I Felt the Earth Move

Many thanks to everyone who has written or called – yes, I’m perfectly safe. If you haven’t heard, there was an earthquake in Rwanda this weekend. Unfortunately, 38 people were killed, most in a collapse of a church where services were being held. And hundreds were killed in Congo. The quake was centered near Cyangugu, which is in the SW corner of the country – but it’s a small enough country that the vibrations were felt all the way in Kigali.

I was actually in Ghana when it struck, but tonight I was in the office late, when my officemate said, “That’s weird” and I said – “What’s weird?” As soon as I’d finished closing my mouth, I felt all wobbly, and thought my chair was shaking. I stood up and realized the floor and indeed the whole building were shaking too. I don’t mean to overdramatize – I mean, nothing was falling off the shelves, but it was definitely too much for comfort. My officemate and I ran into the doorway to be safe, and the other coworker still in the building came running in to see if we’d felt it too – but it was obvious that we had when she found us huddled under the door frame. We briefly considered going outside – we are a few floors up, and the buildings here certainly aren’t constructed with earthquakes in mind and thus collapses pose the biggest threats in situations like this. However, it was pouring outside, and the shaking was soon over. But we didn’t stick around very long, that’s for sure.

Now, I don’t have an internal Richter scale, but I’m guessing it was only a small aftershock. Can’t say I wasn’t shaken up though!

Ghana! Or, Country Comes to Town

Friday was a holiday in Rwanda, so we decided to take advantage by lengthening an already long weekend and leaving for Ghana on Wednesday afternoon, returning Monday morning. Why Ghana? Because a friend from UVA and his wife are doing PhD research there, and are leaving in March – so our window of time was limited. But I was also really interested in seeing Ghana because it was W. Africa that first intrigued me in college through my French/politics coursework, and I’d only ever seen Senegal, and wanted to get a firsthand glimpse of an Anglophone W. African culture.

Africa is a BIG continent. Bigger than N. America and Europe combined (I believe). And with the way maps distort the countries at the Northern and Southern ends, Africa tens to look a lot smaller than it is. So, to get from Kigali to Accra, you basically can’t get there in any kind of direct fashion. Our route took us to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where we spent the night, and then left Thursday morning for Accra – an eight-hour flight with a quick stop in Lome, Togo to discharge and pick up more passengers.

I was a bit wary of the Ethiopian experience – not the country, but the airline. I’ve flown it to Burundi a couple of times, but that is a 30 min, barely get up into the clouds kind of flight. Dg spite it being generally considered one of, if not the best African airline, I’d heard recently stories of delays, bad foods, boring airport, etc. However, it was fine. Because our stopover was forced by their itinerary, they covered the visa and hotel, and shuttled us around Addis Ababa for a night. And, the food was good! The airport was all decked out in red, yellow, and green lights – colors of the Ethiopian flag, celebrating the millennium. Now, before you think that they must be so backwards as to be a full 8 years behind on the news, it turns out they have their own calendar, which is related to ours and actually precedes it, and when the rest of the world starting using the Gregorian calendar by consensus, colonial imposition, etc, they resisted the tide. So, in Sept 2007 (on our calendar), they rolled over to 2000, and are in the midst of a year long celebration!

After all the stops, time changes, etc, we arrived in Ghana Thursday afternoon, and had one last delay in the immigration office. Apparently our fax for the visa on arrival hadn’t gotten through, so we were taken into a little waiting room and had to let 4 people take about 2 hours to decide what to do with us. I think what finally tipped the balance in our favor was my French skills – a woman from the Ivory Coast was also waiting to get a visa, but didn’t have the 100 dollar fee in actual dollars, only African francs, so they were trying to tell her to leave her passport and come back with the money to claim her passport. Until I explained to her what was going on she was refusing to hand over her passport, so once it was all cleared up the immigration staff was very friendly, and we had our visas (they weren’t so grateful as to waive the fee though!)
Thankfully our friends had withstood the long hot wait outside – it was so great to see them! And it was a hot one – I’d say 90 and humid the entire time we were there. Significantly warmer than KGL.

