Gorillas and Safaris

Pictures from Volcanoes National Park, Uganda, and Lake Bunyonyi. Yes, there are tons of pictures of the gorillas but they are just so cute!!

Home Visits

ASYV closed for a 2-week summer vacation this past month and I spent my time traveling Rwanda and Uganda with one of my best friends from New York. We went gorilla trekking in the north, went on a 2-day safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda, and relaxed by Lake Bunyonyi on the southern border. Aside from seeing the most amazing animals and freaking out over the cuteness of baby gorillas, we also visited the homes of 3 girls in my ASYV family. One of my girls lives in a valley near Volcanoes National Park, home to Rwanda’s famous mountain gorillas. To get to her home we took bikes down a mountain- I had the time of my life (even as it flashed before my eyes). She, her 4 siblings and her father live in a tiny house with no electricity or running water. There is no health clinic close to their home and to get back to ASYV she walks 2 hours up the mountain to avoid paying the 700RWF (about $1) for a bike.

Yosef ben Yaakov Family

At the end of first term, each family in Enrichment Year (the first year of school at ASYV) chose a hero to be named after. They keep this name all 4 years in the village. My family is now Joseph son of Jacob (or Yosef ben Yaakov). My girls just love the bible......

The other night we went to the art center to make Joseph's technicolor dream coat. Each girl decorated a stripe with their name and other fun art supplies. We glued the paper onto an outline of Joseph's coat and this was the result:

So many monkeys!!!

When I finally got back to Rwanda, I still had a week before the start of school. My roommate Ali and I decided to take advantage of this time and see more of the country. We hopped on a bus and went down to Nyungwe Forest in the southern region. We spent a few days hiking to waterfalls, seeing Colobus Monkeys and walking across a canopy built 70m over the trees. About an hour before we headed back, Ali and I were eating lunch in a gazebo. All of the sudden Ali screamed oh my god. I glance over my shoulder to find 3 monkeys standing and staring at me. Of course I screamed and ran away as the monkeys stole my rice cakes (flashback to Nepal).

Turkish Airlines- my new best friend

In April the Village closed for vacation and I was lucky enough to fly back to NY for an amazing wedding and to see my family. After spending a few weeks at home I went to Istanbul for 4 days on my own. Traveling alone is a lot more fun then I thought it would be- I loved doing what I wanted when I wanted to. I saw all of the touristy sites, took a cooking class, met some really nice people and ate some great Turkish food. After Turkey I went to Israel for Passover and I am finally back in Rwanda for the start of what will be a long but fulfilling 2nd term.

All of this traveling has made me an expert on Turkish Airlines- 6 flights since March 19, 38 hours of flying, my own row on all 6 flights, Avatar, all 3 Lord of the Rings, all 3 Transformers, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, Frozen (saw that one twice) and Ms. Congeniality. I definitely need a break from flying for awhile. 

Pictures are much more interesting then what I have to say so here we go!

Ani V'ata N'shane Et Haolam

About a month ago, my first service group from Young Judea Year Course arrived at ASYV. They spent 3 weeks volunteering in the village, hanging out with the students and learning about Rwanda and the developing world. My job was to oversee all of the logistics of their program and make sure that they had a fun experience. One of their projects was particularly meaningful to me and I want to share a bit about it. On January 31, Anne Heymen, the founder of ASYV, was killed in a horrible accident. The loss rocked the village to its core. The village is still running as smoothly as ever and feels as though nothing has changed even though everything has changed. The Young Judea group decided to paint a mural in honor of Anne in the middle of the village garden. It is a beautiful picture of what she represented- to her Tikkun Olam was the most important value to live by. Her favorite song, Ani V’Ata exemplifies this message and it is something I keep in mind everyday. 

The Young Judea group

At ASYV, one of our goals is Tikkun Halev (fixing the heart). We create a safe space for the students and provide them with a loving family. We encourage them not to hide from their pasts but to use their difficult experiences to strengthen their futures. Once this is achieved, the students are ready to give back to the local community through the Tikkun Olam program. Twice a week, the students volunteer by building houses, teaching English and working in the health clinic. I got to go with the second year group to rebuild a house for a young single woman with 3 kids. She lives with them in a mud house (literally, its just a room made of mud). No toilets, no running water, no nothing. The ASYV students are building her a house from scratch. It is a breathtaking experience watching these students, many of who come from similar backgrounds, change the life of this family. This is an amazing program in the village and I hope to become more involved next term.

 

Onto other fun updates!! It’s been awhile since I last posted so here is what I’ve been up to (mostly in pictures):


Akagera National Park

 The beautiful girls of Family 2!!!

Mucaka Mucaka- 5:45am run every Saturday morning

Firework

“You just gotta ignite the light, and let it shine, just own the night, like the Fourth of July. Cuz baby you’re a firework, come on let your colors burst.”

