Work and Wedding

Yes, I am still alive and kicking in Kigali. Guess it’s about time for another blog post. I’ve been fairly busy, but not so much to justify the lack of posts. That I attribute to my adjustment to the slow pace of life here. A useful excuse for when I need it, although the rest of the time it frustrates me. Things happen much slower here in Rwanda than we’re used to in Canada. It’s not uncommon for people to change their program, or cancel a meeting with you last minute. I had probably 5 or so meetings changed at the last minute last week alone. On one occasion, I even showed up to find the person I was looking for, who had confirmed he would be there, was not. As I type, I am waiting for a potential interpreter to meet me at my office. It’s 2:24PM and she was supposed to be here at 2:00PM. I am not surprised, but I was still hopeful, since she cancelled our meeting on Friday.

Speaking of my office.. I thought I would kill two birds with one stone and get credit for an internship (required by my Bridge Fellowship) at the same time as I conduct my fieldwork for my thesis. I was originally hoping to intern at a UN agency in Rwanda, but they are not very involved with coffee cooperatives at the field level. In the meantime I learned about SPREAD, a Texas A&M University-led and USAID-funded project promoting agribusiness in Rwanda. SPREAD is assisting me with desk space, wireless Internet, and transport to the field for my research. In return, I will write a report based on my research findings to inform their coffee projects. It’s nice to have a home base from which to conduct my research, and to be around friendly colleagues whose brains I can pick from time to time.

I was excited to discover that SPREAD has a small lunch room with a water cooler (exciting because it means drinking water is available easily!), kettle for tea and coffee, and a bar fridge and microwave. So my first day at the office I went out and bought yoghurt, muesli, and fruit for my lunches, excited to eat something other than beans and bananas, etc. Also on my first day, a colleague who brings her lunch to work offered to share with me. I didn’t try to explain that I really just wanted to eat my yoghurt, since it would have been rude to refuse her offer, and few Rwandans would consider a cold lunch of yoghurt and fruit a meal at all. Those who don’t bring dinner leftovers to heat in the microwave, eat in restaurants, or at the least drink sugared milky tea with chapatti or bread.

[Interpreter update: 2:42PM and she just called to say she is coming. It started raining about 15 minutes ago, so she explained that she was on a moto taxi and had to stop somewhere to wait it out. Hard to imagine for us Vancouverites, but when it rains here everything comes to a standstill. True, the rain comes down so hard that it splashes the dusty red dirt all over you, especially obvious on my white legs, so most people stay inside where they are or take cover at the nearest shelter until the rain passes and they can continue with their day.]

So, from my first day at the SPREAD office until now, my colleague brings enough food for both of us to eat lunch. She heats a heaped plate of the usual Rwandan fare in the microwave, then puts it on the table with two forks and we dig in. So goodbye dreams of cheese and tomato sandwiches and yoghurt and fruit and muesli. But thank you to the generosity and kindness of my colleague.

Once I find an interpreter I like I will be able to start my fieldwork. It will be a relief to get to the field and feel like I am accomplishing what I came here to do. Laying the groundwork is time consuming and stressful, since I have so much to do in little time, and by myself.

This weekend I was able to take in a lot of Rwandan culture. I was invited to attend my coworker’s cousin’s wedding reception on Saturday, which was surprisingly like it would be in Canada. We didn’t attend the church wedding, but went straight to the hall where the reception was being held around 5PM. I had time to gaze around the room and take in the decorations while we waited for the bride and groom to arrive after getting their photos taken. There were round tables with white table clothes and white slip covered chairs with orange bows, and a matching head table at the front of the room. There were two tables on either side of the head table for the heads of the bride and groom’s families. The tables had flower centrepieces and candies in hand-tied sachets as guest gifts. When the bride and groom finally entered there were speeches, and then a traditional dance performance by a hired dance troop accompanied by traditional drumming and singing. We each received a fanta during the performance. Then the 4 or 5 tiered cake was cut and the bride and groom presented cake to the other’s family as a sign of thanks. The rest of the cake was cut up and served to the 400 or so guests. Everyone who brought a gift to the wedding presented it (wrapped) to the couple at the front of the room, some giving speeches as they did so. Not everyone brings a gift, since all the guests are expected to contribute prior to the wedding in cash to contribute to the costs of the ceremony. Only those who want to bring gifts. After the presentation of gifts there was another song and dance by the dance troop, and then it was over. The party moved on to the couple’s new home, where the bride’s family arrives with all her things for the house. The husband is supposed to build/buy a home and furnish it, and the bride’s family brings her personal belongings as well as dishes, cooking supplies, oil, etc. for the home. We didn’t attend the ceremony, since we didn’t have a car to get to it. Instead we went back to my colleague’s home and watched TV (I’m telling, you, I’ve watched more TV during the past 3 weeks in Africa than during than during the entire year at home) and had dinner and then she and her husband dropped me off at home.

On Sunday I went with the girl I live with, and her friend, to the salon to have her hair relaxed and styled. Thank you to the Mom I live with for advising me to take my novel. We were at the salon for 4 hours I think.

Sunday evening I bussed into town to the Serena Hotel, the fanciest hotel in Rwanda, to watch the country’s top traditional dancers perform. It was beautiful to see the many traditional Rwandan dances, for both men and women. The dancers wear bells around their ankles and stomp to the beat of the drums, but at the same time move their arms so gracefully. I was happy my friend invited me, since I have never seen that calibre of Rwandan dancing before, although it is always beautiful.

I will leave you with that, as I see this post has started to become a novel. My meeting finally just occurred, and I have to work out what interpreter to hire.