Bugesera District Adventure

Bité!

Welcome to day 5 of our African adventure which landed us in rural Rwanda yet again.

The day started nicely woke up on time, and was at breaky and ready to go by 8:15am. Jumped in the truck with Fred out Right to Play driver companion, who then took us out of town.

We were heading for meetings and a trip to a school in rural Kigali area, in a district called Bugesera in a sector called Ngeruka. The road out to Ngeruka took us 2 hours to complete, over red sand, through windy roads and flood lines throughout mountains and over creeky bridges, all avoiding the people seen along the road side, but we eventually were standing at the door to the Right to Play office in sector Ngeruka of district Bugesera.

We arrived at the Right to Play office and picked up our two friends, Edwin and Peter. From there we all hoped in Fred's 4x4 and made our way out onto the red sand path, through the trees and little towns till we came to the gates of Twimpala School. The children were excited to see visitors especially white ones (as all the schools seem to be) so when we exited the truck we gathered crowds are nearby doorways and class windows. There were 3 classes with Right to Play activities for us to join in on, Peter explained that the class would give us a demonstration before we joined but that didn't stop us from jumping into the circle.

After a few minutes I looked over to the 2nd group and ran off to join it since we had 4/4 of us in the one group. I got to play "dog catch" which was what it translated too, after a few warm ups and a quick stretch and hi to the kids around me, we started in one chalked off box, a "dog" person was chosen to be in the middle chalk box, when they barked or woofed, all of us had to run to the other side of the "Dog box", if they caught you, you became a "dog". I was caught by a very cute boy who giggled histarically that he was the one that had caught the "musungu" (white person). After this game the class went back to studies and I returned to the rest of my Right to Play companions in they're group where we answered questions about HIV;s and AIDS and played a game to help us associate between the symptonms we might see if someone has these illness', the kids were fantastic and such good listeners and such good creative children.

We then had a meeting with some teachers and coaches of the school, we entered a classroom where they had laid out a table dressing with flowers and chairs so we could sit at the head of the class. Behind us on the chalk board was a drawing with the words "Dear athlete ambassators you are welcome at Twimpala groupe, scolaire as one of the schools working with Right to Play in Bugesera district", a very welcoming entrance. After a talk with staff our meeting with the principal came as a strange surprise when he thought most of the RTP funding should go to his school so the coaches can have new outfits, the kids can have sweats to play in, he can get more coaches and he even asked if we had enough to get him a secretary, since all the other school head masters were so amazing and caring and for the kids, we didn't think it would be so ... greedy anywhere but he showed us wrong I guess!

As we walked out of the classroom the rooms around us buzzed with attention, some kids followed, others stared, most just clung to the doorways of they're classrooms watching the "musunga's" walk through they're little school of 2132 students.

We were told about a RTP funded play area, so obviously our excitement to see it guided us around a corner and down a small dip onto the cement of a basketball/volleyball court, a very beautiful one might I add, with the RTP logo in the back-boards of the basketbal nets. Helen in all her glory thought my idea to get a photo under the nets would be that much better if we all jumped into the air as the photo was taken, 5 photos later, we had one with us getting ready to jump, 2 with us just taking off, one progression shot with Steph barely off the ground, me a little higher, Roz a little high and Helen up in the clouds! When the children started to gather we desided we needed the kids to participate, so the results of 2/5 of the photos were te kids not understanding and the next one is posted here, and I think it was a huge success as does the rest of the RTP volunteer squad.

Our adventures were cut into by the crowd of small kids gathering watching us jump up and down, up and down so Steph decided they needed to learn her favorite RTP dance.

*3 claps* hands shaking over right leg out to the side "a zigga zigga" *clap 3 times* hands shaking over left leg out to the side "a zigga zigga" *clap 3 times* jump up and down hands out over head to right side "a zigga zigga"*clap 3 times* jump up and down hands out over head to left side "a zigga zigga" *clap 3 times* hands on hips shake butt down to the ground "ooh cha cha cha, ooh cha cha cha, ooh cha cha cha" .

The kids loved it! and picked it up so fast, espeically with Helen, Steph, Roz and I doing it in front of them, it was alot of fun and we trained the smaller kids, then tried on the bigger kids though ther was no way it would work.

After the fun and games were done we waved goodbye to the older kids who had now gathered along the bank at the edge of the basketball court to watch us dance, and headed towards the vehicle in a sea of small bodies following in toe behind us.

