Daily Life

Hi friends,

So as I thought of what I should blog about next, I figured it may be helpful to describe what daily life is like here in Kigali.

I wake up a little after 5:30 each day because that is when the sky gets light and the birdies begin to sing (loudly!). I usually check my email and such before heading off to school between 7 and 7:30. It's just a 5 minutes walk down the block and around a corner. People I work with: http://www.kicsrw.org/Staff.htm

School begins at 8. My students line up on the playground and we walk to class together and the first thing we do everyday is read in our Bibles (usually about a chapter, one that I choose). Then, we discuss what we read and have some prayer time.

We have math, then recess, then I go to geometry. While I try desperately to describe points, lines, and planes to 12 frustrated high schoolers, my 6th graders study social studies with the lovely Miss Cooper or run around in PE with the very fun Miss Simpson.

We either have Science or Art (with my totally awesome roommate, Miss Seger) before lunch. As part of my compensation the school provides me with hot lunch every day, which is very nice! For the most part lunches consist of a lot of starch (pasta, potatoes, bread, rice), a little bit of protein (beans or some kind of beef) and vegetables (green beans and carrots appear often). For 'dessert' we either get pineapple or a mini-banana. menu: http://www.kicsrw.org/Menu.htm I have taken to making myself eat the banana even though I'm still allergic - I'm determined to be healthy!

After lunch and a break we read and do some spelling. Then 5th and 6th grade trade classrooms and I teach math to the 5th graders. The end of the day is our Bible lesson and Chapel on Wednesdays. We had our first chapel today which was a song chapel. Each grade from K-6 chose a song to lead for the rest of the school. We sat outside in the courtyard - it was a great time!

At the end of the day we pack up and sing a song while I go around and stamp their good behavior cards - I really like this time of day :)

After school there are many options! (not really) I plan lessons, grade work, go home and get on my computer and try to catch up on life in America. I also try to use any remaining day light to go down the hill to the small store if we need food or electricity.

As we now have a Rwandan helper, Emmanuel, we are blessed to have dinner made for us. The three of us (Micki, Hannah and myself) share dinner with the two guys (Doug and Wes). There is something quite nice about having a 'family' dinner every night. We all have our spots at the table, and since Doug sits at the head of the table he says the blessing every night. It's usually a very silly time as some of them cannot control their laughter :)

At night we all spend time working on our computers, and often there are people over because we enjoy free wifi at our house. I try to go to bed early since I get up with the daylight, but that doesn't always happen.

Tomorrow I am going to try baking some apple pies, which I'm quite excited about! So far I've successfully made gingersnaps and peanut butter cookies. It's different baking in Rwanda, as I don't have ingredients that I'm used to, measuring cups, or an oven with a thermostat (even the dials don't have gauges). But I actually really like it - the simpler life is not bad at all! This weekend I have big plans for oatmeal chocolate "chip" cookies (no chocolate chips so I'm going to try blending all the chocolate bars in with the oatmeal).

Well, it's almost 9 which means time for bed! I'm so sleepy! Good night all - love you much!

Can I just say…?

Wow.

For those teachers out there, how many nights do we dream of a class who will come in classroom quietly, put their things away, and get right to work without being reminded… on the third day of school?! I don't know about you, but after 5 years of teaching, today was my first time of experiencing this blessing. My students have a LOVE for learning, an excitement for life, and are just a very willing group. I love it :)

I wish I could say the same about my geometry class. That one I'm not loving so much, but again, it was only the third day. High schoolers are SO different than middle schoolers/6th graders. And the ones I have do not have a love for learning, at least not geometry. This will definitely be my challenge class for the year. A challenge as I learn the content (ha!) and a challenge for the students to put up with me (haha!).

On a different note, I had a more difficult, but good conversation with a student after school today. When I first took this position 2 months ago, I was told that one of the students had just lost her mother. So today, this girl brought up during prayer requests that her mom had died. I asked her about it after school and she had a lot to say. It happened suddenly, at least for her. Her mom had been sick for awhile but had not let on to her children how sick she really was. Last June she went into the hospital and wasn't there many days before she was gone. There was a lot of travel that followed, going to their home country in Eritrea for the funeral, and then later trips to Europe to be with friends and family. She is still grieving and adjusting to this new way of life without mom. I can tell she's frustrated and just trying to understand life right now. I can't, nor do I want, to imagine. If and when you remember, please pray for her, her dad, her little brother (8), and her little sister (5). I'm not sure how to be there for her this year, but as with today, I know God will provide the right opportunities for us to have moments together, so I will wait on those.

