I am writing this post in Microsoft word so that I may copy and post it into my blog when the internet starts working. It hasn’t worked for about 3 days now, at the time that my proposal is due. I am/ was (by the time this is posted) a little stressed to say the least.
The internet is a luxury in Rwanda, and I have taken for granted for too long.
There are many things that are luxuries in Rwanda (or don’t even exist in Rwanda) that I miss a lot. Things like:
Getting water from the tap
A glass of milk
Beef of any kind
Driving my pickup
Chocolate
Sweat tea
English Radio
Television (I don’t watch much back home, but the little I watch, I miss)
Mexican Food
Staying up past midnight and having a reason to
Dancing at the Hall of Fame
Hearing my friends play the guitar
Mi Cosina, the Chicken, and Lanes
Watermelons
A nice hot shower
The mobile mansion (I hope they are still using it)
Hearing the voices of friends and family
And of course Family and Friends...
But most of all, I miss blending into the crowd. People watch my every move here. I can’t go to a public place without 100 eyes watching my every move. I think that I will enjoy being normal (if I ever was) back in the US. I have a new found appreciation for “normal” and “average.” The average are a homogeneous product to which they can find comfort in their autonomy, yet they are the measuring stick used to determine the below average and the above average. I miss the comfort of being average. I miss being the measuring stick instead of having to set the standard.
I leave Rwanda in about 10 days (from writing this in word), and I will spend two days in London. I will be home soon.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Presidential Cabinets, Pick Pocketing, Preschoolers and Puppies
I had a meeting in Kigali, the capitol city of Rwanda, a few days ago. I was to meet with World Vision-Rwanda and the Secretary General from the Ministry of Education. My meeting with World Vision went very well, but I was unable to meet with the Secretary General due to the fact that he was out of town or something. Because my meeting with the ministry was cancelled, I decided to visit a nice little coffee shop in Kigali called Bourbon Cafe.
While I was there I ran into a friend of mine that owns a coffee washing station. He was trying to get some governmental business taken care of and was meeting with one of President Paul Kagame’s cabinet members. It was pretty cool to sit and have coffee with one of the advisor’s to the president. The coffee was good to.
After visiting with the presidential advisor in the coffee shop, I headed to the bus station to purchase a ticket for the ride home. After purchasing the ticket, I exited the complex and started walking down the street to look for a book store that might have books in English. (I have read over 10 books since I have been here, and I am out of books to read.) I was a few feet from the bus stop when a Rwanda grabbed my right arm and started talking to me in Rwandan. I couldn’t understand what he was saying to me, but it looked like he was trying to sell me something.
As my mouth began to formulate the word “I don’t want it,” (In Rwanda I have learned to say ‘I don’t want it’ before even looking at the merchandise. It is a bad habit, but I am tired of people trying to sell me 20 year old maps, or mechanical parts to machines that I didn’t even know existed, and I am especially tired of people trying to sell me pants that are 3 sizes to small and one shoe...not even a pair...one shoe!)
“I don’t wa...” then my words were cut short as another man grabbed my left arm. Before I even knew what to do, the person grabbing my left arm had already removed the contents of my left shirt pocket. He them tried to reach around to my backside and remove my wallet. I started swinging my arms in all directions like one would do when being attacked by bees. I wanted to punch one of them in the face, but there were so many people around, I couldn’t tell who was robbing me and who was a bystander. My method of swinging my arms like a wild man worked as the criminals darted away like a child chasing a bouncing ball, running into the street without even looking at oncoming cars. They didn’t get hit like I hoped they would.
Before I could even yell, “I’ve been robbed!” they were gone. A Rwandan friend of mine asked me to describe their appearance. My reply:
Well, they were short, dark skinned, and had buzzed off hair. They spoke Rwandan, were skinny, and ran very fast....it wasn’t you was it?
All Rwandans look the same to me, and these were no different. The contents that these thieves escaped with:
One World Vision business card, a bus ticket, a piece of paper with two phone numbers and a little doodle of a house (I drew the little house), and one used phone card.
