Rwatano: Ishuri

Muraho bose! I have some exciting news from Rwanda: I know where I will be spending the next two years teaching Math. I'll be teaching at Groupe Scolaire Rwatano, which is a nine-year basic education school. (A nine-year basic education school means that it covers the nine years of mandatory education in Rwanda, which was only recently changed from six years). It's located in the village (umudugudu) of Rwatano, the Cell (akagari) of Mukinanyana, the Sector (segiteri) of Musha, and in the Southern Province.

G.S. Rwatano has about 900 students in the nine grades and 18 teachers total. The majority of the students (730) and teachers (11) are in the Primary level. A whole range of subjects is taught, including Math, Physics, English, Kinyarwanda, Entrepreneurship, History, Government, and Physical Education. They also have several clubs, including dance, anti-AIDS, and anti-Genocide, with an English club in the works. In addition, students can play volleyball or soccer after school.

I went to visit my site last week, leaving Nyanza on Monday morning bound for Butare, which is about 45 minutes South by bus. Upon arriving in Butare, which is a large university city, I waited with several other Peace Corps Trainees going South for my headmaster to arrive. I didn't have to wait too long before he pulled up on a moto. We were all given motorcycle helmets by the Peace Corps, as our sites are all somewhat remote, so I was ready to go. After exchanging a few words with the Rwandan language instructor accompanying me, we set off towards my site.

Well, we didn't actually go to my site. My house (or my part of my house) is still being completed, so I was staying with my headmaster and his family for the week. He lives about 30 minutes from the school by moto, and closer to Butare, so it was a short ride (30 minutes) to the North and East to make it to his house. There, I was warmly greeted by his sisters and shown to my room for the week. After a wonderful Rwandan lunch, we set off for the school.

The views on the ride were spectacular! I may not be in the mountains like some in my group, but the hills in my area are magnificent, and there are incredible vistas. There's farmland everywhere, full of beans (ibishyimbo), cassava (imyumbati), mangoes (imyembe), papayas (ipapayi), limes (indimu), bananas (imineke), and more, including coffee (ikawa). There were also numerous traditional mud huts along the dirt road and very few cars (people mostly go by foot, by bike, or by moto).

When we arrived in Musha (about 5 km from my school), I met a few of the local government officials, who all said how happy they were to have me. We then continued on to the school, where I met some of my fellow teachers, who are all extremely nice and very welcoming. We talked for a bit about the school, the classes, my impressions of Rwanda, and other general things. They are actually in the process of constructing another classroom building, and the progress made so far makes me believe it will be usable by the time the term starts in January. It's still slightly unclear what I'll be teaching, but I think it will be Senior 1 (7^th grade equivalent) Math, with perhaps a bit of Senior 2 (8^th grade).

After looking around the school a bit (see my photos on Picasa), we went down the hill (no more than 800 meters) to see my house. As I said, my part of it is not completed, but I will be living with three other teachers, who currently live there, so I saw what it will be like at least. Really, they were just finishing up some painting and other minor things in my rooms. I'll have a small bedroom and a living space for chairs and things. There is a kitchen area, as well as a toilet and bathing area outside. The house (like the entire village) has no electricity or running water, but superb surrounding scenery. I look out over a valley that is greener than anything I have ever seen, and we have at least some ibishyimbo planted in our yard. Water is located just down the road, and I can charge my electronics in nearby Gikonko. Life will be grand.

The center of the umudugudu is located about 800 meters from my house, up a small hill. It is extremely small, with a few little shops selling some food, various household goods, and beverages. We stopped for a beer and brochettes here, and I had another opportunity to talk with the teachers and my headmaster about the school and community.

We went back to my headmaster's house for the night, where I discovered a new love, which will be wholly explored during my two years here: radio. I guess I've always enjoyed listening to the radio, but now it seems magical. Like me, my headmaster's family has no electricity, so we sat around at night in the near dark (they had some battery-operated lanterns) and listened to the radio. It was great flipping through the FM, AM, and Shortwave stations to find something of interest. And, here in Rwanda, I can get channels in English, French, and Kinyarwanda. There's a lot of news (BBC, VOA, Rwandan, etc.), and the music is mostly American R&B/Rap or African. My new favorite show is a music request show on VOA, where I can hear all sorts of Western music from any decade, one whole hour of nostalgia.

Anyway, at dinner that night I met the final member at my headmaster's house: his mother. She was very welcoming, and she told me that they would speak to me only in Kinyarwanda to help me learn. In reality, of course, she was the only one who held fast; I spoke mostly French to the two sisters and French and English with my headmaster.

The remaining days at site were spent getting acquainted with the area and meeting a few more local authorities. The most exciting thing was probably my trip to the market in Save, my headmaster's town. It was a very large market, with everything from live animals to clothes. I bought a pair of Croc-like shoes, called bodaboda, for which I was later told I overpaid (1400 RWF instead of 1000 RWF, though the seller asked for 2000 RWF). The market in my umudugudu is nightly, though small, and there is a bigger one (about the size of Save's) in Musha twice a week (Tuesday and Friday).

I left Save shortly after 9 on Friday morning to go back to Nyanza via Butare. While in Butare, I treated myself to some ice cream (with several other Trainees) and a slice of pizza. Although I sincerely enjoy Rwandan food, a little taste of home was nice to have. I made it back to Nyanza early in the afternoon, tired, but excited about my experience.

And so training continues. We have six weeks left, which means I have six more weeks to get to where I can have a decent conversation in Kinyarwanda. I can say that all of us have pretty much settled in, and life has taken on an eerie “normal” feeling. Cold bucket baths, hand-washing laundry, and hours of class are no longer strange.

This week, we do have one special event that will make us feel closer to the States: Thanksgiving dinner! Yes, we will be making a feast ourselves in honor of this All-American holiday. It's sure to be good, but I can assure you all that I will be missing you and thinking of you on Turkey Day.

So, have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and please remember that if you want me to write about something in particular on this blog, you can let me know, preferably via e-mail, and I'll do my best. Take care.