Computer yanjye yapfuye (my computer died!)

Sorry I haven't written in so long. My computer died, but a quick update on what's been going on since being back in Mwezi:
The water went out, so we had to catch rain in buckets and the nuns lent us a worker to go gather water for us from a well. We didnt get to shower cause we had to use the water for drinking and cooking and washing dishes.
My computer died and I went into Kigali to try and find a new cord. Found a new cord, but when I brought it home and plugged my computer in, it didnt work. I plugged it into my computer when I was in Kigz, and the charge light came on, but when I got home and plugged it in, it didn't charge it and I think I fried my battery cause the voltage coming through the cord was 24v and the input into my computer is only supposed to be 12v... so no computer, but Emily is sharing with me.
Got home to 4 christmas boxes!!! Two from g-ma and auntie terri, one from grandpa and grandma groesbeck and one from mom. Had so much fun opening them. Emily came into my room and made me open them first thing when I got home. I have a funny picture of me with all the stuff crowding my room, I will post at some point. It was great to have the boxes cause they were filled with activities (puzzels, games, etc) that I can do to entertain myself without a computer. That night there was a huge storm and the power went out for hours on end. Had a nice night in the dark with candles, cooking over the fire with a headlamp.
Saw a chameleon crossing the "street" on the way home from work on the 21st. Wanted to pick it up, but there were people behind me and I didnt want to look like a crazy person, then later that day we went back to the clinic for a farewell party for our titulaire who is moving to the city to continue her studies. Our favorite nun who speaks english and has been so helpful was named titulaire until another arrives. We ate some food, drank some beer and fantas (they gave me a beer and I spilled it on myself and the nun cause I'm not used to drinking out of bottles, didn't finish it and gave it to one of the workers)
That weekend, Emily left to visit one of our friends and it was pretty much the first weekend I was by myself in the house. My ipod was about to die and without a computer to charge it the silence in the house was deafening, I trapsed back down to the clinic after lunch to charge it on one of their computers. Everyone was still gone at lunch when I got there (2pm) so I had to find the keys and unlock the building to get to a computer. I sat in the building all alone for over an hour watching silent music videos because the sound on the computer doesnt work. It was pretty funny. That evening, Valentine, one of the community health workers, Emmanuel, her brother and a teacher at the primary school and her son came to visit. I gave them cookies and tea and we talked (or tried to, but had Emmanuel translate for us most the time). Her son is wanting to go to seminary in the big town, but she cannot pay for the fees, so she was asking me to loan her money so she can start selling things and she would pay me back. She already has a place to sell the things, just needs the start up money. I am not allowed to personally deal with money, so I told her I would look into organizations who do that sort of thing and into cooperatives in the area and get back to her. I am thinking maybe we could start a coop of entreprenurial women in the area to all put money into a pool and then each draw from it when needed and keep each other accountable for paying it back.
Saturday I just did some laundry and read an entire book,
Sunday I went to visit Emmanuel and see his new house, (he just got married). I went over and looked through pictures and ate a small meal and visited with him and his wife, then we 3 went to Valentines house where she served us beer and fanta. She gave me a glass and I poured my soda in and when it was getting low, Emmanuel poured in his beer and mixed the two. It actually wasnt bad, but the rest of the visit he only let me drink that mixture. We played old maid (one of the card games sent to me in my christmas box from g-ma and terri). It was pretty funny and they all got the hang of it and we were laughing and having fun. I slipped in the mud on the way to Valentine's house, so my butt was covered in mud the entire visit. boo.
That evening, I decided on a whim to go to Tricia's house because we had a training the next morning in the big town and she lives an hour closer. So I quickly packed up and locked up the house and called the moto driver to come and get me. I didnt make it before dark and she had moved so I got a little lost, but luckily one of the hospital workers recognized me and showed me the way to her house.
We woke up early and went into town that morning for the meeting and it was great. Its so nice to have some intellectual stimulation again! The main speaker was a Tanzanian Maasai from Baltimore. We got a free lunch and then had to go back to Tricia's for the night because we left our things at her house. Emily came that night and we all 3 went together the next morning for the training and stayed 3 to a bed in a hotel in town tuesday night. Wednesday we went to the meeting, but afterwards went back to Tricia's because another volunteer was coming to do a kitchen garden demonstration with the community health workers at Tricia's hospital. It was fun having 4 of us all together and the next morning we had about 20 people in her backyard learning how to build a kitchen garden. It was crazy, but really fun. Stayed the night at Tricia's again, woke really early the next morning because Tricia and Bryna were going to Kigali and had to catch the bus. We got back to Mwezi before we usually arrive at work! It was super foggy too, so the ride through the tea fields, we couldnt see anything. It was like driving through a cloud.
The 29th was our one year anniversary in country! We didn't do anything special.
Sunday, went and visited our host family, the baby like always was scared of us and took about an hour to warm up to us. The mom's niece is so cute and she was really fun. Emily gave them christmas gifts and the girl shared her chocolate with the baby who was so confused by it, he kept tasting and making a weird face and then tasting again. After visiting them we went over to the secondary school teachers house who always calls me a liar cause I say I'll visit and never do. It was fun, we looked through pictures, played with the baby, ate some doughnuts with honey and some pineapple and tried the local brew. It was nice and less stressful cause they speak pretty good english, so we didnt just sit in uncomfortable silences. We then went over to the nun's place to ask about one of them who went into the capital because she was sick. She's doing okay and we got some tea and avocado.
Didn't have to work Monday cause it was Hero's Day, a national holiday (which last year, was one of our first days in country. We went to the celebration in the stadium in Butare and sat for about 6 hours in the blazing heat in our nice clothes watching people parade in a circle around the stadium). We made chili and cornbread for dinner and a chocolate cake which we brought into work on Monday to everyones enjoyment!