Hakuna Matata

The Land of the Hobbits and Fairies

2010-04-30T01:45:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, my roommates and I embarked on our very last adventure in South Africa. We traveled four hours north to Hogsback. This little town actually helped JRR Tolkein think up The Lord of the Rings. He visited Hogsback as a child and was inspired by the mountains, forests, and, I suppose, the fairies.

Everyone warned us that Hogsback was a little bit strange. They told us the people there were a little on the odd side. A town fit for me, hey? The first person I met was named Happy. He tried to sell me two hog figurines and some magic mushrooms. I bought the hogs.

We spent the weekend hiking, taking pictures with fairies, walking and meditating in a labyrinth, visiting and eco-shrine, etc. It's really all too hard to describe without pictures! Perhaps, I can post some when I return to the States. I will be back in about a week and a half!

I will be very sad to leave my school and my students, but I feel that I've had many good adventures in South Africa. I'm ready for my next adventure!

Cape Town Holiday

2010-04-13T04:21:00.000-07:00

Hello, all! We've just returned from our two week holiday to Cape Town. We took the Garden Route down and stopped along the way for a bit of adventure. We spent five nights in Cape Town and then ventured slowly back to our home in Port Elizabeth. It is far too much for me to write about each of the wonderful things that we did so I will simply give you the highlights.

On the way to Cape Town, we stopped in Knysna where Trudy (my roommate) and I stayed in the largest Rastafarian community in the country. Judah Square is located in the heart of Knysna's largest township. Everyone who lives there has an absolute heart of gold, and they welcomed us into their homes and families. We spent hours playing with the children in the small schoolhouse that one of the sisters started. It has 45 children from the township and only two teachers. One of the brothers was so kind to show us his prized garden with plants far taller than me. (I'll show you pictures if you like, but I must not post them.) What an experience!

We also stopped along the way to have wonderful wildlife interactions: petting cheetahs, getting cozy with caracals, riding elephants, attempting to balance on ostriches...you know, normal African things.

However, my absolute favorite activity was Great White Shark cage diving. This was perhaps the coolest thing I've ever done in my life. We were so lucky because the sharks quickly responded to the bait and chum and began swarming our boat within 30 minutes. We saw eight great whites in total and the largest was a mere eleven feet in length. While I was in the cage, I got to watch the playful sharks swim just inches in front of my face. It got even more exciting when the came directly at my face and I had to remind myself to pull my fingers in while they bit at the bars of my cage! One bit the cage a bit too hard and lost a tooth (no, I didn't get the tooth or I would have lost an arm!). I highly recommend this activity to anyone who ever gets the opportunity. Shark week will never be the same!

Cape Town was great! It's a beautiful city with gorgeous mountains and a stunning coastline. We climbed to the top of Lion's Head and watched the sun set over the ocean and the city. Unfortunately, our trips to Table Mountain and Robben Island were canceled due to the fierce winds. (Guess I'll have to come back!)

On the way home, we stopped at Cango Caves in Outdshoorn. Never in my life have I been through caves like these! The flyer warned the excursion was for lean people only--but there were tunnels you had to turn sideways to squeeze through (Tunnel of Love)! (A couple of years ago, a curvy lady got stuck for 11 hours and they had to rub oils on her to get her out!) One tunnel required us to slide down face first (the Post Box, also know as the Rebirthing Chamber). Another, called Devil's Chimney, had us shimmying our way UP 12 feet! I loved these caves, but I will say there were hardly enough bats for my taste.

All in all, we had a great holiday. Now I'm back in school for the last four weeks of my South African adventure. I will be spending the rest of my time in a Grade 2 class. I'm excited to be with even younger kids and learn a bit more!

Miss everyone madly!!

Knysna Weekend

2010-03-24T04:39:00.000-07:00

My dear friends and family,

I must appologize for my lack of postings...you must all be so worried, I'm sure. I have been monstrous busy completing my 20 days of teaching. I have yet to blog about my weekend in Knysna (Feb. 19 to Feb. 21). However, let your minds be at ease, for you are about to read about it now!

