Mountaineering for the Novice Outdoorsman

Ashley and I thought it would be fun to do Kilimanjaro. We talked to some people that did it, they seemed to like it, though expressed that it was a touch difficult. So we decided that it was a reasonable endeavour. Turns out people usually train for the climb…maybe going for a jog occasionally may have been a good idea, or perhaps take up smoking to have a reason for failure. Smoking is expensive…

We arrived 12 hours off the originally scheduled flight time, were bumped to an adjacent hotel due to some climbers that succumb to altitude sickness, and the rancid tuna that I insisted on eating caused projectile vomiting. Planning on starting the Marangu 5 day ascent early the next morning, Ashley made the appropriate executive decision to delay the trip 24 hours, and add a 6^th day on the Machame route. Substituting huts for tents, and traveling with 6 others, we set to go. Our companions, all of whom we are now forever attached, in the way that people who go through something profound or terrible together are, were an international crew. Mike and Mei, 53 and 47, originally Chinese, living in Toronto for 20 years, eldest of the group, and hiked 20-25 kms per weekend with 25 kgs on their back to prepare. They were the best outfitted couple for the trip, complete with collapsible piss-pot for the tent. Dennis and Saskia, Dutch, early 30s, a gregarious adventuring couple, essential in the group entertainment following the daily treks. Michail and Barak, early 20s, Israeli married couple on a 4 month tour of South and East Africa. Both so ridiculously giving. And, the staff employed for the trip were each athletes of Olympic standard, transporting all cargo nimbly and quickly through the rough terrain. All 8 of us would marvel at their fortitude and chuckle at our sissiness.

On the first 2 days, the hikes were dragged out so we added 1-2 hours to the guide predicted time, so dubbing us “the turtles”. We wound our way through tropical rain forest, into temperate flora with trees adored top to bottom in ‘old man’s beard’, and into alpine scrub and grass. The last 3 days of ascent were spent above the clouds; the sun hot, the shade frigid. Dust and wind were our nemesis, but we found the early parts completely doable. Above 3500m, following several hours of hiking, played on our mind like a six pack of beer, and we continued to laugh heartily into the thinner air. Every morning met by the jubilant ‘water for washing’ wake up call, and every night tea and carbs. The last day, we arrived at Barangu camp, 4.6km into the sky, at about 3pm. The hike that day was long and hot, and we were schedule to sleep from after supper until 11pm for our final ascent at midnight. As the sun went down, the wind picked up. When I say the wind was our nemesis, it was a true bastard that night. We rested, but had no sleep that evening, tent pegs clinging to the rocky cliffs. At wake up call, we adorned ourselves in every layer that we brought, and began the serpentine vertical ascent of almost 1.5km, 7km across. We both did well, if somewhat freezing, into the late night. Gusts of ice crystals nearly toppling us were to last no more than one hour, but stayed to challenge the group for the entire climb. 4 hours in, Saskia and Michail began to complain of nausea, Saskia vomiting several times. Later, Dennis cited severe headache and Mei was falling behind the tempo – later to find that she was having difficulties seeing. The night bore on, and after 6 hours of winding hike, Ashley’s previous inexhaustible energy began to feel the effects of the extreme altitude. Nausea, headache, and freezing extremities smeared the last few hundred meters to attain Stella point (5700m) into an excruciating hour. Finally breaking the initial summit, to watch the sunrise, gave us a tremendous sense of relief and accomplishment, but the wind would not let us lose focus for long. We hobbled another 45mins across the barren arctic landscape to Uhuru summit at 5895 meters, nearly 6km into the sky. When Mei ambled her way to Uhuru, blindly, 20 minutes later, we enjoyed the successful climb of all in our group, snapping pictures and hugging. I would love to say that the fun was over, but 7 hours up meant at least 3 hours down. Fuck our faces. Ashley’s trouble was increasing the longer we stayed above 4000m, and it was to nearly paralyze her on the descent. We stopped momentarily to rest, to vomit, and rushed on weary legs down the steep slopes. We rested at the 4600m camp for an hour, then quickly descended to 3100meters that afternoon. In less than 24hours, we ascended, summited, descended and ended our day like the first, in the tropical rain forest. It was an amazing, masochistic, punishing, satisfying, surreal, and tiring experience. And we ain’t never gonna do that again.

Orphanage

My heart is heavy thinking about leaving the orphanage tomorrow. I’ve been so fortunate to work at the Gisimba orphanage. My day consists of teaching primary school children in the morning and then working at the orphanage in the afternoon. I shouldn’t really call it working, basically I just hang out with the kids and in the process I have found out what their needs are and have been able to teach them a little English as well. This past week there has been a group from a Christian University in the US who put on a camp for the kids. On Monday, I wasn’t sure if I should be helping with the camp or not. That question was quickly answered when I walked into the cafeteria and realized all the boys had saved me a seat in the back and made sure I got a number to be in their group. My heart swelled knowing that these kids look at me like their sister now, not just a teacher.

