Strange Encounters II

Bar Food

During my site visit, my counterpart took me to a bar to have a quick snack since we had been out all day touring the village and surrounding areas.  I'm not fond of the bars here as PC tells us to stay away from them as much as possible, but I was hungry and in no mood to object.  The food actually turned out to be pretty good and me and my counterpart decided on Fanta's instead of beer (I don't drink beer anyway).  We had brochettes (goat) and plantains.  Just before we left, though, my counterpart and the server shared a few words and left me wondering at what was just said.  Once we were back outside, my counterpart told me that he was not happy.  I asked why, and he said, "Because the chef had too many drinks and did bad things to our food."  I started to ask what bad things, but then thought better of the situation.  I'm sure I was better off not knowing what was done since the food was already sitting in my tummy with no way out until later.  Instead, I said a silent prayer and hoped my body wouldn't end up rejecting whatever the chef had done.

Rumors:

After just two short days at sight, already I have become a part of the village's latest gossip.  I was at one of the nurses homes sitting on a short bench next to a deaf guy when my counterpart walked up.  The deaf boy hopped up immediately and started making gestures and faces that I didn't quite understand (I later realized that he was telling my counterpart to sit next to me).   After a few more gestures from the deaf guy, everyone began to laugh.  I asked what he was saying and my counterpart said that because he has been showing me around the past couple of days, everyone in the village had seen us together and assumed that we were in love.  He told me that no matter what the relationship is between two people, if they have never seen one of you before, but then they suddenly see you two together all the time, they will assume that one person is in love with other.  And it didn't help that he had been driving me around on the health center's moto as our mode of transportation.  I just laughed this one off...I guess people will gossip no matter what part of the world you're in.

Visit to the Primary School:

Strange Encounters I

Nose-Picking

I have come to realize that nose-picking is perfectly okay here.  During presentations in front of 50 + people or even while having a one-on-one conversation, the presenter or person that you are speaking with will stick his index finger as far into his nose as it will go and pick away.  I cringe every time...it's so gross!  And to think...when I shake everyone's hand on the street, I am more than likely shaking hands with their boogers!  Oh how this makes my stomach turn.

Are you a girl?

Marriage is a big deal here and "are you a girl?" is one of the first questions I am asked each time I meet someone.  Not because they are wondering about my sex, but because to be a "girl" means that you are unmarried with no children.  You are not considered a "woman" until you have either married, had children, or accomplished both tasks.

You are a Cow!

Perfectly Rwanda...Perfect for Me!

My site visit was AMAZING!! I don't think things could have gone any better!  I don't really know where to start or how to put into words the fantastic experience I had, but I will do my best.  This post might get a little lengthy so sit tight and enjoy!!

Site basics:

Republic: Rwanda

Province: Eastern

District: Gatsibo

Sector: Kabarore

Cell: Marimba

Village: Rwimbogo--means the background of the buffalo.  Long ago, my village used to be a national park and the buffalo were one of the major attractions of the area.

My House:

My house is soo cute!!  I really wish I could put up pictures, but that'll have to wait until I am able to get to a FREE internet cafe.  At any rate, my house is located right behind the health center I will be working at and is a duplex style building with two houses attached to one another.  And both are mine! Go mee!! Each one has a living room, a bedroom, and a small hallway.  My latrine is located behind my house (some vounteers actually have western style toilets, but I'm perfectly okay with my little hole in the ground).  There is also a bathing area attached to a compound behind my house, but during my stay at site, I just took my bucket bath in my hallway (I felt much safer this way).  The house is very quant, but very me.  It's super cute and I can't wait to start decorating!  The walls have a fresh coat of canary yellow paint so I'm thinking I want to do chocolate and yellow for the color scheme :) .  There is a slight problem with the house though...it has HUGE  spiders all over the walls!  When I got home on the first night, there were literally two huge ones (the size of 50 cent pieces) and 5 or 6 small ones (about the size of quarters).  Along with the spiders were several humongous crickets!  I am terribly terrified of all insects, but I did my best to deal.  I thought about taking one of my flip flops and killing all of the bugs, but I immediately thought otherwise when I realized that I didn't know what kind of spiders these were nor if they jumped or how fast they were.  So I ended up just crawling in my bed, tucking in my mosquito net, and praying REALLY hard that nothing would crawl in and get me.  As I fell asleep, all I could think of was the movie Arachnophobia. 

