1/4: April's fools day. Didn't pull any tricks. Went to Kamembe with the priests and nuns. The market wasn't really open so early, so I was about to catch the bus down to the AIDS Relief office when I ran into Tricia. We went into the food market and bought a few things. Not many people were there yet, but I got carrots, garlic and cucumbers and a small package of curry powder to send to Cindy in Guatemala. Then I went to the shops and bought a small packet of Rwanda tea and some Ugandan gin (Waragi). I took the bus down the hill and went into the office, but they were all in a meeting to I put together my package and took my letters to the post. The guy asked me what the bottle was and i told him Waragi, but not to worry because it was in a plastic bottle and all he said was "it tastes better in glass". haha, i thought he was going to reprimand me and tell me you cant send alcohol in the mail. When I got back to the office, they were out of the meeting and I met the new head of CRS who is an RPCV and who was a country director of peace corps before and really interested in getting us things to do! I am so happy! I finally have things to do, but I told him I am always open for more and am very willing and excited to have things to do. I also met a new AIDS Relief staff who lives in Kigali and she was PC a few years ago and also is very excited to have us and wants to give us more to do and invited us to her house any time we're in Kigali to watch TV and play Wii. Sweet. I used the internet and then went back up the hill to wait for the ride home. I sat and had a small Primus and then ordered and sandwich while watching a chinese show dubbed in french. I called the architect who wrote the budget for the maternity ward, but he couldnt come meet me until 2:30, so I waited by myself eating my sandwich and drinking my beer. I was bored and lonely and then got a call from the nuns when the architect said he was 5 minutes away. Called him back and cancelled and went to meet the nuns. The priest called the guy and had him meet me at the gas station while they filled up and i gave him my drawing of the building and asked him to reduce the budget if possible. I bought fabric and batting in the market and almsot got away with the fabric scraps for free, but went back to ask for more and she asked for money.
2/4: Only 10 pregnant women today! Very slow day. Went to update the HIV data for March, but found the computer with all my grant proposals on it dead!!!! I almost cried. I printed out most of it, so I have it, just need to retype it all. March 2010 had zero positive HIV tests!
3/4: Went to Parish to meet with architect to get new budget. Drink beer with the priest, see the floor plan he came up with and the 3-D image of the building. I asked to make a few changes and he did and then we went to the clinic to print it out and to show him the current maternity building. It was raining, so I got stuck. Didn't get home until 3 and hadn't eaten lunch, so i was hungry! Emily left, I packed for Kenya. The guard came while I was packing, so I went out to say hi and he tells me that holidays are when thieves like to steal because everyone is gone at church, so he said he was going to beat them with a stick and kick them tomorrow.
4/4: Went to the 7:30am mass. Didnt get to say hi or see any of the nuns (which is the whole reason I came because they asked me to). I sat in the back by the door and left a few minutes early to catch a moto at 9:30 to go to brunch with other PCV's. There was a taxi right at the end of the dirt road, so I was able to jump in and go right away. Got to their dirt road and there was a moto there who could take me, but he was the only one and it was raining and it was Easter, so he charged me 300 extra. It was so muddy and slippery, we had to stop 3 different times, and i had to get off and walk and then we fell between the logs on a bridge and we almost slipped over and had to have two other men come and help right the bike. I finally got there and asked a guy where the muzungu lived and he said with the nuns, so we went to the nuns and I asked them if they knew my nuns and they did and asked me my Rwandese name, so I told them and they were so excited and happy and wanted to take a picture with me and then gave me "coffee" (it was a splash of coffee with lots of hot milk and sugar) and sweet bread. Everyone else had gone back to Christa's to start cooking brunch, so I had to have a nun walk me to her house since it was the first time I was visiting. We had an amazing brunch and i think it was the most i have eaten in a year! Went back and slept at Tricia's house.
5/4: Caught a bus to Kigali with Tricia. Got in and they changed the taxi stand for my bus to my office, so I have to go back up where I came from. Went to the office to drop a few things off then met up with Adam.
6/4: Happy Birthday Maria! Went to PC Office and worked on grant applications and my blog. Watched soccer with a bunch of people that night.
7/4: Start of Memorial week, stayed in and then Adam had some people over to the house.
Rest of the week was pretty laid back, I went into the office every day to work on finishing up the grant applications and we went over to people's homes or had people over cause most places closed early. Went out for dinner one night and had some delicious ravioli and I met the guys who are building a casino here.
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