3 Months!

Traditionally served ibirayi with brochettes

Well, today marks three months of my arrival!

One eighth of my stay complete!

Bit crazy, huh?

The second quake didn't hit last night, it was just a rumour. All's safe. Apparently, there was another about four or five months back, really early in the morning. It woke a couple of volunteers down south.

I wasn't well over the weekend, sick about 2am Sunday morning. Maybe impending quakes trouble my tummy ;)

Had a bit of a down day today. Turned up for a meeting and my colleague didn't. Found out another meeting had been moved again. Went upstairs and got all frustrated and tearful on Hannah, who promptly bundled me into a bisi (with a deck chair!) and took me to her house for tea. Her domestic made the most amazing stir-fried vegetables with avocado. We sat in the garden (on said deck chair) eating chocolate. I felt a lot better after that and went back to VSO, where I found my colleague had turned up eventually, so we discussed his funding proposal. Then I went to my meeting, at which none of my colleagues turned up.

I still wasn’t feeling completely well and it was seriously hard to keep my eyes open throughout the mostly French meeting. I was soooo glad when it finished. I stood outside chatting to Donatilla, the head of the Blind Association (who Martine works with) - she's absolutely lovely. A really sharp lady, and also the only other English speaker who needs translation, like me, as she doesn't speak French. Nice to know I'm not the only one.

I asked her whether she felt the earthquake the day before. She said no, she'd been walking to church up a very uneven pathway and must have 'stepped over it' lol

After the meeting, I went to Stella 2 with Charlotte (who works at VSO), Mel, Samira, Hannah G, Kirsty, and three new people from VSO Global Ed. in London who are out for a week or two: Sharon, Will and Ruth. Fresh off the plane and looking good for it. We ordered ibirayi (potatoes) and brochettes - bit of a feast. It was a good, relaxed night. Came home and watched a Billy Connolly Live DVD which had me in stitches.

Feeling much better, but may book a holiday at some point. After three months, I think it's allowed. Frustrated by procedures. My boss tried to call another afternoon meeting yesterday so that three of us could develop the entire quarterly plan for our project. Thankfully I was in that meeting, but I suggested that perhaps it would be a better idea to get the entire committee involved and to do a day’s workshop on it so that we can develop, un-rushed, not only the quarterly plan but also one for the entire year. It's sorely needed. Also had pressure from another volunteer who sent me a heartrending e-mail about all the hundreds of starving rural Deaf children with no education, and how we should stop concentrating on the Deaf 'elite' in Kigali and do something about that.

This tipped me over the edge a little having just sat through a consultation meeting with a DFID representative the week before, in which we were told not to take on all of the problems beyond our scope, or raise expectations we can't fulfil - which is poignant for RNAD given that we have absolutely no money or resources. What, exactly, are we expected to do about this? I felt it was rather an unfair attack. I'm already juggling two remits (fundraising and interpreting) that are not part of the job I came out here to do. I think taking on the Deaf rural youth is a bit too much even for me. It certainly isn't that the members of RNAD are unaware of the problem. They know, they've been out there, they've seen it. However, with no money and no resources, what does one do? As a fundraiser I can help a little perhaps, but all of this is stressing me out a bit. Reminds me strongly of somewhere I used to work before ;)

All natural cycles that everyone goes through. Every volunteer here has been through the boredom, the over-work, the wrong remit, the frustration, and the achievement. Let's not forget the £700 for IT training! So, just a bit more recreation and a little less responsibility. Job management is required.