Moon / zie de maan schijnt

I am the moon.

George

We found a tiny little friend in our bedroom. A couple days later he was in our shower.

Say hello to George. He is just a couple of inches tall.

Work news

A bit late, but I realised I didn't post this yet.

When we came back from holiday it was announced that the embasador will be going back to the Netherlands asap for health reasons. He will be flying on the 11th of December.

A week it became apparent that my boss will be leaving next summer in stead of the summer after, on her request.

Number two is leaving next summer, because of his retirement.

This means that we will have a whole new management team by next year.

For further details give us a call on Skype.

Correction

News is not controlled.

A report showed that freedom of press was bad in Rwanda, so the president called a meeting with the press to explain that they should be more possitive.

So if the president says so, it must be true.

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

Limbo

...and patience running low

We are still waiting for news on the car. It left Dar es Salaam on the 10th November, so should be here in Kigali already - and then we have to wait for the paperwork to clear!

The house is now empty - hope to get the keys today - and to move in next Friday once minor repairs and repainting has taken place.

I'm very excited about finally setting up home so we can settle in - oh and getting my hands on some of our belongings which I'm missing after three months.

Kinyarwanda cyanje n'igikye

Or - I speak a little Kinyarwandan

I don't, but I'm hoping to pick up a bit more in the coming months. I've typed these out hoping something will stick

Muraho - Hello
Mwaramutze - Good Morning
Mwiriwe - Good Afternoon/Evening
Murakoze - Thank you
Yego - Yes
Oya - No
Amakuru/Bite - How are you?
Nimeza - Fine
Witwande - What is your name?
Nitwa... - My name is...
Ryare - When (pronounced dgyare)
Hehe - Where
Mzungu - White person. Or... really just any lighter skinned person

A link to a blog with a much bigger posting about the Kinyarwandan language

It all still sounds very alien to my ears, and quite harsh. I'm hoping that with more exposure I'll start to recognise things more.

Druk knoppie

The language in South Africa was funny. For an English speaking person the accent is funny for a Dutch speaking person the Afrikaans is funny.

Example for pressing the button at a traffic light:
Druk knoppie, wach tot verkeer staan, loop vinnig oor.

And double negatives: nie doen nie.

I can't think of any more examples now, but they make everything funny.


You just have to come yourself and see!

Obviously posted by Lon, not by Hazel.