Reflections

By now I've had plenty of time to get back in to the swing of things back home but I know a part of Rwanda and Africa will always be with me. I still think about our experiences everyday and relate things back to our trip. For example, yesterday my friend and I were going to a concert half way across the state from where we live; we started discussing how far away it was and how long it would take us to get there. I was in no hurry, we would get there when we get there. I told my friend about how our 20 minute trips turned into an hour or more and of course showing up to the intori dancers late and nobody seemed to mind. I'm trying to combine the laid back/relaxed pace of Rwanda with our fast paced society. It has been quite the challenge.

I've been able to talk to most of my family and friends about the trip which I find hard to actually describe what an experience it was. The first thing I told everyone was that it was awesome because I'm not sure how else to describe my over all oppinion of the country and what we did while we were there. Everyone asked what my favorite thing was which also proves to be a challenge because we did so many different things. I usually find myself talking about working with the kids in the schools and playing with the children at the orphanage. I enjoyed everything about our trip and wish that everyone could have this life changing experience. I look forward to someday returning to Africa.

Afterthoughts...

Well......we made it home. Although I am very glad that I made it home, a part of me misses Rwanda.
Before leaving, many people asked me if Rwanda was safe to travel to. Of course my answer was yes because that is what I was told. Although I believed this to be true, I needed to find out for myself so I could answer with my own opinion. Well I am here to tell you that Rwanda is a safe country to visit and I cannot recommend going there enough.
My favorite part of the trip.......well that is hard picking just one. The entire trip was my favorite. We had several inspiring moments which were once in a lifetime chance. Just being amongst the Rwandans is inspiring by itself.
I was very lucky to get to travel with a wonderful group of people. This group made the trip be a once in a lifetime experience with many great memories which I will never forget. I could not have asked for a better group!!!!
I hope you have enjoyed reading our blog as much as we have enjoyed sharing our experience. I hope that our words and pictures inspire some to travel more or at least be an advocate for places like Rwanda. Once again, if you are looking for somewhere to travel to which is off the beaten path, have a look at Rwanda. This tiny country offers so much but is hardly thought of when talking about travel.
I wish you all well and give you some traveling advice..... Tread lightly and keep an open mind.
Thanks for reading!

Thoughts from Home

So we have been home a couple days shy of a week, but the differences between Iowa and Rwanda seem so vast that it seems like Rwanda was a long time ago. I often get asked what my favorite part of the trip was which is hard to answer because most of the things we did were so different from each other that you can't really compare them. I think that one of the experiences that changed me the most were watching the Batwa dance and sing. They quite literally have nothing but the clothes on their back and a small shelter to make up their possessions, yet I have NEVER seen or heard of anyone being so happy. This feeling of being care-free just rolls off of them. They have an amazing spirit that is portrayed in their love for music. I am absolutely speechless when I watch them, not just because they are great at dancing and singing, but just the way their absolute happiness is portrayed from them. Rwanda was an amazing! experience with amazing! people and I can't tell you how lucky I am to have been a part of it! Thanks for reading our blog!

Video

Check out this video of us working in Rwanda!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWHawQueJmg

Thanks to Julie Ghrist of the Art of Conservation - http://art-of-conservation.com/

I have been to the depths of the jungle...okay, so maybe not quite the depths but enough to walk through sinking mud, crouch under bamboo and vines, and watch our trial maker takes his machete and with a swift movment hack down whatever happens to be in our way. This was our hike to see golden monkeys! We even saw and elephant foot print! The golden monkeys were fast and hard to take pictures of because of all the bamboo. They would hop from one tree to the other making it sway down with their weight then sling-shot back once they let go. Unlike the gorillas who were out of the forest and primarily remaind in the same area, we trekked around the forest trying to catch a glimpse on the monkeys. It was so neat and quite the adventure.
We also visted an orphanage. Before my feet hit the ground getting out of the jeep, a little boy had grabbed my hand and preceeded to lead me around. Then we whipped out the bubbles....oh my goodness! The kids would scream and chase after them then come up to us ready at their chance to blow the bubbles themselves. While playing their version of duck-duck-goose, a little girl scooted up to me and grabbed my hand. She then took both of her hands to my one inspecting it; opening my hand and turning it. It was cute :)
I can't believe time is winding down and we will be home soon. It feels like we have been here so long for all the things we have been able to do, but it also suprises me that our three weeks are almost up! I guess that is just how it goes!
Happy Mother's Day!!!!

