May 23, 2008

So, I've been kind of lazy the past couple nights...sorry! I'll try and start from the beginning.
On Wednesday morning we visited FAWE girls school in Kigali. It's a boarding school with 728 students and 36 teachers. It was started in 1999. The girls take five science courses and one language class. If they are on the French track they take an English class and if they're on the English track, they take French. We met with the deputy head teacher and then headed to the classrooms. Our first classroom was an S6 or senior class. They had really good questions about women in math and science, our work in Rwanda, and education in the U.S. I'm always so impressed by the respect and thought put into their questions, and you could tell that these were very bright young women. Then we went to an S5 (Junior) Chemistry lab. The class president greeted us and was talking about what an inspiration we were just by being there...we were almost in tears! They are all so appreciative and eager to talk with us. We got to mingle with the students and talk to them and see what they were working on. They had great questions about education in the U.S. and about us. Each of us had a crowd circling around us- we felt famous! I was very impressed with all of them- they all wanted to be doctors! Then Jeanna, Jess and I observed in a French class. I didn't understand any of it, but afterward we got a chance to interact with the students again. We told about ourselves and answered questions. Then we went to a Kinyarwanda class. I thought this was very interesting, because I love learning about their language. They had a Bible verse that I thought was very appropriate written on the board: Proverbs 10:4 Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. After we had our Kinyarwanda lesson we went to the staffroom to have tea and speak with the teachers. The teachers were all very friendly and very passionate about their jobs and this school.
Then we got to explore Kigali a little on our own. We went to some of the markets around our hotel and found a really cool store. The day before we had talked to some friends about the big soccer game that was Wednesday night and made plans to watch it. We got to the little cafe by our hotel around 5:30 and there were already chairs and tables set up for the game that didn't start until 8:30! It was really fun to see all the people and how into the game they were. I thought it was interesting that they were both English teams- Americans would never get that excited over anything that didn't involve Americans! It was really fun to watch the game with them and it was even funner because our friends were rooting for the team that lost!
On Thursday we went to Green Hills again to help get ready for their book fair. It was fun to see the school hustling and bustling to get ready for an event. All the students were so excited and you could tell how much they've worked on these projects. We got to see some of them and they were so neat!
The orphanage was very fun today as well. We went a little earlier, so there weren't as many kids. It was nice to be able to have more one-on-one time with some. They are just so adorable! We finally got to do our ISU tattoos as well. They loved them! They couldn't really figure it out, but they thought they were pretty cool. A few brought out their Frisbees so we played with them again as well. Probably my favorite day there yet!
Thursday evening we had another full night! We had met a woman in the Addis airport who is Rwandese, but lives in Florida. She had said that she wanted to have us over sometime and Thursday was when it worked. We went to her sister's house in Kigali and met her whole family. Her brothers and sisters were very friendly and her niece and nephews were adorable. We brought them some Frisbees, so we played with them and then just sat around and chatted. It was very nice to be able to be at a home and interacting with a regular Rwandan family. They have some pretty fantastic music here, and right after supper the dancing started! Her two-year-old niece was probably the best out of all of us- so adorable!
Then today we went back to the nursery at the orphanage. The kids are so much fun! I can't think of anywhere else that I walk in and get twenty hugs right off the bat! We played Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes, Ring Around the Rosie, and The Hokey Pokey. I don't think they knew what they were saying, but they had fun anyway. We got to see some more songs and dancing in the classrooms. Before we left we gave the supplies we'd collected and even more that Teresa had bought to the teachers. They were very appreciative. They have very little resources in the school, but it's amazing what they do with what they have.
Then we finally got to go to the market. It was an experience-they have so much different stuff! Each merchant really want you to look at their stuff. Also, it really helps when Aloys is bargaining with them- they think us Muzungus will pay anything. The problem is they're usually right! We went to two different ones and will probably go to another in Butare this weekend.
Then this evening we got to go to another Rwandan home. There is a Rwandan man named Clever who was a doctoral student at Iowa State and has been helping to plan the trip. His brother invited us to his house tonight. They live in Kigali and have a beautiful home. It's very elegant. His family was wonderful and they were very good hosts! They loved hearing about our experiences and seeing all of our pictures. Their nephew who goes to school in the states is also in town with a few of his friends. They came as well and were telling us about their trip as well. The two of them started a non-profit organization and are in Africa filming a documentary to raise money for the organization. It was very neat to hear their stories and their plans.
Tomorrow we leave for Butare and I'm not sure if we have internet for the weekend, so hopefully I will be able to post again soon!