Bed Bugs! (I think)

When I moved into my place I bought a really cool woven banana leaf chair (so cheap too!).  A few months ago I got a rash on my butt that later strangely spread to the backs of my knees and under my forearms.  Now it makes sense that it is all the parts of me that touch the chair but at the time I was just confused.
Well a few weeks after that my face started to itch and then later my whole body.  After I woke up one morning with one of my eyes swollen shut I figured out it was bed related and freaked out.
I soaked some of my clothes in boiling hot water, the rest I put into the oven for a while.  I poured boiling water all in the cracks of  my bed frame and emptied four cans of pesticide into my room.  So add a cough to the itching.  Then I put my mattress out in the sun for about a week before finally abandoning it for a different one.
Now I spend most of every night getting paranoid about every sensation.  Do I itch?  Is something eating my face again?  Psychological harm included, easily the 4th or 5th most uncomfortable I have ever been.  I still think one of my eyes is more closed than the other.

Ellie's circuit breaker

English class isn't going so great.  I've been stood up 5 times in a row now.  I even started tracking people down and nagging them.  Of course they all say they will come but then they don't come.  Everyone likes the idea of learning a new language, but popularity drops off once you get to actually doing the work.  I want to switch to computers instead but no one is willing to admit that they have given up.  We just keep scheduling English classes that no one comes to.  Yesterday when no one came I found one of them in the computer lab and I asked if they wanted to have an English or computer lesson.  They said yes and continued to sit there, suckling on the warm glow of mass media.  At the end of the hour I left.  I'm not sure what to do now.  For now I am at least going to insist on starting earlier in the day.  I think the classes are starting too late.  No one wants more work after work.

Kibuye on market day

April 18 or 19

I'm not sure what day it is.  Maybe it isn't even April.  A few of us went up to Gisenyi to visit a PCV nearby for a couple nights.  I am feeling really burned out lately.  Minor things that should not get to me are really getting to me, and I am constantly fatigued.  Apparently I have a little sleep apnea.  I wonder how much that's a contributor.  I foolishly took no pictures while I was in Gisenyi. So here's one of ze boat.  It's actually less seaworthy than it looks.  The termite holes don't help.

On the plus side I'm getting to be a very good swimmer.

Now I'm in Nyanza.  Tomorrow I'm going to help give a session on "how to be a successful volunteer" (whatever that means) and then the day after on teaching ICT and community assessment.  I hope they go ok.  I bought fabric so that I can get another hoodie made at our sweet tailor here in town, but first I need to corner one of the LCF's for vocab.  The tailor only speaks Kinyarwanda.  Really hard to get across that I want the zipper on the other side, but whatever.
Third year stuff isn't looking that great anymore but that might be just because I'm at a low point right now.  I hope it turns around.  Maybe I'm not getting enough exercise.  It looks like OLPC might have fallen through, which leaves me with the PCV/L thing.  Not exactly a solid lead.  I'm kind of disappointed about the OLPC thing.  Really disappointed.  They sent an intern to meet with my program director.  I speak French fluently and enough Kinyarwanda to get by, I have a degree in computer engineering, I've spent the last two years teaching computers in Africa, and I offered to work for free if they can provide a roof.  I can't figure out who they're holding out for.  Maybe they're looking for someone with a stronger education background.  I don't know.

I broke a hammer.  Two, actually.
I'm starting to have doubts about whether or not I am ready for an MBA program but if (when) I end up back in America, that's now my number one plan.

