Ice Cream and Dreams

The dream started with Claire. She hatched this crazy idea that one day, every boy at the center would be able to eat ice cream. We both thought it was pretty far fetched in the beginning. It would be expensive and a logistical nightmare. 

But as Claire was preparing to leave Rwanda, she wanted to give the boys one final gift and she wouldn’t settle for anything less than an ice cream party. So, last Friday, she and I piled into the EDD truck and headed for Nakumatt (a supermarket with pretty much everything you can imagine) to get the ice cream. 150 plastic spoons and 16 liters later, we were back in the truck praying we would get to the center before it melted.

scooping away

We scooped quickly into plastic cup and tin plates and passed the sloppy mess to all of the boys. A few asked, “Does this come from a cow?” Most just sat and scraped their plates or cups until they were clean. At the end, we had a bit of melted ice cream left over so Claire poured it over the boys’ heads.

Total chaos

As I sat and watched the boys savor each and every bite, I couldn’t help but think how lucky they were that they ended up on EDD’s doorstep. This center has allowed them to have a childhood again; something, which was stripped from them the moment they ended up on the streets. They can go to school, have 3 meals a day, play, eat ice cream and have dreams: all things any kid should be entitled to.

For more about the ice cream extravaganza, check out Claire's Blog. Be sure to look at some of her other posts too!

21

Officially 21 in Rwanda

A Fishing Story

I knew that Friday would be an interesting day from the moment I heard chanting voices as I walked down the dirt path on my way to work.

“Do you hear that?” I asked Claire.

“Yeah. Is it coming from the center?”

And sure enough, from our vantage point on the top of the hill we could see a crowd gathering at the fence near the fishpond.

“Looks like they started fishing already.”

We continued down the hill and across the road. Locals had stopped their morning routines to come watch the action. When we came close enough, I could see our boys covered in mud, digging through what appeared to be silt on the ground. When they saw us, they proudly presented their trophies: fish who were still wiggling their tails as they struggled to get free.

Some nice tilapia.

It was organized chaos on the bank of the fishpond. Boys were grabbing fish out of a net that had just been dragged aground, tossing them into barrels, taking them out of the barrels, gutting them and leaving the entrails on the ground, and weighing them. Charles (EDD agronomist, who traveled to Burundi with us) had a book where he was keeping track of the kilograms of fish collected.

Getting ready for round 2

We arrived just in time to see the final pass across the pond with the net. A few boys jumped in the pond to pull the far end of the net across. Once it was fully submerged, the groups of boys on either side of the end began to chant again, pulling the net in unison across the pond. When they reached the bank, other boys helped to pull it ashore. Amongst the muck and grass that had tangled in the net were a few fish flopping around freely.

Claire vs. Mr. Fish. He wriggled free a second later.

Hardy and I. That fishing lesson at summer camp years ago prepared me well.

The fishpond is one of the ways the center generates income. Two or three times a year, they harvest the fish and then sell them to local buyers. The pond contains tilapia and a type of catfish. In all, the boys collected 60 kilograms of fish that day which was a bit less than projected. Projects such as this are very important as the center strives to become self-sufficient. Right now, they rely heavily on donations and in times of economic crisis it’s difficult to obtain donors. 

Too small. Throw them back!

Thank Heaven!

Thank Heaven!

Claire and I were determined to have our own Thanksgiving. Our original thought was to cook it on our own since Rwandans do not celebrate Thanksgiving. A few things got in our way:

1. We could not find Turkey at the store, so we would have had to substitute chicken
2. Our stove has one temperature and we have no idea what that is. We’ve successfully made banana bread before, but cooking a chicken would have been a whole new beast.
3. Neither one of us has cooked a whole turkey/chicken on our own before.
4. We found out that a local restaurant was serving a traditional Thanksgiving meal.

 All these factors combined led us to the decision that we would celebrate Thanksgiving at a restaurant in Kigali. This was THE BEST DECISION we’ve made in awhile. The restaurant we went to is called Heaven and it definitely lives up to its name. The restaurant is situated on top of a hill close to the city center and has a covered deck, which allows you to see Kigali from above. Created by California couple that expatriated to Rwanda, Heaven uses local ingredients to create simple yet flavorful foods. Heaven is also socially responsible and was created to help train Rwandans in the hospitality business. They support local farmers, suppliers, artists, and act as a center for vocational training. It has become a regular haunt for westerners who live in Kigali, including Claire and I. This was my third time and I was not disappointed.

Pumpkin Soup

Turkey, stuffing, honey glazed carrots, sweet potatoes, and spinach

Pumpkin pie, but not as good as Memere's

This was my first Thanksgiving away from home. Although I am sad that I could not celebrate with the rest of my family, I am happy I could spend it with my friend Claire, eating good food and enjoying the view of the city from Heaven.

