Settling In

Although Mimi and I feel relatively comfortable in Rwanda and have many friends and acquaintances here because of our past 5 years of intermittent visits, we are finding that it is still a new experience to "settle in".  Since our container of household items sent in early September has not yet arrived (it is still being processed at the point of entry to Africa, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania), we are using the very generous supply of household items left by our landlord together with the items we had brought in our personal luggage over the past 3 visits.  This includes the basics of kitchen items, bedding, personal toiletries, and even includes a tiny dorm-type refrigerator, microwave and Kitchen-Aid mixer (which came in our personal luggage!).  It does not include a washing machine, freezer, iron, working oven, or more than 6 drinking glasses!  So, there are some things that still feel like camping.  For example, we had some American friends (and neighbors) for dinner last week, and for dessert, Mimi fixed brownies camping style - the batter was put into canning jars (supplied by the neighbor) and "baked" by inserting the jars into a pot of boiling water.  Absolutely wonderful!

Our New Year's Eve was quietly spent taking our colleagues (Michael and Amy Miller and family) to the airport for a month of R & R in the U.S., watching a movie, and settling into bed.  However, we discovered that the New Year celebrations in Rwanda are the highlight of the year, even eclipsing Christmas in many respects - almost all night we were treated to amplified dance music from various quarters, along with the impassioned preaching of a local Pentecostal church - until about 6 AM.  We may welcome the new year with a nap today!

Since we have about 5 available bedrooms in our spacious rented house, Mimi is preparing for lots of hospitality.  Last week we were treated to the arrival of John and Kathi Pitzer, neighbors and friends for the past 30 years, who will be with us for about 2 weeks.  They will be launching a new program of crafts for the children at the national School for the Deaf - woodworking for the boys and sewing for the girls - which it is hoped can help with some income and eventual employment.  This week we will be hosting a missionary physician from a hospital in the north of Rwanda who we can offer a place to stay while in Kigali, the Director of Mission for Centura Hospitals in Denver who is bringing an orthopedic team for reconstructive surgeries in several rural hospitals, and an Ob/Gyn from the University of Colorado who will be training our family medicine and Ob/Gyn residents in the country over the next month.  In about 10 days we will be hosting a visiting Anglican bishop and two colleagues who is here for the inauguration of the new Archbishop of Rwanda.  Even without our shipment, we still have 3 beds available, and so Mimi is making the best use of what we have with her own homey touches, like fresh flowers from our garden. 

With my colleague Dr. Miller in the U.S., Cal will be visiting the medical school and at least 3 district hospitals on a rotating basis every week to spend time with the family medicine residents in training, and to lay the foundation for classes to be taught over the next few months.  So far, we are having a ball tackling the challenges and enjoying the country.  We are already "legal" here, having been granted a long-term visa in less than a week - so they must want us to stay!  When our container arrives, it will be like Christmas all over again!