Ain't No Mountain High Enough

So, I have been living in Africa for a month now. Wow, I still have a difficult time buying that sentence. Even though I can scarcely remember a time before I was here in Rwanda, it just isn't possible that it's already been a month! Even though I constantly feel like I'm flying by the seat of my pants, school and teaching is racing by. I need to start writing more stuff down, because it all happens so quickly and instantaneously, I can hardly remember it to share with you fine people.

Where we last left off, our amazing African adventurer was amidst her 1^st week of teaching at Kigali International Community School, and somewhere between pulling her own hair out and doing cartwheels down the dusty, yet endearing, Rwandan streets. Life in Africa is quite the emotional roller coaster full of both intense frustrations and exhilarating escapades. After our first week of teaching, my fellow teachers and I were all doubting whether or not we made the correct career choices. Now, I realize the Freedom-Writing-Stand-and-Deliver-Dead-Poet's-Mr. Holland teacher would never doubt their calling, and rise to the challenge and send every student to Harvard within a month, but I am simply being honest with you (we're just that close, I know you won't tell). All of us had such little time to plan and scarcely any of the resources we've become accustomed to, and had such grand visions of the perfect first week of school that we simply could not pull off to the extent we so desired. And without much direction (in the way of textbooks, which are still non-existent) it becomes quite difficult and exhausting to plan meaningful, interesting, non-time wasting,and FUN lessons for those pesky (yet so wonderful) students :) We stayed at school working every evening, well past dark, and would leave our house at quarter to six each morning, determined to be the amazing life changing teachers we know we are.

Now, I don't mean to sound whiny, or that this particular post is a “complaint post”, but just a glimpse into my head as I went through the first week of teaching here in Rwanda. And even though teaching here is ENTIRELY different than teaching back in the states, I know my first week of being a teacher would be just as difficult anywhere. It has been almost 3 full weeks of teaching now, and to be honest, each day has become so much less stressful than the last. I've found my “niche” again, and am really having a ball. My kids are SO much fun, and really keep me on my toes :) I got two new students this week, a boy from Kazakhstan and a girl from Finland (who scarcely speaks a lick of English – good times). The boy, Alexander, was moved up from 3^rd grade into our class this week, and today at lunch I asked him how he is liking 4^th grade. He answered “Oh, I love it. I really, really love it. More than 3^rd grade, I think. You know, because in 4^th grade we work very, very hard. But this makes it more interesting for me.” Well said, Alex, well said. Just what I needed to hear :)

So all in all, it has been an amazing month. This past weekend, we had a 3-day weekend, and my roommates and I were invited to join one of the missionary families, the Jenkins, on a one day trip to Lake Kivu, on the border of Rwanda and Congo. We were a bit hesitant to go, because there is always so much to do, but we ended up all going, and it was AMAZING. I can't even begin to describe to you the beauty of the lake, as well as the Rwandan countryside as we drove up there. Luckily, I don't have to describe it, because you can look at some pictures! I set up a Picasa web album at http://picasaweb.google.com/cmtolon/MyLifeAsAMuzungu#. I recommend you check it out.

Well, I'd love to tell you more about absolutely everything that's been going on here, but I doubt anybody actually reads to the end of these posts, so I won't. Plus, it's 10 pm, and I have to plan what some 4^th graders are going to be doing tomorrow :) Our books still haven't arrived, but I'm having fun with it for now. It's nice not to be bound by silly standards and texts and actually teach applicable and relevant content...

OH, one more quick story – Here in Kigali, one of the quickest (and more importantly, cheapest) ways to get around is by “moto”, which is simply a motorcycle taxi that takes you all over town. The process is simple – you flag one down, tell them where you want to go, haggle over the price and laugh at each other's ridiculous offers (yours are always too low, theirs – too high), slip on the helmet, jump on, and off you go. Well, we had been using these to get to and from school for a couple weeks, against the advice of several veteran Rwandan expatriates, who said they were too dangerous. But being the adventurous (and by adventurous, I mean cheapskate) gal I am, I continued with the moto. And of course, I now bear the mark of the average Rwandan moto rider – a nasty burn scar on my inner calf from where my leg touched the muffler. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. And on top of it, after my trip to Lake Kivu where we were on the beach all day with a large band aid covering my deformation, I know have a large square shaped tan line around the wound, making it all the more noticeable. It looks like some sort of mutant target on my leg. Oh well, you live, you learn.

Love you all and hope to hear from you soon!!