Rwandering Around
Lake Kivu
On Halloween weekend I met up with some other health 6 volunteers for a fun and relaxing weekend in Kibuye, right on lake Kivu on the western border. We all managed to find costumes at the market in our attempt to celebrate Halloween in Rwanda. I found this amazing Allen Iverson jersey so I decided to rep Philly (for once)! My favorite part of the trip was when we took a boat out to an island to swim for the day. I definitely treated that weekend like it was spring break 2014!
Kigali
After 3 nights in Kibuye we all traveled to Kigali and met up with the rest of our group for our week-long IST (In Service Training). We stayed at a hotel in Kimironko (near Kigali's main market) and were provided with free accommodation and meals for the week! This training consisted of sessions by PC staff and other PCVs on different topics and projects we may want to get involved in over the next 2 years. Although the sessions seemed to drag on at times, IST was overall very helpful in helping me prioritize my potential projects. After our long days of training we were able to hang out and explore Kigali. When we first arrived in Rwanda there were 23 people in our group, but now after almost 6 months 18 of us remain. I'm hoping that doesn't change all the way up to August 2016! The best part about the weekend was attending Kigali fashion week with 3 other volunteers! We even walked the runway, claiming our 15 seconds of fame!
Muhanga
On the Saturday after training I traveled with the southern province volunteers to Muhanga District, where our regional BE (Boys Excelling) camp was taking place. BE camp was definitely one of the most enjoyable parts of my service thus far! The camp brought together students who attend schools that education volunteers teach at and that health volunteers collaborate with from around the southern province. The health and education 5 volunteers organized this years camp. There were 60 boys, most of which were involved with BE clubs at their schools. Each day, campers were taught lessons in the morning, and participated in different activities such as crafts and sports in the afternoon. Every evening there was a different activity such as trivia night, a talent show, or a movie night. I was a facilitator for the camp, so was responsible for teaching 4 lessons a day to each of the 4 groups, as well as leading my family, the Clever Dragons! I taught about communicating effectively, peer pressure and bystander intervention, and avoiding risks with HIV. I also taught about malaria and taught the boys how to sew igitenge into bags during craft time! The HIV lesson was the most fun to teach because it was based off of grassroot soccer curriculum so it incorporated a soccer dribbling drill into the lesson plan. This was my first experience teaching somewhat formally and I loved it! It definitely made me more motivated to collaborate with the schools in my community.
Home sweet Gisagara!
After this youth filled week I finally headed back to my village. I had my friend cut off all my hair while in Kigali because I decided I wanted to go natural (and also probably would up my integration). When I arrived at home my roommates screamed MANAWAYEEeeeee! (Omg!) and proceeded to touch my hair for the next 2 minutes. They then told me that I looked Rwandan so nothing has really changed!
After being away for awhile it's nice to be back home! As someone who likes to have at least a general plan of what I'll be working on (or attempting to at least) my top 3 priorities are:
1. Start a BE and GLOW (girls leading our world) club at the boarding school in my village once school starts up again
2. Work with other health 6 PCVs to incorporate the WASH (hygiene & sanitation) curriculum into my community
3. Work with other health 6 PCVs to fundraise for books to put a library into the already existing community center in my community
Wish me luck!
Until next time,
Vanessa
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