Last day in Ruhengeri

This trip has been so amazing and it's gone by pretty fast. It's our last whole day in Ruhengeri. I've had time to think about a few cultural differences from the US. The first one is time. Things here are at a much more relaxed pace. A two hour drive often takes 2 1/2 or 3 hours. And if you're late, it's not a problem. We showed up for the Intori dancers 35 minutes late and nobody seemed bothered one bit. This relaxed pace is sometimes frustrating, but for the most part it is good not having to rush around on a strick schedule. Another major difference is the traffic and rules of the road. Pedestrians do not have the right of way. Turn signals are used every two seconds; they even use them to let the people behind them know when it's safe to pass. Vehicles often drive down the center of the road (even though there are lane markings on the major roads) because there are pedestrians walking or pushing bikes on the outside edges of the roads. These are just a few of the cultural differences I've been thinking about.

Yesterday we got to pick which hike we would go on. Virginia and I went on the Dian Fossey/ Karisoke hike. It was really muddy and physically demanding for me. I felt really accomplished when we were done. It was really neat seeing how large the research center was and all the grave markers of the gorillas we read about as well as Dian Fossey's grave. It wasn't what I was expecting but it was a great experience that I won't soon forget!

Wow!

Wow, time is now flying. We only have 3 short days left. Tonight is our last night in Ruhengeri. This week has gone fast we went to the school for 3 days and taught them a fun song for the Art of Conservation. The kids are adorable and are so blessed to be able to go to school. I recently was wondering about the quality of the teachers and do they have to report back to the government about what they are teaching? Can anyone just come in and "teach"? It just amazes me the difference between the Rwanda regulations and the United States regulations. The United States has so many guidelines and checkpoints for students who want to be teachers and guidelines and regulations for what is taught in the classrooms......and it just keeps going.

We also went on 3 different hikes yesterday (saturday). I went to the top of the volcano called Viskoe and went all the way up to see cratter lake!!!!!!!! It took 3 1/2 hours up and wow was that hard... But wow, it was so worth it. I became breathless because I couldn't describe the beauty. It took only 2 hours on the way down. What a experience of a lifetime!

Enjoying my last few days in Rwanda. A safari is up next....!

Small tid-bit

As you have read, we have been up to much! Aside from our amazing trips and adventures, we have made time to mess around. I think the best example of this is Shannon threatening me last night that she was going to wrap me up in my misquito net, like a cacoon, and hang me from the ceiling :) She is the creative one. I also have driven here in Rwanda! Julie Miller, the leader of the Art of Conseravtion who is connecting us with schools this week, wanted to take a run and needed someone who could drive a stick drive behind her and the energetic takers of a running offer, Virginia and Alicia. Opposite of Jeremy saying I would be off roading like Ace Venture When Nature Calls the movie, I was able to not hit anything or anyone. It was fun driving the Land Rover!
I got my hair braided yesterday as well! I guess I'm just adopting the Rwandan ways :)

Pictures....

So many things to write about....not enough time.
I am having a great experience in Rwanda but I must say that words and pictures do not do it justice. I wish I could take it all back with me for everybody to see. Rwanda is a beautiful country filled with beautiful people.
Today we visited a village of the Batwa people. The Batwa people are known as the hunters and gatherers of Africa. They make up a very small percent of the Rwandan population. They use to live in the forest and they would mainly eat the meat they hunted. Now that the forests are protected, they are forced to live on the edge of the forest. They are slowly adapting and learning to live as farmers like most of the population. The village we visited today was small but filled with wonderful people. These people have almost nothing but they still find a reason to smile. We arrived and they rolled out the red carpet for us as they danced and sang their hearts out. Their music is full of compounded rhythms and interesting harmonies. Their dancing never seems to stop and their strength never seems to waiver. After dancing with them for a few minutes, I needed to stop and take a breather. I think most people can learn many life lessons from the Batwa and Rwandans in general. Rwandans seem to find something in life much more valuable than most. Rwandans do not measure their life on something they can hold but they look at life in a much bigger picture.
My camera is filling up with wonderful pictures but if one wants to realize what this place feels like than they should book a flight.
More from Rwanda later.....

A Little Bit of This and That

Without having internet access in Kigali and Gisenyi it's been hard trying to fit in all the fun little things we have been up to so here are a few of the little things we've been doing that we hadn't planned in our itinerary. We watched bats awaken from their sleep and take off into the night from the banana trees near the Serena Hotel in Gisenyi. We also went for a boat ride on Lake Kivu. We went to a small island with tropical flowers for a photo op and visited the Hot Springs where some men were boiling fish they caught in the lake. We experienced some of the local culture when we went out congo dancing. We also went out swimming and playing on a beach of Lake Kivu at the Serena Hotel in the afternoon before we left for Ruhengeri. These are just a few of the little things that Simpson Team Rwanda has been up to in the last week.

