An entertaining day

I had a list of things to write about but thought I´d begin with a quick post about last Saturday which proved to be entertaining.

The oldest sister in the community at Busasamana is from Congo and had her 90 year old mother staying for a few days.  As I was going to Gisenyi  I offered a lift to the border to help with the return trip.  Well, you should have seen the border crossing, it was a mass of people aiming to go across and the area between the Rwanda barrier and Congo barrier was choc a block, I have never seen so many folk at a checkpoint, nowhere near this mass going into Tanzania.
The sister was taking her mother across, handing her over to another family member and returning immediately to Rwanda and on to Busasamana, goodness knows how long that took.

Meanwhile I went to the Gorillas, I was there by 10, but no matter was immediately shown into my room.....I quickly plugged everything in and started to download as many programs as possible from i player!

Across the road from the hotel were several marquees being sorted, it being Saturday they were for weddings I thought, so I went for a walk by the lake to have a look.  Parked in the middle of the road, where else, were the wedding cars being embellished with net and ribbons in 2 shades of coral.  The tents were being similarly draped.  In one of the cars sat the florist making up bouquets.

Now, bear in mind, it´s after 11am and nothing is anywhere near set up for the reception which is probably going to begin about 2.  Excepting the disco guys who are in full swing and volume .
I continued on my way around the lake, the youngsters were enjoying swimming and football etc.  A rather young 'boatman' tried to persuade me to go water skiing, well used to in the 1970s but definitely not now.  I walked as far as possible arriving at the ¨*****Serena Hotel and promised myself a visit for a coffee on Sunday.

So back to the Gorillas and an afternoon sitting on the balcony watching the wedding groups.

The bridal parties arrived as expected about 2, photos by lake for one lot, round the Gorillas' pool for the other.

The man centre pic with his hat and stick embellished is the token 'cow caller'.  They don't actually give the couple the traditional cow as a gift anymore, but the cow caller goes through the motion of calling the cows to process before the people.

Guests continued to arrive for a couple of hours, photos taken till 4, some guests of the smaller wedding got fed up and sat on the grass, so sensible!
The trouble with Rwandan weddings is that hundreds of invitations are sent out, no-one responds, they just turn up....or not.  The idea is that if you receive an invite you will give money.  So here we are, 4 marquees, the 2 main ones ready, but not enough tables and chairs for the overflows, a continuing stream of bicycles laden with plastic chairs, motos with tables  It was all very entertaining.

One bride had western dressed bridesmaids, their footwear was interesting.

The other wedding had traditional outfits.  All the wedding clothes are hired, there's no way the couples could afford to buy the dresses etc.

Whilst the wedding festivities were in full swing and discos upping the volume we had a church function opposite with a choir battling to be heard.  Anyway, the good thing is that these things usually finish soon after dark and by 7pm it was all over!

It never fails to amaze how much rubbish wedding guests leave littered, I dread to think what Rwanda would be like if there weren´t such strict laws.  As I walked Sunday morning there were cleaners busily cleaning and by the time I returned having enjoyed coffee by the Serena's pool, everything was clean again.

After all the excitment I enjoyed a lazy day.  I had said I would leave Gisenyi at 4pm, actually Hassan picked me up at 3.30 and we were about 10 minutes from Busasamana when one of the sisters called Hassan to find out where we were.  I'm afraid I find this continued overseeing irksome.  Ungrateful, yes probably, but I´m so used to being on my own now.

So, I'll post this now and will hopefully have some time to get cracking on further snippets of info over this weekend.

An away day....and night

Last weekend I went to Gisenyi on Lake Kivu for a night at the Gorillas Hotel, I was hoping for some speedy wifi, but sadly it was struggling on 2G most of the time.  More to the point a large comfortable bed, hot running water and a flushing loo, also the ability to eat what and when I wanted without a bean in sight. The hotel manager had arranged a taxi, Hassan to collect me and he proved to be brilliant taking me hither and yon over the weekend.

I also spent time with very helpful Felix at Tigo  and a nice lady at MTN and I´m managing the wifi situation better now.

Some of you will have seen on FB the pic of the cars in the road, for those who didn´t, suddenly a procession of vehicles led by a truck sporting a chap with video recorder parked up in the middle of the road on the white lines, then wedding cars threw a wheelie around those in front and parked further along the road for wedding pics by Lake Kivu.  All the other traffic in both directions just had to navigate through.  I guess they´re used to it

I had imagined a leisurely wake up on Sunday but it was not to be as the energetic would be sportsmen were running uo and down the road chanting like US Marines well before 6!  There seemed to be some encouraging disco music hitting the airwaves also.  But never mind, I was going to the Anglican Cathedral for the service which I was told would begin at 9.......no!  It begins about 9.40.  At it was Communion the bishop was present, when he spotted me he waved merrily, and when I was called forward to say the usual words he hugged me enthusiastically, well I had seen him on several occasions at Mercy House clad only in a towel.  I had allowed for a lengthy service but insufficient so had to leave before the end.  Not to worry as I am welcomed at the RC Mass here at the Community on Tuesday mornings.  I´ve met 2 young priests, very attractive they are too!  Anyway after the priest had taken Communion we all wandered around the altar and helped ourselves whilst he sat aside.  Every now and again when the sisters and postulants were singing, he threw in a few notes to add interest I think.

