Celebrate good times

It's been a busy few days! This past week was our last of Model School, the student-teaching to prepare us for working in Rwandan classrooms. We had about 500 kids total in 9 sections. Their ages ranged from about 10 to 21. I really enjoyed getting in front of students again, and Model School kids are especially fun to teach because they are the ones who have volunteered to attend class on their vacation! They are very bright, too; I was continually impressed by their skills and vocab.

I observed a class where another trainee, Bethel, facilitated a debate. I had my doubts -- even my sharpest Mauritanian students would not be able to handle such an assignment -- but these kids were totally on point. The topic was whether it's good for English to be the new medium of instruction in Rwandan schools. One boy suggested buying a self-guided CD to improve one's English. "But on those CDs, I find it difficult because I cannot understand the pronunciation," one girl countered. "Well," another boy offered, "you can practice by listening to the radio, English programs like BBC or Voice of America." I couldn't believe it! Real cogent arguments! It makes me really excited about teaching in Rwanda, that these types of activities are possible.

My final lesson was on Thanksgiving, and we talked about other holidays as well. As we brainstormed a list together, the students mentioned Valentine's Day. To check their comprehension, I asked them what happens on that day. "It is a day to visit your friends," one student told me. Any friends, I clarified? "Your honey," he said. Fair enough.

Thanksgiving came to Nyanza in a big way. For starters, somehow Peace Corps rounded up five live turkeys in this country. Then, on Thanksgiving Day, the U.S. Ambassador paid a special personal visit to us from Kigali. His name is Stuart Symington and he was kind enough (on his day off, no less) to bring us yet another turkey, homemade stuffing, and -- more than I could have hoped for! -- genuine pumpkin pie. Also, I congratulated myself for the foresight to bring Ocean Spray jellied cranberry sauce from America. Yes, it took up precious space and weight in my luggage, but it was so worth it! I cradled my can like a little baby in the hours leading up to our feast. I promise I did share, but I also had a healthy portion myself. (And I may or may not have slurped up the last of it with a straw.)


Between that and the pumpkin pie, it was a true Thanksgiving, not just a cheap Peace Corps imitation. We also made our own stuffing, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, green bean casserole, corn & avocado gazpacho, and a plethora of desserts: apple pie, banana pie, mango-pineapple pie, strawberry pie, chocolate mousse, crepes with chocolate fondue, banana cake, and chocolate-peanut butter no-bakes. DELICIOUS! Some trainees picked lots of fresh flowers in autumn hues for some festive centerpieces. On the walls were kindergarten-like hand turkeys we had traced and decorated, and we also put up a big poster-sheet where we listed things we're thankful for. Then we ate by candlelight with light jazz playing in the background. It was a warm and fuzzy and happy day.


But the celebrations didn't stop there! This weekend was also the most important Muslim festival of the year, which is called Tabaski in West Africa or just Eid elsewhere. It commemorates the sacrifice of Abraham and is traditionally celebrated with a great feast. Mauritanian PCVs never miss a chance to party, so on the heels o Thanksgiving we also brought Tabaski to Nyanza. (There is a Muslim population in Rwanda, but it's pretty small, less than 2%.) We got a 2-for-1 deal on goats, only $44 total.

After a year in Mauritania, I've certainly seen my share of animals being slaughtered, but I still can't really bring myself to watch the act of it. The blood makes me queasy; once that's all cleared away, I find the skinning and organ removal pretty interesting, like a cool science lesson. Goats' stomachs are really big, for instance. Their hearts seem comparatively small -- something I can tell you because this weekend, for the first time in my life, I tasted some heart. It tasted fine because it was smothered in butter and garlic and curry, but the consistency was odd. Squishy, not firm at all, almost spongy. Anyway, we made lots of delicious kabobs (not with heart meat) and perhaps the most wonderful Mauritanian dish, banafe. It's a meat and potato stew with lots of thick broth that you soak up with bread.

The final cause for celebration is that last week I FINALLY got my luggage I'd requested from Mauritania. When we were informed of our evacuation, we were in Senegal and were not allowed to return to Mauritania, but we could give Peace Corps an itemized list of things we wanted (up to 100 pounds). Various staff members went to every one of our sites and attempted to get what we'd asked for. Our Mauritania country director had told us that our bags would be waiting for us here in Rwanda when we arrived eight weeks ago, but unfortunately I guess there was a lot of red tape to sort through.

I'd heard horror stories of other PCVs who were missing a bunch of stuff or who received "surprise" items (like Marta, who got a mysterious pair of gold sequin panties... ?!) But in the end I got all the important stuff, which is pretty amazing and I am really grateful to Aw, the Associate Peace Corps Director who packed my bags. I got all my lesson plans and teaching materials, and my Pulaar language books, and all my clothing. Alllll the other stuff that I left behind I bequeathed to my host family. It's all good, I was going to leave all that stuff for them eventually anyway. Guess they've been living high on the hog with my thick foam mattress and sharp American knives and solar-powered lantern and big buckets and woven mats and...