I have been touched by many children during my stay but wanted to share a few that I have been particularly close to. First, I would like to introduce Kalim (aka T.I., second picture) who is a child Rob and I decided to sponsor through secondary school in Uganda. When I came home Monday evening with the idea of sponsoring Kalim, I was overwhelmed with emotion. I started to describe Kalim to Rob and the first thing I could say is that he reminds me of my brother, Ronnie (this is when the tears started to flow haha). He is gregarious and everyone at the orphanage loves him, myself included. Kalim has been so giving since I’ve been here, teaching me how to do Rwandese dancing and also helping me with my Kinyarwanda. One day while he was dreading my hair (yes, dreading my hair) he asked me to be his sister and told me that I have quickly become his best friend. He is one of the most loving people I have ever met and I know that he would fit in perfect with both Rob’s and my family. His parents have passed away and the rest of his family in the genocide. I hope that we are able to make a difference in his life as he has made in mine and maybe one day we can bring him to Canada to meet all of you. The boy in the next picture is Eric, who is 10 years old and in primary 1. His mother died of AIDS and his father works the gates of the orphanage with no way to support Eric. He is beautiful and is always the first one to run up and hug me even though he’s extremely shy. The boy in the yellow hat is Joe. I have worked with him a lot as I am trying to figure out a way to help him through school, he’s number one in his class and is taking accounting. He will be looking to go to University next year in Uganda so that he can get a good job and help support his sister through school who had to drop out to work as a housekeeper to live. She is 16 and has only completed primary level 3. Joe’s parents were killed in the genocide. Most of the children’s parents have died of AIDS and almost all of the 76 boys over the age of 16 parents have been killed in the genocide. Even though these children have been through so much and don’t even own a change of clothes, they are so contagiously happy. I can’t begin to describe how elated I’ve been working in the orphanage. I feel so blessed to have been able to experience the love these children have and to learn from them every step of the way. I put off saying goodbye to them for one more day as tomorrow Rob will come with me to meet them in our last few hours before departure. I’m especially excited for him to meet Kalim. Today, Kalim gave me earrings to bring home to my sister and mother and wrote them a letter. He has made me 4 bracelets and 2 sets of earrings along with a card. He gives me all that he can even though his friendship is enough. I have also attached a picture of him and I during craft day.

I can’t wait to get home and tell everyone in person our experiences here in Rwanda. I am just as nervous as Rob is for Mount Kilimanjaro. On the other hand, I think that being able to reflect on this past month on the top of the highest mountain in Africa will be well worth it, After Kili we will be taking 4 days to relax on the beaches of Zanzibar before our trek home. We will not have much internet access until we arrive back in Canada but we will try to keep in touch. We love you guys so much and thank you for following us along our journey in Rwanda! xo

Internet connection isn't working well so the pictures will not upload.. will try again tomorrow

Muraho

We have a few days left, then we try our hand at Kilimanjaro – which honestly scares the shit out of me…We’ve read up on the best ways to avoid altitude sickness, and are going to take the proper precautions, but I can just see my sissy baby lungs getting within a 4hr hike of summit, then I lose consciousness, and start pooping grey matter, and ruin the rest of the trip because I have to sit in a fancy private Tanzanian hospital with the couple other losers that couldn’t make summit because of blisters and altitude sickness. If this happens I’m photoshopping my face on the body of a person that made it, and saying it was an awesome, and I went up pretty much the fastest they’ve ever seen. In reality, some local in flip flops, smoking a cigarette, carrying my bags, will be running up ahead to fix dinner while we complain that we’re tired and our boots aren’t comfy. At least the pics from the bottom are sure to be great…

Ash and I have been pouring over the snapshot of culture shock we’ve both encountered. She’s wrestling with her thoughts of making a financial contribution to a select few versus donating to the organization, and meeting with a full spectrum of opinions on the subject. The needs are many, resources few, and it’s hard to see what, if any difference we can make. But I think, after some emotionally charged discussion, we’ve arrived at a direction that we feel best suits our desire to help. I’m sure she’ll let you know the proceedings…

Me, I’ve been mercurial between my moments of enthusiasm and frustration. There seems to be so many aspects of Rwanda’s infrastructure that are thrusting ahead feverishly, though others have not even left the starting blocks. The uneven development is often astounding to me – how large road construction projects drone along, though there are virtually no traffic laws, for example. But then, where exactly do you start rebuilding a nation? President Kagame is in the throes of an election campaign, to culminate in a ‘democratic’ vote August 9^th. He has helmed the country through some very tough times, and plans to stay on for another 7 years to hopefully help keep this momentum going into perpetuity. When I first arrived, having read and discussed the history, I had to admit that Kagame had a good game plan, that the proof is in the pudding. Over the month, I’ve met cynics, both locals and muzugas, that sang a different tune. I realize that in politics, as with most things in life, you can’t please everyone. But I would, on occasion, get the sense that some people feared the regime that was functionally a benevolent dictatorship, where free speech and antiestablishment thought were met with long jail terms, and that’s not simply political belly-aching. I was somewhat unsettled to see the front page of the local newspaper splashed with a colours and slogans of the ruling party, and virtually no audible competition nationwide. There may be a vote, but I can bet it will be to keep up appearances. On the flip side, Paul Kagame watched a previous Burundian leader, very popular with the nation, conduct a fully transparent democratic election, only to be defeated because constituents still voted along ‘tribal’ lines. The longer I stay here, the more I learn, and more I see that I know nothing about the historical dynamics of Rwanda. The deep furrows of colonialism, and gashes of warfare…

I’ll add a few random shots if the connection holds out. Hope everyone is doing great.