Kibondo Health Center:

I Was Counting My Blessings, but then I Lost Count... (Written 6/8/12, 9:09p)

We got our sites today!! Woot woot!!  All of the volunteers were nervous to find out where we would be placed and what our houses would look like, but for the most part we were very satisfied!  I got exactly what I prayed for!!!  I just want to take this time to say that the Lord just keeps on blessing me!  I can't thank Him enough for showering me down with blessing after blessing after blessing!!

My site is Kibondo and the district is Gatsibo.  Gatsibo District is located in NE Rwanda and is about two hours (or less) from Kigali.  My house is 9 miles from the main road Kayonza-Nyagatare (that tidbit is to orient any current Rwanda volunteers who would like to come and visit at some point in time).  The climate is warm (by Rwandan standards) with the hottest day rarely climbing beyond a temperature of 80^oF.  The dry season is between June and August; it's not unusual for the area to run out of water during this time (a volunteer last year went about 3 days with no water).  My house is being rented and paid for by the health center I will be working for.  A fence is currently being built around the house, I have a site mate (less than a 1 hour walk away), I have my own latrine and bathing area (usually these are shared among a compound), my water source is about 32 feet away from my house, and here's the thing that really made my day...my house has ELECTRICITY!!  #1 on my list was fulfilled!! Glory to the King!!!  I don't know what I have done to deserve such favor, but I am happy the Lord feels I deserve it!  Just 3 more days until I get to see my new house for the next two years!! OhEmGee I'm soo excited!!!

Love and Peace Corps,

Dametreea

P.S. You can search "the Gatsibo District in Rwanda" for more information on the area.  Happy googling :)

Social Etiquette

I thought you all might find this interesting.  It's just a few cultural guidelines that were included in our host family and volunteer guide.

Behaviors to Avoid:

1.      Smelling/sniffing food: Smelling your food indicates that the food is bad and reflects badly on the cook and their cooking methods.  You should therefore avoid sniffing your food so as to not imply that it is rotten or smells bad. 

2.       Use of the index finger: In Rwanda, the index finger is used to call dogs.  Dogs are not valued here and Rwandans do not like to be associated with them because they are considered to be dirty.  Calling someone over by use of the index finger is like calling them a dog.

Also, using the index finger to call someone over communicates an arrogant or superior attitude as the colonialists used to call the natives by using the index finger.  To call someone over, wave the palm of the hand in a downward motion.

3.   Public displays of affection: Love is highly valued here, however it is related to sex and is considered to be very private and should not be displayed in public.  Kissing and hugging in public is not common.  Even holding hands between two people of the opposite sex in public is considered improper. (Holding hands between two people of the same sex is okay as it is signifies close friendship).

4.   Hanging underwear outside (to dry): Underpants are private clothing and to hang them where people can see them is to expose yourself as naked.  When drying underpants outside, they should be covered with a cloth.  Ideally, they should be dried in your room and then ironed to kill any microbes that would have otherwise been killed by the sun.

5.   Handing things to others with your left hand: You are not to hand anyone anything with the left hand.  Always use the right or both (the left hand on the right one) as a sign of respect.

6.   Dogs: you are not to let a dog lick you as it is considered unclean.  Rwandans are not fond of dogs at all.  After the genocide, starving dogs would walk around and eat the dead bodies of their owners, hence the reason they are not valued here as they are in America.

7.   Wearing torn/dirty clothes or immodest dress: Clothes and shoes must always be clean and mended.  Women should avoid clothing that is tight, transparent, low-cut, or too short.  Bleached or ripped jeans are not appropriate.

Behaviors to Adopt: