left over, because that is obviously the very least I can do.

As an American living in Africa, yes, I thoroughly appreciate having the luxury of hot showers, CNN, pizza, and free Internet every once in awhile. But, this clearly went overboard, and I shouldn’t even have to point out that this should not be considered an acceptable use of “aid money.”

I hope our Rwandans counterparts who attended the workshop with us benefited from it and gained knowledge and skills they will be able to use to help others. But, couldn’t we have accomplished that without so much lavish expenditure, and used the money that would have been saved to pay school fees for more children affected by HIV/AIDS (one of the purposes of Higa Ubeho)?

First Week at Site

Well, I’ve been in Nyagatare for just over a week now, so here are some first impressions and a look at what I’ve been doing.

As I mentioned before, my assigned organization is the Presbyterian Church of Rwanda. Here in Nyagatare, the church has three employees who do community development work – one in charge of health projects, one in charge of education-related projects, and one (who is officially my supervisor) in charge of cooperatives and business development. (In the complicated world of development aid, it’s sometimes kind of hard to know what exactly is going on. But, from what I can tell, the church’s education and business work is partially under a nation-wide USAID project, and the health projects are under Population Services International, a well-known NGO based in the U.S.) Anyway, I’ll be working with those three employees, as well as the church’s pastor.

Unfortunately, my house was not ready when I arrived last week. So, for the time being, I’m staying at the church’s guesthouse. But, I did get to see the house! Like many other Volunteers’ houses, it’s much bigger than I need. It has three bedrooms, along with a sitting room, a storage room, and (believe it or not!) an indoor bathroom (though I’m under the impression the water doesn’t actually run, so I’ll probably be getting most of my water from the communal spigot in my area). The kitchen building, along with a shower room and latrine, is out back. My favorite thing about the house is that the yard is filled with plants, flowers, and vegetable gardens! I really wanted to garden here, and, since I have no idea what I’m doing, I’m thrilled that I won’t have to start from scratch! Also, like many houses in Rwanda, mine is completely fenced in – I hate how things feel so closed and walled off in many parts of this country, but most Rwandans seem to think you’re only safe with a fence/gate surrounding your house. Anyway, staying at the guesthouse and having the opportunity to hang here has allowed me to meet with a lot of people, which has been great, but I’m anxious to move into my house and get settled!

Most of my time since I arrived in Nyagatare has been spent getting to know the town and making visits to other sectors (the administrative equivalent of counties, I guess, only much smaller). One day last week, we had some visitors, a couple from Switzerland, who were representing a church in Lausanne that has a partnership with the Presbyterian Church of Rwanda. I went along when my supervisor took them to visit a church and cooperative in a rural part of Gatsibo (the district south of here). We looked at their crops (evidently they were good – maybe someday I’ll be able to tell!) and talked to them about their women’s empowerment projects and income-generating activities.

Another day, I went to a very rural part of my district with one of my co-workers, the head of health projects, for a training session. He led the session, which was for half of that sector’s community health workers. (Every umudugudu– the smallest administrative division, which can essentially be a neighborhood in urban areas or a village in rural areas) – has at least three elected community health workers, including one male, one female, and another who focuses on maternal and child health. These workers are volunteers, and their main responsibilities are to treat very basic health problems and to conduct community-based health education programs. This idea of having health workers in ever area appears to be a really great idea, and it seems like more countries should adopt it.) Anyway, the training was on “Behavior Change Communication and Social Marketing,” a fancy term for health education and outreach. Basically, it was about how the community health workers can educate their people in their umudugudu about malaria prevention, HIV prevention, and water sanitation. The entire meeting took place in Kinyarwanda, which made it a difficult but very useful listening exercise!

Another recent outing was with Cecile, an agronomist from Rwanda’s Ministry of Agriculture, who regularly comes to Nyagatare for work. I met her while she was staying at the church’s guesthouse, and we quickly became friends. She invited me to accompany her on her inspections, so I tagged along and we went all over the district, inspecting crops and meeting with farmers.

When I’m not busy with other things, I spend most of my free time walking around town, greeting people, talking to anyone who’s interested in talking to me, and trying to become a familiar sight to people in my community. It’s been really great to meet people, and I’ve had some interesting conversations and gotten to practice a lot of Kinyarwanda and use some French. The day I arrived in Nyagatare, I was walking through town when a girl came up to me and said, “Hi. How are you? I’m Angela. What’s your name? I saw you, and you’re the only white person I’ve ever seen here, and I really like your pants, so I knew I had to talk to you.” (As a side note, I was wearing jeans, as was she, so I’m not sure why that was so interesting.) Anyway, she was extremely friendly, and we got along right away. It turns out she’s a student at the technical university here, so she took me back to the student-housing building she lives in and introduced me to her friends. We spent the rest of the afternoon chatting and getting to know each other, using (since some of the students are from Rwanda, but many are from Uganda or the DRC) a mix of Kinyarwanda, English, and French.

