I'm Here. It's All Good.

Magical Cheeze Toasties

Nobody panic. I'm absolutely fine :)

Just been extremely busy the past week.

First off - CONGRATULATIONS! to my best mate Cassie and her wonderful husband Sean who have just had a little baby boy: Ryan Lucas Kingswell. He's a stunner and I'm gutted I can't be there to give him a li'le snuggle. All rather wonderful.

The first week back at work was a nightmare of stress. My organisation had done naff all in my absence, except undertake some free training given by a visiting Deaf guy from Holland on leadership... Who are they planning to lead? There's only two people in the office!

But they enjoyed it. 

Meanwhile, there was huge confusion over the state of the finances. They were complaining that we hadn’t been given enough money from VSO to complete our tasks, but they're supposed to report on the money already spent before they get any more of it. I spent the first week trying to clarify this rather straightforward concept.

However, on the up-side, we've got a new Office Manager starting tomorrow called Peace. She's a student in Business Management - praise be! Can't wait. Although, my boss is convinced she'll be a perfect accountant, and that I can train her! Err... I can do many things, but accountancy ain't one of them.

Still, I will be nice to have another intelligent female in the office. I'm also championing the Deaf women's representative, Goreth, who is a top lady. When no one else bothers to turn up for an inclusiveness workshop, she does at last-minute notice, and participates fully and intelligently and... well, I like this gal. She's smart.

A recent article in The Times (I think) explained how women are changing the face of Rwanda whilst blokes bumble about and spend their earnings on beer. So far, the women I've met here are key: Rose, Goreth, Florence, Michalline, Claire... all get-up-and-do people.

Anyway, whilst my organisation is giving me a bit of a headache and progressing extremely slowly - mostly in a circle - I've expended some energy in different directions: Kivu Writers.

They're a group founded in 2000 to try and kick-start a literary culture in Rwanda through workshops with secondary-school kids. There's also a writers' guild of previous participants. It's a great project, but although VSO support it they don't have their own volunteer. It's something other volunteers donate spare time to in a bid to make it a self-sufficient NGO.

For my part, I'm helping with the funding side of things. VSO's budget for Education (which this falls under) has been cut and, as such, they can't give as much to Kivu as they did before, so they wanted help. I've sequestered two volunteers - one guy and one gal - and I'm training them as Statutory & Trust Funding Officers.

Originally, it was going to be three hours on a Tuesday for five weeks, but they're in the holidays now and can't go home until this course is finished, and the uni don't pay their accommodation in Kigali over the holidays, so it's being condensed down to Tuesdays and Thursdays for the next fortnight. That's a lot of work for me, but we had our first session today and they are excellent. Real pleasure to work with them, and restored my faith in development work. They just soak up the information, make really intelligent responses, and really want to do the job. I love it. Real buzz. Much prefer intensive one-on-one training than large group exercises.

I hope to do a session with the Treasurer after this, and then the Committee, just to get everyone up to speed and make sure they get the support they need to do the job well. Kivu Writers is a pretty marketable NGO given the objectives, and the people are enthusiastic and with it. I predict great things for this group.

So, yeah, just been busy really. Not masses to report in comparison to the holiday. No gorillas in my garden or mwami huts next to the office.

Oooh, but gossip over the dinner table today: apparently, last weekend, a guy had an argument with a moto driver in town and then shot him! Then, when everyone ran to intervene, shot five more! Then ran off, and they haven't caught him yet!

That's extreme news. Violent crime is extremely low here, quite a crazy thing to happen.

But, yeah. Nothing much else. Cats are fine. I kind of got back together with D for a bit. It was all nice, but all too soon I remembered why not. Nice guy, just not what I need.

Made a couple of new friends who were en route to do some research on refugees in Chad. The contract fell through, so they're stranded in Kigali for a few months. One German, one American - lovely people. Might be going for pizza with them later. I was supposed to call them after training but I completely forgot. Instead, I came home and had a cold beer and cheese toastie... :op

Dad brought me a cheeze toastie maker out. I make them with eggs and sometimes beans. They're amazing! Some sort of metal god.

