Turikumwe: We Are Together

Rwandan Word of the Day
Turikumwe: We are together. (but in longhand it means we are in this together which is quite fitting for our delegation)

I had night terrors last night thanks to my anti-malaria pills. Fail. Everyone seems to be having them though, so I’m not the only one waking up in the middle of the night screaming. My night terror? I dreamed that huge wasps got into my mosquito net while I was sleeping and were buzzing around my head. It was terrifying. The wasps here are huge and numerous so it was a pretty sensible nightmare under the circumstances. Still unnerving.

I didn’t go to sleep until after midnight last night anyway due to the fact that I was uploading pictures and blogging. This caused a problem to day especially since I didn’t sleep very well. I had those nightmares and then couldn’t fall back to sleep after about 6am. I had to be up around 7am anyway though, so it didn’t make much difference. The one thing (other than the living conditions) that I would change is the fact that our days start SO early. All of them! And I am a far cry from a morning person. A VERY far cry. I stay up late and sleep late. It’s in my nature. So staying up past midnight and waking up between 6 and 7am? Unacceptable. This is how the rest of the delegation will be though, which means I need to just get used to it. Ick.

I’ve also come to the conclusion that I’m just going to have to accept the fact that Kigali is the city of hills. Which means I have to climb hills. Very steep hills. Everyday. I could walk for miles and miles in London, but it was flat. This is not flat. It’s mountainous and is kicking my butt for sure. I never want to go anywhere if I’m walking, but I’ll get used to it… Maybe…

After getting up this morning we greeted the Rwandan delegates. They did a dance for us and I got grabbed up to join in. It was funny, but I had no idea what to do so I just swayed and moved my arms around the air. This white girl can’t dance like that haha! Then we greeted them, and I pretended to have a REALLY Texan accent like I talked about. They got a kick out of it. It made me laugh too. Oh Texas…

Then came a FULL day of discussing human rights, organizations, program details, expectations, guidelines, and the like. It was pretty exhausting, but we had a lot of good discussions. The Rwandan delegates were great. They are all so friendly and open. It’s great being in a room full of people from all different walks of life and places, but at the same time, sharing a common goal and passion. I love it. We also did more ice breakers, and broke into several different groups to discuss concepts. We all have very differing opinions, so it will be a growing and educational process for all as we go through this delegation together. I’m really looking forward to it. Who knows. Maybe I’ll come out of here with completely different opinions on everything! Haha…. Yeahhhh we’ll see about that. I’m totally open for it though.

We had a tea break at around 11ish. It was nice. I love the tea and it came with Rwandan snacks! A boiled egg, a meaty wonton thing, and a spiced thick tortilla pita. It was good. And filling, especially since I didn’t eat breakfast. Fail on my part, but win for the delegation at providing and meeting my needs! Lunch was good and filling too. I love having meals provided. It’s a luxury that won’t last forever though. We already have to provide our own breakfasts, and I am not looking forward to buying three meals a day. I’m cheap! Lunch was full of plantains, passion fruit, rice, mutton in red sauce, fries, and pop/water. I was quite content.

By the time our workshop got over all of us were BEYOND exhausted. It was a very exhausting day considering the content we discussed and worked on from 8am until 5pm! Anyone would be dead tired after a day like this. Our day wasn’t over though. We had a big banquet with alumni, the delegates, and coordinators for different human rights organizations. It was LONG. I have a feeling not many people understand what “summarize” means. People spoke FOREVER. I presented with my friend Frances on the Orientation process and why we chose to come on the delegation. We did well I think. We were definitely the shortest presentation haha! We had a good dinner too. It was made up of beef, fries, and spaghetti like noodles but without very much sauce (just a couple tomatoes and the noodles were kind of tinted red). I enjoyed it immensely. The coke also tastes the same. WIN! So does Orange Fanta. What more do I need?!

Well, that was day two! It was a long exhausting day, but very educational and worthwhile. I’m truly enjoying every second of it. OH! Also, Kiento the gecko has a girlfriend in our room now. Her name is Furaha, which means happiness in Swahili. She has more spots than Kiento. She, too, likes to hang out right above my head. What a match made in heaven!

Goodnight all!