First official week...

Things are going quite well. I really am liking it here. I don’t remember what I have blogged about. My assignment was changed to work at an all boys orphanage. The boys range from 6-20. they are kids that were previously living on the street. The boys are amazing. They are all so eager to learn English. They are respectful and so kind. I feel accepted and loved already by them. I have bonded with a few very quickly and am getting closer to many more of them. The boys like to sit next to me and hold my hand and lean on my shoulders. They so much want to be loved and given attention. I love how they have made each other their family. They eagerly do chores and clean and help each other. The conditions they live in are hard to accept. They have twin bed bunk beds and they sleep 2 to a mattress on a twin bed. Their restroom conditions are 6 holes in the ground and not sanitary by any means. They wash their own clothes by hand. Most have slipper shoes that are falling apart. They eat the same meals everyday. Porridge in the mornings and maize and gravy. They don’t complain about a thing. They are overjoyed to simply have each other. They love football (soccer). There are so many things they have never been exposed to. I am going to show them a picture of a shark this week. A picture of a salamander too….and some others. These boys are so deserving and some have such ambition and will be very successful. I hope to hear from all of them in the future.

The movie hotel Rwanda is very controversial here. Most do not believe any people were housed and saved in the hotel. Most believe the manager did not do anything to help any of the residents of Rwanda. Some feel it is odd that the hotel manager (sorry his name has escaped me at the moment) will not come back to Rwanda and face the truth that the story is not true. Personally, I am thinking that if no one is alive or coming forth to back his story than yes I tend not to believe. Which is very disappointing considering it is such a good movie and a beautiful heroic story. What the movie does do is show how the Rwandans are wonderful people. They have come so far in 15 years. I really cannot imagine what it could have been like here. I have seen quite a few pictures of how the roads and ditches were filled and covered with dead bodies. To see the place in person now is scary. To stand in a place where so many people were murdered is most bizarre. I am not one who believes in ghosts but being here I have definitely learned to believe in spirits. There is a spirit here in Rwanda. It is strong and loving but there is so much sadness here too.

I have been told more first hand stories of the genocide. It is indescribable to hear what happened to people here. I know some of the boys at the orphanage are victims of the genocide. And to think these children and all these people have to live with those horrors in their minds for the rest of their lives is horrible. I want to be able to understand and support them but it is truly difficult to have any idea of what to say. All I can do is reach out and hug them or hold their hand and let them know I am on their side. Downtown on the streets and by the bus stations there are quite a few victims. Arms and legs have been cut off. Visibly brutal scars, permanent dents and holes in peoples head.

Transportation is crazy here. Most Americans would never and I mean never be able to handle it. Everything is called a taxi…there are bus taxis, taxi taxis, motor bike taxis, and bicycle taxis. The bus taxis are basically a large van with 4 rows of bench seats and then this special seat that folds down to sit someone in the aisle. The buses do not leave until the bus is full. There are no time schedules here. But the buses fit about 3-5 more people on the bus than should fit. We sit squished together to a total sweaty stranger and when you enter and exit you may rub up against any type of body part and no one cares. They simply don’t waste space here. It is so hot in the bus I feel like I am going to die in the afternoons when I come home from work. And it took about a day for me to get use to squishing and I mean squishing against a total stranger. Yes, there is a lot of body odor here. But it is not offensive here. I am not sure why but it just is almost expected when you are next to someone. I don’t doubt that by the middle of the day I smell too. It is quite hot here and I sweat so badly. In the shade here it is beautiful it is mostly in the direct sun is almost miserable.

I feel so behind in blogging. I have a lot more stories and random info to give but the internet is so slow here it is difficult for me to stay on more than an hour. Next time I will tell you about how I got lost for 3 hours and I was trying to not have to get a phone here and now am convinced I should have one and got one today. I would also like to share the going away party the orphanage had for Bali this week. Amazing! And tomorrow 3 of us are going on a safari to akagara national park so I am sure I will have some great updates for you.