Medcin

We’ve talked about our extra-curricular activities a lot, complete with photos of our weekend adventures, trying to illustrate how much Rwanda has to offer. Though we have spent plenty of time touring around, we’ve both been spending most of our time in the orphanage or in the hospitals. Ashley has been struggling with the direct personal stories of youth poverty and shattered families, where I’ve been witnessing incredible surgeries with very little, and patients that may have reached recovery if resources were available; instead they are destined to die. The intensive care unit has patients that need aggressive physiotherapy and long term care, but the reality has them flailing in the hospital until they eventually acquire an infection that kills them. The first picture looks like a uterus lollipop, invariably full of tumor. She is a woman in her 50s that started having abnormal bleeding over a year ago, but follow-up and investigations were costly, so she is now at high risk of having metastasis. And there’s no way to investigate it. The second is a syringe full of pus, about 15mls. It was aspirated from the lateral ventricles inside the brain of a 5 month old. The ventricles should be full of clear, watery fluid. He was born with myelomenigocele, advanced on the spectrum of spina bifida. If his mother could have had access to simple folic acid, he may have been born with a normal spine. There is no prenatal ultrasound diagnoses. And there is no option for vancomycin, the only antibiotic that could save his life. He probably won’t live out the week. The third picture is of a keloid, like super scar tissue, on an ear of a teenaged girl. She would never have gotten this far without intervention if resources were available. And the final picture is of an enormous spleen. There is a Rwandan 100 Franc piece placed in the bottom corner to give you an idea of the size – the Franc is about the size of a loonie. And your spleen should not be any larger than about a quarter of what is displayed. The cause is ‘Tropical Hypersplenism’, which is apparently attributable to malaria. It’s the 3^rd splenectomy I’ve seen for the same reason, and there is no prophylaxis for the bacteria that your spleen is responsible for killing. As far as Rwanda has come, and let me assure you, it’s very far – it still has considerable room for growth. I look forward to returning in a few years to give me a better sense of its race towards development.

Ashley and I have been talking about her work a lot, and I bet she’ll post some more pictures about it. Maybe not as gross.

A lament for Dale Morrison

I’ve been so fortunate in my preparations for Rwanda in that I’ve had access to many personal friends that have participated in the Canadian Anesthesia Society’s education initiative here. Every question that a guidebook can’t answer, there was someone there to help me. And Dale was one of those people. Dale, trained as a respiratory therapist, and later, and anesthesia assistant, made the trek to Rwanda over a year ago with another Dalhousie staff person. He was well versed in monitoring equipment and machine function, which was a dire need at the time. He planned to return in early 2011, and asked me to take photos of anesthetic equipment interfaces. It was a simple task made simpler by virtue of the fact that he was an easy person to help out. Even if you just met the guy, you’d get the feeling that he’d help you in a heartbeat. Genuinely a nice individual, I’ve never heard him say a negative thing. He was one of those rare people that seemed excited to be at work everyday. He talked of his family often. He was engaging and interested in what you had to say. He appreciated a good scotch, and was that person that gave maritimer’s a good name. He died suddenly at home last month, to everyone’s disbelief. Though he leaves behind his wife, and two young children, I can’t help but feel that they knew exactly how Dale felt about them. So, if there’s someone you’ve been meaning to talk to, but haven’t, someone that should know that you love them, please take a page out of Dale’s book. There’s a veritable international army of people that will miss Dale, and his enormous capacity to care. And to everyone that’s reading this, Ashley and I love you!

What a difference a week makes

Emmy arrived in Butare with Ashley in tow for our last guided weekend. The rest of us had been in Butare since Wednesday night, and were set to adventure. We wound our way westwards, through the Nyungwe forest, whilst the temperature dipped to 19 degrees during the middle of the day. We stopped frequently to take pictures, to appreciate viewpoints, and to see the origin of the Nile. Near the far end of the forest, we came to a conservation cooperative that took the form of a hotel and residence for researchers. It was a quiet, beautiful collection of buildings, just off the only road in the south that reached to Congo. It was otherwise very remote and engulfed by nature. We would spend the next two nights basking in the sounds of the rainforest by the campfire.

The next morning we were welcome by a large breakfast and the managing Australian whose primary job was to develop the park into an internationally recognized haven – with assistance of a Rwanda/international group of workers. We prepared our packs, and headed through the dense green carpet of a tea plantation, then along the serpentine waterfall trail. The valleys were narrow and sharply cut into the volcanic rock, thickly populated by old growth trees. At points during the walk, the canopy opened to treat us to expansive views of Nyungwe tree ferns and igishigishigi. Approaching the waterfall, the sound of rushing water drowned out our voices, and a tropical oasis waited our arrival. We sat and ate our snacks below a 45 foot cascade of water, just like a millennia of Rwandans before us. Returning in the early afternoon, we decided the night would best be filled by relaxation…

The next morning, we made to leave our little Ewok village, and enjoyed the fruits of Emmy’s labour. He arranged a visit to the tea factory nearby, who specialize in fine Rwandan black. I’m sure as time goes on, and standards continue to increase, there will be very few visitors allowed to reach into the drums of semi-dry tea bits and pull out a handful. Don’t worry, we put the bits back. From there, we left the park, and headed to a genocide memorial on the way back to Kigali.

Ashley here. Rob and I decided that I would speak first of the memorial since I have been to the Kigali one as well. The memorial located in Kigali and the one we visited Sunday in Murambi are vastly different, yet both convey the horror that occurred during the 1994 genocide. The Kigali memorial told the story of the genocide through words; the Murambi memorial did not need words. As we approached the gates of the memorial on Sunday my stomach was in knots and my palms were sweating. I knew what I was about to see was going to be difficult, but out of respect of those affected by the genocide, I felt it necessary to view as many memorials as I can while in Rwanda to try and understand what this country has gone through. The memorial setting is a school placed atop a clearing with a panoramic view of agricultural fields, where fleeing Tutsis sought shelter and protection from Hutu militias. Through coalition of the French army and the militias, Tutsi civilians were lured into what they were told was sanctuary. 50,000 people endured 2 weeks of premeditated starvation and dehydration, enough time to weaken even the strongest among them. April 21^st, under the veil of darkness, the militia massacred every man, woman, and child for an ideology called Hutu Power. “We felled them like cows.”, a genocidaire was quoted. In this memorial you walk through room after room, viewing almost 900 of the preserved, half decayed bodies of those killed at this location. Rob and I held hands and made it through the memorial, while I prayed to God, to Dad, to whoever was listening. I prayed to bring peace to the souls of the bodies that we viewed and to bring peace to their families. The remains of babies, children, lay in front of us, clearly exposing the mutilation that their bodies endured. Bodies missing limbs, fractured bones tearing at the flesh, skulls of little children stomped upon, mouths open in terror...all frozen in the position they fell in the mass graves. We heard the screams without any sound. I was uncomfortable for the first time in Rwanda. At the Kigali memorial I was overwhelmed with sadness, at the Murambi memorial the feeling was fear. Eventually I looked at Rob and told him I didn’t need to see anymore. I didn’t need to continue walking into the classrooms not only seeing death but smelling it as well. Emmy had said that a bullet was a diamond during the genocide. A Tutsi would pay 1,000,000 Rwandan Francs to have the privilege of being killed by a bullet. The militias were not ordered to simply kill, they were ordered to torture. They would cut limbs with axes and leave bodies to die, sometimes for days. Children and babies were not spared; they were to be killed in the same manner as all Tutsis. Our minds will forever be etched with the images from this memorial.

Our day ended rather somberly, heading back to Kigali to reflect on the beauty and utter despair we saw on the weekend. Love you guys.

not much...

I added the pictures I was talking about yesterday to yesterday's blog entry...the connection was too slow to upload at that time.

Roger and I rolled the ORs in Butare today - one OR, six residents. We used the oldest still-active anesthetic machine that I've ever seen, but were supplied with a complement of new medications. Patient did great, and very pain-free. The next OR had a patient with a large intra-intestinal worm, though, so that was pretty interesting - if you're into that kind of thing. And now we're going to head down to see if the hotel pool is swimmable. I realize that it sounds like Ashley and I are in 2 different worlds right now, but don't blame me if my volunteer program is well managed! She paid a bunch of money, sure as shit they can afford more than hot dog buns for breakfast. Anyway, she'll be getting away from the poo-pots for the weekend, and will have some semblance of comfort for a few days. Builds character.

Gotta hit the pool. ;)

and what the hell, here's another pic of Roger, me and the residents. From back to front, left to right: Christian, Rog, Claude, Fred, Antoine, Sylvestre, Theo, Domascene, Issac, Aflred, and me. Missing is Adolphe.

Day 4....

The house is on day 4 of no water and no electricity.. i would also like to add to Rob's comment below and let everyone know that all the other girls in the house followed suit and i now have to get buckets of water to flush the disgusting toilets every morning.. this morning i almost barfed, gagged about 8 times and finally got the job done.. well enough about that... Rob started it.. but it actually was pretty hilarious... anyway, all of us decided that we will go out for pizza tonight as, although eating dinner over candle light every night is somewhat romantic and some of our best discussions have been during these evenings, the no lights combined with the no water is starting to get to all of us.. Rob's accommodations are much better than mine so I'm glad he got a little taste of not being able to wash the shampoo out of his hair.. i also now have 9 other volunteers that have been asking for the keys to his place..
i had a terrific day with the boys yesterday, as per usual.. i showed them the music i listen to and it turned out to be pretty hilarious.. all they did is make fun of my "white girl music" and i couldn't stop laughing, mainly because i had to show them how i dance and the only pop i had was santogold.. then they drew tattoo's all over me, tried to help me clean my feet, played with my hair (rumor has it, someone would pay up to $4k for it) and we called it a day.. no matter how shitty the living situation is right now, those boys lift my spirits and are always the highlight of my day..
so this is what i've decided to do for them.. when i get home i will be making a calender to sell.. every month with feature a different kid (or young adult) which will include a picture, their current living conditions (i.e. orphanage etc.), age and what their plans for the future are.. i will sell the calender for fundraising and also give the opportunity for people to contribute directly to one of the children for the term of their schooling.. most of the children i will be focusing on is those wanting to go to university and still live in the orphanage.. without a sponsor, they are stuck in the orphanage sometimes well into their 20's.. this is discouraging for a number of reasons, especially since there are 96 other children that the orphanage feeds but can't provide shelter for.. they are unable to work and save to put themselves through university as the wages paid to people without an education are extremely low and only provide enough income to either obtain shelter or food, usually not both.. saving isn't really an option.. the government gives scholorships but this is only to the top percentile of children, there are no loans.. every person i have spoken to here has a need and i know that i cannot fill these needs.. i can, however, hopefully help a few.. primary school is $100/year, secondary school is $200/year and going to university is about $1,000/year.. i've been interviewing some of the kids and taking their pictures.. if anyone has any thoughts/suggestions please feel free to email me at legerashley@hotmail.com.. i will also be looking for an NGO to work with back home so please let me know if you have one in mind, it's really difficult to do research here with minimal internet time..