Gishwati Hike and Kinihira School

Our hike in the Gishwati forest took 4 hours and 15 minutes yet we only hiked 1 1/2 miles. We saw many interesting things like snails, slugs, toads, and spiders. We also saw some chimpanzi feces and a day nest. We ate our picnic lunch half way through the hike at a beautiful waterfall. Towards the very end of our hike we heard the chimpanzi's call to one another but they were too far away to see.

At the Kinihira School we were recieved with a welcome dance and songs. Ted Townsend read the students a letter from the 2nd grade class in Ankeny. The Kinihira school has 626 students, 66 desks, and 10-12 teachers/classrooms. They have so many students they must split the school into morning and afternoon classes so that all the students can attend. We listened to a few students read speahes and a short skit thanking the Great Ape Trust for their partnership in conservation. Durring our second visit to the Kinihira School we taught the students some simple songs in English and they taught us some of their songs and dances. We also brought they school supplies and toys that they could keep. We played games with them like jump rope, frisbee, bubbles, and a form of duck, duck, goose.

My Rwandan Birthday

(April 28) We traveled from Kigali to Gisenyi. We stopped in Ruhengeri for the first time to meet Julie, the director of the Art of Conservation. While we were eating lunch, Quelly and Virginia secretly ordered me a birthday cake from a nearby bakery and a sparkler/morning glory candle. It was a beautiful spice cake with a butter frosting. Everyone sang happy birthday to me while we waited for my "candle" to extinguish itself. It was one of the neatest birthday supprises I've recieved! That evening we had our first meeting with Ben Beck and Madeline from the Great Ape Trust. They discussed our hike in the Gishwati forest as well as our plans to visit the Kinihira school.

Where do I start?!
We haven't been near internet for awhile, which is sooo nice actually. Rwanda is so amazing, it's hard to describe. It's so different from our culture, one must be open-minded. And I know it's still hard for me sometimes. We have seen from the poorest to some of the richest parts of Rwanda. It's nice to see a range.
Last week we went on a four hour hike. It was soo fun! Huge earth worms were one of my favorite things we saw! My brother's boots are working great, thanks Paul! We also went to a school, and OH WAS THAT AMAZING! The kids are...oh! I just get all giddy thinking about them again! L-O-V-E kids! I already decided I'm coming back to teach!..hah, we'll see...We taught them American songs like "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" and "If you're happy and you know it.."! Wow, too fun! Played frisbee, jump rope, and bubbles too! They even taught us some of their dances..wow, they can dance!
We're now in Ruhengeri!! It's nice here and the guesthouse is awesome! We're going to some other schools this week, so excited!

So much to talke about!

It is my first chance to blog since in Rwanda and so much has happened! From sorting nuts and worms out of chimpanzee poop to dancing in the night club! Today we went on a trek and saw wild mountain gorillas! We were so close to them, it was amazing! They preceeded to eat eucaliptis trees and scratch their butts [that's for you, Dad] while we watched in amazment and snapped photos and videos. The people here are amazing and make me realize the trueness in the cliche phrase people pass around telling us to be thankful for what we have. The women carry very possilbly over fifty pounds on their heads with no hands, carrying baskets in their hands and babies on their back. They walk miles to and around plantations harvesting by hands, hauling all the harvest on their backs in gigantic baskets. Vehicles are extremely few here so the people walk everywhere and stare at our truck as we drive by. As soon as they see us they scream, ''muzungo'' which means white, and the children smile and wave chasing after us. The people here are beautiful and smile wide smiles and wave anytime we wave at them as we pass by. They have close to nothing yet they seem so happy and kind that you begin to wonder why we have so much stuff. Children holler, ''agacupa'' which means little bottle at us and when we give them our water bottles they find so much excitment in a little plastic thing that we throw around like any other garbage we have.
We have visited a school and learned dances from children and taught them the hokey-pokey which they learned fast and giggled through especially when we put our butts in and shook them all around. I also partook in the Rwanda version of duck-duck-goose which I was laughed at as I was chased and ran around a big circle of children on uneven terrian. In their version, the person going around the circle has to chant and I wouldn't be suprised if a lot of those giggles were at my pronunciation. I said hello to some girls today in Kinyarwanda which is the language here, ''muraho'' and they giggled and spoke to each other suprised I spoke the language. Don't ask me to say anything else though because that is about the extent of my Kinyarwanda skills :] This week we will be teaching a conservation song in the schools about helping the apes here and partaking in some art for the Art of Conservation which teaches about conservation through art. It has been an amazing week and I don't doubt this one will be just as amazing.
Much Love from Ruhengeri, Rwanda!

