BE Camp

BE Camp was a buggy success! Despite the bed bugs (not as bad as the girl's camp in July), we finished BE Camp with only mild sleep deprivation. My kiddos were great, and I am so proud of them for stepping out of their comfort zones while meeting new people and trying new things. We spent the week learning about physical, social, and mental health, HIV, gender-based violence, and life skills. The week was also filled with those little moments that make all of the difficult parts of my job worth it.

One of the students came down with malaria on the first full day of camp, so I spent the week giving him his medicine, sitting with him when his fever spiked, and making sure he stayed hydrated. He is twelve years old and has been living with the Rwanda Orphans Project (referred to by the boys as the "center") in Rwamagana for several years. He is the most serious twelve year old kid that I have ever met. The entire week (after his fever broke) I kept reminding him to smile and have fun, and try to be social with the other boys. At the end of the week, I got this note from him and promised to visit the center in January.

And here are some other pictures for your enjoyment.; pictures of the project I led on preventing gender-based violence, the closing ceremony, and some tug of war games.

So what's it really like?

I've been visiting my parents in the States for a little over a week now and people keep asking me "So what's it really like?" I think they expect me to change my answer from what I originally say; to tell them I can't wait to move back to the States, that life is extremely difficult in Rwanda, that I'm not happy, I really don't know. But to be completely honest, I really have no idea what their imaginations have conjured up as being what they believe to be life in "Africa". I am happy. I love my job. I love the area that I live in and the people that I live with. Yes, it is difficult. Peace Corps is not easy, but it's not supposed to be easy either. I knew what I was signing up for and I do not regret my decision. 

Then there's the inevitable "oh! you are such a good person" conversations. Doing Peace Corps does not make me a better or a worse person than you. It was a choice. I made a choice to join the Peace Corps and I made that choice to learn from and experience a different culture. It is nothing self-righteous; I'm not doing it to be a humanitarian. I have skills that I can share with people in Rwanda and they have skills which they can share with me. I am learning just as much as I am giving. This is the type of work that I like to do, the job that makes me happy, and that is why I made my choice. It is the same as when someone chooses to start a business, they do it because they like it. People liking different things and wanting to do different things with their lives doesn't make one person better or worse than another. 

The truth is I have a job that is perfect for me. It's not perfect for all people, and that's ok. I don't expect people to like the same things as me, we're all very different. I am happy with the way that I am living and the work that I am doing. Yes, I miss my family and seeing most of them for the first time in over a year is great. But this is not my home anymore. It is a very strange feeling to be a guest in the house that you grew up. It's like being in a strange state of limbo; I'm a guest in Rwanda and as much as it feels like home, it's not, but coming home I feel like a guest here too. It's difficult to describe. 

Year One Done!

It has officially been over a year in country, almost a year in my village (ten more days), and we have finished the 2016 academic year. The students are at home or visiting relatives, the school is calm and quiet with closed gates and doors, and the dust is finally starting to settle. As happy as I am to be on "vacation", it is a constant battle between never ending boredom and trying to find things to do. I find myself balancing my days with community English classes, permagarden trainings, and hiding in my house from the hordes of small children to catch up on some much-needed introvert time with my chickens and my dog. So here are some updates from the past few months.

Have you ever been so busy that you can picture yourself looking like a cartoon character running around burning holes in the soles of your shoes and having steam coming out of your ears? If not, lucky you; but if you know exactly what I'm talking about, komera my friend, the end of the craziness has to come eventually (even if it seems like something that is just out of your reach, you'll get there). Now, I am enjoying a hot cup of coffee listening to the birds’ chirp and reflecting on the last few months and finishing up some project progress reports. In the last few months I have finished up the first year of teacher trainings, implemented the permagarden grant with my friends at the local health center, brought my students on a field trip (their first one ever BTW), and am about to go to Boys Excellence (BE) camp with 6 of my best boy students next week. 

Let's start with teacher trainings and permagardening. The teacher trainings were extremely successful with the school-based mentors (SBMs), so we are expanding that training program to the district level. Next year I'll be working with 56 schools in Rwamagana District to train SBMs on student-centered methodology and how to implement school-level trainings for their colleagues. Fingers crossed we will have a great year and show the district how meaningful professional development activities are for teachers, but I must admit I am a bit nervous to run such an extensive program and not be able to have full oversight at every school. But here's to hoping. 

The permagarden training program has been by far the most successful program I have facilitated so far. In the next two days, we will be finished with initial training program, then in January we will continue to implement a village-level nutrition education program and cooking classes using the vegetables grown in our gardens. So far in the last 6 weeks we have 73 gardens built throughout the sector and 1,932 people trained out of the about 26,000 people living in my sector. If we were to continue this pace, we could have every person in our sector trained on drought resistant gardening techniques within the next two years. The community health workers have been absolutely amazing and have facilitated 73 village-level trainings, plus built example gardens at their homes. Without their hard work and dedication to fighting malnutrition, none of this would be possible. Oh, and did I mention that they are volunteers?! Meaning no salary to do full time jobs. They truly are the hardest working people I have ever met. 

