Greetings from Umutesi and Umutoni!

Before we forget for those of you who would like to send us huge amounts of gifts and letters through the post our address is:

Nell or Jaz c/o rYico
BP 5255
Kigali
Rwanda
And also just a quick word of thanks to everyone who have been leaving us comments, they're always intersting to read!!

Its crazy to think we’ve only been here two weeks, already sooo much has happened and yet life feel strangely normal, the culture shock has subsided and although there is still much for us to learn we are settling in nicely, with our home proving to be a definite safehaven for when the centre gets a bit too much. We are also gradually getting to know many of the children much better, there is Winnie who is very outgoing and incredibly welcoming, John – our keenest English student, who is guaranteed to sit at the front of the class EVERY lesson, his hand held high in the air. And the little boy with no name – he has no name because he is deaf and therefore cannot speak either which means nobody can actually ask him his name, he is one of the youngest children and a real character…. He may not be able to speak but he certainly makes a lot of noise! It is so nice to be able to get to know many of them individually, when we first arrived there were so many faces that the idea of even just remembering their names seemed far to daunting! We have also been given Rwandan names by the kids which apparently is quite an honour! Nell is now Umutesi which translates to ‘loved by the parents’ and Jasmines is Umutoni which translates to ‘most responsible child’ (I was kinda hoping for ‘wild one’ or ‘the cool kid’ but I guess it’s still a complement!)
Our timetable has certainly filled up as well. We now have two art classes and an English class every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, all of which require lesson plans so we are kept very busy. We have also decided to volunteer at an orphanage every Tuesday. There are between 40-50 babies in one room, the smell and the heat make it quite an intense experience but certainly a rewarding one. The babies range from a few weeks old to around 2 years old. Our job is basically to feed them, change them and give them a cuddle. We work along side a few local women and a few nuns who run the orphanage all of whom work incredible hard. Through working there we have met a few other international volunteers who we are gradually getting to know better, one of which is coming for dinner on Friday… our first guest… lets hope we don’t give her food poisoning!

Before we left the UK many of the questions that often cropped up when discussing our trip with people were related to the genocide. As an outsider from day to day there is virtually no sign that such a horrific act ever took place here. However occasionally we are reminded of this aspect of Rwanda’s history. A few days ago we saw a truck full of prisoners pass by wearing pink, this is to identify them as those accused of participation in the genocide. It was a very stark reminder that this only happened 12 years ago and everyone is still living with the consequences. While this generated a moment of uncomfortable reflection it is worth noting the country’s significant effort to overcome its damaged reputation of brutality and blood shed. One aspect of society which is most admirable is ‘umuganda’ this happens every last Saturday of the month. Basically every citizen is required to take part in community service of some kind, all the shops close and it is taken very seriously if you don’t take part…. Can you ever imagine that happening in England!

There are a few cultural differences that simply can’t go unmissed, one of which being the surprising amount of affection boys seem to show one another here! Every journey we make we are guaranteed to see at least one pair of boys walking down the street holding hands. We gather that this is not done in the Brightonian style of… ‘Gay and Proud!’ as the concept of homosexuality is socially so completely unheard of that it doesn’t even cross their minds! I guess its more of a brotherly love thing but still it’s not something you’d be likely to see on the streets of the UK everyday! The weather however is surprisingly familiar with its unpredictability, only just a little more extreme. They don’t call it the rainy season for nothing, I can tell ya! The rain is heavier and louder than anything we’ve ever experienced, yet very comforting when we’re falling off to sleep, however we’ve still managed to get sun burnt today! One of the upsides is that often when the electricity goes we have our very own light display to watch, as our balcony has a rather spectacular view of the whole of Kigali with its rolling hills marking our horizon. Often there are lightening storms, which illuminate vast areas of the sky creating a cacophony of colours.

We have a mango tree in our front garden of which we’ve had an eye on and generally our diet contains a lot of fruit so no need for the vitamin pills just yet! One last thing that has to be mentioned before we head home for dinner is the impressive amount of stuff people can carry on their heads….. seriously this is a talent that can’t go unnoticed! The quintessential African woman carrying a basket of fruit on her head does not do this skill justice, we have witnessed towels piled a couple of feet high, hats, bags of charcoal, piles of bulrushes and just about anything else you can imagine! It appears that in order to acquire this talent you must start young; the other day we came across a girl, no older that two years of age putting all her concentration into balancing a bag of sweets on her head, she was doing so well until the two muzungus walked passed and alas her concentration wavered!