internet and neighborhood milk and other amazing discoveries

2 things i'm super grateful for today!

We FINALLY have internet at the school. Which makes me so excited. I was starting to feel like I was in a developing country or something!

It's been kind of a long week. I've discovered that i live kind of in the boonies. By the airport. Which i actually find hilarious since i live right by the airport in the Nashville. It must be some sort of universal subconscious calling or something. Like i can't get to far away from being able to get far away when ever i need or want to. (or some silly boy offers me a free plane ticket to somewhere). This morning i learned that i live right next to the compound where the former president lived. Evidentally his plane was shot down right over his compound, which was the catalyst for the whole genocide thing. Excellent. A little creepy but excellent. Why wouldn't i pick that neighborhood to live in? Of course! There are not really addresses here so i can't give you an exact location. But if you're a fan of google earth, you can search Kanombe. That's the name of my neighborhood. Aparently it's so far out of the city that the taxi drivers make a face everytime i ask for a ride there.

Ahhh...the taxis. Another brilliant discovery. There are normal taxies, well take normal very loosely but at least they are cars. These are rarely used by locals unless you're hauling luggage, old people, or rich people. Since very few people fit those categories (except us whiteys) very few people use them from what i can tell. Most locals take moto taxies. Picture hopping on the back of a stranger's motorcycle (who happens to be 15) and strapping on a helment that has been on 50 other strangers' heads already, weaving in and out of traffic, running red lights, and being so close to cars that you can shake hands with the driver. yesterday i was actually clipped by another moto taxi. Both my driver and me kind of turned around shocked! THe other driver, in his best english, said oh muzungo, i sooo sorry! The max moto ride should cost around 1000 rwanda franc which equates to a little less than $2. But since i'm so obviously muzungo (westerner) i've paid up to 2500 rwandan franc which is still only $4.50. But i love them! All the other teachers says buhoro buhoro (slowly slowly!) but i never say it. I don't know how to say faster faster yet but i have a feeling that i don't really need to know.

Another discovery has been kinyarwandan, the local language. It's totally not french anymore. The country has basically switched from french to english only and the local language. Most educated people who are adults speak french but they don't like to anymore becuase the young students are now being taught in english. Our students speak pretty well but struggle a little with diction so it can be hard to understand. I'm grateful for french becuase i know if english doesn't work, i can still try french. if that doesn't work than i laugh and shrug my shoulders and say muzungo. and they laugh. I'm learning though...hopefully i can get enough to understand some things. and stop getting ripped off by the motos!

And my final discovery, being a visitor in a local family is overwhelming! They call me The Visitor. They carry my stuff, polish my shoes, and sneak in and make my bed every day. It's so humbling becuase these people have so little. The sister actually hand washed my clothes. I'm so grateful and yet feel so selfish and imperialistic. and then their's the milk...every day they serve me fresh from a cow milk. Not grocery store pasturized fresh. like milked that morning from the neighborhood cow milk. and then boiled steaming hot and served with two scoops of pure cane sugar. Yum yum!

It has been a hard week - adjusting to bucket showers, poverty, and muzungo-ness. It's so tempting to move in with the american girls who go shopping everynight, eat at the italian resturant in the city, and live as close to american life as possible. I'm seriously considering it. I'm not sure my wet wipes will last me through the next 40 days. but for the short term, as long as i feel safe, i'm going to try to stick it out.

I might cheat and buy a pillow though...:)

Love you all!

your favorite muzungo
Shai

PS i just gave the girls all the chapstick from Molly's sorority. They LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I'll try to post pictures next round.

Oh PS2. I'm finally on skype. My user name is shairas. Send me messages if you can!