Accra is a city! Lots of people, lots of traffic, lots of choice. Terry and Erin (who blog about life in Ghana at http://bewisedonturinate.blogspot.com had casually mentioned some things they’d made for dinner, and some things they’d picked up at the mall. Well, when they said mall, they weren’t talking about a Rwandan style, 12 stores plus a bank but effectively only 2 stores that have any interest strip mall or even our new indoor mall, they meant a MALL. So we had them take us, and it was a big one, with department stores from S. Africa with electronics, linens, cookware, a food court with chain restaurants, a mega grocery store that had things like Roquefort Cheese, tortillas, international cuisine etc etc etc. We were beside ourselves – it was like country had come to town. And its funny, I am not a big shopper, I don’t generally feel deprived in Rwanda (other than an occasional craving for a Chipotle burrito), but I did go a bit nuts, and wonder what reverse culture shock in the US will be like.

Highlights of the trip, besides just hanging out with our friends, include: a trip an hour or so outside of Accra, on the way to Cape Coast – we took the local tro-tros (18 person buses/minivans) to a nice house on the beach. One of the nicest beaches I’ve ever been too – long, sandy stretches, lined with Palm trees, no one around – and the waves! Great surf…we spent half a day just riding the waves – the undertow was a bit strong, and the Lonely Planet I read (after swimming, thankfully) said that that part of the coast is pretty rough, and that several people drown each year.

Finally, the African Cup of Nations! For you non-soccer fans, or those outside of Africa, word probably hasn’t reached you that its football fever here! It’s a mini-World Cup – the African countries have qualifying tournaments and send 16 teams to battle it out for the title of African football supremacy. Ghana is a perennial favorite, 4 time champion, and this time, the host nation. So the national team jerseys were all over the streets, everyone decked out in the national colors, faces painted, people shouting, Go Black Stars, etc. A very exciting atmosphere, especially when Ghana won their quarterfinal match 2-1, even being down a man due to a red card – mayhem. So now as I follow the rest of the tournament from home, I have a favorite! (Don’t worry, I am not being a traitor, Rwanda didn’t qualify this time…hopefully that’ll change, as we plan on attending the 2010 Angola African Cup qualifying matches here in the spring/summer, which also double as the World Cup South Africa 2010 qualifying matches as well.

Overall, a fantastic time. And of course its so much nicer to see a country with people who know it – thanks T and E for being great hosts!

Assorted Photos

Normally I don't publish photos on my blog bc our camera is broken, and even when we do have pictures from friends, the internet is maddeningly slow and the upload is enough to turn your hair gray. But, by popular demand, here are a few shots of our house (decoration still in progress, but check the local art), scenes of Kigali/Rwanda, and gorillas.

Stick with it

Some of you may know that I don't really make New Year's resolutions, but prefer a guiding motto for the year. For 2008 I've chosen...Stick with it. For many reasons...I am training for the hilly and high-altitude Kigali half-marathon, the CFA exam...but it applies equally to my blog. Since I last posted, I've:

had 3 friends visit for Christmas. A tour of the country was in order, with new sights such as the monkeys in Nyungwe national forest being really fun - but a tough hike.

less of a hike but with much more than just a monkey was Volcanoes National Park...home of the Mountain Gorillas made famous by Dian Fossey and Gorillas in the Mist. AMAZING. You get up at 7am, go to the office at the base of the volcanoes, get assigned into groups of 8 tourists and then are sent over terrrrrible roads in a 4x4 to the base of your volcano. My tribe was Umubano (friendship), consisting of ten gorillas, one being the male silverback - the leader. huge! and scary. but cool. the best part was the babies playing...just like little kids, poking each other, running around, getting scolded by the mom. The hike was beautiful, and the experience amazing. Pictures soon.

