The past two weeks were spent
rambling about the Rwandan countryside, from training to training. It all
started back on the banks of Lake Kivu at Centre Bethany for MSC, or in
non-Peace Corps lingo, our mid-service conference, which happens around the
time of a volunteer’s one year in service mark. Nine months have gone by since we were last
here at IST, and we have roughly nine months to go before our COS conference
(or close of service conference). MSC went so well. Some super awesome
volunteers from my group worked really hard with Peace Corps staff to make the
conference a success and as beneficial as possible for the 13 of us remaining,
as we enter our last year of service. We all talked about our projects, life
thus far in Rwanda, ways to improve for ourselves and future groups of health
volunteers.
So we conferenced, hung by the lake, and
ate way too much food. The last day of MSC, a group of us, and Gordie (the
director of programming and training for PC Rwanda) took a boat out to Napoleon
Island, also known as the bat island. We started following the trail along the
shore of the island, into a slightly wooded area. As we continued a sort of
chirping sound continued to grow and swell amongst the trees. Our boat guide
had disappeared into the woods and we heard banging and whooping noises. All of
a sudden hundreds of bats began streaming out of the trees and circling
overhead. Soon the bats grew to thousands and the sky was seemingly more black
than it was blue. They circled above us, annoyed at the sounds that forced them
from their fruity binging. The chirping continued as the bats swirled above us
for what seemed like at least ten minutes. Finally they resettled themselves
and we continued our way around the island, a little shocked and a lot awed by
the sight. It was truly amazing.
The island was beautiful and diverse. We
emerged from the forest onto an open yellow-grassy hillside, very reminiscent
of my Dad’s property on the Middle Fork of the John Day River. Water lapped the banks in little coves wrapped
in scraggly tree branches and sunlight making the water bright blues and
greens. Finally we reached a point sticking out into the lake, with a wide view
of other islands drifting off towards Congo, and even back in the direction of
the shores of our Rwandan home. We rode the boat back, and just like IST nine
months before, I felt so at home riding the crests of the waves, being back on
the water. Even the simple act of listening to the lake, the movement of the
water, makes me feel like I am sitting on a raft on the Grand Ronde River, or
alongside the Pacific Ocean, or next to the John Day. It feels like home, and
reminds me, ironically, of all the places I feel most grounded.
So MSC was a success. This was followed
by PEPFAR….. ugh! I have to say I do appreciate all the work done by Peace
Corps staff to put PEPFAR together, but it was a relatively tortuous three days
following MSC. We had members of our health centers, or other places of
employment come and participate in the training about HIV/AIDS. Unfortunately
the presenters were awful though! Some other volunteers may be more forgiving
than I, chalking some of the negatives up to a language barrier, but I am not I
guess. I literally struggled with restraining myself from leaping across the
table and strangling one presenter who actually said, “we must protect the
soldiers from the prostitutes, because the prostitutes know when the soldiers
get paid and they will target them.” Granted this was very much a final straw
with this guy for me, but it was quite infuriating.
On top of the presenters and the lack of
what I would consider valued information, the conference was coupled with very
bad behavior on my counterpart, or co-workers, side of things. He was actually
quite embarrassing to me. He was the only person who would cut in front of
everyone for food, for the bus, anything. He made plans to skip out of the
conference to visit the Pentecostal church repeatedly, after PC had paid for
him to come. He also made rude judgmental
comments about other PCVs, the presenters, and the conference. I was
embarrassed by him, especially because he was one of my favorite people that I
work with, and I thought he was a patient, thoughtful, and non-judgmental individual,
qualities that I really admired in him. But I guess my expectations got the
better of me, and I definitely learned a lesson, but it was a disappointing one
to learn.
