Gimme Some Salad!

Murabeho!

2010-01-03T11:23:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who followed this little adventure - for leaving comments here, for commenting on my facebook, or for emailing me your thoughts and comments.

I loved my time in Rwanda, and am happy to be home.

I have a new respect for, while at the same time, am completely bewildered by regular bloggers. I wish I could say I would even have reason to keep this blog going, but I don't. If I did have reason to continue blogging, the whole process simply took way more time than I had anticipated, and more time than I am willing to devote outside of vacation.

I wish everyone a happy and blessed new year!

Murabeho!
Heather

Mixed Emotions

2009-12-31T02:56:00.000-08:00

It is 1:00 p.m. Kigali time and Heidi and the kids are taking me to the airport in about 1/2 an hour. In about 40 hours I will be home.

I've had such and nice time and I'm sad to be leaving my family (OK - mostly just the kids), and this beautiful place.

I am however, ready, and happy to be going home. I miss my big comfortaire mattress. I miss my cat and all her 'issues'. I miss having clean fingernails. I miss having more than 2 changes of clothes. I miss going to work. I miss chipotle chicken fajita tacos. I miss cold skim milk. I miss my quiet house (not the mortgage).

But I know as soon as I step foot in the airport in less than an hour, I will miss my beloved babies more than anything...

I came with two suitcases, a 38"x10"x10" cardboard box, and this bag which is now all I'm leaving with:

Steel Toed Sandals

2009-12-30T03:46:00.000-08:00

Yep - these road workers are using pick mattocks while wearing sandals... And no safety vests!

A Sentence I Don't Get To Say Everyday

2009-12-29T08:33:00.000-08:00

Today, while on safari in Africa, a baboon attacked me and tried to eat my peanut butter sandwich.

Here she is, moments after trying to leap into the vehicle:

All of the windows in the Nissan were rolled down, and the engine was shut off. This baboon snuck up to the side of the car (none of us, including our tour ranger) had any idea she was sitting outside the front passenger side window until she leaped. Of course it happened so fast I couldn't get a photo. This however, is a photo of her muddy paw print on the door:

I asked the ranger if they have tried this before, and he said yes on occasion they think they will find a piece of food in the car. The only food we had was peanut butter sandwiches way in the back, so I can only imagine that is what she was going for...

After the car was started and the windows rolled up, my ever thoughtful brother-in-law who had control of all the windows from the front seat, rolled my window down as far as it would go so that I could get a close up shot of the baboon (thanks Ev, love you too) .... look, she's giving me the stink eye:

In spite of the windows being up on the other side of the car, these three baboons somehow made it into the backseat with me:

Some of the other wildlife we saw included velvet monkeys:

These things that look like deer, but they jumped a good 6 feet straight up into the air (I don't remember what they were called):

Did someone ask for a hippopotamus for Christmas??

We saw a few herd of zebra. I tried calling and whistling to them, but I couldn't get them to turn around and smile for the camera:

Buffalo - these things were enormous:

My favorite of the day was the close encounter with a giraffe. This animal was so beautiful, and so peaceful. Yes, he is peeing, but he pee'd for like 3 minutes straight:

And.........more zebra butts:

Baboon butt:

Buffalo butts:

And finally, the Nissan after we got home from our day at Akagera:

Name That OSHA Violation...

2009-12-28T08:05:00.000-08:00

You don't have to know me well at all to know my PASSION for construction, and all things construction related. A year or so ago I took several credits in construction safety - not the most interesting topic, but I sure learned a lot!

The scaffolding here alone is enough to make me nearly pee my pants...

Lets look at that one a little closer, and call it "How MANY OSHA violations can you see"??

A few more examples of site conditions here...

WE WISH TO INFORM YOU THAT TOMORROW WE WILL BE KILLED WITH OUR FAMILIES

2009-12-27T20:53:00.000-08:00

WE WISH TO INFORM YOU THAT TOMORROW WE WILL BE KILLED WITH OUR FAMILIES is the title of a book by Philip Gourevitch, taken from a letter dated 4/15/94 written by seven pastors who sought refuge in the Mogunero Adventist mission compound. On 4/16/94, the seven pastors, their families, along with 3000 other men, women and children were killed in the church.

I was an adult in 1994, but had very little recollection of the events that occurred. In fact, if someone had said the word "genocide" to me, I would have immediately thought of the holocaust and left it at that. Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political or cultural group".

In order to put the Rwandan genocide into perspective, I'll give a couple of comparisons to the holocaust (and this is not to in any way diminish the atrocious nature of either event). Nearly 6 million Jews were killed in 20 countries throughout Europe and Asia over the course of 12 years. Nearly 1 million tutsi Rwandans were killed in a country about the size of Vermont in 100 days.