Mum's French tapes eventually got here, too. It took about six months! I thought we'd lost them. Linguaphone. They're great, and I've been chattering away. Even used some French in my training today. Only one line, but it made me feel good :)

It's a great language learning opportunity here. You can practise French or Kinya with just about anyone you meet.

But, yeah. Very tired at the moment. Very busy. But fun. Love feeling like I've achieved something.

Public Meeting

What an awesome day yesterday!

I headed to Rose's for about ten and hung around waiting for D to turn up with the camera. As it was, Rose found me first and I headed up the road with her and Florence. Teresa, our Secretary, helps at a local primary school which they lent us for the day to hold our first public meeting!

Was just a room with some small wooden benches but, by the time I got there, I could hardly believe my eyes! Around 60 people from all over Kigali had turned up, plus our two Canadian volunteers Kate & Cassandra, which was absolutely awesome. Rose and the pastor seemed in their element actually - she's got the makings of a public speaker in her yet! She'd organised them into discussion groups based on region, to discuss needs.

By the time they left, we had the foundations of parent networks in a whole load of districts in Kigali including Kacyiru, Kicukiro and Kimihurura. The greatest concern was for access to employment for single parents and we also got our first statistic. Did you know that around 3% of our members are single dads? :op

(Yes, so that's two out of about sixty - but that's still a statistic darnit!!)

Heehee.

D came along to take pickies, as did a guy from the Ministry, who had to take documentary evidence for which we paid the privilege of FRW 3,000 *sigh* Oh, oiling the wheels of bureaucracy. I just contented myself with blowing up the remainder of M's party balloons, handing out Cadbury’s chocolate éclairs and biros.

It really was a most excellent day, all credit due to Ms. R (Rose) for her outstanding tenacity in the face of Rwandan red-tape, and for being so bloody self-motivated. I predict great things for this organisation. Pictures of doe-eyed children and determined looking single parents will go a long way to achieving that! C'mon, just look - can you resist?

Anyway, after that D, came back to mine. We bought ice-cream and pizza and lay on the bed watching movies the whole afternoon: Gross Point Blank, Pushing Tin and my all-time favourite, Crash. It was well past dark by the time he finally headed home *sigh* Oh that man of mine. So, I broke, okay? What more can I say. We all knew I would, didn't we? But this time he stays firmly on the other side of the front door.

It was a good evening, though. Just what I needed to get my feet back on the ground after the folks flying home.

Today is lazy city. He's coming over later to drop off the photos and I'm lending him my video camera so he can follow Rose around and take footage of single parent stories to make into a promotional DVD.

Anyway, back to lounging and feeling proud.

Picture I Like

Pretty picture of us girlies (me, Cathryn & Hirut) taken during J's birthday at India Khazana. Don't we just look cute? :)

Bye Then :o/

How quick the time flies by! Seems like only yesterday I was waiting for them to arrive!

Just dropped Dad & M off at the airport. Feels weird sitting here knowing they're still in the country for a couple more hours but out of sight...

Had a nice last day, though: coffee at Chez Lando over the road, then to Caplaki Craft Village to pick up souvenirs. They bought me a pair (male & female) of traditional Rwandan masks - they’re not easy to come by as most masks here are Congolese. These are very unusual, I'll put a picture up soon.

Caplaki

Got back from there, finished packing, then melange at La Planet before heading to the airport. We used the same taxi guy all day (Claude) - really nice man who offered to drive me home again for free, but I wasn't sure how long we'd be so I took a moto.

Thinking back on it, it's been a whirlwind two weeks. All five provinces (North: Ruhengeri/Virungas, South: Murambi/Butare/Nyanza, East: Akagera, West: Kibuye & Central: Kigali) in under two weeks! Good going.

They also met a wide range of people. Although my colleagues didn't make the effort, they met almost everyone from VSO at a leaving do for Hannah & Samira on their second day here. Amanda and Mike also turned up, and they had a good laugh with Bruce too. They also met a couple of Deaf about town, and Cathryn, Hirut and Giudi, who came out for meals with us to Papyrus and SoleLuna, plus Rose & D.

