A few things, sans pictures from the last several weeks: 8 hour bus ride to kampala, Uganda, rafting the Nile, sushi in Africa (not shabby), Ugandan confusion between Celine Dion and Sarah Jessica Parker, tourism consulting for a local coffee company, beach bocce ball at Lake Kivu, the Brogdon departure, the genocide memorial, "rock" concert in Gisenyi and the nearing end of my long African vacation.
So, as I'm about to leave Rwanda to head back to the other Mile High City, I feel an unspoken blog pressure to do a final chapter of sorts or "moral of the story" or lessons learned or something profound - perhaps it could parallel my first blog to give some rounded closure...but the reality is I don't like that kind of neat closure and I don't really even believe in it, not to mention it sounds difficult. Instead I'll just throw out a few things I'm thinking about as I leave:
poverty - what is poverty? what is the difference between material poverty, intellectual poverty, emotional poverty, spiritual poverty? What can I do to alleviate poverty - and what kind of poverty do I care about?
colonialism vs development - how is development today different than the atrocious colonialism of yesteryear and why do we, as the Western World, think we have it all figured out now? What kind of involvement is appropriate or beneficial or both? What role to NGO's, MFI's, sustainable business development enterprises, relief organizations, mission organizations and influential individuals play? What role do economic and military politics play?
awareness - wherever we are, we choose whether or not to engage with the need around us. I can be just as blind to despair and poverty in Africa as I can in Denver. Of what am I really aware and how do I engage with significance?
tacos - I really love tacos and I am really looking forward to eating some soon, preferably with a margarita...and BBQ, I miss BBQ, but I don't want it with my tacos, maybe the meal after tacos. Chimichangas, I like chimichangas better than tacos.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Monday, June 2, 2008
thrice ridiculous
Since its been a few weeks since my last post, I'm lumping together what could have been three separate posts. If you need to pace yourself, feel free to read one at a time, I'll even include subtitles for you:
ridiculous episode 1: bicycle taxi and a lava rock road
About a week ago, I ventured up to Shyira hospital to learn about hydroelectric power options. Shyira is a mountain top hospital in the bush run by the brilliant Caleb King, who happens to be both a doctor and engineer. In addition to saving the lives of many through medical practice, he is also working to develop several stations for capturing (or producing?) hydroelectric power. Disclaimer for the engineers in my family: I did not pay enough attention to fully recount the details so pictures will have to suffice - I'll show them to you later. No one else cares. Here's just one of me explaining this very complicated water diversion tactic to Caleb Jr...actually, I think he's smarter than me.
Anyway, the scenery was beautiful, the concept was fascinating and it was an all around great day. Now, Shyira is at least an hour from any semblance of a paved road and since it is in the Virunga (Volcano) region, the primary road construction plan is really just strategically placed igneous rock and dirt. The most accurate way to describe the road is probably an inverted creek bed. We were able to hitch a ride up to Shyira from nearby Ruhengeri in the back of a pickup, which made for a great view and lovely open air ride up. The hope was then to catch a couple moto taxis back into town, but apparently that was an ignorantly optimistic thought. Of course there are no motos in Shyira, but there are bicycle taxis (picture a bike with a padded seat over the back wheel). So, for about a dollar I had the great pleasure of being pedaled across lava rock for an hour. Yeehaw. Judging from the looks, laughs, points and stares we received riding through the few villages, I'm guessing there aren't many parades of mizungus (white folk) on bike taxis. It was also one of the few times that not a soul asked for money (interpretation: "look at the broke-ass white people on bicycles"). I have to say, it was actually pretty entertaining - I-pod up and enjoy the scenery!
Here's a good shot of the road and a fellow cyclist.
ridiculous episode #2: me in full charge of small children
Last Friday I was a 2nd/3rd grade substitute at Kigali International Community School. My friend Lauren, the actual teacher for this class, is the epitome of the perfect primary school teacher, a verifiable Anne Owen Shami type, which makes my attempt all the more pathetic by comparison. In Disney terms, I'm probably more Cruella DeVil than Mary Poppins. I don't even know how old 2nd graders are supposed to be, much less how to teach or supervise them. Apparently not old enough to appreciate my cynicism or sarcasm, but old enough to know cursive, which I have successfully forgotten. Seriously, who came up with the cursive "Z"?