While the holocaust was an attempt at destroying an entire religious group, the Rwandan genocide was black christian africans killing black christian africans. Neighbors killing neighbors.

Since I've been here, I've read the book noted in the title of this post. Wondered over the lack of intervention from the international community, including the UN who stood by and watched as hundreds of thousands of people were tortured and murdered (not that I didn't already consider the UN to be a joke). Wondered over the Clinton administration that sat by and supported the lack of international intervention, and refused to even acknowledge that what was going on was genocide. And wondered over my own lack of interest or care in world events during that time.

Yesterday, we drove out to another church, 30 or 40 miles outside of Kigali where thousands more tutsis were killed in a single day. There are no photos as I could not bring myself to take any. While the bodies and bones had been removed from the sanctuary, the clothes that the victims wore remained, covering every pew by at least a foot. A large area at the back of the church which had no pews was covered with clothes two feet high - the area where the children where killed. We saw the different pillars of the church. The pillars where the people were placed to have their arms and legs chopped off by machete. The special pillar that was used to kill only children 4 years old and younger.

Holes made by bullets (from those tutsis who had enough cash in their pocket to pay to be killed by bullet instead of machete) and grenades remained in the ceiling, as well as dark blood stains - nearly 16 years old.

The basement was set up with glass cases containing bones from several victims. Some of the skulls were in perfect condition. Others contained bullet holes or cracks from a deadly blow of a machete. Many, many leg bones were laid out severed in half.

Again - these were christians killing christians in a christian church located in a christian nation.... in my lifetime.

Who were greater criminals - the nazis or the hutus? Who were more innocent victims - the jews are the tutsis?

I've met many Rwandans since I've been here. It is considered rude to question them about the genocide (there are far more people here who turned their back on the murders than there are survivors), and rarely has anyone mentioned it, except in vague references to either "before 1994" or "after".

I have enjoyed my time here with my family, and lush beautiful hills. But I've been forever affected by what I've learned and seen in the 10 days that I've been here.

This won't interest too many other than my parents...

2009-12-26T23:55:00.000-08:00

Its Sunday morning - we are shortly heading out to visit some genocide memorials. My recap ought to be one of the more interesting posts here. I've done a lot of reading this past week and the whole topic has me very thoughtful.

This post however, is pretty boring (though there are pics of the fam at the end).

This is post #1 of the tour of Heidi and Evan's house in Kigali. The day I arrived they had moved into a new house right next door to the house they had been living in for several months. Following are some images of the exterior:

A couple of these signs are posted outside the project compound:

The steep hill from the gate at the property entrance - this hill is 10 times better than the previous driveway!:

Heidi and Evan's vehicles at the top of the hill. The big window to the left of the Nissan is the room where I've been sleeping:

The brick wall separating this property from the one they just moved from - broken glass bottles are cemented into the wall as a way to prevent people from climbing over. you see this ALL OVER Kigali:

View of the front porch and front door - this is a wonderful place to sit in the morning with a cup of hot coffee watching the fog and mist move around the mountains:

Sitting on the front porch looking to the right, this small building is the wash house:

Sitting on the front porch, this is the view of the mountains (avocado trees too!):

And looking slightly more to the left, you see the driveway again - and the gate that is guarded 24/7:

What has been particularly disturbing to me is the 1" gap between the bottom of the doors in this house and the floor. Any number of critters can crawl into the house at any time (mice, salamanders and ROACHES)... also, imagine the dust and dirt on the floors inside the house as a result (my mom would go insane):

Finally - some photos of the family on Christmas eve...

Evan and Todd at the Christmas eve party:

Bromley and Sophie at the Christmas eve party:

Pokey (in the Christmas sweater vest) and friends at the Christmas eve party:

I didn't have a picture of Heidi on Christmas eve - but this is typical of the lazy-arse herself:

Evan and Pokey at the Christmas eve candlelight service:

That's it for now - GO VIKINGS!!!!

Images from Kigali

2009-12-26T03:52:00.000-08:00

Uploading photos is easy when you have access to the internet.

Following are a few images from the past couple of days:

Homes in an economically depressed part of town:

A couple of fellows carrying parcels on their heads in front of the grocery store:

Public Transportation #1 = Taxi Bus (think 25 bodies smashed into one small vehicle):

Public Transportation #2 - Moto-Taxi (they are EVERYWHERE, and very, very scary)

Man running uphill with a barrel on his head:

Business District:

And finally - most importantly....

Bobbie:

And Liam:

I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas!

Gingerbread Mwami Palace

2009-12-23T22:39:00.000-08:00

When I wasn't much older than Bromley, a friend from German club and I built a gingerbread "chalet" for Christmas. A picture of us and our creation ended up on the front page of our local newspaper.