One of the teachers at my school, Herbert Hurd Primary, invited me and another student place here, Ali, to her home in Knysna. After school on Friday, we joined the teacher, her husband, and her daughter who was visiting from London and headed on our way to the beautiful beach town about three hours from Port Elizabeth. When we arrived, we went directly to a market that is held every Friday night. There was live music and lots of wonderful foods. Ali and I walked around exploring the homemade pizzas, Mexican corn fritters, hot chips, mini donuts covered with caramel & candies, cakes, pastas, etc. After finally deciding on dinner, we settled down on our blanket eating our spinach and mushroom pizza and listening to Sweet Home Alabama playing in the background. Ahh...if it wasn't for the salty sea breeze coming from the Indian Ocean, I would have thought I was home.

The next morning, we got up entirely too early to be sure we caught the high tide. This family actually thought they were going to get me to wakeboard. I watched as teacher's daughter flawlessly glided across the water like she had special lessons from Jesus himself. As I strapped my feet into the board, I reminded myself that she was a triathlete and there was no way I'd be nearly as good. I did give it my all until I felt that my arms would absolutely fall off and I could not longer grip a pencil, much less a rope being dragged behind a speeding boat. I didn't quite get up all the way, but they told me we could try again the next morning.

After a pleasant boat ride, we went to explore another market. This market was full of local foods, drinks, crafts, arts, and my personal favorite, junk. We perused for hours before leaving empty handed. I am so proud of myself for withholding and not buying everything in sight. However, this will not last long--I'm sure I'll find some things to bring back to my friends and family.

Since it was about 12 noon, we figured it was a perfect time to go nap on the beach for a couple hours. The beach was beautiful, and Ali and I were thrilled it wasn't quite as windy as the beaches in PE.

On Sunday morning, we again raced to get to the waters before the sun rose. I tried again at wakeboarding. While I am not going to be in any competitions anytime soon, I did thoroughly enjoy myself. And this must be said: the wakeboard I was using was only four inches shorter than me--that is entirely too big for me being such a shortie. If anyone has access to a smaller board, I'm sure I would glide over the waters like an angel. Thank you.

The rest of the day, we relaxed and rested. It was such a wonderful and fun weekend. I loved spending time with the family and being welcomed into their home. They were so kind and stuffed us full of fresh fruits and vegetables. Perfect! Ta ta for now!

It's Nice to be Liked

2010-02-25T03:22:00.000-08:00

Despite the fact that I find myself using my "teacher voice" more than I ever thought possible, my kids actually like me. I know that isn't the point of teaching, but any teacher will freely admit that it's nice to be liked.

On Valentine's Day, many of my students brought be goodies and notes. On random days, I'll receive other little gifts, such as muffins or sweets. One student even gave me a beautiful piece of rose quartz "to remember her and the class by" when I leave. Everyday, students from my class and the classes I've subbed in chase me for hugs. However, it wasn't until the other day that I received the best compliment of all.

One of my boys (we'll call him Caleb), shouted across the nearly empty room, "Miss Macintire, why don't you have a boyfriend?" I am not even sure how he knew that I was single, but I just laughed and humored him by replying, "I'm not sure, Caleb. It must be because I'm all the way in South Africa."

A few minutes later, Caleb came up to me and said, "My parents are divorced because they argued too much. And my mom lives ALL the way in Capetown." I wasn't sure why he was telling me this, but I told him that it's sad when parents divorce. I told him my parents were divorced too--sometimes that happens. I pointed out that it was nice he got to spend a lot of time with his dad--just the boys! I thought the was the end...

After the bell rang to let school out, he came up to me with his hands pressed against his mouth. "What's up, Caleb?" I asked. He was obviously embarrassed by what he wanted to say. "My dad..." he tried to suppress his nervous laughter. "My dad is really nice!" He quickly scurried out of the room as I started to piece this all together. But surely it was my imagination.

