Shalom! Muraho! It has been so long! I’ve been quite absent from this blog, mostly because I 've been quite absent from the village. I went home for family matters for a while, and then jetted off to Israel for a seminar with the other JDC Jewish Service Corps members from around the world. Now I’m back at Agahozo-Shalom, though, and I’m already getting back to work!
While I realize I must update you about Israel and home culture shock, I want to take advantage of my chance to look at the village with fresh eyes to give you a feel for the amazing environment I'm in.
As you may or may not know, that’s the “village” up there on my blog heading. It’s situated on a hill above some of the thousand hills Rwanda is known for. We have a view of Lake Mugesera and also the many many farms that dot the landscape. My favorite is the banana farms because they look like a bunch of stars bursting from the mountainside.
Walking around the village is a sensory experience that often helps clear my mind. The clouds here are almost fake in their billowy-ness and when they darken I always rush to wherever I’d like to be stuck during the rainstorm (or I fail to rush there and I end up stuck on a dirt road or something). There are always flowers popping up due to the heavy rain, and they are always beautiful. More than once I’ve tried to save them from those who find them to be weeds. If I'm walking in the morning, dew covers me entirely and it reminds me of running in the fog on early Palo Alto mornings.
The sounds are also particularly unique. During the day you can hear the “whoo whoo who who who” of some bird and at night it’s the frog noises that I only ever heard before in computer error noises. Mooing cows and whining goats are also part of the soundtrack...especially when the cows wander right over to our houses! And most importantly, in the morning, and really anytime the power is on, I get to hear the blasting of Rwandan music (and if I’m lucky, happy teens singing along), which you can sample for yourself at inyarwanda.com (I recommend starting with "Inkaramutima" by Meddy).
To get an even better feel for the beauty that surrounds, check out this picture of my FAVORITE BIRD in the village – one of many exotic ones that fly around and escort me to lunch. When I have a chance to sit and look at this bird, or watch the kids play volleyball against a striking sunset backdrop, I often think of this place as some sort of earthly paradise.
Getting back into the swing of things - including blogging! Expect more on my return, Israel and more soon!