we love everyone and miss you all! sorry i never have pics on my solo updates, internet cafe is my only option.. Rob and I are doing great here and will give a beefy update with tons of pics after our adventures this weekend xo

serves me right

I think karma gave me a little bag tag last night. It had been a few days since I saw Ashley, and when she got back to her guest house in Kicykiru from gorilla trekking, she was welcomed by a power outage and no water, and none since. This coupled with her stale breakfast hot dog buns, and one of the house cleaners stealing her socks and pillowcase, she was not a happy camper. What really made me laugh hard while we were chatting on the phone was the fact that she could no longer let the stool back up – something had to give. So she made a deposit in the unflushable toilet…and then had to admit to everyone about the mess she made. I was roaring, and she was swearing. Not long after that exchange, I bid her adieu, heading for a hot shower. Turns out, the hot water ran out quickly, and all water dried up just as I got completely covered in soap. You can’t get soap out of your hair with a towel. So I called Ashley back, and made sure she came over in the morning to get a shower, as I knew that the water would be running by then. So, don’t laugh at others misfortunes, even if it’s hilarious.

We arrived in Huye (formerly Butare) this evening, to teach in the ORs and to the nurse anesthetists tomorrow and Friday. The city is home to the National University of Rwanda (the medical school, too) and is a beautiful setting. Friday, Emmy will pick up Ashley and we will all visit some of the memorial sites and another national park. I haven’t taken to many pictures since the four hundred thousand that I took on the weekend, so I’ve thrown in some general pics: The first is typical Kigali residential area, complete with nameless, often unpaved streets, tin roof houses densely packed in wide valleys. The second, and picture of a cloud cresting one of the many rolling hills, when Ash and I were heading to Kivu. The third, a long shutter speed shot out front of my place in Nyamirambo, busy in the dark evening. And the final, what looks to me like a pelican, roosting in the trees near town center. These arseholes coat the street below after a night of sleep. I’m gonna be brief, I let you know how Ashley fairs with the power/water if she doesn’t.

Cold shower, please...

I love how Rob has gotten into this blogging thing.. he's such a great writer, much better than me.. just reading about how far Rwanda has come is truly inspiring as Rob has said, and I am so happy that we get to experience this beautiful country together.. i can't even describe what trekking the gorillas was like.. all the volunteers were asking when i got home and all i could really say is "it was fucking amazing".. at the volunteer house we haven't had water for a couple days now and i find myself longing for a cold shower from the hose.. it's hard to be perky in the morning with no running water for days and eating stale hot dog buns for breakfast.. Michelle, one of the girls at the house, gave me a yogurt today which was amazing.. oh the things i have learned to appreciate! i also found myself wanting to be faceless today as i walked to work.. this is pretty difficult to do when it seems that people know my name that i don't remember meeting.. they will yell at me and i will give my usual "Muraho!" and then they will ask me if i remember their name.. sadly, i've only gotten about 2 right, on a bit of a losing streak to say the least.. so today i put on my headphones on before heading out for some much needed radiohead and brian borcherdt.. i still gave my usual "muraho" to everyone i passed but i kept walking.. it was a nice walk.. tomorrow i will go back to stopping and talking to every other person, but today i needed to be faceless..

I'm going to Gabby and Michelle's orphanage today as it is their last day in Rwanda.. i love these girls and wish we had more time together.. Rob and I will definitely be visiting them in Australia.. I'll be their photographer for the day, hoping to capture the last moments they have in the orphanage..

well that's it for now! just wanted to give a little update on my end.. much love and miss everyone tons xo

Second Monday

Because of the diesel engines, congested roads, and thick, dry dust floating through the air, Kigali has helped me developed a healthy addiction to air pollution. My morning isn’t quite complete without a stiff cup of Rwandan coffee and a haul off an exhaust pipe. I may be gaining some wisdom from my experience, but it’s my lungs that are really aging quickly. And the dust – the red, dry season soil that gives every surface a light coating, also cloaks the rolling hills through the north of Rwanda with a dull haze. Though many of the small roads in the small communities are accessed via red dirt arteries, most of the major thoroughfares are perfectly paved and smooth. It’s a government initiative to outfit even the most remote regions of Rwanda with fiber optic technology that keeps workers armed with pick-axes and shovels in a cloud of dust. The entire road from my district, Nyamirambo, to the hospital in city center, is skirted by the deep crevasses of this project. The motor vehicles have quadrupled in Kigali since 2004. Office towers are unfurling like a fiddle head factory. Corrupt police officers are rewarded with a non-negotiable 5 yr prison term. In this week following “army week” and the 16^th anniversary of Rwanda’s darkest period, the country I see before me, and the country that I’ve read so much about, are like two different beasts. The latter, a true animal of destruction, lumbered into public consciousness carrying out the most efficient and cruel mass killings that this world has ever seen. The former, a being that acknowledges, and forgives, but never forgets. The gacaca courts are just about to wrap up, with the last of the genocidaires being tried, sentenced and ultimately released to live among those whose lives they’ve rendered unrecognizable. Rwanda does this because it has to, because there is no way to function without breaking the cycle of pain. It’s one of the most amazing things that I have ever seen, and could ever fathom. A nation with a Saint’s capacity to forgive. And now they thrive.