Yes, those are the lyrics to a Katy Perry song and no, I am not trying to use it as an inspirational quote about my time here in Rwanda. OK, maybe I'm just trying to be a little inspirational but there is a real story here. The other night, Ali (my co-cousin) and I led Family Time in English. We printed out lyrics to "Firework" and each girl had to read a couple of lines. When we got to the line above, we had the girls share a spark that ignited in them when they got to ASYV. For the first time since I met them over a month ago, some of the girls spoke about the genocide and about being an orphan. They didn’t tell their stories but they said that ASYV has shown them that they can have a future and they can be confident, self reliant, and strong women. 

After they shared, we moved on to the line about the Fourth of July. I asked, “Who here has heard of this American holiday?” Silence….. and then “The Fourth of July is Rwanda’s Liberation Day. It is the day the genocide ended.” Chills. I was in shock. Who knew that Katy Perry could actually spark such an engaging and meaningful conversation in our family? The discussion turned towards owning the night- owning the experience of the genocide- and coming out on the other side full of hope- full of fireworks that just need a little spark to go off. For many of these girls ASYV not only gives them a home and a family but it encourages them to discover talents they never knew they had. Many of them say that they have never had hope before- imagine hearing that from a 17 year old girl. 

I feel as if the walls are slowly starting to come down and the girls are opening up in new and different ways. One girl gave me 3 handwritten pages on which she told her life story. Another told me that she hated her old school. A third told me the year she was born. I hope that they are starting to own their past and recognize that their history does not define them but can make them stronger. These small clues into their lives help me piece together the struggles these girls have faced- all I can do is listen. 

Family 2

*I just realized that I am posting this entry about family exactly 2 months after my Savta Miriam passed away. Today also would have been her 92^nd birthday. At ASYV family is the most important thing and I am constantly thinking about my grandma and how she made our family stronger. She would have loved to see this village and I can only imagine how proud she would have been*

When the new students arrived at ASYV 3 weeks ago, they were assigned to a family of 16 students. For many of them, this is the first time they are able to call someone Mom, Brother, Sister or Cousin. During the 4 years they spend at ASYV this group of people truly become a family. The Mama’s discipline, teach, love, respect, and make sure that their children get what they need. The Big Brother or Big Sister assigned to each family act as counselors and role models. He or she quickly becomes a cool, young Rwandan for the students to look up to. As a cousin, my role is to bring the world to my family and to broaden their understanding of the opportunities available to them. Even more importantly, my job is to get them to speak English as much as possible. With a strong English background, these students will be able to learn the professional skills they need to get a job or apply to colleges around the world. The students bring this drive and ambition back to their villages in Rwanda and can truly inspire others. 

First day as a family

In the few short weeks I have been here, I can already say that this place works. ASYV is able to provide a home for these students who so desperately need someone to call family. The girls in my family who I only recently met put a smile on my face every time I see them. The ones who were so shy are now translating for me. Every night we have Family Time when the family staff leads an activity for the girls. When the Mama leads it is usually to discuss hygiene, cleanliness, time management, or manners. When Ali (my roommate and co-cousin) and I lead family time we typically start with a game and then discuss things like communication, trust, and values.

The lovely ladies of Family 2!

When I started writing this entry 2 weeks ago, all of my time was devoted to the family. But this past week has been very hectic as I officially started my job as International Coordinator and Guest House Manager.  About 10 VIP’s from New York came to ASYV for graduation and do some consulting work. These VIPs included the founder for the village, several board members, and Liquidnet employees (the company that funds the school). I basically went from spending every waking minute with my family to spending every waking minute preparing and working with the New York group. It was challenging and demanding but it felt good to have so much responsibility.

Some other random things that happened this week:

·      I had lied when I left Nepal when I said that I would never take a bucket shower ever again…..

·      Went to my first Village Time- an event for the whole school where students to show off their talents in dancing, singing, and anything else they can do. These students are AMAZING

·      Mucacka Mucacka- literally means “run run!”. Every Saturday morning all of the students and staff wake up to run out of the village. This past weekend we went about 2 miles. My strategy is to find a slow kid and stick with them the whole time- its been working pretty well! Side note- I'm wearing sneakers and the kids wear flip flops…..

·      Set up Facebook accounts for my girls. Now they won’t get off the computer

·      I fall at least 2 times a day because I never look where I’m going and everyone makes fun of me

·      Camp would love this- I am the official volleyball coach. But unlike at camp, here I have to run 5am practices on Mondays and Wednesdays. Not cool

·      The kitchen loves me- they call me the girl who can’t eat anything which means when I go to visit they give me pineapple and cheese

·      Happy celiac-aversary to me!

teaching the girls how to use a camera

First day ice breakers

Moses!

Me, Sam & Ali in our Mushanana's

Dorcas, Me & Paci

Me and my Big Sister Mable