Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Mount Kabuye

At 2700 meters, or 8,800 feet high Mount Kabuye is the 10th highest mountain in Rwanda. That doesn't sound particularly impressive but as I mentioned I don't do much physical activity so hiking up this mountain was actually pretty exhausting.

We left Kigali at 7am to take the bus to Gakenke, a District in the northern province of Rwanda about 1 hour away. It took roughly 3 hours to hike to the summit of the mountain and about the same on the way down. The way up was definitely the worst for me and I stopped a lot to rest. But I think the saddest part was the fact that we were escorted by a gaggle of children who zipped up and down the mountain with so much ease that it would have been demoralizing for anyone who doesn't hike regularly. A few of the kids did the entire hike with no shoes and one of the kids was actually pretty chubby and still outpaced me!

But to be fair, the mountain is where these children's live and hiking is one of the few things to do in the area so it's no surprise they were experts. The way down also ended up being much more treacherous than I imagined - the hill was very steep which made it challenging but also more fun! Because of the rain there was a lot of sliding down the mountain. Even though I felt like I wanted to collapse for part of the hike, the amazing view and fresh air was incredible and refreshing =) But I think I'll probably wait awhile before going hiking again.

Beginning our trek to the top with an entourage of children accompanying us
The whole group (minus Nathan) resting for a few minutes on our way to the top (picture courtesy of Georgina)
We made it! Lunch with Megan and Sierra at the top of Mt. Kabuye (picture courtesy of Georgina)

One of the adorable kids accompanying us to the top

Me, Georgina, and our chubby tour guide

Georgina, me, Charlotte, and Megan getting ready to head back down the mountain

The incredible view

Friday, September 23, 2011

Since last time I posted...

...I traveled to Gisenyi twice.
I'm currently in the process of helping plan a very exciting campaign - Gender Based Violence (GBV) Awareness Week!!! The purpose of the campaign is to increase awareness of GBV in Gisenyi and also let people know about the services that will be offered at the One Stop Center for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence at the Gisenyi District Hospital. The launch will be October 5th at the stadium in Gisenyi and will include speeches, testimonials, a skit, and traditional dancers. The launch will be followed by smaller awareness campaigns in each of the 12 sectors of the District so all the coordination has been keeping me very busy. I'll definitely post a full summary of the event afterward =)

Space that will become the One Stop Center for survivors

...volunteered at KigaliUp, Kigali's first music festival.
This would have actually been fun except for the stupid rainy season! The afternoon performances (mostly Rwandan musicians) were rained out so people couldn't go on until the evening. And it was freezing. Once my volunteering shift was over, I gave up on the music and went home for a hot shower.  On a positive note, I got free drinks and some shopping out of it =)

Georgina and I at KigaliUp - posing with our "VIP" wristband (it has pictures of Miley Cyrus on it)

...attended 2 workshops and 1 health screening for men who have sex with men (MSM).
I mentioned before that the MSM project isn't my primary research project but it has been one of the most interesting projects I've worked on. This project started with the help of my predecessor, another ICAP intern, and is finally starting to make progress. Stigma is still a major problem and most health care providers are not sensitized to the needs of gay men but I'm happy to say that men are finally coming to clinics with ICAP trained providers and getting tested. Utilizing peer educators from the community has made a huge difference. I'm thrilled to see the progress being made because I really believe that health is a human right regardless of who you're sleeping with.

At the MSM Workshop with Alex, ICAP's MSM Program Coordinator

...went to a Sean Kingston concert.
This is definitely a sentence I never thought I would say (or write). But it's true, I was at a Sean Kingston concert! Unfortunately the rainy season struck again and the concert didn't start until around 10pm when it was supposed to start at 4pm. He performed for maybe 45 minutes and even though I only know 2 of his songs and it started raining, the night ended up being pretty fun and memorable! 
Sean Kingston
That more or less sums up what I've been doing the past couple of weeks. I still can't believe that I'm officially over half way done with my practicum! Less than 3 months now before I'm back on US soil!

Promise to post more soon =)


Thursday, September 8, 2011

Lost in Translation

When I applied to Northwestern University almost eight years ago (eek, I'm old!) I vividly remember that one of the application's short essay questions was "What is the most important phrase to learn in a foreign language and why?" While most people were probably annoyed that Northwestern couldn't be like other schools and follow the common application, I actually enjoyed answering different questions (which I know makes me a big nerd). And like other Northwestern nerds I gave a very political answer - I  said something like "The most important phrase to know is 'thank you' because knowing how to say 'thank you' is polite and therefore reflects well on you and your country while also respecting the culture of the country that you're in." 

Yes, I realize this was a lame answer. But the point of my story isn't that I managed to get into Northwestern despite giving a trite answer to an essay question. My point is that I have come to realize that 'thank you' really isn't the most important phrase to know in a foreign language. In fact, Rwandans don't say 'thank you' too often. There is also no commonly used word for 'you're welcome' and if you try to say 'please' it sounds like you're begging. While I still opt to say 'thank you' to everyone (even the really terrible moto drivers), I learned that what might be polite in one culture can sound strange and unnecessary in another.

Taking Kinyarwanda classes has helped me pick up on a lot of these small nuances. The class has also been helpful in every day interactions, especially because I moved here without any ability to speak French or Kinyarwanda. I think learning French will probably be more helpful but the thought of trying to fit another language in my brain seems like too much right now. I still have leftover Khmer from Cambodia, broken Spanish, grammatically incorrect Hindi and Punjabi, and Latin (which isn't even a spoken language) crowding my mind.

The issue of language also brings up an interesting fact about Rwanda - in 2008 the government switched the teaching language from French to English in schools. According to news outlets, the change was seen as a move away from "its former colonial power". Unfortunately as a result, a common complaint among teachers is that the government pushed English on people too quickly. It has resulted in Rwandan teachers trying to teach children a language they just learned themselves, which is obviously very challenging. Luckily most of the people in my office speak English pretty well so I haven't had too many communication problems. However, in the field it can get more complicated. 
The Rwandan flag
But going back to my original story...the first word I actually ended up learning in Rwanda was amafaranga, or money.  Even though knowing how to say 'thank you' is great, the most important thing I needed to know when arriving was how to exchange money so I could actually get places.

And just for fun, here are some words and phrases I've found to be most useful to me in Rwanda:

Amakuru (AhMahKooRoo) = How are you? (Literally translated, means 'what's the news?')
Nimeza (Nee MAYza) = I'm fine.
N'ahgahe (NahnGahHay) = How much is it? 
Ni menshi (Nee MenShee) = That's too much money. 
Coca akonje (CoCah AhConeJay) = Cold Coke (make sure to specify you want it cold, people here like to drink warm soda)
Oya Inyama (OHya EenYahMah) = No meat
Ndashaka (NDahShahKah) = I want...
Yego (YAYgo) = Yes
Oya (OHya) = No
Natakaye (NahTahKaiYay) = I'm lost. 
Murakoze (MooRahKohZay) = Thank you :)

About Me

SGBV Intern at the International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs (ICAP) in Kigali, Rwanda

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