Was all good. Feeling absolutely shattered though, which makes me fragile. Just going to eat chocolate, catch up on e-mails, and get an early night.

Safe journey guys!

Rest-Up in Kibuye

Hotel Bethanie

Well, just got back from Kibuye. Headed there Tuesday afternoon after a leisurely morning. Went with Sotra, which are more comfortable than Atraco if you get a big bus. Originally, the bus was going at 1:00 but it was a small one and by the time we found it they'd filled our seats! To be fair, they upgraded us to the next big bus without charge, which was really kind and we only had to wait another hour in the café.

It was a long journey - almost three hours along very bendy roads. Not quite as bad as the route to Cyangugu, but close. Worth it, though, as Kibuye is one of the most beautiful places in Rwanda - right on the shore of Lake Kivu. I felt it was about time they experienced public cross-country transport after all this swanning around in a chauffer driven 4x4 ;)

We arrived and booked into the Bethanie, a nice hotel at lake-level with a beautiful restaurant view of the volcanic islands. We had a wonderful evening meal - surprisingly they cater pretty well to vegys - and turned in early. I indulged in a hot shower. I've had four over the two days!

M on the Veranda

That night was a spectacular storm - I think the biggest and loudest I've ever witnessed. Seriously loud thunder, continuous lightning and pelting rain. Due to the altitude, like the Virungas, and to the end of the long dry season. When I woke up, there was water all over my floor, which had seeped up from underneath!

It was a beautiful sunny day, though. We had a leisurely breakfast and sat watching the lake before taking a boat ride with a local guide called Ignatius. We thought it was just a standard ride around the islands, but he docked at one called Napoleon Island and we started trekking up a goat path until we were surrounded by bats! Thousands and thousands of them - and the ground was covered in giant black and orange millipedes. It was seriously like something out of Monkey Island or Pirates of the Caribbean! On the ride back we passed a small bar on another tiny island. We didn't stop, but could have. We also saw an inzoka,a big, black, poisonous water serpent which I thought must be a length of pipe in the water when I first saw it, until it reared up its head! Very privileged.

 

On our return to dry land, we took a slow meander down to a bar I remembered from the time I spent researching there - even bumped into a Deaf guy. We had a wonderful swim and a beer. We were going to eat, but they tried to rip us off a blinder with the prices as we were the only whites there.

Spent the evening at the restaurant again and had a slow morning before taking motos back into town and buying our tickets home. We found a wonderful little bar run by a lovely, friendly lady which was shaded and perfect for waiting the couple of hours for our return ride. From Sotre/Kobil, walk to the main road and turn left - there's another blue petrol station (Services de Kibuye or something) - the bar is directly opposite that.

Made it back and the heavens opened, so took a taxi home and relaxed. Had a lovely last meal at SoleLuna with Giudi and D.

Akagera Birthday :)

Yesterday, I took Dad and M to meet Rose at her house in Kacyiru, where I also met our Secretary for the first time - an absolutely lovely lady called Teresa.

Rose joined us for melange at Karibu and the rest of the day was very relaxed. Everything was closed as it was not only a Sunday but also the day before the national elections.

Today, we were up extremely early - 4am for a 5am start to Akagera National Park. It was also M's birthday, and Dad managed to get up and blow up balloons whilst she was getting ready! Very impressive at that time in the morning :op

This time it was another driver, Emmanuel, who took us. He was just as nice. I highly recommend Bizidanny's tour company for anyone thinking of making the trip. He's one of the few who is also really fast at replying by e-mail, too.

We had an excellent guide through the park, also an Emmy. Got really, really, close up to my favourite animals: the hippos, and got to take home a giant land snail shell, which is apparently sacred here and sometimes used to drink tea from :)

I'd been to the park once before, last January, and hadn't thought to take into account the seasons. Because it was the end of the long dry season, there were fewer animals. We didn't see any zebra, but it was still a lot of fun and completed our five-province tour.

An added bonus on the way back was that we were really close to Jambo Beach and Lake Muhazi where I spent New Year and Paddy's Day; the great VSO retreat, so we stopped off for a drink and a bite to eat there. Glad I got to show them.

