Pinch

In the short amount of time I've been here, I've met some really incredible Tanzanian people...like 9 year old Joyce, who has quickly become my best buddy in the after school program and who could make jump roping an Olympic sport...and Kassanda, taxi driver extraordinaire and one of the kindest men I've ever met...and Chombo, a 20-something year old student with an amazing smile and no idea how much he's strengthened my teaching confidence...and Neelham's mom, who gives me Swahili lessons whenever I go to her shack to buy eggs...I could go on and on. I love people!

Internet class - Day one

My roomie showing a student our school's website

A highlight of this week was taking adult students to an internet cafe for a crash course in the World Wide Web. The whole concept of the internet was brand new for most of them...and setting up email accounts was an excruciatingly frustrating experience (due to Africa's slow internet connection)...but it was also incredibly rewarding, especially when I realized how exciting this experience was for them. It was so cool to see the smiles on their faces when they received mail from their friend at the computer next to them. I even set up a couple of students on Facebook! After I explained the "About Me" section of Facebook, one student put his main interest as pastoralism, which I loved.

This picture of Aisha cracks me up!
She stood in front of me, asked to have her picture taken, and then picked her nose!

Another highlight was interviewing potential students for next semester's classes. Almost 200 people showed up at the school in hopes of being chosen for one of the 40 slots. I interviewed about 30 (with the help of my translator) and selected about five to join next semester's group (which starts Oct. 2). The interviews lasted all day and I was inspired and saddened by so many of the people I met. I'll be back to teach for a few weeks in October and really look forward getting to know the new group.

Passing the torch over to Hester. (This is English class, level one)

I just happened to check my email after the interviews yesterday and discovered a message from Rwandair, informing me that my Saturday flight had been changed to Friday evening. This gave me about two hours to pack and get to the airport! Kassanda drove like a bat out of hell into the sunset, dodging shaky cyclists, cattle and dala dalas...but we made it in about half the time it usually takes. I had anxiety the entire way to the airport, not because I feared for my life, but because I hadn't been able to get in touch with Natcho to let him know I wouldn't be showing up for our Friday night date. It felt very strange to fly to another country when those closest to me didn't know my whereabouts.  The Rwandair station manager, Ismail, was so excited to see me (because he thought I'd be a no show) and after I gave him a hard time for the email he had sent me, we laughed and became new BFFs. He took about $100 off my fare and then had his assistant personally walk me to the front of each checkpoint line to ensure I made my flight. Ismail also hooked me up with a Rwandan man about my age whose brother owns half of Kigali, including the hotel where I stayed last night. A man was waiting for me at the airport with my name on a sign and then took me to a nice hotel with great water pressure and the hardest mattress I've ever felt. Kigali is really pretty...VERY clean, especially when compared to Moshi, and surprisingly modern.

The two hour drive from Kigali to Musanze is beyond amazing. It is through beautifully terraced hillsides with every shade of green and tiny villages that look like they haven't changed in centuries. Every single child that saw me pass by shouted "Musungu!!!" and I felt like I was one of only a handful of white people they've ever seen.  My hotel in Musanze is nicer than I expected and I can see two of Virunga's volcanoes from my window. I feel like a fancy tourist. I'll head into Parc National des Volcans super early tomorrow morning to get my permit and then trek into the Virunga Mountains to see the gorillas...Someone pinch me!