It´s been a bit difficult to get everything sorted for teaching this week, I now have 2 classes each day for 2 hours each, not too much time for lesson preparation, made increasingly difficult by lengthy electricity outages (as our American friends would say)

This is definitely not a closed order, at Masaka where I shall be after Easter some of the sisters teach in the school and one is at uni training as a nurse.  Here at Busasamana it is different as it is the first step for the would be nuns.  The postulants are instructed how to sing all the parts necessary for the different services, and the proper French for parts of the liturgy as well as the English lessons.   The rest of the time they are involved with all the work in the community including cooking.

There is a cottage industry making, and drinking sorghum beer, banana beer and banana wine, all of which are sold to the locals as well as enjoyed at meal times here.  I stick with water like a good Rwandan Anglican.

The volcano by day

and night.

OK, you have to squint at the centre of the pic and you´ll see the red glow.

And no, I´m not going across the border and climbing the volcano to camp overnight and see the lava lake in the early morning light.

Another week, another month

Another week almost over and a new month begins.  Not that I´m counting but this is the first time ever that I´ve crossed the days off on my calendar! That sounds as though I´m not enjoying life, I am actually, the sisters and postulants are very nice and we have quite a bit of fun but you can get tired of beans, potatoes, rice, green bananas, more beans a different colour, pasta....at each meal.  I do as well as I can but I just don´t eat large bowls full and I can feel my stomach closing and saying ....no more!  It´s not that I don´t like the food it´s just so repetitive.  Thankfully the sisters no longer press me to eat Ugali made from ground manioc root or cassava bread which comes in a gungy mauve/grey lump.

An interesting conversation at breakfast, I mentioned that I was tired as something woke me at midnight and I didn´t get back to sleep till nearly 4 and then the drum to get the sisters etc up sounded at 4.45.  The sisters were naturally twitchy because thieved pinched a load of maize from our field last week.  What woke you they asked....I don´t know says I, eventually deciding to put their mind at rest suggested a dog barking.   Oh yes they agreed it was probably barking at a bear in a tree..... a bear?  yes with a long nose......oh! An elephant...I mime...no a bear...and so we continue.....a bear it has a long beak!  Daylight dawns!  More lessons on pronunciation needed.

It´s still raining heavily every day, and remains chilly, downright cold at night.  I now retire looking like Scott of the Antarctic with as many clothes on as I can muster, including fleece with hood pulled up.  I´ve advised Marilyn to buy a hot water bottle from Nakumatt, vastly expensive but a comfort she´ll find useful.  
As soon as I get to Gisenyi tomorrow I shall have a long soak in a hot bath! Quite possibly with a g and t!

This place really works as a Community, sisters, novice and postulants share all the tasks, when they´re not at a service they are farming, cleaning, cooking etc.  Their services are conducted in French, the services at the local church are in Kinyawanda excepting the Kyrie Eleison which is sung in Latin.  When the host is elevated during the Eucharistic prayer everyone claps!  This is an African thing apparently.
I went to Mass last Sunday, two and a half hours! Well there were 20 babies baptised, the priest had a bottle of holy water and dribbled it 3 times on each babies head!  Beats using a saucepan.  Then anointed each then blotted their heads.
The priest is charming, early 40´s, he invited me to receive Communion, which was very generous of him, subsequently he has said he will give me Communion if I attend the Mass here at the Community on Tuesday....6am!

I mentioned the farm, the eldest sister who´s in her 60s looks after the farm,there are 4 cows, lots of rabbits, several pigs, one sow had 6 piglets last weekend but 3 died.  There are only 2 chicken here, unlike at Masaka which farms then bigtime, so we only get an occasional egg.  In the fields are maize, beans of various types, cabbages, carrots, potatoes galore, spinach.  Unexpectedly there is rhubarb which is made into a compote and wine.  There is a large patch of strawberries, the fruit is small but makes a nice compote for the breakfast roll.  Avocados, bananas green and yellow, passionfruit and starfruit are plentiful.
This all keeps the sister very busy, but the postilants have to help when needed.

It´s pouring with rain, so no walk today.   I did put my foot down earlier this week and insist that I would be ok walking on my own, it was quite liberating, and entertaining as nearly everyone I met wanted to chat.....and the tiniest children hid or in some cases cried because the mazungu was looking at them.

I shall post this now in case it fails to save.