Now let's move on to the field trip. So, thanks to a close family friend, Kenny Hamel, my English Club students were able to go on their first field trip. We spent the third term learning language that had to do with peace and conflict resolution, and working with some staff from Never Again Rwanda who taught the kids about the history of Rwanda and mass conflict. To conclude their lessons, we rented a bus and brought the students to the Gisozi Genocide Memorial in Kigali. I just want to point out how this was the idea of my students. At the beginning of the term, I allow my students to come up with a list of unit topics, then from that list they vote on the topic. After voting they told me "Teacher please, we want to go to the memorial. We have never seen it". So, thanks to Kenny, this dream and many others came true. That morning a big express bus came and picked us up from school, the students well equipped with their club t-shirts, water, tissues, and biscuits. As we were navigating the bumpy, curvy, treacherous road down from my village, it was brought to my attention that this was the first time many of my students had ever been on an express bus. The day as full of firsts: first time in an express bus, first time in Kigali, first time to visit a museum or genocide memorial, first time to eat in a restaurant, and first time to see a plane take off from the airport as we drove by. I couldn't have even imagined the significance of a trip like this for them, but I am so happy that it worked out.

This next week, we are going to BE camp. I'm bringing six of my best students from English Club to participate. Before bringing students to camp, I make a point to visit their families and discuss with them about the importance of camp and to tell them about how great their kids are (parents only hear the negative news about their students; complimenting isn't really a thing here). These visits were especially strong. I had crying single mothers, overcrowded houses, and stories about how my students are the ones that hold the family together. I wasn't necessarily surprised, but to visit the families and to see where my students are coming from you can really put into perspective how hard it is for them to study and succeed in school. Yet, somehow, they are some of the top students in their classes. I know that by bringing the students to camp, it will just act as yet another reason to stay motivated at school. They are an absolutely phenomenal group of boys, and I have high hopes for them.

International Day of Peace

Today is the International Day of Peace. Today I have seen unimaginable growth in my students. Today my English Club organized presentations and discussions and led the ceremony for this important holiday. They discussed peace both in general and specifically in Rwanda with about 400 students from my school. They spoke with confidence and with pride.
Today is a milestone for my students. At the beginning of the year, this same group of students was afraid to speak even in their mother tongue, but today.. Today they are brave and proud to share their ideas with their colleagues. If you had met them in February and saw them today, you would not think that they are the same group of kids.

Today, I am one extremely proud teacher.

Lessons from Year One

I’ve officially been here for a year, so I think it is only fair for me to share some of the wisdom I have gained from my experiences here. This post is not child friendly so please be read with caution.

Lesson #1: NEVER eat the sambusa at the bus station, you will for sure get food poisoning. 

Lesson #2: Bleaching your water before putting it through the water filter is more of a recommendation than a necessity.

Lesson #3: If it’s raining, there is a cultural expectation that you’re napping.

Lesson #4: Always drink the milk. You might get sick, but it’s better to take it and not insult your neighbors.

Lesson #5: Never leave your underwear on the floor. Mice like to chew holes in them.

Lesson #6: NEVER trust what you think is just gas. It could be the result of eating a bus station sambusa, and it might be more than just gas.

Lesson #7: Expect all meetings to start at leasttttt 20 minutes late.

Lesson #8: 7:00am on a Saturday is a completely appropriate time for people to start visiting you…

Lesson #9: Chickens DO NOT like it when you raid their nests. Always make sure they are ALL out of the next boxes before going in.

Lesson #10: It is perfectly normal for someone to hand you their baby on public transport and proceed to breast feed that baby while you are holding it.

Lesson #11: You probably have chalk on your face. Dust yourself off before you go to the market.

Lesson #12: Not all cows are friendly. Some of them will chase you through your village until a 3 year old child with a stick comes to save you.

Lesson #13: Yes. Those people are most likely laughing at you. There may or may not be a reason. Laugh back and check yourself out when you get home…

Lesson #14: You need a scrub brush to get the red dirt off your skin. There is no other way.

Lesson #15: There isn’t enough soap in the world to get the charcoal out from under your fingernails.

Lesson #16: Shaving your legs is a good way to get a staph (staff?) infection. It’s better to just stay hairy until you have somewhere to go that people will actually see your legs and judge your hygiene.

Lesson #17: Don’t just nod when you don’t understand… You might accidentally accept a marriage proposal or marry off your poor unknowing guest.

Lesson #18: Yes. That is probably your feet that you’re smelling. It’s fine.

Lesson #19: Diarrhea is just a normal part of life. Always carry pepto, ibuprofen, and antidiarrheals WHEREVER you go.