The only thing of value was the bus ticket, which I had refunded. I am already planning my next trip to Kigali. I am leaving my shirt pocket wide open with a role of 100 Rwandan Franks. Inside of these franks will be three razor blades, some super glue, and a note saying “enjoy the cash you filthy animal” in Rwandan of course. The total cost of this prank that will cause a lot of pain to both the hand and the moral of the next thief that tries to rob me: about $5 USD. Money well spent. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Kigali is not all bad as I have been there many times and never been pick pocketed until recently. I went there last week and played ball with some kids. They were a lot of fun. They are part of an orphanage that holds children that are HIV infected. They had never seen a white person before, so they loved playing games with me. They also sang songs and danced for me and some other visitors. It was a very enjoyable experience. I hope to see them again before I leave.
Lastly, to bring this blog full circle, my friend that was eating with the presidential cabinet member has a little puppy named “TGENDE.” Tgende means “Let’s Go!” I really like that puppy but it is a pain to deal with. Tgende as almost completely torn the bottom off one of my pant legs. They don’t have many dogs in Rwanda since the genocide, so it has been a pleasure to play with Tgende. It is funny to find the things about home that I miss. I miss a cold glass of milk, chicken fried steak, family, friends, driving, and until now, puppies. (Oddly enough I don’t miss my cell phone at all. As a matter of fact, I don’t really want one when I get back.) Now that I have Togende to play with, my list of things that I miss is a little shorter. I’ll be home in a few weeks, and I am now ready to be back.
Don’t take things from my pockets, or you might hurt yourself.
Peace, prayers, and parties to all of you.
-blaze
While I was there I ran into a friend of mine that owns a coffee washing station. He was trying to get some governmental business taken care of and was meeting with one of President Paul Kagame’s cabinet members. It was pretty cool to sit and have coffee with one of the advisor’s to the president. The coffee was good to.
After visiting with the presidential advisor in the coffee shop, I headed to the bus station to purchase a ticket for the ride home. After purchasing the ticket, I exited the complex and started walking down the street to look for a book store that might have books in English. (I have read over 10 books since I have been here, and I am out of books to read.) I was a few feet from the bus stop when a Rwanda grabbed my right arm and started talking to me in Rwandan. I couldn’t understand what he was saying to me, but it looked like he was trying to sell me something.
As my mouth began to formulate the word “I don’t want it,” (In Rwanda I have learned to say ‘I don’t want it’ before even looking at the merchandise. It is a bad habit, but I am tired of people trying to sell me 20 year old maps, or mechanical parts to machines that I didn’t even know existed, and I am especially tired of people trying to sell me pants that are 3 sizes to small and one shoe...not even a pair...one shoe!)
“I don’t wa...” then my words were cut short as another man grabbed my left arm. Before I even knew what to do, the person grabbing my left arm had already removed the contents of my left shirt pocket. He them tried to reach around to my backside and remove my wallet. I started swinging my arms in all directions like one would do when being attacked by bees. I wanted to punch one of them in the face, but there were so many people around, I couldn’t tell who was robbing me and who was a bystander. My method of swinging my arms like a wild man worked as the criminals darted away like a child chasing a bouncing ball, running into the street without even looking at oncoming cars. They didn’t get hit like I hoped they would.
Before I could even yell, “I’ve been robbed!” they were gone. A Rwandan friend of mine asked me to describe their appearance. My reply:
Well, they were short, dark skinned, and had buzzed off hair. They spoke Rwandan, were skinny, and ran very fast....it wasn’t you was it?
All Rwandans look the same to me, and these were no different. The contents that these thieves escaped with:
One World Vision business card, a bus ticket, a piece of paper with two phone numbers and a little doodle of a house (I drew the little house), and one used phone card.
The only thing of value was the bus ticket, which I had refunded. I am already planning my next trip to Kigali. I am leaving my shirt pocket wide open with a role of 100 Rwandan Franks. Inside of these franks will be three razor blades, some super glue, and a note saying “enjoy the cash you filthy animal” in Rwandan of course. The total cost of this prank that will cause a lot of pain to both the hand and the moral of the next thief that tries to rob me: about $5 USD. Money well spent. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Kigali is not all bad as I have been there many times and never been pick pocketed until recently. I went there last week and played ball with some kids. They were a lot of fun. They are part of an orphanage that holds children that are HIV infected. They had never seen a white person before, so they loved playing games with me. They also sang songs and danced for me and some other visitors. It was a very enjoyable experience. I hope to see them again before I leave.
