We were all intrigued, Dao is just so interesting...Up until he shows up at my house later that evening. First of all, I'm disappointed in everyone at my house that confirmed that I lived there. Last time someone came looking for me, Florence told a nice little fib and told them I didn't live there. But seriously, no one thought to screen the tall, old guy that happens to be a little mysterious?! So, I go outside great him. Dao has really shown up to my house to ask me to "Hold a couple thousand!" Maybe not those exact words but you get it. I kindly tell him, "Simfite Amafaranga." (I don't have money). He replies, "Don't speak Kinyarwanda, I don't want them to know what we're talking about." 1. Why you talking like this is a stick-up? 2. Diane speaks English, but whatever. Sidenote: I'll introduce Diane to you all later. "I don't have money, I'm poor," I tell him calm, but sternly. He then pulls out his transcript from a plastic bag in his pocket, with, what seems to be, any other important life document. He pulls out a flashlight also. You all know I normally see and hear EVERYTHING, but I missed where he pulled this flashlight from! I tell him again that I don't have money! Then he says something like, "Even the prettiest girl gives what she has, and if she has nothing, she gives just that." I'm like "¿Que?" He FINALLY says good night!
See we met this guy last week named Dao. He stopped us to talk. He's stands about 6'3", slender, and walks with a cane. He speaks very good English. He goes on to ask us where we are from. He tells us he was living in America in 1975, then in Montreal for a short time after. Doing what? We don't know. We were all very intrigued by him, but we were on a food hunt and didn't have time to chat! This week, Greg runs into Dao and has time to hold a little conversation, but still not long enough to ask what he was doing in the U.S. or Canada. However, he does ask Greg where I live, Greg, being the wonderful person that he is, does not tell him. The next morning, I run into Dao on my way to class. Shoot, I was already late, so I figured I had time to talk to him. At this time we confirmed our thoughts of him being in the U.S to study. He attended the University of Minnesota. He tells me he's from the Congo but his native "tribe" (I hate the word tribe!!) are spread out, and he came to Rwanda because his sister lives here. THEN, he says, " I saw you leave your house the other day, you live next to the old lady who sells charcoal. I asked her about you also." Now, I'm like "I gotta go tot class 'cause I'm late." I run into class to tell Will and Greg about Dao and also explain to my teacher that I'm late to language class because my mom insisted that I find a water bottle to put some passion fruit juice and take some donuts to class (she makes really good passion fruit juice). I'm frequently late to places because my host mom wants to make sure I have juice and a snack! LOL! I'm like five years old again. But, I love her though! Any who, I update Will and Greg on Dao. We are all just so curious about him. Dao is pretty interesting...up until he, unknowingly, had me all the way messed up! Until Next Time...Live in Love Words from The Wise: "I gotta make sure nothing is biting my booty!" -Candice, When discussing why she needed light in the bathroom. Currently Listening to : Fu-Gee-La, The Fugees
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Source: Nayyirah Waheed, Salt.
The moment you all have been waiting for!! Site visit was last week! I departed Rwamagana on Sunday, June 26th and returned on Friday, July 1st! Listen, it was an experience, and will do my best to be as vivid and brief and not so boring about my 5 days at site!
My supervisor and I get on the bus around 8:30am. The bus seats about 30 people, but I promise there are like 35 people on the bus. I look around in the choas and I spot to of my counterparts. Now, look, when I see white people here my first thoughts are "Whose white people are these?" and "Are these Peace Corps' white people?" Anywho, we take off and we are MOVING! We are dodging everything in our way, cars, motos, people...untiiiiiiiil we break down! HA! About 45 minutes into our trip we are on the side of the road. There is no roadside assistance! My supervisor is literally waving down buses that pass to see if they room for two. Thirty minutes later he's like "Rawls, let's go!" Two and a half hours later we arrive in Nyagatare, the regional town in my district. We then get on his moto, go to his house, and have lunch with his family. Up next is an hour and a half moto ride to my village. These moto give rides are not like cruising with Carl Rawls Sr., this is 1.5 hours on the back of a dirt bike with my hiking backpack. We finally reach Cyondo!!! I'm warmly greeting by a lab tech from my health center (HC), she doesn't live in the house, she's just there to greet me and says she's cooking dinner for me! Whoop! My supervisor and I ride down to the Health Center. Meet, greet, shake hands, blah, blah. Oh! And smile! The HC has a maternity ward, six inpatient beds, and wound dressing room, a few consultation rooms, a pharmacy, a lab, and vaccination room. Back at the house Mukesha has prepared dinner. My supervisor bids us farewell and we have dinner. We're eating, and conversing, and then I'm VOMITING!! I have enough time to run to the back door and let it loose. Bruh, I felt so bad. Mukesha thinks her food has made me sick. I'm trying to convince her that it's not her food. Then she's trying to clean my vomit up! My gosh! All in all, I finish vomiting and now I'm starving! I go back, and finish my dinner...all was well. Day 1. Day 2, my supervisor says he's going to a conference, dumps me on the Head of Community Health and rolls out! I meet more employees. I felt like I was meeting people at my moms job, no way I'm gonna remember them this week. Everyone's confused, trying to figure out my purpose and why I can't speak their language better. 2pm hits and finally someone says, "maybe we should eat lunch." Seriously, I've been waiting for someone to say lunch! My village and surrounding villages are kind of in a food drought. However, we find some brochettes, we eat, buy fruit at the market. They drop me off at home...but I didn't know the fruit was suppose to be my dinner. LOL Days three and four are a lot like day two. Meeting community officials, visiting schools and meeting headmasters. There are three schools, all are very excited about me moving there. They have clubs in mind, already. I attend a community health worker (CHWs) meeting. You all, this meeting was suppose to start at 10am, people didn't start arriving until 11:30, so we finally begin at 12:30. CHWs are pretty much the first line of the defense. They visit homes, perform rapid diagnostics tests, measure babies for malnutrition. They refer any ill community members to the health center. They meet people where they are. I am looking forward to working with them! Time at site is dwindling down, my supervisor text me and says "tell Yvonne all repairs that need to be done in the house." You all, I could go on and on about what needs to be done in my house, but if any of my 6 parents read this, they would make me come home. So, they said they will try to fix everything, so I'll keep you all posted... Guys, it is ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL in Cyondo, the village in the middle of nowhere! 20 some odd minutes away from Uganda, I could be lying, but I think that's what they said! Site visit was PRETTY boring, and my house needs A LOT of work! I'm literally in the middle of nowhere, very far from civilization, which, honestly, kind of frightens me! But, I could see the need in my village.... Until Next Time, Live in Love PS: GAAAAAAAAH while writing I received my first care packages!! Of course they were from my mom and one my other mommy!! My little brothers, Jax and J, drew pictures and wrote letters! They're amazing kids! I will write you guys back soon! The boxes had some of my favorite things in them and some toys for my host brothers! Thank you so much mom and mom and Wesley Family!! I love you all! |