Photos from Musanze‏ (see previous post for comments from Kelly)

 
 

Musanze....

Got up quite early today to catch our 7am bus ride through the mountains of Rwanda again, but this time  it was much more pleasant.  The 2 hr bus ride was nothing compared to the 7 hr bus ride yesterday.  This bus driver didn't drive as crazy as the last one. We're getting much more comfortable with making our way around the bus station, with the all the people and craziness. We're learning to be much more assertive when it comes to telling some of the pushy people to back off.  Whereas in Canada, that would be considered so rude.  Don't get me wrong, Rwandans are lovely, welcoming people but a lot of the men on the street wanting to sell you stuff or get you a taxi , etc.... can be VERY pushy. However, once you say no and turn away, most times they back off.

The bus ride through the mountains was beautiful as always, with lush, green forest and loads of banana tree plantations. You can see the plots of farmlands with defined boundary lines, all over the mountains.  Where and how they farm, blows me away because they are literally plowing on the side of the mountains.  When you see the people farming they look like they are vertical. It seems like one little slip and they would go sliding down the side of the mountain.

In Musanze (in the province of Ruhengeri, in Rwanda) we're staying at this neat little hotel called Hotel Muhabura.  Apparently its well known for hosting Dianne Fossey, a famous women who spent years living with and studying gorillas, in the mountains of Rwanda.  She worked for National Geographic back in the late 70s and pushed to stop the poaching of gorillas. Unfortunately ,she was killed in 1985 in those mountains....more than likely by poachers.  

Shortly after we arrived in Musanze, we met with our Compassion Canada host John, to meet Mutoni Aime, which has been Chloe's sponsor sister for approximately 5 years.  It was so exciting!  First, we went to the church where each child, who is enrolled in the Compassion program, goes to weekly.  It's an amazing program that teaches life skills, monitors their health and makes sure they're keeping  up in school. Most importantly, they teach the children about Christ and the Word of God, along with good values, morals and work ethics. I was really impressed with the accountability.  They showed us Mutoni's file and her progress. We then went to Mutoni's home.  She immediately embraced us and her family was so welcoming.  Chloe and Mutoni hit it off right away. It was incredible to see them interact with one another. Mutoni showed Chloe her bedroom and we could hear them talking away, as if there was no language barrier... even though there definitely was.  Chloe gave Mutoni an english Bible with both of their pictures on the inside cover and a dress that fit her perfectly. It looked so lovely on her with her dark complexion (she's wearing it in the picture).  Mutoni lives with 4 of her 11 siblings! It was such a great visit and I believe it will develop a real connection between Chloe and Mutoni with future correspondence.  There is nothing like seeing for yourself, the difference you are making in someone's life, as opposed to just reading about it on paper.

We have 3 more days in Rwanda.  Even though this trip has been an incredible and unforgettable adventure, I sooo miss Dale and the kids!!!!

Farewell ....

Last day we get to feed these little munchkins...

A little girl who has hydrocephalus, HIV+ and not drinking...so hard to see
Our last day of hugs and tackles....

Our final farewell hugs...

The young women that care for the children sang a farewell to us...it was so awesome.

Kelly

 

 

 

Leaving Bujumbura.... by the way those are not shacks they're stores!

Our "cozy" bus.... 7hrs with 1 pit stop, not including the immigration border.... along the middle aisle are fold out benches, so if someone needs to get off they climb over everyone!
A detour.... it was raining & we were slipping everywhere.... did I mention we were on the side of a mountain!
I have seen some pretty crazy, insane driving with ALL sorts of vehicles...and this is just another example... we are presently driving up the side of a mountain going at least 80 clicks & we passed this this truck (I must add, on a one lane road going in either direction) & there were 4 bicycles behind this truck hitching a ride!!!! Do you see the 2 other vehicles behind it?!?!?
Our lovely pit stop... you can't tell but it's on the side of a mountain... I won't dare describe the "bathrooms" and I use that term loosely!

Farewell..... on to another adventur....

