Joy.

Its been too long since my last post! Life here continues to be full of joy.  Its rainy season, and I'm loving the change in weather. It (almost) feels like a season change... although I still have only worn my down jacket twice: once in the high elevation cold of Musanze, late at night (in the northern part of the country), and second driving a moto through the rain.  I think I actually felt cold last week after being out in the rain, and it was a very welcome feeling!  Here are some recent pictures:

Lionel and Prince swinging in the moonlight at New Hope Homes. Doesn't Lionel (with the hat) look super suave?  

This is quite the close-up of Ariane.  I love this picture because it totally captures how she and I interact.  She likes to sneak up on me, flash a huge smile, and run away, all in a matter of a few seconds.  Somehow I caught her still for a few seconds to capture her beautiful eyes.

I will not eat them Sam I am, I will not eat green eggs and ham!  We celebrated Dr. Seuss day in 2nd grade a few months back.  What is not pictured is my green foot.  There was a small incident with food coloring...

Here are some future videographers checking out some pretty sweet equipment.  (At New Hope Homes.)

For "favorite book character day" I dressed up as Pippi Longstocking. Anyone else remember when she strapped big, old sponges on her feet to mop the kitchen floor?  I always admired her ingenuity.

For those of you who don't know, I've committed to another year here in Rwanda.  I will continue to teach 2nd grade at KICS (Kigali International Community School).  I am coming home for June and July, and then returning here to Kigali in early August.  I'm feeling really good about this decision.  I love that I get to live so close to the kids at New Hope and am able to be a constant presence in their life.  My work here at KICS has been an incredible blessing.  Second grade and I make a good match.  I just love teaching second graders.  

Love and peace to you all,

Abby

Weekends in Musanze.

These past two weekends I have ventured to Musanze, a town nestled under Rwanda's towering volcanoes.  Not only is this the town where people start their gorilla trekking adventures, it is also the home of the Mbandas, directors and founders of New Hope Homes. Last weekend, I had the privilege of staying with them and visiting a new preschool they have just started.  I was able to meet with their teachers, pictured here:

Both women were full of laughter and joy, as you can see in this picture.  We talked shop for at least 3 hours. I learned what they do each day, helped them develop some forms they needed, and gave them some tips on how to structure their day. It was really fun!  Here is a photo of the main entrance and learning area in the school.  I love how colorful and welcoming it is!

As you can see, they have a lot of great resources, but could definitely use more.  If you have anything you'd like to donate to the cause (books, art supplies, learning posters, children's music, preschool curriculum) please let me know!  I'm hoping to gather some resources from home this summer and bring them back in August. 

Yesterday (Saturday) I hopped on the bus to go back to Musanze, this time to visit the older kids from New Hope on their visiting day at Sonrise School.  It was SO fun to see them in their cute little uniforms, and in their element at school!  The morning started off with an assembly, where the students sang songs for us "parents."  At first, their lines were incredibly neat and orderly.  Look at that straight line!

Here are some of the kids. Esther, one of ours from New Hope is peeking at me.  She's holding the flash card that says "want".

Here is Chantal, New Hope's director, with all our kids from New Hope that attend Sonrise.

I'm so proud of these kids.  They are all doing well in school.  I got to meet some of their teachers and even (gulp) see their grade reports.  Two girls in P3 (similar to 2nd/3rd grade in the states) are first and second in their class!  Amazing!

All grown up!

Tomorrow marks six months living in Rwanda, and almost 5 years since I first set foot in this beautiful country.  Here are some photos of some of the kids from New Hope five years ago, and now, all grown up.  Enjoy!

Ingabire, as a baby.  She was a big drooler!

Ingabire, 5 years old.  She's lost the drooling habit.  She's always sneaking up behind me and braiding my hair instead these days.

                         

Ariane, carrot eater in 2007, almost 1 year-old.  

The wonderful, goofy almost 6-year old Ariane just a few weeks ago.  She is a constant source of laughter.  And always on the move.

Dorcas stole my heart 5 years ago. Look at her cute little chubby face!

Now she is a smart, observant 5 (maybe 6?) year old.  We still share a pretty special bond. Love this girl to pieces.

Pizza Pizza!

The older kids at New Hope and I have been talking about making homemade pizza for awhile now, and this weekend was the time to do it.  As I type, they are back at Sonrise starting their new school year.  Rwandan schools are on a different schedule than our school here in Kigali... anyway, on Saturday we made pizza.  And it was REALLY GOOD.  Seriously.  Here is a photo play by play.  All photo credits go to Sande (11 year old) and Kayitesi (I think 10 years old?)  They are budding photographers. :)

The sous chefs.  Chopping, grating, pressing dough.