After I walked the class outside and I was giving my final hugs for the day, he came up to me again. "Miss Macintire, my dad told me to tell you that he kind of likes you." I tried so hard not to laugh! Now I am absolutely sure that this dad said nothing of the sort since I have never met or seen him. However, how flattered am I that my student wants me to be his new mom! Like I said--best compliment of all! However, it may be slightly awkward when I meet his dad in a couple of weeks at Parent Night.

Lions, Elephants, and Rhinos--Oh My!

2010-02-15T10:57:00.000-08:00

We finally got to go on a real safari! This past weekend has been the
best by far! On Saturday, we went to Schotia, which is a 3,000 acre
game reserve only 45 minutes from PE. We had the owner's son, Justin,
pick us up at our house and be our private tour guide (yes, we are
that important). As we drove into the reserve, we were greeted by
wildebeests, zebras, and some red hartebeests. One of the zebra's
stripes didn't match up on his back thigh, and Justin told us that it
was where a lion had attacked him. We drove on and saw many
springboks, blesboks, vervet monkeys, warthogs, kudu, ostriches, etc.
However, we were mostly excited to see the giraffes, hippos, rhinos,
and LIONS!

They only have seven lions in Schotia, and we got to see four of them.
Unfortunately, they had just eaten so we didn't get to see any
exciting hunt like on the Discovery Channel. The males were so
exhausted from stuffing themselves that they just laid by the road.
Justin let me hop of the top of the vehicle and stand just 20 feet
away from the lion (it's always smart to ask)! It was so exciting! I
can practically say that I was almost attacked by a lion because if he
wanted, he could have had me.

That night, on our way to Bushcamp, we drove around to see some night
animals. We saw a lot of the antelope family, spring hares, zebras,
and the lions. On our drive we saw a spring hare hopping quickly
towards a springbok walking the other direction. They both must have
been blinded by the spotlight because they ran right into each other!
They both seemed quite stunned and walked away a little shaken. It
was pretty hilarious!

Bushcamp is literally that. From the outside it looks like a cluster
of trees, but as you get closer you can see a small gate. Through the
gate, there is a clearing with a couple of sleep cabins and a bathroom
set around a bonfire. Not a lot of people get to stay here, but, as
mentioned earlier, we are special.

In the morning, we drove around the park to visit our animal friends
again before we headed to Addo Elephant Park. We met Ali's
cooperating teacher there so she could give us the grand tour. It
hasn't sufficiently rained here in 8 months so we knew we would
probably see some elephants around the watering holes. However, I was
stunned when I was greeted with about 50 elephants at the first water
holes. There were herds of them! They were playing in the water and
tossing mud on their bodies to protect themselves from the sun. There
were babies nestled closely to their mothers for protection. I nearly
cried at the site. (As you should know, if you know anything about
me, elephants are my absolute favorite animal.)

We continued driving to see more of the watering holes, and we met so
many elephants along the way. Throughout the park, we probably saw a
total of 200 to 300 elephants. It was such an amazing experience.
While we didn't really see any other animals (just some
antelope-family-boks, warthogs, and jackals), we definitely got our
fill of elephants. I am open to falling in love with a safari guide
and moving here—just so you all know.

Canoeing on the Sundays River

2010-02-15T10:53:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, as in February 6th, we went on a "canoe safari" on the
Sundays River. We met our oh-so-handsome guide, Chris, at his
parents' beautiful Bed & Breakfast, Crislin. Minutes later, we were
hopping into our canoes and faced with a narrow canal and lots of
reeds. I had stated from the beginning that I wanted to sit up front,
but because Jessica has a fancy camera, she won the front of our
canoe, and I was stuck steering. Apparently, canoeing is not
necessarily a skill you remember if you haven't done it since you were
in your early teens.

I tried my hardest to steer the canoe away from the reeds with my
feeble arms but failed miserably for the first half of the river.
Luckily, Jessica broke most of the reeds and brush with her face and
body before they reached me.

