First working week

Sitting here reflecting on my first 'working week' here in Rwanda.  I started on Monday at Peace Guest House, owned by the Diocese as an income generating project for the church here in Cyangugu. By Wednesday, I had an office with a desk and a chair after I had to commandeer these from the Diocesan Office but at least I have somewhere to sit and work with my colleague, Boniface.

Here are a couple of pictures - first of our office and some of the lovely guest house staff - Alpha (Receptionist), Boniface (Project Manager) and Sirryl (Housekeeping).

Our office - I have the Executive chair!

Happy staff!

I am working on a business plan to support the guest house get more business as well as be more effective in their sales and marketing.  It's in the most fabulous location, overlooking Lake Kivu and offers huge potential to be a great place to stay.  Next week, I'm starting on doing the same for the Clinic and also looking to set up a micro-finance scheme, as well as other things, so will have plenty to do.

It all works very differently here, at a much slower pace and taking some getting used to but enjoying the challenge. Felt exhausted last night but have decided to keep Saturday's free to do things around the house, catch-up on emails, shop and all those sort of normal Saturday things!  However, housework today ended up by me directing Modeste, one of the guards, who I asked (or really pointed at a brush and made sweeping motions as that's the only way I can communicate with him, at the moment!) if he could come into the house to do a bit of sweeping. Next thing I knew, he had come in, taken most of the furniture outside, swept all the floors and then washed them all - he then took all the sheets, that I had taken off the bed and proceeded to wash them as well.

It's quite strange, when you're not used to having servants (!), to have all this done for you but they seem quite happy to do it.  I did, however, change the bed and getting used to having sheets and blankets and not a duvet that we have all so got used to having. Modeste will also do the ironing and, as the guards now know there is an iron in the house, I came back this evening to find one of the other guards sitting outside, with the ironing board up and with a pile of his clothes that he'd brought round to iron so he's now outside ironing!

Shopping in town this afternoon. As those from Lewes can see, it's quite different from our town and not a Flint, Wickle or a Tom Homewood in sight! 

Saturday afternoon shoppers in Kamembe

Found a couple of small supermarkets where I can get Blue Band spread (that's a name from the past), UHT milk, yoghurts, bread and stuff like that.  Did buy some fermented milk thinking it was going to be like pasteurised milk but it tasted pretty awful so that had to go down the sink!  Was tempted to buy a Mars bar but not had chocolate, biscuits, crisps for almost 5 weeks now so resisted.  Did stand on some scales that are in the house and, if they are correct, it looks as if I could have lost a stone in weight although, regrettably, not from around my stomach!

Walking back up the house, from the shops, I was carrying a bag of shopping (my 'Lewes, Fine all the year round' bag) and a 5kg bag of rice I'd bought Modeste, as a thank you for the work he had done for me, thinking it was all very hard with the steep climb and heat when I saw the women, in photo below, walking up carrying these huge, heavy loads on their backs with straps around their heads so really I had nothing to complain about other than a bit of sweat!

Haven't quite mastered the art of carrying shopping Rwandese style but working on it!

Then it was back to the house, shorts and kettle on for a nice cup of Rwandan tea on the terrace enjoying the view!