Posted by Elizabeth on 10:22 PM
Hello!So yesterday was great.. we woke up.. had avocados omelettes and coffee and then headed out to Bwiza. Karl and Olivia went to get the manure with the bwiza men, and i hung out with the woman that were around. i got more stories from them, took more pictures, of their houses, inside/outside, of the land, the kids etc. fun day. I got a simple cold though. picked it up. so i passed out early last night like around 7pm and woke up around 6am. i needed the sleep. i feel better today. i also have medicine to stop my dripping nose. I am taking care of my self.. lots of apple juice, water, and sleep. so today is bob's last day. he leaves at 9pm tonight. He is a professor at UW teaching IT/web stuff.. and he needs to get back to his classes. So today we will go be tourists. We are...
Posted by Elizabeth on 1:10 PM
well first of all.. i realize that most of the blogs here need serious editing.. so i apologize to all my readers. most of the blogs were written in about 10 min. So i just had to write as fast as i could and just get the point across.. you know that i was alive.. doing well.. and explain something about my day. so thank you all for being patient with me and my grammar and bad spelling. Thank you :)so let's just recap.. i leave seattle on saturday the 18th.. fly all day and night and day and night and arrive in rwanda around 1am on Monday the 20th morning. i go to a hotel and pass out.. wake up.. go to HDI.. hang out figure out some stuff.. pass out .. tuesday.. wake up go to HDI, then we go to a high school that has an after school club on sex/HIV/AIDS education. Tuesday night Karl and...
Posted by Elizabeth on 2:45 AM
...Where I would see/feel/do/experience/be, and that at the end of it, you just feel emotionally full. They told me this is normal. I take solace in their words.
I can honestly say...I have seen some stuff now.
On Sunday we went to Bwiza. We were going to go on Saturday, but Rwanda has once a month mandatory community service day, and it was on Saturday. This is where everyone in the community gets together and they do local projects (mostly involves cleaning). Kinda cool. :)
Bwiza is the village that Karl (PSA) and HDI has been working with for over three years, and these are my perceptions of:
Their Challenges:
-Low Quality Land
-Lack of Proper Housing
-Food
Their Resources/Strengths:
-Being Alive
-Heath
-Happiness
We arrived and they smiled so brightly, clapped, and hugged...
Posted by Elizabeth on 4:43 AM
Check this out.. a combination video of yesterday's activities.
Film makers: Bob and Me. ;) Bob combined them and put it on YouTube. He rocks. :)
Or you can watch it here.
And the photos:
You can see the rest here.
Okay I love you!
:...
Posted by Elizabeth on 12:51 AM
i woke around 6 am ...we were hoping to leave around 7am. but you know it's africa.. kinda like how people say in hawaii..you are on island time.. well africa has the same thing.. you throw your hands up..smile and say TIA (This is Africa). so we left around 8:30ish. We took the HDI's van, we had hired a driver who knew the east province (his name meant love), Karl, Bob, Dr Dan, Claude, Olivia, Me, and then randomly another volunteer Phil came along too. Phil has been volunteering with PSA/HDI for a few months, and he will be living in Rwanda for about a year. He is from Canada (the gulf islands..and by the way .. he loves desolation sound as much as i do ;) )..he wants to take professional recordings of the Pygmy music and make a CD, so that PSA can sell it in the states and the pygmies...
Posted by Elizabeth on 7:43 AM
-peanut butter-wheat-de-worming medicine-fabric-thread-plastic wrap-soap-tape measure-bathroom scale-shoesmixed in with the rest of the supplies from HDI we are about ready to hit the road tomorrow to head to two east pygmy villages and a vocational school for young kids.I am looking forward to step outside of the city, and to experience another side of Rwanda.We are not missionaries. We are just three people from Seattle, who happen to be board members of PSA, accompanying local Rwandan Doctors with providing services to people who have been marginalized and ignored. We will distribute protein supplements (peanut butter mixed with wheat) to children who are malnourished. We will give them enough "pills" to supply them with 30 day supply. At this point, we will have HDI follow up with these...
Posted by Elizabeth on 10:46 PM
we are moving out of the hotel today into a huge house, so that the team can be together, and that we can save money. this is great.. but the flip side.. we wont have access to the internet at home. I will possibly have access at HDI headquarters and at internet cafes. Expect 2 days or 3 days to get responses to emails and for me to post to this blog.random thoughts:-showers with out shower curtains are wet everywhere.-apple juice in rwanda taste better then in the states-i like wearing white socks, these colored socks that are quick dry makes me feel weird-i miss tofu-i have been eating toast and fruit in the morning with coffee, for lunch/dinner rice and beans with veggies and fried bananas, and chips (fries).-i feel at times i am in taranto italy and belize all at the same time-people...
Posted by Elizabeth on 10:47 AM
if you are going to hit the road.. you better do it running right?! well i have been told that once or twice...to hit the road running.. and rwanda would be no exception.I got to HDI yesterday and picked the brain of Aflodis. which i have to tell you all about their (HDI) work. I am in awe.HDI is comprised of the following team members: Aflodis (Head of HLI, Medical Doctor), Louise and Patrick (office assistant and accountant), Olivia and Claude (field workers), Dan (Medical Doctor), Kate (an american ..helping with grant writing).They have four major focuses:-Community of Health Projects (The pygmy project is under this umbrella)-Maternal and Child Health-Medical/Technical Support-Advocacy and Policy MonitoringTheir projects range from awareness of prenatal care, training local doctors,...
Posted by Elizabeth on 11:22 AM
the hotel guy this morning: you look familiar, you have been here before, yes?me: no, first time in rwanda.The hotel guy: Oh, you must then have familiar soul.he smiled big at me.that basically sums up my day!...
Posted by Elizabeth on 9:53 PM
It is monday morning here in Rwanda..my first monday..my first morning here. :) Okay let's just repeat that.. I am in Rwanda.. and I am LOVING IT!!!The traveling was interesting.. and by that i mean EXHAUSTING!! It took something like a little over 30 hours total. I think next time for such a long adventure i will spend the night in europe on the way. With that said though, I have already met incredible people! It seems like i was only alone for about 5 min at a time before the next incredible soul and I would engage in conversation. It started with the french man who i sat next to on the plane to France..it was his first time in America and he loved it...but still loves france more, and interesting... he said that people in france know Las Vegas, Ohio (it's in the movies i guess)...
Posted by Elizabeth on 12:33 AM
I leave for Africa in a little over 36 hours...
My itinerary:
Leave Seattle, USA Sept 18th
Arrive Kigali, Rwanda Sept 20th
Leave Kigali, Rwanda Oct 8th
Arrive Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania Oct 8th
Leave Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania Oct 17th
Arrive Seattle, USA, Oct 18th
Organization that I will be working with:
In Rwanda:
Pygmy Survival Alliance
HDI-Rwanda
In Tanzania:
Tanzania Educational Fund
People That I will be with:
Rwanda:
Dr. Karl Weyrauch and Bob Boiko (Other board members of PSA)
Tanzania:
Sylvia Ofstie and Ian Rottman (Friends from Seattle)
Information on the countries:
Rwanda
Tanzania
How I have prepared:
Medically/Vaccinations (following the CDC's recommendations for travel in Rwanda):
Yellow fever
Hep A
Hep B (already had the entire series due to work)
Typhoid
Polio
Tetanus (already...