So this is just a short list of some of the lessons that I’ve learned in the past year. Most of them are silly, but so very real. There are so many things that we don’t think about back at home on a daily basis. On a more serious note though, I have learned so many more things about myself, about Rwandan culture, and about navigating through schools which have no resources.

Lesson #20: When you go to a school with no resources - No books. No electricity. Nothing. – you will find some of the most creative and motivated students and teachers that you will ever meet.

Lesson #21: Despite all of the sacrifices I made to come here, the challenges that I have faced since my arrival, and navigating a completely new and foreign culture every day, I feel like coming to Rwanda was the right choice.

Lesson #22: A community-based culture might mean no personal space whatsoever, but you never question whether or not people like you, know who you are, or want you to be there. You always feel welcome.

Lesson #23: This is something that I’ve known for a long time now, but it’s worth repeating. “Financial poverty” and “poor” are two different things. I am surrounded by financial poverty, but I would never consider anyone that I have met in the past year to be “poor”. They are rich in heart, in spirit, and in community. As far as I am concerned, they are some of the wealthiest people I’ve ever met.

Lesson #24: I am not a patient person. I have never been a patient person. I’m not sure I will ever be a patient person, but I am learning how to be flexible.

My Journey

Yes. I’m aware. It has been a reallyyyyy long time since my last post. Sorry. Sooooo with that out of the way, here it is. 

Year One DONE! I’ve officially been in Rwanda for over a year. In the past year I’ve been riding the rollercoaster of intense emotions and strange experiences that make up a Peace Corps Volunteer’s service. I’ve felt extreme joy, sadness, excitement, loneliness, self-fulfillment, and most of all pride. We’re almost done with the school year, and I can’t even begin to describe how proud I am of the great strides that my students have made at school. As proud and happy I am with my students, I think I am most satisfied with the progress that my teachers are making in our trainings. I’m watching them grow into strong mentors for their colleagues thanks to their dedication to education and to some very supportive NGOs, Peace Corps Staff, and Rwanda Education Board Staff. 

Have you ever had the feeling that you really belong somewhere? Or had a sudden realization like “Wow, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.” If you haven’t ever found a passion so strong that makes all of the challenges worth it, I hope that you find it. Everyone deserves to experience this. When I was young, everyone in my family would joke and tell me that I would either be a teacher or a vet. As I grew up I always fought them and said no, I wanted to be a… marine biologist…forensic scientist… anthropologist… marine biologist… Until one day, I met a sixth grade teacher, Mr. Axelrad. I will never forget this man, and what he taught me, and the path he sent me down. To this day I don’t think he understands, or is even aware, of how massive of an impact he had on my life. Mr. A, as he was fondly called by his students, was a social studies teacher. My favorite subject. He would always tell us about the teaching he had done in Zimbabwe (or maybe it was Zambia?), and the time he spent there working with his wife. I was always fascinated by his stories, and this “community-based culture” that he would talk about. I wanted to know more, to experience it. By the end of sixth grade I had narrowed down my choices for college to either teaching in third-world countries or becoming a marine biologist. By the time I reached high school, I knew. I would be a teacher. Not a teacher like the ones I had in high school, but a teacher like those I had in elementary and middle school. A good teacher. A teacher who helped students learn. A teacher who didn’t discourage their students. A teacher who didn’t give up on their students.

In high school, I was a difficult child (to put it lightly). My teachers gave up on me, and always told me that I wouldn’t go anywhere in life. I was stupid, I was useless. What they didn’t know was how much I was going through outside of school. My abusive relationship. Substance abuse. They didn’t know, and they didn’t care to find out. Despite everything, my guidance counselor, vice principle, and principle never gave up on me. They knew I was smart. They knew I had potential. So they never gave up. They pushed me through high school until I was accepted by Keene State. There. That small state college, is where everything really began. 

I wanted to prove my high school teachers wrong. That I was a good student. That I could do it. I was motivated, taking classes I enjoyed, and living far away from a place that had only caused me pain for so many years. In college, I met so many professors who influenced the way I now view the world. They shaped my thinking. They shaped my profession. It is because of people like Mr. A, Mr. Martin, Dr. Len Fleischer, Dr. Paul Vincent, and Dr. Therese Seibert that I am now in Rwanda serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer.  

Now, I am that teacher that I aspired to be. I will never give up on my students, no matter what they are going through. I will always try to understand what they are going through outside of school before I judge their behavior. And most of all, I hope that I can support and inspire just one student to follow their dreams and accomplish things that they always thought were impossible. The challenges are worth it, and I feel like I have finally found my purpose. Here, as a teacher in a small, rural village in Eastern Rwanda.

This post is to thank all of the people who supported me throughout my journey to get here, and to all of those who have yet to enter my life and have a positive impact. Thank you. It is because of you that I am here, that I am happy, and that I am growing into the person I always aspired to be.