Musanze: Football, Dancing, and Friends to Remember

Wow. What a weekend! This past Friday (night), Saturday, Sunday, and Monday the group was in Musanze. We boarded the bus to Musanze Friday afternoon, and I was full with anticipation to see what the weekend would bring. 

Everything started off with the most beautiful drive yet! The road was super curvy, and I felt like I was on a roller coaster for almost the full 2 hours, but the beauty of the rolling hills, the mountains, and the lush green scenery outweighed everything. Something that I especially enjoyed about the drive was the fact that I was next to the cutest child. She and her mother were speaking Kinyerwanda, and showed no signs that they were able to speak English. The little girl seemed curious as to who this white person was next to her, so I, being the future teacher that I am, found ways to entertain her and communicate with her. We had fun looking through picture books that I have on my Nook, thank goodness for all the times that I have needed to have books to read with Scott's niece and nephew, discovered how my watch came on and off, how my backpack zipper works, and what funny faces we could both make. During this time, she became a little worn out and finally fell asleep cuddled next to me. Her mother and I exchanged kind smiles, and even though we couldn't speak the same language, there was communication there. I realized that I love how one glance can really communicate so much, and I am happy to say that the mother and the little girl really did make a connection with me. Even though it was beautiful outside of the windows, the love that formed and interactions I had were the cherries on top of the sundae. 

Once we had reached Musanze, we headed on up to Elie's house. Elie, which is short for Elijah,  is part of the Fair Children/Youth Foundation, which provides programs, The Wisdom School, The Deaf Children School, and also provides psychosocial support to widows and children who are the head of households, usually due to the death of parents. Elie  has poured so much of his life and time into these programs, and he and his wife open up their home to volunteers, but also support and pay the school fees for many students. It was so interesting to hear Elie talk about what he believes will help Rwanda grow strong. He believes that strong women and strong children are one of the most important factors in terms of growth in Rwanda. He believes that strong women raise and teach strong children, and those strong children will change the future. This conversation with Elie made me really think about my life in terms of two ways.

Way 1) Giving. Elie and his wife have given so much to help others. I have so much in this life, but how much of it to I actually give back to others? When I can go to school everyday, there are those who can't afford to go to school or who have circumstances that inhibit their ability to go to school. While I sit over happy and surrounded by a abundance of "stuff" why don't I give more? If we were all to even give a fraction of what we have, we could change the world. We could provide schooling for so many children, we could provide a meal for those who are hungry. We could do so much!

Way 2) Strong women = Strong children. Thinking back to growing up, and now, I am constantly reminded that I have such a strong and confident mother in my life. She has taught me how to love, how to serve, how to share, and so much more. I have also been around strong grandmothers and aunts and cousins and teachers and friends. They have all aided me to be a strong individual. They have played a role in teaching me about life. Now that I am almost done with school, I am, hopefully, going to be that strong role model for many students. When I can provide all students will a positive role model, I can hopefully teach them why they are strong and how to really make a difference. :)

This weekend really brought a lot of thoughts to mind, and in my next post, I hope to share some more reflection! 

Once Elie was finished telling us an abbreviated life story, we lost power! It was like the perfect ending to a story. We all sat in darkness…pure darkness. Elie's son  searched for a candle, and in about 3 minutes, we regained sight as the lights popped back on. What a start to our trip! We then sat down for dinner, and it was hands down my favorite meal we have had so far. I went to bed excited for what Saturday was going to bring. 

Saturday morning we went into town for the morning. In hindsight, we probably should have stayed at Elie's for about another 45 minutes. Every last Saturday of every month, the cities in Rwanda have a clean up day. Everyone closes up shop, and the city is cleaned. What an extraordinary concept! Something I have realized while in Rwanda is how important the whole body of people is. People are always willing to lend a hand, a smile, or encouragement. This clean up day was yet another example of how everyone came together for the better of the country of Rwanda. 

Once shops finally opened, we had lunch, and then it was time for us to depart for the Deaf School. This aspect of the trip was one portion that really made me think about coming on this trip. This year, I did take a course of American Sign Language and Deaf culture, and I am fascinated with figuring out ways to communicate with all people, even if they aren't able to fully hear me. In In Rwanda, deafness is considered to be a horrible ailment. If you are a person who is deaf, you are basically worthless in the eyes of society. Many are not able to work because they can not communicate through speech, and there a instances where children are disowned due to their deafness. When I learned about this, I was heart broken. I couldn't even begin to imagine being fully disowned due to something I had no control over. Even worse, it was hard to image being by myself with a disability that is looked down upon so much. With all of this in mind, it really shows how important the deaf school is. 