The last few minutes of class are spent packing and cleaning up, and I go around and stamp everyone's 'good behavior' card. Today, as I did this, we all sang "Jesus Loves Me"

Jesus loves me this I know

For the Bible tells me so!

Little one to Him belong

They are weak, but He is Strong!

Yes! Jesus love me!

First Day of School

"Oh what beautiful morning! Oh what a beautiful day!"

Today went really well :) We had a teacher's meeting this morning outside the office in the sunshine. As we prayed and dedicated this year to the Glory of God I got goosebumps as Trevor looked at us and marveled at God how He brought this all together. And together we sang "Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow" and one could just feel the notes lift right up to heaven.

My class had 14 students today, all of whom were born in different places, save the 3 who were born here in Kigali. So cool! We started the morning by looking at Luke 2:41-52 - the passage where we can see what Jesus was like at 12 years old. My students are 10 and 11 year olds. It was fun to talk about how they too could grow in wisdom and statue, in favor of God and man. The excitement was palpable :) :) :)

I introduced 'Horton' our elephant friend in class, and we all took a turn introducing ourselves to him and gently sending him around to others (Horton cannot be thrown because he gets airsick and he's afraid of falling). I loved to see how each interacted with him, some were sweet and careful, some talked directly to him, others held him upside down. It helped me understand them a little bit better :)

We took pictures and marked how tall we are - lots of documenting of this first day of school! I hope I remember to revisit all of this the last week of school to tie it all up!! I have to say there were moments I was just so happy to look at them and think "we get to be together for a whole year! yay!" Thank you God for making this happen!

The 'real' work will start tomorrow with books and lessons and all that other stuff.

After school Roberta took some of the teachers to town for some shopping and we stopped at the Maxwell's house to drop off the girls and see their kittens! They have 3, 4-week-old kittens that were obviously adorable!! I held two of them and it was hard to let them go!! They are trying to find homes for them, but sadly I know I cannot take one. I already had to say goodbye to one kitty… :(

Time to eat some dinner and have a 'house' meeting!

Thanks for all the prayers and wishes for the 'first day' - God is good and faithful and blessed us indeed!

All set and ready to go!

I'm finding that I like the simplicity of life here in Kigali. I was worried about not having enough school supplies, but as I finished preparing my classroom and lesson plans today I realized how thankful I am that I don't have too much with which to work. I posted some pictures of the room on facebook tonight - kind of a "before" picture (before the kids show up).

School starts in the morning and I feel ready! I am excited about the year ahead, the students, and the journey God has in store for all of us.

The last few days have been a little slower than the previous. I was able to sleep in a little this weekend, and work on school stuff in the afternoons. Our school "meet and greet" was Saturday evening and afterward some of the teachers went out for Indian food. It was a fun and yummy experience.

Sunday I went to St. Stevens, an Anglican church, with Vicki (grade 5), and her husband. I really enjoyed the worship service, though I admit I had a hard time understanding and following the message. The congregation sang loud - it was very beautiful. For lunch we went to a restaurant called Shokala and I had a quesadilla! It was good - had rice and gouda cheese - not how I would make, but a good attempt :) I think I am going to really miss cheddar jack…

As far as food goes, it been tough trying to get a feel for what I can get beyond basics to make a meal. Stores here vary in selection on a daily basis, and while many staples (milk, cereal, bread, flour, sugar, jam, meat) it's hard to think of ways to prepare meals, specifically dinner. Tonight we had spaghetti as I found a flavoring packet at one store. The store also had jars of spaghetti sauce but they were upwards of $10 for a jar that is half the size of what we are used to in the states! I'm hoping that as I get a better feel for where stores are, what items cost, and what is available I can get a handle on this. Until then, it will be a lot of cereal, toast, and spaghetti :) (If anyone wants to send a care package - creamy pesto, spaghetti, stroganoff, soups (dry), and hot chocolate (also $10+) would be greatly appreciated!!!)

Well, I better go to bed so I'm not too groggy for the kids tomorrow! Thank you for the prayers and blessings for our school year! God is good!

