Blogs from Province de L'Est, Rwanda, Africa - page 2

Its not the sun that wakes me, - my room being west facing, but an army of men running (very slowly I might add) past my window at half five shouting encouragement to themselves as they go. This tends to be weekends and I’m told the school choir practice early on weekends too so that should be a nice change! During the week it tends to be Cykabare the houseboy who is busy doing something. But in all honestly I love being up early because it means I can go to sleep early!! I tend to get up at six or quarter past and do some skipping or pilates before it gets too hot. I only dare do the skipping outside as this brings an audience as it is. Getting warmed up tends to help with ... read more

I am working for an association set up in 1998 which provides support for education for less fortunate children. It was set up by a group of guys who grew up as orphans in Uganda and who decided that they had to come back home after everything that happened in 1994. The organisation has grown and now has day and boarding students who can learn construction, tailoring or mechanics. All students will have completed primary school at the very least and many secondary school as well. Interestingly there doesn't seem to be any thought as to what skills Rwanda needs because it seems to me that there are thousands or tailors already. That is not specific to this organisation though. Alongside the college for older students there is also a pre-school. The term only starts at ... read more

On Sunday, we went with friends to the Embassy's property on Lake Muhazi. It was one of our first experiences being outside the city in inclement weather. The lake is about an hour drive from Kigali, and it started raining when we were about half way there. Each of the three families brought part of a barbeque meal. As we ate lunch, it continued to rain on and off. A couple of the guys ventured out into the lake in an inflatable canoe. Swimming in the lake is not advisable due to parasites that live on the lake bottom. It was a good place to go and relax by throwing around the football and chatting with friends. On our way home, one of the vehicles (a heavy suburban) became stuck on the road. After rain during ... read more

Dzis mielismy wyjechac o 5 rano. Pobudka o 4.30. I mielismy wziac spakowane sniadanie, zeby nie tracic czasu, bo w parku narodowym, gdzie robimy safari trzeba byc rano, zanim sie zwierzeta na wszystkie strony rozbiegna. O 5 schodzimy gotowe na dol, a tam nic sie nie dzieje. Nasz przewidnik spokojnie czeka, w recepcji glucho, w kuchni pod piecem nie napalone. 5.20 zaczynam sie denerwowac, slonce wschodzi, zwierzeta juz pewnie najedzone. Wchodze do kuchni, a tam w najlepsze smaza dla nas omlety i wlasnie zaczynaja piec tosty. Afryka. Nie znam sposobu, zeby cos u przyspieszyc. Jak dojezzdamy do parku, jest juz jasno. Ale faktycznie zwierzyna biega. Sa zebry, antylopy, bejbi antylopy, zyrafy, w tym tez male, mnostwo ptactwa, wharthog (pso-dzik, ten co gral w ‘Madagaskarze’), waterbuck (taki rodzaj grubej sarny), zolwie, pawiany (to te malpy z golym ... read more

You'll be pleased to hear things at Nsinda Vocational School and Pre School are progressing well. Below are links to my most recent photos taken back in March and April. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=32065&l=5012b&id=672901388 http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=32061&l=f835b&id=672901388 We all really appreciate all the support we've received so far - Thanks to all of you. With rising food and fuel costs it's becoming even harder to stay afloat - so any support is welcomed with open arms and great thanks. If you'd like to hear more about the projects or how you can get involved email me on najennings@btinternet.com ... read more