Cow Dancing

Intore

Had a brilliant night last night. It was the end of the new volunteers' in-country training (ICT) so we were all invited to a huge 'VSO Family Dinner' at Lunar Dor, a restaurant not too far away from here. It's near Hotel Amani, where the training takes place.

It was brilliant as almost all the vols from across the country were there - really cool. Chris, another guy I was at Harborne with, was there. Free wine, beer and a meal, whilst the Intore and traditional dancers of Rwanda performed for us. It’s called 'cow dancing'. Both women and men dancing, really beautiful - all with bells around their ankles. One of the women who works in the VSO office, her sister was dancing.

After the meal most of us headed on to One Love for dancing and much, much drinking. One Love is the coolest place on the entire planet. Ended up with a bunch of Rastas who kept plying us with Johnnie Walker Red Label. Paula and I had already split a bottle of waragi. She'd skipped the dinner to go to a concert where her Rwandese friend was playing. She had a great time and met up with us at One Love - stayed at mine for the night. I received a guided tour of the upstairs art area, where one of the guys sells Congolese furniture and masks - totally amazing and slightly creepy art.

So, we rolled home around two and had a bread and tea party before bed.

I was totally shattered, though Paula had drunk more than me. I woke about 9am and stumbled into the main room where she was just coming in! She'd woken at 5:30am, gone to Novotel for a swim, and returned with fresh-baked croissants!!! I was dumbfounded.

We went into VSO for a volunteer meeting at 11am to discuss an education project in Gihembe Refugee Camp, but came away feeling a bit unenthusiastic. Martine was there, too. It was completely non-inclusive of Disability, or most people's ideas. Bit didactic for my liking. Interesting to get the information so those of us in the Disability sector can consider a project for the future.

To cool down after, a few of us went to Karibu ('Welcome'), a café in town, for melange and a natter. It was fun. Then I came back home to meet Sue and Eric, who had picked up my phone the night before, when I left the bar at the VSO party (phew!) Paula went to do some things in town, then came back to pick up her bags.

I cleaned up the house, which sorely needed it. The kittens are utter monsters! But beautiful ones :) Sula jumped in my wash bucket tonight and left a long train of water through the house lol She was a funny sight.