Thursday, 22 November 2007

Some things

Some things I like a lot about Rwanda
  • little brown feet poking out at the hips of women carrying babies
  • mobile phone boys who are on every corner, so you can always make a call
  • plastic carrier bags are illegal
  • that you will see almost anything being transported by moto taxi (goats, chairs, mattresses etc)
  • umbrellas are for protecting babies from the sun, and are pretty pointless when it rains
  • ladies carrying mini markets in baskets on their heads
  • that ordinary people and the news sound(s) a bit like management text books, using words like capacity building, cooperativism, mandate, key performance indicators
  • that when there is too much traffic in one direction, the traffic police override the traffic lights to improve flow
  • impressive and incomprehensible greetings - there are intricate gentle headbuts (almost maori) and hand shaking involving holding wrists, and then fingers
  • hearing the hymns sung in the local church, services are apparently not confined to Sundays as I've heard them in full swing on a Tuesday morning (rehearsal??)

Some things I like a lot less about Rwanda
  • being called muzungu constantly
  • being stalked by mosquitoes
  • the up down up look given by just about everyone with a look of disdain
  • that driving is a secondary activity to calling on the phone, chatting to passengers or just checking out the talent
  • that investigating your nose is a hobby
  • that the news is so controlled
I may add to this from time to time but thats what I can think of right now

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good to see the like list is longer than the 'like less'!!

Be great to see pics of the mini markets on their heads ad of course the little brown feet:)

Perhaps we should invent a mosquito body net that is stylish (he he) and can be worn at all times....

Anonymous said...

And maybe less great to see pics of the nasal excavations...!

George / Greg