Semester break

Well our boat sinks.  On the plus side the matter of captainship is solved.  It's whoever has the best hat.  That's me at the moment.  I spent a dollar on a pound of cotton and three dollars on a chisel that already fell apart.  I'll use the chisel to bang the cotton between the boards.  Being a captain is a heavy responsibility.
Mark and I got roped into teaching a class less than a week before it began.  Originally it was to be 40 hours over 2 weeks, then 40 hours over 1 week, then 40 hours over 3.5 days.  Next time they do that I am going to refuse.  Luckily though, no one seemed to really care what all we covered, so we just cut it down to an essay and a presentation.  So that's good.  It actually went pretty well I think, despite the initial stress of letting go of the initial (impossible) requirements of the class.
This week is spring break for KHI, and also genocide memorial week.  I guess if you take part in any "entertainment or amusement activities" then it's like you are a genocide denier.  Culturally that is odd to me.  You'd think now of all times you would especially need an outlet.  But I guess people different places deal with things different ways.  I think I am going to end this break more stressed than I began it, which is pretty fucking stressed.  I really need a  break.  I should have gone to Uganda.  I don't think most people here really appreciate how difficult it is living in a foreign culture and language.
I'm pretty sure a lot more has happened but I forgot to write about it.
Our adult class is down to just three students, but they're really serious about it.  So that's good.

Thanks for the pizza kit mom!  I made pizza cutters out of a can lid and some spoons and a nail.

I'm going to find some pictures for all these later

The timing for me is sort of up in the air.  I am trying to apply to a business school for when I get back so really everything depends on that.  Plans B and C are the Foreign Service or trying to use my NCE to find work in DC (ugh).

Anyway, as I see it I have a few options for staying:

-I can (probably not really) move to Kigali and work for OLPC full time.  This is my favorite one but the chances are slim to none.  PC requires the partner NGOs to provide housing as sort of a quid pro quo and even if you have the money it’s hard to take that kind of risk on someone you barely know.  I would do a good job for them though.   I mean I would straight up run that place if they let me.  They are working on something that combines everything that I like about Peace Corps.  They are working with little kids, which is fun; computers, which is interesting; and teachers, which is impactful.  It’s really exciting.  I dreamed about it when I was in Mauritania, I can’t say it wasn’t on my mind when I came to Rwanda, and now I’m here.   Ah well.  I am going to do this but my involvement will probably have to be limited because of circumstances.

-I can apply to be what is called a PCV/L and give support to other Education PCVs.  This would allow me to have a bigger part in training (which I am not in at all this time around for reasons which are very mysterious and frustrating to me).  I talked with my director about this and he said that while Kigali is out I could possibly move to a more central location (ie. Gitarama).  I am really unenthusiastic about moving, but if it meant (it would) I could commute to Kigali one day a week I would be for it.  In general I would be able to do a 50/50 split between PCV/L stuff and a partner NGO.  That means if there is an OLPC installation in my town then I could still spend half my time working with them.  That might provide the best of both worlds, as long as my APCD can find a way to convince the ministry to put some computers close enough that I can get at them.  I wouldn’t have to move, I wouldn’t have to entirely leave the place that I am assigned to, and I could still have something more interesting to dedicate my time to.

-I can stay in Kibuye and keep doing what I am doing.  I don’t really think that I am changing anything beyond the incremental education that I am providing as a teacher, but I guess there is still always the second and third goal stuff.  I tend to forget those but they are just as important as the assistance that we are providing.  Anyway I am at least comfortable here.

I know it’s really unlikely that OLPC will take me on but you don’t get what you don’t ask for, so I asked.  I’ve actually been really presumptive with both OLPC and PC.  I hope it isn’t putting anyone off.  You have to apply to extend for a 3^rd year and then you have to be nominated to be a PCV/L and I’ve been sort of planning like I could have it if I wanted, which isn’t necessarily the case.  I basically just emailed OLPC out of the blue and have probably been riding the line between being invited and inviting myself to work with them.  I really want this to happen though and no one is going out of their way to hand me anything.  I hope people at least appreciate the initiative if it bothers them.

Soo I think I might be here a little while longer

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about what I am going to do for my third year.  I guess I can extend for any amount of time I want.  Up to even 13 months. I guess if I do that then PC forces me to take a month leave in the US.  Probably to head off any nervous breakdowns or something.  That would be nice.  To visit the US I mean, not the breakdown thing.

