T.I.A. People!

Well it's the end of week 3 and I'm starting to walk differently! We have all developed an African wiggle and are becoming generally much more laid back. Last weekend I took a MOTORBIKE! I wasn't so sure about it but it was hilariously good fun - I'm now the proud owner of a burn blister style scar from when I was getting off the thing! I feel sooo cool! YEO! I also went to my first African football match - the Rwandese Army team APR against some team from Egypt... the final score was 0-0 but it was still really exciting with all the music and singing!! LOVED that!

On Sunday I went to Church, the music was amazing and people were getting up from their seats and dancing on the stage together. It's the kind of experience everyone should have, no matter what your belief system is, I don't think anyone could resist getting caught up in that kind of passion and raw enthusiasm.

Teaching has been a bit sporadic lately - one of the schools Suz and I were teaching in seems to not really want us around close to exam time, which I can kind of understand because if I was a teacher there I wouldn't want the kids getting overwhelmed with lots of new information and generally being distracted by the white chicks in town. So now the new plan is we teach in the school run by the pastor from Monday-Thursday and we are going to be helping the teachers of that school with their English during the school holidays. Next week we are going to be starting at 10am so you know what that means! Sleeping in to 7:15 rather than the usual 6:15!!! BABY!!

The novelty has started to wear off with the older children. They have started acting up and generally being cheeky little gits so it has called for us employing all the old teacher tactics of dirty looks, "Oh so have you finished?!" and picking on the worst ones to answer the toughest questions! THANK YOU, BLOOMFIELD! I still love you!

With the little ones, the novelty most certainly has not worn off! The children get a morning break at 9:30am and that is when they crowd round me and Suzi for 15 minutes so we can't move until their breaktime is over... that never ceases to amaze me, I don't think there would be anyone I would have rather stared at for 15 minutes than have fun with my friends!

We had another huge storm the other day - fork lightning, sheet lightning, INSANE rain! We all took photos and videos of it so you can check it out as soon as I can get them uploaded on here. Despite the storms I think I can safely say you may even notice a change in my colour by the time I get home! I find that I am now wearing my jumper and my jacket much more often - how climatised am I!

We went to another market this week and it was so much easier than the first time! We are a lot more used to the staring and the MAZUNGU calls now, we can barter prices down and just push people off and keep walking when they try to grab at us. I think the fact that Gahanga (where the schools are) is so much more rural than where we are living, we are kind of taking being the FREAKS in town more in our stride and we are not taking any crap from anyone! I still haven't actually bought anything though, so I think a shopping trip this weekend is in order!

It also seems like every other white person we see here (and that's only ever at our little Italian restaurant) is South African! So I have been practising my accent so I'm hoping it is pretty much perfect by June! I might even try out the bit of Afrikaans Fran taught me! ;)

My birthday is coming up pretty soon and I think it is going to be a day of mixed emotions. I am really going to find it hard not being with my Mum and Dad that day, and being able to do something with all my friends, but I know it will still be a birthday to always remember because it will be so different and I am so looking forward to doing something special with everyone I love when I get home.

Oh the other thing I need to let you know is that my phone SUCKS. I can't top up my UK sim in Rwanda for some reason, and I don't know why but I can't seem to receive texts from most people to my Rwandese number! The result is me feeling VERY cut off from all my chums I am used to talking to all the time! So the only way I can keep in contact with most of you is via email, so if you'd send me something to read for next Friday I would love you more than life itself. A social butterfly like myself is not built for this solitary existence!

In conclusion, things are still going really well here and I am starting to feel really comfortable with the culture and way of life. Our motto for living in Rwanda is simply T.I.A. - This Is Africa! When the power goes out 5 times a day, when there is nothing but men's aerobics on television, when people are burping farting all over us while getting waaaayyyy too close in the taxis - we say T... I... A!!!

Love you all!!!

Email me please! :(

Lonely Lisa! *sigh* ;)