The river was beautiful and so peaceful. Chris told us he had grown
up on the river and spent time finding fossils and spotting wildlife.
Even just the other day, he was searching through the dirt and spotted
an off white object. He dug around the object and discovered a two
foot long piece of an elephant's ivory tusk. He showed it to us, and
I even got to pick it up. It was extremely heavy and about 8 inches
in diameter. He said the elephant was about 58 years old when it was
killed for this tusk. He called a museum, and they priced it at
around R2,000,000 (about $300,000).

We knew that this "safari" was really a bird safari, and we really
wouldn't see any other wildlife. However, we were so excited to spot
a Goliath Heron. This bird was as tall as me and looked prehistoric
as it walked on the bank. As we were snapping pictures, we heard a
splash and a small moan in the water close by. We looked over and saw
a small brown nose peeking out from the water. As the animal pushed
up for air, we realized it was a baby donkey—drowning!

We yelled for Chris to come over. I was terrified he would brush it
off and say something about not wanting to interfere with the circle
of life. In the distance, we could hear the mother donkey braying for
her son. Chris rushed over and shouted for us to check our canoes for
rope. I found a short piece and was terrified it wouldn't be long
enough. However, Chris quickly tied the rope around his neck, and he
and his friend, JP, began to pull. Chris decided he would have to get
in the water to push the baby donkey out over the bank. He saw that
there was a huge drop off and no place for the donkey to stand. After
much struggling and avoiding being kicked, Chris pushed the exhausted
donkey onto dry land. The donkey stood there breathing heavily but
nearly unharmed other than a small scrape on his nose.

Obviously, this was a fantastic event for me to witness and will live
in my memory forever.

I Love Trees

2010-02-04T03:25:00.000-08:00

Yes, I love trees. If you know anything about me, you probably know that trees are my favourite thing in the world. I love absolutely everything about them, and this past weekend, I spent every moment in the trees.

Saturday morning, we drove 2 1/2 hours to Tsitsikamma to go tree-top canopy ziplining. I wasn't nervous at all until our instructor, Distin, told us to be careful that we didn't place our hands in the wrong place because we might cut off our fingers or pull our arm out of socket. Oh, yes, and don't hold on too tight. Well, that's nice. I'm sliding 90 meters above the ground and you don't want me to hold on too tight. Easy. The first couple of lines I was every so slightly shaky and didn't really want to look down. However, I soon got the hang of it and zipped over beautiful trees and giant ferns only to land on 600+ year-old trees. Yes, I hugged the trees. On my last zipline, I felt so comfortable, I gave a little booty dance for the camera.

Now this next part I debated putting in my blog because I would hate for my mother and aunt to think me irresponsible. However, here it is.

That night we were going to be spending the night in a treehouse. Yes, a grown-up treehouse--just like the one I hope to someday live in. It was one of the girl's birthday so we want to buy a bit of booze to celebrate in our treehouse. However, it is illegal to sell alcohol after 5 p.m. in South Africa. Who knew? Well, we didn't. A lady at the grocery store recommended that we go to a bar and ask to buy their alcohol for take-out. This was promptly shut down by a couple of bars. However, a man at one bar told us he could take us to a shebeen (a place that sells alcohol illegally usually in black neighbourhoods in South Africa) where we could buy some. Well, that sounded a bit shady. However, the lady bartender said we would be very safe if this man went with us but we could not go alone because it was a "coloured" area.

I don't know if I can defend why we decided to do this, but we did. We got in our car and hid our wallets, pulling out only enough cash for the alcohol. We followed this man first to the gas station so he could pick up a black man who knew that neighborhood. As we drove, we did not feel nervous at all. The neighbourhood was not as "dodgy" as the bartender had suggested. Two of us got out of the car and went to purchase the alcohol from the shebeen while the rest of us stayed in the car. No one ever even looked at us except to smile and wave. There were children walked around and celebrating a birthday party. It felt completely safe. The girls who went in the shebeen said it was very relaxed and they even danced a little to the loud music playing. I know that this could have turned out to be a semi-scary situation, but I am glad we did it. After all, we got our bit of booze and celebrated Jessica's birthday in our treehouse.