On Tuesday night Bromley had a friend, Sophie, spend the night. Yesterday morning I helped the ladies make gingerbread Mwami palaces.

It required several tries (with delicious failures), but Heid and I finally got it to turn out.

The project was based upon a traditional Rwanda dwelling, this is a replica of the old King's Palace in Nyanza:

The girls decorating with frosting, m&m's, fruit roll-ups, sweet-tarts and gummi bears:

The finished product:

TIA = This Is Africa

2009-12-22T01:39:00.000-08:00

No photos today because my camera battery crapped out, I don't have my charger, and TIA...I can't just go down to walmart for a new one. (I'm working on alternatives, i.e., trying to beg a camera off of Heidi).

I'm sick and feverish and would give an awful lot right now to be sitting in air conditioning, but TIA and I'm making due with a fan.

I will be the family's personal rudolph this Christmas as my nose is running like a faucet and TIA...Kleenex aren't the same here.

I just finished reading New Moon and would love to run out and watch the movie, but TIA.

My sister fed me salad last night that was washed in tap water and TIA... I think I may be starting to feel the consequences (is that TMI?).

I miss my mom SO MUCH, but TIA and I can't just pick up the phone and call her :(

(I miss Luna too - but that's a different post for a different day).

On the other hand...

TIA and it's 82 degrees and sunny outside.

TIA and the two biggest loves of my life are here and I've been able to huggle them every day.

Day #3 - Shopping

2009-12-21T03:33:00.000-08:00

I've got a yucky cold and am having a difficult time concentrating. In my foggy state, I also failed at some great photo opportunities today.

This morning Heidi had a meeting at the peace corp office so she dropped Bromely and I off at a small shopping center. We were in the government sector of town where there were grand houses of various diplomats. Missed photo op#1 was the Rwanda Parliament building which is a beautiful building that is still peppered with holes from gun fire during the genocide. Intentionally left as a reminder, it made a very powerful statement.

The shopping center Heidi dropped us off at was fairly western. A beautiful building decorated for Christmas. Our first stop was a German butcher shop, where I found such items as ketchup and mayonaise (two of the items that caused a lot of tears during the packing stage of my journey).

We stopped for coffee at a great coffee shop where we also had chocolate croissants. Not the best chocolate croissants I've ever had, but the view was beautiful:

But pretty much nothing beats this view:

After Heidi picked us up we went to the Rwanda version of Wal-Mart. I wasn't sure what to expect, but there was a surprising selection of goods to be had. No cheddar cheese though. If there had been cheddar cheese, I honestly think I would have ripped my sisters lips off!

They did however had an entire aisle devoted to petroleum jelly.

A peek at the inside:

I'm off to try to have a nap. Happy Monday!

From Polliwog to Shellback (or the aviation equivalent if there is one)

2009-12-19T22:13:00.000-08:00

I've lost track of dates and times already. It is approximately a quarter after 8:00 a.m. on Sunday morning in the misty hills of Rwanda. Its beautiful here. I wish I had taken photos when the airplane was landing in Kigali. But there was the whole luggage debacle in DC and my camera ended up in my checked baggage.

Yesterday after I arrived and made my way through customs with a couple hundred pounds of cheese and other vittles. Heidi, Evan and the kids took me out to eat for grilled tiapia. It was some of the finest fish I've ever eaten. It was brought to the table whole - skin, bones and head. And we ate it with our fingers :). I wish I had a photo... but again my *%$&^$&% camera was in my *@##$^%$%&^ luggage.

When we finally got home (about three hours later because Rwanda restaurants operate on their own time frame), Heidi and I spent a couple of hours rummaging through my luggage. Everything made it except for one ziplock container of freeze dried peaches which exploded...then the humidity got to the peaches making them very sticky. So, sticky peach bits all over everything. Could have been worse I guess.

Shortly after 8:00 pm I had come to the end of my sanity and crawled into bed with "New Moon". I finished 'Twilight' before Rome with like 10 good reading hours left in my journey, but AGAIN... UNINTENDED ITEMS IN THE CARGO HOLD OF THE AIRPLANE!

Right after I took an ambien, and was preparing to shut off my light and go to sleep, mama Sol (sister of Luna), Peter the kitten, and Coco (daughter of Sol just here for a visit) came tear-a$$ing into my room......chasing....an enormous....cockroach. It was about two inches long, an inch wide with feelers adding another 2-3 inches, and I nearly ripped my own lips off. The offender was ultimately smashed and flushed, but not before leaving me too anxious to fall to sleep.

Once I did, however, I slept great.

