July 23, 2004
We are never short of things to do or meetings to plan here,
but here are three highlights from our “free time” this week:
- Beautification. The weekend before last, I had resolved to get all of the clay out of my nails and paint them. Mama and Donata, who lives with us, were quick to notice. The next night, the kitchen was transformed into a salon as we painted nails in the back yard by the light of head lamps while dinner was on the charcoal stove. Look carefully to see our cow hanging out in the background. It is hard not to laugh at this picture of manicures Rwandan style.
- Furry Friends. Last night at dinner, our neighbor Jean Paul said in Kinyarwanda, “Meriana, Audrey’s mom has baby goats… And their names are, um… Meriana and Audrey.” Audrey is my Think Impact adviser here. I replied, “I know, of course, I love baby goats!” I do not know if Jean Paul was more surprised at my affinity for goats or at the fact that they were named after us, but of course I love these soft, friendly little guys. The village is fascinated with our fondness of animals in general, but people are particularly perplexed with our obsession with picking up goats.
- Bucket List. On Sunday I crossed another item off of my life bucket list: seeing a herd of zebras in the wild. Scholars took a day off from our design teams to travel to nearby Akagera National Park for a little safari, and we were surrounded by antelope, baboons, hippos, giraffes, water buffalo, and, yes, zebras. Dotted across the horizon, the zebras were every bit as majestic and regal in person as I always dreamed they would be! Now I will have to move on to trying to tame one…
- Breakfast: Our cross-cultural exchange of the week was sharing breakfast. I had packed oatmeal and raisins as emergency rations for this trip, and we have certainly not been short of delicious food. I couldn't find the words in Kinyarwanda for raisins (they do not grow grapes here), and I think they thought oatmeal was very sweet. Still this was a huge success.
1 comment:
Such an inspiring string of reports! I am very seriously impressed at your bonding with your host family & village and their willingness to accept an outsider with new/different ideas. The entire process is beyond amazing and will be life changing for all. Congratulations - again - on your adventure and your ambassadorship ... life skills that will be invaluable for all, Rwandans and Think Impact team members alike.
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