The flight

it took me over 30hours to get here...considering all the connections i am surprised i didn't miss one. the flight was fine except 2 what i consider major things...
1st the flight from amsterdam to narobi is 9 hours....i have already been on a plane for around 13 hours so i am a bit tired.
I have it planned that i will sleep on this leg of the trip...well, i was so wrong.
i had the end seat and the middle guy was so large that he could not put down the arm rests. i realize we all have out issues....but i paid good money for an entire seat! why is he almost 3 seats if he only paid for one? The guy was really nice and all but come on! 9 hours of this...can you please move your shoulder, can you please move your arm, please move your leg (i couldn't get my tray all the way down because his legs were so big and interfered with my tray! i was incredibly patient with it but i will be writing a letter to klm.
get as mad as you want but it should be a LAW that if you can't fit into the seat buy a 2nd seat!!!!

then i finally get into kigali after a delayed flight nairobi...and da da daaaaahhhhhh
customs isn't going to let me in with my donations....WWWWHHAAAATTTTT??? really it is 230 am kigali time and you aren't going to let me through.
apparantly i need invoices for all the items -- didn't have any. so after awile came up with if i could find the receipt in my email would they use that? Yes...but i could not find the email.....Ugghhhh, so sat around talking to the 3 customs guys for awhile about michael jackson because one was surfing the net reading about michael jackson...really having no idea what i could do...and then it happened! HOw about use my blog to prove to them I am not going to sell the items. GENIUS!!! by that time i had been proposed to twice so i was really thinking i had a good chance on getting the officer to let the items pass...he printed the entire blog and said ok i will let you pass.

AAAhhhhh it felt great to be here...had some tea with my mind just went blank...i have forgotten everyone's name...ummmmm, anyway had tea unpacked heard a dog bark, didn't see a single mosquito, took a bit of a shower but the water was so cold i only got to one arm and wetting down my hair. slept for a bout 3-4 hours and got up to with justus, program director, to pick up one of the other volunteers....so i need a good night rest tonight

my room is lovely and i am feeling very well and happy here in rwanda......tomorrow i will write about what we did today but for now i need to go and eat and then off to bed for some real sleep

It's time...

Thank you to Elwood Bryant and Chris Miller for their donations.

The time has finally come...I leave tomorrow!

I have 2 HUGE suitcases full of donations. I am really hoping they don't weigh over the limit. I have a carry on full of heather items, and a big "purse" of cameras, reading materials and snacks. Oh and of course my long flight socks to pull on when the plane overnight lights turn off.

Today went really fast. Now that I have crawled into bed and thought about it - the day is sort of a blur.

I am feeling calm and prepared. I can't think of anything I may have forgotten. I don't have any last minute cravings for food I won't be able to eat while I am gone. No nerves. I haven't felt any nervousness regarding this trip. It feels so right to me I can't think of anything to be nervous about. I am looking forward to learning, to the entire experience, and all of the unknown to see and touch and smell...well maybe not the smells. But really, nothing can smell as bad as Ano Nuevo Island - dead fish, seals, birds and the live gassy seals all of it basking in the sea salt humid air...

I usually don't start to feel the butterfly giddy excitement until I am at the airport or just before take off. I have no doubt tomorrow I will not be this calm and relaxed.

I am feeling a bit guilty for leaving the dogs for such a long time, so I am easing that by letting them both sleep on the bed tonight. Hobee is already running in his REM sleep. Oh and Hobee loved Stephanie, so I am feeling a lot better about the dog sitting situation. They will both be just fine :)



Quite a few of you have asked me Why Rwanda...I still haven't been able to organize my reasons enough to be able to blog about them. I have sat down quite a few times to try to express my feelings but I am not sure if I have writers block or if I just am not ready to put it all out there. This trip is so emotionally and spiritually important to me that maybe it is still too personal for me to share that part of it... I am looking forward to that point in the trip or maybe after the trip when I am able to grasp it and express myself.

What I can say is this is my biggest dream come true. I am feeling blessed and lucky to be able to be going to Rwanda at this stage of my life instead of having to wait until I retire. Everything in my life has led up to this...I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. And one thing that resonates in my mind so often is something my friend, Mike Jennings, once said to me...We were having a conversation about why I didn't have a child or children of my own. He explained to me that my need to volunteer and help and learn about kids in less fortunate situations has enabled me to have so many children in my life...true they aren't "my own" but had I had my own I may not have been able to have the time to be a Big Sister with BBBS or to volunteer with Read To Me or to go on this trip and take what I have learned and hopefully help kids in a truly deserving country. Instead because of what I have been unable to do has enabled me to have more children in my life than I could have ever dreamed of.

I can only hope and pray and dream that I make a difference in their lives as they have in mine.

The kids aren't the only reason for this journey...but they are all an important part of what has led me to today.