New Year's in Zanzibar - Zanzibar...one of those places like Timbuktu or Kathmandu - such a cool name you don't even know its a real place. Zanzibar is an island off the coast of Tanzania, but was ruled for a long time by Oman, so is a real mix of Arab and African culture. Its known as the spice island because there are many plantations, and it was the center of the Indian Ocean spice trade for quite awhile. Meaning great food...not to mention great beaches, and great sunsets. Not to mention a great painting I got to add to my African art collection.

and finally...more friends! Two more visitors in January meant another circuit of the country, but the most memorable experience had to be the Saturday night in Cadillac...one of Kigali's (hottest, funniest, craziest, most surreal, you pick the adjective) clubs. In the words of a teenage boy who was quite enamored of the muzungus...Did you had fun?!?!

And in the coming weeks I will be traveling to Ghana for fun, and Burkina Faso and Uganda for work, so stick with my blog and I hope to write more in-depth posts about these adventures...

p.s. Special thanks to Chris, Heike, Arwen, Andrea and Meredith for visiting us here - it was fantastic to see/host/hang out with you all, and spread the word to everyone else that they too must come!

Lightning Round Part 2

My posting has dropped to all-time lows, mainly because I have been swamped at work. In a few more days it should be smooth sailing til the end of the year. However, while I've been busy, I still have found time to:

1) Have Thanksgiving dinner at the American club. About 200 people attended, and they did a good job of importing all the favorites (though nothing beats our family's stuffing). Although we sat with friends and had a good time, I vastly preferred hosting our own Thanksgiving for ~15 people in Belgium last year, so I've resolved to try to repeat that here next year. That will mean finding a local poultry farmer, paying him to kill the turkey, and then plucking it ourselves, but I think its worth a shot!

2) Attend the Mille Collines Road Rally. There were 17 entrants, and we are friends with two of the co-pilots. The race went from Kigali to the NW part of Rwanda (volcano/gorilla region). The cars were fast and loud (except for the two Belgian entrants driving Peugeots!) and the track was scary! Cliffs on one side, freefall to a river on the other. Local kids turned out in droves to watch the cars zoom by, and were really into it. The best part was going to the pit stop and seeing the drivers make tons of repairs in the 15 min of allotted time, while being surrounded by throngs of children. We took a break to drive up to the Virunga Lodge - a chichi eco-lodge that costs 800 dollars a night (and really isn't worth that much!) but does have the most stunning views I've seen in Rwanda: a 360 degree panorama of volcanoes and lakes.

3) Start decorating the house. I commissioned a huge painting (6 feet by 3 feet) from a local artist, and it should be ready next week- really hoping it turns out nice. We have bought some local cow dung art for the walls, started painting the rooms, etc, had a carpented build some furniture...all to be shown off to the 3 guests we have coming for Christmas, where we'll do the full tour of the country - cannot wait!

It's a bit strange to be in the holiday season in such warm weather - first time I've been sunburned in December! Hope you are all well

What's in a Name

I am just back from a week in the U.S. for work, happy to have seen family and friends, and to have stocked up on hard to find goods. I'd be even happier if both my bags hadn't been lost, meaning my marathon session at CVS was essentially a waste of time. But ahhhh, the luxury of choice in shopping...

Combine that trip with a week in Burundi for work, and there isn't a lot of Rwanda-related news at the moment.

But as I've lived here almost three months now, a I learn a lot of small, interesting things about life here.

Something that can be endlessly confusing (because its very difficult to know if/how people are related), but is cool, is how people are named. There is no such concept as a last name (or nom de famille). Most people have two names, often an English or French first name and a Kinyarwanda last name.

So, for example, Joseph Ishimwe.

But in this fictitious example, Joseph's son wouldn't have the last name Ishimwe, nor would his father. Ishimwe is just a name that his parents liked. And this is what he is probably called by his family, when speaking the local language. My guess is that people used to just have one name, and with colonialism and the European custom of two names, just started adding a European name as a first name.

