Man of many hats

Say "cheese!"

Of the many hats I am wearing, I now find myself wearing one as an English teacher. Think a lot of people here assume I am a teacher as they shout out in the morning, as I walk to work, “Good morning teacher”. The staff in the guesthouse were very keen to learn to speak English, or improve the skills they have, so I have started to give them lessons each week.  At first, there were just a few who wanted to come along but now I have almost all of the 23 staff who want to learn, plus a few from outside, so having to do a few classes.

As is the rote learning culture here, the moment you write something on a blackboard, or in my case on a wonky flipchart, everyone frantically copies everything down. At the same time, I’m getting them to teach me Kinyarwandan which is slowly coming along – I told them that all English tourists always want to know where the toilet is so now I have the staff going around saying “Good morning, where is the toilet?” or in my case “Maramutse, umusarane urihe?” – ‘umusarane’ is the word for toilet, you never know it may come in useful one day.

Flipchart paper showing the workings of a Rwandese mind - and I wonder why I struggle!
(Apologies to the author but I love this)

The heavy rains are now becoming more frequent. As I sit here, writing this on the terrace, I can see the clouds building up over the DRC, on the other side of Lake Kivu, knowing the thunder and rain will be here this evening.  This is usually accompanied by power cuts – not easy when you are in the middle of a Skype video call or the rain on the tin roof is so loud I cannot hear what the person 4,000 miles away is saying.

The change of weather has also brought out many more insects.  The challenge for me now is getting into the house, in the evening, before the mosquitoes do and I now regularly check out around the house to see what insects are around and remembering to check inside the bed and also the inside of my shoes before I put them on.  Often in the evening I will be sitting there and see something, out of the corner of my eye, scurrying across the floor.

Useful parcel from home - thanks Charlotte!

And with the rain comes the mud and now getting sense of how hard it becomes when this thick, red mud just gets everywhere.  I still can’t work out how the Rwandans manage to keep their clothes looking so clean whilst my trousers get covered.

Have decided to spend a few nights each week at the guesthouse and use the house just for the weekends.  The journey back in the evening, now the rains are here, is getting increasingly difficult and I still struggle with the long dark nights on my own in the house so having some evenings at the guesthouse will give me some company and opportunity to watch some TV in the restaurant even if it only football – can see I will have to commandeer the remote!

Looking forward to the company of some muzungu visitors during the months of October and November - people I know from England so it will be good to share some conversations over dinner.  I’m finding now that as I am out here for longer communication from home becomes less. I know we all have busy lives and even here I am finding time is going quickly, October soon and then Christmas just around the corner.  Will be my first ever Christmas (can't believe I am taking about Christmas) away from England but looking forward to experiencing a Rwandan one – have volunteered myself to help them organise an English carol service with a nativity – what do they say about never work with children or animals?!  Anyway, watch this space.

Wash day

Modeste, one of the guards, is busy doing one of his mega cleans inside the house. Most of the furniture is outside on the terrace, my washing all over the grass and hanging up to dry getting ready to be ironed.

Can now hear the distant rumble of thunder so rain may be here earlier than expected – Modeste get that washing in!

Lunch with Harry Secombe

Harry, Madonna & Child!

A couple of Saturday’s ago Andre, one of my security guards, brought one of his children, Adorufe, to the house to keep watch over it (and me) whilst he went to the bank in town. I have to confess, I was unsure if Adorufe was a boy or a girl as they all have their hair cut short. Adorufe sat on a chair, on the lawn in front of the house, as I did a few chores and when I got my laptop out to check emails seated at the table, on the terrace, Adorufe came over and sat next to me to watch what I was doing. We then became the best of friends, I gave him/her a drink and a toasted cheese sandwich and then he/she had a long sleep on the terrace sofa – Andre ended up being away for most of the day so Adorufe, who speaks some English, told me about his/her family, writing all their names out for me and when Andre, finally, came back he invited me to visit his family.

On Sunday afternoon, I found myself sitting in their house staring at album covers of Harry Secombe on their wall after walking an hour and a half with Christian, the son of Leocardie who lives near to me, as a guide and translator. Arriving at Andre’s house, looking over Lake Kivu, I realised I had been there some years ago to visit him and his family. They live in a typical rural Rwandese house – timber frame, mud lined walls and tin roof. Small considering a family of 8 live there along with their cow and goat – not quite in their living room but almost.