Baboon and baby at Akagera National Park

We ended the evening at Chez Lando, where D joined us for a bite to eat.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY M :)

Going South

Yesterday was supposed to be a relaxing day around town, to recover from the gorillas, but turned into a bit of a palaver lol

Went to my office in the morning and popped into the café next door for omelette. Usually breakfast omelette is plain, but this came stuffed with meat. Dad and M had to pick it out, then the guy charged us double and said 'we like people like you' (meaning 'rich') as we left. Shan't be eating there again.

There was no one but Léon in the office. Augustin had apparently told everyone that we were coming, but 11am is a bit early for most of my colleagues. At least Dad & M got a taste of my daily routine - sit on my ass on my own in the office all day, achieving very little. 'Welcome to my world'
:op

However, I did take them for a wander around the market. It's a traditional back-street 'buy anything you could ever need' kind of place, which was really nice, and everyone was very friendly and said 'hello'. They saw people pounding imboga (food made from cassava leaf) and traditional cloth sellers.

Then we went to Nyarutarama pool - supposedly to enjoy the sun and a drink by the water but, as we walked down, the skies were darkening. There was absolutely nobody else there, being an overcast week day, so we got the entire place to ourselves - I made the most of it!

We ate at the restaurant and bumped into an ex-colleague, Bob. As we were leaving, the heavens opened. We got absolutely soaked walking home as there was no public transport. Where are all the 'taxi! taxi!'s when you need them!?

By the time we got through the door my red shawl had dyed my white top pink! lol

We relaxed, dried out, and then went for Ethiopian at Lalibela.

The next morning Amos picked us up again at 8am and we went for a mad dash to the far South.

Our first port of call was Murambi. I was really unsure about this. It's somewhere I've wanted to go, but which would be very difficult for me by public transport. I thought, since we had the 4x4 and a driver, we could fit it in. Again, part of the contrast of the country.

It was very much as upsetting as I'd imagined: room upon room of bodies preserved in quick-lime. You could see how many of them had died: some covering their faces, others reaching out with butchered limbs, some still with hair and scraps of clothing. The mass grave of some 50,000 people killed over two days whilst, just prior, French soldiers stood and played volleyball with no intention of protecting the people there. Shelves stacked with 'poor clothes' - the ones not worth stealing from the soon-to-be murdered masses.

Poor Clothes

On the drive from there back up to Butare we didn't speak, each lost in our thoughts. Is it a good thing never to bury those people? Just to leave them in those rooms where the doors clank open as the guide, like jailor, creeks open the squeaky-hinged metal and clanks it shut to the rhythm of tourism? Not sure about that one. It profoundly affects you though - perhaps this is what humans need to test their own humanity? A lasting, graphic reminder of what we're capable of?

We lightened the mood at Butare with a wander round the National Museum. It was fun, and a great section on traditional beliefs - including one part that puzzled me. In the section on umupfumu (witches) and traditional beliefs, it explained that your body is made out of two things: umubiri, the flesh, and igicucu, the shadow.

'Amos,' I asked our guide when we got back in the van. 'Am I missing something? I know the word igicucu, but doesn't that mean 'idiot'?'

'That too,' he replied.

So, it would seem that my shadow is an idiot lol

After Butare, we headed up to Nyanza, where you can visit the traditional Mwami (King's) palace and the modern one, which housed the Mwami until the late 1950s, when he died. It's an impressive place. We weren't sure we'd make it before closing, but they let us in, and I'm so glad they did. It was a truly fantastic way to end the evening.

Mwami Palace: only the King's has three spokes, all the others have one.

Milk Hut: where milk was made and stored; a sacred drink.

Modern-day Mwami Palace.

We ended the day with a meal at New Cactus, and plenty to drink! :)

Oop Norf - Gorilla Trekking :op

What an AWESOME couple of days!

Bizidanny's driver, Amos, turned up spot on time to pick us up at 10am after another leisurely morning. Really nice guy, and the drive up to Ruhengeri was a lovely way for Dad and M to check out the rural scenery.