So, Ashley, Roger, Roger’s wife, and I employed the services of one Emmanuel the Driver this weekend. We left at 8am Saturday morning, headed to Gisenyi (on Lake Kivu) again, and back to Ruhengeri in the northern province, to sleep at a nice little hotel in Kinigi. On the way we stopped at a banana beer factory that also sells the popular brochette. The beer was a sweet, viscous concoction of 14% alcohol that tasted like old bananas and peanut butter, and left a quiet burn in the pit of your stomach. Ashley and I limited our intake to one, in fear of going blind. Interestingly, the owner employs poorer people from the region, and helps put their children through school. You can see pictures on the wall of him shaking hands with Tony Blair during a ceremony recognizing his contribution to his town. In Kinigi, we met a team of teenaged soccer players in need of a ball pump that evening and hopefully helped them to win their regional championship next weekend. It was really entertaining to talk to the guys, as they’ve clearly been taught a considerable amount of English in school. Enough to make sure that Ashley is not single.

In the AM, once the sun crested the volcanoes, and started to burn off the low lying clouds, teams of interested foreigners were divided to see various groups of mountain gorillas. We were off to see a group called Amaraho, which means peace in Kinyarwandan. This was a group of 17 nestled in the lower slopes of the adjacent mountain. We drove through small agricultural villages, and started to walk when even the most robust of 4x4s dared not pass. About a half kilometer into the jungle trails, we met trackers that found the group from where they were the previous day. We shed our packs, and took our cameras. There’s something strange and still very familiar when you look into the eyes of a wild gorilla…like in a moment they’ll take you by the hand and show you why their way of life is so great. Led by the 200kg silverback, the group plodded through the dense bamboo and eucalyptus stands, and followed for a full hour by 8 humans documenting their daily activities. We all found it incredible. Ashley and I often just exchanged glances, knowing that we were witnessing something amazing.

Following the gorillas, Emmy took us to a Rwandan cultural village – a sort of re-enactment site of a historical Rwandan town. If you’ve ever been to the Citadel, or crap like that, this is not even close. For just 20 dollars, with a personal tour guide, we had the undivided attention of 30 Rwandans giving us a snap shot of their history. The site employed former poachers and hunters, keeping them from having to kill the mountain gorilla to feed their family. Some of the participants were recognizable from tv programs we watched before we came. I became king for the day, Ashley, my queen, and we were treated to exuberant dancers, drummers, blacksmiths, medicine men, warriors, and millers. We gave a hefty tip…and I was not allowed many wives, like the real king.

And at last, we headed home to watch the world cup final in a local watering hole. On the way, we stopped at the same banana beer gathering place for brochettes. Ashley ate a few skewers, but rather suspiciously. Back into the truck, I was talking about tossing ones’ cookies, and Emmy told us that in Rwanda, it’s referred to “calling Higiro”. Like, when you’re about to barf, you make the sound ‘Hig…higg…’. After we found out that the brochettes were made of goat entrails, Ashley found herself getting ready to call ol’ Higgy himself. What a fun weekend. Oh, and Roger’s wife is named Uhlee (oo – lee).

end o' week one

Happy Friday from Rwanda! Rob and I are chillin’ out at his place getting ready to go gorilla trekking tomorrow morning. This week has been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster to say the least as I sit here reflecting over a nice cold Mutzig. I have been working with the older boys in the orphanage a lot, which I really enjoy. They are opening up to me and telling me how difficult it is for them to find funding for school. I spoke a long time with a lad named Joseph who is 19 years old and will be done school in a couple of years. He wants to study accounting but doesn’t know how he will find the funds for university. This is a common problem among the kids at my orphanage and this is what I have decided to dedicate my time to researching while I’m here. Joseph also asked me how I was planning on presenting the children from the orphanage as I show pictures when I go back home. I explained that I would only present them in the most respectful manner possible and that if there was someone that did not want me to tell their story then of course I would not. I also explained to him that the only way that I can increase awareness of their situation was bringing these pictures home and telling people their stories. I have some ideas for fundraising and have set up interviews with the boys and girls next week about their living situation, and their aspirations for the future. Anyway, enough about me! I’ll pass the computer over to Rob now. Oh, and the picture shows the fascination most of the kids here (and adults, incidentally) have with my hair…it’s so endearing and sweet, even if some of my evening is spent combing boogers out after the kindergarten ages.

I’d love the chance to introduce Roger and his wife, though I still haven’t been able to figure out his wife’s name. I’ve been here a week, and talk to her everyday…actually, she’s like my surrogate mom (love you mom) in that she makes me breakfast and supper and makes it her mission to get permanent hot water services for the apartment, and I know it’s terrible I don’t know what to call her other than ‘Roger’s wife’, but I just can’t pronounce it. He met her in Korea in the early 70’s, she maintained a strong Korean accent, and her name is something like ‘Uli’ or ‘Karen’. Anyway, I’ll get Ashley to ask Roger, because it’s way past the reasonable time that I can ask. So that’s the big happy family in the pic. Ashley, Roger, me, and Roger’s wife.

In the ORs again, we have a pic of Dr. Bosco (all first names here), me, Jean Marcel (nurse anesthetist), Claude (2^nd year res), and Christian (2^nd year). You may not be able to appreciate, but some of the guys have Canadian themed OR hats now. Because that’s awesome. The daily activities are a bit chaotic as far as I can tell. Surgeries don’t tend to get started until 9am, though we’re at the hospital for 7. I’ve been spending a lot of time reviewing anesthetic plans with the guys, pathophysiology, and some technique. I haven’t got much of a barometer with which to measure these residents’ progress, but talking with some of the surgeons here, there has been a marked improvement since the Canadian Anesthesia Society got involved. Happy to have a little role to play.

