Slowly into an oral tradition

We have only been here since for four days and it is easy to fall into a slower, rural pace of life here.  North America seems like a long ways away from the smells, tastes, sounds and sights of rural Rwanda.

The sun rises and sets at six.  The sounds of birds calling in the morning and through the day are delicious.   Sometimes at eight in the morning I am already sweating as the sun is strong here. Rice, beans, potatoes (reg/sweet) are served every lunch and dinner.

Looking down at the village from the school at ASYV

The new family moms came on Sunday night.  In the village, there will be 8 new families from the 125 new kids that will come this year (bringing the number of youth in the village to 500).  Families are made up of 16 kids with one mom that lives with them in a house for the 4 years they are at the village.  Each family will also have a big brother/sister (counselor) and a cousin (international volunteers).

On Monday, training with the new moms and all the people involved with the new students began.  The training has been great- but long, primarily because it has to be translated both in Kinyarwanda and English.  (The language taught in highschool and university is English because the Rwandan government decided in 2008 that education should be instructed in English.  Before the language of instruction was French- and of course before that Rwandans taught their young people in Kinyarwanda).  The seminars have been very thorough so far in relation to the history of Rwandan, history of education in the country, teaching and learning styles in the village and team building exercises.

The other side of the ridge from Mount Kigali

We learned a whole bunch of Rwandan proverbs about education today.  One that I liked was  (roughly translated) '  The one who works with youngsters should carry bandages'.  This is because young people make mistakes (as everyone does), but young people  are more likely do make mistakes because of their inexperience.

looking at Kigali from the road to Mount Kigali

Also there is one that says 'an educator is like a candle- you burn while giving light'.  To say, being a teacher is not an easy job- but you give light/knowledge/hope to the people you teach. Interesting.....