The Tanekwa treehouse was absolutely amazing! I would live there if I could. There are 8 treehouses spread out over a hill-each one with a loo with a view. Yes, you could shower while looking out over the trees and the sunrise. The entire place is eco-friendly. Our toilet was a composting toilet, our water was pumped from the (brown but clean) river below, and our drinking water was purified rainwater. In the morning, we hiked all the way down the mountain to swim in the Coca-Cola River (actually called the Caratara River). The water is stained brown from the trees in the forest, but it is perfectly clean and tastes sweet and smooth.

Unfortunately, we did not get to stay at Tanekwa for very long because we had a four hour drive back home. On the way home, we stopped at a cafe for some lunch and watched a monkey steal some bread and skimper off (as I chased him). We also stopped along the way to snap some pictures of wild blessboks in a pasture of horses. However, we didn't get any pictures of the ostriches that I saw, but we'll get plenty of pictures later--when we ride them! :) What a great weekend!

Surfin' Safari

2010-01-25T03:42:00.001-08:00

On our first weekend, after a long week at school, we decided to rent a car and head to Jeffrey's Bay. J Bay is known by surfers worldwide for it's constant waves. So what did we decide to do while we were there? Surf, of course!

We signed up for a 2 hour lesson with a wonderful instructor, Andrew. He told us that we were "literally going to stand right up on our boards" by the end of it. Oh, how easy it sounds! However, it's a little harder than that. We spent two hours catching the waves, falling off, and fighting our way back out there to do it all over again. It was the most fun I have had in a long time! I absolutely loved it! No, I am not a natural born surfer, but I did stand up and got to experience surfing for about a half-second. It was amazing. A few of us had so much fun that we are hoping to rent boards in PE and try our luck again.

After surfing, we were exhausted. We lounged on the beach for a bit and watched the dolphins swim by. Then we ate at was Jeanine said is the "only Mexican resataurant in South Africa." It was quite different than the Mexican restaurants we've got at home. So, please, go out and have a veggie quesadilla and a margarita on the rocks for me!

We decided to keep our rental car for one more day. On Sunday, we drove about 15 minutes to Seaview Lion Park. As we pulled into the park, we were greeted by several springboks and blesboks. We were so excited but hurried to the back of the park in hopes of catching the lion feeding. We were a little disappointed to see that the lions were in fenced in areas. It was more like seeing them in a zoo than in the wild. However, they were still quite beautiful creatures, and we got to see them eating. It was actually very gross to was a lioness rip into a dead cow--but that's the Circle of Life!

We then drove past some free roaming baby giraffes with their parents and a family of wildebeasts to get to the place where they kept the cubs. For about $7, we got to hang out with and pet 6 month old lion cubs. One of them, Melissa, was hanging out in a tree, and she licked my head and began chewing my hair. Yes, I'm in Africa!

We also got to see 4 week old tiger cubs! They were precious and sucking on little pacifiers. I also really enjoyed the meerkats. They reminded me so much of my mom's chihuahua Zach!

It was a wonderful first weekend! Now I am back in school and still adjusting to the many differences between American schools and South African schools. I'll tell you more on that later! Until then, Hakuna Matata, friends!

Port Elizabeth

2010-01-21T03:07:00.000-08:00

Hello, my wonderful family & friends! I appologise for not posting earlier, but, yes, I have made it safely to my new home. Port Elizabeth is a beautiful city, and I live just a short walk from the warm, though windy, beach with the deep blue waters of the Indian Ocean. I live in a home with I believe a total of 15 people though not everyone has arrived yet. There are also 3 dogs and one squawky parrot. But before you get worried about my jampacked quarters, you must realise that there is the main house and two flats. My flat only has six girls in it, and I share a room with Margot. Yes, we are packed like sardines, but I actually like that. I never get the chance to feel homesick because there is always something going on and someone to talk to.