Now, Ishimwe has a meaning - joy. And because so many people have names that mean something, quite often the name that is chosen in English or French has a more literal meaning than the names we are used to in English. You meet your Marys and Josephs here, but I also have meet people called, Blessing, Patience, Prudence, Innocent, Aime (Loved), Dieudonne (God-given), Beau (Handsome), etc

Adventures in Driving

After a great 4 days in Burundi for work (which justifies a separate entry), I spent the weekend in Kibuye, a small town on Lake Kivu - the same lake that I went to last weekend, but several hours south. The lake takes up most of the border of Congo/Rwanda. The weekend was with about 14 people at a new hotel there to celebrate a friend's birthday. 6 of the people there were Scorpios, so there was lots of celebrating. One of the guys had a boat, and there were boat trips and waterskiing and general lake fun. Despite the coldest weather we've had yet in Rwanda (60 degrees?), and a lot of rain, the temperature of the lake was like bathwater - very nice.

The scenery is idyllic - green, mountainous, misty, practically untouched by humans - almost as you'd imagine Eden.

But I've blogged about the lake. What made a bigger impression over the last few days has been the driving. On Saturday we rode with two friends, iPod blaring, enjoying the hilly views on the road from Kigali. We had a small incident we laughed over - involving a stray goat darting across the road, and us nearly turning him into a kebab/brochette dinner accidentally.

That was just a hint of things to come. On Sunday, we were heading back to Kigali. The roads are pretty deserted in the rural areas. Let me clarify - deserted of cars. No matter where you are, there are always people walking along the side of the road - some carrying bags/baskets on their heads, some just walking to the local village or down to their huts, but regardless of time, there's always a buzz of human activity. However, most of the road traffic is the local taxi- minivans that carry about 18 people. On the hilly terrain, they have a hard time on the uphills and go quite slowly. So at one point at the beginning of a hill we were behind a taxi and a police truck. The police pulled out and tried to pass the taxi, but apparently they'd been eating too much or their motor was too weak, and they couldn't build up any speed. Luckily we were in a circa 1993 Toyota that could whip right past those two suckers!

Unfortunately the cops didn't like us showing them up, and radioed ahead. At the next checkpoint - BUSTED! We were pulled over and given the usual spiel - need to see license and registration. Unfortunately, the friend driving us had forgotten his license, and the routine stop became a bit of a nightmare. After quite a long time of fruitless negotiating, I slipped my license to the driver's wife, which she "found" in her purse. Luckily all muzungus (foreigners) look alike, so we were off! Though I did effectively get a ticket (for 50 dollars! prohibitive for the average Rwandan) for only sitting in the back seat! And my license seized until I go pay the fine.

Which brings me to today: had a meeting in Gisenyi at 8am, started out with a colleague at 4:45. Took my car but with him at the wheel since I was so recently sans license. About an hour into the drive, out in the endless hills, light just breaking, mist obscuring the valleys. Coming off a long uphill, just starting down a big incline. Go into a turn...and we just kept turning. Was it the wet roads, too much speed, brakes locking too quickly, bad tires? Who knows. We were spinning and spinning for what seemed like an hour but must have been 10-15 seconds. My clearest memory is spinning and getting a view of the left side of the road and thinking, I don't want to hit that wall of rock. Then 180 degrees later seeing the right side of the road and thinking, I REALLY don't want to plummet hundreds of feet down this mountain to certain death, then closing my eyes tight.

Since I'm writing this I guess its clear we didn't plummet. Bounced into the rock, came to a stop, limped to the side of the road, about 8 kids came running down the road to see what was going on - we hammered the wheel well a bit so the tire had room to rotate, cut off part of the bumper that was hanging to the ground, tied the brake lights that were hanging down into a stationary position with rope fashioned from a nearby tree, and crawled back to Kigali.

I think I will start walking to work!