When we arrived at the deaf school, we were welcomed with so much joy and enthusiasm. Much to my surprise, it turns out that Rwandan Sign Language is basically the same as American Sign Language. When I was able to say hello and sign my name and where I was from, eyes lit up with excitement to the fact that I, the one person in our group of seven, could communicate and understand what they were signing. There smiles lit, and I instantly had at least 10 students trying to sign to me at once. I knew, at that instant, their faces shining, and hands ready to communicate, that my life would be forever changed by them.

Just sharing some love!

We were then lead to their greeting hall, where all of the students gathered to introduce themselves, but to also give us all a sign name. After we all received our names, the students sang a song for us. The way they did this was through dance and signing at the same time. Since many people who are deaf can sense vibrations through sound waves, there was one loud drum that pounded to keep the beat as the students showcased their talent. They all put so much passion into their signs and dance, and the joy they had could be felt. I had to choke down the tears as they smiled and laughed and danced, and I felt so moved. After one song, they did a dance that they had learned last year, the electric slide, and each of us had a student pull us up to dance with them. Yet again, music had connected me to another person without any words being exchanged. 

These are some of my favorite kiddos at the deaf school . They followed me wherever I went!

Once we finished the song, we were taken on a tour of the school. Since many of the students have been abandoned by parents, they are not able to pay the school fees. Many of the students are still allowed to stay and attend the school, but that means that there is a severe amount of work that needs to be done at the school, as well as a lot of images that were hard to see. There is one class room for each grade, and the supplies they have are so minimal. There is one light to light the large concrete classroom, and most of the learning aides are hand drawn posters. Even so, every student had so much pride in their classroom. They were excited to show us there space. What they had brought them so much joy, and my heart ached knowing that they could have so much more and that it would be easy for me to give money or supplies, but yet I hadn't. I think the hardest to see was their living quarters. All of the boys have one large room and all of the girls have one. What was most heart breaking to see was the fact that in one of the rooms, there were only 2 mosquito nets. Each room has at least 40 students. Those 2 nets could only protect 2-4 students max. In a country where malaria is prevalent, and where the medication to cure it is often too expensive for people to buy, mosquito nets are usually the one form of protection people can afford. One net, usually around $10, can aid in preventing someone of contracting malaria. The fact that there were only two…. I couldn't believe it. Yet… the students were filled with happiness for this place they called home. These loving individuals who were so proud deserve everything that I could possibly give. I think I may have found a new passion, figuring out a way that I can help them all, even when I return  to the United States (more words to come about this soon)!

We returned to the school on Sunday, and ended up playing a huge game of football with them. I failed miserably, since they were so amazing, but had such an amazing time. It was hard to say goodbye to them, and it took all that I had to not cry as I finally said my goodbyes, gave many hugs, and signed to each one how glad I was to have met them. My dream is to come back and see them, and learn more from them!

This is David. David and I became very quick friends! He even ended up asking me to be his girlfriend, but I ended up saying no. Regardless, he made a big impact on my life!

My feet after a long day of playing football, and walking around. Sidenote... those are not tan lines, they are dirt lines!

Monday, we visited Wisdom primary school and the Wisdom nursery school. We had fun getting to meet a few students, and it was fun to watch them play and show us their favorite songs and dances. We then went out to lunch and met up with a woman named Jean. Jean is originally from New York, and ended up starting a NGO in Rwanda called Ubushobozi. The NGO is a collection of women who come together to sew, and really have a family together. We were then able to meet the women, and they danced for us, and once again, for the second time this weekend, found ourselves dancing with the women, laughing, and really enjoying ourselves. After dancing, we hit up their shop, and I bought a great purse from a young lady who was actually one of the first women in the organization. These women were so willing to take us in as brief family members for the afternoon, and shared so much love and happiness with us. 

Some of the kiddos at the Wisdom Nursery School

Me and the wonderful lady who made my purse!

All in all…. this weekend change my life. I don't necessarily know how to put it into words as to how, but when I  am back in the US I will try my hardest if you want to sit down and talk with me. Well, I must be heading out. 

Love and miss you all!

-Leah :)