A Saturday in the Life of...

I am currently sitting here with the stench of kerosene on my hands - I will run you through how I got here! So woke up this morning as with every morning at six to the sound of Francois the guard-come-gardener sweeping the yard and hacking at various things. Fortunately, I managed to drift in and out of sleep until almost eight when I arose to Francois calling me for a chat. With lots of pointing franglaisrwanda and misunderstanding I got to the fact that he needed more money for a hoe and seeds etc, well I was a bit difficult and said the seeds could wait until December which is apparently planting season as we have carrots coming through at the moment anyway.

Quick bucket shower - ah how I love the combination of bucket and cold water! Then dressed and had my first cup of tea in this house (ah the joy) with a couple of bananas and we (Francois and I) set off for the market. There I haggled in broken Kinyarwanda (with constant, and very unslick reference to my vocab book and dictionary!) unsuccessfully for a massive bag of coal which should last me the year for £4.80. Then it was time for laundry, three buckets for washing and rinsing - well that look a good few hours, but was very satisfying and everything dried in a flash with the blazing sun, that is until the rains came this afternoon so the last few things don’t stand much chance now!

Then I munched another banana and a few spoonfuls of peanut butter (its delicious here and no need for the bread!) and set off for the shops, along the way I was greeted with the usual 'hello, how are you?'s to which I stubbornly reply 'fine, amakuru (how are you in Kinyarwanda)' to which I recieve giggles (from boys and girls alike) and the response 'ni meza'. This may get boring at some point but at the moment it isn’t a problem at all, after all I am a bizarre site around these parts, especially when sporting my sunhat like today. So I successfully bought eggs, pasta and bonus received a 'cadeau' of a pineapple! Hoorah. So home just in time to miss the downpour and bring in the laundry.

I then received some surprise visitors, very little ones ranging between the ages of 12 and 4, sporting cheeky grins and nicking my oranges (which are distinctly green so not one bit edible!). We had a chat then I let them scuttle off and leave me to my coal stove. This was a massive challenge until I remembered the tip of putting a little kerosene on to get things started and bam! what do you know it is coming along nicely!

So here I am writing this as the sun is setting, contemplating supper and the application of insect repellent. I had better go and get on with all of that.

So Here I Am!

Laden with sunblock, mosquito repellent and much anticipation our transfer from Nairobi swept in over Kigali. The dramatic 90 degree angle offered a spectacular, if a little nerve-wracking, view of many of the thousand hills this country is famous for. Lush green interspersed with red tracks and houses dotted about the landscape, was a view like nothing else I have ever seen – this definitely ranks as one of my favourite landing spots so far!

And joy of joys we were greeted off the plane by a wave of beautifully warm air, a relief after the sleepless night on the freezing floor of Nairobi Airport – not cozy! We grabbed our bags that were ready and waiting for us, put them through the sixth but thankfully the last x-ray and were received on the other side by surprisingly large welcome party bearing roses for each of us. Bleary eyed from not having slept for over 24 hours I do not feel that we quite matched the welcome!

Ten days of training have passed in a flash of Kinyarwanda and suddenly I find myself safely installed in my house in Nyagatare, feeling very fortunate to have electricity and running water, but a little overwhelmed by the three bedroom house that I have been given. The first challenge on arrival was the demolition of numerous hornet nests which had grown up around the house. This was followed by rigorous cleaning of the house which had been left to go to ruin for the last month. With the help of Daniel – the fortunate passer-by we had it done by lunchtime and I have now spread my limited baggage about the place to make it feel full!

So I sit here a little lonely and sunburnt, but excited by the challenge that tomorrow holds, starting with the motorbike! Eek! Think of me rattling down these dusty roads without a clue in the world what I am doing…