Sorry to disappoint, but there are no pics of my teacher-for-a-day experience. There is no need to document the corruption of young minds.
ridiculous episode #3: am regular Dian Fossey, tracking wild mountain gorillas up the steep slope of Karisimbi
I finally broke down and participated in one of Rwanda's tourism gems: the gorilla trek. It costs a pretty penny, but is an experience that certainly borders on unbelievable. We hiked a few hours through farmland and forest up into the mountain jungle behind our gorilla trackers and then were able to spend an hour with the Susa group, which is one of the largest "families" of gorillas in these mountains, or the world, or something. For more information on mountain gorillas, please rent Gorillas in the Mist.
(and one of my favorite gorilla trackers, whom I greeted in kinyarwanda thus unintentionally encouraging him to chatter away to me throughout the day, despite the fact that I only understand approximately 6 words).
It was amazing to sit and watch them interact and to be within just a few feet of wild animals that could quite easily rip my arm off, is definitely going on my ridiculous list. Don't worry mom, I'm still alive.
ridiculous episode 1: bicycle taxi and a lava rock road
About a week ago, I ventured up to Shyira hospital to learn about hydroelectric power options. Shyira is a mountain top hospital in the bush run by the brilliant Caleb King, who happens to be both a doctor and engineer. In addition to saving the lives of many through medical practice, he is also working to develop several stations for capturing (or producing?) hydroelectric power. Disclaimer for the engineers in my family: I did not pay enough attention to fully recount the details so pictures will have to suffice - I'll show them to you later. No one else cares. Here's just one of me explaining this very complicated water diversion tactic to Caleb Jr...actually, I think he's smarter than me.
Anyway, the scenery was beautiful, the concept was fascinating and it was an all around great day. Now, Shyira is at least an hour from any semblance of a paved road and since it is in the Virunga (Volcano) region, the primary road construction plan is really just strategically placed igneous rock and dirt. The most accurate way to describe the road is probably an inverted creek bed. We were able to hitch a ride up to Shyira from nearby Ruhengeri in the back of a pickup, which made for a great view and lovely open air ride up. The hope was then to catch a couple moto taxis back into town, but apparently that was an ignorantly optimistic thought. Of course there are no motos in Shyira, but there are bicycle taxis (picture a bike with a padded seat over the back wheel). So, for about a dollar I had the great pleasure of being pedaled across lava rock for an hour. Yeehaw. Judging from the looks, laughs, points and stares we received riding through the few villages, I'm guessing there aren't many parades of mizungus (white folk) on bike taxis. It was also one of the few times that not a soul asked for money (interpretation: "look at the broke-ass white people on bicycles"). I have to say, it was actually pretty entertaining - I-pod up and enjoy the scenery!
Here's a good shot of the road and a fellow cyclist.
ridiculous episode #2: me in full charge of small children
Last Friday I was a 2nd/3rd grade substitute at Kigali International Community School. My friend Lauren, the actual teacher for this class, is the epitome of the perfect primary school teacher, a verifiable Anne Owen Shami type, which makes my attempt all the more pathetic by comparison. In Disney terms, I'm probably more Cruella DeVil than Mary Poppins. I don't even know how old 2nd graders are supposed to be, much less how to teach or supervise them. Apparently not old enough to appreciate my cynicism or sarcasm, but old enough to know cursive, which I have successfully forgotten. Seriously, who came up with the cursive "Z"?
Sorry to disappoint, but there are no pics of my teacher-for-a-day experience. There is no need to document the corruption of young minds.
ridiculous episode #3: am regular Dian Fossey, tracking wild mountain gorillas up the steep slope of Karisimbi
I finally broke down and participated in one of Rwanda's tourism gems: the gorilla trek. It costs a pretty penny, but is an experience that certainly borders on unbelievable. We hiked a few hours through farmland and forest up into the mountain jungle behind our gorilla trackers and then were able to spend an hour with the Susa group, which is one of the largest "families" of gorillas in these mountains, or the world, or something. For more information on mountain gorillas, please rent Gorillas in the Mist. (a picture of the mist for you)
(and one of my favorite gorilla trackers, whom I greeted in kinyarwanda thus unintentionally encouraging him to chatter away to me throughout the day, despite the fact that I only understand approximately 6 words).
It was amazing to sit and watch them interact and to be within just a few feet of wild animals that could quite easily rip my arm off, is definitely going on my ridiculous list. Don't worry mom, I'm still alive.
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