Yesterday was our last day at the orphanage.  It was so hard to say goodbye to everyone, especially thinking about the future of these children. But God is sovereign and I have to rest on that and to just do my part. We had such a cool farewell.  As you will see in the video, I was humbled by the performance they did for us. What a cool experience for Chloe!  Sister Deodona was translating the song for us and in Kirundi they were wishing blessings on us.  We were certainly blessed with their dance!  After they finished, Sister Deodona translated a few words I wanted to share with them, appreciating them for all they do.  Chloe and I had been putting some money aside for a while. So we gave the nun money to buy a New Testament Bible for each of them and along small monetary gift. Believe me is was very small but equivalent to what some would make in 2-4wks of work. They started dancing and singing all over again....lol. Money collected from my work was donated specifically to purchase meds and vitamins for the children which the government does not supply and they have to purchase themselves. There were enough toothbrushes to give all the children and workers and even extra for future. Guess what they did with their old ones....they gave it to the surrounding poor people that live nearby....ewwww....and they were happy to take them:(




So today was our LONG drive back to Kigali.  Eventful as always....sigh.  I wasn't able to blog my first few days when we arrived in Rwanda and took our bus to Bujumbura but it was stressful to say the least. Everyone sees "muzungo" which is white person and they want to take advantage of you.  The brutal bus driver that brought us from Kigali, agreed with our wonderful Rwandan taxi driver, to drop us off at the hotel for 5,000 Burundi francs and the stinker asked me to pay him 20,000 Burundi francs when we got to our hotel. He tried to say it was 5,000 for Chloe, 5,000 for me and 10,000 for our bags....do you believe that....and I told him it was for an orphanage but clearly he didn't care.  The hotel receptionist got involved & I agreed to give him 10,000 but made sure he knew that he took advantage of us.  Before that...at the border the immigration police was processing our VISAs to enter the country ($40USD each) then asked me for a "new years gift"...stinker....I told him I was gifting his country by bringing stuff to his country's children.  He didn't care.  He wouldn't let me go so I asked him what he would consider a "gift"....he didn't even want his country's money. So he said "I don't know... $10USD.....I blessed him with ten $1.00 bills....lol....shame on him. I know I sound cocky but I was quite afraid & its very intimidating.  They could have detained us just for fun or torn apart our 4 huge bags of stuff. From Bujumbura to Kigali, there are buses that run every hour. So now on our way back to Kigali lo and behold, we get the exact same bus driver.  Not impressed!  I was very intimidated on the way there....started to lose that on the way back. We now only have 1 hockey bag (as opposed to 4) to hand out in Musanze, so I have to buy only 1 extra seat....for Chloe, myself and our big bag.... or there's no room on the bus. Our awesome Taxi drive in Bujumbura (Pappy) tells them to put it on the bus. They said later, "no problem, no problem". Chloe and I go to sit at the back of the bus and watch our bag from the window.  People are loading. The bus driver is impatient and with the door still open and my back outside leaning up against the bus he starts to take off. (remember this is the same bus driver that cheated me the last time, so he has a reputation) Well I completely lost it!  I banged the window and started screaming, holding up my tickets and said " I bought 3 tickets, 1,2,3...I want my bag on this bus now or this Muzungo wont stop screaming!!!"  Oh my gosh, everyone was looking at me and then they started coming down on the bus driver in Kirundi. They finally fit my bag on the bus. I sat down and then whispered to Chloe "I can't believe I just did that".


The bus ride was crazy up and down the sides of mountains, passing other vehicles on only one lane going in either direction. The driver pretty much honks his horn all the time to make people and cars aware that he's coming through. Definitely praying during that trip....but they do it every day.  Chloe was such a trooper because the bus is very crammed and the ride is 7hrs long with 1 pit stop and a stop at the border.