Kayitesi and Ana pressing the crust.

Nshimye organizing the pies.

Isaac and Fabiola, garlic and onion chopping experts.

Homemade sauce.  The tomatoes here make really good tomato sauce.

Salami works well as pepperoni.

And as a mask.

Here is how we cooked the pizza.  Let me explain the process:

1. Start a charcoal fire on the cement stove.  Nurture it until it is really hot.

2. Put a wire rack on top of said fire.

3. Pizza pan (with pizza) goes on top of wire rack.

4. Use a huge pot on top to ensure that cheese melts.

5. Keep blowing on the fire to make sure it stays hot.  Nshimye was very helpful in this regard.  He was a vigilant pizza chef.  Wouldn't give the responsibility to anyone else, until I took over to ensure his lungs didn't get completely ruined by inhaling charcoal dust.

Here it is.  Don't you want some?

Pizza on charcoal has a really good flavor. I'd recommend it. 

Lake Bunyonyi

You may remember some photos of Lake Bunyonyi from October.  I brought my Mom and Grammy to the beautiful lake for one night, but knew then that a return trip was more than necessary.  Natalie, fellow KICS teacher, and I spent 4 days relaxing at the lake last week.  Here are some photos:

The forest is magical on this little island.  Fantastic moss everywhere.

The beautiful lake. (What you don't see is all the fish poop floating in the water on the surface.)  This lake is apparently one of the cleaner/safer ones in East Africa, so going off of that information, I dove right in.  If you know me well at all, I'm sure this doesn't come as a surprise.

Amazing, skeletal tree with even more amazing birds perched.

My favorite bird picture.

Birds (!)

Evas, our hostess who also hosted us when Mom and Grammy visited.  She sat with me awhile outside our tent (where this photo is taken).  She also strapped my backpack on her back and said "now, I am a mzungu!"  Apparently us mzungus are known for our backpacks.  LOVE Evas.

Beautiful bark. (I really need to buy a macro lens this summer.)

More moss / bark.  Gorgeous.

I got a lot of sun. And, unfortunately, a fever on the way back home.  It was totally worth it, however.

Look out.... its going to be a double post kind of day!  Next up: homemade pizza with the kids at New Hope Homes!

To Uganda and back.

 School's out for 3 weeks!  I took the chance and boarded a bus to Kampala, Uganda last Saturday.  I spent the first 4 nights in Kampala and then headed on to Jinja.  Jinja is the source of the Nile River.  Amazing.  I battled the white water of the Nile for a day.  Some photos:

Our group: People from the UK, Netherlands, DRC (Congo), Uganda, and the US.

Our first set of rapids. Stayed in the boat on this one.

On our next line we weren't so lucky to stay upright.... tipping...

tipping some more... (yes that is me holding on as we go under)...

and finally into the rushing water we go!

This is a picture of our last line  - a girl in our group was nominated "flying squirrel."  Believe it or not, we actually stayed afloat!

It was an amazing, and thrilling day.  We flipped a total of 3 times - two of which I lost hold of the boat and rode the waves solo.  Don't worry, mom and dad, there was a safety boat!  I will say that the Nile River is much more intense than any rafting I've done in the states. I'd highly recommend it.

That night I stayed at the rafting river camp.  This was the view from the shower!

After rafting, I met up with friends in the town of Jinja.  My roommate has a friend who runs a baby cottage there, which cares for 51 children under the age of 5.  Here are some pictures:

Can you imagine doing this much laundry (hand washing, that is) in one day?  Cloth diapers, onesies, blankets, oh my!

Cute.

Babies and mommas in the beautiful yard.

Complete with a trike, just like mine from childhood.

My roommate and our friends from Jinja walking through town.

It was really peaceful and beautiful in Jinja.  These are two new friends.

After my time in Jinja, I boarded 4 different forms of transport to take me back to Kigali: 

1. Boda boda  (motorcycle taxi)

2. Matatu (van taxi)

3. Car taxi

4. Coach bus

I'll admit, it was a LONG way back home to Kigali, but most definitely worth it.  I arrived just in time to join some friends and celebrate Christmas eve... complete with mulled wine and Christmas cookies.  

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

beauty is:

rainy season green. bright blue sky.

fields of tea.

birds on wire - forgiveness by patty griffin, anyone?

thunderstorm rolling in over the hills.

2nd graders reading together.

minneapolis bike bridge.

taking kids on imaginary trips to Minnesota

my grammy meeting the kids at New Hope Homes.