Settling and Organizing

The last few days have been filled with moving into my new home for the year and getting ready for school to begin (next Tuesday!). I love my house and roommates, and am quickly getting used to a new way of life. There are some comforts like a big bed, a westernized bathroom, a kitchen with modern appliances. Some new chores to get used to are turning on the water heater and water pump (outside) to take a warm shower upstairs (can't leave them on because the electricity would be $$), boiling and filtering water for drinking (which is a slow process, and the three of us girls drink a lot!), and having a large security gate to run out an unlock or lock when people come and go. Not hard chores, just different!

At school today we had a lesson about Rwanda's history, land, and culture. One of the dad's at our school teaches pastors at a seminary here. He and his family have been here for about six years. He was able to give us a lot of good information, very helpful to all of us as we are adjusting here, related to how Rwandan people interact, expectations, and some cautions for us as well. We were scheduled to visit the Genocide Memorial in the afternoon, but as we are all so busy getting ready for school, the trip has been postponed a few weeks.

Tonight the guys came over to cook dinner at our house because they do not have gas for their stove yet. They were gracious to share some of what they made (spaghetti - which I've been craving the last few days), and it was fun just to have company. I learned that Douglas has a Whirley Pop (decided he couldn't live without it last year - somehow managed to bring it - I wish I could have figured out how to bring mine!) - and so he is invited to come over and use our free internet whenever he wants - as long as he brings the Whirley Pop - ha! Having a house full of friends reminds me of life in Lakewood - 'tis so sweet :)

My classroom is coming along. It's very different planning, organizing, and preparing for a contained classroom environment. My biggest challenge this week has been scheduling. I am teaching one high school class in the middle of the day which makes things hard as I have to plan for what my 6th grade students will do during that time - and plan all the 'specials' around that time as well. Craziness, but it all seems to be working out. I was able to start putting posters on the wall today, so it's looking more like a classroom. I plan on spending all day Saturday in my room to have it ready for next week.

Tomorrow (Friday) all the teachers are going on retreat to Lake Muhazi, an hour or so away from Kigali. We will spend the day there relaxing and getting to know each other better. Sounds exciting - I plan to bring my camera - hopefully the air will be clear and I can take some nice pictures!

Thanks for all the prayers, comments, and emails! I appreciate y'all so much! I have been sleeping much better (I got a fan yesterday!), and just have an overall sense of peace here.

Love to you all and Good night :)

Random Thoughts

Today (well, yesterday now) I went to church in Africa for the first time. The Sudman family graciously invited me to attend with them at CLA (Christian Life Assembly). It is an Assemblies of God church, with a Canadian pastor, mostly Rwandan congregation, but other nationalities as well. The stage was decorated in an Olympic theme with flags from around the world. There had been a VBS at this church this week and the theme was… Olympics :) I loved the whole atmosphere. I knew one of the things that I felt I would learn most while I was hear was a bigger picture of God's world, and here I felt like I was beginning to get a small taste of that.

However, there have now been countless times when I, or someone here I've just met, have said "what a small world we live in!" Whether it has been people I met at the airport (my 'aunt' Melissa's friend John), missionary families at the school (a mom/midwife has worked in the Philippines and knows Mavis, a midwife who runs the clinic where Pami is going to be working :)), or new colleagues (just heard from Jill A. that a Minnesotan friend will be here at KICS this week to meet up with someone!), we are all making connections to those we know around the world - very fun!

Jet lag has not been nice to me. I can't seem to sleep through the night with the help of some kind of sleep aid. :( So, I read, I pray, I lay quietly, I listen to music, and now I blog…

I've been reading a lot of good books lately. This week I've started on Richard Stearns' "The Hole in our Gospel". Its fascinating to hear his story of how he become the President of World Vision. He did not seek after this position but it sought him. Following God’s will means giving up his comfortable life for he and his family. He is asked to sacrifice and stretch in very difficult ways. But later, as he does follow God's will, he sees that the sacrifice is not so terrible and in fact a blessing.

I've had it pretty easy here so far. It's only been 3 full days. Tomorrow is election day so we are staying home and working on paper work. Tuesday begins meetings and lots of classroom time. It's also the day Hannah and I can move into our house. I am excited about all of these things but also anxious about leaving the Sudman nest and venturing a little bit out on my own (I'll be like a whole 5 houses down the street).

Today we were taken to an outdoor restaurant/park (I'll have to get the name from Lisa later as everyone is sleeping right now!) where we had time to socialize with missionary families, their kids, and the teachers who are here so far. It was a nice afternoon and a good time to get to know people and feel even more at peace about this whole 'living in Kigali' thing :)

Tonight as I first tried going to bed I listened to a song by Lincoln Brewster: Today is the Day. If you haven't heard it, you should! I think these lyrics are going to often help put my day into perspective!