Andre's living room

As is the Rwandese custom, you can’t just go and visit a family without them extending hospitality in a form of a meal and a Fanta so a lunch of rice, pasta, vegetables and potatoes was quickly produced. It’s hard to sit there and not compare how they live to how we do in the U.K. – no comfortable furniture, carpets on the floor, plasma television, fitted kitchen but just some very basic wooden furniture, bricks on the floor, a kitchen that is no more than a fire on the floor and the ‘drop’ toilet or pit latrine. Andre had a cassette player, powered by large car-battery, playing some Rwandese music – when he’s at my house, he’s fascinated by my laptop playing music on iTunes or via the BBC website and he will often sit outside my window, on one of the terrace chairs and listen to what is being played.

On the walls are anything they can find, hence the pictures of Harry Secombe – tried to find out from Andre if he knew who Harry Secombe was, explaining he was a famous Welsh singer and a member of the Goons but he had no idea who he was – trying to explain who the Goons were wasn’t easy either.

As we ate lunch, the children were out at the back eating theirs and were then brought in to be introduced all sitting on a long bench in front of me. First born Olive (17), twins Dorothina & Adorufe (15), Doroteya (10), Olivye (7) and last born Fororonste (5). Rwandese names are quite confusing as they don’t seem to have the same family name - their first name is like our surname but they take different names and then their second name is like our Christian name that many take only when they are baptised.  Andre’s first name is MUVYEKKULE whilst his wife’s first name is MUKANTAGWABIRA and one of their child’s name is KYIMPAYE – when they introduce themselves, you get the long first name followed by the Christian name which comes out as one long word so sometimes hard to work out what their Christian name is.

The Muzungu visitor

Andre earns around £20.00 per month, an average wage for Rwanda, walks from his house to mine every day in sun and rain for night security duty. They have a big plot of land, outside their house, so grow staple crops that will feed their family and may also provide produce they can sell in the market or to neighbours.  I think I may have said this before but people here never complain about their lives or their circumstances even though in Andre’s house, the rain leaks through their roof and probably comes through the house under the doors, there is no electricity for lights and the house is very dark even in the day.

Back before the rain

After a false start last week, with the heavy rain, we went through a few days of hot and dry weather but the rain started again over the weekend and a loud clap of thunder meant we had to make a prompt departure, from Andre’s, for a quick walk to the nearest village to get a couple of MoTos (motor bike taxis) so we could get back before the rains came.  Driving past the lake you could see the rains coming across and managed to get back before the heavens opened.

Heavy rains change the landscape as vegetation slowly turn back to green and views across the lake become clearer opening up panoramas I’ve not seen before.  Still getting some spectacular sunsets and, after a day in the office, I enjoy a walk back to the house along the lake stopping to enjoy the wonderful views and stunning scenery.  After being here a while now, it’s very easy to take it all for granted so I make myself stop and just take it all in and try not to take too many photos.

Singing in the rain...

The heavy rains have started right on cue and I do mean heavy.  Deluge on Saturday night resulting in loss of electricity and water in house and now, on Monday, another deluge and this is just the start of it.

This morning's rain outside my office

I can see how the rains change the pattern of daily life as people just stop and wait until the rain has cleared. The next few months are going to be challenging but I know the conditions for many here get very tough so I feel blessed to be living in a good house free (I hope) from a leaking roof.

I realise how varied my weeks are becoming and how I’m amused (most of the time) with things I see walking around, the people I meet and the things that happen during the course of my day. Rather than ramble on, I thought I’d post a few photos to show what I mean - some of these have appeared on my Facebook page so apologies if you see them twice.  What I write and show on this blog isn’t to make fun of anyone or anything but just to show, at times, the lighter side of life here.

'Preacher Man is back on the road'

 With The Bishop in another rural church festooned with toilet paper!

Mamas & Papas launch their latest pram in Rwanda

Walking to work the other morning I came across these kids being pushed along in a wheelbarrow,

Spot the rogue Chinese man

On Saturday a local choir came to the guesthouse to take photos and record a video.  Look closely and you can see a Chinese man, staying at the guesthouse, got himself into the picture.

Bad hair day!

It always amazes me what they carry on their heads.

Dancing Bishop

First time I’ve seen a dancing Bishop. Wonderful service at another rural church yesterday. 

New logo

This week I’ve been appointed  General Manager of the guesthouse.  First job was to authorise the purchase of 3 toilet seats.  On a more business like note, have also had a lovely new logo designed by a designer friend of mine in the UK and representing the start of good things to come for the guesthouse including a lot more guests!

Robbie

On a sadder note, I heard on Sunday night that my daughter’s dog, Robbie, a lovely West Highland Terrier suddenly collapsed and died at the weekend.  He was 13 and such a lovely dog who I looked after on many occasions ever since he was a puppy and who always made a fuss of me when I visited Jenny in London. I know we muzungus get very attached to our pets that live with us through the happy and sad times of our lives but remain faithful and constant companions.