Slight uncertainty when we arrived. We'd booked into The Gorilla's Nest Lodge, but ended up in the cheaper hotel: La Palma, which was still very nice. According to people we met today, The Nest is in serious need of some renovation. I was annoyed though, as we hadn't been informed of this change and we'd paid. Luckily I still had the receipt. Although the phone network was down, I managed to send Danny an e-mail. He miraculously turned up later that evening to sort it out, and explained that The Nest had trebled its prices since we booked - still would have been nice to know, though.

After check-in we had food at the restaurant where we ordered three ibirhy (Irish potatoes)... and got three plates of ibirhy! More potato than you could ever eat! I tinfoiled it up and brought them back for the cats! Then we took a drive to visit the twin lakes, Bulera & Ruhondo, which were utterly stunning!

Lake Bulera

The rooms at the hotel were good. I languished under a hot shower for the first time in four months, then we ate at the restaurant where we shared a very... uh... 'interesting' pizza, which was basically tomato sauce and cheese in a bowl. Nice try though, guys :op

Last night was a pretty heavy rain storm. It's just about the end of the Long Dry Season and the Virungas are a wet region due to the altitude. Thankfully, it had cleared up by morning and we were up and dressed by half-five for a 6am start. Fast breakfast of omelette, then into the van and off to the Virunga National Park.

There were surprisingly more people there than I expected. Eeven so, one of the guides said it was a 'quiet day' - usually they have between 70-100 people.

You can only visit the gorillas in groups of eight, and you get one hour with them. Our group was great fun: two Americans from California and their daughter Leah, and two Aussies. All with a great sense of humour. We kept each other going up the steep ascent into the Rwandan jungle.

We eventually found the Sabyinyo family enjoying an early-morning graze in open pasture. They walked right past us and we followed them up onto higher ground. They were completely unafraid of us. They must have seen hundreds of tourists by now! Led by their silverback: Gahonda.

It was an awe-inspiring time. We watched this giant just sit there, stripping huge thistles with his enormous hands (about the size of my head) and munching away happily, only casting us the occasional curious glance whilst his missus nursed their newest arrival.

We even learned a few words of gorilla to say that everything was peaceful and 'stay away' if they got too close. Apparently they can make 16 different noises to communicate. Such incredibly, sentient, beautiful creatures. I couldn't believe how close we were in both distance and DNA.

Eventually, we made our way back down the mountain and headed to the lodge to receive our certificates. It was a magical experience. Those unsure whether to spend the money - go for it. It's unforgettable.

The cost of permits for Virunga this year were $500/£250 and $250/£125 for residents. You need to book well in advance. Apparently, the price is set to double next year. It's also customary to tip a guide FRW 5,000 ($10/£5) if they help you during the climb by carrying bags or helping you balance.

After the trek, Amos drove us back to Kigali where we went for a celebratory slap-up meal at India Khazana. I got them to sing the birthday song for M. This involves all the lights being turned out in the restaurant (if you don't know, you think it's a power cut) the fairy lights coming on and all the waiters sing Happy Birthday, first in English, then French, then Swahili, with the 'jambo' song. It's quite spectacular and they bring you a plate of ice-cream :op

Wonderful way to round-off the night :)

First Days

Kigali Airport

Well, these posts - as they are numerous - shall be blissfully brief (you'll be pleased to know) and backdated lol

Ghislain did manage to finish. I left him with the key when I went to the airport and he was gone by the time we got back. Although I now have running water throughout the house, the pipe outside is leaking, so I shall have to call him back when I can be bothered.

The plane was about an hour late landing in Kigali, although much of that was the slow baggage system. Dad and Marilyn arrived looking surprisingly well. It's only when I said so that they explained they had been poisoned by Ethiopian Airways' food! Being perhaps the only vegetarians on the plane they were served distinctly dubious re-heated rice and, by the time they arrived in Addis, it was all they could do to stem the vomiting and get their connecting flight!

I piled them into a taxi and got them straight back to the house for some R&R.

They were feeling much better after some rehydration fluids and a rest in my cool and tranquil grounds. We took a very gentle stroll up the road to VSO so that they could see one of my two offices and meet my Programme Manager, Emilienne. Then we went over the road to High Noon, where Dad had perked up enough to tackle a Mutzig.

