TIA = This Is Africa

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

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)

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)

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

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

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

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...