Jeanine, my host mom, is a certified chef! I was worried before I came to this meat-loving society that I might have to fend for myself and live off rice and beans for four months. However, Jeanine has catered to me every night. She has even experimented with soy-based "meats"!

I have been placed in a 3rd grade classroom at Herbert Hurd Primary. I love it! However, it is so very different than a classroom in the States. The schools here are very strict. Although my teacher is very kind, she constantly yells at the students. They seem to have little room for creativity and personal expression. And, as I expected, the teachers tell the students what they should know, rather than allowing them to explore on their own and construct their own knowledge. It seems that they are very behind the average American 3rd graders; however, perhaps my perspective will change as I spend more time here.

My school is also a public school. I was surprised to learn this because my students wear uniforms, and it is a Christian school. How is this possible? Well, apparently, there are very few public schools where students do not pay--those are mostly in the townships. After apartheid, there was a flood of children coming to school. To maintain proper education with a decent teacher to student ration, the schools began to charge tuition. Parents can choose where to send their students, but some schools are far more expensive than others.

Another thing I am adjusting to is the spelling and words they use here. I have learned so many fun words! My students will speak to me, and I often have no idea what they are talking about, but I am learning. Tackies are sneakers. Rubbers are erasers. Robots are traffic lights. Full stops are periods. Costumes are bathing suits. Wind-ups or gems are crayons (wind-ups being twistables!). Pritt is glue. Croakies are markers. There are so many more, and I will post them as I learn them. I love it! I plan to come back with a poor SA accent and tossing around phrases like, "Oh, la, I forgot my costume!" and "I like wind-ups much better than croakies." I know, you can't wait!

I have yet to have too many adventures yet, but we plan to travel each weekend. This weekend, we are going to Jeffrey's Bay to experience some amazing surfing! Well, it may end up being a disaster with me on a surfboard, but it should be fun nonetheless!

I miss and love you all!

Sweet South Africa!

2010-01-06T18:15:00.001-08:00

Who would have thought that I would have the opportunity to return to the beautiful continent of Africa? In one short week, I will be boarding a plane and heading to the magnificent country of South Africa. I will spend the first night in Johannesburg and then continue to my final destination of Port Elizabeth. I can hardly wait to experience everything that this wondrous country holds! Of course, I will be spending the majority of my time occupied with my teaching internship at Herbert Hurd Primary. However, I intend to fill every second of free time with beach bumming, safariing, shark diving, elephant trekking, lion taming, scuba diving, and banana & mango eating! Okay, maybe I won't tame any lions, but I sure hope to fulfill the other things on that list.

I am so very blessed to have this experience! I will try to update this blog more than I did when I was in Rwanda; after all, I will be gone for four months. Luckily, internet access is far less scarce than it is in Rwanda.

Hakuna Matata, baby!

Almost Home

2009-07-12T02:55:00.000-07:00

I leave in just one short day. While I love Rwanda and my Rwandan family and I will cry terribly when I leave, I am finally excited to come home. I miss my family, my friends, my cat (of course), and all the comforts of home. I look forward to sleeping in my own bed, eating something other than rice, taking hot showers, wearing clean clothes, having clean feet, using my electric toothbrush, swimming in the pool, exercising, riding my bike, and driving my car.

But even as I write this, I think of all the things I will miss, and I am getting teary-eyed! I will miss my family that I am staying with so much. They have been so kind and really welcomed me into their home. I will miss the children, Angela, Angeline, and Padou. I will miss the fresh fruit. I will miss the friends I've made here. I will miss the thousand hills. I will miss the feeling you get after you wash your hair for the first time in a week. And, yes, I will even miss the food...just maybe not right away.

I will definitely have to come back to Rwanda! This has been a great trip and a wonderful experience. I'll be back in Auburn on Wednesday evening (just in time to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince)!

A Perfect Rwandan Birthday!