Since my primary responsibility as a Volunteer these first couple months is to integrate, get to know people, and assess my community, all this counts as me doing my job! It’s like taking three cups of tea.

Week in Kigali

Before leaving for site on May 11th, we spent a glorious week in Kigali. Here’s a slightly belated re-cap.

The first purpose of our time in Kigali was the Swearing-In ceremony, during which we officially became Volunteers. The ceremony was at the American Ambassador’s (Stuart Symington) house, which is beautiful. Also in attendance were a handful of current Volunteers, several Returned Peace Corps Volunteers who now live in Rwanda, representatives from some of Peace Corps’ partner organizations here, and some other officials from the Rwandan government and the Peace Corps. The ceremony consisted of speeches from the Ambassador, the Peace Corps Country Director, a woman (!) from Rwanda’s Ministry of Health, and some Volunteers. At swearing-in ceremonies in Rwanda, a few Volunteers give speeches - some in English, some in French, and some in Kinyarwanda. My good friend, Nora, and I gave the one in French, in which we basically thanked the many people who have helped us up to this point and reminded everybody that we’re here to serve where and how we have the opportunity to (something I need to keep reminding myself!). The ceremony ended with the oath – we raised our right hands and swore to protect, defend, and support the Constitution of the United States, etc. Following the ceremony was a reception featuring fantastic food, including cake!

The ceremony was covered pretty heavily in national media. An article and color photo appeared in the following day’s issue of the New Times, one of Rwanda’s primary newspapers. The ceremony was also on TV, and when I say I’m American or that I’m with the Peace Corps, people frequently say that they saw us on TV. Because of the Volunteers who spoke in Kinyarwanda, people also often say, “Oh! You are with Peace Corps – you speak Kinyarwanda! I saw you on TV!”

During the few days following the ceremony, we went all over Kigali, shopping for items for our houses. The best places to shop here include the main market, the two muzungu supermarkets (Nakumatt, a Kenyan chain, and Simba) and other stores known mainly by the nationality of the people who own them or the products they sell – the German store, the Indian store, the Chinese store, etc. I purchased the basics – plastic buckets and basins, laundry soap, pots, dishes, silverware, a frying pan, a kerosene stove, sponges, plus peanut butter, Nutella, and spices – and figured I can easily make do until my next trip into Kigali.

The other highlight of the week in Kigali was sampling some of the many great restaurants the city has to offer. There’s Heaven, which is run by the wife of the director of Access, one of our partner organizations – happy hour there is buy one, get one free, including draught Müutzig (draught beers are a rarity here)! Shokola (Kinyarwanda spelling of chocolat – though I’m not really sure why the restaurant is called that), serves amazing Middle Eastern food (I had vegetable couscous, and, after trading bites of each other’s meals, everyone agreed it was the best dish!) on a veranda and in individual cabanas. Unfortunately, my friend Kelly discovered part of a red fingernail in her ice cream (I’m not kidding) – yet the restaurant was so amazing, I still recommend it, and I’m sure she does, too. There’s also Zaffron, an Indian restaurant (East Africa is known for having great Indian food because there’s such a big Indian population in most countries in the region), which has a similarly great atmosphere. That night is the only time I’ve ever had Indian food I really loved – paneer tikka masala, Indian cheese with vegetables, and garlic naan. I also tried Ethiopian food for the first time, at Lalibela (a restaurant named for Ethiopia’s Churches of Lalibela). Lalibela has a similar outdoors setting, and the special that night was a buffet featuring all the staples of Ethiopian cuisine, so I got to try all the essentials, including injera and tibs. Plus, Lalibela is located at the One Love Club hotel, and part of the proceeds from the hotel and restaurant go to an NGO that supports disabled Rwandans. Bourbon Café is another key muzungu establishment in Kigali – it’s a coffee shop/restaurant that serves all manner of coffee and tea drinks, smoothies, pastries, salads, and sandwiches. Plus, you get free wireless with a purchase! (Interestingly, the people who own the two Bourbon Café's in Kigali are in the process of opening up two more locations – New York City and Washington, DC!) All these restaurants are extremely expensive by local standards, but quite cheap by American standards. Most of my meals cost 4,000-6,000 Rwandan francs (about $7-$10.50) for meals that would probably cost $20 in the U.S. Okay, I’m done rambling about all the great and exotic restaurants in Kigali. I don’t know if they’re really as good as I’m making them out to be, or if they just seemed really exciting after weeks on end of Rwandan food, but I think maybe Kigali really does have an underrated dining scene!