We’re off to plan the rest of the monkey walk, see if there’s hot water, maybe watch a movie and say good night to Roger and Roger’s wife. Night!

we enjoy a good mutzig

It's amazing to me to think about where we've come from, and where we are now, just a week later. I mean, we live a very privileged life, with creature comforts steadily making us soft, plushy, human beings...even here in Rwanda, we still have much more than the status quo. That said, I still can't seem to get used to cold showers. I did it before, thought I could just jump right back in that polar bear dip...and it's really hot here during the day...should be refreshing, right? I end up spending the rest of the morning wondering if my testicles will drop again, then, by the time the afternoon hits, I'm so sweaty that my scrotum sticks to my kneecaps. Gross, no? Despite some small obstacles, I think we're adjusting nicely. Pictured first, we enjoying one of the many small watering holes, this one located near my residence and Ashley's orphanage. It's great to be able to sit back and relax, to be able to enjoy the permanent sunny days, each others' company, friendly smiles, and so much more. It's also amazing to us that this feeling of serenity and comfort so exactly juxtaposes the reality of poverty, abandonment, pain, and illness. This is making our world a bit bigger.

Ashley here! Although I don't have the whole sticky bag situation that Rob does, sick, I can agree with the cold water bit. Also found a dead cockroach in my room today so decided to start using the mosquito net provided. We also hand washed our first load of clothes today, well make that about 5 loads, and realized how lengthy a process this is. As Rob said above, it's strange to feel

so comfortable and happy when you are surrounded by poverty, hunger and illness. Just walking down the street, as shown in the picture to the left, children hold your hand and follow you down the street. I already have a few at the orphanage that I would love to give a warm home to, especially knowing that the orphanage holds 146 children and supports 96 additional children that it does not have room to accommodate. I am really enjoying getting to know the boys in the orphanage. I promised to teach them English and in return they are teaching me Kinyarwanda, French, dancing and soccer. I brought some soccer balls with me today and we played for about 2 hours straight, my Muzunga skin couldn't handle the sun anymore. The kiddies are also obsessed with my hair! A little boy just held my hand and played with my hair all morning. Even the teachers play with my hair when they are talking to me haha. I suppose I will pass the computer back to Rob at this point, allowing him to explain the picture below...

The ORs are fairly meagerly outfitted, but there appears (at least on first glance today) to be many of the essentials from an anesthetics perspective. Of course there's some medications missing, lack of monitoring, and general administrative aspects that are in short supply, but it's been the patients that I've been most taken aback with. This thin,

young lady came to the hospital complaining of pain in her belly, and had an obvious mass in the left upper aspect of her abdomen. The surgeon guessed it was her spleen and decided that it needed to come out because of the discomfort. Upon opening, we found a tumor that was slightly larger than a grapefruit. Some of the Rwandan residents and I talked about how patients often come to the hospital with very advanced disease processes because they just don't have the resources here to deal with it early.

Fortunately, I think this patient will be fine - we did an advanced pain control procedure that seems like it will catch on with the residents here!

Well we are going to get some rest now after our fantastic meal from Rob's roomies, aka surrogate folks while we are here. We love you all and hope everything is well back home!

Ashley and Rob xo

Rob's here

Ashley's had a fun first day, we got to talk about it all at the 'shake n sip' - we're now regulars there for the veggie burgers and Mutzig beer, while our friendly waitress teaches us kinyarwandan words, and the young punjabe owner hits on Ashley. I got to have a tete a tete with 7 Rwandan residents of varying levels for the morning. I suck at French, and English is their third language, but I think we met somewhere in the middle. It was fun to see the development of Anesthesia in other settings, and especially interesting to learn about each of their lives. Into the OR tomorrow...

As for our adventures, the picture shows a typical farm field in rural Rwanda, many of which are situated on the sides of the endless rolling hills. This was on our way to Lake Kivu, in the west of the country. For this weekend, we've just about secured the expensive trip to see the mountain gorilla, though it's high season. We will couple this trip with, I hope, and look into a great natural set of volcanic caves.

Sorry if some of this didn't make any sense, I'm watching the world cup...

First Week in Rwanda

Muraho from Rwanda!