We opted for light snacks from Ndoli's rather than a meal that night as their tummies weren't up for it. Much sleep was required to make sure they were fit for the rest of the week.

Today we had a really relaxed, lazy morning. After getting to grips with my water system, we braved public transport with a bisi into town. We headed to the Mille Collines (Hotel Rwanda) for the obligatory tour and marakuja juice by the pool, then took a taxi up the hill to Gisozi Genocide Memorial Centre. I wanted to get that bit done first. My intention being to show the extremes of Rwanda (best and worst) over the holiday. We recuperated at Bourbon with coffee and food afterwards, then headed back home before a leisurely meal at SoleLuna in the evening, in all its panoramic splendour.

Good Start

The door handle has fallen off. I can't get into my kitchen.

Thanks Ghislain.

Would you also mind picking up your cigarette packet and leftover tape from my back garden?

Oh, for even the concept of a quality job...

Please - How Long Can It Take!!!?

My Neighbourhood

 
Dear gods, please just go home....

So, this handyman says 'see you at 10am'... What time did he finally get here? 13:00.

I had to leave at 14:00, which he knew, to meet Rose and the Canadians (Cassandra and Kate) in town.

How long can it take to change some friggin' door handles!?

So, admittedly, it's my own fault. I may have been a little vindictive. I left them in the garden to fix my water supply when I went to town. I'm not having strangers traipsing around, no matter how trustworthy they seem. Actually, what I was really thinking was: 'I wasted my entire morning waiting for you, now you can waste your afternoon waiting for me.' But this meant that, when I got back two hours later, they had to start the doors again... 

It is now 8pm... they are still fixing the doors. I could cry! Please... just go home! Give me a screwdriver. I could read a manual on how to do it and finish the job faster than you appear to be able to!

On the positive side, they have fixed my water problem. I now have running water. Better yet, it turns out to be the landlady's fault. Whoever installed everything did a terrible job. The trumped-up water bill, if it is a result of this, is hers to pay. I'm getting the guy to write a report for me in Kinya stating what the problem was. This should absolve me of any silly water charges.

I'm completely and totally knackered though. I cleaned the entire house today - no mean feat. The meeting in town was brilliant, the volunteers are such lovely people and I'm so happy they want to donate time to the single parents project. They're with the Canadian Development Agency. Kate is working for the Women's Network, which is near my office, and Cassandra (a single parent!) is working for an HIV/AIDS prevention health initiative. Lovely people, and really capable. 

I left them talking with Rose and Florence (a lovely Rwandan lady on the Committee). Hopefully they'll get productive whilst I'm away. Feels wonderful knowing that even though I'll be on holiday, our project will be progressing. They're going to set up an e-mail account for Rose and teach her how to use it. Next they'll meet with the Committee and set up a local meeting for single parents, where Rose and Cassandra can share their contrasting experiences of life as a single parent, and where we can gather contact information about local single parents, plus a range of other goodies. Rose wants muzungu involvement as she doesn't feel people will listen to her without it. That's a little worrying but probably not untrue here. Hopefully, both Rose and Cassandra telling their stories will help people to see them as equals.

Really excellent.

Anyway, I'm here now, trying to revive myself with half a carton of ikivuguto (shared the other half with the cats) and a bag of Chinese lantern fruits. That's dinner.

Once Ghislain and his colleague finally head out, I plan to treat myself to a short, sharp hit of waragi with fruit juice. Martine left me a bottle as a cheerio gift. I think I well and truly deserve it. This week - all seven days of it - has been non-stop, and I'm SO in need of a holiday.

Dad called from the airport a couple of hours ago. Hassle-free journey to Heathrow and no probs with the baggage allowance. It's 8:00pm my time already - they're taking off 9:00pm GMT (10:00 my time) to Addis and then here. Touch-down should be 11:50am. Karzai is coming briefly tomorrow to do the dishes, the bathroom, and that's it. I've done a minor food shop.

Sorted.

