Hey Everyone!
Sorry that it's been so long, but a lot has been going on. I'm going to do my best to update you on the good, the bad, and the horrible that has happened in the last month and a half, but don't expect much on the bad and horrible. The end of January was great; I was finally falling into a routine and getting close with people in my community. I started coaching the girls' football (soccer) team at school and I don't know, I was very happy with how everything was turning out. Then the bad and horrible happened...I went away for the weekend and a troop of people broke into my house and basically cleaned shop. They were kind enough to leave my clothes, shoes, food (except for my olive oil), and school/office supplies. Unfortunately, they took everything of value, including my mattress and my sheets (they did leave my stuffed animal and pillow - they must have wanted me to be comfortable sleeping on the floor). So that's pretty much all I want to say about that. It was horrible to come home to on a Sunday morning and it has been a pain in the butt to deal with, but in all honesty, things have gone as good as they possibly could considering the circumstances.
So I spent two weeks away from site, jumping back and forth between Kigali and a friend's house in Ngoma District (Eastern Province). I returned to site a week ago to a new house and things are going great. Many of my friends told me to think about changing to a different site and just leaving all the drama in my village behind, but to tell you the truth, the thought never even crossed my mind; I knew I wanted to go back...to a different house of course. If this happened in the U.S., I wouldn't change houses or move to another town; I would add a couple more locks to my door and maybe invest in a security system. I understand that Rwanda is not the U.S., but right now it is home and I have to treat it as such. I didn't want to throw away all of the great relationships I was starting to form or abandon my classes or football team. I knew I couldn't go back to the same house, but I definitely wanted to go back to the same village. So here I am, back at site and incredibly happy.
My new house is in Ruhuha, which is the town near my previous village and school. I live in a compound with a family who is taking great care of me. Mama is always trying to give me tea and will often send someone to buy me things without me asking. Papa is very nice, but I haven't seen him much. Their English and French are amazing, which definitely helps. Their children are at boarding school and I'm looking forward to them coming home during vacation in April. I've been upgraded to a real bathroom with a shower (only cold water), toilet, and sink with running water. It's pretty exciting. The layout of my house is pretty much the same - 3 square rooms with a window in each and a light hanging from the ceiling. I have an outdoor kitchen and I'm still perfecting the technique of food storage.
Coming back to site has gone smoothly. All of the teachers and community members have been extremely supportive. No one forgot my name while I was gone and adults and children still scream "Sarah!" as I walk down the street. The commute to school is a little long, well, it's only 20 minutes but at 7 AM it's a little long. Peace Corps gave me a new bicycle, so that will hopefully be getting me to school and football practice a little faster.
As things continue to progress at site and I have more to report on what's going on, I promise to keep you all updated.
I miss you all and feel free to come visit. Also, please send me mail!! Newspaper articles, candy, gossip magazines, and the such are greatly appreciated.
Love,
Sarah
