Queen V

Ayo! Here is a list to summarize the past 2 weeks/ things I'm looking forward to, in no particular order: 1. I am obsessed with the pineapples in this country. They also cost like $0.30 which is amazing. 2. I've learned that no matter what shoes you wear your feet WILL be covered in dust by the end of the day 3. My host mom is on CP time- she took me to umuganda (the day of community service) fashionably late aka after the work was done 4. Our mid LPI (conversational test for the first language level training) is on Saturday. we need to be at intermediate low level to pass it. Wish me luck! 5. My love for avocados has grown immensely. You can get one for like the equivalent of $0.15!!!!!!!  6. I said this last post and I'll say it again. I really really miss washing machines. 7. We find out our site placements this week!!!  8. I spent a solid hour listening to Rihanna songs with my 12 year old host sister the other day.. Is that integrating? 9. I've noticed that a bunch...

It's crazy to think that I have only been in Rwanda for two weeks, which feels like a month! My second week here in Rwamagana can be described in short by two things- soccer ( or I should say football/ umupira) and the market (musoko) . Everyday after training this week I spent most of the evening watching soccer-or listening to it on the radio  when the powers out-and only understanding the occasional phrase " GOALLLL" in the midst of the commentating. It's very exciting watching games in a country (or really continent) in which soccer is the most popular sport. It also helps with integrating with my host family who is  always watching the games. I've learned  that a lot of the people that come to my house to watch the games are rooting for the African teams. They also say they are rooting for the US although I think that's bc I'm just in the room lol.  If I'm not in training or watching soccer I'm probably at the market. I'm pretty sure I wen...

Muraho!   I finally got the chance to write my first blogpost since starting my Peace Corps Service in Rwanda! We arrived last Thursday June 5th after 2 flights and 15 hours of flying. My group (health 6) consists of 23 people for around the U.S. and we'll all be working in the area of health once we are sworn into service . We spent our first two nights in Kigali (the capital) staying at a hostel before moving to our training site in Rwamagana District on Saturday, which is just an hour east of Kigali. We will be living in Rwamagana until we leave for our permant sites around the country in August. The Peace Corps staff set up a welcoming ceremony for us to meet our host families on our third day in country. My host mom was the family member at the ceremony, and after I met her we walked back to her home, which is just about a 7 minute walk from our training building. The time leading up to meeting my host family was very nerve-wracking, but I really enjoy my family and b...

Monday April 7th, 2014 marked the 20th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda that took place across 100 days in 1994, taking around 800,000 lives.  I wanted to take the time to write about the genocide in Rwanda not from an informational perspective of what happened, but from a positive perspective that I hope can serve to restore your faith in humanity. I especially wanted to write this because whenever I first tell people that I will be moving to Rwanda for Peace Corps service, the  response often goes something like - 'Is Rwanda safe? What about the genocide?' Many people (like myself) are surprised to hear that Rwanda is currently one of the safest countries in Africa when looking at crime, killings, and general safety.  I was informed by both my Dad and my uncle-two people that both know a good amount about the continent- to inform me that Rwanda is currently one of the safest countries in Africa. I of course did some research of my own  to find that in...

It recently just hit me that I will be leaving Chapel Hill in 2 months before moving to Rwanda in June.  I've known that I was leaving since October, but now that I finally started finishing up  all the logistical things like medical appointments and vaccinations it is becoming more real than ever before.  I told my boss  that I would be leaving Duke for the Peace Corps about a month ago which was difficult but such a relief. These last few months in the states are going to be exciting as my departure date approaches but also very sad as it's getting closer to when I have to say  goodbye to my family and friends. I've lived in Chapel Hill for  almost 5 years- the longest  I've ever lived in one place. Although I don't consider it to be where I'm from it's definitely the place I call home. I've gotten so used to my life here which in one way is nice and comforting but on the other hand has made me eager for change,  adventure, and a new experienc...

This week I did something I thought I never would give in to- a cleanse. My coworkers and I have been  motivating each other to lose weight (working for a weight loss study may have been an influence!), so one of my coworkers suggested we do this cleanse to jumpstart this process. I have never been who has believed in drastic or strict diets (hence my previous post on obesity research and avoiding drastic changes for weight loss) but I became convinced that this would be a good way to start making healthier choices- ah yes, I didn't 'practice what I preach,' per say. I decided that trying out a cleanse would be a new way for me to challenge my body and to show myself that  I  can avoid unnecessary foods and additives as well as to clear out my body. Because this cleanse came with weight loss in just a week  I know that it will be a challenge to maintain it afterwards. In doing this cleanse I hoped to work on self control and prove to myself that I can make healthy ch...

As you probably already know, obesity is a huge health problem here in the U.S-more than a third of adults are obese- meaning they have a BMI of over 30 and 20% more body fat than normal. (A normal BMI is 18.5-24.9).  My main duties as a research assistant are to recruit, screen, enroll, and assess participants for a weight loss study. We recruit patients from health centers who meet certain criteria, the main one being that they have a BMI that falls in the 30-45 (obese) range. There are many people that view obesity as a problem of laziness or a lack of self control in diet and exercise. To be honest in the past I have had those same thoughts. However I have learned- especially from interacting with many people dealing with obesity- that other factors such as the social determinants of health greatly influence obesity so we shouldn't be so quick to judge. To a certain extent we as individuals can control what we eat, how much we eat, and how active we are. However many d...