Now at the border, of course, I meet the same immigration officer. He asks me for the receipt of the visa I paid when I entered the country. I told him I didn't keep it because no one told me I had to. I told him to look in his record book the day that I arrived and sure enough our names were there. But still he insisted on the receipt. We went to talk to another man and he confirmed that I had paid and that I didn't need to pay anything BUT  the immigration police said this matter was between me and him. So he took me aside and said that if I was to call a lawyer right now this would take a long time so what was I willing to give him as a pardon....rrrgh....I know what I wanted to give him but then I would get arrested! He even stated that what he is doing is not corruption, it is a "pardon".  So I had to pay him equivalent to $12....rrrgh. As we walk across the bridge and get back on the bus, there is a HUGE sign  with a picture of a cartoon police blowing a whistle and it says "BLOW THE WHISTLE ON CORRUPTION...CALL ...."  Really?!?!?!


Oh well, we got back safe bought our ticket to Musanze for tomorrow morning where Chloe gets to finally meet her Compassion child that she's been sponsoring the last 5 yrs. She's so excited.

Jan. 18th.....

Today was great all around... aside from the joy of watching the children playing with the toys we
had brought the last few days, God has been revealing His purpose for us here.  Seven days ago, I felt so helpless, watching children with no toys and having minimal interaction with the people who care & provide for them.  I really feel that God is telling us to not worry about solving the problems of this world but just show love.  Today I saw children playing and having a great time with these simple toys.  It was so awesome to see!  Just as equally important, I could also see the girls (workers that live there) watching Chloe & I playing with these children and imitating us with the same playful nature.  I really think they are starting to see the value and pleasure of play and toys. Hopefully this will bring change. I know it's a cliché but  in this case, with such a language barrier, actions really do speak louder than words.

I also feel like I'm developing a bond with these girls.  As I mentioned a few days back, there were a couple that were just down right scary and made your hair curl when they spoke in their loud, harsh kinyarundi language.  Now when we arrive through those gates, they all greet us with "bonjour" or "gooda moring" in their broken English.  They've also tried to teach me some kinyarundi words like "mudocha" which means car and "itwa unda" which means what is your name. Now I must sound like a goof to them when I say it but who cares...they're smiling... or laughing.

It was considered an unusual day...on Sunday, visitors are allowed to tour through the orphanage and help out with feeding.  So Chloe and I stepped back and helped out in other areas like bottlefeeding infants (less than 6months).  This particular room is usually kept quite dim.  The infants are basically fed ad lib (when they wake and cry) but some are awake, not hungry and just want a toy or interaction with someone.  I was able to bring a few "recycled" soothers from work (soothers that have fallen on the floor at the hospital that I took home to sterilize)...I wish I brought more.  Some of the girls had NEVER seen a soother before. They just laughed. They sure came in handy with a few of the fussy babies. There are a few ill or fragile infants where the mom is dying of HIV and another one who has just recently been discharged from the hospital on oral antibiotics. And another fighting malaria. The two nuns aren't usually the direct caregivers instead they are in charge and oversee what's needed. They also take on "nursing" responsibilities.  Because doctors and hospital admissions are not paid for by the government, everything is paid for by the orphanage and it can become quite costly.  Therefore, the nuns will do as much as possible at the orphanage before taking the child to the hospital. That includes IVs and IV antibiotics.  The IV antibiotics are  of course ordered by the Physician. However, behind they're skill is very little knowledge. 

 

 

 

 

They currently have an infant that shows signs of obvious prematurity  and doesn't appear to be full term yet but is 2months old. The nun said that she was very "skinny" when she was dropped off??? I am pleased that I can offer my gift of nursing while I'm there by providing them with education. Just today I was asked to start an IV on child with hydrocephalus and an internal ventricular shunt due to signs of dehydration.  The poor nun knows there is something funny-looking with her head but didn't know what. I was able to explain where the shunt is, how it works and how it know if it blocks and thus to go to the hospital.  The only thing I couldn't do was bring myself to hook the IV up to the same tubing that was used on the premature infant 5 days ago due to limited money and resources...she had to do it, it just didn't seem right. They were also going to use these drops for an ear infection , donated by some Spanish people.  When I translated it, it was actually like the tears plus eye drops.  Shockingly they had gentamycin eye & ear drops in their stash which was perfect! Wow, what responsibility they have.

The orphanage borders Tanganyika Lake, so Sister Elsie took us and the children on a small walk along the shore but it was quite dirty on the shoreline.  Although the children enjoyed it!  My understanding is that you can sometimes see Hippos  swim along the shore line.