Mike and I had this conversation the day I told him about my decision to go to Rwanda. And his response was so meaningful to me that I think about it a lot and it makes it all the more real that I have made the right decisions and have no regrets.

I will only be gone a few short weeks but I have no doubt these short few weeks will change my life, my way of thinking, so many different things about life. I realize not everyone gets why I want and need to do this. I know not everyone agrees with my decision to go or for a lot of my life decisions for that matter...but for me nothing could be so right. I wish I was going longer, but I also know and seem to believe I will go back. This is sort of just a test trip for me :)

I hope each of you get something out of this blog. I hope each of you keep in touch.

In no time at all

Thank You to Angela Daniels for her donation!

It is down to less than 2 weeks. I am still in the same mind frame - calm. I don't think it will change for another week or so. Which at that time it will change to pure excitement and chaos. I feel prepared now, but I also haven't really committed my organization to thought yet.
My malaria meds were changed to the doxycycline. I start taking them on the 28th and will continue to take them through end of September or maybe beginning of October, I forget. Because they are an antibiotic the nurse sent me to pick up acidopholis and monistat treatments to bring with - the joys of being female. I, of course, would rather be safe than sorry when traveling so I have no complaints.
Karen Overstake has so graciously offered to loan me her mosquito net - thank you, Karen!
Other than that, I continue to make my lists of what to pick up, what to pack, etc... My challenge in the last few days has been trying to find a particular book, Escaping North Korea by Mike Kim, I can't seem to find it anywhere around me. Should this surprise me? Probably not.
I went through my current unread library and found about 5 books to bring with me. Of course, this may change between now and the time I leave.

Fundraising and stuff

My fundraising attempts are coming to a close. I raised $1,258.00 thus far. There are 3 or 4 people that are sending donations which should bring the total to around $1400.00. Considering the economy and the ups and downs of my fundraising learning process I am happy with result. I have no doubt that once I am back I will need to continue to find ways to collect donations for the kids and the schools.

As of today, I leave in 3 weeks. It is down to 3 weeks. I have started my get done before I leave to do list. I have started my need to get before I leave list and my packing list. The 2 major items I have yet to pick up are my mosquito net and my malaria pills. Found out my insurance will not cover the malaria pills because they are a preventative "option" instead of a treatment. Very logical from the insurance perspective. I think my definition of logical is different from the industries definition. But hey that happens, right?
So if I get malaria and am back in the US I am covered for treatment, but not any time before that. I had a prescription for Malarone but it will be over $1200 for those pills. Tomorrow I will get a new prescription for the "generic" malaria meds which will cost around $100. I think I will need to take them longer and the meds cause more side effects which should be a good time. I will keep you updated on that saga once I get the details.

The dogsitters are in order - thank you Lindsey, Chris and Betty. Really the dogsitting situation is my biggest worry. I am hoping the kids don't act up and cause issues for anyone. Diogie pretty much just sleeps all the time now. Now with Hobee I am wondering about all the different scenarios...

I am getting my summer allergy/cold/illness over with now. It's a relief because I really don't care for being congested while flying.

My Assignment

Kicukiro is a district (akarere) in Kigali Province, Rwanda. Its headquarters is the Kigali suburb of Kicukiro.

Kicukiro district is divided into 10 sectors (imirenge): Gahanga, Gatenga, Gikondo, Kagarama, Kanombe, Kicukiro, Kigarama, Masaka, Niboye and Nyarugunga.

Literacy Program Assignment

About: Teaching and literacy program involves working with schools at the ongoing school curriculum to improve the standards and performance of pupils. It is also in line with the current transition in the country of switching from Franco system to Anglo system hence therefore as a volunteer you will be required to teach English in line with other subjects of your choice.

Location: Gahanga 1&2 primary school located at Kicukiro.

Number of children. Each school comprises of around 1000 pupils with each class divided into streams of around 40-50 pupils per stream.

Volunteer work hours: a minimum of 4 hours per day, 5 days per week during the hours of 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.

Expectations of the project: your project will have its own expectations in regards to your volunteer responsibilities and duties, but you are also are expected to bring your own knowledge and skills with you and possess a positive outlook and a proactive style towards your work in order for your volunteer time to be successful.

Your first work task: in your first few days at your project organize to have a meeting with your project supervisor and the school head to elaborate on the program as well as familiarize yourself with the school environment.

Type of work available: assistant teaching as well as life skills vocational trainings depending on your abilities as a volunteer. Teaching will be in line with the existing school curriculum.

Project ideas: You are encouraged to practice a few French words as this will help you in the first days of your program. However, this is not compulsory.

Fundraising needs: Basic essentials: Books to set up a school library especially English, demonstration charts and sitting desks for pupils Please note, all donations must be given to FVA who will channel them appropriately

Other notes: The classes have many pupils (40-50) at any given session.