  Its hilarious how these kids follow us around like we are so special, they are the special ones to us! We made our way through the masses and arrived at the vehicle with enough time to get a few candid shots with all the kids that surrounded the truck like a title wave!

Such good kids just excited for visitors from far away.

We waved goodbye out our windows and made out way back to the office for a meeting with coaches.

I would like to just justify my gratitude towards the coaches that met with us, they were so amazing and excited and generous towards us and our questions (in which everyone of the 12 of them had an answer for), they were amazing to talk to and they signed off with a traditional goodbye in African terms, a silly little clapping dance and at the end a big MUAH! 2 hands on the lips and throws you a kiss, which is a huge thing here in Rwanda, seems everyone young and old show they're gratitude that way, its silly to us but respectful to them I believe.

After a short stop to have lunch and a quick chat with the assistant director of the Ngeruka sector of Bugesera district, we were on our way home. Its amazing what you see in Rwanda, everything is so fresh and green and beautiful, so when we saw pineapples on the side of the road for sale it prompted Fred to take us to a market, it was amazing to see all the people and they're stands with all the fresh fruit you could ever want! After a few minutes we realized that this market didn't sell special African made items, just cheap china made products and then all the fresh fruit and etc. So we stopped and picked up the best banana's I've ever had, just little ones, we grabbed a pineapple for breaky tomorrow and a kilogram of passion fruit  (7 balls), also a breaky snack tomorrow which we are quite excited about! Not many can say they've bitten into fresh passion fruit from an African market!

When we brought up the question about the cheesy tourist crap, Fred smiled told us to get in the truck and within 20-25 minutes we were outside a shop circle, just an area with many shops built into a small space. The stuff was beautiful! I managed to get a few things for my brother Tyler's birhtday that I missed last weekend, sorry bro, love you :), as well as a few things for myself, and something for my mum. We had arrived as the shops were closing so the rest of the family will have to wait till we get the chance (if we get the chance) to make it there tomorrow.

(P.S - No Ty your presents aren't in the photos and yours either mums, I'm not that dumb!)

After the evening darkened we found ourselves showered and dress and headed in a taxi to an interesting place. We arrived and heard beautiful music and talking and the smell of fresh tropical flowers, the smell of barbados (for those who have been and know what I'm talking about *little white flowers*), we walked down the stars at THE Hotel Rwanda destination and had a wonderful dinner, its somewhat unsettling to be sitting there, knowing that though the movie was a dramatization by hollywood, that that information is mostly factual, that all that happened and that everything that went wrong a mere 18 years ago now, is forgotten or pushed aside by the natives but guests obviously still feel it by the looks on some faces at tables around us, I don't know how you'd stay there... I think it would be too eery all the time just thinking about everything... *shiver*

Anyways... I want to add that over the last few days I have grown to like Helen Upperton and Roz G, they are greatly talented people and both love children and are amazing at what they do and explaining why it helps kids and life and etc, they are nice and funny and smart and athletic... but I couldn't help thinking as we were waiting for our dinners, talking about biographies and science novels and povety novels and novels about peace and war and child rights and helping the world and facts and stories of history (etc), that wow... I feel really really dumb right now. Helen asked what everyones favorite book was, I automatically said "Ender's Game" which is my favorite book, I have read it 11 times and am now on the series and its a wonderful read and well writen in every aspect. Apparently though, no one was looking for my opinion and so it was ignored, as Roz tried to pick a favorite from the french revolutionary days and Steph threw in "the power of one" which is the story of a boy in Africa in the middle of Hitlers rain and he is harrassed and his life story is told through the book, it is a good book. It just seemed like Steph, Roz and Helen were quite happy talkign about "have you read this?" "YES! it was amazing so moving and inspiring" while I'm sitting there staring into the candle like...'I read poetry and orson scott card novels (enders game's author)' but no one would care why I read poetry or how I feel about it because it wasn't about an orphanage in Sweden or starvation in the middle east or war in Africa or something else, I may know alittle about alot, but I've never been in a situation where I feel like I am an inch tall. Its not fun, feeling like you are completely incompetent, I wouldn't recommend it anytime soon.

I now just want to go home and see people that appreciate who I am and think I'm talented and smart and bigger then this, as my Mike has been trying to explain to me for 30 minutes.

I guess I'll go to bed and read "The Power of One" which I started on the way out here, and strive to be as intelligent as an olympic athelete on day cause they apparently know how to create a better world from a few books and a few week long vacations...ya...right.

Thanks

Cheers from Inside Africa hotel, Kigali, Rwanda

~a.grange~