Think I'm just about there, to be honest. I'm just worried we'll get back from the airport and I'll be the one that needs to lie down lol

*

8:30: Well, the handymen have gone. Bad news is they couldn't finish, so they're coming back tomorrow, supposedly at 9:00am... Oh, well. I have to get up to let Karzai in anyway. He had the cheek to ask if I wanted to give him more money for doing so much work! Nice try, but no.

Good Morning Sunday

 
What, exactly, am I doing up at 8:00 on a Sunday morning cleaning the house?

*sigh*

Yesterday was a fun day. I ate so much that I physically hurt. It was the VolCom (Volunteer Committee) meeting on Saturday morning at Café Karibu (karibu = 'welcome' in Swahili). It's always nice - held quarterly. Can't believe it's three months since the last one, feels like yesterday! Time is flying by. I was chairing this one. It was Karen's last one as she's leaving in December! Yet another betrayal!

We ate a huge melange there afterwards - really wonderful, especially the crispy cauliflower cheese and fresh pineapple. I headed home and wrote up the minutes. Then I wrote up a training programme which I'll be delivering to Kivu Writers after my holiday: Funding and Project Management. I'll get two of their bright brass to work with intensively for five weeks. Quite excited about that. Despite my training skills workshop at Harborne, I thus far have not had much opportunity to transfer professional sills.

Then Rose saved my butt by bringing over a friend who is a handyman. Arthur, the guy who was supposedly going to fix my doors, turned out to be a no-show. Friday, he phoned at 10am to ask if I was in. I said 'yes' and he said 'I'll try to come now' - how can you try to come? Either you get on a moto and come, or you don't! 2:00pm I call him and he says 'yes, yes Marion, I'm almost there. I'm very close'...then never turns up.

I learned from Bosco last night that he's currently planning his wedding. That's fine, but why not just say so? I wasted an entire day when I could have found someone else.

So, Rose's guy came over and quoted me a small fortune, but he seems trustworthy and above board. I gave him the cash to go and buy everything and he's coming this morning to fix all of my doors. The handles have fallen off but, apparently, you can't buy handles. You have to replace the entire lock! There's also a couple of lights and taps to fix, plus he worked out why I never have any water! That in itself was worth paying for. My tank has no stop in it, so it fills and then empties. Hopefully, after he fixes it, the water will stay in there and come into the house more often.

Last night Mike, our new Country Director, held a house warming bash. He lives just up the road. I headed there with a new volunteer who has just flown in from Canada (Marjoline), Giudi, Cathryn and Florence. It was a really nice evening. Lots more food, free booze (including gin and wine!) and staff and vols abound. Really lovely, and Mike gave me some Tibetan prayer flags as his partner brings them over - she works there. Most excellent. Going to hang them out back. I've also got another bag of cosmetics that Jo left.

Today, I've got more house tidying to do and a meeting at Republika at 2:30 with two Canadian volunteers working for NGOs in Kigali. They saw our single parent project website and wanted to get involved. Me and Rose (and possibly our Trustee, Florence) are going to go and meet them later to discuss it. Then back for more tidying and panicking!

Roll on the holidays!

Don't Panic! Don't Panic!

Aaah! I'm panicking!

Parents here in three days! Suddenly everything needs doing!

House in an absolute state - can't get hold of the man to fix my doors, who said he’d come and hasn't. Trying desperately to organise Karzai (my domestic) who doesn't speak English or French. On top of which I've got a mass influx of meetings. Meeting Shelina about the meeting last Wednesday, meeting Alicia about Kivu Writers. Possibly meeting my boss this arvo. Met Rose last night regarding the single parents project. Possibly meeting her and two potential Canadian volunteers on Sunday. Have a Volunteer Committee meeting tomorrow morning. Mike (our Country Director) is throwing a house warming soirée on Saturday night and...and...aaaaah! lol

Must...tidy...house!

How sweet is this holiday going to be though :op 

Can't wait. I'm soooo ready for a breather. Just confirming with Danny, our tour guide, that everything's going to be open over the elections which are from the 15th-17th. Marilyn's birthday is on 15th and we're planning to go to Akagera that day - fingers crossed.

Essentially, bring it awn.