So sorry Rob and I haven't had much time to blog. Between the internet cutting in and out and spending most of our time outside, blogging has proven rather difficult. we are loving rwanda though! i have never met people that are so nice in my whole life! my accommodations are way better than i had expected minus the huge ass cockroach who likes to hang out in my bathroom.. the other volunteers are amazing.. there is 8 of us living in the house right now and we all are from different places with completely different backgrounds.. rob's accommodations are great too! we are about a 30 minute moto (motorcycle that zips through all the traffic) ride from eachother.. yes, caren i am a huge hypocrite.. i just finished up my first day at the orphanage i am working at.. in the morning i teach the kiddies and after lunch i hang out with the older guys and a little girl that i am already in love with, Maria.. she had one of the boys translate i love you ashley to me haha so adorable! my heart just filled up with love when all the kids sang a welcome song and said welcome ashley for the first time.. i also visited the other volnteer spots.. when i get out of the car i get swarmed by children hugging and jumping all over me.. it's kinda funny cause i just laugh my ass off everytime it happens because i am so overwhelmed with the love that these children have for a complete stranger.. i think that makes them hug me tighter when i laugh haha.. rob started his first day at the hospital today, hopefully he will be able to update everyone tonight.. i was a little initimidated by the older boys at the orphanage at first, possibly because of the language barrier and the little fight that already broke out between a few of them.. i sat down after though and spoke with a couple of the boys who are finished school but are still living at the orphanage since their entire families were killed in the genocide and they cannot afford university.. so even though some of them are 20ish, they have no place to go.. i am going to be helping them put together resumes/CVs so they are able to perhaps find work and maybe start researching colleges for them.. i am also helping the accountant with their software and to generate reports through different programs.. the director is awesome and he was actually put through school through in organization in canada so he is a big fan of anyone from there which makes me feel even more welcomed.. rob and i already have our local watering hole picked out, with beer only being $1.20 and the heat outside we have been spending a lot of time there it seems! we also went to lake kivu this past weekend with one of my friends from the volunteer house, christina.. one thing i am already use to is having MAZUNGA! yelled at us constantly! it means "white person" or "passerby" and the kids especially love to yell this at us.. but it's always followed by a hug so i'm sure it's not a bad thing.. older people don't always say it directly to us but we hear them talking to their friends, rob suggested we learn how to say "we understand what you are saying" in the local language to see what they say haha.. it's so strange being stared at wherever you go but the people are so loving and sweet, they honestly just want to help us and make us feel at home which is exactly what i feel here.. if i ask someone where something is, they will walk with me sometimes up to 10 minutes to help me along my way.. the language barrier has been a tad tricky.. rob's been great at picking up french, i'm a little weaker but i'm thinking i can make a deal with one of the boys at the orphanage, if i help them with their math they can help me with my french.. i also went to the genocide memorial here in kigali on my orientation day with Claire who runs FVA.. i got emotional when we arrived at the room with all of the bones and skulls of the victims as the genociders not only killed but completely mutilated its victims before killing them which the skulls showed.. Claire just put her arm around me and led me through.. really though everything i have experienced here has been so positive and as soon as we left the geneocide memorial i felt an overwhelming happiness again about being here.. i've already made some great friends and i'm getting to spend lots of time with rob, life is good.. anyway, probably none of this makes sense and there's probably tons of spelling errors as i am rushing to go try and book the gorilla trek.. we are safe and happy though and miss everyone very much! we will update you all as much as possible.

lots of love from rwanda
ash x

Here we go nowwww

You may not be able to immediately appreciate, but if you stare for a few moments, you will notice Ashley snugged away in the middle of the chaos. I wish we'd rented a mule for all this gear, instead the two of us novice adventurers will be lugging my MacBook Pro to the top of Kilimanjaro, along with everything else we own. Minus that TV in the back. You also may not be able to appreciate the fact that this picture encompasses our entire apartment, but then, that's not what we're talking about today...we're talking about the final pack n' trek to la aeropuerto, and our fun before the fun begins.

We spent the bulk of the last weeks' off-hours preparing the packs and collecting the last necessities (that we may never use). I collected drugs and bandaids like we were going to be the primary responders of an explosion at a glass factory, and Ashley was advised that her silky white skin oughta get a fuckin good scorchin'. So, amid knee high piles of gauze and protein bars, we found our way to the first leg of the journey. Our flight out allowed Ashley just enough time to recoup from a killer cold, and applying cold compresses to her tender red ass. And now we sit in YHZ waitin' t'go t'Londontown. See you at Picadilly.

Prep Work

Flights - check!

Vaccinations - check!

Volunteer fee - check!

Fundraising - check!

Mt Kilimanjaro booking, flights to Arusha and Zanizibar, purchase of 100 Cliff bars for comfort food, orphanage placement, etc. etc. - pending until further notice...

The countdown is on! In one month Rob and I will embark on a life changing journey through the beautiful country of Rwanda. Some would think that a month is ample time to prepare for a trip of such sorts given everything that we have already done, yet trying to get organized between our busy schedules is proving rather difficult. Rob has much more preparation to do as he will be teaching the anesthesiology residents within the hospital in Kigali and I will be volunteering in an orphanage in Kigali for one month. I believe his teaching subjects are a little more challenging than my nursery rhymes to say the least :) After our time in Rwanda we will be (fingers crossed) climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and spending a few days in Zanzibar. Yaaaa Africa!

I can honestly say at this point I am just full of excitement and am extremely eager to get on that plane and meet the beautiful people of Rwanda. There has been times that I have been struck with feelings of anxiety and discomfort knowing that this is going to be a very challenging experience as much as it will be rewarding. These fears mainly came when I realized that I will be staying an hour away from Rob and that there is general elections which will occur near the end of our stay. Stress - CHECK! Yet after spending my morning reading fellow volunteers blogs from their experience in the orphanages and schools of Rwanda, that ball of nerves has been replaced with positive energy and excitement. Also, no need to worry about the elections nervous family members. They are not until August 9th and we will be gone to Tanzania by then.

I feel so extremely blessed to have so much support from so many amazing people. My fundraising campaign was a huge success and I was able to raise my full volunteer fee! The generosity from people is overwhelming and brings me gushes of warm fuzzies. I am very lucky to have such amazing people in my life. I have decided that I will take $200 from my fundraising to sponsor two children through school for a year.

Well, I better stop blogging and get to working. Watching an episode on Rwanda from Departures is important prep work, right? If anyone wants to check it out online here's the link --> http://www.oln.ca/?bclid=34540927001. I will be updating this blog as often as possible in hopes of keeping loved ones well informed of our travels.

Much Love and Hugs

Ash