A Few Hard Days

So the past few days have been very draining, mentally and emotionally.

On Sunday we went to Kigali to tour the genocide memorial and museum there. It wasn't a large place, but it was very informative and well done. For those of you who don't know much about the genocide, I will give an extremely brief summary. In Rwanda, everyone speaks the same language and has similar beliefs. During colonialization, the Belgians gave power to the ethnic minority, the Tutsi. This was done because they were lighter skinned and thought to be racially "superior." The Hutu majority were deprived of education and good jobs, which obviously led to tensions. After the colonial powers left Rwanda, many clashes between the Hutu and Tutsi occurred. The Hutu took control of the government and they started the campaign to exterminate the Tutsi. I'm going to repeat that. The government started the genocide. Many people believe that the genocide was simply because of tribal differences and was carried out by uneducated people. Yes, most people participated or collaborated. However, the act of genocide was not spontaneous. It was entirely premeditated and had been planned for years. The government even had lists of Tutsi to kill. In the spring of 1994, over a MILLION people were killed in 100 days. The world knew what was going on, and chose to ignore it. 

The memorial in Kigali includes about 13 mass graves that hold over 250,000 people. That number is unfathomable. I saw the graves, simple concrete slabs that don't seem large enough to hold that many people. 

How many times will the world say, "never again"? 

On Monday, we had an entire day devoted to learning about HIV/AIDS. In Rwanda, about 3% of people are infected. It is not as high as some other African countries, that have rates of over 25%, but obviously it is still an issue. (In comparison the rate in the US is less than 1%).

I got home from a long day and met a young girl who was visiting. Mama said she was a cousin, so I was trying to ask her how she was related (moms side, dads side, etc). She was getting confused then finally said she was Diane's sister. It turns out, Diane isn't my host parents biological child. She is really their niece. Her parents died of AIDS when she was 3 years old. My host mom and dad took her in and raised her as their own (my mom made it a point to say that she was not Diane's aunt, she was her mother). Diane's two older sisters live with separate family members. Thankfully, they are HIV negative.

Finding out this news hit me pretty hard. I think mostly because it came as such a surprise. Also, it is so hard to fathom losing your parents so young and then being separated from your siblings. I was also struck by how selfless my host parents were to not only take Diane in, but to truly love her like a daughter. It sounds like her sister is not so lucky, and may have to drop out of school because the aunt who took her in does not support her. 

It was a lot to take in, and I am still processing everything. 

My family thinks I can't do anything....

.....and they are right. So my host family thinks I am really helpless. I can't cook, do laundry, or fetch water. I'm sure they are seriously concerned about my marriage prospects, because these are all essential skills here. 

Let me clarify: I CAN cook, do laundry, and get water. In the US. I can cook when I have a stove, microwave, and/or oven. Give me a charcoal stove and some matches, not so much. I can do laundry when I have a washing machine. Hand washing is much more time and labor intensive, and considering that my host siblings watch me do laundry with faces of unmistakable horror, I am not doing it properly. I can get water when it means grabbing a bottle from the fridge or turning on one of the 7 taps in my house (not including 3 bathtubs and 2 hoses). When getting water means walking up and down steep hills with a 20 liter Jerry can to find the nearest river, I suddenly have no clue how to get water. 

Living with a host family in Rwanda has really put this all in perspective. I am constantly feeling embarrassed by not being able to do the most basic of tasks, because my life in America does not require it. I can only imagine what they think of me, and Americans in general. They can't comprehend how I live, and I can't adequately explain it. Really when you think about it, life in the Western world is often not "real." The issues and concerns that take up our day to day lives are so insignificant it is laughable. We don't have to worry about satisfying our most basic needs, so they are forgotten and taken for granted. What is dangerous is that it is easy to forget that there are other people in this world (and America!) who still lack access to the basics: food, water, education, medicine, etc.

I can feel this turning into a rant, so I'm gonna stop now. Basically my thoughts are this: we as global citizens are responsible for each other. The world has made great strides to end poverty, but it is still a long way off. Everyone (including myself) needs to step back from the insignificant drama of day to day life and focus on the big picture. The world is a big and beautiful place, and we can all do our part to make it a little bit better. 

My Site!!

It has been an exciting week for sure. Last Thursday we had our site announcement, when names were drawn and we got to go and put our names on the map. It was nice to see where everyone would be. I am at Gakoma Health Center, in Gisagara District, in the South. There are three other Health volunteers from my training group in the South, although none are particularly close to me (at least three hours away).

This week we went to Kigali for a few days to meet our supervisors. Mine is a man named Aime who is in charge of all the Community Health Workers (CHWs). Our health center serves over 34,000 people and has 141 CHWs. (I am told that's a lot). Aime is very nice and was extremely helpful during the conference and when we traveled together to Gakoma. We left the hotel in Kigali on Wednesday at 10 and three buses and a lunch break later, we arrived at the Health Center at 4. I met the head of the health center, who is a nun. The Catholic Church has a huge influence in Rwanda.  

Thursday I got to visit all of the services in  my health center. Gakoma is unusual because the hospital is literally right next door. So unlike many health centers, mine does not have wards for patients because if anyone is seriously sick they get sent to the hospital. My center provides the following services: a laboratory to run tests, HIV/AIDS testing and counseling, an IT department, delivery center, pharmacy, nutrition and vaccination programs, and general disease prevention and control. (You go to the health center if you are sick to get medicine, if you are extremely ill or need surgery you have to go to the hospital). I met all my coworkers, briefly, they seem very nice and I am excited to get to know them better! 

My attempt to do a panoramic of my health center, it consists of three small buildings. 

While at site visit I got to tour around Gakoma and the surrounding areas. It is very rural with lots of rice fields. Malaria is epidemic here and one of the biggest issues. I will most likely be working on malaria prevention, nutrition, and HIV/AIDS. Which is awesome because those are the three areas I am most interested in! 

Mamba is the town closest to where I will be living. My house is currently under construction so I don't have pictures. It is  in a compound with other families and is two rooms, a bedroom and a living room. (The bathroom and kitchen are outside). Luckily I will have electricity and a water tap in the compound. I am only a few minutes walk from the town center which consists of some shops, resturants, and bars. It still seems so surreal that I will be living here for two years!! 

Also, I have an education site mate who works at the local secondary school. His name is Bob and he walked me around and gave some great advice. Overall I had a great site visit. Obviously this can't really tell me how the next two years will go, but I am optimistic about it! 

This is the river that flows between Rwanda and Burundi

Liberation Day

So Thursday (July 4th), was a double holiday for us. Independence Day for the USA and Liberation Day in Rwanda. The morning was pretty quiet, some studying and chores. My host siblings were mucking out the cow pens....with their bare hands. Luckily i didn't have to help! Around noon my host mom got on her fancy clothes so I knew we were about to go somewhere. (Rwandans typically wear a certain outfit for around the house, clothes they don't mind getting dirty.) We walked down to the school my siblings attend where they were having a mini performance/celebration.

Me, mama, and little sis Diane! 

At the celebration there were dances by the students. The older kids did traditional cultural dances. It was very cool to watch. They featured men dressed up in long straw wig-like hats. They are supposed to represent the lions mane that were used in the past. (Now outlawed, Im pretty sure). The boys were really into the dance and kept coming together in the middle, no idea what they were saying, but I got the impression they were two rival chiefs trying to make peace. 

After we got home from the ceremony, some of the volunteers met up in one of the central towns to hangout and celebrate. It was nice to just relax, we have been so busy with classes and trainings.