2009-07-08T02:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I turned 23 years old! I can't believe I am nearing my mid-twenties...I don't know if I like this. However, I could not have asked for a better birthday. I woke up early and took my time to head downtown to meet my friend (Becky) for pizza and a cinnamon roll at one of my favorite restaurants. Even though I had promised myself that I would not buy anymore souvenirs until the last day, we ended up shopping afterward. I figured it was okay to buy myself a small birthday gift...or two. I bought myself some earrings and a necklace, and Becky also bought me a pair of beautiful silver leaf earrings.

We actually ended up shopping and milling around Kigali for a while. Later that night, we headed back to the house where the family was including Patrick and Alex. After Alex gave me my birthday gift, Patrick told me I must come out into the living room. I came out and there on the table was a beautiful display of cookies, peanuts, crackers, cheese, and a big birthday cake with a large flame shooting out of it! Everyone began singing and clapping, "Happy birthday to you!" I literally teared up and was completely surprised. The whole family was there including some close friends. We all sat around eating, drinking (lots of booze!), and celebrating my birthday!

After a while, Patrick gave me the best gift--a Rwandan name! My name is now Rebecca Holly Munezero Macintire. Munezero means happiness--I definitely think it suits me. They also gave me a gigantic heart shaped box full of delicious chocolates. Needless to say, at this point I was on a huge sugar rush! I also have a card from them signed by the whole family.

It was truly the most wonderful birthday I could ask for. I am so happy that I was here in Rwanda to celebrate my 23 years on this earth. And now I get to look forward to celebrating with my family at home in just about a week.

Tom Close

2009-07-05T02:34:00.000-07:00

Even though I have no job, I have been keeping very busy! Friday night, Alex, Patrick, a new girl we met named Becky, and I headed to Butare which is about three hours away from Kigali to meet up with the FSU students and go to a concert. Tom Close is a famous Rwandan pop star, and he was putting on a benefit concert to help raise money for GPE. We stood out in the cold trying to sell tickets for about two hours which was somewhat miserable, but finally the fun began. We got to listen to about five other "musicians" first..."musicians" is a very strong term for some of the people we heard. It was so interesting because everybody there just sat while listening to the music--nobody was dancing! I can't imagine going to a concert and not dancing!

One of my friends and I decided that we wanted to dance so we hopped up on stage with one of the singers and danced for a song. It was so exciting! And finally, when Tom Close came out, everyone swarmed to the front and began dancing. We also hopped up on stage with Tom to sing "Si beza" with him, which is his most popular song. After the concert, we continued the dancing at a bar with some friends we had met in Kigali who happened to be at the concert too. It was a very fun night!

Yesterday was of course America's Independce Day, but it was also Rwanda's Liberation Day. Unfortunately, we missed the parade in Kigali because we were still on our way back from Butare. However, later that night, Becky, Patrick, and I went to a Liberation Day concert in Kigali. We were danced out though from the night before so it wasn't quite as fun as the night before! I do enjoy a lot of the music here though, and I was absolutely ecstatic when one musician began to play "Hakuna Matata!" I was finally able to sing along to a song! It absolutely made my night!

Barackin' in Burundi!

2009-07-01T03:44:00.000-07:00

On Saturday morning, I went with the FSU crew to Burundi. I had no idea what to expect, but I was told it was like Rwanda was thirty years ago. Bujumbura is much poorer and much dirtier than Kigali. However, it definitely has its perks. We ate so well! We had the best Chinese food, delicious pizzas, ice cream, fresh croissants and pastries, and decent wine! I was so happy for this change because I have literally had the same meal for the past three weeks. And even though we were very close to the only mizungus (white people) in the whole country, we were not stared at nearly as much. It was refreshing to be able to walk around without having masses of people stare you down and shout "Mizungu!" I am not sure what you picture as "Burundi," but google "lake tanganyika" and, hopefully, you will find some pictures of where we spent our days. We basked in the warm sun one of the most beautiful beaches I have seen. If I could upload pictures, you would swear it was Hawaii! It was a great weekend and, definitely, worth the six hour bus ride to get there! Two countries down in Africa! Where will I go next?

In loving memory of Michael Jackson...

