During our almost three weeks here we’ve been to a variety of events. First off we attended a cookout at the home of Susan, who is an official at the U.S. Embassy. We meet many different folks from the U.S., either attached to the Embassy or part of other government or aid agencies. A usual opening question was how long have you been here, and it was fun to say “it’s our second day!" Several were students, here for summer internships, but also career government employees and dependants. The reason for the get together was the arrival of a volleyball net which got plenty of use during the day. This was our first introduction to eating in Rwanda and right off we noticed a few differences. While we had hot dogs, no buns, we used hoagie rolls. Plenty of beer, but any type of chip – potato, corn, etc. – was in short supply. We had a great time and I think the party only broke up due to the start of another party at a different house!
The following Monday was quizzo night at a local pizza spot. Here I noticed that while the restaurant had a roof, it was open on two sides. We soon found out that most restaurants in Kigali are the same – very open to the outside and nobody uses screens. I don’t know if during the rainy season they have shutters to close up the sides or not. This was where we acquired the tip that in Rwanda, cheese=Gouda. Also, the menu contained toppings unusual in the U.S. including: aubergines, courgettes, and bolognaise to name a few. Again, it’s helpful to know some French around here! The quiz began at 8:30 but we arrived around 7:00 in order to get a table and order the pizzas. And a good thing we did, because by the time the quiz began, the place was packed to the rafters.
By the way, can anyone list the three words in the English language that end in –dous? Or what the word (not the search engine) google means? (See the next blog entry for answers.) Our team ended up in the middle of the pack by answering 14 of the 35 questions correctly. (Another aside: since the participants were a mixed bag of nationalities, the questions focused less on the usual social history type questions and more on language, geography, math, and science.)
Wednesday we attended our first ever Rotary meeting beginning *promptly* at 7:00 pm (all late arriving Rotarians are fined). In Rwanda, and probably most of Africa, prompt beginnings are extremely unusual. As we always say when vacationing in the Caribbean, “we’re now on island time.” Held at the Laico Hotel, afterwards we enjoyed a drink in on the patio and listened to a very nice Jazz trio.
Through our work with the Library, we’ve met a wonderful U.S. family in Kigali through December. Reid is the Human Resources for Health (HRH) Senior Technical Advisor for Tulane University in Rwanda and Gwenn is a retired teacher and a newly inducted Rotarian working on the Library project. Gwenn invited me to an Expats Network Meeting, a chance for people from all over the world living in Kigali to socialize and connect. What a great time! The people I met were so interesting; their country of origin included the Netherlands, Senegal, the UK, South Africa, the U.S. Belgium, Japan, and I’m sure many other countries. For anyone living in Rwanda for an extended period of time, this group is a wonderful resource. And to top it off, one woman was selling jewelry made by street boys from cow horns. It’s a project that aims to help the kids get off the streets, learn about earning and saving money, and make something lovely out of an item usually tossed out at the abattoirs.
But so far, the highlight, or the piece de resistance, has been the Rotary Club of Kigali-Virunga’s induction ceremony and dinner. Held at the Serena Hotel, probably *the* luxury hotel in Kigali, it was wonderful fun. The only negative is that this did *not* begin promptly on time. Granted it gave everyone plenty of time to have a few drinks, however, the buffet was right behind our table and I was overwhelmed by the good smells. But eventually things started rolling and it just didn’t stop. There were speeches (none long), the induction of new members, a farewell from the outgoing president, a welcome from the new, words from guest officials, and presentations for service given over the past year.
In the middle of all this we had dinner: what a feast. The buffet included a variety of cold dishes, plain and spiced rice, fried fish, grilled bananas, a couple of Indian dishes, boiled arrowroot (if you’ve ever had vegetable chips that included a white stick with purple running through it, you’ve eaten arrowroot), mini-steaks, grilled chicken, the local sweet potato, and a variety of steamed vegetables. The desert table included tree tomato, passion fruit, pineapple, and other fruits, bread pudding, mini-cheese cakes, coconut cake, Black Forest cake, sponge cake and more. Needless to say, the diet was out the window.
But the best part was the band. A local group of non-professionals (everyone had a “day” job) they were fabulous and the most eclectic mixture of music I’ve ever heard. And believe me, my iPod knows eclectic. They combined country (which I learned is huge in Uganda), jazz, blues, rock (sort of), and reggae. At one point the master of ceremonies (who I feel could double for Louis Armstrong, but sounded like Mel Torme according to Gwenn) performed several numbers with the band. What a voice and stage presence – he was really, really good. Later, when we complimented him on his performance, he confessed in his younger days he thought about a singing career, but his father convinced him to become a banker. As he said, “you don’t make much money in Africa with music,” but if anyone could do it, it would have been this guy.
We left while the band played a country version of a Springsteen song. I'm not positive it was Springsteen, but Reid was pretty sure it was. Anyway, that sentence pretty much sums up the evening!
Next up: Beth gets to be an archivist!
You guys are having too much fun.
ReplyDeletePhil & Joan