Lastly, to bring this blog full circle, my friend that was eating with the presidential cabinet member has a little puppy named “TGENDE.” Tgende means “Let’s Go!” I really like that puppy but it is a pain to deal with. Tgende as almost completely torn the bottom off one of my pant legs. They don’t have many dogs in Rwanda since the genocide, so it has been a pleasure to play with Tgende. It is funny to find the things about home that I miss. I miss a cold glass of milk, chicken fried steak, family, friends, driving, and until now, puppies. (Oddly enough I don’t miss my cell phone at all. As a matter of fact, I don’t really want one when I get back.) Now that I have Togende to play with, my list of things that I miss is a little shorter. I’ll be home in a few weeks, and I am now ready to be back.
Don’t take things from my pockets, or you might hurt yourself.
Peace, prayers, and parties to all of you.
-blaze
Thursday, July 12, 2007
From Hippos to Heroes
We went on Safari last weekend. It was an amazing adventure. We saw giraffes, crocodiles, wart hogs (our guide called them Pumba’s like the Lion King), water buffalos, many birds, monkeys, baboons, and hippopotami (our guide called them Hypobopdomysises).
The baboon came up to us. His little butt looked as red as my brother Rocky’s butt after 6 week grades are posted. He was friendly baboon. We also got to be within a few feet of the giraffe. They are very elegant animals.
While we were on the shoreline watching the hippos come in and out of the water, a crocodile dove in the water not 20 feet from us. Our guide didn’t even bat an eye. He suggested that we move in closer. We democratically voted, and stayed in our location. The vote was something like 6 for staying away, 1 for moving closer. The guide voted to move closer.
We stayed in very nice lodge. There was even running water, right out in the middle of the savannah. When the music played from time to time, I would do some tribal dancing to entertain the guests. For some reason, there were not enough locals to do this dancing, so I had to do it myself. I also two stepped with one African girl. She said it was her first time to two step, and she thought that I was really good at it. In actuality, I am terrible; however, I told her that I was performing the dance exactly how it is to be done. If another young Texas boy comes to Rwanda and dances with her, I imagine that she will tell him, “You are not doing it right. A Texan named Blaze showed me the correct way!”
That’s how things are around here. I may not always do things the best way or the correct way, but I just tell everyone that it is the best or is correct. They don’t know any different. I am a hero down here due to ignorance. I guess that is how most heroes are formed anyway. Some of my heroes when I was young haven't turned out so well. It was my ignorance that made them heroes.
Tom Cruise: Turns out he is weird and maybe even bats for the other team....
Captain Crunch: He can only be found on cereal boxes. Although he almost made his way back into my hero book when Crunch Berry’s came out.
Zach Morris from Saved by the Bell: Is he even alive now? I guess he graduated.
John Madden: I lost faith in him when I was in the fifth grade and my vocabulary became larger than his...boom!
Hungry Hungry Hippos: They lost appeal after seeing real Hippos in the wild last week.
Harvey Wellman: I used to think he founded Wellman, TX, but then I found out he was just a coach when Wellman played 8 man football....ok, he’s a small town Hero.
Mr. Moon of McDonalds: Wait, Actually, Mr. Moon is still my hero!
I know I won’t be a hero in Butare Rwanda forever, but I am for now. At least until some other Texan shows up and tries to teach them the two step. Then I might as well be one of my past heroes listed above. Well as they say in Rwanda. “....*#&$(^^^$ART^%*...” To pronounce it just do a few clicks and slurps.
Posted:
Blaze “The Two Step Texan”- Real Rwandan Hero
The baboon came up to us. His little butt looked as red as my brother Rocky’s butt after 6 week grades are posted. He was friendly baboon. We also got to be within a few feet of the giraffe. They are very elegant animals.
While we were on the shoreline watching the hippos come in and out of the water, a crocodile dove in the water not 20 feet from us. Our guide didn’t even bat an eye. He suggested that we move in closer. We democratically voted, and stayed in our location. The vote was something like 6 for staying away, 1 for moving closer. The guide voted to move closer.