I don’t really know how long I want to stay for; I just know that I want to stay.  It takes that entire first year just to get your bearings and figure out how to get anything done.  That’s why PC is 27 months and why “service vacations” are rarely effective.  You lack the cultural context to frame things in a way that they will be well-received, and really that first year is just you screwing things up.  A lot.  So even though I am approaching the 27 month mark with PC, I have only been in Rwanda for 6.  I might be happy with that if this were just something where I was putting in my time, but it isn’t really. I like what I’m doing.  It’s hard and fun. I’m not really the kind of person who can be happy if I have to approach my work that way.  Whiling away the hours I mean.  I could have left after Mauritania, but I didn’t really feel like I was done.  I still don’t, and I’ve decided to stay.

OLPC time

So like I said I finally got to see OLPC’ training.  I love what they do.  I arranged to meet them in front of KIST and they swooped me up before heading out to a private school in Nyamirambo.  There is one main road heading out that way and it is under construction right now, so we had to go way out of our way to get there without going through back streets.  The private schools here are sort of backwards compared to America, where if you have the money you pay for a better education.  For the most part here the public schools are better and are (mostly) free, but if you aren’t smart enough or dedicated enough or lucky enough then you might lose your spot and have to pay for a private school.  The school where we went was obviously well funded though.  The ministry will provide the laptops to the public schools where there is to be a laptop program, but the private schools must purchase their own.  I went in a bunch of different classrooms and looked at the lessons that were on the chalkboards.  Those kids are learning some hard stuff!  I was impressed.

At that particular school they were doing two trainings that day, one for the students and one for the teachers.  The classes are still in the first few weeks so they are mostly just familiarizing everyone with the XOs (the laptops).  For the kids the focus was mainly fun, and for the teachers it was “what in the curriculum can we teach with this corner of the XO’s functionality”. 

I am glad they are actually dedicating class time to this and not just throwing the computers at the schools.   I think sometimes people magically expect computers to make things better.  If anything though they make teaching more difficult, especially if your vision is only to keep doing the same chalk + talk / copy + regurgitate type teaching that is traditionally done.  It is definitely worth the trouble to get kids in front of computers as early as possible, don’t get me wrong.  But their real value is for research and collaboration; you can pick something you don’t know about, and work on it together.  I wonder if they’ll have the connectivity for that, or if it will even be stressed.   There is a lot of overhead with such complicated tools, and there is bound to be disappointment if you don’t really understand what you’re getting that makes that worth it.  I dunno.

Birthdays, boat, buddy

Last weekend Julie Ann and Ashley had their b-day parties at our house.  It got really hectic and there were way too many people for me, bu tit was a good time.  It’s the kind of thing I’d hate going to but since it was at my house I could always just escape to my room.  I got to see a bunch of the Mauritanian vols again.

Another volunteer broke her leg, so she moved in last weekend.  Her site is on top of a mountain and the only way up is feet or moto, and a thigh to foot cast sort of rules both out.  She’s been sort of struggling ( like anyone else) so we make fun of her that she threw herself off her mountain to get sent home, but really she just slipped on some wet cement.  Anyway she has no one to take care of her or get her food or anything so now she lives with us.

Oh, also we got a boat.  No joke.  Apparently the traditional method involves no sealant or anything.  They just hammer some cotton between the planks and go.  I spent a morning trying to find something suitable but there is really nothing but silicone caulk and pvc glue, neither of those are going to last.  So that and the fact that they broke up and bigger, much older boat to make our smaller one means that our boat leaks like a sieve.  Luckily I just got my birthday box (2.5 mos in the mail!) and it includes a fishing pole, a book on how to swim, and some vibram five-fingers. 

These freaky shoes are awesome for the lake, so thanks mom! 

Maybe a smidge too small, but still.  Awesome. 

Last thing, I finally got to see OLPC’s training this week.  Actually, that’s a new entry.