Fun Fact #2

Lake Tanganyika (the lake we visited in Bujumbura) is the second deepest freshwater lake in the world, second only to Lake Baikal in Serbia. At its deepest point, it measures a depth of 4,820 feet. The lake spans four different countries including Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia.

Bujumbura, Burundi

Burundi is one of Rwanda’s neighbor countries and it’s roughly a 7-hour bus ride south from Kigali. Claire and I woke up very early Friday morning to meet our friend Charles, who works at EDD, to catch a bus to Burundi. We thought that arriving at the bus station half an hour ahead of time would be enough to ensure us good seats (this entire continent is in a perpetual state of lateness so “on time” can mean anywhere from 20 minutes to hours later). However, it appears that buses to Burundi are the exception.

We got stuck with aisle seats. When I say aisle seats, I’m sure you are picturing something reminiscent of an aisle seat on an airplane. This is not what I mean. Buses in Africa are ALWAYS packed to capacity (I’ve been packed into a minibus with 22 other people before) so they’ve invented these seats that fold up when people need to get out and fold down when people need to sit. Since the bus is my main mode of transportation here, I can say that the vast majority of these types of seats are broken. Either the seat itself is lopsided or the seat back flops around. So for 7 hours, we sat on the bus, trying to get some sleep in between the unintentional elbows we received from the people sitting next to us.

We finally arrived in the capital Bujumbura late in the afternoon. The heat was a bit overwhelming and a drastic change from the cool weather of Kigali. Claire and I were in desperate need to a good nights sleep. We had nearly pulled an all-nighter hanging out with our friends Pervez, Kate, and Bret from Catalyst Rwanda because we didn’t want to say goodbye and were running on 2 hours of sleep. As I tried to fall asleep, I could swear I heard people talking with British accents.

The next morning the British accents were gone and I was feeling much better. We wandered around the city, finding a market where I bought Obama strawberry flavored gum. After this first purchase, Claire and I were on the hunt for Obama gear and Bujumbura did not disappoint. There is a company named Obama Vodka based in Burundi, which packages vodka in tiny plastic pouches. It was definitely one of the best discoveries we found. We spent the rest of the day walking around the lake where we spotted a hippo eating some grasses near the road. On Sunday, we visited Saga Plage on Lake Tanganyika. The waves and the white sand beach made it feel like we were on the coast.

Charles, Claire, and I at Lake Tanganyika

Charles and I

The crew on the beach

I feel as if Burundi is a raw place compared to Rwanda, but they are so closely tied together. The wounds of war and political tensions are fresh and there is still a battle for security and stability within the country. Hutus and Tutsis have been battling for power ever since the Belgians left, staging coups, assassinations, and civil war. Although Rwanda is infamous for the 1994 genocide, many people forget that the President of Burundi, Cyprien Ntaryamira, was in the plane that was shot down on April 6^th, 1994. This crash sparked the systematic killing of Tutsis in both Rwanda and Burundi. In Rwanda, the killing has stopped. In Burundi, people still feel as if they have a score to settle. Attacks have continued, even as recently as September of this year. It’s examples such as this that make me marvel at Rwanda’s reconciliation process. Seventeen years after the genocide, Rwanda remains a peaceful country while neighboring Burundi continues to fight a never-ending battle.

Live 2 Break

These past two weeks have been very chaotic and unusual, but they have probably been the most fun I’ve had in a long time. As I have mentioned before, the center welcomed a group called Catalyst Rwanda two weeks ago who put on a break dance workshop for the boys. Three members of the group, Kate, Bret, and Pervez, lived with Claire and I. We had so much fun hanging out with each other and I was so sad to say goodbye on Friday.

The boys learning a freeze

Kate helping Dariya

Everyone involved with Catalyst Rwanda has made more of an impact on the center than anyone thought possible. The boys at Les Enfants de Dieu take their studies very seriously, but I have never seen them display more focus and intensity than they did over these past two weeks. They practiced constantly, awaited the next lesson eagerly, and refused to take their “Live 2 Break” shirts off until Joseanne (member of EDD staff) insisted that they wash them.

Pervez demonstrating the Superman stance

Sam breaking it, Bret and Nicola behind

On Thursday, EDD put on a “Jam”, a chance for the boys to dance and show off their new moves. It was one big party where the boys never stopped smiling. Nothing can top happy kids, good friends, and a bit of dancing. I might even seek out a breaking class when I'm back home...

Pervez and Claire

The Jam started with some traditional dance

As a side note, check out this amazing video shot by Kate and starring Pervez and Bret at the Kimirannko Market in Kigali. If you look close when the camera pans, you'll see Claire and myself (the two white people). We took the gang shopping for some African fabrics and this is what happened:

A trip to Kimiranko market with Pervez and Bret - Catalyst Rwanda from Catalyst Rwanda on Vimeo.