My boys back home

Now that my little internet modem has been STOLEN by a “friend” who moved to Gisyeni with it… I will only be able to post blogs from school and internet cafes… thus expect a few blog explosions a week instead of a entry most nights :(

Lest anyone mistake where my loyalties lie, I dedicate this post to my nephews. These boys stole my heart a long time ago and no amount of gang members (even really cute tiny little babies) will ever take their place. (If you got the reference to the South Pacific song in the blog title, I love you)

Long distance dedication to Erica Wyner

Thanks for sending me all the DVDs. Glee saved my butt this week. I didn’t feel like teaching so I had all my classes watch the episode where the kids sing Imagine. Not to mention that I watched all of True Blood during my first 48 hours back funk. It helped.

Playing dress-up heals all wounds

To be honest, my first week back has been far rougher than I imagined. My power has gone out twice and today was the first time I had internet in 4 days (!).  At first it seemed that my iPod was truly what people welcomed back and I had trouble feeling that people’s affection for me was genuine. It didn’t help my affection for other people when one of the teachers at my school remarked upon seeing me for the first time, “Oh my Jan-E, look how big you have gotten in only 3 weeks!” 

I retreated from Rwanda and spent 48 hours in cloistered in my house watching DVDs and sending my poor mother text messages about my gloomy state of affairs. Tuesday was the low point, with one class of students trying to steal the postcards I brought and then gang (i.e. neighborhood) children climbing over the wall in the back of my house and wading through a banana field to try and climb in my windows. 

Thankfully, it has gotten a lot better since Tuesday. I saw my friend John Wednesday. He is also having a tough time, and it made me feel better to know I am not the only one (Sorry John!). Safety in numbers or maybe I am just evil? In addition, I have power, the internet  is back in Nyanza and I re-established my bond with the gang children. I realized after the window incident that hiding in my house wasn’t making anything better. I felt like a prisoner and it just made them more nuts and determined to see me. So, I went to their house and yelled at them and then we  played.

I withheld my iPod out of a teeny-tiny little bit of spite and realized it is really the attention the kids love. I feel silly because I knew that and even said it to my next door neighbor at one point early on. We spent all yesterday and this afternoon jumping rope and sitting around- no music needed. Plus, I got to hold 2 month old baby for an hour which is a proven spirit lifter! I even let a few of my favorites into my house to play dress-up.

 

Side note- for those of you who are not friends with my sister-in-law Amanda on facebook, here is the most precious quote I have ever heard. It brightened my day and will hopefully do the same for you.

Zeke (3 year old boy)- (to Amanda) “You look like a Princess but you are my mom.”

Profound culture shock

I could write an entire blog on the actual traveling part of my trip home, but I am trying to repress it and move on. I think that saying it took me 45 hours and then when I arrived to my house last night I had no power sums it up pretty well. I am so overwhelmed still I can’t really put together a cohesive story… but here a few notable moments from my first 24 hours back in the motherland. 

Ten Signs you are back in Africa.

1. You get home after a 45 hour journey and have no power and no water.  7:15pm  becomes bedtime.

2. You are awoken in the morning by children (who have broken through the gate for the occasion) banging on your door at 7, 7:30, 8, 9 and 10:30. You ignore.

3. Everyone stares at you when you walk down the street!

4. You find out the person who “borrowed” your internet modem has moved to Gisyeni with it.

5.  The loss of your modem is mostly upsetting because you won’t be able to post annoyances and crisis's online as they happen and eliciting sympathy from the online community no matter what time of day makes it all seem bearable.

6.  Your cold bucket shower feels amazing.

7.  The electrogaz technician who comes to fix your power is wearing a blue eletrocgraz smock with no shirt.

8. Said technician asks you your name, then if you are married. When you explain you are…he says he wants a white wife and can you give him your email and telephone number so you can hook him up with your friends (all in French).

9. You give said technician your information and agree to hook him up as he literally holds your power in his hands.

10.  Your gang is way more excited to see your iPod than you.