 

 

Today we brought puppets.  Chloe & I were hoping to share the gospel with puppet shows but,  not thinking, the children speak mainly kinyarundi & some French....  Oh well, they still enjoyed them.
That's it for today!

Today was an extra special day.....

Jan. 17th:

 

Today was an extra special day....as I mentioned we always try to bring a small gift (like balloons, candies or soccer balls)  but today we handed out pillowcases  (stuffed with toothbrushes, toothpaste & little hairbands, etc..). Generous people from my workplace donated a ton of pillowcases, along with the toothbrushes & toothpaste.  They also provided items like hairbands & school supplies that are such a luxury here.  Today we also brought ragdolls and dinky cars for every child (10months & up).  All I can say is that it was awesome!!!  I had such a hard time containing my emotions.  We also had enough pillowcases for the girls that work at the orphanage. I have never seen anyone get so excited over a toothbrush & a simple dollarstore hairband.  Talk about putting things into perspective. I just pray that over time I don't start to forget this when I return home to my over abundant lifestyle.  

 

The joy on these children's faces was overwhelming. A few little boys just ran up and down this concrete ramp, sending their cars racing down, over and over again.  When we first arrived (5 days ago) they had no toys in sight except for the odd lego block.  Chloe and I tried to play with them but there was nothing to do except for cuddle, sing or play patty-cake.....after awhile that gets old. These children had nothing to do during their waking hours aside from climb all over each other or sit in their chairs.  I tried to explain to the nun that the children need things to play & interact with for proper emotional & neurological development AND that they need toys.  She agreed but her face didn't look convinced. The worker girls definitely try to talk & interact with them briefly but for the most part  their thoughts are that children are cared for by providing food & clothes & that's it. From what I can see in their culture, infants are carried on their mother's back most of the day while the mother works and then he/she is put down to sleep...play time and interaction is not required or vital.  I hope this experience changes their thinking?!?!

 

 

 

Chloe has been amazing in helping out with whatever is needed.  She knows the routine, so if I'm helping out bottle feeding the infants, she's helping with feeding the toddlers or getting them ready for their naps. We usually need a shower and definitely need to change our clothes when we get back to our hotel.  We our covered with baby food and everything else I don't care to discuss.  We have never used so much hand sanitizer....lol.  Despite it all, Chloe's already mentioning how hard it is going to be to say good bye....I agree!

 

 

After the orphanage, we went to town to the grocery store to buy bottled water.  We are cautious to even brush our teeth with tap water, let alone drink it.  The hotel charges 4x the price for bottled water so we stalk up at the grocery every few days. I haven't had a chocolate bar in almost a week and for those who know me....that's just crazy!  Even still, I could not bring myself to purchase a SMALL Tobblerone for $7USD! They were also selling a small container of Ferro Rocher for $30USD...insane! Although the amazing fruit makes up for it. We daily get papaya, huge slice of pineapple and mango with our eggs & croissant every morning. We will be so spoiled by the time we get home to Canada. 

 

The taxi driver was also kind enough to buy us our bus passes back to Kigali on Tuesday morning.  Chloe hasn't been to shaken up with most things but the bus station in both Kigali & Bujumbura was very overwhelming.  A massive amount of people everywhere staring, holding out their hands begging or just trying to sell you stuff everywhere you turn.  We're trying to stay to together while holding onto our bags & backpacks without getting robbed....pretty crazy!  Although, God has always placed someone amazing in our path. On the way to Bujumbura, the only person who spoke understanble English on the bus sat right in front of us and ended up being our "tour guide".  This fellow Straton worked for the University of Rwanda in agro-economics and was explaining the villages, the crops they grow,etc....it was amazing!  He also helped us immensely at the border (which I might add was very intimidating) with the language barrier & corruption.  The immigration officer (known to be very corrupt) wanted to detain us until we provided a "gift".  In other words, he was wanting money.  I ended up paying him $10USD in order for him to let us through, which is nothing really, but how they abuse their power made me quite upset. Either way, Straton was there to guide us and I was very grateful for that!