Three languages and my new home at the Iris

Update: I added a picture of the people from the office I'm working with. We took it yesterday when the board member was in town. It takes about 10 minutes to upload a photo, so they will come slowly like this.

Good evening (at least for me),

I hope all is well at home- I certainly miss everyone! I'm pleased to report that after my first day, I have nothing but GREAT things to say about Rwanda. The 24-hour flight was long, but smooth. In fact, I was amazed by how the social dynamic in the airports changed dramatically throughout the course of my travel. In New York's JFK airport, nobody dared to utter a word to the person standing or sitting next to him / her (including the 6.5 hour flight to Amsterdam)...pretty standard. Then something changed as soon as I got to the waiting area for the flight to Kigali. All of a sudden, it was like everyone was on the same team. Groups of missionaries showed up wearing the same t-shirts, people were exchanging reasons for why they were going to Africa, and I found myself feeling acquainted with half the plane before I even boarded. This was relevant foreshadowing for the friendliness of Kigali as a city.

Though I arrived in Kigali at 7:00pm, the sun goes down around 6:00pm here, so I was grateful that my co-worker and his wife were waiting for me when I arrived at the airport. They are amazing hosts and offered to let me stay with them for the first night. They have actually been advertising Rwanda as a tourist destination to their friends and have had a house full of visitors for most of their nine months here. After dropping my bags, we all went to dinner at a restaurant called Sundowner Bar, Grill and Pizzeria (yes...can't avoid pizza). There we had Savanna cider, barbecued goat (yep, I said goat), potatoes with mayo and hot sauce (piri piri) and umutoke, which are basically plantains.

So after a good night's sleep to try and get over the jet lag (6 hour time difference from the East Coast), I had my first day of work and figured out what projects I'll be working on over these next few weeks. It turned out to be a pretty eventful day because one of EGPAF's board members, who runs a large global consulting firm, was in Africa on business and decided to stop-in for a site visit. So, as they introduced the organization to him, I too received an overview presentation. I also got the privilege of visiting a health center (clinic) and district hospital where we spoke with doctors to better understand how pregnant mothers are treated from conception to childbirth to follow-up.One of the doctors is pictured below in a counseling (consultation) room.


The doctors were so passionate about their work - it was inspiring - and the health centers were much nicer than the ones I saw in Zambia last year. Interestingly, 90% of Rwanda's population has health insurance! Afterward, some of the office staff and I had drinks and dinner (Indian food) with the board member and his family. So, it was a very busy first day!

During the visits to health centers, I learned that I will be practicing French quite a lot and also learning some Kinyarwanda! The three main languages here are: Kinyarwanda, French, and English. However, Rwanda recently changed its 2nd official language from French to English. Rwanda is one of the only countries in Africa with only one traditional language, which of course is Kinyarwanda, and everyone is very proud of it and happy to teach. French is used by those who have been here for several generations because Rwanda was once part of a Belgian colony. For reference, Rwanda became independent from colonization in 1962, at which point it split from Burundi and became a single nation about the size of the state of Maryland. Rwanda's move towards English has, as I understand it, been driven by the return of refugees who lived in primarily English-speaking countries during the genocide as well as a desire to reposition Rwanda as a member of the East African Community, which is an organization primarily comprised of English-speaking countries.

Anyway, right now I'm settled into my new home for the next few weeks, the Iris Guest House. Here's a picture of my room for reference. I have a bureau, bathroom, desk, and bed with a mosquito net. I don't notice any bugs in here right now (although maybe that's because I'm not wearing glasses - just kidding); but everyone here sleeps in one.




A few notes on Rwanda so that you can get a mental picture:
Weather - 80 degrees and sunny during the day - no humidity; 50ish at night (i.e. no need for air conditioning). It feels like Virginia in the fall.
View - Rwanda's nickname is the "Land of One Thousand Hills." My office and guest house are on top of a hill called Kiyovu. It's a beautiful view. I took a few pictures this morning on my walk to work, but they don't do it justice. One is to the left.
Homes / Buildings - Despite the low crime rate, most homes and offices are surrounded by high walls and employee security guards. You can kind of see this in the picture from my co-worker's porch.
Clothes - Same as the U.S. Same attire for work, etc. I've only seen a few people in more traditional dress.


Ok, I think that's enough for tonight! I'm still a baby here considering I can barely communicate with everyone yet, so more to come.

Have a lovely weekend!

Love,
Meredith