We stayed in very nice lodge. There was even running water, right out in the middle of the savannah. When the music played from time to time, I would do some tribal dancing to entertain the guests. For some reason, there were not enough locals to do this dancing, so I had to do it myself. I also two stepped with one African girl. She said it was her first time to two step, and she thought that I was really good at it. In actuality, I am terrible; however, I told her that I was performing the dance exactly how it is to be done. If another young Texas boy comes to Rwanda and dances with her, I imagine that she will tell him, “You are not doing it right. A Texan named Blaze showed me the correct way!”
That’s how things are around here. I may not always do things the best way or the correct way, but I just tell everyone that it is the best or is correct. They don’t know any different. I am a hero down here due to ignorance. I guess that is how most heroes are formed anyway. Some of my heroes when I was young haven't turned out so well. It was my ignorance that made them heroes.
Tom Cruise: Turns out he is weird and maybe even bats for the other team....
Captain Crunch: He can only be found on cereal boxes. Although he almost made his way back into my hero book when Crunch Berry’s came out.
Zach Morris from Saved by the Bell: Is he even alive now? I guess he graduated.
John Madden: I lost faith in him when I was in the fifth grade and my vocabulary became larger than his...boom!
Hungry Hungry Hippos: They lost appeal after seeing real Hippos in the wild last week.
Harvey Wellman: I used to think he founded Wellman, TX, but then I found out he was just a coach when Wellman played 8 man football....ok, he’s a small town Hero.
Mr. Moon of McDonalds: Wait, Actually, Mr. Moon is still my hero!
I know I won’t be a hero in Butare Rwanda forever, but I am for now. At least until some other Texan shows up and tries to teach them the two step. Then I might as well be one of my past heroes listed above. Well as they say in Rwanda. “....*#&$(^^^$ART^%*...” To pronounce it just do a few clicks and slurps.
Posted:
Blaze “The Two Step Texan”- Real Rwandan Hero
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Sit Down Bus Driver!
I went to a party this past weekend in a distant part of Rwanda. There were a lot of Mzungus at this party, so it was pretty fun. A girl met the A&M Interns shortly after we arrived, and she is the person who put on the party. The party was interesting; however, it was not as interesting as the bus ride to the party.
The journey to this party would be a long one. We took a large bus from Kigali to Butare. We have taken this bus before, and it is a pretty good ride. The bus is large, and even though it is crowded, this bus is pretty comfortable. After arriving in Butare, the other Interns and I went to a nice restaurant and had dinner. We also did some shopping and a few other miscellaneous tasks. It finally came time for us to ride to this distant village in Rwanda. The bus we would have to take was not like the Bus before.
I saw the bus pull up to the bus top, and I was taken back. It was about the size of a small van. It was a white bus with green stripes painted on it. The seats were covered in plastic as well as the dashboard. This bus was not bus...it was a small van. Poorer families back in the US would probably have purchased this bust for a family of about 7 or 8. This is about how many people it would comfortably fit. We had about 18 on our bus....Van. They were all excited to be seated in a bus with white people. It was an interesting ride. It was dark when we left.
Just when I thought that we could not physically hold any more people in this VAN, we stopped a picked up 2 more. I had a window seat, so I could breathe. We were trucking a long just fine. It was to be a three hour ride. It would have been a two hour ride, but we had to stop several times so that people could pee on the side of the road. It was pretty uneventful except for the short stops for urination until our driver almost killed a guy.
In Rwanda, vehicles have the right of way. When our van was scooting down the highway, it would honk for people to get out of the way...they usually did. At one point on this trip, we were going through a small village. Another van was coming our direction on a narrow road. On this narrow road there was also a gentleman about 20 years old walking down the right side of the street. Usually our Van would have simply gone around him; however, this time it could not because another van was coming. This young man was standing on the right side of the road, the side that we were traveling down. He was with his back towards us, and he was not moving.
Our driver honked for the man to get out of the way, but the man would not move. Our driver continued to honk again and again, but still the man did not move. Finally our driver slammed on his breaks and all of us fell forward smashing our heads against the plastic covered seats in front of us. The bus driver came to a complete stop just in front of the man. The man’s back was facing us as he walked, but after hearing the screeching of breaks and a loud horn made him turn and face us.