So skipping past the rest of PEPFAR
because it simply was what it was and there is no sense dwelling on it via
blog, I spent three days in Kigali relaxing and eating good food. My initial plan
was to head to Gisenyi in the northwestern corner of Rwanda and be on vacation
for a few days, but due to an ATM debacle in which money was deducted from my
account, but not given to me, I was relatively money-less so to speak. Finally
we got paid for July and I was able to enjoy some good meals in Kigali before
heading to Kamonyi to help out with the next health group’s pre-service
training (or PST). Kate and I ate out at a place called The Manor, which felt
to both of us very much like we were in Vegas in the middle of Rwanda. Granted,
I’m sure if I were in Vegas I would probably laugh at the comparison. But this
place had at least three stories, an endless swimming pool with a live band
playing the lulling tones of “sexual healing” and three different restaurants,
Italian, Indian and another one that just didn’t seem as important as the first
two. The food was amazing, and it was the spiciest curry I’ve ever had, but
amazing just the same!
Otherwise, I hung out in Kigali and
passed the time with internet at Bourbon coffee, resting, reading, and a few
other things along the way. Saturday I headed to Kamonyi and was met by a feast
put together by the health trainees. They made pineapple fried rice, curry,
guacamole, French fries, a Mexican dish, fruit salad, egg scrambles, and some
other things thrown in there too. It was amazing and a really awesome welcome
for me to their training. I spent the week visiting the different language
classes and offering my opinion on life in Rwanda, being a health volunteer,
and what their service might look like in the two years to come. They are a
great group and also really positive, which was a nice reminder to where I was
when I first arrived in country and where I am today in my service, with one
year left. Although I feel like I am in a very positive place, and continuing
to move forward in this experience, it was really nice to be reminded of where
I am coming from, and how much I have changed.
The group was really
fun and I think they will be a great addition to our PC Rwanda team so to
speak, or our community, or our family, depending on your desired level of
sappiness. I left PST the following
Saturday at 6:30 AM to try to make it to Butare before umuganda, or the monthly
day of service. The police stopped us in a random town about 20 minutes from
Butare however, and we were forced to disembark to squeeze bus and do umuganda.
It was kind of fun. I met people from my
own community who were also stopped and forced from their buses. We just did
some hoeing for a couple hours and chatted about life in Rwanda. I have to say
that it’s really cool that I can now say I’ve lived in Rwanda for over a year
and this is in part, my home. It worked out kind of perfectly however, as I
arrived in Butare at 12, right when the market and the restaurants were
re-opening post-umuganda. So I filled my bag with produce, grabbed a burger,
then headed back on down the road to home, where I hadn’t been in 2 ½ weeks.
Now I am back, and sort of back to work,
as Monday, July 2nd was an observed holiday the 1st being
independence day for Rwanda. The 4th is also a holiday, liberation
day. Independence day here is the day Rwanda gained independence from the
colonialists and liberation day is the observed last day of the 1994 genocide.
So, in other words, I have half the week off, which is actually much needed. I
am exhausted from my wandering ways the last two weeks, and although it is a
much appreciated part of my life, I don’t see much time for rest any time in my
near future. But, this is the life I enthusiastically signed up for over two
years ago when I first submitted my Peace Corps application. So somehow, I am
cresting the Peace Corps hump and everything will be downhill from July 13th,
my one year mark in service, and one year left to go. Fourteen and a half months
ago, I pondered this 27 month commitment and could not see the end anywhere. But
now, I can’t believe where it all went and how from here on out, I only have
less than a year before I have completed my Peace Corps service. How did that
happen?
I guess much like everything in life (I can
assume, as I’ve only had 24 years of it thus far) that I must now figure out
what comes next, what comes after Peace Corps. I have a lot of ideas, dreams,
visions, hopes, for the future in mind, but not exactly sure what will actually
come to be. I would love to do seasonal employment in Antarctica. I would love
to go to grad school. I would love to continue traveling the world. I would
love to be home and spend some time maybe working for a nonprofit. I would love
to go back and work in Glacier National Park. There are so many things that I
would absolutely love to do, but just don’t have any definitive plans for the
daunting FUTURE. Anyways, any ideas, suggestions, or insights would be much
appreciated! Miss you all, and until next we meet… may the summer air be
perfect for barbecuing and a life outdoors, and you all have a happy fourth of
July!
