Another week in Africa

Last week of class.... WOW already!?!

This week is our last week of these two classes. We have had a lot of papers due this week and we have a big project due this Friday. I can't believe that classes have gone by so quickly. I feel like I have gained a lot from what we are learning. The social context for community development has really made me think about how I view poverty, aid, and development. I would love to write more about what I am thinking but I'm really bad about writing blogs (.. journals, letters, papers) and by the time I actually do it I feel like so much has happened.

This past weekend we went to Kibuye where we stayed at a hotel write on the lake. It was beautiful. The weekend was set up for us just to relax and have fun, it was just that. We got the opportunity to go swimming, run through the hills, read, drink Africa Tea... it was great. On Saturday evening we took a boat ride to an island on the lake. We were dropped off and were shown hundreds of bats. They were actually pretty awesome. And our guide got them all to fly out of the trees so there were thousands of bats in the air. Then we continued hiking to the very top of the island... it was a long rugged hike, which I did in chacos and a skirt! But it was GORGEOUS at the top, breath taking! then when we climbed down we all just jumped in the water that was crystal clear. It was a great day

Last week we visited some more memorials. These were a lot different than the first one we went to. These were churches where thousands of people had died. People fled to these churches thinking that they would be safe, but the killers killed them anyways. One church we went to 5,000 people died there, another places we went to 10,000 people died there and 40,000 were buried there, the last one we went to was just the remains of a church. The church was actually burned to the ground with people in it. All the clothes of the victims were all over the church in piles and hanging on rafters. It was insane to see all of it and see how what we have been learning become more real.

This weekend we also found out where we would be stationed for practicum. I will be going to Mbale, Uganda where I will be working with the Child Development Program (which is similar to a child sponsorship program), as well as being a health officer. I will be living in Mbale but I will be traveling about 30-40 minutes every day to small towns where I will get the opportunity to work in small clinics. Everyone is paired in twos for practicum, so I will be going with another guy and he and I will be doing the same job. I'm really excited about the opportunity! I will be there for about a month and I do not know how great my internet service will be while I am there. We are currently being spoiled with have internet when every we want it.

Today I went fabric shopping. It was fun... but I have an issue making decisions. I got a computer case made last week so I thought I would get more fabric so that I can get some skirts made. The ladies here are really wonderful at sewing! But I realized I have an addiction with a specific color scheme and they had those colors in like a billion different patterns. I had to work really hard not to buy all of them! After we got the fabric we were going to this non-profit organization where they teach women to make crafts that they can sell in Rwanda as well as sell outside the country. We thought we had mastered the bus system only to find out that we got on a bus that went to a completely different part of town where we had never been. It makes it hard to know where you are going when you no one speaks English and you don't speak Kryenrwandan. So we never made it... just found our way back home after taking 4 different buses, fun times! Sadly it wasn't the first time this had happened to me this week. Earlier in the week a few of us wanted to go to the mail box and so we took a bus into town. After walking around town for a while looking for the post office we found at that the post office was moved to a new location near our home. That made us super happy, so we saved the post office trip for another day.

Well I think the intern and I are going to make some cookies... we don't get enough sugar for my liking. My mom has raised me on cookies and ice cream! So I just make sweets for people, partially because I have my parents blood in me who love to bake things for others and catering to others and partially because I'm addicted to sugar.

Well any ways... thanks for reading! Love you all so so much!