After our driver stopped the van, he slowly put the Van in park. He opened the door very slowly as if something was wrong. Once he stepped out of the van, the man that we had almost hit started walking away. Our driver started chasing him. He was moving at a speed that I had never seen before. He would have lapped a Kenya Olympian. He was making ground, and the only other person in the world faster than him was the man that we had almost turned into hamburger meat. The driver was fast, the pedestrian was faster. The driver chased him for about 5 min before returning to the van and taking us on our journey. I still wonder what he would have done if he would have caught the man. I know that it would have been painful. When he returned to the van I started shouting, “Komera, Komera!” This means, “Power and Strength to you!” All of the Rwandans laughed at me for yelling this. At that moment, the bus driver was my hero. He had all the road rage of a New Yorker during rush hour, but twice the courage and 10 times the speed.
The moral to the story is:
Even if you don’t get hit by a speeding van carrying twice the legal limit of capacity,
you can still get hit by the fist of a disgruntle bus driver!
Look both ways before you cross the street, and be ready to run at any moment.
The journey to this party would be a long one. We took a large bus from Kigali to Butare. We have taken this bus before, and it is a pretty good ride. The bus is large, and even though it is crowded, this bus is pretty comfortable. After arriving in Butare, the other Interns and I went to a nice restaurant and had dinner. We also did some shopping and a few other miscellaneous tasks. It finally came time for us to ride to this distant village in Rwanda. The bus we would have to take was not like the Bus before.
I saw the bus pull up to the bus top, and I was taken back. It was about the size of a small van. It was a white bus with green stripes painted on it. The seats were covered in plastic as well as the dashboard. This bus was not bus...it was a small van. Poorer families back in the US would probably have purchased this bust for a family of about 7 or 8. This is about how many people it would comfortably fit. We had about 18 on our bus....Van. They were all excited to be seated in a bus with white people. It was an interesting ride. It was dark when we left.
Just when I thought that we could not physically hold any more people in this VAN, we stopped a picked up 2 more. I had a window seat, so I could breathe. We were trucking a long just fine. It was to be a three hour ride. It would have been a two hour ride, but we had to stop several times so that people could pee on the side of the road. It was pretty uneventful except for the short stops for urination until our driver almost killed a guy.
In Rwanda, vehicles have the right of way. When our van was scooting down the highway, it would honk for people to get out of the way...they usually did. At one point on this trip, we were going through a small village. Another van was coming our direction on a narrow road. On this narrow road there was also a gentleman about 20 years old walking down the right side of the street. Usually our Van would have simply gone around him; however, this time it could not because another van was coming. This young man was standing on the right side of the road, the side that we were traveling down. He was with his back towards us, and he was not moving.
Our driver honked for the man to get out of the way, but the man would not move. Our driver continued to honk again and again, but still the man did not move. Finally our driver slammed on his breaks and all of us fell forward smashing our heads against the plastic covered seats in front of us. The bus driver came to a complete stop just in front of the man. The man’s back was facing us as he walked, but after hearing the screeching of breaks and a loud horn made him turn and face us.
After our driver stopped the van, he slowly put the Van in park. He opened the door very slowly as if something was wrong. Once he stepped out of the van, the man that we had almost hit started walking away. Our driver started chasing him. He was moving at a speed that I had never seen before. He would have lapped a Kenya Olympian. He was making ground, and the only other person in the world faster than him was the man that we had almost turned into hamburger meat. The driver was fast, the pedestrian was faster. The driver chased him for about 5 min before returning to the van and taking us on our journey. I still wonder what he would have done if he would have caught the man. I know that it would have been painful. When he returned to the van I started shouting, “Komera, Komera!” This means, “Power and Strength to you!” All of the Rwandans laughed at me for yelling this. At that moment, the bus driver was my hero. He had all the road rage of a New Yorker during rush hour, but twice the courage and 10 times the speed.
The moral to the story is:
Even if you don’t get hit by a speeding van carrying twice the legal limit of capacity,
you can still get hit by the fist of a disgruntle bus driver!
Look both ways before you cross the street, and be ready to run at any moment.
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