We made it!

This is the first opportunity to blog since we arrived in Africa. Internet access just isn't readily available, BUT we are having a GREAT time. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking. We have hiked the Gishwati Forest, visited the Kinihira School, sorted chimpanzee feces,

visited the eco guards, eaten wonderful food, enjoyed singing and dancing and laughing. Our time in London was ideal. Upon arrival in Kigali we visited the genocide memorial which was emotionally wrenching. I am posting a few pictures of our weekly activities.

The downside of blogging after everyone else, is that most everything already gets covered. As the others discussed, we had a busy yet adventurous day in London, taking a double decker bus tour as well as a river tour taking many pictures along the way. And of course a jet-lag filled day of touring the city wouldn't be complete without a few people falling asleep on the Tube. As Jeremy mentioned in his blog, there was a cute little boy sitting a row ahead of us on the flight from London to Nairobi. His enthusiasm, free spirited attitude, and his curiosity got me even more excited about the trip and working with the Art of Conservation.

We are now preparing to go from Nairobi to Kigali this afternoon where we plan to have lunch and rest as well as meet with members of the Great Ape Trust at the Mille Colline. At the moment things are calm and we are all resting in the Nairobi airport. Virginia taught us a Rwandan folk song that we will teach to the children. We might need a little more perfecting before we debue. Well that's my input for now; I will hopefully have fresh information to contribute in my next blog.

Blogging.....from Africa

After a bit of a delay in Chicago, we finally made it to London. We ended up only an hour and a half off schedule. We were lucky enough to still have time to spend touring the historic city. We jumped on the tube (don't worry, we minded the gap) and headed to downtown. Virginia led us to a church where we ate lunch in the basement which also served as a crypt. After lunch, we boarded a double decker (but convertible) bus and took in the sights. We chose a busy day to be in London as it happened to be the same day as the running of the London Marathon. Most of us chose to not run the marathon however Virginia and Alicia could have kept up with them while they were looking for a restroom. ;-)

We loaded back onto the tube, along with everybody else and their dog, and headed back to the small city otherwise known as London Heathrow Airport. A couple members of our team tried sleeping while standing on the tube but luckily were saved by some empty seats. During our ride we had a nice chat with a college professor from Australia who wished us luck on our mission.

After checking through security again, we boarded a Kenyan Airlines plane and waited for departure. A super cute, super funny boy sat ahead of me and kept me entertained throughout the flight. We landed in Nairobi, Kenya a little before dawn and made our way to a transit lounge. We managed to find a wireless Internet connection and put together an adapter set up to keep the computer charged. After a few hour layover we will be off to Kigali, Rwanda!!!! Until then........stay posted.

A Tale of London from Africa

Hello from a rainy Nairobi, Kenya! We arrived around 6AM and our next flight does not board till noon (we are 8 hours ahead of Iowa). London was really cool! We ate lunch in a church crypt turned into a cafe. After lunch we took a double decker bus tour where we, of course, sat on the open top. James Bond was filmed in London in case you didn't know, which we were made aware of at pretty much every other building. Evidently they filmed all over the city. We got off to check out Buckingham palace which wasn't as elaborate as I expected it to be. And we didn't even see the gaurds with the fuzzy hats:(. The London marathon was going on so there were tons of people and you would occasionally see a runner with a medel that signified they had finished the 26 mile race! Ah! I don't think I could run the first mile! :) We also got to see London bridge, the tower bridge, the London tower, and, when on our boat tour on the river Thames, Big Ben. We pretty much got to see all the major sites of London within our 10 hour layover (it would have been 12 but our flight out of Chicago kept getting delayed every 20 min because of weather). Highlights of London for me: a truck that was a bubble machine because it blew bubbles out of the front of it as it drove and the bus tour took us onto Fleet Street! Yeah Sweeny Todd! Next stop is Kigali, Rwanda! Much love from Kenya!

AHHHH!!! WE'RE FINALLY HERE!!!!

Can't believe today is the day!!! We're on our way to...Africa! I loved going on my last Walmart runs and telling people we're going to AFRICA! Their expressions were priceless :) This morning I woke up about 6:00 to make a bulletin board for my first-year girls. It was a great visual of our journey!! I'll have to up-load the pictures when I get back! Leaving Indianola was hard because I was saying goodbye to friends, my boss, my dorm-room, and my amazing dorm-life experience I've had the last two years. Said goodbye to my parents over the phone and it was nice to hear their voice for one last time. I know we'll be thinking about each other over the next three weeks.