2009-06-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

As I sat in the empty waiting room of a small doctors' office in downtown Kigali, waiting to receive a magical drug to cure my stomach pains, a nurse flipped on the television. The room was instantly filled with the sorrowful news that our dear iconic legend, Michael Jackson, was dead. Suddenly, my stomach pains grew as I began to mourn the loss of the greatest pop star of all time. Nurses were abuzz with the news in Kinyarwanda, but I could see the sadness etched across their faces as they said, "Jackson? Michael!?" Yes, even here in the heart of Africa, we are feeling the shock of losing such a talented man. Of course, we can all agree that MJ was a very unique character. At times, we may have even questioned said character, but, all in all, I think we can agree that Michael Jackson had superior talent and will be remembered warmly for generations and generations to come. Rest in Peace, Michael!

That being said, I can give you a bit of an update on my life. I did get my magical drugs and am recovering quite well. However, there has been quite the turn of events! I no longer have a job. Yes, well this is Africa, and things are different here so I am just going with the flow, but my school is testing beginning on Monday. They just told me today, and the testing will last two weeks...and I have two weeks left. Fancy that! I have no idea what I will be doing the remainder of my trip, but I will let you know as soon as I do! I will make sure it is exciting!

Dreams of baked cheetos...

2009-06-22T01:44:00.000-07:00

Things have altogether been going very well! It turns out that I actually have about 800 students because half come in the morning and half in the afternoon. I teach 8 lessons each day. Last week was so frustrating, and I even found myself questioning my career choice. I was angry with myself for becoming frustrated with my students. However, this week is already looking up! I spoke with a TEFL professor, and she gave me some great pointers on working with children who don't speak any English. This mornings lessons went wonderfully, and I cannot wait to return this afternoon!

I finally got a bit sick, but luckily it was just during the weekend, and I feel recovered enough to teach this week. I did find myself missing comfort foods, like ginger ale, saltines, and mac & cheese. Last night, I dreamed of Baked Cheetos...but really, that is every night. I wish my mom would spend about $100+ and FedEx me a bag. :) I also got ever-so-slightly homesick, but it didn't last long! Sorry, I'm not ready to come home yet!!

I spent the weekend in Gitarama, where you can actually see the millions of stars that speckle our sky. It is the most beautiful sight. In Kigali, a thick layer of smog lays heavily on the city, so star gazing is not an option. I wish that I could post some picture for you to see because this country is truly the most beautiful place.

If you want to email me, please email macinrh@gmail.com because my Auburn email is too slow.

Yes, I am here!

2009-06-16T02:32:00.000-07:00

Muraho! I am so sorry that I have not posted. Internet is more scare than I had hoped. However, now that I am comfortable enough to make it to downtown Kigali by myself, I should be able to access more. I do not think I will be able to post pictures though because #1 the boy who lives in the house I am staying at accidentally erased all of my photos and #2 the connection is very slow!

Rwanda is beautiful. It truly is the land of one thousand hills. Unfortunately, the pollution in Kigali is quite awful, so my lungs are definitely adjusting. I feel like I have been smoking a pack a day...

I began teaching at Kacyiru Primary school yesterday. I teach four English lessons every day to P2 and P3 children. There is a total of 400 students, but I do not see them all everyday. Keep me in your thoughts becasue it is draining and not very rewarding. The children speak very little English and do not understand me. I have had to begin with the alphabet. I just hope that I can somehow leave a positive impact on these children and their teachers. The children are very kind and polite. All of the people are very wonderful.

My living situation is absolutely ideal. I live with Patrick, his two sisters and their four children, and Alex from FSU. I love having the children there! They are wonderful!

I will hopefully post soon! I love and miss you all very much! (and I greatly miss baked Cheetos)

Welcome to My Blog!

2009-05-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

I decided to start this blog to keep my family and friends updated while I am gallivanting around Rwanda this summer. I may not post that often, but I'll try to add some pictures and info for you every now and then!

I fly out of Washington, DC on June 5th and arrive in Kigali, Rwanda on the 6th. I will be there until July 14th.