This is a new house for Heidi and Evan that they just moved into yesterday before I got here. I found my camera but only a a few photos right now to share, taken here at the house:

This is Peter:

This is Heidi's kitchen sink...it is so nice and HIGH! It comes up to my hip bone:

I would give anything to have this much cupboard space:

If that weren't enough, she also has this pantry:

And the kids (cause that is why I'm here after all!):

What a day! (Short Video at the End)

2009-11-21T15:33:00.000-08:00

OK, so I've been waiting for this day for about three months. I've never stood in line to meet someone before. I've never stood in line for concert tickets, or tickets to a sporting event. Today - I stood in line for 4 hours to spend 45 seconds with this wonderful lady:

You don't recongnize her? How about this one?

I SUCK at photography, so pretty much all of the EIGHTY photos I took, look like the above.

Linda and I arrived at Nordies right at 11:00 - which was the time they were to start handing out the required wristbands.. We got our wristbands and took our place in line.

This is what (a portion of) it looked like:

From the ground - this is how close we were to the stage (and we were two hours wait for signature once PW arrived!)...

This is the pallet of books that B&N went through:

PW arrived (with mall security escorts) promptly at 1:00 (ish). No Marlboro Man.

However, within 15-20 minutes, there was a ruckus off to the left...

I did get this close to the hunky cowboy himself... He also signed my cookbook :)

He and the boys made their way to the stage, where we were treated to a mini-wresting match:

This is what appears to be MM bribing the boys with Nickelodeon Universe tickets:

MM snapped a few photos and left the stage where he signed a few more books, and then disappeared. I can only assume to Nick U... I dont blame the boys for being restless. It was the MOA after all!!

It took us exactly two hours to get from our original spot in line up to the stage. I snapped this photo when I was close. I like it because of the lady next to her's expression - this is how I felt too:

Linda got a nice photo with PW:

My two photos with her consist of me looking completely terrified.

I was totally star-struck. I was. I was a babbling fool when it was my turn to talk to her.

I was going to have her sign my book, "Hey Heather, gimme some salad!!" But pretty much all rational thought was gone from my head, and I babbled on about some email correspondence she and I shared several months ago.

I'm a fan. I'm a huge fan. And PW...she was so incredibly gracious. She was sweet and funny, and took time to visit with each person who sat down beside her. She was by far more genuine than I expected.

And she recongnized me from facebook! The whole way home, poor Linda had to hear about how this famous person knows who I am! That makes me practically famous myself!

I can only imagine how PW's face must hurt at the end of the day from the endless smile she wore.

Oh, and she gave us all these really cute tee-shirts.

Thank you PW - meeting you totally makes up for the fact that I have yet to win the Le Creuset set of cookware from your website...

Duties

2009-11-20T15:09:00.000-08:00

One of my duties while H&E are out of the country is to empty their post office box.

This is what it usually looks like:

This is what it looks like after I pull out the "junk" mail... real mail on the left - junk on the right:

He turns FIVE tomorrow

2009-11-07T12:45:00.000-08:00

I was there. I watched my sister (and chuckled a little bit) while she went from 4cm to 10cm in a 30 minute span of time... I held her right leg while this one worked his way into the world.

He turns five tomorrow and this is the first birthday of his that I've missed.

An American Girl in Rwanda

2009-11-05T15:59:00.000-08:00

Cut me some slack folks...this is my first attempt at blogging...

Why on earth would I travel 36 hours and 8,000 miles to the other side of the globe?

To a third world country?

For these crazy characters?

Um...NO!

For THESE crazy characters!!!

Meet my babies (my beautiful and brilliant 11 yr old niece and 5 yr old nephew). Bromely (a.k.a. Bee, Bobbie, Bobs, Brahm, Brahms, Darlin', Bromley Jane, etc...) and Williams (a.k.a. Liam, Pokey, Schnookems, William Kenneth, Terror on Two Feet, etc...).

I adore them.

I love them more than words could ever express. I would lay my life down for either one of them. I was present when both took their first breath, I took their first photos, I have taken a live yellow fever vaccine for them, I have cleaned up their vomit (the ultimate test of true love)...

Those who know my family will concur...girl looks like my MOM!

She's is the most tender-hearted, sensitive, brilliant, and stunningly beautiful girl ever!

It's true.

This is Liam:

Dont be fooled... dont be charmed by the blue eyes and joyful smile...

Here is a more typical Liam expression:

He'll turn 5 in a few days. He knows how to spell F-A-R-T.

He's learning languages I've never heard of....

He amazes me...handsome little guy!

He takes after his motor-mouthed dad...

Nice pose, Ev...

This is me...this is how you'll typically see me pose:

Anyway - hopefully (connectivity pending) I will be chronicalling my adventures to and in Rwanda to visit my sweet babies...