Nearing the end
My time in Rwanda is drawing to a close—hard to believe it! This past week I participated in a Transformative Mediation training here at Urugo Rw’Amahoro (FPH). George Brose from Ohio, whose blog you can check out at oonka.com/george-blog/, was the trainer for the workshop.
Not too much else to report. I’m currently working on compiling the FPH annual report—though it seems that “compiling” may actually mean translating documents from French into English, as I think I’ll have to leave by the time I finish translating.
Tomorrow I’m going to visit some projects nearby that support women with HIV/AIDS. I hope to gather enough information so if any other students want to come to Rwanda through the CPGC they can find some information about other options in addition to FPH. Francine’s older brother, who lost his wife to AIDS, runs the programs, so it’s been a convenient connection!
Sunday I’ll be cooking an “American” dinner for Francine and a few other friends I’ve made here, so I’d love any suggestions you may have. It needs to be things I can cook over a fire/coals–there is no oven (and remember no running water!) so the more simple, the better. So far I’m planning chili, mashed potatoes and guacamole—a cohesive meal is clearly not the goal….
A fact about Rwandan political/geographical organization: the country is divided into four provinces, in which there are many districts, in which there are many sectors, in which there are many cells, and finally in which there are many zones. The hierarchy of these divisions confused me for a while, but I finally had it explained to me by the leader of the cell we live in, who works here at FPH. Also, local elections involve no paper ballots, but rather each individual stands in front of the person they wish to vote for. This type of voting clearly saves time and money, but is quite susceptible to pressuring and inaccurate counting.
My Kinyarwanda update is amusing, as a friend here at FPH taught me a number of “conversations” I could have, such as what I ate for breakfast that morning, when I’m leaving the country, what I’ll miss most, and even an invitation to come visit someone’s house. But if anyone’s questions or responses differ from those very specific ones given, I am utterly lost. For example, if I don’t want to come visit on Saturday the 14th…no visit for me.
I’m starting to feel sentimental about leaving: no more rogue rooster under my window, fruit so delicious it feels sinful, warm sunny days without fail, music to make your heart melt, and the five lizards who have kept me company for these many weeks. That said, I am ready for a shower and some ice cream too.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Muraho Emily,
I just randomly came across your blog and wanted to get in touch with you. I worked at FPH from August 2006 – October 2007 and would love to hear about your experience there and find out how Theo, Solange, Jeannette, and Sizeli are doing. Email me at bethmahl@yahoo.com when you get a chance.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Bethany
July 18th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Dear Emily,
Your “American” dinner will be so much fun for everyone! What a nice treat for Francine after all the kindnesses she has shown you. I’d love to know how you’re going to make mashed potatoes over an open fire, but I’ll wait for the next blog posting to find out.
For this to be “American,” you need a dessert. S’mores would be a quintessential American treat, but I can’t magine you can get marshmallows or graham crackers. There may be some former Boy or Girl Scouts out there in Blog-Land who can give you much better ideas, but here are a few easy options I found on the web. Can you get apples? Can you find aluminum foil? Can you get chocolate? If so, you could try one of these:
Campfire Baked Cinnamon Apples
1 medium Apple
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. sugar
Heavy duty aluminum foil
Cut the apple from top to bottom at three different positions making sure not to cut all the way through the bottom. Place apple on a piece of heavy duty aluminum foil to wrap the apple in. Open the apple similar to a flower. Add the cinnamon and sugar to the center of the apple. Wrap the apple in foil, making sure it is securely closed. Place in campfire coals for approximately 20-30 minutes. Can substitute brown sugar instead of the cinnamon and sugar
Banana S’mores
Take a banana and peel off one strip of peel (where the banana curves)
Where you took off the peel, slice out a piece of banana almost all the way down and set it aside
Fill opening with peanut butter
Place 2 or 3 pieces of chocolate on top of peanut butter
Cover the peanut butter and chocolate with the banana piece you cut out, cover that with the piece of peel, wrap very tightly in tin foil, and cook on a rack over your campfire 10 minutes (or you could put the foil packets directly on the coals). Eat with a spoon
Please take lots of pictures, and let us know how the “American” food is received. Love you!