The Des Moines airport was kind of stressful trying to check-in all our bags but we got it done! Yay!! The flight over to Chicago wasn't bad, rainy, but it was nice to be back in a plane! I slept the whole way, I guess planes make me sleepy, well and a rainy day. I sat by a nice woman who was on her way to Washington. She was stressed out trying to catch her next flight in 15 min! Hope she made it in time.

The Chicago airport was huge! So many people with so many accents and styles! I loved all the little shops and fancy foods along the way! Shannon enjoyed a Chicago style hotdog! Go Shannon, those are the best! We all relaxed at a food court and Shannon started her journal with her sharpies! She's recording our trip in pictures! Oh how exciting! I really loved the details of the airport and I was took it all in--Hah! We haven't even made it to London, let alone AFRICA yet!!!!! Oh I can not wait!!! We rode these escalators--but they were flat, i guess so if you're running a little late! They were amazing! There were these escalators that had these sweet deal lights on them! I can't describe them to you, making another group member can :P

Unfortunately, because it's raining we're delayed which is cutting into our London time. All well, we're entertaining ourselves!
Stay tuned :)
~Alicia

My First Blog

Here we are, sitting in O'Hare with our flight delayed... It's been an interesting day hanging out in airports. I'm excited to move on to London and eventually Rwanda, but this delay isn't so bad; I get to text my family :) We have just realized that Virginia is on the ball, she has already thought ahead on where we will store our luggage while we are touring London. Not much else to blog about now. Hopefully, the rain will stop soon and we'll be on our way.

Here we go!
We are sitting in the Chicago airport right now waiting for our next flight to London! We have a 12 hour lay-over there so we will be touring the city! I'm excited for London, don't get me wrong, but I'm so anxious for Rwanda that I wish we were just going straight there! So far our adventures include a t-shirt in the Des Moines airport that reads, "not everything is flat in Iowa" and roaming around the Chicago airport on the moving walkways in search for hot dogs and smoothies. Mission accomplished in case you were at the edge of your seat wondering :)

The Big Day

It's 7:49 a.m.... I just rolled out of bed 15 minutes ago and what am I doing?... Surfin' the web. I didn't get to bed until about 12:15 because I was still packing. Packing for Africa is one of the hardest things to do. You don't know if you are packing to go camping or packing to go sight-seeing. I have figured its a little bit of both! My packing process atleast a good two hours and that was even with my mom helping! I know I'm probably taking way too many clothes and toiletries but you never know what's going to happen and what's going to be available!

This is the furthest away from the US I have ever been and surprisingly I'm not nervous! I am so excited... minus the two day trip to get there!! No worries though... I've packed my traveler's pillow, I-pod and my DMMO music that I have to memorize by the time I get back!... oh and don't forget the Dramamine!

Yesterday we had a packing party which was a lot of fun! Virginia bought some awesome pizzas and we ate and talked to Virginia's friend who taught us some useful Kinyarwandan phrases! After eating we began our packing process that I thought would take hours... only took about a half hour! Some many people contributed to our school supplies drive that we almost couldn't pack it all! In the end we came out with 7 huge duffel bags filled to the brim with notebooks, t-shirts, frisbees, and lots of crayons!!

While I know that Africa will be amazingly beautiful, the thing that I am most excited about is learning about an entirely different culture and being able to give my service to those who will really appreciate it.

Next stop Africa!!

One week...

So I figured that I would be the first to write a post.....so here it goes.

First off, welcome to our blog! This is my first time blogging so please don't expect fireworks to go off after you finish reading this.
Today marks the one week countdown until we leave for Rwanda, Africa. I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to this trip and how excited I am. The thought of leaving has been in the back of my mind for the most part due to other school business. This week is finals week and I have been busy preparing for those and other wonderful end of the year stuff.
But now the time has come to begin thinking about what to take and how to pack it!! We are allowed to take 2 bags weighing 50 lbs. each plus a carry-on. Each one of us is using one of the 50 lbs. bag to take things with us to leave there for those who are less fortunate. We all have been gathering stuff like shoes, school supplies, and games to leave with families. We will be there for almost 3 weeks and will be doing a wide range of activities from working in the rain forest, to helping in the schools, to taking safari and gorilla treks.
A few weeks ago, I went to the county health department to receive all the necessary vaccinations and even some malarial pills......yum! Now it is down to packing, working out and gathering a few more donations. But of course, there is voice and piano juries, a recital audition, 5 finals, my education portfolio, and my student teaching application which will all be done before I leave........in one week.