Today is the Day, by Lincoln Brewster

I putting my fears aside

I'm leaving my doubts behind

I'm giving my hopes and dreams to you

Jesus

I'm reaching my hands to yours

Believing there's so much more

Knowing that all you have in store for me is good

Is good

Today is the day you have made

I will rejoice and be glad in it

Today is the day you have made

I will rejoice and be glad in it

And I won't worry about tomorrow

I'm trusting in what you say

Today is the day

I will stand upon your truth

I will stand upon your truth

And all my days I'll live for you

All my days I’ll live for you

Today is the day you have made

I will rejoice and be glad in it

Today is the day you have made

I will rejoice and be glad in it

And I won't worry about tomorrow

I'm giving you my fears and sorrows

Where you lead me I will follow

I'm trusting in what you say

Today is the day

Day 1

My first full day in Kigali was quite full and productive! I arrived last night on-time, and after some supper was able to get 10 solid hours of sleep!

This morning I was given a tour of KICS and saw my classroom for the first time! (Lisa took a picture for me, but sadly I have lost the picture L ) I love my purple… sorry, Hyacinth, classroom! I can’t wait to see what it looks like with all the posters and borders I brought with me. I will try extra hard to get a picture of that put up on facebook J

The new teacher’s met at the Dennis’ house I we had some to share about ourselves and get to know each other as we begin this adventure together! I met one of the of the girls who is going to be my roommate. Her name is Hannah and she is from England, and we are going to be very good friends!

After this we all went to Afrika Bite, a buffet restaurant with very yummy food (picture lost here as well). I was welcomed to Rwanda with a mandatory moto-taxi ride! I gladly gave my return money to a fellow teacher so he could ride to a store for a phone (and then I took his spot in the car back to the house. I was able to take one suitcase of supplies to my classroom so far and unload it, and hopefully the second one will go soon!

I got to peek at the house I’m going to be living in – it’s amazing!! The lady in charge of “supplying” the house decorated with a purple theme! My bedroom has a king-sized bed with beautiful sheets and blankets (and matching lavender towels)… the room has curtains, an armoire, and a desk – all a beautiful cherry color. The kitchen is fully supplied with dishes, cooking utensils, pots, pans, a small fridge and even a microwave! (yay – I get to heat up my coffee that I drink to slow!). There are two full bathrooms, one upstairs, and one downstairs. All three bedrooms are upstairs. (I will take pictures when I can).

Tonight I believe the plan is to eat dinner, watch a movie and go to bed early!

Do you have questions for me?! Go ahead and ask – I’m sure I’m leaving out a lot of details.

Good night!

The Journey Begins...

I consider myself a planner. I like to know what lies ahead, and I like to be in control. Planning this move to Kigali has been hard because I don’t really know what to plan and what to expect. So, I resigned myself to the fact that I would get on the plane, then show up in Kigali and I would just “go with the flow”.

Well, even that got interrupted! Today as I got off my first flight to Washington DC, I knew there was a short layover of less than an hour, but I did not panic. I have traveled a lot, and I figured it would be ok. I walked off the plane, took a right, found a monitor and realized I was going in the wrong direction and needed to head back all the way to the other end of the C terminal. Took a quick stop in the restroom to fix my dried out blurry contacts, and then walked straight to the gate. No one was in line, no boarding or final boarding call, the door was shut. I missed my flight.

I am grateful I don’t often experience the emotions that happened next. Panic, fear, frustration, anger. At myself, at United, at life. In the hours that followed I found that there is ONE flight per day between Washington DC and Brussels, and there is ONE flight every TWO days from Brussels to Kigali. Ugh!

Over an hour to get my flights rebooked, and several phone calls later, I am safe and sound at a hotel, and will be spending the next 2 days in DC.

After the panic and anger faded, I tried to find the positive in what seems like a terrible beginning to my year in Rwanda.

I have a whole day to myself tomorrow. No deadlines, no appointments, nothing to pack, no one to see. Just me and God. Maybe this could be good?! Or great!

So tomorrow I spend the day in DC, our country’s capital, taking in one last bite of America before I leave for 10 months. I am excited and looking forward to this turn in my adventure.

And on Wednesday I will be showing up really really really really early for my flight. :)