Coming to America

Guess who's coming to the Aaayyee (Arizona, I mean) in less days than my little heart can stand!! Yeah, me...but that's not the point of this post.  If you've been following me during this journey, you've known for two years that I would be coming back.  This someone, though, is someone special to me and very dear to my heart...and it is none other than my

Holiday Cheer Beyond the First of the Year!

Who says holiday cheer has to stop at January 1st???  Thanks to the kind and generous hearts at Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, myself, my fellow PCVs, and Rwandese friends got a mid January surprise that warmed our hearts.  The holiday season can be a tough one when away from your family and friends, but it's thoughtful people like these who take the time to remind you that you're not alone and that they appreciate the work you do.

Thank you so much for these beautiful Christmas and New Year cards!  I can't speak for everyone else, but I will certainly be keeping mine forever.  I might even add a hook to the top and make it an ornament for the tree every year :P

Merry (late) Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!!!  Thanks again for your love and support!  

Love and Peace Corps,
Dametreea

Africa Changes You

I have TONS of movies saved on my laptop, and every week I scroll through the list to see what the movie of the week (or day) will be.  I've passed by the movie Out of Africa on many occasions, never giving it so much of a second thought, but for some reason, this time I stopped when I read the title, hovered my mouse over the icon, and double-clicked.  I had never seen this movie nor did I have any idea what it was about, but once the movie ended, I couldn't have been more pleased at my choice.  It's a fantastic movie and more or less captures the gist of what Africa is really like.  Notice how I said "more or less,"  there are some inaccuracies, seeing how the movie was set in the early 1900's, however I think a vast amount of what was shown is exceptionally reflective of what I've experienced in my short time here.  And that is this: Africa changes you.

For those of you who have never seen the movie (or heard of it for that matter), it's about a woman who lives in Africa for several years, running a coffee farm with her estranged husband.  When she first traveled to Kenya, she was afraid, as she didn't quite know what to expect.  She was mistrusting of the people and when they came too close, she would tell them "Shew! Shew!" while swatting her hands as if they were more flies and dogs than they were people.  By the end of the movie, though, this same woman had grown compassionate for the people of Kenya.  Her best friends became the people who worked on the coffee farm and her favorite companions became those who initially helped her adjust to life abroad.  Her new friends looked out for her, as the people of Africa tend to do, and she in return, looked out for them.  By the end of the movie, the coffee farm had been destroyed and the inhabitants of the land, including the woman, would have to move elsewhere; she to her original home in Denmark, and the Kenyans to--well, nowhere.  At this point, the baroness, as they called her, made a great fuss and made sure the Kenyans who lived on the land and depended on its yearly harvest would still have a place there once the land was replenished.  This last part of the movie really moved me.  The baroness went from shewing these people away to fighting for their land and their rights at her own expense.  In her mind, they shifted from savage, untamable animals to a kind-hearted and genuine people.  And this is what triggered my thoughts that Africa changes you--really, it does.

When I think back on the reasons I came to Rwanda, they are vaguely similar to my reasons for staying.  I came to

Christmas Terror

My colleagues Christmas tree. Dec 2013

Let me start by saying this Christmas was by far one of the best I have ever experienced.  Of course nothing can compare to the holidays spent with family, but this one definitely comes in close second!  Christmas Eve and half of Christmas were spent with one of my coworkers and his family, and the other half of Christmas was spent with a few of my fellow volunteers.  Each celebration filled me with more joy than my little heart could handle...all except for one moment...my moment of Christmas terror! *insert horror music here*

It was on Christmas Eve that I traveled with my coworker to the city to spend the first part of the holiday with his wife and daughter.  They were having a "party" on Christmas day, however I didn't want to be alone on Christmas Eve so I opted to stay the night.  Like Rwandans tend to do, they treated me as nothing less than a guest of honor, tending to my every need (against my wishes), and even gave me a Christmas present, which was an all expense paid trip to the neighborhood bar for akabenzi!! (a yummy pork dish).  I had been talking to my coworker about akabenzi for the past year and he and his wife made me the happiest meat eater alive when they took me out for my first taste of pork in TWO YEARS!  Long story short, Christmas Eve turned out to be a great time, that is until we made it back to their house, well after dark, and I asked to use the bathroom.  There was a slight pause after I asked the question, then my coworker and his wife looked at each other and responded "yes" in unison.  I didn't think much of their hesitation at the moment, but I soon figured discovered why they should have told me  no...or at least added on a disclaimer after they responded yes.  I then

Carpe Diem

The first two visitors I had here made me question whether in-country visits are a good thing or a bad thing.  I can't deny the good time I had during the visits, but when each visitor left, especially my sister, I was left feeling empty, counting the months, and then the days, wishing they both were drastically less.  My mother came to visit for Thanksgiving and my birthday and I'm not sure I can say the same thing this time.  After being here for so long, I kind of grew numb to the experience--I've forgotten to live in the moment. Rather, I have been living in tomorrow, musing at the life I'm "missing out on" in the States.  My mind has slowly begun to ignore the beauties that, before I grew "bored," had the ability to hypnotize me each time I looked far off into the distance.  However my mom was able to bring back the excitement for me.  Every time she looked off into the distance, she was scrambling to retrieve her camera so that she could capture every wonder--every beauty.  And each time she fumbled with the zipper of her purse, I chuckled inside at the thought that I too was once this excited about being in Rwanda and just had to capture everything within the lens of my hand held digital.

During her time in Rwanda, my mom had a chance to